The REAL. BIG. Blog

Congratulations to the New York Yankees on winning their 27th World Series title. The exhausting MLB season has finally come to a close, along with the best time of the year for sports…

October and November are some of the most exciting months for sports fans. It is the only time of the year that all 4 major sports are on at the same time.

The MLB Playoffs are nearing the end, where every pitch, every catch and every move matters. This year in the playoff you had two of the more storied franchises in all of sports with the Yankees and Dodgers. Let’s not forget the Red Sox and Cardinals who have both won a World Series title in the past 3 years. And then there are the two most consistent teams in baseball: the Twins and Angels. Year after year, those two teams always seem to be near, or at the top of their respected divisions. After starting 19-28 and firing their head coach, the Rockies came back and made another impressive run to the postseason.

The NFL is in full swing with intriguing story lines, bone-crushing hits and highlight reel plays. There are always surprises with the NFL. Who would have thought that at age 40, Brett Favre would be playing as well as he is… who would have thought that in week 9 we would still have two undefeated teams (Indianapolis and New Orleans both 7-0)… Who would have thought that the Wildcat would make defensive coordinators cringe… From the Ram’s, Lion’s and Buccaneers to the Saints, Colts and Vikings, Sunday’s are days where you can always find excitement with any team.

The NBA season tips off. A clean slate for every team. The Clippers look to spring forward with Blake Griffin, Stephen Curry looks to show off his sweet shot at the professional level, and the rest of the NBA Rookies look to make their mark on the league. This is a league full of superstars. From LeBron and Kobe to Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade, each player brings a different dynamic to the court that can only be classified as incredible.

And finally, the puck drops in the NHL. After a come from behind win against the Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Penguins are looking for the first repeat since the Red Wings went back to back in ‘97 and ‘98. With all the free agent moves and offseason trades, the tides may be turning for some teams in the NHL.

Of course, I cannot forget College football. Every sports fan has a favorite NCAA team. With tailgaiting, face painting, BCS discussions, conference title hopes, stadiums with 100,000+ people, and bowl games… College football definitely demonstrates the true passion of fans and athletes.

Ah yes, it really is a great time of year!

We know the Celtics made it past the Bulls in round one of the NBA playoffs but they had to play as many overtimes as games to do it – seven games, seven overtimes. Are the Bulls rising or did the Celtics just find out what it takes to win without Kevin Garnett? Speaking of Garnett, word is that the Orlando Magic have been watching film of KG as they prepare for their series with the Celtics. Well, when you have an extra day or two, why not. On the other hand it’s not like Garnett is going to walk onto the court one day and everybody’s going to wonder “who’s that?” Orlando lost both games against Boston in the regular season with Garnett in the lineup. They won both when he was out or playing limited minutes. So the question is, do we see another seven game series with multiple overtimes in this next round between the Magic and the Celtics? I mean, overtime is pretty cool and admit it – wouldn’t you rather have your team win a close one in triple overtime than be 20 points ahead at the end of the first quarter and coast to a 10 point win. And what about that twofer we got yesterday when the Red Wing and Ducks played what amounted to two games worth of hockey in a single afternoon!

So two questions for you today: 1) Will the Magic and Celtics go the full seven games, and 2) What’s the greatest overtime game you remember? Fathead wants to know.

By Apryl DeLancey

Aah…the start of the NBA season.  Depending on who you listen to, the Los Angeles Lakers are going to take the title or the Boston Celtics will repeat.  I’m personally pulling for the first scenario.  Of course, I’m an extremely biased Los Angeles native.  I’m still not over the Lakers playing like absolute dirt against the aforementioned Celtics in the finals last year.  I mean seriously, it seemed like Kobe Bryant only played on half a tank of fuel at times.  Eh, que sera sera…I just can’t get too worked up by the games so far.  Yes, the Lakers are atop the West and the Celtics are atop the East.  There are still MANY months of basketball to be played so I will reserve judgment on who will be the champs until I see more.  Heck, who knows… maybe the Clippers could pull something out.  Then again, maybe the St. Louis Rams will miraculously make the NFL playoffs this year and the Los Angeles Kings will be NHL champs.  Yeah, I know…fairy tales.

Speaking of the Clippers, they have this very nice facility just down the street from me here in the LAX/Marina Del Rey area.  What is interesting is that this is not too far from the Lakers complex in El Segundo.  For those of you not privy to the Los Angeles layout, both of these are close to LAX and pretty far from the Staples Center downtown where they play.  So my question is this – did the Clippers move closer to the coast and airport to be closer to the Lakers and therefore maybe getting some of their good mojo to rub off on them?  Or do they just want to be closer to the wonderful breezes of the Pacific Ocean?  Regardless, the new practice facility for the Clippers is modern and has a ticker on the outside so that you can catch up on team news.  Maybe I’ll start seeing them around lunchtime like I do certain Lakers members.  Yeah, I really do see Phil Jackson, Kobe Bryant, and Luke Walton every now and then at the local lunch or coffee spot.  In fact, Luke and his brother have a little restaurant nearby.  I know – I’ve got a rough life.

Speaking of interesting NBA possibilities, it appears that everyone’s favorite Maverick, owner that is, is facing a heavy accusation of insider trading.  As we know from the whole Martha Stewart incident, this is not something that the powers that be tolerate with much empathy.  This story is at its preliminary stages so there isn’t a reason to jump to conclusions yet.  Even Mark Cuban deserves a fair shake.  How sad would it be to just have this turn out to be a witch hunt of sorts.  It is no secret that he has rubbed some the wrong way but this is not a reason to assume his guilt so early.  Let’s be civil, folks.

Who are you watching this NBA season?

By John Fontana

Boston Red Sox Logo Fathead Wall Graphic

I am in Boston today. The city of winners. That’s a fact and you can check the record – even with grief from last night’s Red Sox loss to the Rays pervading every establishment public and private in New England. In the past six years, this city has celebrated six championships in three pro sports (football, baseball and basketball).  Would you take that for your city AND last night’s loss?

The Patriots, woe they are to perform this season (and set to face the Broncos on Monday Night Football), were Super Bowl champions in 2002, 2004 and 2005.

The Red Sox, who just missed the Series for the third time in five years with Sunday’s loss, were champions in 2004 and 2007.

And the Celtics are the current defending NBA champions having beaten the Lakers for the title in June. Let’s not even mention the 16 other NBA crowns they’ve pocketed in the modern era.

That’s a lot of champagne, ticker tape and trips to Disneyland anyway you cut it.  So an ALCS loss to the Rays merits perspective.

Sure, the magic didn’t work for the Red Sox this time. But the Red Sox fate is but a mere chunk of silver in the city’s pot of gold.

It’s been worse here. Much worse. Flash back to 1986. If you’re not a Red Sox fan that date is meaningless to you. Mention that year and any true Sox fan can fill in the rest. October 25. World Series. Game 6. 3-2 series lead. Sox pitcher Bob Stanley. New York Mets hitter Mookie Wilson. Boston first baseman Bill Buckner. Vin Scully’s now haunting words “a little roller up along first…behind the bag…It gets through Buckner.”

In the 2003 HBO documentary, “Curse of the Bambino,” one Boston fan described the loss as the “darkest day in Boston since Jack Kennedy was shot.”  Clearly, it’s been painful before.

But now look at them. In their worn blue caps with the famous red “B.” Their Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen jerseys. Their Big Papi chants and Papelbon dance.

Even after a heartbreaking loss, it must feel fine to be a sports fan in Boston.

By Apryl DeLancey

Well, the Dodgers are doing their usual up and down dance as October draws near. It just seems that the same story happens every year – they start out strong, get us all excited, and then leave us feeling robbed. Heck, they dropped something like eight out of nine games recently. I shouldn’t be surprised. This really does happen every year. They sign elderly players as the season progresses to act like they actually want to win a title. Ownership seems to be perfectly happy with as little as a Wild Card berth. Argh! I don’t think it will change any time soon. This city is too big and has too may fans. For every frustrated fan like myself, there are at least 100 more that are happy to buy a ticket. The Dodgers continue to shatter records for attendance every year. I’ve got to move on to another subject before I have an aneurism…

The Galaxy…well, they aren’t so hot either right now. They did a “Dodgers” this year as well. Starting off strong and now they are like 10 points out of first place. They also spent a truckload of money on an aging star…the owners of the Galaxy must be friends with the owner of the Dodgers…

Chivas USA is the sleeper favorite in the MLS around here. No prima donna players (comparatively speaking) and a loyal fan base. You can still get tickets to the games for a reasonable price. Of course, since they don’t have David Beckham they don’t get as much attention. They even play in the same stadium as the Galaxy!

Speaking of getting tickets…getting Lakers tickets is never an easy task. This Los Angeles team has actually had many championships in recent memory. Except for this last year. Is it just me, or did Kobe Bryant seem to try harder in the Olympics? Pau Gasol looked more attentive playing for his native country as well. I’m convinced that the entire team was asleep in the series with Boston.

The NFL football season in Los Angeles means that we got to have the Dallas Cowboys practice in nearby Oxnard for the last time and other long drives to catch any action. We get to either drive close to three hours to catch LaDainian Tomlinson and the San Diego Chargers or head north about six plus hours to take in a San Francisco 49ers or Oakland Raiders game.

Ah, to be a sports fanatic in Los Angeles…I wouldn’t change it for anything…