What's Next?

The long awaited fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao has come and gone, now the question looms, what’s next for these two. Mayweather is under contract for one more fight under Showtime, and while there are no clear frontrunners, there is a slew of name waiting for a chance. For Pacquiao the situation is a bit bleaker. The aging superstar can see the light at the end of the tunnel and is not the same boxer that once dominated the sport.

Mayweather is going to have one more fight this year, presumably in September if everything goes to plan. Chances are he’s going to take on Amir Khan. The man who is best known for having a glass jaw. The hype machine will be unreal yet again. Mayweather will do his part in promoting the fight and then will knock out Khan, EASILY and improve his record. That’s what will happen, because Khan is a big draw for the UK crowd, we know Floyd loves his Money, and he is a n easy opponent to take care of, we know Floyd loves his record. What should happen is that Floyd should fight either GGG or Danny Garcia. Garcia knocked out Khan in 2012 and is undefeated at 30-0. GGG is 32-0 and is a vicious knockout artist. Of course those fights won’t happen because A. Both of the fighters pose a bigger threat to Mayweather than Khan. And B. Boxing is all about money and neither of the two are big draws.

As for Pacquiao, options aren’t there. The only feasible option is another Juan Manuel Marques fight, can you say number 5 or a fight against the likes of Martin Murray, Lucas Matthysse, or a Sergio Martinez. Chances are his fight is going to be in Macau since that’s where the next big spot is supposed to be and then he’ll go out with a win.

Disappointed, But Expected

Saturday night’s fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao was supposed to be the fight of the century; it was what we the fans wanted, what the world wanted, what the promoters wanted. HBO and Showtime got together, Bob Arum agreed, people ordered, ESPN covered, bars went broke, Las Vega got richer and when it finally came time for the fight, it ended up being a disappointment.

It was a shock to many, but avid fans of the sport saw that coming from a mile away. The old, slow, weak Pacquiao couldn’t do much to hurt “Money” Mayweather. The undefeated Mayweather went to work, on defense albeit and took control of the fight. Pacquiao just didn’t have enough in the tank to bother the best pound for pound fighter in the world. When it was all set and done, the result was a foregone conclusion. Roar of boos came down on Mayweather as they have for all of his previous fights as he was given the unanimous decision victory over Pacman.

Some called the fight an all-time robbery; twitter blew up with hate against Mayweather as many blamed him for not wanting to put up a fight. Truth be told, Floyd Mayweather has never been one to take the initiative in a fight. Best known for his defense, Mayweather is as resilient as a fighter could be. In a violent sport, where a boxer’s lifespan hangs by a thread, his style of boxing has allowed him to continue down this path. Limiting his opponent’s punches, and rarely feeling them, Mayweather is a rarity in the sport. Saturday was not what fans wanted to see because almost everyone though, Pacman was going to bring it but like all those who have tried before him, he hit a brick wall, expect that wall somehow ran around the ring for 12 rounds and fought back. There is no refunds in this business, maybe next time before you press yes on your remote confirming $100 for a fight, you should know what yourself getting into. The hype machine will always be there, but you don’t have to. 

Klitscko Does It Again

The big bad Ukrainian has no limits. On Saturday, Wladimir Klitschko who holds the WBA, IBF, WBO, and IBO belts secured a unanimous points victory over Philadelphia native Bryant Jennings at Madison Square Garden. Jennings entered the fight as a 10-1 underdog and nobody saw him as a real threat to beat Klitschko yet he put up a solid fight and his stock rose even in defeat.

39 –year-old Klitschko wasn’t razor sharp yet did enough to earn the decision. Jennings who came into the fight undefeated and weighted 20lb less that the Ukranian. Jennings was able to move around the ring and have Klitschko stalk him but it just wasn’t enough. He created different angles but just couldn’t hurt the experienced Champion who had more successful title defenses than Jennings had pro fights.

With his longtime girlfriend Hayden Panettiere ringside, Klitschko improved to 64-3 and is now set to fight British Champion Tyson Fury. 26 year old Fury is undefeated with a record of 24-0 and after beating Romania’s Christian hammer said he was ready to face the Ukranian. Whether or not Fury can beat Klitschko is still a bit far-fetched but if Saturday was any indication Wladimir is slowing down … just a bit. 

They Bringing Ugly Back

While the Golden State Warriors swept the Pelicans on Saturday and Stephen Curry was getting all the attention for his magical performance in the past two games, very quietly another team in the West was going about their business. Unlike the Warriors, this team plays a very old school, unsexy brand of Basketball. You won’t see them on the SportsCenter Top 10 plays and their players don’t get a whole lot of recognition but as a team, they can be  a nightmare. Of course, I’m talking about the one and only Memphis Grizzlies who went to Rose Garden and beat the highly overrated yet attention grabbing Portland Trailblazers with a third string Point Guard.

After Mike Conley and Beno Udrih who were both out with injury last night, it was time for former Florida sensation Nick Calathes to shine and did he ever. Calathes who has been a journeyman and played in Russia and Greece over his career has found his place in Memphis and put on a show Saturday night. Calathes finished the night with 13 points as Memphis beat 115-109. Up 3-0 in the series, a meeting with Golden State is just days away and Memphis has been flying under the radar due to the style they play, the Warriors are in for a real test.

The combo of Gasol and Randolph, combined with defensive ability of Tony Allen (watch out Steph) and the playmaking ability of Conley, combined with great role players in Courtney Lee, Calathes and Kosta koufos can ruin anyone's season and just because they don’t get love from the Media, doesn’t mean they should be ignored. The Grizzlies are bringing the ugly back. 

This One's for Daryl

To cap off Saturday’s playoff matchups, the playoff God’s gave us exactly what we wanted. Mark Cuban’s Dallas maverick’s against Daryl Morey’s Houston Rockets. Daryl Who??? Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey might not get much media attention but the feud between Morey and Cuban has been well documented. Morey is a man of analytics, his Rockets don’t shoot any 2 pointers. Houston leads the league in 3 point attempts, makes, and turnovers. They shoot a lot, they run a lot, and they dunk a lot. They have a high offensive efficiency, yet get very little credit for their efforts because nobody believes they can do it when it matters.

Cuban who has never had a good relationship with Morey, put gasoline on fire last off-season when he offered then Rockets Small Forward Chandler Parsons a 3yr/$46 million contract. So outrageous Morey decided to not match the offer. Before the start of the series Cuban said “There’s no more predictable team than the Rockets. You know exactly what they’re gonna do, Because that’s not a very good team over there.” The Rockets promptly responded by beating the Mavericks 118-108. Whether or not Cubans Mavs can come back and win the series is another story but maybe their billionaire owner should limit his talking. If anything is for certain is that Morey, the Billy Bean of NBA knows exactly what he’s doing and if it wasn’t for Patrick Beverly and Donatas Motiejunas out for the season, this blog post wouldn’t even be written since the Rockets would’ve easily handled Cuban’s Mavericks. 

The Truth Hurts

After a long and grueling winter, and NBA season … spring has brought us the exciting and meaningful playoffs and they started with a bang. The pointless Lakers, Timberwolves, Lakers, Knicks, etc games have finally ended and fans can turn to matchups that truly matter.

The playoffs started on Saturday in Toronto. The Raptors, having home court advantage and in the playoffs for a second straight year looked to use the crowd to their advantage. Air Canada Center was buzzing in the buildup and the Jurassic park outdoor viewing party had a world cup theme to it. All the intangibles were going for the Raptors until they had to step on the court and face the TRUTH. Toronto’s most hated man, Paul Pierce was at it again as he took care of the Raptors on and off the court. Pierce said the Raptors didn’t have the “It” factor to make a deep playoff run. With fans constant chant of “Paul Pierce Sucks” the Truth went 7-10 from the field including 3 three pointers for a game high 20 points as DC beat Toronto 93-86 in Overtime.

Playing the perfect villain role in the lead up to the game , Pierce let his performance talk on Saturday. The 37 year old however needs his team-mates to perform better over the series if they hope to take down Toronto. John Wall and Bradley Beal combined to go 11-41 on game 1, and if it wasn’t for Pierce’s heroics in overtime, Toronto could’ve easily won it. Game 2 is on Tuesday night in Canada, with the Raptors hoping to even the series before it comes to the nation’s capital. One game in and the 2015 playoff excitement has already reached boiling point. 

Championship Blueprint

The NBA season is set to come to an end, and with playoffs fast approaching, it seems as though the San Antonio Spurs are once again heating up just when it matters. The defending champions came out of the gate sluggish, struggling to win a lot of games for a variety of reasons. The injury to Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard combined with an aging Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan had many critics write off the Spurs.

As the season progressed, the Spurs slowly got healthier and better. In the absence of the big stars, Coach Popovich relied on his role players to carry him through the season. Players such as Aaron Baynes, and Cory Joseph took advantage of the opportunity and helped the Spurs stay in the hunt in the ultra-competitive western division. As the NBA calendar turned to March, it seems as though the Spurs woke up. Currently riding an impressive 10 game winning streak, the Spurs are a half game out of 2^nd place in the west behind Memphis.

A vastly experienced team with championship pedigree, the Spurs are once again there when it counts and pose a huge threat to any team. The Warriors are class of the West and have had a historic season, yet the favorites in the west during playoff time seem to be the Spurs yet again. The Spurs have a good chance of reaching the promise land once again this year, but more importantly they have showed all NBA teams a blueprint for success in the league. It’s not regular season that counts, it’s all about post season. 

Golf's New Star Rises To The Top

There was Tiger Woods, then there was Rory McIlroy and now it’s time for Jordan Spieth to be the face of Golf. In a sport lacking a true super star and needing diversification badly, 21 year old Spieth might be the best thing that has happened to Golf in the past decade.

Entering the 79^th Masters tournament in Augusta, Georgia Golf was not in the best position. Its biggest draw in Tiger Woods had hardly played a full tournament all year. McIlroy had been more in the news for what has happened with his ex-girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki than for his play on the course and ESPN couldn't find anything to muster up a dramatic story line for the weekend. All that changed when Spieth just went off on Thursday and Friday. The Texas native managed to finish Saturday setting a 54 hole record at 16 under par, leading the pack by 4 shots.

Spieth slowed down on Saturday and wasn't as sharp, yet his scintillating performance over the course of the first 36 holes allowed him some wiggle room. The dream of putting the green jersey on is that much closer and whatever happens on Sunday afternoon, one thing is for certain, Spieth is here to stay and Golf now has a big ticket player who can garnish attention to a sport that has been on the downfall over the past years. 

The Magic Number is 5

Real Madrid have been struggling for the past few weeks and after their defeat to Barcelona in the league last time out, manager Carlo Ancelotti’s job seemed to be up in the air as well. Thus, what took place on Sunday wasn't surprising yet it was some extraordinary. Madrid hosted bottom club Granada on Sunday hoping to bounce back, and did they ever. What ensued was 90 minutes that will go down in history books, Granada received a 9-1 drubbing and would have thrown in the towel by halftime if they had the option.

World footballer of the year Cristiano Ronaldo did something on Sunday that was out of this world even by his ridiculous standards. Ronaldo scored a hat-trick in an 8 minutes span in the first half, and went on to have 5 goals in the match by himself.  As Frank Isola of New York Times put it, the performance compares to Lebron James putting up 60 or Mike trout blasting 5 Home Runs on a given night. Even though Real have been slipping up lately, Ronaldo has been the one consistent performer for the 10 times European Champions. Ronaldo’s incredible performance took his tally to 36 for the year in La Liga. Ronaldo now has more goals than 53 of the 98 teams in Europe’s top five leagues this season.

Ancelotti was full of praise for his superstar after the game adding “What more can I say. It is the first time he has scored five Madrid, which is good for everyone, for him and for the team in next games. Madrid’s day didn't end perfectly however as Barcelona squeaked out a 1-0 win over Celta Vigo to stay 4 points clear of Real in first place.  

The Team Theo built

The 2015 Major League Baseball season is upon us and what better way to kick start the campaign than a Cubs-Cardinals match up. The perennial powerhouse that is St. Louis seems to somehow be there when it counts every year (super annoying) and for the first time in half a decade, the Cubs won’t be staring down 90 losses. The  Cubbies are supposed to be contending this year, a real dark horse picked by many ( just not any Cubs fans) to at least reach the playoffs and it’s easy to see why.

The Cubs ended last year with 89 losses, but the font office continued to work hard behind the scenes. The mastermind that is Theo Epstein has had his Sam Hinkie (76ers GM) cap on since he took over in 2011. To say the Cubs have been awful on the field is an understatement. They lost 101 games in 2012 and 96 in 2013. While the team was struggling to come up with the goods on the field, Epstein and GM Jed Hoyer went to work of the field. They managed to get rid of deadwood such as Alfonso Soriano, stacked the minor league affiliates like nobody else could and along the way got draft picks that would pay off down the road. Epstein also made some amazing trades to add talent to the organization and slowly rebuilt a franchise that would be consistently good for a decade. While the cornerstone of the franchise was slowly being built, Epstein signed Jon Lester to a 6year/$155 million contract and also grabbed the game’s best manager Joe Madden from the Rays after their GM Andrew Friedman decided to move to the Dodgers Organization.

The Cubs weren't supposed to be good this year, nope they were supposed to lose 80 games instead of 90. The additions of Lester and Madden completely changed the game however. The Cubs then went on and signed Catcher Miguel Montero from the D-Backs. They traded for Dexter Fowler and suddenly the team looked all set to contend. With All-stars in Anthony Rizzo and Starlin Castro, the Cubs were now ready to compete. Don’t forget that Cubs also have the number 1, 3 and 12 best prospects according to baseball America in Kris Bryant, Addison Russell and Jorge Soler respectively. Add the fact that all the aforementioned players are under contract until 2020 and you see why everyone is going crazy about the Chicago Cubs.

Chicago is so stacked and has so much cap room that they could be big time buyers in the market without giving up any of their top rated prospects. The likes of C.J Edwards, Gleyber Torres, Albert Almora, and Jen-Ho Tseng could be used as bargaining chips to bring in a top rated free agent. Sunday night might be start of a special season for Chicago and history could well be in the making, whether or not the Cubs will win the elusive World Series Championship is a topic of its own, one thing we do know is that they are built to be great for the next decade. 

You come at the King, You best not miss

While many predicted Kentucky would stroll through to the final four without a hiccup, they knew Notre Dame would prove a worthy challenger. Still double digit underdogs, the Irish came into the game with nothing to lose and everything to gain riding a perfect Cinderella, feel good story. After all, coach Mike Brey’s mother had passed away earlier and this had all the potential to be a historic win for the Irish.

As the game progressed through its course, it seemed as though Notre Dame had Kentucky right where they wanted them. They had made some key shots, Zach Auguste was getting whatever he wanted and role players such as Steve Vasturia were contributing big time. Tied at half time at 31 apiece, it was obvious Kentucky was in a fight. The drubbing they delivered to West Virginia wasn't going to be replicated on Saturday night. Then  came the second half, and Kentucky’s big men went to work. With Lebron James in attendance, Karl-Anthony Towns went to work, literally. Towns ended up with 25 points and simply couldn't be stopped and Kentucky’s defense came to the rescue. Unable to stop Notre Dame for much of the game, the Wildcats stopped the Irish three times in a row at the end to win 68-66 with Jerian grant’s desperation three to win the game catching nothing but air.

Saturday was perhaps more about Notre Dame than Kentucky, as Mike Brey put it, the Irish “emptied the tank” and gave it all they had but came agonizingly close to hamper Kentucky’s run to set the table. The Wildcats will now head to Indianapolis to face the Wisconsin Badgers who were able to knock out Arizona for a second consecutive year. Two wins away from achieving an unprecedented 40-0 record, the message to Kentucky’s opponents is a quote from The Wire “You come at the King, You best not miss.” 

New Zealand vs Australia: Cricket World Cup Final

As blog posts go, I try to write about different sport subjects every week. From the world of boxing to soccer, there is much more to the global sport spectrum than one sees on SportsCenter on nightly basis. So, it is only fitting that I dedicate a blog post to the world of cricket. On Saturday night, a new champion will be crowned and while a very few on this side of globe will care; the rest of the world turns its attention to Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG.)

The Cricket World Cup Final will be settled between co-hosts Australia and New Zealand. The 4-time champion Aussies were able to defeat defending champion India in the semi-final while the Kiwi’s got past South Africa in search of a maiden world cup championship. New Zealand comes into the match in-form and unbeaten throughout the tournament beating Australia in the group stages by one-wicket (similar to a walk-off home run in baseball), while the Aussies have the benefit of playing in front of their home crowd.

The final will be the pedigree of Australia and their hostile 100,000 crowd vs. a hungry New Zealand team that is ready to announce itself to the world. New Zealand Captain Brendon McCullum has gotten the best out of his side so far, and went all Ben-Hur on his pre match presser saying  “We'll play with the humility which we've played with throughout this campaign as well. And hopefully the big fella upstairs shines on us when the pressure situations come into play."

 While much of the global sporting world will pay close attention to the events taking place at MCG on Saturday night, and if New Zealand can overcome Australia for their first World Cup title, much of U.S will be focusing on the events of March Madness (which has been boring this year) and spring training baseball but then again, some sports aren't meant for everyone. 

Get Boring Out of Here

When I wrote last week about the ugly brand of basketball being played by much of the teams participating in the NCAA tournament and regular season games being very dull and boring to watch for casual fans, it wasn’t intended to one team or league. It was a sad truth concerning the college basketball landscape. The game has changed so much that now 90% of us only care about the name in the front and not in the back. All while, a decade ago it was the exact opposite. The likes of Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Al Horford, and Derrick Rose were all recognizable within the landscape of the game but now the stars of the game are completely taken out due to the style of the game changing. 

The flag bearer for this style is none other than University of Virginia coach Tony Bennett who embodies the grind out, bite your nail, 44-40 victory. So when, UVA lost to Tom Izzo’s Michigan State for the second consecutive year, it was a reminder that the tedious, uninteresting, defensive minded Bennett needs to change his style if he has hopes of succeeding when it actually counts.

The problem with the style of play implemented by the likes of Bennett is that it brings a lot of wins to the table in the regular season because at the college level, scoring comes at a premium and being an excellent defensive team ensures that your team has a chance to win night in and night out. Come tournament time however, the scenario changes. Go up against a talented team such as Michigan State and you get toasted.

Hopefully other coaches will soon realize that in order to win when it counts, a grinded out, low scoring game is highly ineffective and talented individuals have the ability to send you home packing. College basketball needs to be more exciting and over-coaching simply needs to stop because it’s killing the game.  

This is What Rock Bottom Looks Like

When Roberto Mancini took over from Walter Mazzarri, the Inter faithful felt like a much needed change had taken place. The pragmatic Mazzarri and his persistence of 3-5-2 had finally given way to a man who was seen a hero to club’s fans. In 2004, Mancini brought Inter its first title since 1989. A changing of the guard was in place and many saw Inter as a legitimate contender for the Champions League. A strong backing from the management in the January transfer window combined with a string of good results had put Inter in the driver’s seat. Then, just as quickly as the situation seemed to be restored, Mancini’s Inter collapsed.

On Sunday, Inter traveled to the Stadio Luigi Ferraris to face a spirited Sampdoria side that has overachieved this season. A wasteful Inter saw chances come and go, then a momen of magic from Sampdoria’s Eder changed the game. Midway through the second half, the Brazilian’s wonder striker

gave the home team a narrow 1-0 win and brought Inter, it’s 6^th consecutive defeat in all competition. The defeat meant Mancini’s team is out of contention for European places and has casted doubts over his reigns on the team next year.

An Inter team that once ruled Italian and European football is now in lowly 9^th place in standings, an incredible 30 points behind champions elect Juventus. In half a decade, the Nerazzurri went from winning every trophy possible to being limbo in Serie A. Who knows what holds for the team in the future, but it sure doesn't look pretty. 

March Madness: A double edged sword for NCAA Basketball

With the NFL season over, Baseball players getting ready in Florida and Arizona, and the NBA season not having reached the playoff stage yet, March is dedicated to College Basketball. The frenzy surrounding “March Madness” takes over the country and attracts a large demographic of the public, even those who are completely clueless about the sport and don’t follow it on regular basis. Extensive media coverage, added with everyone making their “bracket” and the money of Corporate America behind NCAA, college basketball has now turned into a one month sport.

Attendance for division I men’s games is down for the seventh straight season according to the Associated Press, TV ratings for CBS and ESPN are down as well. A lot of this has to do with the current format of the regular season. Unlike any other sport, No regular season college basketball is really must-win. Every team can afford to have a bad night, and second, third and fourth chances come regularly to teams. A horrible team during the regular season can put a string of wins together in the conference tournament and make it to the big dance. Combine that with the recent shuffling of the conferences, lower scoring games and an uncanny number of timeouts and fouls called at the end of the games and regular season games for college basketballs have taken away from the fun and importance of regular season games.

College Basketball is still a big deal, and as we all root for a Cinderella team or debate about Kentucky’s chances of running the table, it will be a wicked few weeks but it still doesn't take away us from asking ourselves, what’s the point of having a regular season. 

Marcus Mariota's Pro Day, A Lose-Lose Situation

When Marcus Mariota stepped out for his pro-day at Oregon this past week, it was a lose-lose situation for the Quarterback no matter what he did on the field. Mariota, who is slated to be the second QB drafted after Jameis Winston had nothing to gain from his work-out. Nearly, the entire league was in attendance to see the Heisman Trophy winner throw selected passes to his receivers.

Mariota didn’t awe the scouts at the workout and seemingly left some still wondering the same questions as when they walked in, Can he consistently throw the deep ball? For all intents and purposes, Mariota will be picked anywhere between 2-7 on draft day. What he did during his pro-day could only hurt his draft stock. Questions about Mariota have always been the same, can he run a pro-style offense, Does he have the arm strength to compete in the NFL and can he throw the long ball. His workout however didn’t really answer any of those questions. So, what was the point of the workout? Mariota did miss a few targets during the routine, so does that mean we should write him-off.

Before jumping to any ludicrous conclusions about Mariota and how he will fare in the pro’s, it’s important to take a step back and look at a similar scenario which took place exactly 12 months ago. Coming out of college, Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater was facing similar questions to Mariota. On his pro-day, Bridgewater completely blew it to a point that he fell from being a guaranteed top 10 pick to being drafted 32^nd by the Minnesota Vikings. Bridgewater did admirably well in his rookie seasons, much better in fact than Blake Bortles the 3^rd pick who struggled to settle into Jaguars team and Johnny Manziel, the 22^nd pick who ended up in rehab after his first season. Pro-days can make you look great, as the case with Bortles, but with Mariota, it was a lose-lose situation, we’ll have to wait and see where he gets drafted in a few weeks.

Inter's Champions League Hopes Fade Away

Inter Milan’s hopes of reaching the champions league went up in smoke after their defeat at home to Fiorentina at the weekend. The Nerazzurri coming off a impressive run of games where they had beaten Celtic in Europa league and won three consecutive league games folded against the Viola and saw their efforts to reach third place and qualify for Champions League fade away.

Inter coach Roberto Mancini rotated his side a bit after the midweek game and rested influential playmaker Xherdan Shaqiri instead putting his faith on German striker Lukas Podolski. The misfiring striker put in abysmal performance on the field and was replaced by Shaqiri in the second half. The Swiss playmaker did his best to turn the game around but at the end it was a case of too little too late. Mancini after the game was obviously not happy with Podolski’s performance saying “Podolski needs to do more. His performances aren't sufficient at the moment and he knows that better than anyone.”

The result leaves Inter at eight place with 35 points, 10 points behind third place Napoli who also lost on Sunday to Torino. Reaching third place now seems very difficult and unattainable, perhaps next week’s fixture between Inter and Napoli be a better indicator of where things are headed.

Inter’s best hope of reaching the Champions league is winning the Europa league. The Italians are set to go head to head with Wolfsburg in the next round and might focus all their efforts on the Europa League rather than the Serie A. The next month or two will be a big indicator of where the club is headed as it desperately needs the extra revenue that is brought in by reaching the Champions League.

Mourinho Does it Again

Entering Saturday’s Capital One Cup final between Chelsea and Tottenham, many were expecting an open end to end match like the two teams encounter earlier on in the season, but Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho made sure that wouldn’t be the case right from the starting line-up.  

Tottenham beat Chelsea on New Year’s Day 5-3 in the league, to date the worst defeat of the season by the blues. The spurs best players in that game, Dane Christian Eriksen and England striker Harry Kane had miles of space to operate and left Chelsea with no chance. Chelsea manager, Mourinho who always has a trick up his sleeve when it comes to cup finals and rarely loses when he gets that far in the competition made sure that wouldn’t be the case by introducing a line-up that left many scratching their heads. With his best defensive midfielder Nemanja Matic suspended, Mourinho threw in young French defender Kourt Zouma. 20 year old Zouma who has burst into the scene was a surprise inclusion to the team but proved the doubters wrong.

Although it was an evenly south game, Chelsea didn’t let Tottenham operate as freely in the middle of the park and at the end cruised to a 2-0 win over their London rivals, lifting the first cup of the season. Favorites to win the Barclays Premier League and still going strong in the UEFA Champions league, Chelsea fans still have higher hopes than just the Capital One Cup but it’s a start in the right direction. One thing is for certain, when it comes to finals, Mourinho rarely loses as his track is simply astonishing. 

Breaking News: The Wizards are in Trouble

When the Wizards lost to the Pistons on Sunday, alarms could’ve been heard from the nation’s capital. Going into the All-Star break, the Wizards were struggling and the injury to Bradley Beal had hampered the early progress the team had made in the Eastern Conference. Wizards were once contending for the top spot in the east, yet now they’ll consider themselves very lucky to have home court in the first round. The emergence of Atlanta, Toronto and the Cavaliers finally finding form combined with a terrible form the Wizards have gone into has signaled trouble for Coach Randy Wittman.  

After the 106-89 loss at the hands of the Pistons, Wittman said “We played the last couple of quarters like it was a pickup game.” Washington, who were blown out by the Cavs at home on Friday and had lost to the Hawks and Raptors prior to the All-Star break are now 10-17 vs. teams above .500.

The team did make a trade in hopes of changing the mood by sending veteran Andre Miller to Sacramento for Ramon Sessions but Wizards problems lie deeper. Without Beal on the floor, the team simply has no spacing and seems clueless on the floor. Paul Pierce’s inability to consistently deliver from the 3-point line hasn’t helped matters either. Also, Washington’s big strength in NeNe and Marcin Gortat only comes in the offensive end. Sunday proved once again that Washington can’t protect the paint as well as it should. Pistons big men Andre Drummond had 18 points alongside 16 rebounds. Former Georgetown star Greg Monroe had 15 points and 15 boards. The return of Beal might solve the team’s inability to shoot 3’s but the rest will be tough to figure out. 

The Man No One Wants to Fight

When news broke out over the weekend that the long awaited fight between Floyd “Money” Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao was finally going to happen in May, the sports world went insane, literally. What many didn’t see was the fight that took place Saturday night between WBA and IBO Middleweight Champion of the world Gennady “GGG” Golovkin and Englishmen Martin Murray in Monaco. The undefeated Golovkin who came in to the fight carrying an impressive knockout streak of 18 fights had to work in this fight but proved too tough for Murray, who showed massive heart despite being overmatched with power. 

Battered, bloodied, and one eye closed, Murray was knocked down three times before referee Luis Pabon brought the fight to a stop in the 11^th round. Murray, who after the fight said he didn’t even remembered the second knockdown showed massive heart to hang in with Golovkin, but simply didn’t have enough in the tank to threaten the champ.

Golovkin, now 32-0, and riding a 19 match knockout streak is struggling to find an opponent that’s willing to fight him. The aforementioned Pacquiao and Mayweather fight takes the two out of contention. Mexican superstar Saul “Canelo” Alvarez is schedules to fight James Kirkland and WBC Middleweight Champion Miguel Cotto simply wants no piece of GGG. The caveat to the situation is that Cotto might be stripped of his belt if he doesn’t fight Golovkin this year. On a weekend where many were one big fight was announced, boxing fans will hope it’s the start of a year that will go in history books and Golovkin Vs. Cotto would be the ultimate icing on the cake that is Mayweather Vs. Pacquiao. 

Benson Henderson Vs. Brandon Thatch, Rocky Vs. Ivan Drago of 2015

Former UFC Lightweight Champion Benson Henderson is no stranger to dramatic fights, but Saturday nights back and forth affair with Brandon Thatch was one for the books. 31 year old Henderson decided to move up a Welterweight to fight Thatch who held an 11-1 record coming into the fight hadn't lost a fight since 2008. What ensued between the two fighters was one for the history books. Thatch, fighting in front of his home crowd in Colorado got off to a flying start and attacked Henderson from the get-go. Henderson, a former champion survived the onslaught of attacks to stay in the fight. The fight was reminiscent of Rocky and Ivan Drago and had fans on the edge of their seats. Thatch, looking considerably bigger than Henderson eventually slowed down in round three. The experience of Benson "Smooth" Henderson was a huge factor as he eventually beat Thatch via a rear naked choke in the fourth round. Thatch who simply had no energy left towards the end, had emptied the tank... literally. The battle which ended at 1 a.m late Saturday night earned both participants fight of the night honors. Henderson, who looked out of division and out of place, pulled out an important victory to start the road back to the belt. Whether he goes back to Lightweight or continues his journey in the Welterweight division is unclear. What is clear is that Henderson never disappoints, no matter who he's fighting. 

English Premier League Receives Massive New Television Deal

The English Premier League announced that it had struck a deal worth $7.9 billion over a three year span with Sky and BT sports earlier this week. The deal which is set to start in the 2016-17 year, is eye opening to say the least but not surprising. The league is also expected to add about $4.3 billion a year during the same time internationally. To put things in perspective, NFL earns about $3 billion per year, while the NBA will take in about $2.66 billion when the new television rights start in 2016-17. EPL is getting bigger and bigger while other leagues throughout the continent are struggling with financial issues.

The ramifications of this deal are huge for all parties involved. Considering most clubs in Europe are struggling with UEFA's Financial Fair Play (FFP) teams in England now have resources to build themselves up for decades to come. The exciting world of Premier League Football has made top teams global brands in the world and small cities throughout England recognizable in places no one would expect. Manchester United, one of the biggest club is now being traded publicly at the New York Stock Exchange. Manchester City and Chelsea are now perennial powerhouses and smaller clubs like Southampton who were struggling in the lower levels of English Football earlier in the century , now have the ability to compete for the Champions League due to some wise spending. The Premier League is now a destination all players want to go to. Whereas, the Serie A in Italy was home to the best in sport in 90's and La Liga in Spain during the 2000's, the English Premier League has swooped in and has taken over not only the continent but the world. What will happen in the future no one knows, what is certain however is that the English Premier League has a bright future ahed while other leagues are playing catchup.

Under the Microscope ... All the Time

On Thursday, The Cleveland Cavaliers dominated the Clippers in all facets of the game in route to their 105-94 victory. The night however, will unfortunately be remembered for something completely different. Clippers All-Star point guard Chris Paul was T’d up by rookie referee Lauren Holtkamp. Here’s what Paul had to say about the decision afterwards:  "The tech that I get right there was ridiculous. I don't care what nobody says, I don't care what she says; that's terrible. There's no way that can be a tech. We try to get the ball out fast every time down the court, and when we did that, she said, 'Uh-uh.' I said, 'Why, uh-uh?' And she gave me a tech.That's ridiculous. If that's the case, this might not be for her." What ensued from the comments was a social media frenzy, media ripping of a man who let’s not forget is the head of the players union as well. ESPN’s headline after the comments was “Chris Paul rips female rookie ref.” In the day and age where everything an athlete says goes under the microscope, this is probably the worst situation. Was Paul right in criticizing the official? Absolutely not, he’ll probably get a hefty fine from the league. But to go and put a label on the man and say the referees gender was a factor is crossing the line. Truth of the matter is, male referees receive the same treatment and Paul’s opinion on her decision making on the court had nothing to do with her gender. Let us not try to make a meal of something when clearly there is nothing going on.  

Super Bowl XLIX

Unless you are a New England Patriots fan, Super Bowl XLIX finished with millions thinking what should've / could've happened. Its the Great Unknown in sports. Would Marshawn Lynch been able to punch it in for the game winning touchdown? The answer to that will forever live in infamy. If there's one thing that is a sure thing with the Seattle Seahawks team is that they have the core nucleus in place to contend for titles in the next decade.