March Madness Begins!! JB and MB Picks

Well it's time to bust out the crystal ball!

Let the madness begin.

Here are some picks--

My final four are Kentucky, 'Cuse, Missouri and North Carolina.

I'm looking at the veins in my hands right now

and I'm not seeing any little ones- just the big guys.

Hence, I think it will be a tournament dominated by the top seeds.

(we'll see what happens)

I also have Harvard coming out of the first round- some Ivy League love.

I'm feeling reluctant on my BYU boys.

I think if anything they'll win with a huge comeback-

not likely though.

As for the winner of the big dance, I gotta go with the Orangemen at Syracuse.

With a names like Scoop, good things gotta happen.

Mike Bouchard--

Ladies and Gentlemen...I have returned.

I apologize for my leave of absence

but adult life can take a back seat to March Madness.

Gonna give my Final Four, my Championship, and my Champion.

Please be kind because we all know nothing makes sense in college hoops come March.

So my Final Four goes as follows...

South- Kentucky

I don't see the average performance in the SEC tournament as a problem.

Easily the most talented team in the country.

Can coach Cal finally get over the bump is the biggest question.

He can motivate guys like none other,

but can he tweak his message the right way this time?

East-Syracuse

Again, great team with a weak conference tourney.

They have size, guard play, and leadership.

Top team throughout the year, tough conference,

and top two team going into the tournament.

West-Missouri

Why not? Good guards, drive the lane well, and can shoot.

I think they have been a top ranked team that nobody wants to believe in all year.

Give me some English.

Midwest- Kansas

I hate doing this because I know how Kansas performs come March,

but I think they have a decent chance against another overrated ACC team in North Carolina.

This would be the least confident pick I have.

Championship- Kentucky and Syracuse

Two top squads with great players.

Champion-Kentucky

Too much for Syracuse and coach Cal finally earns his first championship.

He rides Anthony Davis like he did Marcus Camby from his days at UMass.

Yes, I am probably one of the only people my age who remembers those days.

Sleepers-

These would be my teams that can make some noise.

Not saying they will pull a VCU or George Mason, but they can win a few.

Memphis

Florida

Murray St.

Cincinnati

Ohio

NC St

And lastly...the teams I am pulling for based on a personal bias

Marquette

Connecticut

Murray St.

Superbowl Predictions

Well, I'm back........but just barely.

During STC's first month of operation its readership exploded.
Followers across the globe anxiously awaited the latest commentary available.
And for a short while, the world of blogging was completely blissful.

But just as fast as STC's great lift into the spotlight,
came a cold, dark shadow over my digital euphoria.

Demands from the masses became stressful.
"Do this!" "Write about that!" "Tell me your thoughts on X"
I was twisted and bent in the putty of my own admirers.
Ultimately, under the scrutiny of the media and others,
the pressure became unbearable.

...
...
...

But
...

Now is a new day, and I again rise to the challenge,
perhaps for one final time or perhaps here to stay,
and determined to fend off the fiery demands of critics and followers alike!

(Ok let's get serious. I got busy
and my 3 readers wanted a superbowl prediction in writing.)

I'm happy to say that in my NFL playoff predictions,
I had the Patriots in the Superbowl, beating the Packers.

Now that it is Patriots vs. Giants
I'm rooting for the Giants.
(probably because I dislike the Giants less than I do the Patriots)
(and I always like to root for the underdog)

So either way, I'm a winner.
If the Giants win--great! I'm rooting for them!
If the Patriots win--great! I predicted that weeks ago!

The game will be a close one.
I see a nervous, slow start for both offenses
and poor execution before all the Superbowl jitters wear off.
Hopefully it's not a track meet, where the scores go into the high 30s and 40s.
If that happens, look for a huge Patriots win
dominated by Tom Brady and his army of unconventional receiving targets.

But because it won't be a track meet,
this game will come down to the fourth quarter,
and I predict that which ever team has the most points
at the end of the fourth quarter will win the game.
Seriously....but not.

If the Giants' front four on defense can put quick pressure on Brady
then look out for a dandy of a game.
I think the winner of the turnover margin will win the game.

Ultimately, Brady, Belichick and the Patriots
will pass their way around the Giants' pass rush.
I see a late turnover that turns into quick points
to put the game out of reach for the Giants.

Brady will further solidify his place in the Hall of Fame
while Eli Manning deservedly raises the question
of which Manning is move valuable.

Patriots win 31-23.
But remember, I'm still rooting for the Giants!

The Greatness of Sports

Are you serious?!!! (insert Dick Vitale's voice)

The 49er vs. Saints game was one of the best playoff games I've ever seen.

Four lead changes in the final 4 minutes-

all touchdowns.

(and don't forget that I predicted the 49ers to win. see below)

But what really caught my attention is the similarity in how the game finished

to another instant classic 49er playoff game back in 1998.

Similarities:

Playoff comeback wins

In San Francisco

Same end of the Stadium

Touchdown was made with less than 10 seconds to go.

Route was a post route from the seam of the field to the middle

Defensive secondary colliding as the catch is made

Player makes catch and falls into the end zone

and the best one.....

Both players (Vernon Davis and Terrell Owens) are overcome with joy

and can be seen crying their eyes out on the sideline.

2012 Game- Final Drive

(sorry for the poor quality- best video I could find at the time)

1998 Game Highlights

This is truly was sports is all about.

Teams and players working together, trusting each other

all towards one common goal.

This one game will be unforgettable for both

those who watched it and played in it.

If we ever again see a play like these two,

let us be reminded of the greatness of sports!

NFL playoffs - STC Predictions! James B.

NFC

1st Round
Saints over the Lions- Saints out-slugg in a slugg-fest. Saints pull away in the 4th.
Giants over the Falcons- The Giants pass rush brings down the Falcons' passing game

2nd Round
Packers over the Giants- Not even close. Rodgers throws for 4 touchdowns.
49ers over the Saints- They earned the bye week for a reason. 49ers defense figures out Brees just long enough.

NFC Championship
Packers over the 49ers- Alex Smith proves to be the Achilles heel.

AFC

1st Round
Bengals over the Texans- Upset special? Neither the Bengals' D nor I think so.
Steelers over the Broncos- Steelers show the Broncos what a Dynasty looks like.

2nd Round
Pats over the Steelers- Steelers offense has been too inconsistent to keep up with Brady his tight ends.
Ravens over the Bengals- Ravens eek out a close one. Combined less than 30 points.

AFC Championship
Pats over the Ravens- If I think about it longer, I may change my mind.

Superbowl
Patriots over Packers- (I at least should be different from Mike) Tom and Bill prove again why they have won more games than any other coach and quaterback together. 38-31

NFL playoffs - STC Predictions! Mike B.

And here are my picks for the NFL Playoffs… (Mike Bouchard)

NFC

1^st Round

Saints over the Lions- Suh gets a big personal foul

Giants over the Falcons- Riding Eli’s hot hand and the canned heat in Cruz’s shoes

2^nd Round

Packers over the Giants- Rodgers

Saints over the 49ers- Brees>Smith

NFC Championship

Packers over the Saints- Woodson makes a key play to save the Packers D

AFC

1^st Round

Bengals over the Texans- Texans have QB issues

Steelers over the Broncos- Tebow gets embarrassed

2^nd Round

Pats over the Steelers- Pats offense scores 35+

Ravens over the Bengals- Dalton can’t handle having to throw 30+ times

AFC Championship

Pats over the Ravens- Pats score too many again

Superbowl

Packers over the Pats- Belichick picks the wrong hoodie

Introduction of Mike Bouchard

I neglected to introduce a great friend
and regular contributor of Sports Talk City-

Mike Bouchard.

He has previously written pieces on the NHL (here and here) and has much more to come! He studied communications in college and adds a great combination of insight and sarcasm.

Mike grew up in Massachusetts and Virginia. He has a lot of opinions about a lot of things, but try to back those opinions up with facts.

His favorite teams are the Red Sox, Celtics, Capitals, and Redskins.

He follows most sports pretty closely,
but has to admit that the secondary sports like soccer and tennis don’t peak his interest too often.
He focuses most of his attention to baseball, football, and hockey.
As far as basketball goes, Mike tends to be more entertained by college hoops.
Something about the egos in the NBA turns him off.

Lebron Gets Engaged!! Who knew?!

Good for him!
Lebron James proposed to his long time girlfriend!
(I just hope it doesn't turn out like another world famous athlete, best in his sport)

(I won't name him....)
(....golfer.....)
(.......Animal and group of trees.......)
You get the point.

Giants win, into playoffs!

Normally I'm not excited about a New York Giants win,
but when it's against the Cowboys--
you bet I am!

Now that the NFL season is complete (already?!!!),
us sports speculators don't waste any time talking about what's to come.
Namely- An amazing playoff season and the NFL draft (see poll question).

I'll be back with my bold playoff predictions
and ready as ever to see what happens!