Month: January 2013

Conference Championships Part 1

~ Dave Ettinger ~ Leave a comment

Originally Posted on : 1/19/13 @ 9:52 A.M.

Are you ready for some football?  Personally, I can’t wait for kickoff on Sunday!  I expect these games to be just as exciting as the games we had the privilege to watch last weekend.  I think both of these games are going to come down to the final drives and could be decided by a field goal or last second touchdown.  Everyone out there as you know pretty much has the same 2 picks: New England and San Francisco.  At the same time, I know some are trying to kinda sorda jump on the Ravens/Ray Lewis/Destiny bandwagon and say they have a shot, but I think the other game is going to be the nailbiter.  On the heels of this Michael Crabtree distraction I think that there is just going to be just too much pressure on Mr. Kaepernick.  Crabtree has turned into a nice little receiver and clearly is the 49ers best option no matter where he is on the field.  I have always been a Randy Moss fan, but let’s be real, he’s 35 going on 75, and he looks like he’s jogging through his routes and breaks.  But with Crabtree’s mind preoccupied with his newly found investigation, I think Kaepernick will have to keep this game on the ground.  Yes, I know everyone who is reading this is saying hey buddy Kaepernick only broke a rushing record last week for a qb, why can’t he do it again?  And yes, the 49ers do have a great running game even without Kaepernick running wild, but I just like the home team to at least carry a lead into the 4th quarter.  The combination of Julio Jones and Roddy White is going to be too much even for this stellar 49ers’ defense.  My only reservation is that their defense might fade down the strech like last week.  I foresee Kaepernick finally looking like a quarterback in his first year and throwing not 1 but 2 untimely picks.  I think the Falcons will employ a well designed game plan and bend but not break when it comes to Kaepernick running.  Now, I don’t mean any disrespect to Colin Kaepernick because he does have mountains of potential and clearly has the arm strength to be a pocket passer in the NFL.  I mean heck he could have been making millions in the MLB years ago.  I digress.  I just see him looking like a “rookie” this weekend at inoppurtune times.  Final score in Atlanta: 31-28 (Atlanta).  Check back later on today for my New England vs. Baltimore prediction.  Enjoy the games on Sunday!

Kobe and Lebron

~ Dave Ettinger ~ 4 Comments

Originally posted on : 1/18/13 @ 3:10 P.M.

So, I was listening to 98.7 FM this morning on my way to work, and they were talking about Kobe Bryant and Lebron James.  This inspired me to chime in on this debate.  Kobe Vs Lebron.  Who is better?   Now, they were asking two different questions.  Who is better now, and who was better at the time they reached the 20,000 point milestone.  Now the first question is a simple fact.  Lebron is clearly better now.  NO disrespect meant to Kobe, because he is a first ballot hall of famer and top 10 player of all time no questions asked.  However, Lebron James is clearly the best basketball player on the planet right now.  Kobe had his prime and his time, but Lebron is clearly #1.  This is coming from someone who personally doesn’t care all that much for Lebron by the way.  Now, on to question number 2.  Kobe in his prime was something special.  No matter what generation you are from, you can count on 1 hand how many guys could take over a game like Kobe while at the same time lock down the other teams best offensive player.  By now I would think that anyone who knows sports knows that Kobe’s heart, killer instinct, and closing abilities are unquestioned.  Especially in a conversation against Lebron James, a guy who runs away from the ball when the clock is running toward all 0’s.  Lebron, yes, as we all know is a “freak” of nature.  No one compares to him as a physical specimen because let’s face it you’re not supposed to be able to jump that high and run that fast at his size.  Most of us I would think would have a hard time walking and dribbling at the same time at 6’8″, 255 lbs.  But, I don’t live in the world of the knee-jerk reaction to everything.  Lebron’s greatness hasn’t been instantaneous.  Just because he hit 20,000 points it doesn’t mean he magically became better than Kobe overnight or should be put in the same sentence as MJ, yet.  He’s been a special talent since anyone who matters first heard his name, and he’ll be one of the best of all time when it’s all said and done.  But, let’s give Kobe credit where credit’s due.  Lebron can guard 4 positions at any time but isn’t the defender Kobe was, yet.  Lebron is a better passer and rebounder as well, but all of these things don’t change the most important part of the discussion.  WINS.  I’ll take Kobe’s heart and rings over Lebron’s five tools, for now.  Call me in 5 years and you want to compare them at the 30,000 points, and I’m sure my answer will be very different.