NBA Finals Set

I don’t know about you but I was really hoping to see a Lakers/Celtics Finals and couldn’t be more ecstatic now that its here. Not only is it a rivalry renewed but it features the league’s best player in Kobe Bryant against the best starting lineup in the NBA.

The series wont start until Thursday so we are going to have several days to hear all the angles from the national media and believe me the hype is going to be crazy. Two questions: 1) Which team has the edge? 2) How good do you think the NBA Finals will be?

Discuss!

Kimbo Slice Worthy Of Hype

I am a fan of Dan Wetzel. I enjoy reading his stuff and usually agree with his opinions but I have to take issue with this piece on Kimbo Slice being the face of MMA.

While I’ll give some ground and say that he isn’t the face of the sport (agreeing with Wetzel) I’ll also challenge that he is perfect for CBS when they air (for the first time ever on a major network) a MMA card in primetime Saturday night. Wetzel strongly disagrees with this and makes several comparisons to the UFC to prove his point. Here’s the thing though. There is a night and day difference between the UFC and EliteXC, so much so that you really can’t make comparisons. Apples to Oranges anyone?

I really don’t care too much for EliteXC and really not many people do but I plan on tuning in on Saturday night. Why? To see Kimbo Slice do what he does best, destroy people. I watched Slice knockout Tank Abbott and I’ve seen just about every video on YouTube that features him and now I want to see him on the biggest stage he’s ever been on.

Honestly I’m not tuning in to see who he’s fighting I’m tuning in to see the guy he’s fighting get beat. I don’t expect a UFC quality production, and no knowledgeable fan of mixed martial arts is either, but this isn’t the UFC. It’s just a strong fighter who is trying to make his mark in one of the fastest growing sports around.

You have to start somewhere and many of the UFC’s top fighters came from rival organizations. Slice’s rise to stardom began on the internet. Some of his YouTube videos have been viewed one, two, three and even four million times making him a hot commodity. CBS has seen that he already has a cult like following and for that reason alone put him on the card. The ratings Saturday night will most likely be off the hook earning the network huge advertising revenues and Slice the opportunity to add to his legacy.

The Kimbo Slice phenomenon isn’t going away anytime soon and while he isn’t right now the face of MMA after Saturday night he’ll be a face that is very recognized in the sport.

When You Don’t Exactly Know How To Say It

The worst thing about having friends is trying to find just the right way to say “Happy Birthday.” Okay, yes, I do realize how corny that sounds but it is the truth. You don’t want to sound too silly, you don’t want to come across like you are more into the friendship than you really are and you don’t want to sound to vague or distant either. You just want to say “Happy Birthday” and not have the process be so difficult.

You most likely have a lot of friends with each of them being unique in one way or another. That means several unique ways of expressing best wishes on their special day which leaves you with two options. 1) Make a trip to the store for each birthday which means several opportunities to get acquainted with the person behind the cash register. 2) Order birthday card packs and save both time and money.

With a birthday card pack you literally have an assortment of ways to express your best wishes to your pals. With cards like the one in the photo above and many others you can’t go wrong. I’m a simple guy and prefer a simple message like “Wishing You a Wonderful Day” which is found inside the card in the photo.

Once you realize how much money you’ll save over buying them at the store one at a time you’ll want to go find a thank you card and send it to me.

NBA Officials Don’t Bail Out Spurs This Time

If a bad call or no call is going to happen in the NBA playoffs it is most likely going to go in the San Antonio Spurs favor and not against them. The Spurs have built have won four championships on physical play and lucky calls and now it appears that the Lakers are going to beat them at their own game.

Weekend Open Thread

It’s that time again. The weekend and this time it’s longer for a holiday. Conference Finals are underway in the NBA Playoffs and the NHL’s Stanly Cup Finals get started on Saturday. The Boston Red Sox will try to defend Major League Baseball’s best record as they visit Oakland and NASCAR is running the Coca-Cola 600.

Also, we have UFC 84 this weekend. Tito Ortiz will be making his last stand before bolting the UFC for another mixed-martial arts organization.

So let us know! What are you watching and how do you feel about it?

The Right Fit For Outdoors

If your outdoor recreation involves paintball, rock climbing, hiking or something similar then you understand the importance of having proper attire. You need to be comfortable yet protected and with all the right pouches and pockets. Footwear, eyewear, pants and shirts all have to be up to par. Then there is the need for gadgets like tactical knives and watches. It all adds up so you want to find a place where you can get it all at a great price. My recommendation is that you check out 5.11 to meet your needs.

Ranking the BCS Champions

ESPN.com is asking college football fans to rank the ten BCS champions. Once you have completed your rankings you are given the opportunity to see how you stack up against the rankings of the rest of America. I had two that were on par with the rest of the nation while I seemed to disagree on the other eight. Here’s how I have them ranked. Let me know how you would rank them.

MLB Stock Report: Baltimore Orioles Move To Top Spot

If you are like me you keep waiting for the Baltimore Orioles to tank it in and assume their proper place near the bottom of the AL East. The Orioles are only three games behind first place Boston and have won 8 of their last 10 games to improve their overall record to 24-20.

Here’s how the rest of Major League Baseball ranks in the latest stock report.

Weekend Open Thread

I need someone to explain this to me. The San Antonio Spurs and New Orleans Hornets wrapped up game 5 of their NBA playoff series on Tuesday night in New Orleans and then t raveled to San Antonio to play game 6 on Thursday night. So why do we have to wait until Monday for game 7? Needless to say one thing I won’t be watching this weekend is Spurs/Hornets but I do intend to check out Boston/Cleveland and Lakers/Jazz on Friday night and then Cleveland/Boston again on Sunday because we all know the home teams are winning.

We’ve also got interleague baseball this weekend with the Yankees/Mets being the marquee match-up. Who would have though that the Yankees would be under .500 and in last place in the AL East at this point?

NASCAR has the Sprint Showdown at the Lowes Motor Speedway where Kyle Busch and Jeff Burton get to keep dueling for the top spot in the Sprint Cup standings.

Also there’s the Preakness on Saturday and while I’m not a big horse racing fan I am interested to see Big Brown run again because he’s got a really good shot at winning the Triple Crown.

Well that’s what I’m watching this weekend. How about you?

Make Your Vacation Complete With A Quality Auto Rental

No one likes flying to the mountains, beach or anywhere for that matter only to receive an overpriced compact car rental when they had something else reserved. With the rising cost of gasoline you may want to rent a more fuel efficient vehicle or perhaps you are taking alternative transportation to your vacation destination and will need to rent a car upon your arrival. Regardless of the reason you want a trusted company that is going to have a great selection, offer discount specials and make it easy for you to make your reservation.

For over twenty years Advantage has been leading the way in meeting customer’s needs when it comes to auto rentals. The next time you have the need to rent a car they could be finishing touch to a great vacation.

Are We Seeing The Final Saga of The Joe Paterno Story?

I hate it when I’m watching a movie and realize that it should have ended twenty to thirty minutes earlier. You know what I’m talking about. There was the perfect scene that would have made the perfect ending to what could have been a very good movie. Instead the director for some unknown reason decided to prolong it and the movie instead turned out average. The end is everything because that is what people remember the most. That’s why I’m concerned about Joe Paterno’s legendary coaching career at Penn State. Continue...

I’ve Got To Get Better At This!

My Opinion on Sports had a birthday last month and I failed to acknowledge it. Yes, I admit that I am absent minded from time to time but this little website/blog is my baby and I’m pretty sure that this is the second year in a row I’ve overlooked the anniversary date.

Since its inception in April of 2005 My Opinion on Sports has attracted over 81,500 visits with 136,300 plus page views. We’ve also branched out into some sport specific sites with Bases Loaded covering MLB, NonStop NASCAR, 4th and Inches covering the NFL, The BCS Mess covering college football and The March to Madness which covers college basketball.

Thank you to everyone who reads the site, leaves comments and participates on the message boards sharing your opinions on sports.

Why Use A List Broker?

Marketers want to reach a maximum number of people for a minimum price and with minimum effort in order to lower overhead and increase profits. On simple way to accomplish that is by using a “list” to contact a specific demographic, gender or age group. Of course to get all the bang for your buck you’ll want to make sure that you select the right list broker to meet your needs.

O.J. Mayo Was USC’s Highest Paid Athlete in 2008 (We Think)

Reggie Bush and his family made hundreds of thousands of dollars while he was a star at USC from 2003-2005. To date nothing has happened to the Heisman Trophy winner or the athletic department for his receiving of improper benefits as a college athlete. Now on the heels of the news that basketball star O.J. Mayo received over $30,000 and other benefits while he attended high school and during his only season at Southern Cal it at least appears that USC is the place to go if you want to get paid as a college athlete.

Continue...

Barry Bonds Is Old!

If you were the GM of a major league baseball team how much would you be willing to offer the career leader in homeruns to play for your team? If that person was a roid head who was cancerous in the club house and had also been indicted this past year on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice and would most likely be facing trial by the end of the year he would look a lot less appealing. Oh yeah, and he’s 43!

Continue on to complete article and share your opinion in the poll.

Not Going To Be The NFL’s Citizen Of The Year

Chicago Bears running back Cedric Benson had a run in with the law while boating in Texas over the weekend but you’ll be more appalled by the actions of former Vikings defensive lineman Darrion Scott who was arrested for abusing his two year old.

Benson is going to fight the charges against him, saying that he wasn’t intoxicated and was abused by the law enforcement officers. In fact, after being pepper sprayed the officers tried to wash out his eyes and face and his lawyer equated that to torture.

Continue...

Speed Racer Ad Takes Innovative Approach

TORONTO, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)----Jokeroo.com, http://www.jokeroo.com, one of the pioneers in internet video and entertainment, has premiered the video fade-out advertisement with the upcoming movie, Speed Racer. The new format was designed to attract marketers across the globe with an advertisement that's high impact and engaging, while avoiding any negative impact on the user.

Although the campaign is still in its infancy, it has produced spectacular results posting a click-through north of 4 percent, which is much higher than eMarketer's quoted preroll standard of 0.5 to 0.9 percent. "When coming up with the idea we were looking for something that offered great performance for the advertiser while keeping the user happy," says Aleks Dugonjic, the President of Jokeroo.com.

The creative takes up the full screen outside of the video player environment, which avoids interrupting the user experience but allows the advertiser's brand to go unnoticed. The fade-out can last up to thirty seconds until it slowly starts fading out and the Jokeroo.com webpage appears. A live example can be found here: http://www.jokeroo.com/funnyvideos/transformers_stop_motion.html

About Jokeroo.com

Jokeroo.com is one of the leading video entertainment websites on the market today, ranked in the top 50 by comScore in multimedia and 2nd in humor. The company currently hosts over 6 million unique visitors, 150,000+ community members, and has over 1 million active email subscriptions.

Video Fade-Out Example

Tragedy Overshadows Triumph at Kentucky Derby

The tragic injury suffered by filly Eight Belles resulting in the hors being euthanized minutes after the race has been the big story from the Kentucky Derby over the weekend. Now the story will continue to grow as P.E.T.A. is getting involved calling for jockey Gabriel Saez to be suspended.

What appears to be missed, or at least overlooked, is the dominating performance of winner Big Brown who blew away the field. Once Big Brown made his move there wasn’t a horse on the track who could run with him. As always when a horse wins the Kentucky Derby people automatically begin talking Triple Crown but Big Brown may give us the most legitimate shot at seeing a Triple Crown winner than we’ve had in years.

Weekend Open Thread

Second round NBA playoff match-ups begin this weekend while the Celtics and Hawks will try to close one another out in Game 7 of their first round match-up. You’ve also got NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series live from Richmond International Raceway not to mention the PGA’s Wachovia Championship not to mention a full slate of Major League Baseball games.

So tell us, what are you watching this weekend?

Roger Clemens Is The Ladies Man

Okay let me get my list out. Roger Clemens wants me to believe that despite the testimonies and evidence against him he never took performance enhancing drugs. He also wants me to believe that he and country singer Mindy McCready didn’t have an affair when she was only fifteen even though McCready said that she couldn’t deny the reports that the two were involved. Now it turns out that McCready is just another woman on the Rocket’s list of celebrity mistresses.

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BCS Makes The Wrong Decision, Again

The 2007 college football season ended with five teams having two losses and one with only one loss. Of course only one was crowned as the national champion and it wasn’t the one loss team. The problem isn’t in crowing of a champion but in the process to which teams are eligible to win it. There are only two teams each year who have the opportunity and the BCS voted on Wednesday to keep it that way. Continue...