“I Will Be Taking My Talents To…" Cleveland?– By Ryan J. Murphy

LeBron James

During the free agency period in 2010, LeBron James decidedto leave the Cleveland Cavaliers and “take his talents to South Beach,” to playwith Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. When he made this announcement he would bejoining the Heat, the loyal Cavaliers fans rioted. The fans even burned their LeBronJames’ jerseys. He did a television special letting the world know of hischoice to join the Heat, which really blew the entire situation out ofproportion. Last season, the return to Cleveland to play the Cavaliers was muchanticipated. It was the first time Cleveland fans saw LeBron in a differentjersey up close. They booed him like crazy. The Heat ended up putting the hurton the Cavs, winning the game 118-90.

Recently in an interview, James was asked about playing inCleveland again, and said, “I think it would be great, it would be fun to playin front of these fans again. You can’t predict the future… If I decide to comeback hopefully the fans will accept me.” The fans in Cleveland have mixedemotions about “King James’” comments. One very disgusted fan said, “LeBron cango to h*ll,” while others are forgiving him since it’s been a year and a halfnow. He signed a 6-year deal worth $110 million in 2010. So by the time James’contract is up, I think he’ll have matured, and therefore a return to the Cavscould be possible. It’s about 4 and a half years away, and fans will mostlikely have gotten over his betrayal of them, and welcome him back.

How do you think Cleveland Cavalier fans would feel ifLeBron decided to return in the future?

Peyton Manning's Future- By Ryan J. Murphy

Peyton Manning wearing possible uniforms for 2012

So as you all probably know by now, there is a lot of drama surrounding Peyton Manning and his future. After his 3, and apparently now 4, neck surgeries, he was unable to play in this year’s NFL season. Without his presence on the field, the Indianapolis Colts fell to the NFL’s worse record, 2-14, and now have the first pick in the NFL draft. It has been stated for the past few months that the Colts will use their first pick to draft Stanford quarterback, Andrew Luck. So… the Colts have a decision to make. Do they draft Luck, and keep Manning, which will amount to around $50 million, paying 2 quarterbacks? Do they pass on drafting Andrew Luck, in hopes that Manning is 100% healthy to play next year? Peyton Manning’s doctors have deemed that he is healthy enough to play football, while others claim he can’t even grip a football. This puts the Colts in a very risky predicament. Or finally, do the Colts draft Luck, and cut their long time franchise quarterback Peyton Manning?

In my opinion, the answer is simple. Plan for the future. You have to part ways with Manning, start fresh, and build around the #1 draft pick Andrew Luck. This is the scenario that is most likely to happen, meaning Peyton Manning is without a team for the 2012 season. There are many teams in the NFL that are in dire need of an answer at the quarterback position. The 35-year-old Manning could still put in another good 3 years or so, assuming he is healthy. Manning said he’d like to retire as a Colt, but again, it’s very unlikely to happen. So… that being said, whom does he sign with in 2012? Teams like the Jets, 49ers, Seahawks, and Browns are all possibilities, but not very logical. Many New York Jets fans would love to see Manning replace current QB Mark Sanchez. This would mean we would get to see Peyton Manning and the Jets play Tom Brady and the Patriots at least twice a season. This would also mean Peyton and Eli Manning would share the big bad city, which would be quite a story, although I don’t see the Jets taking a chance on Manning, after the Brett Favre debacle a few years ago. This leaves 3 more realistic options. The Miami Dolphins, the Arizona Cardinals, and the Washington Redskins. The Dolphins just signed former Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin, to be their head coach. I believe Matt Flynn, the Packers back-up QB, will sign a contract with Miami. This leaves the Redskins and Cardinals. I think the Redskins will look at signing Flynn, but ultimately end up drafting Robert Griffin III, in the NFL draft in April. That leaves one team, the Cardinals. If Manning does join the Cardinals, he’ll find a familiar face there, because they hired Manning’s old quarterbacks coach, Frank Reich. Imagine Peyton Manning throwing the ball to Larry Fitzgerald, one of the top receivers in the NFL today. In my eyes, this is the most realistic fit for Peyton. Although I wouldn’t be surprised to see him end up in Washington or Miami, I think it’ll be with the Arizona Cardinals.

What do you think the Colts should do? Should they keep Peyton Manning? Or should they draft Andrew Luck, and cut Manning? If the Colts do cut Manning, what city do you think he’ll end up playing in during the 2012 NFL season?

Lin-Sanity compared to Tebow-Mania- By Ryan J. Murphy

"Lin-Sanity"

Jeremy Lin has taken the sports world by surprise in the last week and a half, breaking Shaquille O’Neil’s record of most points scored in his first 5 games in the NBA. This story is the most talked about story in sports right now, and it’s easy to see why. The Knicks as a team haven’t been this intriguing to watch for a while now. ESPN cannot stop taking about Lin-Sanity. But is all the hype about Jeremy Lin comparable to that of Tebow- Mania? I say yes, and here’s why…

Tim Tebow was arguably the best player to grace a college football field, where as Lin wasn’t even known in college. In fact, he wasn’t even known 2 weeks ago. The hype is very similar, in that both players have become very popular very quickly, and even the general public knows who each player is. Although, when it comes to their respective sports, you can’t compare these athletes statistically. Lin is dominating, scoring points and leading the Knicks to victory, whereas Tebow has lead the Broncos to victory on numerous occasions, but looks horrendous doing it. Indeed they are both winners, but not comparable statistics wise. Jeremy Lin is a better passer than Tim Tebow (yes, I made a Tebow joke). I think the Lin story is much more comparable to that of Kurt Warner’s story, where he came from practically nothing, hit the field, and became a star. The publicity and hype that is surrounding Lin is like what Tebow got during last season, and are easily comparable, but I don’t think their individual stories as athletes can be compared.

What are your thoughts?