Suns beat Lakers!

Last night in downtown Phoenix there was a big game in the NBA between the Phoenix Suns and the Los Anegles Lakers. In reallity it wasn't really a big game for anyone but the Suns. The game was on ESPN, mainly because it was Steve Nash's return to Phoenix.  The Suns came in with 30 losses and the Lakers were on a 3 game winning streak. The Suns won 92-86 in what many are saying is the biggest win thus far for the Suns this season.  An easy acomplishment when you've only won 14 others. Any way you look at it it was a very impressive win for Phoenix.
The Suns got a great performance from forward Michael Beasley, which he called his best game in a Phoenix uniform.  Kobe opted to get his team involved early and it seem to help. The Lakers built a big lead but Phoenix never gave up. They nade big shots at their free throws at the end that helped them pull off the upset.  It was a huge win for the Suns and a disapointing loss for the Lakers. Even though it was a disappointing loss for the Laker's they need to just move on and forget about it.  They are just begining a seven game road trip and are starting to get on a roll. After the allstar game this one will be forgotten. The Lakers will be playing for playoff position and the Suns will be playing for draft position.

Super Bowl Week!

Yes folks, its finally here. Super Bowl Week! This year should be an interesting one.  There are plenty of story lines for fans to choose from.  You have the Harbaugh brothers, Ray Lewis' last, you have the winningest playoff road QB and a QB that started the season sending in plays and holding a clipboard.  Then you have all the interviews and events that come along with Superbowl Week.  There will be alot of player sighting in NOLA, as they are calling it this year, and not just by the two participating teams. A lot of other players and stars will be in town for the big event.  If you watch any of the coverage you will find out certain things you didn't know about certain people involved.  These things may not mean anything but you may find them to be quiet entertaining. The next few post will be just that, Super Bowl facts that will be interesting of make you think wow maybe this person is kind of like the rest of us.  Some may be known to you already and some may surprise you.  Let me leave you with one. The Raven's are 3-1 vs. the 49ers. They are 12-7 if you count there time in Cleveland.

The hoax heard round the world!

In case you have been living under a rock the last few days you have heard about the Manti Te'o hoax.  So here is what we know so far. The girl Te'o called his girl friend died seven hours after his grandma. She has turned out to be a made up person.  Some reports say that Manti and his parents found  out in December and we don't know if or when they were going to make this public.  Deadspin reported last week about the story and since then we have all been in disbelief.
Whether you are a Notre Dame fan or not one thing is certain, Manti Te'o, before last week was an insperational athlete.  Now you have to ask yourself what you believe. This whole story, whatever the outcome, will damage Manti Te'o.  It will cost him millions in contract money and endorsements because this will definately affect his draft status.  This may not be all bad news though. Te'o, before last week was a projected top ten pick. He will slip a little but not out of the first round. If the right team gets him in the early to mid twentieth pick thats a steal and will be great for that team and their fans.

Say it ain't so, Lance

So this past Thursday Lance Armstrong did an interview with Oprah about his much publicized doping controversy.  He came clean about everything in an interview that lacked emotion. This has many people wondering why so many years later is he deciding to come clean. Armstrong finally admitted to doping. He said he cheated each of the seven times he won the Tour de France.  He also said that in 2005, his last Tour de France race, he did not cheat. A race he finished third in.  The interview was very intriging, but it did a lot of damage to an already dying sport.  Many people feel bicycle racing will not be a relevant sport until an american wins a national race without an accusations of doping.

No Hall of Fame

This week in Major League Baseball we had the annual vote for this years Hall of Fame.  The voters are only allowed to vote for a player that is eligible.  To make a long story short the voters chose no one.  This is something that has never happened.  In case this sounds wierd to you, the reason is because most of the players eligible in some sort of way have been connec ted to steroids.  The voters decided  that none of them deserve the Hall of Fame.  Alot of experts are saying that you have to let these stars in the Hall eventually because of their stats and what they have done for the game.
I feel these players don't deserve to be in the Hall of Fame at all.  They are cheaters!  I realize that they have the stats to back them up.  Let's be honest with ourselves.  If some
of these players such as, Roger Clemons, Barry Bonds, and Sammy Sosa didn't use steroids how great would they actually be.  The bottom line is these guys took something to make them better. In any sport in any country thats cheating, and these players should never be allowed into the Hall of Fame.

Hashtag Hashtag Hashtag

The Az Sports Guru is now on twitter!  Follow me for updates on whats happening in sports.  Also get some interesting feedback and ideas as I keep you up to date on all the greatness sports has to offer.  Hope to see you @theazsportsguru.  #great sports commentary.

National Championship Football.

All eyes of the college football world will be Sun Life Stadium tonight, site of the BCS National Championship Game.  The #1 ranked and undefeated Notre Dame Fighting Irish take on the one loss 3@ ranked Crimson Tide of Alabama.  These are two of the most storied programs in college football.  Besides being mentioned in movies such as Forrest Gump and Rudy they have won the most national titles of modern day college football.  Both teams are rich with tradition and are excellent on both sides of the football.
There are alot of big names to watch for tonight but the outcome will be decided in the trenches.  This will be an epic battle of o-line vs. d-line for both teams.  Whichever unit has the better game is going to be holding the trophy at the end of the night.  Alabama is probably going to send all five of their starting lineman to the NFL.  Notre Dames defense has given up -5 yards when their opponent has a gaol to go situation.  Look for this to be a game ever talks about for a long time.

Prediction: Notre Dame 17, Alabama 16.

Wild card Sunday

Today is the conclusion of wild card weekend and we got two great games on the schedule.  All three of the rookie QB's play today and we will soon find out which if any are for real.  Here's a look at both games.

Indianapolis Colts @ Baltimore Ravens
The story lines are out big for this one.  Will it be Ray Lewis last game as a Raven?  Will Andrew Luck be able to continue his great season and advance to next Sunday?  This is going to be a battle for the ages.  Both teams have had great seasons and deserve to win, but one will be going home today.  The defense will prevail today.  Ray Lewis should have a good game and help the Ravens squeak by the Colts.

Prediction: Ravens 13, Colts10

Seattle Seahawks @ Washington Redskins
Washington has won seven straight games and is a four seed hosting a first round payoff game.  That's big in D.C. especially considering that hasn't happened for the Redskins since 1999.  And yet Seattle is picked to win.  Which leads one to think, over achieving redskins or an overrated Seahawk team.  We'll soon find out when the two teams kickoff in a few hours.  Every one is billing this as a rookie QB sensation match up.  There is even a poll on twitter of who is gonna have a better game(@theazsportsguru).  But this game is going to come down to ball control.  Who ever has better clock management and runs the football better is going to win.  Lock for the other, seldomly spoken about rookie sensation Alfred Morris to have a big game.

Prediction: Washington 35, Seattle 27

Barry Sanders is like Selena!

If you are any sort of football fan you should remember Barry Sanders.  He was a running back for the Detroit Lion's who retired way to early.  He retired healthy and just two years prior had signed a long term extension.  He was arguable the best running back in NFL history.  When he retired he was just over 1400 yards away from breaking Walton Payton's all time rushing record.  Emmit Smith later broke the record and to this day they are the only two with more rushing yards than Barry.  He rushed for over 1500 yards four years in a row.  He was amazing to watch and was dearly missed when he just up and retired.  If you really think about it Barry Sanders is like Selens Quintanilla!  In case you don't know who she is she is a Tejano Music superstar who was gunned down by her fan club president in 1995.  I know what your thinking, what the ....?  Barry Sanders was under appreciated and the fans of Detroit didn't realize what he did for them until he was gone.  Much like Selena who got more famous after she was murdered.

The Top Sports Story of 2012!

King James finally gets his crown!

The top sports story of 2012 has to be Lebron James winning his first NBA tittle.  As you may recall he teamed with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh to be the biggest free agent signees in sports history.  Many Clevland fans were disappointed in Lebron, as was alot of NBA fans in general.  They didn't like his if you can't beat them join them mentallity.  As thus the once beloved poster boy of the NBA became the man no one, including #The Az Sports Guru, wanted to see win a championship.
In his first season with the Miami Heat he made it to the NBA Finals and lost.  The Dallas Mavericks took the tittle from them and left many people, including the self proclaimed King, wongering if he made the correct decision.  Well in the 2011-2012 season he and his fellow team mates proved the nay sayers wrong by bringing the title home to Miami.  The question most people are asking is if they can do it again? But the more intriging question is how long will the Big Three stay together on the same team?

2012 Top Sports Stories Number 2

The Rookie Quarterback
2012 was definitely the year of the rookie quarterback in the NFL.  5 out of the 32 teams had rookies under center for their respective teams.  3 out of those 5 are in the playoffs.  According to some sources those three are also in talks when it comes to MVP.  None of the rookie quarterbacks are going to the pro bowl but you can make a good argument for RGIII and Russell Wilson,  they both had better seasons and better teams then Can Newton of the Panthers.
Andrew Luck has surprised a lot of fans just because of his teams record and because he had big shoes to fill when he replaced Peyton Manning.  He is an accurate passer and a great decision maker.  RGIII is riding a 7 game win streak into the playoffs.  He is a very athletic player, makes great reads and runs well with the football.  His best attribute is he is a natural born leader.  He has put his team on his back and guided them to the NFC East title.  And he has done this by making his team mates better and proving to them that he is someone he can believe in.  That brings us to probably the most underrated of the rookies.  He has quietly made his team better every week and in some peoples eyes snuck into the playoffs.  He may have gotten a bad draw since He and his Seahawk teammates have to travel to Washington for their first round playoff game.  Wilson will have to have a more than perfect game to beat RGIII in his home stadium.

2012 Top Sports Stories #3!

Pacquiao Gets knocked out!

Many people considered Manny Pacquiao as pound for pound the best boxer around.  Even though boxing is a dieing sport that's still a pretty big accomplishment.  Our number three sports stories of 2012 involves Pacquiao in an unfamiliar spot.  The canvas, yes the canvas.  In a December 8 rematch against Juan Manuel Marques( part 4 of their saga) Pacquiao was knocked out in the sixth round.  It was unbelievable that this fight ended in a knockout, but what was even more unbeleivable was how long Pacquiao stayed down.  He was down so long that some Pacquiao fans wondered if he was even going to get up.  That was probably the best boxing match of the year, and maybe the most disappointing.  Its disappointing because it pretty much puts an end to any thoughts of a Pacquiao-Maywhether fight.