Sports:

The Los Angeles Lakers won’t have to wait too long to get back on the floor after they play The Chicago Bulls on Christmas Day.

Laker fans will finally get their basketball fix as the Lakers are scheduled to play three games in three nights. On Dec. 25^th the Lakers host the Bulls and the NBA’s league MVP, Derrick Rose. The Lakers are looking to start off on the right foot as they try to get their first home-win of the season.  On Dec. 26 the Lakers travel up north to play against the Sacramento Kings and then fly back to the city of angels on Dec. 27 as they host the Utah Jazz.

I guess the milk and cookies were enough for Santa Claus this year. The NBA season has returned and Santa seems mighty generous in giving Lakers fans plenty basketball action.

Christmas isn’t the only holiday on which the Lakers play. They are scheduled to travel to Denver on Jan. 1 and also play the afternoon of Dec. 31 against an unknown opponent.

The Lakers won’t be scheduled another three games in three nights, however there have been talks that minor changes will be made to the schedule, which will be finalized and released Tuesday by the NBA—the NBA schedule has yet to be publicly released.

Even though many Laker fans are looking forward to see the boys in purple in gold back on the court, Andrew Bynum will serve a five-game suspension due to the incident in the playoff in which Andrew body-slammed and J.J. Barea.

But no worries, at least we’ll finally get to see Kobe on the floor!

The NBA is finally back and scheduled to kick off its season with a triple-header this Sunday, December 25th. The season has now gone from what would have been a 82 game season—if the players had accepted the 50/50 split—to a shorter season which will consist of 66 games, after the players and owners finally came to a negotiation over Thanksgiving weekend. It will surely be a jolly holiday for all the fans and NBA players that have been anxiously waiting for this season to start!

The triple-header will consist of a rematch of last year NBA Finals; The Dallas Mavericks vs. The Miami Heat. A great match up between two plausible NBA contenders; The Los Angeles Lakers vs. The Chicago Bulls, and a team that’s been struggling to return to its glory against a team that will try to become a dominant powerhouse in the eastern conference; The Boston Celtics vs. The New York Knicks.

With these great match-ups anxiety is hitting every NBA fan in their hearts and bodies. The Miami Heat and their fans are looking to redeem themselves and prove that last years NBA Finals exit against the Dalla Mavericks is nothing but a motivational experience to show that they are still the most dominant powerhouse in the Eastern Conference. The Los Angeles Lakers and their fans cannot wait until they can finally see Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum hit the court as well as to how Mike Brown and his new coaching staff will make adjustments to the offense. While the Bulls and their 2010 league’s MVP, Derrick Rose, are still on the quest to make an NBA Finals appearance. The Boston Celtics still have their big three, who won the NBA championship in 2008 and are hoping to prove to everyone that they are still a force to overcome, but will the New York Knicks finally show up and manifest their two powerful all-stars–Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony?

Who will demonstrate the desire to win it all at the end? I can’t wait to find out!

Welcome back NBA!

Finals are over and Christmas is on the horizon, which can only mean one thing: time to make some sports predictions! With no particular rhyme or reason, here are some things I think will happen in the upcoming football/basketball extravaganza that is winter:

NBA

- The Miami Heat will start the regular season on a complete tear, winning their first 15 games while LeBron James unleashes holy hell on the rest of the league for doubting his greatness after the Finals.
- The Lakers will fail to get both Chris Paul and Dwight Howard, and they will fall off after a typical Kobe outburst permanently crushes Pau Gasol’s soul.
- The Thunder will take the next step and become the clear class of the Western Conference after Westbrook finds the proper balance between attacking to score and setting up his teammates.
- The Warriors will get both Chris Paul and Tyson Chandler and immediately leap into contention, sending the Bay Area into basketball frenzy.
- The Knicks will fail to live up to expectations, as Stoudemire’s suspect health and Carmelo’s terrible attitude tear the team apart.- The New York Giants will collapse as usual, leaving the Cowboys to win the NFC East.

NFL

- The Niners will cruise into the playoffs and get destroyed in their first game when everyone remembers that Alex Smith is still their quarterback.
- The Green Bay Packers will finish the regular season undefeated, only to lose to the Saints in the NFC Championship game.
- The Patriots will lose their first game of the playoffs again, followed by Tom Brady openly challenging Belichick’s authority for the first time.
- The Ravens will finally take the next step and defeat the Steelers in the playoffs, winning the AFC championship in the process.
- The Saints will expose the Ravens suspect secondary in the Super Bowl and win handily, 35-21.

NCAA FOOTBALL

- The Alabama-LSU rematch will fail to live up to expectations, as Alabama doesn’t make the same mistakes twice and handles LSU 24-14.
- Oklahoma State will dominate Stanford, prompting some to call for the AP to declare a split national title. However, the AP does not oblige and sides with the BCS in crowning Alabama national champions.
Man there is a lot to look forward to in the upcoming months. Stay inside, hide from the cold, and enjoy watching all of these games unfold exactly the way I said they would. You watch.

Is your fantasy football team in the dumps? If your team is anything like mine, you’ve already moved on to next year. Whether it is due to injuries, bad performances, total letdowns (Chris Johnson sound familiar?), or plain bad luck, sometimes those bright hopes and dreams of a playoff march can be shattered just like my hopes of a UCLA victory over USC were shattered in the second quarter of the game. But without further ado, here is a list of five players who are starting to scratch the surface that I think will have some big, breakout years in store for next year.

A.J. Green, WR

I’m all in on A.J. Green as a top 5 fantasy wide receiver next year. The rookie connection between Green and Dalton has been something special to witness this year and the fact that Green has been able to make plays and score touchdowns in a variety of fashions has been very impressive to see thus far. Green has already shown the ability to catch jump balls in the end zone against tight coverage, to shield defenders using his 6’4” frame, to make over the shoulder touchdown catches in the red zone, and to make enough big plays of over 40 yards to show how talented of a big play wide receiver he is. The fact that he’s done this all as a rookie makes it even more impressive. A guy with this kind of talent doesn’t grow on trees and especially with the connection that he and Dalton have already established, look for even better things in 2012.

Dez Bryant, WR

Dez Bryant is another guy with unworldly talent similar to A.J. Green. He hasn’t put together the full package yet but he’s very close. By year three, we’re hoping he’ll be smashing through the gates. There might be a lot written about the Dallas Cowboys on a week-to-week basis, but with all the weapons they have on offense, there’s no reason they can’t move the ball down the field. And who’s going to be waiting in the end zone to cap off drives? Dez Bryant is true red zone target due to his size, athleticism, and ball skills. Tony Romo knows this and looks to him often. Look for at least ten touchdowns from him next year.

DeMarco Murray, RB

If you haven’t caught the drift, I like the Dallas Cowboys offense. And I love DeMarco Murray. I have always thought he was one the most talented running backs in his draft class, but since he didn’t put up the sexy Heisman numbers that guys like Mark Ingram put up, he fell to the third round. However, even going back to his high school days of being a number one recruit, there was no questioning the talent. Even Jerry Jones called him the “workhorse” back. When Jerry Jones says it, you better believe it. Look for 300 carries from him next year if he stays healthy.

Ryan Mathews, RB

Many people drafted Mathews high his rookie year, only to get disappointed. Many people drafted Mathews lower this year, only to be pleasantly surprised. Maybe he’ll work it out next year to get drafted highly and perform highly as well. It’s been well documented this year about how poorly Philip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers offense have played this year. To be fair, the Chargers have played against good defenses with good cornerbacks to eliminate Vincent Jackson. Also, Antonio Gates and Malcom Floyd haven’t even been there half the time. Ultimately, the big equalizer for the Chargers is their running game as it has historically been. Although Mike Tolbert does steal some carries, Ryan Mathews is the main guy. He is also a tremendous asset in the passing game. Look for his touchdown numbers to increase, as there is no way Philip Rivers turns the ball over this many times next year. With guys like Jackson, Gates, Mathews, Tolbert, and Rivers, the Chargers offense is too talented to be struggling as it has been.

Roy Helu, RB

I know, I know. Never trust Mike Shanahan and his running backs. That’s especially been the case in Washington where he’s shuffled running backs week to week like a pack of playing cards. However, the rookie Roy Helu seems different. Names like Tim Hightower, Ryan Torain, and Keiland Williams over the past couple of years just don’t stand out to me. Mike Shanahan has shown in his career that when he finds the back he likes, he’ll run them like crazy. Think Terrell Davis and Olandis Gary in Denver. Recent comments by Shanahan have people, including me, thinking that perhaps he may be coming around on Mr. Helu here. After back-to-back games with 20 carries and 100 yards, he has done nothing to disappoint. Helu has actually done some impressive things this year, such as catching 14 passes and 105 yards in one game, showing his dynamic ability. In fact, this year, when a Washington running back has gotten at least 15 carries, they have run for no fewer than 72 yards, racking up double digit fantasy games in all but one game. The Washington running game can actually be extremely productive when one running back gets to shine week to week. It’s definitely a gamble to predict Helu getting the majority of the carries over a 16 game season next year, but a gamble that can definitely pay off if it pans out.

If it passes the NHLPA vote, then the National Hockey League will undergo a massive transformation in terms of division alignment and playoff structure starting in the 2012-2013 season. From the six division system currently in place in the NHL, the new structure would change to a four conference system, which much more emphasis on location as the primary factor in the makeup of each conference. The playoff match-ups would start in division first with the top four teams from each conference playing each other and the winner of each moving on to the semi-finals and then the Stanley Cup. While I believe that it was time that the NHL moved to a more geographically-based system, there are some possible downsides to the new NHL. Firstly, the strength of each conference varying year to year could mean that good teams in the harder conference could potentially miss the playoffs entirely whilst an average team in a weaker division could nab the fourth place spot in their division. For example, last year the Los Angeles Kings would not have made the playoffs despite having more points (98) than both the Chicago Blackhawks (97) and the Dallas Stars (95). Also, the new alignment puts only seven teams in each of the Eastern conferences and eight in the west meaning that the Western teams have one extra team vying for one of the four spots in each conference. That said, I would still be absolutely amped for playoff time in the new NHL. The Stanley Cup Playoffs as they are now can only be described as a fast-paced, hard-hitting war and the new system pits geographic rivals against each other automatically. I know last seasons first round series between the San Jose Sharks and the Los Angeles Kings was one of my favorite series to watch, not just as a Sharks fan, but as a fan of watching bitter rivals go at it night after night. I know Commissioner Gary Bettman and his right-hand man Brendan Shanahan have been trying to clean up hockey and rid itself of some of the unnecessary hits and violence, but this new system will almost definitely ramp up the on-ice brutality. The new format could produce predictable playoff match-ups as the top four teams have not varied too much in the last couple of seasons, but every year would guarantee at least one series between bitter rivals like the Sharks-Kings, Detroit-Chicago, Boston-Montreal, or Pittsburgh-Philadelphia. I think only time will tell how this will change the NHL, but I have to admit that the playoffs possibilities in this format have definitely swayed me to Bettman’s side for now.

Rumors have been swirling ever since Chris Paul let it be known officially that he does not plan on staying in New Orleans past this season, putting the pressure on the Hornets to deal him now while they can still get some value back for him instead of just letting him walk. Paul has been clear in his wish to be dealt to the Knicks to team up with his close friend Carmelo Anthony along. However, the Knicks likely don’t have the trade assets to convince New Orleans to let go of Paul. The Lakers have also been floated out as a possibility since they have been public about their desire to acquire both Paul and Dwight Howard, but this is also a longshot possibility since the Lakers likely don’t have enough assets to acquire both superstars without including Kobe which just isn’t going to happen. Paul’s destination remains a mystery, but one team was mentioned recently which piqued my interest: the Golden State Warriors. The Hornets management have mentioned that they would consider a Stephen Curry and picks for Chris Paul deal, and Paul has hinted that he would consider signing an extension if the Warriors were able to sign his old teammate Tyson Chandler in free agency. Neither of those things is imminent at the moment, but even the remote possibility of getting Chris Paul is enough to create excitement in Oakland.

Reeves Nelson, the junior star of the UCLA mens basketball team has been suspended indefinitely for the second time this season.

Coach Ben Howland announced Tuesday that the junior forward has been suspended indefinitely for conduct unbecoming a member of the team.  Last time he was suspended was also due to misconduct and inappropriate behavior toward another UCLA basketball player.

Howland has made it clear to the UCLA basketball fans and UCLA as whole that the latest suspension was caused by a “very disappointing behavior” by Nelson and it will no longer be tolerated. Ben Howland says he’s spoken and worked hard with Nelson to demonstrate the magnitude of the code of conduct for student-athletes and the ramifications for violating it.

While many wonder why Reeves Nelson hasn’t been able to clean up his act, others wonder when he will return. According to Howland there has not been a set up date to when Nelson suspension will be re-evaluated.

The UCLA Bruins had early high expectation as they were ranked in the top 25 before the season began. However UCLA Bruins basketball team, who at 2-5 are off to their worst start since the 2002-03 season. Many are wondering if Nelson behavior is part of the Bruin’s downfall.

Lets hope coach Howland can make some adjustments to bring the Bruins back to a normal state and meet their expectations.

The Barcelona vs. BATE on Tuesday was nothing more of a formality for Barcelona who had previously clinched the top spot in its Champions League group.

The game took place at the Camp Nou and Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola rested most of his stars, choosing a squad that’s average age was 23.  Even while using a younger squad, Barcelona’s class shown through and dominated ball possession as well as goal scoring opportunities.

The locals almost went ahead at the beginning of the match but the BATE goalkeeper did well to palm away the ball.  The next clear opportunity for Barcelona presented itself just after the half-hour mark when youngster Sergi Roberto missed having a wide open net to aim at.

Even with those disappointments Barcelona was able to find the back of the net in the 35^th minute when Sergi Roberto made up for his miss only minutes earlier.  Pedro after receiving the ball from Thiago was able to place it at the feet of 19 year old, placing it on the bottom right corner. That would be the only goal during the first-half.

The second-half began the way the first ended with Barcelona continuing its dominance of possession.  This time it was the young striker Montoya’s turn to get on the score sheet.  Cuenca sent a long through ball to Montoya, who after beating the defender was able to send the ball to the top left corner and increase the Barcelona lead.

The locals would not have to wait long before scoring their third goal.  Cuenca once again found a teammate to add another assist for him.

This time it was Pedro’s turn to score a goal as Cuenca beat defender Yurevich on the right side of the field and slid a ball to the 6-yard box. Pedro did well to control the pass and flick it over the helpless goalie as Barcelona completely iced the game.

Cuenca was once again involved in the final goal as Volodko brought him down in the penalty box just three minutes before time.  Pedro being one of the veterans on the squad, even though he is only 24, stepped and converted the penalty to put Barcelona ahead, 4-0.

The win solidified Barcelona’s dominance in the European competition coming away from the group stages without losing any games.  They will now turn their attention to the Spanish league where they are 3 points behind their rivals Real Madrid.

When the bowl lineup was announced this past Sunday, there was the usual onslaught of complains about how the BCS is run. I’m not a big BCS supporter by any stretch of the imagination, but what gets lost in all of the controversy is a pretty good lineup of bowl games set to take place in about a month. Here are my picks for the 3 most exciting bowl games this season (Spoiler Alert- these games will all have a LOT of offensive production…)

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With MLS Cup in hand, will David Beckham stay in Los Angeles?

After winning the MLS Cup on a cold chilly night the question of whether he would return to the Los Angeles Galaxy was on everyone’s minds.

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The start of the 2011-12 NCAA Basketball season has not been kind to the Pac-12, as the conference seems to be having another down year.   UCLA, Arizona and Washington were all teams that were expected to compete for the Pac-12 crown, but have struggled mightily to open the season, losing to “powerhouse programs” such as, Saint Louis, Nevada, Mississippi St, Loyola Marymount and Middle Tennessee State.  Oregon, a dark horse candidate to win the conference before the start of the year, has seen freshmen Jabari Brown and Bruce Barron leave the program before the start of conference play. Even Oregon St. and Stanford’s solid performances have not been able to stop the perception that the Pac-12 is weak this year.  Unfortunately this perception is fairly well founded, as Jeff Sargin’s latest computer conference rankings  have the Pac-12  as the 9^th best conference in the country, behind the Moutain West, Atlantic 10, and Missouri Valley.  In order to get more than a couple schools into the NCAA tournament this year, Pac-12 teams are going to have to make the most of their remaining non-conference games.  Here is a list of the marquee non-conference games that the Pac-12 has left:

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NBA fans, the nuclear winter is over. After all of the posturing and finger pointing, the power struggle between NBA players and owners has finally come to an end. David Stern, the commissioner of the NBA, and Billy Hunter, the head of the players’ union, reached a handshake agreement over a new CBA which will be ratified within the next couple of weeks, allowing the NBA to get back to business.

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It is still so stunning to believe that UCLA (6-6, 5-4 conference) has made it to the inaugural Pac-12 Championship this Friday vs. #9 Oregon (10-2, 7-1 conference) in Eugene, OR, with a trip to the Rose Bowl on the line. Thanks to a Pac-12 South division that was simply awful most of the season and an NCAA ban on rival USC, who just beat the Bruins 50-0 this past Saturday, UCLA has slipped their way into this amazing opportunity.

To add further intrigue to the situation, it has been announced that head coach Rick Neuheisel will be fired following Friday’s championship match, regardless of the result, granting the wishes of countless UCLA students and fans hoping to see the program head in a new direction.  Neuheisel was 21-28 in four seasons with the program, appearing in only one bowl game during that span.

The stakes of this championship match have the classic makings of an all-or-nothing scenario.  With a stunning win, UCLA would improve to 7-6 and earn a berth in the Rose Bowl, which would easily make them statistically (and performance-wise, if we’re being honest with ourselves) the worst team to ever make it to a BCS bowl.  A loss puts the Bruins at 6-7, and will require the Bruins to be granted a waiver by the NCAA to play in any bowl game, which they have reportedly applied for early this morning.

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It’s hard to say we didn’t see this coming. After the 50-0 domination by USC over the Bruins, the head coach’s short lease had run completely out. With his firing final, we can now look over the last four years and examine exactly what happened during the reign of Neuheisel, and the statistics are not pretty. With a 21-28 record over 4 years, highlighted by an 0-4 record against our crosstown rivals and a measley 3-25 record against quality opponents, Neuheisel did not quite live up to the hype the former UCLA quarterback had coming in.

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“The perfect week.”  That is how Los Angeles Galaxy and Ireland International forward Robbie Keane described his week after leading his national team to next years Euro Cup, a competition that Ireland had not been part of since 1988, and being able to win the MLS Cup.

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