NBA ~ BREAKING NEWS

Arenas pleads guilty to felony gun possession
Posted Jan 15 2010 3:16PM

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Wizards star Gilbert Arenas has pleaded guilty to carrying a pistol without a license, a felony conviction that could jeopardize his future in the NBA.
Arenas pleaded guilty to violating the city's gun laws as part of a plea bargain in D.C. Superior Court.

Defense attorney Kenneth Wainstein says prosecutors agreed they won't seek a sentence longer than the low end of sentencing guidelines. A pre-sentence report isn't done, but it's estimated the low end calls for no more than six months behind bars.

NFL ~ NFC South Final Word: Cardinals at Saints

Three nuggets of knowledge about Saturday’s playoff game between the Arizona Cardinals and New Orleans Saints.

1. I'm tired of hearing people tearing apart the Saints. Sure, the Saints weren’t good in their last three games. But the people who are forecasting doom for the Saints aren't taking a closer look. First, the Carolina game meant nothing because the Saints didn't play their starters. Yes, the losses to Tampa Bay and Dallas were ugly, but they came when the Saints had a lot of injuries. They’re healthy now and they look a lot more like the team that won 13 games. In the end, I’m thinking those 13 wins are going to carry more weight in how the Saints play than the three losses.

2. I recognized cornerback Jabari Greer in our X factor report this week because he’s back at full health and should have a big impact on the defense. But I’m going to throw another X factor out there for the offense and special teams. That’s Reggie Bush. Yeah, I know he gets bashed for not being the prototypical running back. But the fact is, he’s probably the best athlete on the field. When you throw a bunch of good athletes on a field, the best one is going to be able to do things the others can’t. That’s why I’m thinking Bush will be good for two huge plays.

3. We’re all talking about defense as if there won’t be any played in this game. It could end up looking like one of those 148-145 NBA All-Star games. But defense is going to play a role, and it could be a decisive one. Neither defense is capable of shutting down the opposing offense. But the defense that comes up with a turnover or two could decide the game.

Credit by www.ESPN.com
Image by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

NFL ~ AFC South Final Word: Ravens at Colts

Three nuggets of knowledge about playoff game between the Baltimore Ravens (10-7)
and Indianapolis Colts (14-2):

1. Can the kids catch it? The Ravens did excellent work on Dallas Clark (one catch for a three-yard TD) and Reggie Wayne (seven for 89 yards) in the regular-season matchup. I expect they will take the same approach many of the Colts’ opponents have -- sell out to slow Clark and Wayne and make Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie be the passing-game targets. Garcon and Collie performed very well this year for Peyton Manning. But the Ravens will look to heighten the pressure on them and hope they crack a bit in their first playoff appearances.


2. Fresh rushers: Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis are as fresh as possible for a Jan. 15 game. If the Colts are able to get ahead and then rush Joe Flacco, they could rough him up. Much is made of small speed rushers against imposing tackles. Left tackle Jared Gaither is in his third season and dealing with an ankle injury. Right tackle Michael Oher is a rookie. The Colts' quick and crafty duo has to be expecting to play well. Indy didn't have a sack in the first matchup. And while Freeney and Mathis didn't even have a tackle between them according to game statisticians, they were influential in the outcome.


3. Efficiency: The Colts' run game doesn’t need to put up huge yards, but efficiency is key. In the regular season 17-15 win in Indianapolis, the Colts won because they were efficient with third-down offense (56 percent), third-down defense (38 percent), red zone defense (Baltimore was 0-for-4) and inside the Ravens’ 10-yard line (2-for-3 in goal-to-go situations). Timely clutch plays are the Colts' MO in a lot of ways, and if they continue to get them, they likely move on to host the AFC Championship Game.

Credit by www.espn.com
Image by Andy Lyon/Getty Image

Kobe Bryant’s Finger and Geometry

Kobe Bryant’s Finger and Geometry

January 11th, 2010
Bill Bridges put this in the comments, but it is too good not to make its own post.

The accuracy required for a player to hit a mid-range jump shot, let alone 3 pointers is astounding. Consider this. The inside rim of the hoop is 18″ in diameter. The Ball is 9.54″ in diameter. If the ball lands exactly in the middle of the hoop, the distance between the skin of the ball and the hoop is 4.2″. Let’s assume that if the ball is more than 4.2″ away from dead center that the shot is more likely to miss than go in. 4.2″ is not a lot of room for error. Players cannot be so accurate by measuring their shots. Rather, the accuracy comes from over 10,000 hours of repetition during which the shot is generated not by intent, but by muscle memory.