Why The Heat Can Win It All

Many people think that if you cheer for the Miami Heat, you are rooting for pure evil. Ever since Lebron James made his infamous "announcement" that he was "taking his talents to South Beach", the Heatles have been basketball's new evil empire. Despite the hate, experts still originally predicted that Miami would win as many as 70 games in the regular season and cruise to a championship. Then the actual season began and reality set in. After an 8-9 start, expectations came crashing down. Armchair critics cheerfully cheered the b-word. Busts! As the season went on and the Heat got comfortable, the team started to gel. Although they didn't reach the lofty original expecatations, they finished strong with a respectable 58-24 record. They haven't let up in the playoffs and right now, they're my pick to win it all.

Boxing Needs Pacquiao-Mayweather

In it's heyday, boxing was one of the premier sporting events in the US. Those days are long gone. Not only has boxing been distanced by the main sports, it's now well behind main competitor Mixed Martial Arts in popularity. The problem? There are very few stars, zero quality heavyweights, and no legit rivalries. Way back when, you had Ali-Frazier and Ward-Gotti. Even Mike Tyson had memorable bouts with Evander Holyfield. Right now, the casual sports fan could care less about boxing, because there's no big bouts to hype. A matchup between the two biggest names in the game would change all that. That's why Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather must face off for the good of the sport.

The Next Big HBO Thing

When you want to escape from the same tired cop and courtroom dramas, HBO is the place to go. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of addictive network shows out there that are well worth a watch. You can see my top five active favorites here. Following in a successful long line of fresh programming comes the newest offering from the network that brought us True Blood, Entourage, and The Sopranos. It's called Game of Thrones and it's off to a promising start that completely sets it apart from anything else on TV right now.

Score One For Team USA

I was in high school when it happened. It was 10 years ago, but I'll never forget where I was on September 11th. Like the JFK assassination for my parent's generation, it was one of those "remember where you were when..." moments. I was just coming back from the bathroom during my FST class when I saw our classroom TV tuned to Fox News showing footage of a plane crashing into the World Trade Centers. I couldn't understand the magnitude of that moment at the time. Looking back, it was a defining moment for our country. Party lines converged and our country came together in a moment of unifying patriotism. 10 years later, that patriotism has returned. 

Best MLB Ballparks

In my opinion, there's no better sport to watch live than baseball. The sights and sounds are something that can only be experienced in person. I try to hit up at least one Major League Baseball game a year, especially if it involves my favorite team the Detroit Tigers. On Friday, I got my first chance this season as I made my debut trip to Cleveland to watch the Indians host the Tigers. The  night was a blast, since we upgraded to first row seats near the 1st base dugout. The actual game...well that's another story. After leading most of the evening, Detroit allowed Cleveland to tie it in the 8th and load the bases with no outs in the 9th. Carlos Santana proceeded to smash a walk-off grand slam and the rest was history. Despite the unhappy ending, it got me to thinking about my favorite MLB ballparks. I've seen my fair share over the years, and here's a list of my Top 5 current stadiums.