Chicago Sports & Travel, Inc./AllsportsAmerica
2013 Super Bowl XLVII Analysis:
By Marion P. Jelks, CS&T/AA blog editor
The 2013 Super Bowl is over, and the Ravens are world champions just as we predicted. It was a tale of two halves; the first half going to the Ravens and the second half, post lights out delay going to the 49ers. As I stated in our Friday, (02/01/2013), blog, "I think the 49ers have a better team, but the Ravens appear to be the team of destiny." "The Ravens might have a little age on the 49ers and thought to be over the hill but again, the experience factor will make up for that." The goal line stand on the 49ers last series makes my case. Also, when the 49ers came back after the lights out delay and were only down by two points, Joe Flacco moved the Ravens offensive unit down the field for a field goal, giving them a five point lead. It was too much for the 49ers to overcome. Now, I'm going to give you my prognosis for next year, The 49ers will win it all. They're young, big, fast, and this year they got their needed experience. Mark it down, you heard it here first.
The Super Bowl is all about the commissioner's State of the NFL message, activities and reports on the teams week in the host city, the half time show, the TV commercials and last but not least, the game. We'll let the newspapers and Internet bombard you with all kinds of after game reports and we'll give you a break and follow up now with the NHL, NBA, MLB and the start of the golf season along with college and other sports news. We will keep you apprised of happenings in the NFL, we just won't go overboard with post game reports.
Our heartiest congratulations to to the Baltimore Ravens, 2013 Super Bowl XLVll Champions.
Seven men voted into the 2013 Pro Football Hall of Fame.
By Julian Linden
Former Super Bowl winning head coach Bill Parcells was among seven men voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday.
Parcells was joined by six former players, including three first-time nominees, to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, the greatest individual honor in the sport.
Offensive linemen Larry Allen and Jonathan Ogden and defensive tackle Warren Sapp all were elected in their first year of being nominated while wide receiver Cris Carter, defensive tackle Curley Culp and linebacker Dave Robinson were voted in after missing out previously.
The seven men will be enshrined into the Hall of Fame in August. They were selected by a group of 44 voters from a pool of 17 nominees.
The panel spent more than eight hours to reach their decision and spent an hour alone debating whether to include Parcells, who led the New York Giants to two Super Bowl titles in a 19-year coaching career where he coached four teams, all to the playoffs.
"This is long overdue," Giants co-owner John Mara said in a statement.
"He's one of the best coaches in NFL history. He turned our franchise around. We went through a long period in the 1960s and 70s when we were a laughing stock.
"When Bill took over in 1983 he survived a very difficult first year, but then turned us into a perennial playoff contender and won two Super Bowls for us."
Allen was a member of the NFL's All-Decade Teams of the 1990s and 2000s and earned first-team All-Pro honors six straight times in his 14 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers.
Ogden became the first Baltimore Ravens player to be elected to the Hall of Fame. He was also the Ravens' first-ever draft pick after the franchise was moved from Cleveland to Baltimore and his election came just one day before the Ravens face the 49ers in Sunday's 47th Super Bowl.
Sapp recorded 96.5 sacks in his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders to join Allen and Ogden as the third player to be voted straight in.
"Warren played the game with incredible ability and passion. He was a leader on one of the best defenses in NFL history and helped to redefine the defensive tackle position," said Buccaneers Co-Chairman Bryan Glazer.
"It is a fitting honor that he will be recognized as one of the greatest to ever play, and we could not be happier for him."
Carter scored 130 touchdowns in a 16-year NFL career with Philadelphia, Minnesota and Miami.
A ferocious defender, Culp spent 14 seasons in the NFL with Kansas City, Houston and Detroit and was named the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year in 1975.
Robinson played for the Green Bay Packers and Washington Redskins and was a vital cog in Vince Lombardi's tough Packers' defenses.
POWER RANKINGS: The NHL’s top 10 teams, Saturday, 02/02/2013-02/08/2013.
By Sam McCaig, Yahoo Expert
2. Chicago Blackhawks: Shootout losses to Minnesota and Vancouver have been the Blackhawks’ only blemishes. Special teams have been key as Chicago’s power play was clicking at over 20 percent and the penalty kill was in midseason shutdown mode at 30-for-31.
3. Boston Bruins: Despite a lopsided loss in a grudge game against Buffalo – Boston’s first defeat in regulation time – the Bruins have been the best team in the East in the early going.
4. St. Louis Blues: They’ve never won the Stanley Cup and haven’t been to the final since 1970. The times, they might be a-changin’.
5. Tampa Bay Lightning: A lot of pressure on the top guys to produce and the jury’s still out on new No. 1 goalie Anders Lindback. But so far, the Bolts are a success story.
6. Ottawa Senators: The surprising Sens have leaned on Erik Karlsson’s sublime skill set and Craig Anderson’s goaltending heroics, but the loss of Jason Spezza for at least two months (back surgery) is devastating.
7. Anaheim Ducks: The Ducks are doing it with their 5-on-5 play and an abundance of secondary scoring in the form of Daniel Winnik and Saku Koivu.
8. New Jersey Devils: The Devils join the Sharks and ‘Hawks as the only teams without a loss in regulation, though New Jersey has dropped three extra-time games in a row.
9. Montreal Canadiens: Carey Price is rock-solid, rookies Alex Galchenyuk and Brendan Gallagher have provided a spark, Andrei Markov is healthy for the first time since 2010 and P.K. Subban has rejoined the team.
10. Edmonton Oilers: The young Oilers have wandered the wilderness since their surprise run to the 2006 Stanley Cup final. They have a lot to prove before they can truly be taken seriously, but a good start was the first step.
GAME TO WATCH: Chicago at San Jose, Tuesday, 02/05/2013. The two teams that went the longest without losing – the ‘Hawks started 6-0-0, the Sharks 7-0-0 – face off with Western Conference bragging rights on the line.
PGA Golf. It's starting off with a bang, this is going to be a great year.
By Marion P. Jelks, CS&T/AA blog editor
The 2013 Super Bowl is over, and the Ravens are world champions just as we predicted. It was a tale of two halves; the first half going to the Ravens and the second half, post lights out delay going to the 49ers. As I stated in our Friday, (02/01/2013), blog, "I think the 49ers have a better team, but the Ravens appear to be the team of destiny." "The Ravens might have a little age on the 49ers and thought to be over the hill but again, the experience factor will make up for that." The goal line stand on the 49ers last series makes my case. Also, when the 49ers came back after the lights out delay and were only down by two points, Joe Flacco moved the Ravens offensive unit down the field for a field goal, giving them a five point lead. It was too much for the 49ers to overcome. Now, I'm going to give you my prognosis for next year, The 49ers will win it all. They're young, big, fast, and this year they got their needed experience. Mark it down, you heard it here first.
The Super Bowl is all about the commissioner's State of the NFL message, activities and reports on the teams week in the host city, the half time show, the TV commercials and last but not least, the game. We'll let the newspapers and Internet bombard you with all kinds of after game reports and we'll give you a break and follow up now with the NHL, NBA, MLB and the start of the golf season along with college and other sports news. We will keep you apprised of happenings in the NFL, we just won't go overboard with post game reports.
Our heartiest congratulations to to the Baltimore Ravens, 2013 Super Bowl XLVll Champions.
Seven men voted into the 2013 Pro Football Hall of Fame.
By Julian Linden
Former Super Bowl winning head coach Bill Parcells was among seven men voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday.
Parcells was joined by six former players, including three first-time nominees, to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, the greatest individual honor in the sport.
Offensive linemen Larry Allen and Jonathan Ogden and defensive tackle Warren Sapp all were elected in their first year of being nominated while wide receiver Cris Carter, defensive tackle Curley Culp and linebacker Dave Robinson were voted in after missing out previously.
The seven men will be enshrined into the Hall of Fame in August. They were selected by a group of 44 voters from a pool of 17 nominees.
The panel spent more than eight hours to reach their decision and spent an hour alone debating whether to include Parcells, who led the New York Giants to two Super Bowl titles in a 19-year coaching career where he coached four teams, all to the playoffs.
"This is long overdue," Giants co-owner John Mara said in a statement.
"He's one of the best coaches in NFL history. He turned our franchise around. We went through a long period in the 1960s and 70s when we were a laughing stock.
"When Bill took over in 1983 he survived a very difficult first year, but then turned us into a perennial playoff contender and won two Super Bowls for us."
Allen was a member of the NFL's All-Decade Teams of the 1990s and 2000s and earned first-team All-Pro honors six straight times in his 14 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers.
Ogden became the first Baltimore Ravens player to be elected to the Hall of Fame. He was also the Ravens' first-ever draft pick after the franchise was moved from Cleveland to Baltimore and his election came just one day before the Ravens face the 49ers in Sunday's 47th Super Bowl.
Sapp recorded 96.5 sacks in his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders to join Allen and Ogden as the third player to be voted straight in.
"Warren played the game with incredible ability and passion. He was a leader on one of the best defenses in NFL history and helped to redefine the defensive tackle position," said Buccaneers Co-Chairman Bryan Glazer.
"It is a fitting honor that he will be recognized as one of the greatest to ever play, and we could not be happier for him."
Carter scored 130 touchdowns in a 16-year NFL career with Philadelphia, Minnesota and Miami.
A ferocious defender, Culp spent 14 seasons in the NFL with Kansas City, Houston and Detroit and was named the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year in 1975.
Robinson played for the Green Bay Packers and Washington Redskins and was a vital cog in Vince Lombardi's tough Packers' defenses.
POWER RANKINGS: The NHL’s top 10 teams, Saturday, 02/02/2013-02/08/2013.
By Sam McCaig, Yahoo Expert
1. San
Jose Sharks: Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the
water, the Sharks emerge as the NHL’s last unbeaten team. How are they doing it?
Well, red-hot Patrick
Marleau was the first star in San Jose’s first four games, then it was
goalie Antti Niemi in the past three games.
2. Chicago Blackhawks: Shootout losses to Minnesota and Vancouver have been the Blackhawks’ only blemishes. Special teams have been key as Chicago’s power play was clicking at over 20 percent and the penalty kill was in midseason shutdown mode at 30-for-31.
3. Boston Bruins: Despite a lopsided loss in a grudge game against Buffalo – Boston’s first defeat in regulation time – the Bruins have been the best team in the East in the early going.
4. St. Louis Blues: They’ve never won the Stanley Cup and haven’t been to the final since 1970. The times, they might be a-changin’.
5. Tampa Bay Lightning: A lot of pressure on the top guys to produce and the jury’s still out on new No. 1 goalie Anders Lindback. But so far, the Bolts are a success story.
6. Ottawa Senators: The surprising Sens have leaned on Erik Karlsson’s sublime skill set and Craig Anderson’s goaltending heroics, but the loss of Jason Spezza for at least two months (back surgery) is devastating.
7. Anaheim Ducks: The Ducks are doing it with their 5-on-5 play and an abundance of secondary scoring in the form of Daniel Winnik and Saku Koivu.
8. New Jersey Devils: The Devils join the Sharks and ‘Hawks as the only teams without a loss in regulation, though New Jersey has dropped three extra-time games in a row.
9. Montreal Canadiens: Carey Price is rock-solid, rookies Alex Galchenyuk and Brendan Gallagher have provided a spark, Andrei Markov is healthy for the first time since 2010 and P.K. Subban has rejoined the team.
10. Edmonton Oilers: The young Oilers have wandered the wilderness since their surprise run to the 2006 Stanley Cup final. They have a lot to prove before they can truly be taken seriously, but a good start was the first step.
GAME TO WATCH: Chicago at San Jose, Tuesday, 02/05/2013. The two teams that went the longest without losing – the ‘Hawks started 6-0-0, the Sharks 7-0-0 – face off with Western Conference bragging rights on the line.
PGA Golf. It's starting off with a bang, this is going to be a great year.
By Marion P. Jelks, CS&T/AA blog editor
The PGA tournaments this year are going to be fantastic. Tiger Woods won the Farmers Insurance Open last week, Phil Mickleson set the course ablaze and won the Phoenix Open this week. They are putting the young guns and there are plenty of them on notice to bring your A game each week. The competition will be outstanding. Experienced Players (old dogs) versus Young Guns (new wave of younger, gifted and aggressive players). It doesn't get any better than that. Just watch the tournaments the next few weeks and then get ready for the first major of the year, The 77th edition of The Masters, April 11th through April 14th, 2013. It's hard to predict a winner in golf, however, we will share our pick with you on April 10th, 2013. Things are looking up and baseball is just around the corner too!!!
Glass Half Full: The Bulls Have Improved in the Absence of Derrick Rose.
By Acamea Deadwiler | Yahoo! Contributor Network
COMMENTARY | The return of Derrick Rose draws ever nearer with news that he is now partaking in full-contact practices, cutting well and doing other things which signify the readiness of his knee. Finally, after what seems like an eternity, the Chicago Bulls are set to welcome back the face of the franchise. But a surprising thing happened while Rose was out, a few of them actually. Things likely to benefit the team once Rose gets back to 100% and put them in a better position than ever to compete for an NBA Championship .
The absence of Rose forced players to play. The Bulls have often been criticized for being stagnant on offense. This is not unusual when there is a superstar on the team. There is a tendency for the other players to simply stand and watch, waiting for the gifted one to make a play. And because gifted he is, Rose would often oblige. This leads to bad habits and a vicious cycle of standing, and watching, and waiting. Without Rose this was not an issue or an option. His prideful teammates not only had the desire, but were now given the opportunity to step up.
First off, Joakim Noah has been in beast mode all season long. It is as if, with Rose out of the line-up, Noah made a conscious decision to bear the burden of team leader. The center has dominated his position night in and night out, averaging career highs in just about every category and even earning a trip to his first NBA All-Star game.
Then, after two seasons of mediocrity, and sometimes less than that, Carlos Boozer has seemingly recaptured his two-time All-Star form. After calling for him to be amnestied, not many expected Booze to be named Eastern Conference Player of the Week. Nor did many envision he would deliver his finest games against the best teams in the league and be such a huge reason why the Bulls are currently atop the Central Division. Nonetheless, this is exactly what has transpired.
There has also been the emergence of Jimmy Butler. And what looked at the beginning of the season to be an obliterated bench is now rounding into form. During his second year, Butler has played effectively both as a reserve and in spot starts for an injured Luol Deng.
Speaking of Deng, the most consistent player on the team besides Rose has continued to play well and will join Noah in Houston this February. How does a team without its lone superstar manage to send two players to the All-Star game and lead a division? Of course, the coaching of defensive guru Tom Thibodeau is one factor. But the Bulls have collectively performed at an unpredictably high level.
It's funny how a negative situation can sometimes produce positive results. In learning to play without Rose, the Bulls have learned how to play together. Granted, there is more of everything to go around. There are shots, minutes, and touches that will not be there once Rose returns. But hopefully, good habits of moving without the ball and taking the open jumper have been developed in his absence.
In no way, shape or form are the Bulls better without their all-world point guard. But perhaps confidence has been built or in the case of Boozer, restored. And guys will continue to be aggressive on offense. Because if Rose can regain full-strength with this team, Chicago will definitely have to be dealt with come postseason.
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