Predictions for the 2013-14 NBA Season

Eastern Conference

1. Miami Heat

2. Indiana Pacers

3. Brooklyn Nets

4. Chicago Bulls

5. New York Knicks

6. Detroit Pistons

7. Atlanta Hawks

8. Washington Wizards

9. Cleveland Cavaliers 

10. Toronto Raptors

11. Milwaukee Bucks

12. Boston Celtics

13. Charlotte Bobcats

14. Orlando Magic

15. Philadelphia 76ers

Western Conference

1. Las Angeles Clippers

2. San Antonio Spurs

3. Oklahoma City Thunder

4. Golden State Warriors

5. Houston Rockets

6. Memphis Girzzlies

7. Denver Nuggets

8. Minnesota Timberwolves

9. Portland Trail Blazers

10. Los Angeles Lakers 

11. New Orleans Pelicans

12. Dallas Mavericks

13. Utah Jazz

14. Sacramento Kings

15. Phoenix Suns

MVP

1. LeBron James, Miami Heat, F

2. Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder, F

3. Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs, G

Rookie of the Year

1. Victor Oladpo, Orland Magic, G

2. Trey Burke, Utah Jazz, G

3. Ben McLemore, Sacramento Kings, G

Defensive Player of the Year

1. LeBron James, Miami Heat, F

2. Tony Allen, Memphis Grizzlies, G

3. Larry Sanders, Milwaukee Bucks, C

Most Improved Player

1. Jonas Valanciunas, Toronto Raptors, C

2. Eric Bledsoe, Phoenix Suns, G

3. Andre Dummond, Detroit Pistons, C

Most Disappointing Player

1. Danny Granger, Indiana Pacers, F

2. Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks, F

3. Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls, G

1st Team All-NBA

G: Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers

G: Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs

F: LeBron James, Miami Heat

F: Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder

C: Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies

2nd Team All-NBA

G: Kyrie Irving, Cleveland Caviliers 

G: James Harden, Houston Rockets

G: Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors

F: Paul George, Indiana Pacers

F: Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves

NBA Draft Lottery

1. Boston Celtics 

2. Sacramento Kings

3. Philadelphia 76ers

NBA All-Star Game

East All-Stars over West All-Stars

Eastern Conference Finals

Miami Heat over Brooklyn Nets

Western Conference Finals

Los Angeles Clippers over Golden State Warriors

NBA Finals

Miami Heat over Los Angeles Clippers

Great Slate of Football Games Over The Weekend

Florida State @ Clemson

Tajh Boyd
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This is the game of the weekend. Florida State (#5 in the AP Poll/#5 in the USA Today Poll) goes to Death Valley to meet another top five team, Clemson (#3/#4). This game has national impact. The winner will immediately become a challenger for the BCS Championship, while the other will be out of contention. Both teams have superstar quarterbacks. Clemson's signal caller is senior Tajh Boyd. Boyd has been a high-level quarterback in his first two years as the starter, but this year he has taken it to another level. His maturity shows in his ratio of touchdowns to interceptions. He has fifteen passing touchdowns compared to two picks. The Seminoles quarterback, Jameis Winston is a redshirt freshman and he has been outstanding. He has a completion percentage of about 73%, 17 passing touchdowns, and a passer rating of about 214. The key to this game will be the defense. Who will be able to quiet the opposing quarterback for at least a few possessions. This game will be a shootout and will come down to the wire. In the end, Clemson will pull out the win in the end.

UCLA @ Stanford

After Stanford (#13/#13) was upset the 4-3 Utah Utes, the balance shifted in the PAC-12. They became the third highest ranked team in country, falling behind 6-0 Oregon (#2/#2) and 5-0 UCLA (#9/#10), their opponent this week. UCLA's success has been centered around their good defense and quarterback Brett Hundley. Hundley is a very good quarterback and that is evident by last weeks game against Cal. He threw for 410 yards, three touchdowns, and completed 75.6% of his passes. For Stanford, quarterback Kevin Hogan struggled against Utah last week and Washington the week before. Hogan needs to put those two games behind him. If his struggles get in his head, it is going to be another long game for the junior QB. After a devastating loss last week, Stanford will be rejuvenated by the home fans and will take home the W against the Bruins.

Auburn @ Texas A&M

Nick Marshall
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After an awful season last year, the Auburn Tigers (#24/NR) are 5-1 and have returned to the top 25. This week, they face Johnny Manziel and Texas A&M (#7/#7). This is a big game for the Tigers. They beat a top 25 team in Ole Miss, but they lost to a top ten team, LSU. This game will show us where the Tigers rank in big time college football. If they win, when it's all said and done they may be a top 15 team. If they lose, they are a barely a top 25 team. For Auburn to win, quarterback Nick Marshal needs to be on his game. In their loss to LSU, the running game was working, with Tre Mason having a great game. Marshall, however, completed just over 50% of his passes and threw two picks. He needs to be a better play maker for Auburn to have a chance. For Texas A&M, the defense needs to the stop the run game and Johnny Football needs to be Johnny Football. I am not sure if the Auburn defense can stop Manziel and the the Aggie offense. Because of that, I am pick the Aggies to win by at least ten points.

Sam Houston State @ McNeese State

This is the FCS matchup of the week and it is a good one. Sam Houston State is number two in the FCS, while McNeese State is number eight. Both teams are 5-1, are 1-0 in conference, and are in the Southland Conference. Sam Houston State's only loss was to FBS school Texas A&M. the Cowboys lost to Northern Iowa. The Bearcats' offense is based around it's run game. Three of their four leading rushers average 7.0 yards per carry. Their main running back, Timot Flanders, already has nine touchdowns and 849 rushing yards. McNeese is more passing oriented, but running back Marcus Wiltz is coming off a great week and is having an excellent season. The Bearcats' are the better team, and they will beat the Cowboys. 

Cincinnati @ Detroit

This week, there are only two games where both teams have winning record. One is Denver-Indy. The other is surprising. It is not Houston-Kansas City, or Baltimore-Pittsburgh. No, its the Bengals against the Lions. The Lions have been a surprise team so far. They are currently tied for the lead in the NFC North with a 4-2 record. Their offense has been good, even with Calvin Johnson struggling with injury. Reggie Bush is running the ball very well, giving the offense a whole new dimension. On defense, they have been very good, led by LB DeAndre Levy who is having a career year. The Bengals are also 4-2 and are also in the led of their division the AFC North. Two of their wins have been against Green Bay and New England, both high quality teams. The Lions have surprised so far, and they will shock Cincinnati. 

Denver @ Indianapolis

Jim Irsay
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Not only is this a match-up between Super Bowl contenders, but it is also the return of Peyton Manning to Indy. There will be a ceremony for Manning before the game, but the comments flying around make it a little awkward. Colts owner Jim Irsay made some comments this week that "dis" Manning. He said that they have changed how they run the team with Andrew Luck as QB so they can win more then one Super Bowl. He also said that he loved the "Star Wars" numbers Manning put up, but those numbers didn't matter in the post season and they would not advance. He later apologized, but the damage was done. Instead of their being a happy and light atmosphere, it will be cold and awkward. The key to the game is going to the Colts defense. The Broncos are firing on all cylinders and for the Colts to have a chance to win will be if their defense comes up clutch. This is going to be a good game; however, Denver is unstoppable right now. The Colts will put up a fight, but Denver will improve to 7-0.

Book Review: Errors and Fouls by Peter Handrinos

With the holiday season looming, I've decided to write some book reviews on some interesting books that some people may want to buy for themselves or a family member or friend. The first book I will be writing about is Errors and Fouls: Inside Baseball's Ninety-Nine Most Popular Myths by Peter Handrinos. 

Cover of Errors and Fouls
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Errors and Fouls is a good book. Handrinos is a very smart man, having went to Yale University, University of Cambridge, and University of Virginia School of Law. He treats each myth like he would a case he would be dealing with in his law practice. He backs his opinion with facts and evidence from many different places.

The book is split up by topic into different sections. For example, the section "The Drug Problem" has all the myths that involve steroids. The myths are different from one chapter to the next. Some of my favorite chapters involve baseball's popularity, the toughness of the sport, and competitive balance.

The myths covered are not the ones that are always in books involving baseball myths. Abner Doubleday or Babe Ruth do not have their own myth. Most of the myths involve the business side of baseball. That might be the best part of this book. All other baseball books would mention Babe Ruth's called shot. Errors and Fouls does not, and that what makes it unique.

In conclusion, Errors and Fouls is not a book for every fan. It is a book that does not always "solve" the myth, but the author gives his opinion on the why the myth is wrong. He takes on the myths with a laywer-like-approach, making each one interesting to read. At certain points, the book gets a little stale, but most of the time, I was fully engaged . Handrinos clearly spent a lot of time working on the book, and it shows in the quality of his work.