Tonight, live on ESPN (and TSN for those of us in Canada), LeBron James will be revealing to the watching world NBA fans which team he is going go make his mega money at and maybe even win a championship with. If you listen to the media bloggers and read the rumor sites, their sources deep within the James camp are revealing that every single team in the NBA – with the exception of the Toronto Raptors because they only draft good players, never sign them – are on the verge of signing James.

Yes, live on TV it will be announced. Whatever happened to a player sizing up his options, putting pen to paper and then holding a press conference to reveal his decision? Talk about the commercialisation of sport? If it isn’t bad enough that something like this is dragged out on sports websites, newspapers and sports stations for days on end – in order to generate another few bucks – then the idea of it peaking with a live TV announcement leaves you with only one thought: Only in America does sport turn into such a circus.

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I haven’t wrote much about Basketball mainly because I’m not a huge Basketball fan as seen by the fact I came comfortably last in the fantasy Basketball league I signed up for at the start of the year. I did however keep semi-regular tabs on the Toronto Raptors, my home city team, as they struggled, then impressed and then struggled again which took us to last night where they were officially eliminated from the playoffs on the final day of the season.

At one point during the season the Raptors appeared to be the team to watch in Toronto, they were 5th in the Eastern Conference, winning for fun; something no Toronto sports team has been able to do for years. Could this finally be the team that would put some hope back into the hearts of the cities passionate and loyal sports fans? Then came the all star break and following that the team capitulated in a style only a Toronto sports team could do, going 3-10 and as such missing out on the playoffs on the final day of the season – the 10th time they have missed the playoffs in team history.

Yes I am not a big Basketball fan, but it’s still very disappointing considering what the Toronto fans have got from their Maple Leafs, Argos and what they are expected to get from their Blue Jays and TFC.

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I’m not the biggest NBA fan in the world and often think that the only bit that matters as a viewer in the game is the final three minutes or so when the game is close and can be won and lost. The rest of the time I sometimes think they are trading points and getting ready for that final three minutes. Okay, so it isn’t always the case, sometimes a team is miles in front going into the final quarter never mind the final minutes, but as I write right now there is 1:28 left in a game between Toronto and Milwalkee with Toronto down by six and the exciting part is really starting. The only problem with this potentially exciting final few minutes when it is close like this, is that there is a million and one time-outs. They seem limitless and both teams will use them and use them to set up plays, or something like that!

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…To a city devoid of sporting success of late. I know the Toronto Maple Leafs picked up their first win in twenty seven years the other night but their new winning streak ended at one game as they crashed back down to earth last night. But while they were going about their usual business the Toronto Raptors, Toronto’s NBA team, were taking to the court for their first game of the season. The team, like all Toronto teams did the customary thing last season and missed the playoffs, but they made enormous changes to the line-up over the summer and are expected to improve this term.

Everyone held their breathe of course, we’ve heard that sort of speak before but then the Raptors came out against LeBron James and his Cleveland Cavaliers, worked them over and picked up the win. One game played, one win. Time to get excited? Read More»

So the first round of the college basketball March Madness play is over. 64 teams, 34 games and a heck of a lot of predicting by me, a armchair no-nothing about NCAA hoops. Scoring 24 out of 32 might sound pretty dam good for someone who knows nothing but the fact that they show the teams rankings going into the brackets certainly helps when picking the winners. Baring a few upset predictions I nearly always went for the favorite and so you can see with the number I got wrong how many upsets there were.

So round two starts this weekend with 8 games today and 8 more tomorrow. Here is what we have today and what I am ‘expecting’ to happen. Thankfully there isn’t a game yet were I haven’t got at least one team involved.

UCLA (6) to beat Villonova (3) @ 1.05 p.m.

Memphis (2) to beat Maryland (10) @ 3.20 p.m.

Connecticut (1) to beat Texas A&M (9) @ 3.35 p.m.

Washington (4) to beat Purdue (5) @ 5.40 p.m.

North Carolina (1) to beat LSU (8) @ 5.45 p.m.

Oklahoma (2) to beat Michigan (10) @ 5.50 p.m.

Gonzaga (4) to beat Western Kentucky (12) @ 8.10 p.m.

Duke (2) to beat Texas (7) @ 8.15 p.m.

I admit to knowing very little about Basketball. I know some of the rules, I know how it is scored and I have played it quite a few times growing up. I even had a hoop on the side of my house but I never watched it on TV and I certainly had no aspirations of making the NBA. Certainly not like the kids I have just dropped $20 on this week in the hopes of predicting which team will win the College National Championships, otherwise known as March Madness. Read More»