"The Walk Up 18's" 2011 NFL Mock Draft

With the NFL Draft set to kick off on Thursday night, we wanted to get our Mock Draft out to you all to check out!  Let us know in the comments section what you think “your team” is going to do with their selection and what you think their needs are going into 2011 season.  

After the Draft wraps on Sunday night, we’ll post our “Winners & Losers” and hope you all will give us your feedback!  We know trade's will occur on draft night, but if the selection order stayed "as/is" we believe these would be the selections in Thursday night's First Round...

Carolina You're On the Clock... (CLICK ON DRAFT TO ENLARGE)

2011 NBA PLAYOFFS..."Who You Got?"

courtesy of www.nba.com

Can These Bulls Bring Back the Glory of My Youth?

By Cody Phillips

Derrick Rose

When I was growing up in Morgantown, WV, my favorite love was basketball.  Yes, I played baseball, football, soccer, and really any other sport I could possibly attempt; but without a doubt my first love was basketball.  Much of that can be attributed directly to the greatest present I was ever given as a child...a basketball hoop.  This wasn’t any basketball hoop nor was it located in an area which basketball hoops are normally found.  The original backboard was made out of plywood and 2x4’s from the local hardware store.  The rim was an orange “breakaway” which later changed to a camouflaged look when I found some old spray paint and wanted to show my creative side.  It had to be changed several times over the years due to the wear and tear that my thunderous jams caused!  The hoop was located in the unfinished basement of my parent’s house.  Just cement slab, studs, plumbing pipes, drains, and me and my hoop.  I’d play for hours upon hours downstairs.  The pounding of the ball resounded throughout the upstairs of my house, surely driving my parents and sisters crazy!  I guess the trade off was knowing that their lil boy was safe and sound and not out terrorizing the neighborhood or getting into trouble!  

  As you can imagine, my hoop was a major hit with friends.  With it being inside, we could play year round.  Rain, snow, sleet, hail...nothing could stop me from hundreds of shots a day!  My father originally set the height at about 5 (Johnny Bench) feet and over the years it gradually moved up to about 7 (Mickey Mantle) feet before I could no longer shoot because the ceiling was simply too close to the rim.  As I sit here writing this now, I’d give anything to be 10 (Walt Frazier) years old again backing a ghost defender into the post then quickly drop stepping and finishing with a powerful reverse flush, ala Shawn Kemp.  If the bolts drilled into the rafters would hold me, I’d give it a shot.  

  Who did I dream of being while I was schooling ghost defenders downstairs?  Everyone you could imagine.  From local high school kids, to college standouts, to Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Dominique Wilkins, and literally thousands of others.  (I can name them all and tell you their jersey number)  But I, as millions of others around the world, wanted to BE LIKE MIKE!

  Michael Jordan was superhuman to me.  When other kids were busy following Batman, Superman, Captain America...I was watching Michael Jordan.  As a child, what MJ did on a basketball court was every bit as amazing to me as what Batman did in Gotham City.  I had as many pairs of “Air Jordan’s” as my parents budget would allow.  I had every VHS that had his name on it (“Come Fly With Me” was my favorite).  I watched every single piece of footage I could find on him.  I wanted to be Michael Jordan and I was damn close in that basement!  Turns out, I was pretty good on a 10 foot rim through my high school years, but 5’11” white boys seem to commonly fade away after graduation.  (John Stockton & Steve Nash are two great exceptions to that last comment)

  Fast forward to 2011 and we have a new set of Chicago Bulls that have caught my eye.  Led by 3rd year superstar point guard, Derrick Rose, the upstart Bulls are my pick for this years NBA Title.  It’s a long shot given the road will most likely go through the veteran laden Boston Celtics, San Antonio Spurs, or Los Angeles Lakers, but I like what I see.  They appear to be a tough, hard-nosed defensive ball club that plays as a TEAM!  It appears everyone on the roster knows their role and that is a very important key to having success in the playoffs.  On Jordan’s best teams, role players such as John Paxson, Steve Kerr, Craig Hodges, Will Perdue, Bill Cartwright, and Cliff Livingston, all played vital roles during their playoff runs.    

  I have to admit, I’m not an NBA fan anymore.  Not really sure why, but over the years I’ve grown more and more distant from the game I once loved.  I still watch the highlights on Sportscenter and enjoy watching Kobe, Lebron, D-Wade, ‘Melo, as well as countless others, but when Jordan finally retired, a piece of me left with him.  For the first time in a decade, Derrick Rose has peeked my interest once again in the NBA.  He’ll never be Jordan, nor will anyone else, but if I were a betting man, I’d say he’ll do a helluva job leading this Bulls team through the 2011 Playoffs as MJ once did.  Can these Bulls bring back the glory of my youth?  I say...YES!

The Thunder Rolls

By Eric Brookes

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook

  Ever hear of the word MOMENTUM? Also referred to a lot as Uncle Mo in the sports world. Or maybe Dick Vitale is the only individual that refers to it as Uncle Mo? I digress...I like the Oklahoma City Thunder to win the 2011 NBA Championship because of this very thing.  Momentum is key in any sport and never more important than when heading into the playoffs. (Just look at this years Super Bowl Champion, Green Bay Packers as a prime example)  The Thunder have been an impressive team to watch for the first two games of the playoffs. They also finished the year in a very strong fashion, going 10-3 over that stretch. Many analysts and critics are saying they are still too young to get through the grueling NBA Playoffs and my answer to them is to flatly admit, "Yes they are young, but when did that become such a negative?" Three of their starters are under the age of 23 (Kirk Gibson) and one is 26 (Rod Woodson)...point made.  I just don’t think it matters.  

The dynamic duo of Kevin Durant (FUTURE HALL OF FAMER) and Russell Westbrook is second to none in the NBA.  Not only are they extremely talented and filled with youthful exuberance and swagger, but they play the game well beyond their years.  Durant is a 6’9” Pterodactyl that in his first three seasons has won the NBA Rookie of the Year and became the youngest player ever to win the NBA scoring title.  In my opinion he is the best scorer in the league.  Westbrook, a 2011 All Star, is a 6’3” Gazelle with the ball in his hands...he’s a great penetrator as well as being a strong on ball defender.  Together, these two pose serious matchup problems for any team they’ll go up against in these playoffs.  Also, let's not forget that this team gained invaluable playoff experience last year.  So now let’s say, "Young but Experienced."  Flash back to 2010...It took the eventual champion Lakers six tough games to finish off the Thunder in last year’s first round. 

My point is that although this team is young, they are uber gifted. I've always felt that a great formula for winning playoff basketball is to play solid defense and have the ability to shoot the ball well from the free throw line.  This Thunder team plays super aggressive and tough on the defensive side of the ball while shooting nearly 83% (Ted Hendricks) from the charity stripe.  The road to the NBA Finals is a long one and being young might not be a bad thing. Fresh legs in late May might just be enough to allow this team to capture their first NBA Title…And The Thunder Rolls! 

THE MASTERS 2011-The Roars Fade for Rory McIlroy on Sunday in Augusta

 Alone at the Top 
By Cody Phillips

Andrew Redington/Getty Images

As I listened to Rory McIlroy calmly answer questions during his post round press conference following the third round of the 2011 Masters Tournament, I felt myself slowly turning into a believer.  I knew all to well what Sunday at The Masters holds for its overnight leader, yet I was inching my way towards believing that young McIlroy could close this tournament out. In my defense, all the 21 year old phenom from Northern Ireland had done up to that point was fire a dazzling first round 65 (Elvin Bethea), an ultra efficient second round 69 (Tim Krumrie), and a solid third round 70 (Sam Huff) to hold a 4 shot lead heading into the final round Sunday.  For three straight days, drive after drive, iron after iron, and putt after putt were struck as purely and true as a player can.  This curly haired lad was as calm and cool as any 54 hole leader I'd seen in my twenty years of watching the event.  He had all the right answers, both on the course and off.  He repeated over and over to anyone that would listen, "How he just felt really comfortable.  Comfortable with his game, his preparation coming in, with leading the golf tournament, etc."  Not even the Golf Gods swirling atop the tall pine's of this sacred Alister Mackenzie design could muster any defense against McIlroy. For three rounds, he had successfully eluded nearly all the hatred that Augusta National had to offer, squandering only three shots on an otherwise clean scorecard.  He'd made a lone bogey on the always difficult #12 (Tom Brady) on Friday and bogey's on #5 (Joe DiMaggio) and #10 (Pele) during his round on Saturday.  For McIlroy to have only 3 bogey's in 54 holes of a Major Championship was utterly mind blowing to me.  Simply put, he was playing solid, championship golf.  The kids got game...that is unquestioned.  

      Then came Sunday at Augusta, where a golfer is turned into "hero" or "goat" quicker than anywhere else in the golfing world.  McIlroy started with a booming drive that split the center of the #1 (Warren Moon) fairway.  I've always felt you can tell an immense amount about one's nerve's on the first tee box and he'd answered that question with a 300 yard rocket center cut.  The kid looked at ease. With a relative short approach shot left to an inviting hole location, Rory inexplicably flew the green with a 7 iron into a terrible spot back left of the green.  He couldn't get up and down to save his par and Augusta had exacted its first bite out of the 54 hole leader.  Another bogey on #5 and the Golf Gods were smelling blood.  Still clinging to a one shot lead, the wheels officially flew off the wagon at #10.  He pulled his drive left and after an unfortunate ricochet off the trees, ended up some 75 yards left of the fairway in between two cottages.  The rest of the hole was a nightmare, ultimately finishing with a triple bogey 7 (John Elway).  He was never the same after that hole, making 2 more bogey's and a double en route to a back nine 43 and a total round of 80 (Jerry Rice).

      It was truly hard to watch.  Like a car wreck happening right in front of your eyes.  I know many in America love to watch people fail, but I am not one of them.  I turned to my wife and said, "I honestly think I would be crying on the course if I were him."  Golf is a fickle and lonely game.  Unlike team sports, Rory had nowhere to hide.  He had no teammates to take the pressure off for him, no substitute to come off the bench or sidelines and give him a much needed breather...on golfs grandest stage, he simply had to gut it out in front of the Augusta National patrons and the millions of us watching on television.  I felt for him.  I still do.  In the wake of the tournament, in the light of major disappointment, McIlroy stood tall, gritted his teeth, and spoke with an unwavering consistency in his post round remarks.  He truly showed why golf is a gentlemen's  game.  Mere seconds after walking off of the 18th green, he said, "...Hopefully the next time I'm in this position I'll be able to handle it better.  I didn't handle it particularly well obviously, but it was a character-building day, put it that way. I'll come out stronger for it." I just couldn't help but wonder if I'd have spoken with the same grace in that situation?  

      Although McIlroy walked away from Augusta National Golf Club without the Green Jacket, he walked away a winner in my eyes.  Unlike many others, I felt proud of McIlroy.  Proud that he'd lead the tournament for so long as a 21 year old kid, proud that he'd worn his emotions on his sleeve during that final round, proud that he fought until the end, and most of all proud that he acted and spoke so eloquently following heart wrenching defeat.  A lesson can be learned sitting alone at the top.  

Didn't He Choke? 

By Eric Brookes                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

      As the 2011 Masters began, I was not much of a Rory McIlroy fan. However, I felt like crying for him as I watched him walk off of the 18th green in Augusta. The look on his face when Angel Cabrera and the two caddies were consoling him was heartbreaking. I will say that he handled it like a professional and I see why he has had so much success at the age of 21 (Bobby Clemente). In saying all of that...Would someone please come out and just say it, "HE CHOKED!"  Maybe I have missed it or haven't been paying enough attention, but has he been given a free pass from the media? I have been hearing people on TV say that it wasn't his day, or that he simply had a couple of bad breaks. No, what he had was the 2nd worst final round in Augusta history. Yes, I said in the history of the Masters. Had this been Tiger or Phil, it would go down as the biggest choke in golf history. I guess the media is leaving him alone because he is such an excellent young man, and I am not arguing that at all. But think of Phil Mickelson at Wingfoot in 2006 or Greg Norman in Augusta in 1996. We still to this day have to hear about those infamous disasters every time any Major Tournament is played. Look, I know Rory was on the biggest stage in golf at 21 years of age, who can blame him for falling apart. Not many 21 year olds can handle that type of pressure.

      My point is...if Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson had melted down in that fashion, it would be on the cover of every magazine, every website, and would still be the top story on SportsCenter, CNN, Fox News, Oprah, etc.  Rory is a great player and will win his share of Green Jackets and I truly hope he does. After watching how he carried himself as he crumbled on the final day, I have become a fan.           

      I guess I am just looking for the reason that the media has let this slide...let Mr. McIlroy get off with a free pass?  Is it because he is only 21, because he's so likable, because he's not from America? I don't know the answer.  But the overall reaction or should I say coddling has surprised me!     

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