Thoughts on the Current Day in Sports

I haven't been able to get on here often enough lately, so I'm just going to write a post on whatever crosses my mind. And I promise more frequent posts ahead.

1. That rookie QB Colin Kaepernick on the 49ers looks like the real deal, if only through the first quarter and a half I've seen him play. With him behind center they still appear to be Super Bowl contenders, as they are simply dissecting the Bears as of this moment. (My original Super Bowl pick was the Philadelphia Eagles. Uhh, yeah.)

2. Fantasy playoffs start soon! Hope you haven't lost all hope yet.

3. Not too excited about Rob Gronkowski going down. He was a cog on one of my fantasy teams. The Patriots will be okay though; as if they don't have enough weapons already, Gronk's fellow tight end Aaron Hernandez could return this week.

4. About that Marlins-Jays trade. I understand Jose Reyes was overpaid. But even as a Phillies supporter, in my mind it is simply disappointing for baseball. It also leads to large-market owners around the league questioning revenue sharing, with good reason. And it makes the AL East just that much more fun: with the exception of the Red Sox, everyone there is a contender. First time probably ever that could be said.

5. I'm still not much of a college football fan right now. It disgusts me for many reasons. But what's going to be a real pain is listening to the, for whatever reason, condescending Notre Dame fans brag about their team's first relevant squad since before I was born.

6. Georgetown's handing it to UCLA in college hoops. At the current rate, Georgetown's going to be the only Big East team left in the next few years. Heralded freshman Shabazz Muhammad came off the bench in his UCLA debut.

7. How the heck did the usually top-notch Houston Texans' D allow Chad Henne, of all people, to pass for 354 and 4 TDs? It didn't take more than a game for Henne to win the starting job over the woeful Blaine Gabbert in Jacksonville. The bust has eclipsed the other bust for a shot a redemption.

8. I wish Tim Tebow would just go play in NFL Europe or something so the media hops off his jockstrap. Actually they still wouldn't. And NFL Europe doesn't exist anymore, but oh well.

9. For those of you still wondering, hockey is still locked out.

10. David Beckham will play his last game for the L.A. Galaxy, the MLS Cup, on December 1. I know the MLS has its diehard fans, but of all the places he could've played as his career winds down, why did he pick the U.S.A.?

11. Woah. I don't care who they've beaten. The Charlotte Bobcats are 5-4.

Predictions: Some Bold, Some Obvious

1. Peyton Manning will sign with the Miami Dolphins, and connect with Brandon Marshall to give the wideout 1,600 receiving yards.

Marshall recorded over 1,200 yards with Chad Henne and I forget the other guy throwing to him. With a top five (arguably) QB in league history throwing balls his way, expect a combination that will turn out far better than the much-hyped Tom Brady/Chad Ochocinco combo that wasn't.

2. Evan Turner emerges as an NBA star.

It's not just because tonight is his coming-out party (26 points, 9 boards so far in his 2nd start). As the Sixers have faltered lately until this game against the Celtics (where they lead 102-65 as of this minute), Doug Collins shook things up and inserted Turner into the starting lineup in place of Jodie Meeks. Big deal, right? Yes, actually. Turner had been playing largely off-ball for most of his minutes so far this season, but in tonight's game, Collins finally gave him permission to play like he did in college. Seems like eons ago when Evan Turner was the college player of the year. Mark my word, he will again become a household name.

3. Josh Johnson wins the NL Cy Young.

* If Clayton Kershaw doesn't repeat.

I picked Johnson to do the same last year, but he got hurt. Coming off a season in which he recorded just nine starts (and a sparkly 1.64 ERA), Johnson is under the radar to pretty much all baseball fans. When people think of the new-look Marlins, they think of Ozzie, Jose Reyes and Hanley Ramirez. Heath Bell and Giancarlo Stanton are much talked about as well. It's as if Josh Johnson no longer exists. He will when he brings in the hardware.

4. Andrew Luck isn't as good as everyone says he will be.

The last "once-in-a-generation" QB prospect? JaMarcus Russell. BY NO MEANS am I saying Andrew Luck will be JaMarcus Russell. I think he will be a good NFL quarterback. But he will certainly not be Peyton Manning: leading what is really a three-win team to thirteen a season. The start of the rookie's 23-million dollar paycheck will be rough.

5. Either Neftali Feliz or Daniel Bard (probably Bard) will flame out in the starting rotation.

This usually doesn't work. Neither of these guys are lazy nutcases like Joba Chamberlain. But bringing guys out of late-inning work in the pen to the rotation, in general, simply does not work. I understand that these guys were starters in their past, but their mindset is currently to shut the door late in games, not start them. And in the routine-oriented mind of an MLB pitcher, that is significant.