3.29.2007

Final Four In My City

Spring has sprung and the city is a buzz. The dogwoods have bloomed, the grass has turned green and the pollen has smothered the city. Oh and the Final Four is this weekend in Atlanta, my hometown. Off topic really quick: To see the most beautiful Dogwood tree ever, go to Myrtle Street in Midtown. Seriously.

Alright back to this weekend and the Final Four, I was going to do my usual picks but honestly, does it really matter? Will your Chica make the correct picks? Most likely not and I know that. My prognostication (there's that fun word again) skills have not improved since football season so I'm letting it go. I've decided to just briefly write about my cheerful thoughts on this Final Four in my city even though it's making me feel a bit melancholy because I will not be here.

As I've stated before, I'm headed on a fabulous cruise for a week to the Mexican Riviera and will miss the Final Four. Again, I'm a bit sad about this because the hoopla that surrounds the tournament is pure enjoyment. However let's be honest shall we: Should a chica, who cheers emphatically for the Miami Hurricanes, be surrounded by a bunch of Gators and Buckeyes? I'm going to say "no".

So, to all my freaks who have tickets to the Dance, be safe and please do not get into any fights. You know who you are! Some of ya'll (how's that for Southern speak) are downright nasty and wouldn't mind physically harming some of these kids playing the game so watch yourselves.

Think of La Sportschica as I sail on the Pacific and drink champagne from my cabin balcony and try hard as I might not to fall off. I will certainly be thinking about my little city in the forest and will miss all the merriment. Enjoy and GO GEORGETOWN HOYAS!

3.23.2007

What A Great Night......

....of basketball last night! The games were close and exciting to watch. However, I still cannot believe that Tennessee let an 18 point lead get away against one of the nation's top teams. S-H-A-M-E-F-U-L. That's all I can say about that. And before you all point it out for me, yes La Chica knows that all of her picks lost last night. Whatever.

On to tonight's games, shall we:

(1) Florida vs (5) Butler - I'm so over the Florida Gators and their ugly face star, Joakim Noah. I really hope Butler pulls off the upset, I doubt it but I hope it happens.

(3) Oregon vs (7) UNLV - I'm sticking with the underdogs tonight for the most part and picking the Runnin' Rebels of Vegas. Besides, back when the Shark was coaching there, I liked them.

(1) UNC vs (5) USC - Ah, the lone ACC team left in the tournament. You all know that your Chica is not going to pick a PAC 10 team over an ACC one so...GO 'Heels!

(6) Vanderbilt vs (2) Georgetown - I'm really indifferent on this one. On the one hand, I wouldn't mind seeing Vandy pull it off but on the other, I don't want an SEC team to win either because of all the smack that SEC peeps talk on my comments board. Hmmm, what's a Chica to do? I think I'll go with the Hoyas.

Ciaosito freaks and have a great weekend of college basketball!

3.22.2007

Well, Well, Well...

I've been away the last few days but I'm back just in time to discuss some of this weekend's NCAA tournament games. By the way, please stop asking me if I've seen any of the NIT games! With all due respect to the participating teams, I don't give a damn about the NIT!

I'm not going to lie, I was out of town this past weekend and missed some of the tourney so I can't recap as I would normally. Having said that, I did watch that Duke vs VCU matchup last Thursday and it was a dandy. The fact that Duke lost in the 1st round made my Spring. God bless the underdogs. (Unless my team is involved, of course.)

Let's start off with tonight's games, I'm just going to pick who I want to win and go from there:

(4) Southern Illinois vs (1) Kansas - The theme for today's picks is UNDERDOG. Therefore, I hope the Salukis win. Doubt it, but that's who I'm picking. Plus, I like saying "salukis".

(3) Texas A&M vs (2) Memphis - I know Memphis is the higher seed but I just feel that they're still the underdog so my vote goes with them.

(3) Pittsburgh vs (2) UCLA - I'm not cheering for a PAC 10 team, sorry. Go Pitt!

(5) Tennessee vs (1) Ohio State - Let's see, how should I put this, part of me wants OSU to win because I feel they have a better shot at beating the big guys next weekend, but I just can't cheer for them tonight. Go Vols.

Come back tomorrow as I'm sure I will have picked almost all losers. Plus, we need to discuss tomorrow night's games.

Ciao freaks.

3.12.2007

The Way to Atlanta...

This time of year is always special. The weather turns warmer, Spring flowers start to bloom and the time changes. Not to mention, it's March Madness season. I love college basketball because the champion is decided truly. There are no BCS bullshit polls to deal with and no personal biases to contend with either. It's settled on the court by the 65 teams who have earned a right to play for the national championship. And by the way, if your team doesn't make it to the Dance, then they really do not deserve it; if you can't make it in the top 65 in the nation, just call it a year.

Having said all this, your Chica is just not very hyped and excited about this year's tourney. I have no explanation for this, I mean the Final Four is in my city this year, that's reason enough to be giddy. However, La Chica will be cruising on a huge ship in the Mexican Riviera when championship weekend is upon us. Maybe that's the reason for my lack of enthusiasm?

The other factor that could be held accountable is that I have "no dogs in the fight" this season. Hell, UConn didn't even make the tournament! Honestly, the teams I'm cheering for are the ones who are playing against Florida and Ohio State. And quite frankly, that's not enough reason to fill out a bracket, send in my $20 bucks and watch all the games.

Don't get me wrong freaks, your Chica will be watching the games but it's just not the same for me this year.....sniff sniff.

3.06.2007

Artest Is Such the Loser

I must say, I hate the NBA but it has provided me with some material for the blog during the slow season of sports.

Last month Ron Artest got into trouble for not feeding his dog; this month he's in trouble for shoving a woman. What a great guy and another fine example for the NBA!

http://www.miamiherald.com/856/story/32361.html

2.26.2007

College Basketball

Stay tuned for college basketball write ups coming soon.

By the way, did anyone see the Wisconsin/Ohio State game yesterday? Great game. Too bad the Badgers couldn't pull off the win.

Also, what about the Atlanta Thrashers?? They were doing so well but have now lost 8 out of 11 games! Dang.

2.21.2007

Falcons Player "Allegedly" Kills Girlfriend's Dog

La SportsChica has been away from the blog due to moving. Let me just say for the record: La Chica ain't moving again!

In my absence from cable and news (well, sporting news), I am just now reading about the most recent professional athlete's display of poor judgement, pure stupidity and, most important of all, inhumanity. The article below was taken from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's website. It is the story of Atlanta Falcon, Jonathan Babinueaux; he is accused of killing his girlfriend's dog.

At the risk of offending a lot of people who do not deserve to be offended, what is wrong with these worthless, hood rat, excuses for human beings? First it was Ron Artest starving his dog and now this guy killing a dog. Honestly, there's not much else I can say without going into a lot of offensive expletives that will certainly get me into trouble with some civil liberties agencies. Not that they read my blog but one never knows. So, judge for yourself as I go and express my true opinions on a more private stage:

Police: Falcons player killed dogGirlfriend's pet died of blunt force trauma to head, officials say
By George ChidiThe Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionPublished on: 02/21/07

Atlanta Falcons player Jonathan Babineaux killed his girlfriend's dog Sunday night, leading to his arrest on a charge of felony cruelty to animals, Gwinnett County police said Tuesday.

Babineaux, 25, of Lawrenceville called his live-in girlfriend, Blair Anderson, at the movies Sunday evening, where she had gone after they had a verbal argument, police said. Babineaux told her she needed to come home to check on her 1 1/2-year-old pit bull mix, Kilo.

Anderson, 24, told police she found the dog in "severe physical distress." She bundled the dog and drove to the Animal Emergency Center of Gwinnett near Lawrenceville. The dog vomited blood in the car and was pronounced dead at the hospital. The center summoned police.

Babineaux, a 6-foot-2, 286-pound defensive lineman, denied harming the dog when officers asked what happened, police said.
"Babineaux's accounts of what happened was inconsistent with the limited physical information provided by the Animal Emergency Center of Gwinnett," Cpl. Darren Moloney said in a written statement.

Police said they are still awaiting test results but added that preliminary information indicates the dog died from blunt force trauma to the head.

A person convicted of felony cruelty to animals could receive a sentence of one to five years and/or a fine not to exceed $15,000.

Babineaux could not be reached for comment Tuesday. His attorney, Pat McDonough, told the Journal-Constitution: "I have recently been retained, but my preliminary investigation reveals he did nothing wrong and we will defend him vigorously." McDonough declined to elaborate.
"Until we get the full facts, we've decided to withhold all comment," Babineaux's agent, Jack Bechta, told the AJC. "We want to make it clear there was not, and has never been, any instance of domestic violence."

The Falcons issued a statement saying they would have no comment because the issue was a personal and legal matter and referred all calls to Babineaux's attorney.

Babineaux was arrested at his townhouse at 12:59 a.m. Monday and was released a few hours later on $2,300 bond.

Animal control took the couple's other pit bull, Ace, for safe-keeping during the course of the investigation, police said.
In a letter sent to Gwinnett County District Attorney Daniel Porter, a copy of which was also sent to the AJC, Richard Rice, the Georgia state program director of the Humane Society of the United States, urged Babineaux to be prosecuted.
"If it is indeed true that Babineaux is responsible for maliciously killing his dog, then it is imperative that he be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, not only so that he is held accountable for animal suffering, but also because of the threat he poses to community safety in general," Rice wrote.

A second-round draft pick out of the University of Iowa in 2005, Babineaux played in all 16 games this season and made 28 tackles as a Falcons defensive tackle.

—- Staff writers Steve Wyche and Chris Vivlamore contributed to this article.

2.15.2007

More NBA Stupidity

Check out the link below to read how former NBA player, Tim Hardaway hates gays:

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/2007-02-15-hardaway_x.htm?csp=34

Here's the thing, everyone has a right to his or her opinion but when you're in the public eye, it may not be the smartest thing to go on a radio show and admit that you hate a whole group of people.

2.14.2007

Obnoxious Gator Swipes Obnoxious Wildcat Cheerleader

Now, that's a great blog title!

Now that the Gators have had and are having so much success, they're a target. People are tired of them winning in basketball, football and recruiting. It's a fact, we're over it but we're also a little jealous. However, it certainly does make for fun writing.

Check out this link:
http://az-cardinals.aolsportsblog.com/2007/02/12/pom-pom-gate-did-joakim-noah-swipe-at-a-uk-cheerleader/

Granted, the cheerleader should not be taunting a player but a player should never attempt to beat down a cheerleader's pom poms......I'm just sayin'.

2.12.2007

When Did UConn Get So Bad?

Is it just me or does anyone else think that the University of Connecticut basketball team sucks this year? I was watching the game yesterday between the Huskies and Georgia Tech; it was horrible.

I have liked the Huskies for awhile now and I couldn't even begin to tell you why. I have a reason for my allegiance to all of my other teams but not this one. I guess I just like the coach and the mascot...I'm not gonna lie.

Now that football is completely over, I've turned my energies over to baseball and college basketball and much to my chagrin, the UConn Huskies suck this year. They may not even make it to the Big East tournament much less the NCAA tourney. That's just sad.

What's even sadder you ask? The Dixie Chicks winning all of those grammies. I hate those "b's". I'm just saying.


2.07.2007

Ron Artest Starves His Dog

I wrote a blog back in November about how I hate the NBA. I listed several reasons but failed to leave out because Ron Artest is a worthless thug! Check out the link below about how Artest's Great Dane was removed from the dumbass player's 1.85 million dollar home for being underfed and starved. Give me an f-ng break (yup, I almost threw the F bomb at you). This gives La Chica more fodder for loathing the NBA:

http://nmsn.foxsports.com/nba/story/6452756

Absolutely inexcusable.

2.05.2007

Good For Them

I'm going to just get to the point and discuss my opinions about La Super Bowl.

Let me begin by saying that I LOVE that Devin Hester ran the kickoff back all the way! And let me also say that your Chica called that play before it happened. I believe my exact words were "watch Hester run it all the way back" or something similiar to that. Regardless, I called it. I wanted Indy to win but that was entertaining and it represented Cane nation in a positive way during a negative season. Good for him.

How about Peyton and the Colts? My friends tease me about being such a sports fanatic but still being a "girl". This is going to sound girly but who cares: I love that Tony Dungy won this Super Bowl. As I wrote last week, he's a class act and after the death of his son, he and his family needed something great and here it is. No, it's not going to bring back his child but it's still a feel good story. Good for Tony!

Rex Grossman, hmmm, what can I say. It wasn't all his fault that the Bears lost but all of those interceptions did not help their cause in the least. I almost felt sorry for him but then I caught myself and got over it. Buck up Rexy, it wasn't completely your fault. Your defense couldn't stop my little 12 pound Shih Tzu last night!!! I'm just sayin'.

And then there was Prince! Um, for those of us who grew up in the 80s, that show kicked it. I'm so glad that there were no American Idols, no Jessica Simpsons, etc. This man rocked the Super Bowl last night.....good for Prince!

As for the commercials, I kind of missed them. La Chica was at a sports bar watching the game and while the sound was up, it's still kind of hard to hear everything. Oh well. Good for me.

2.02.2007

La Super Bowl

It's been a few days since your Chica has written anything; sorry about that but I was on vacation in fabulous Las Vegas! Can a Chica just say once again that I love me some gambling!!! I may have a problem.

On to the topic of the week, La Super Bowl. I know you all are dying for my prediction (insert sarcasm here), so here goes: Indianapolis Colts.

Reason? I keep going back to Peyton Manning. While I am tired of seeing Peyton on countless television commercials and I am certainly tired of hearing about the Manning football family tradition, I like old Peyton. Plus, I think he's a better, more deserving quarterback than Rex Grossman.

And then there's Tony Dungy: This is a class act all the way and after what he went through with the loss of his son in 2005, how can you not pull for him to win?! Don't get me wrong, I like Lovie Smith as well but I'm sticking with Dungy and the Colts.

Also, I'm hoping the commercials are worth the hype and that the game is a great one. I think it will be. Good luck Colts!

1.24.2007

Let It Rest Already

As soon as the Colts won on Sunday and it was known who would face the Bears in the Super Bowl, I knew the hype would not be centered around the actual game but on the fact that both head coaches are black.

Don't get me wrong, I think this is great and I also think there are still not enough minority head coaches around. Especially since the majority of the players are of the same minority. However, does it really matter? La Chica was proud of, fellow Cuban, Mario Cristobal getting a college head coaching job (even if it was at FIU) but again, does it really matter?

This is America, everyone who is born here or comes here from another country knows you can do anything here as long as you work for it. So please, enough with the hype about Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith being black because no one cares about that; they have both worked hard to get where they are now. What we, as sports fans, really care about is seeing a fantastic Super Bowl game. I'm just sayin'.

1.23.2007

Yada, Yada, Yada

The Super Bowl is set for the Colts vs the Bears.

I watched both games Sunday like most of you and I only have one question: I thought the Saints were marching in? They looked like they had never played football outside. Wow.

The good news is I was one for one so I at least made one good pick. And what a great game that was! Plus, it was especially gratifying to see the Patriots lose.....awww poor New England. NOT!

So, now the question for you is who do you want to win? I would like to see the Colts win. I'm not going to be depressed if Chicago wins though, they both have Canes on their teams who have each made quite an impact this season for his respective team.

Let's just hope the commercials are good and the game is even better.

1.19.2007

More Playoffs and Idiots

The AFC and NFC championships are on tap for this Sunday. I could go on and on about who I think is going to win and give you all some strategy but I would probably be wrong. I'm like the Lee Corso of pro football these days. It's a cross I carry but what can a Chica do?!

AFC Game: New England vs Indianapolis
Again, I'm going to go with the team I want to win and they are the Colts. I simply do not want to see New England in another Super Bowl, sorry. However, Tom Brady and company always seem to pull if off and I respect that, but I still want them to lose. Go Peyton and the Colts.

NFC Game: New Orleans vs Chicago
I don't know who I want in this one as I wouldn't mind seeing either one win it. I think it would be kind of fun to see Rex Grossman suck it up but that's not very sportsmanshipish (Yup, I made that word up!) of La Chica. I'll take New Orleans as they are God's team this year.

Idiots
Now, to the Idiot portion of the blog. I've got 2: Michael Vick and Willis McGahee.

As we have all heard by now, Michael Vick had a "bottle of water" confiscated at the Miami airport a couple of days ago. Seems there is suspicion of marijuana being hidden in a secret compartment of the "water bottle". Here's the thing, I'm not condoning drug usage but couldn't Vick wait to get to the ATL and just buy some more weed??? It's not like he's short on cash. Also, how stupid do you have to be to not realize that maybe drugs are not the best items to carry on a flight. Hell, don't even bring them to the airport. As a buddy of mine recently said, "bombs, guns and drugs, 3 things you shouldn't fly with", 'nuff said!

On to Willis McGahee, now I don't mean to talk about a Cane but Willis appears to have lost his mind. This surprises me because this was a good kid at Miami. It appears that Willis has impregnated 3 very willing ladies in the last 15 months. He is already paying child support for 2 of them. Good grief, have condoms gone missing in Miami and Buffalo? I've got 2 words for Willis: Jimmy Hat.

In addition to Willis spreading his seed all over mankind, he's also been bitching about Buffalo to the press. This actually makes me laugh because I wouldn't want to live in Buffalo either but come on, Willis. If I was getting paid big money to live there, I'd be fine for awhile. And another thing kid, don't forget that this team gave you a shot when no one else would because of your knee injury. I'm just sayin'.

1.16.2007

Is Wayne Huizenga On Crack?

Seriously? According to this article from the Miami Herald, http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sports/football/16468375.htm, Wayne Huizenga has narrowed his search to these 2 finalists: Chan Gailey and Jim Mora.

Let's examine each of these individually, shall we:

Chan Gailey - Gailey has been the head coach of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets for the past few years after coming from the Dolphins where he was their offensive coordinator. Got that? Now, at Georgia Tech, he did make it to the ACC Champtionship game this year but honestly, what is that saying? The ACC stunk this year and Wake Forest prevailed as the conference champion, 'nuff said! In La SportsChica's most humble opinion, Gailey sucks as a head coach!

He never had the balls to take Reggie Ball out of the game for poor playing and look at the talent he had with Taylor Bennett. Did he not notice that Bennett was or might have been the better player? Bennett came out in the Gator Bowl against West Virginia and had a great game. Were it not for Tech's defense giving up, the Jackets would have won that game. That's not Taylor's fault. He played an awesome game and guess what, he threw the ball to Calvin Johnson.

I think it all comes down to coaching and I've never been impressed with Chan Gailey.....NEVER!

Jim Mora - Let's see, if I had to pick one word to describe this yahoo, it would be......IDIOT. I hate to throw all caps at you guys but doesn't that suit him? What makes Huizenga think that Mora can do a better job in Miami than he did in Atlanta? I will ask this one more time, "what is Wayne Huizenga smoking?". There's nothing more I can say about Jim Mora. I think he is a first rate IDIOT...ooops sorry, but all caps seems appropriate when describing this IDIOT. Damn, I can't stop.

Combine my Dolphins' possible poor choice of head coach with my Hurricanes' lack of creativity in their search for a new man and I'm done. I'm not looking forward to either team's season next year. They're both gonna suck.

Maybe La Chica should start shopping for new teams to follow.....

1.15.2007

What Can I Say?

I was 0-4 in my playoff picks this past weekend. My new strategy will be to pick the winner based on who I want to win instead of who I think will win. How's that?

So, here goes for this upcoming weekend's games:

New England vs Indianapolis
I want Indy to win because I don't like the Patriots.

New Orleans vs Chicago
Hmmm, La Sportschica is completely indifferent to both of these teams so I can't base my pick on loathing one of them. I prefer the city of Chicago to the city of New Orleans but I think that the Saints are a better team. Oh my, what to do???
I think that New Orleans will win because I think God is on their side.

1.12.2007

NFL Playoffs

Let's see if La SportsChica is better at pro predictions than college:

Indianapolis Colts vs Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens defense is pretty stellar but the Colts offense is too. Hmm, I'll go with Baltimore for kicks.

Philadelphia Eagles vs New Orleans Saints
The Eagles are on a roll with Jeff Garcia at the helm but the Saints are playing at the Superdome and we all know the story there. I'll take Garcia and Philly.

Seattle Seahawks vs Chicago Bears
If Rex Grossman starts and plays his usual suckfest then Seattle should win easily, but even with a sucky quarterback who goes out to party the night before a game, the Bears find ways to win. Regardless, I'm going with Seattle.

New England Patriots vs San Diego Chargers
I'm sick of New England always winning so I'm picking the Chargers. Plus, I would like to see the Chargers make it to the Super Bowl so that Eli Manning and his daddy look like idiots.

1.10.2007

Busy, Busy

Sorry for my absence peeps but work got in the way. La Chica's gotta pay the bills though!

Well, college football is officially over. Congratulations to the Florida Gators for the smackdown that was the BCS national championship game. What did it prove? Well, let's see:

A) Ohio State was overrated.
B) The Big 10 was overrated.
C) The SEC is faster.
D) ESPN doesn't know smack!
E) Now more than ever we need a playoff in college football. How much fun would it be to see Florida and Boise State (yep, I said that) play one more game. Boise State did go undefeated, after all.

And now we wait nine long months for Fall and the beginning of next season. This is when your Chica starts to get a little melancholy but fret not, I never harm myself. I'll get over this in about a month when college basketball fever finally hits me and March Madness is upon us.

On a lighter note, the NFL playoffs continue this weekend and if they're anything like last week's, it will be fun again. Stay tuned for some predictions.