Sunday State of Mind: September 21st-September 27th

Sunday, it’s here…so is this week’s SSM. Let’s hop in:

Last week of baseball, wrapping as we speak
The MLB made it through, and reached their seasons’s peak
The postseason starts next week, will be a wild story
To see who takes home the COVID World Series Trophy

The NBA is winding down, Lakers took out the Nugs
The Heat and Celts could be done soon, makes me sadly shrug
Either way, it’ll be the Lakers and LeBron
A few more games and before you know it, the NBA will be gone

The NHL is also close to closing out their year
The Lightning and Stars are wrapping up, with their grown out playoff beards
If the Lightning win on Monday, they’ll be hoisting up Lord Stanley
If the Stars pull it out, we’re talking game 7, the cup won’t be won handily

Your NFL surprise of the year, the Chicago Bears
Moved to 3-0 today, and this writer cares
Trubisky was benched, Nick Foles was the hero
Who would’ve thought after three weeks the Bears losses would be at zero?

Sunday State of Mind: September 14th-September 20th

Photo: Vincent Guth on Unsplash

Wow…what a week in sports. Let’s dive into it with this week’s Sunday State of Mind.

Hate to say it, but you already know
Your new US Open Champion, Bryson DeChambeau
Took the trophy home today at Winged Foot
He may be a dork, but can’t argue with his output

Huge injuries came in the NFL
McCaffrey and Saquon, dammit to hell
McCaffrey may be OK, but the Giants fear
That Saquon will be done for the year

Justin Verlander announced that he is gone
The old righty said he needs Tommy John
Three no hitters, two Cy Youngs and a World Series ring
In the world of pitching, Verlander was a king

The Miami Heat continue to cause trouble
They’re the biggest story of the NBA bubble
Two wins away from the NBA Finals
Winning with defense and ball movement, old school like vinyl

Sunday State of Mind: August 24th-August 30th

Photo: Photo by Kunal Shinde on Unsplash

Happy Sunday evening, all. Please enjoy this late night version of SSM.

Boycotts and protests, all over sports
NBA, MLB, NHL, demonstrations of all sorts
Athletes taking a social lead
No way you haven’t seen it, all over social media feeds

Alex Smith, the comeback is here
Did a full team practice, in half-padded gear
Any good news for the Washington Football Team
The owner, Dan Snyder, a piece of shit it seems

The MLB hot stove is totally back!
Baseball trades are here, good players and hacks
Jose Martinez, Mitch Moreland, and Tommy La Stella
All have new homes, big moves for these fellas

The NBA Playoffs are moving along
Celtics took it to the Raptors, beat them like a gong
The Lakers, Clippers, and Bucks, have all advanced
The quality of remaining teams has highly enhanced

Best NBA Dunk Contest Dunks

The NBA does their All-Star festivities better than any of the other big four sports. The rookie-sophomore game, three point contest, and dunk contest allow some of the best athletes we have to showcase their skills in unimaginable ways. We have seen some insane things over the years in the dunk contest. Why don’t we relive some of the greatness?

5. Dee Brown, “The No Look,” 1991

Video: Youtube

You know what makes dunking harder? Not being able to see. Dee went ahead and covered his eyes with the right, and threw it down with the left. Brown stood shorter than your average dunker at 6’1, making this dunk even more impressive.

4. Spud Webb, “The 360,” 1986

Video: Youtube

Spud Webb really did it for all of us short kings out there. Standing at the seemingly-undunkable height of 5’7, Spud couldn’t even palm a basketball. The athleticism to not only be able to dunk, but throw a 360 degree turn on top of it doesn’t even make sense.

3. Gerald Green, “The Cupcake,” 2008

Video: Youtube

This is by far the least athletic dunk on our list. However, it may be the most creative. Gerald Green brought a cupcake out, threw down a dunk, and simaltaneously blew the lit candle out mid-air. This dunk didn’t get points for freak athletic ability, but for thinking outside the (cupcake) box.

2. Aaron Gordon, “The Mascot,” 2016

Video: Youtube

My goodness. Aaron Gordon has always been a better dunker than a basketball player, so he clearly shined here. It seemed so effortless. Quick grab from the mascot, nice scoop under the legs, and a clean cut flush through the hoop. All while floating approximately seven feet in the air.

1. Vince Carter “It’s Ova,” 2000

Video: Youtube

This still gives me goosebumps. Vince Carter is the GOAT dunker, and there is no debate. This dunk itself, everything considered, is why it ends up at the top of our list. The visuals were so smooth, through the legs, flush, double point, and the cut throat statement afterwards: “it’s ova.” So simple, and so true. Long live Vinsanity.

The dunk contest has taken a hit over the last few years due to lack of creativity. I unfortunately tend to agree; how many different ways can one throw a ball into a hoop? Every once and a while though, we’ll see something that we haven’t seen before, which keeps me coming back every year.

The Milwaukee Bucks Have a Point Spread Problem

The Milwaukee Bucks are, by all accounts, the best team in the Eastern Conference. Arguably the NBA. They have one of, if not the best player in the NBA in Giannis Antetokoumpo, finished the shortened season with the best record in the NBA at 56-17, and ranked first overall in margin of victory (10.7 points per game) by a large mark over the second-ranked Clippers (6.44 points per game).

That last stat is interesting, because the Bucks have a point spread problem.

Earlier this month, the Brooklyn Nets upset the Bucks. A fairly significant upset if you know anything about the NBA. However, as Action Network points out, the Nets 119-116 victory was the largest in the history of point spreads. The Nets closed as anywhere between an 18.5 to 19 point underdogs, and won outright. An absolute improbable bet that would have netted anyone willing to take the Nets money line $1,500 on a $100 bet.

Photo: UPI
Photo: Fansided

But, anyone can have a bad night, right? Injuries, off shooting night, rest, anything can all come together and cause the statistically largest upset in NBA history. No way it could happen again.

WRONG. The Bucks opened up today’s NBA playoff schedule with Game 1 of their series against the Orlando Magic. The Bucks, the top seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs, closed at a -13.5 point favorite over the eighth-seeded Magic. Giannis and the boys laid another betting egg. Not only did they not cover the -13.5 point spread, the lost outright. The Magic upset the Bucks 122-110, dealing another embarrassing blow the Milwaukee and their large point spread issues.

I luckily stayed away from this one, but feel for all of those poor souls out there who thought the Bucks would blow out a poor Magic team. Keep your chins up, Bucks bettors, we still have three more games to go today. Shake it off and get back up there on that horse.

Sunday State of Mind: August 10th-August 16th

Photo: Shifaaz shamoon on Unsplash

Hello, and welcome to this week’s SSM.

The NBA playoffs are ready to go
The postseason tournament starts tomorrow
The champions will pop some champagne bottles
Big loss for the players though, no Instagram models

We already know The Masters have been pushed back
But come November, golf fans will be jacked
Unfortunately, Augusta announced this week
No fans due to COVID this year, not one in-person peek

The COVID ravaged Cardinals actually played a game!
Their first since July 29th, what a shame
They swept the White Sox in a double header
Hopefully lesson learned, and the players will be better

Ohio State QB Justin Fields, not a quitter
Started a MoveOn.org petition, asking the B1G to reconsider
A continued push of the #WeWantToPlay movement
If this petition goes anywhere, we could see some college football improvement

Sunday State of Mind: August 3rd-August 9th

Photo: Photo by Blake Richard Verdoorn on Unsplash

Happy Sunday, everyone. Please enjoy this journey back in time on the week that was in sports in this week’s SSM.

At the time of this blog, the PGA Championship is still live
DJ, Finau, Scheffler…who will survive?
To be completely honest, the most important thing though
Is the continued trolling, of Bryson DeChambeau

The Cubs and Cardinals, cancelled this weekend
St. Louis’ COVID positives have gone off the deep end
It’s the best rivalry in baseball, there’s no debate
Yankees/Red Sox? Giants/Dodgers? Not that great.

This week us NBA fans lost a good one
76ers standout Ben Simmons is done
According to this tweet, Ben had a left knee subluxation
He left the NBA Bubble, on a surgical vacation

Connor McGregor is engaged! The Notorious MMA.
Asked his girlfriend of 12 years, announced on Saturday
Seems like Connor’s enjoying his “retirement” so far
Engaged and staying out of trouble, no hitting old men in bars

Sunday State of Mind: July 27th-August 2nd

Photo: Photo by Lukasz Szmigiel on Unsplash

Happy Sunday, dear readers…gently glide into your Sunday evening with this week’s SSM.

Bad news first, in the MLB
COVID is spreading, Miami and St. Louie
The Marlins and Cardinals, positive tests aplenty
Cardinals with six, Marlins with upwards of twenty

The list of NFL opt outs continues to grow
The pandemic drags on, and players won’t show
The Lions previewed, what may be the future of locker rooms
Hopefully this and other precautions work, as football season looms

Some non-pandemic news, from the NFL
Patrick Mahomes roots in KC further fell
The Super Bowl MVP, now part owner of the Royals
Ten year football contract and baseball team ownership, can’t say the man’s not loyal

The NBA is back, and in full swing
Full schedule and no positive testing, a beautiful thing
It seems in the bubble, things are going pretty well
The Association is thriving, while baseball is going to hell

Sunday State of Mind: July 20th-July 26th

Hello friends…please enjoy this week’s SSM on this beautiful, warm Sunday.

We finally made it, baseball is here
Opening week, a reason to cheer
It’s a whole different ballgame, pardon the pun
No fans in the stands, but watching is still fun

We keep adding sports, here comes the NBA
No more scrimmages, real games start Thursday
Jazz vs. Pels and Clippers vs. Lakers
I’m riding with LeBron and AD, any bet takers?

Big Ten football, hit hard with COVID19 this week
Michigan State and Rutgers quarantining, no leaks
The Spartans and Scarlet Knights, have to get it fixed
If team-wide quarantines keep happening, season’s going to get nixed

The offensive line of the Kansas City Chiefs
Lost their starting right guard, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif
Not only a football player, he’s also a doctor
He’s decided to treat patients, over being a pass & run blocker

Sunday State of Mind: July 13th-July 19th

Good evening, friends. Please enjoy this week’s SSM as we drift off into the end of our weekend…

The Washington Football Team
Decided to change their name
Then got hit with the WaPo story
The entire franchise is a shame

The week is finally here
Baseball is officially back
A little slice of normalcy
Slowly getting our lives back on track

The NBA bubble is up and running
Players are fishing and beer chugging
There’s also a snitch line, which is so funny
Slowly getting sports back, absolutely money

Player ratings are out
For Madden 21
Going to put my preorder in now
I gotta run