2011-12 NBA Season Cancelled???

It was announced earlier this week by commissioner David Stern that if the labor talks did not make any progress this weekend he would be cancelling the upcoming NBA season.  I am going to say what I said in my NFL rants this summer. I think it's ridiculious that while the average American struggles to stay afloat, these guys are arguing about a couple of million dollars. I honestly think American athletes need to be brought back down to the average American's level.

Some of the major issues they are fighting about are revenue sharing, limited guaranteed money, and a hard salary cap. Notice it's all money issues and nothing else. At least the NFL had some legitimate arguments with in regards to players safety and health. I don't what athlete in their right mind should ever think they are bigger then their sport, bigger then their team, and should make more money then the owners. The owners write their checks but in the end it's fans that give the owners the money to write those checks. The NFL was smart and realized they would probably never be the same and would suffer even more financially in the long run.

However unlike the NFL, the NBA stars have opportunities to play elsewhere. Many have already signed with overseas teams. Here are just some names that have signed already:


Leandro Barbosa
DeJuan Blair
Danilo Gallinari
Nenad Krstic
Ty Lawson
Mehmet Okur
Brian Scalabrine
Kyle Singler
J.R. Smith
Deron Williams

Now none of these guys with the exception of Deron Williams is a major star but they are major contributors to their teams. However the biggest star in the NBA, Kobe Bryant is in serious negotiations with a team from Italy. In my opinion if he goes, a lot of other major stars will start signing overseas deal then. I think they are waiting on Kobe because if he does it, then it's okay for the rest of them to do it.

If there is no NBA season this year rest assure of two things. One, the NBA will probably never be the same and will be looked down upon for a long time. The second thing that will happen is a lot of people are going to be watching hockey and that will probably take over the NBA in popularity because Hockey is tougher, more physical and rarely do you ever hear them complain about money. If this lockout remains, it will be the second time in twelve years that there wouldn't be a full NBA season. Baseball had it's troubles, football had its troubles and hockey had theirs but they all overcame them. I don't think the NBA can overcome theirs.

Someone once said to me, "Do away with the entire NBA all together. They are a bunch of crybabies and drama queens." Maybe the person that said this to me is right. What would it be like if the NBA no longer existed? That's something to think about. In time, maybe it will happen.

2011 NFL Week 4 Predictions

Week three showed us a lot of the good, a lot of the bad, and a lot of the ugly but this week should be even more interesting. So lets get down to business shall we.

Detroit Lions (3-0) at Dallas Cowboys (2-1)
The Lions have beaten up on two teams and have made a huge comeback. The Cowboys are struggling each week to win games and with Tony Romo not 100 percent I don't think this is going to be good for the Cowboys. The Detroit defense knows how to shut teams down and if Suh or Vandenbosh gets a hold of Romo, well you can kiss his season goodbye. I am going with Detroit and predicting that someone is going to get hurt.


Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1) at Houston Texans (2-1)
Both teams are looking to start building a lead in their division this week but with the way the Steelers have been struggling I think the Houston offense is going to run all over them on the field. The Steelers are getting old while the Texans are young which makes a huge difference in the NFL. The older teams like Pittsburgh and Baltimore are starting to show because they are getting beat by the younger teams like Tennessee and Houston. This game will not be an exception to that rule.

New England Patriots (2-1) at Oakland Raiders (2-1)
This game wouldn't have been mentioned within the last five years because of how poorly the Raiders have been in the last decade but the Raiders are young and putting up an insane amount of points right along with Buffalo. They say defense wins championships and for New England that's not good because they don't have much of a defense anymore. They have allowed 21 or more points in their three games this season. At this point, they lost momentum in the lost to Buffalo and believe Oakland will keep on trucking like they have been. 

New York Jets (2-1) at Baltimore Ravens (2-1)
This was one of the best games in recent memory last year when they played each other and this year will be no different. Both teams are on equal ground at this point. They both have won big games but lost ridiculously to teams they shouldn't have lost to. Both QB's are struggling but I have to go with the Jets because Sanchez has more weapons behind him then Flacco does, and I think New York's defense is younger and much better then the Baltimore defense has been this season. 


That's it for week four. As always come on back for my recap next week and predictions for each week. It's going to be a fun week to watch.

2011 NFL Week 3 Recap

Let me begin by congratulating Cam Newton on his first win in the NFL which will be one of many. He didn't even have to throw 400 plus yards to do so. It's funny, because everyone was hating on him last week for throwing 3 interceptions. Well Tom Brady threw four interceptions against Buffalo and is anyone hating on him? Probably not. Speaking of Buffalo they are not 3-0 with an upset win against Tom Brady's Patriots.  So there is only a few undefeated teams and here is the list.

Buffalo Bills
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers

Okay so did anyone think the Bills and Lions would be one of three teams still undefeated? I don't think anyone saw that coming at all. I really believe the Lions are for real. The Bills may have proved it by beating the Patriots this past weekend. Here are the teams without a win thus far.


Minnesota Vikings
Kansas City Chiefs
St. Louis Rams
Indianapolis Colts
Miami Dolphins
At this point nothing surprises me with the Chiefs, Vikings or Colts. I am surprised the talented St. Louis Rams have not won a game yet. They got some great players on that team but they need to find a way to bring it all together. The Dolphins are just flat out ridiculous. They have one of the best offenses on paper and they can't score points to save their lives.

The thing I was impressed with the most this week is Tony Romo's guts playing against a rival team in Washington and winning. Although his kicker scored all the points, it was great to see Romo out there giving it his all. Do I think it was smart? No. Do admire his courage? Yes.

Other then that, not much else happened this week except for another Vick injury but what else is new? I think we are starting realize who is going to be good, and who is going to struggle. Stay tuned for more. 

2011 NCAA Football Rankings: Week 4

So I totally forget about the College Football Season and realize teams are already moving up and down, and out of the rankings so here is the latest rankings for College Football.

AP Top 25
RK	TEAM	RECORD	PTS	PVS
1	Oklahoma	2-0	1471	1
2	LSU	3-0	1424	3
3	Alabama	3-0	1402	2
4	Boise State	2-0	1309	4
5	Stanford	3-0	1212	6
6	Wisconsin	3-0	1170	7
7	Oklahoma State	3-0	1092	8
8	Texas A&M	2-0	1043	9
9	Nebraska	3-0	911	11
10	Oregon	2-1	899	12
11	Florida State	2-1	896	5
12	South Carolina	3-0	891	10
13	Virginia Tech	3-0	830	13
14	Arkansas	3-0	781	14
15	Florida	3-0	669	16
16	West Virginia	3-0	579	18
17	Baylor	2-0	521	19
18	South Florida	3-0	496	20
19	Texas	3-0	402	23
20	TCU	2-1	273	23
21	Clemson	3-0	272	NR
22	Michigan	3-0	266	NR
23	USC	3-0	260	NR
24	Illinois	3-0	106	NR
25	Georgia Tech	3-0	59	NR

 

Dropped from rankings: Michigan State 15, Ohio State 17, Auburn 21, Arizona State 22, Mississippi State 25

Others receiving votes: Michigan State 42, Auburn 29, Houston 25, Miami (FL) 23, Iowa State 19, Utah 19, Ohio State 16, Maryland 15, Mississippi State 14, Missouri 10, Arizona State 9, San Diego State 8, Vanderbilt 8, Notre Dame 8, Georgia 7, Florida International 4, California 3, Navy 3, North Carolina 2, Tennessee 2

Now that I know what's going on, check back each week for the updated rankings. 

2011 NFL Week 3 Predictions

Week 3 of the NFL is coming up soon so business has picked up. Here we go with my top four games of the week.

Houston Texans (2-0) at New Orleans Saints (1-1)
There is no doubt in my mind that the Texans are a much better team then they have been in recent year. Their 2-0 start was against a Peyton-less Colt's team and a Miami team that doesn't have much of a defense. The Saints on the other-hand lost a nail-biter in week 1 and beat up on Jay Cutler and the Bear in week 2. I believe Matt Schaub will be recieving the same treatment that Cutler did on the path to a New Orleans Saints victory.


New York Giants (1-1) at Philadelphia Eagles (1-1)
This game is intriguing based on the fact that the Rams are accusing the Giants of faking injuries to slow the pace of the game down. Then you have the Eagles possibly without Michael Vick. This game is a toss up but because of how banged up the Giants secondary is I am going to say that Jackson and Maclin are going to run all over the field in this one with or without Michael Vick. They still have a decent backup in Vince Young.

Green Bay Packers (2-0) at Chicago Bears (1-1)
Another divisional game that will test both teams. I've been saying it for two years now that the Bears winning always depends on what Jay Cutler shows. Week 1 he was great and week 2 got crushed. The Packers won two close games and if you remember they beat the Bears in the NFC Championship game last year. As much as the Packers defense worries me right now, I think it will be a repeat of the NFC title game. The Packers win and rough up Jay Cutler. Ironic how Jay Cutler compared himself to Elway when he was in Denver because he takes worst beatings then Elway did. Atleast Elway would take the beatings and win games. 

Washington Redskins (2-0) at Dallas Cowboys (1-1)
Is Washington for real? The answer is yes. I have to go with Washington this week because they have momentum. If Tony Romo does play, it will be a struggle and if not I think the it's an easy win for the Redskins. As I've said in previous writing, the Redskins got rid of their distractions and made some nice off-season moves as well as a very good draft. The Redskins take the division lead at 3-0 by the end of week 3.

Those are my predictions for the week. If you wish to get my thoughts on other games post a comment on the Facebook Page and give me the game you want to know about. 

2011 NFL Week 2 Recap

Well another great week of football action has gone by and let me tell you it did not disappoint. On Sunday, a large debate broke out on my Facebook page about one Cam Newton. I have said and will say it again, I am very impressed with him. He put up 432 yards against the defending Super Bowl Champions, the Green Bay Packers so you can't say he played against a mediocre defense. The things that shocked me this week were Tennessee's upset of Baltimore, and the guts of Tony Romo playing severely hurt in the game against San Fransisco.

Look at all the 2-0 teams right now:

New England Patriots
Buffalo Bills

Detroit Lions
New York Jets


Green Bay Packers
Washington Redskins

The only team I am really surprised by on the list is Buffalo because you didn't hear much about them in the off-season but then again they played Kansas City and Oakland. The Lions are a defensive monster that's going to be a challenge for anyone. Washington is not a surprise either. They made some great moves in the off-season by picking up some offensive pieces and getting rid of their distractions.

If you're a Packers fan I would be a little bit worried about the amount of offensive yards and points they have given up. They were nail biters the first two weeks but they do have some tough games this year. I don't think the Patriots and Jets have a lot to worry about but it will be interesting to what happens when they play each other this year.

Teams that are 0-2 right now:

Miami Dolphins
Minnesota Vikings
Carolina Panthers
Kansas City Chiefs
St. Louis Rams
Seattle Seahawks
Indianapolis Colts

The teams I see improvement from this year will be the Rams, Dolphins, and Panthers. All three teams have the potential and teams to have winning records. Carolina is going to give a lot of top notch teams problems this year.  I am going back to Cam Newton again. If you're still questioning him, check his stats out the first two weeks because they speak for themselves. People need to forget about what happen in College and focus on what he's doing now and what he's doing now is great. That's all for my thoughts on week 2. Hopefully next week I can report a Carolina Panther win so people will start giving Cam Newton just a little bit of credit.

Thoughts on WWE Night of Champions

Tonight was the annual WWE Night of Champions. I usually talk about matches in the order but tonight I am doing things different. I am starting off with the things I dislike. The first major thing I did not like was that big bag of fruity pebbles John Cena winning the WWE Championship for the 12th time.  I, along with many others, am sick of John Cena and title reigns.  They do not go together anymore.  The other thing I disliked was the overkill of interference in the Triple H vs. CM Punk match.  R-Truth attacking Punk made no sense, unless Punk and Triple H become temporary allies.  The thing that's really bothering me is WWE squashes every heel's title reign by putting Cena over.  Why can't another face take the title?  There are so many more deserving people in the locker room, like a John Morrison.  In my opinion, John Morrison is the next Shawn Michaels.  People think I'm crazy for saying that, but John Morrison can change the complexion of any match like he did tonight in the Fatal 4-way.

Now onto the things I liked.  I am a huge Randy Orton fan, but I thoroughly enjoyed watching Mark Henry get his long, overdue World Heavyweight title reign.  He was the ECW Champion some years ago, but that title is not held in the standard that the WWE and World titles are.  I also enjoyed the two multi-generation talents of Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase competing in a match for a title that was more prestigious than the WWE title at one point.  DiBiase's push is long overdue and hopefully WWE will continue to use him in a correct manner.

As far as the main event goes, I think Punk and Triple H have the makings of another Austin/McMahon feud. It's hard to hate either one, though, but CM Punk's antics are like Austin's.  The more dirty he gets, the more the fans cheer for him.  The one thing I like about Triple H is he is not a coward like Vince was.  I will be very curious to see how Kevin Nash, R-Truth, The Miz, and John Laurinaitis will play out in the continuing feud between the Game and the Straight-Edge Superstar.

Night of Champions was a solid PPV, but it lacked shockers, except for Orton losing to Mark Henry.  The matches were what you would expect out of a 2nd tier WWE PPV.  The next PPV is in 2 weeks already, and it's Hell in a Cell.  Stay tuned for the matches to be announced, and come back to read my thoughts when Hell is finally over.

The Rise and Fall of the Hardy Boyz

Jeff as WWE Champion and Matt as ECW Champion

In 2000 and 2001 the hottest tag team in pro wrestling was Matt and Jeff, the Hardy Boyz also known as Team Extreme. They were multi-time tag team champions and each held numerous singles titles. In 2003, Jeff Hardy was released from WWE for his drug problems leaving Matt as the only Hardy there which made him stand out. Matt had his singles career going strong until he was released in April 2005.

In July 2005, Matt came back as part of a real life storyline with Edge and Lita because of the affair Lita had with Edge when Matt was home with an injury. The feud helped both of their careers out and both went on to be more successful because of it.  Meanwhile, Jeff Hardy had already spent two years in TNA Wrestling but was itching for a WWE return which we would find out would be sooner then later.

In August of 2006 Jeff Hardy returned to the WWE and was pushed for the Intercontinental Title right away. Matt and Jeff reunited in late 2006 to team up periodically but it was in 2007 when they won the tag team titles and held them for two months. In 2008, Matt and Jeff reach their highest points in their singles careers. Jeff had finally won the WWE Title and Matt was ECW Champion. They were doing great as singles competitiors but then came 2009.

In 2009, Jeff and Matt feuded for three months until Jeff ended up feuding with Edge again to win the World Heavyweight Championship. His win started his last WWE feud which was with CM Punk. The Smackdown after Summerslam was Jeff's last WWE match and after that began the troubles with the Hardy's

Jeff was arrested for drug trafficking and possession just a few days after he left WWE and the hearing drug on for two years until recently the judge sentenced him to 10 days in jail and three years probation. Jeff's lowest moment was at TNA Victory Road this year when he only performed a two minute match with Sting for the TNA Heavyweight Title which was the Main Event. On September 8th, Jeff reappeared on TNA to ask for forgiveness.

Matt's problems began when Jeff left WWE. He was being underused and losing on TV almost every week on TV.  He began to speak out against the WWE and in October 2010 he was granted his release from WWE. He made his TNA debut in January 2011 but after 8 months in he was released due to not showing up on time and not being ready for his matches. He now has had two DWI's in the last month and even posted a fake suicide note on YouTube.

Right now Matt is where Jeff has been and it's not pretty. Jeff asked for his forgiveness and seems genuinely sorry for what he has done but it will remain to be seen if we ever see them together again.  I know a lot of Hardy fans may not like this writing but I use to be a Hardy Boys fan and I am very disappointed with both of them. Both of them had the opportunity to have great careers together and separately but both of them right now will be remembered as two complete failures who ran their mouths on the internet along with Shane Helms who happens to be a nobody now. Both of them were successful early on and even in their last stints in WWE. Unfortunately when drugs, alcohol and ego's take over it's hard to recover from that.

Only one question remains: Will the Hardys continue to fall, or will they rise up and be the stars they once were again? Only time will tell.

2011 NFL Week 2 Predictions

Well week 2 of the NFL season is near but my predictions are here and now so lets get down to business.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-1) at Minnesota Vikings (0-1)
Both teams lost this past week so I think this week we will see what each team is made of. I really think the Tampa Bay has the better team and McNabb is going to get rocked again. He only through for a lousy 39 yards last week against a mediocre defense. Josh Freeman leads his team to victory while McNabb if left in the dust.


Arizona Cardinals (1-0) at Washington Redskins (1-0)
This will be another game that will see what team is possibly for real and which team isn't. Arizona beat a rookie quarterback and a young defense and Washington beat up an injury plagued New York Giants team. I believe the Redskins have gotten better on both sides of the ball during the off-season and they got rid of their distractions. I think the Redskins will be 2-0 after this week. 


San Diego Chargers (1-0) at New England Patriots (1-0)
The Chargers looked good in week 1 but the Patriots looked great and way better. This will be a good AFC matchup to see if anyone can even hang with New England this year. I believe Brady and company will get the job done and get by the Chargers with ease. 

Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) at Atlanta Falcons (0-1) 
If you're a Michael Vick fan, you might not want to watch this. If you're a Falcons fan I am sure you will be booing like crazy when he Vick comes out the tunnel. This is his first game back in Atlanta since he was in prison. This game will have so much emotion, so much intensity and if you're Atlanta so much hatred towards Michael Vick. In the end I believe the so called Dream Team of the NFL will be victorious and Atlanta will be 0-2. I think most of the pressure is on Matt Ryan in this game. The reason I say this is because he wants to prove he was a great replacement for Vick which for the most part has been. Like I said though, in the end Michael Vick and the Eagles will come out on top. 

Those are my predictions for the week. If you want my predictions on other games, go to my Facebook Page: Hollywood's World of Sports and post what game you want my thoughts on.

2011 NFL Week 1 Recap

This week was a week of patriotism, shockers and blowouts. The first thing that happened this week was the Packers and Saints in a classic game that saw it come down to the very last play. Unfortunately for the Saints they ended up short of the goal-line allowing the defending champs to win the game.

Now if you want to talk about blowouts look no further then the Bills blowing out the Chiefs, Ravens blowing out the Steelers, and Texans blowing out the Colts. Not going to lie all three of them surprised me a lot. Now the biggest shocker was Cam Newton and his performance against the Cardinals.  His line was 24-37, 422 yds, 2 tds. People can say he played a weak defense but it was still and NFL defense in his first regular season game. Sorry I am impressed, I can't help it if you're not.

I really think the teams to watch for early on are the Patriots, Lions, Ravens and the defending champs. Teams that will be slumping this year will be the Chiefs, Colts, and Denver. On a final note, it was great to see the New York Jets win on 9/11 at home. That city needed an uplifting after the 10th anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks. Props to the Jets for coming back 14 points down in the 4th quarter to beat Dallas. God Bless America and those who lost their lives on 9/11 in the attacks and those who tried saving people that day.  A lot of great tributes this past weekend and here are just some of the ones players did:

Chris Cooley gloves and cleats

Lance Briggs' gloves and cleats

Matt Hasselbecks cleats

Review of Warrior

I got a chance to watch the movie Warrior, and the first word that comes to mind is intense. The cast of the movie is pretty good and it includes:

Joel Edgerton as Brendan Conlon
Tom Hardy as Tom Conlon
Jennifer Morrison as Tess Conlon
Frank Grillo as Frank Campana
Nick Nolte as Paddy Conlon
Kurt Angle as Koba

Both brothers are fighting the 16 man Grand Prix style tournament. Tommy is looking for redemption and his place in the world. Brendan is struggling to survive while he raises a family. Paddy, the father is an ex-alcoholic who is trying to ask his sons for forgiveness. Both sons struggle with past issues wither their fathers drinking and both are on opposite ends of the spectrum.


The fighting sequences in the movie were excellent and realistic to what an MMA fight would be. I thought Kurt Angle did an awesome job as Koba and played the part well. They also used Anthony Johnson and Nate Marquardt who MMA fighters that have had success. This movie had some really classic lines by the play by play guys so be sure to listen for them. They added some humor into the movie which is good because this movie had a very serious and intense tone to it. 

I can say this, this movie made you laugh, cry, cringe, get pumped, and left you wondering how the two brothers would handle their own issues. If you are an MMA fan this is a must see movie for any MMA or sports fan. If you're not an MMA fan, but love a great story then you'll love this move as well.

I give Warrior 4 out of 5 starts for great action and a great story. The ending could have been better but the overall impression of the movie was that it was great. Go check out Warrior when you get the chance. You will not be disappointed. 

The 2011 Chase for the Cup is On

Last night after Kevin Harvick took the checkered flag at Richmond, the field for the Chase for the Cup was set. Here is the field for the Chase for the Sprint Cup:
Kyle Busch

Kevin Harvick

Jeff Gordon

Matt Kenseth

Jimmie Johnson

Carl Edwards

Kurt Busch

Ryan Newman

Tony Stewart

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Brad Keselowski 

Denny Hamlin

For people who don't know the points reset based on who finished 1-12. Only 12 points separate first through last in the Chase for the Cup. Here is the schedule of races that will conclude with a champion being crowned:


-GEICO 400 at Chicago
Chicagoland Speedway
-NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at New Hampshire

New Hampshire Motor Speedway

-NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Dover

Dover International Speedway

-NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Kansas

Kansas Speedway

-NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Charlotte

Charlotte Motor Speedway

-NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Talladega

Talladega Superspeedway

-NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Martinsville

Martinsville Speedway

-NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Texas

Texas Motor Speedway

-Kobalt Tools 500 at Phoenix

Phoenix International Raceway

-Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami

Homestead-Miami Speedway

Stay tuned for each race to see who gets closer to the championship. Will Jimmie Johnson win 6 in a row or will a new champion emerge? Only time will tell. 

2011 NFL Week 1 Predictions

Welcome everyone to the 2011 NFL Season. For previous readers welcome back for another year and for you newer readers here's how it works on Hollywood's World of Sports. I take the top four matchups each week and predict them. I do not predict all the games because no one wants to hear about games that they don't care about. Not only do I predict the weeks, I review them as well so make sure you keep up each week on predictions and reviews. So here we go, the kickoff to my predictions.

 New Orleans Saints (0-0) at Green Bay Packers (0-0)
The is the matchup between the last two Super Bowl Champions and it's a great way to kick off the season. Neither team made a lot of big off season acquisitions but I think the biggest thing you will notice is that Reggie Bush is no longer a Saint. Considering that this game is at Green Bay I believe the Packers will win. They will be pumped to play their first game in-front of their home crowd since they the Super Bowl. Packers win and remain the team to beat this season. 

Atlanta Falcons (0-0) at Chicago Bears (0-0)
I really think Chicago could be the team to be beat this year. The acquired some really good players that just needed a new fresh start in their careers. Atlanta remains the same and didn't add or lose a whole lot. I think an angry Jay Cutler has a lot to prove after his performance or lack their of in the NFC Championship game last year. He has a lot of new weapons not to mention the Bears defense looks intense once again. Bears beat the Falcons easily this week.

Pittsburgh Steelers (0-0) at Baltimore Ravens (0-0)
We both know these teams hate each other and both have hard hitting defenses. Baltimore has still got their playoff lost again Pittsburgh from last year on their mind. I believe that the Steelers will get the better of them once again. Baltimore has a new offense which will take some time to start gelling and the Steelers have the same core guys they have had for a while now. Steelers win a defensive battle all the way. Dallas Cowboys

(0-0) at New York Jets (0-0)
A healthy Tony Romo vs. a new and much improved Jets offense. Dallas lost a lot this offseason while New York added many pieces to their already compicated puzzle. It's 9/11 in New York and the Jets will be fired up. The city of New York will rally the Jets to victory on this patriotic night against "America's Team." Those are my predictions for the week.

Be sure to check back for the week in review and if you'd like my opinion on a certain game feel free to email me and I will add it to the list. Are you ready for some football?