The Basement View

Week 13 Picks Week 13 After an amazing week of picking games which included a sweep on Thanksgiving and an impressive cover by my Jets got me a week where I went 12-4. Now this week I wouldn’t be surprised if those numbers are switched at the end of this week, because these games are very hard to beat on and I am not confident at all, but let’s see what happens. Sources:(nfl.com, footballlocks.com) Don’t forget to like, comment, subscribe, and share on your way out!

Fresh Start_100: I can’t believe I done what I’ve done This is a very odd column for me to write… I don’t know whether to be nostalgic or to keep looking at the road ahead. When I started this whole series of columns I didn’t know what each milestone would feel like. I didn’t know if I would even make it to 100 the way I was going with the consistency of this blog. I set out to challenge myself each and every day: first off to actually write more and make myself a better writer by finding a voice and writing to one set audience. But, also creatively and actually get my words on to a piece of paper and start a conversation that I feel needs to be had. With a platform like this and the way I set up my blog, I have no idea what I am going to write about each day and it makes it tough to plan ahead days. I rely on the sports world to feed me content and influence my opinion. It may sound hard, but that is where the fun lies and that is what makes it so rewarding when I see that an arti

Fresh Start_99: Stop it Cleveland After the King brought the Larry O’Brien trophy back to Cleveland, breaking the 52-year Championship curse that the city has endured. The Indians won the American League Pennant and took the Chicago Cubs to the 7 th game of the World Series and had many chances to win the Commissioners trophy back to Cleveland and have back to back parades in the city of Cleveland. The city of Cleveland has been the ugly step child of the NFL with the Browns on pace to become the second team ever to not win a game throughout the entire season. The Browns have been in disarray throughout the year and have been bitten with the injury bug a ton this season. The Browns have been bad for a very long time and with the loss to the Giants on Sunday, the Browns are 0-12 and looking at the first overall pick in next April’s draft. The Browns need an absolute overall of players and the 2017 draft can be one of the steps in the right direction, assuming they make the righ

NY 500 #14 Thanksgiving weekend in New York is something different from everywhere else in the entire country. From the Thanksgiving day parade going through the streets of Manhattan to the occasional hockey game, or Jets Thanksgiving game. neither of those two situations happened this year and it was refreshing to not to have to worry about one of my teams and just enjoy Thanksgiving with my family. The Rangers split the weekend with a bad loss on Sunday and a very nice win on Black Friday against the rival Flyers. The Blue shirts are still the number one team in scoring and are still a top ten team in penalty killing. The Rangers still lead the Metropolitan division by two points over the Penguins. The Islanders are going through one of the worst stretches in the league right now, only having 2 wins in the entire month of November. The Islanders play at home against Calgary and hopefully they can get on the right foot going into the month of December. The Nets are continui

Fresh Start_98: Pray for Ohio State THIS NEEDS TO STOP! All of these senseless acts of violence needs to come to an end. There was a stabbing incident on the Ohio State campus today and 10 people were sent to the hospital. The attacker is reported dead and no name has been released of who the assailant was, but I believe it was an Ohio State student. Even if there was a name out in the media, I wouldn’t feel comfortable putting the name of the assailant out on my blog. I don’t like that some of these people do these sorts of things just to get there 15 minutes of fame. With the stabbing on the OSU campus happening today and with every attack on a college campus, campuses everywhere need to respond in a way to make sure that the possibly of an attack accruing on their campus is as slime as possible. The campus now needs all the prayers and love as possible and we need to send our support to every Ohio State student, but we also need to look forward. With the presidency of Don

Honest Review #11- WE ARE WHO WE THOUGHT THEY WERE! I didn’t want to even write this article tonight, there is some many things running through my head about this game. I didn’t see the end of the game live, I had practice so I had to go back and watch the Gamepass version after practice and dinner when I got back to my dorm room. I went old school and deleted both Bleacher Report and ESPN off my phone before locking my locker to go to practice. I disabled the NFL Mobile alerts for the Jets and waited to go back and watch the end of the game. I had no idea what was going to hit me in the face when I opened up my computer and logged onto the Gamepass. Honestly I am not surprised, Fitzpatrick has been a turnover machine, and that is just how this season is going for the Jets. It is fitting that the Jets would have yet another heartbreaking loss to Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, and the Patriots. Not only that but tonight was the Tom Brady’s 200 th win of his career, because of course

Fresh Start_97: One door closes, another opens I am shifting my attention to college basketball as far as college sports go. With the loss to Ohio State, the Michigan football season is pretty much over. The Wolverines can still win out and play in a bowl game, but the National Championship hopes are done. Assuming something drastic happens and the majority of the top 4 lose, the Wolverines football team had a good season, but not good enough. Jim Harbaugh needs to get back on the road and bring in a top recruiting class to compete for a National Championship in the 2017-18 season. The Michigan Basketball team is ranked 25 th in the nation and are a young athletic team. The team is unexperienced and at times can make mistakes due to that, but that will only be fixed in time. The team has been decimated due to transfers, the team is relying on younger players that have had limited time in John Beileins’ system. The team looks to be one of the most complete in the entire country

Fresh Start_96: Take the time Another upload due to a long family day… Every now and then I need to take days like today with my family to keep myself sane. It is Thanksgiving break for me and this weekend is for family. Just like I said on Thursday, you need to take this time to be with your love ones. It is important to take time with the ones that have your back and just live life and laugh. After a great day I sit back and think that times like these are the times that I will want to have with my kids when I get older and show around. Even though I hate feeling like a tourist, it was a fun time in New York City getting to walk the streets of the place I hope to call home one day. Something about the city makes my blood going and make me smile. The city that never sleeps has something that I can’t explain that is like crack to me and I just can’t get enough of it. Even though today was nothing big like a wedding or a funeral, it was a nice day that this time of year can only

Fresh Start_95: It’s that time of year Tomorrow night the game of all games for Big Ten fans kicks off with huge implications that will shake up college football around the country. That game is “The Game” the Michigan Wolverines and Ohio State Buckeyes. This rivalry is one of the best in sports and definitely one of the most significant in college sports. As a Michigan fan I am as happy and nervous as I have been in a long time. If you ask anyone around the rivalry, the opposition absolutely despises the other school. The hatred runs as deep as the Yankee-Red Sox rivalry. The rivalries like the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry are fueled by insane fans, good teams, and talented players that have a reason to play up for the biggest game of the year. One of the reasons that you go to a school like Ohio State or Michigan is to play in a game like this. The teams are set for an all-time game based on the implications that fall on this game. Two playoff teams (as of now) face off and

Fresh Start_94: Thanksgiving Don’t take too much time on this article today. Go spend the day with the people that mean the most to you and have yourself a happy and safe Thanksgiving. If you are working today, I apologize and symptomize with you and don’t believe that anyone should work on Thanksgiving. Although with that statement and logic, there would be no Thanksgiving football so, I guess you have to count your losses with that. But, if you are working at least you are getting paid for it and you’re working toward a day that you won’t be working and your family will have that day to celebrate. Last thing here, please don’t go out too early for Black Friday if you are going out. Family is way more than that flat screen or mac that you are getting “a once and a lifetime deal on.” Eat another piece of pumpkin pie and buy the tv at your desk on Monday morning during Cyber Monday. Make sure you buy local on Saturday and again, have yourself an incredible Thanksgiving and be safe (e

Week 12 picks Week 12 Great bounce week going 10-6 and giving me momentum going into the last quarter of the season. I feel good going into Thanksgiving weekend and I should be looking pristine after the turkey hangover and family time. Hope you all have a great Thanksgiving and enjoy all the football. Sources:(footballlocks.com, nfl.com) Don’t forget to like, comment, subscribe, and share on your way out! 

Fresh Start­_93: The Golden Knights of Hockey are over Really… the Golden Knights? The Las Vegas Golden Knights are the newest franchise in the NHL. The 31 st team in the National Hockey League resides in Vegas and will be named the Golden Knights. Now, the logo may be subject to change based on how similar to the Army Knights logo, the Spartan Race logo, and Call of Duty streamer Nick Merks logo. This idea was fouled from the beginning and I cannot believe that a team is being based out of Las Vegas. In a city that everything stays in, brings challenges to the sports world that nobody two years ago thought would exist. The NFL has toyed with idea of bringing a team to the city and when they see the dumpster fire that will be the Golden Knights, the NFL will stay away from Vegas. The distractions that the glitz and glamor of Vegas brings to the Golden Knights and opposing players every single day of the season. The fans will just be gambling degenerates and bookies that ha

Fresh Start_92: Punch back to realty Even with Eovaldi not being to pitch due to Tommy John surgery, designating him for assignment was not the right move by Brain Cashman. In a year that he has been nothing short of gold for Cashman and the Yankees, this is their first wrong turn in a successful rebuilding project. The Yankees are an organization that most stay relevant to make money, just based on the brand that they built throughout the years. While this is a great thing to bank on if you are a fan, it is a curse and a tremendous vison to live up to every year. The Farm will need time to grow no matter how many angry New Yorkers post on their blogs, “how the Yankees don’t care about their opinions” or they “are wasting money.” To all of those impatient millennials, I have to say that you for possibly the first time in your life will need to believe in a concept called delayed gratification. With Eovaldi being on the shelf and arbitration eligible, Yankees hand was forced to

NY 500 #13 *Sorry I didn’t post one these last week, as I said in the update post a couple weeks ago, I am in the middle of the jam packed part of the semester and balancing both this blog and the school work is difficult sometimes. I will continue to do the fresh starts day in and day out, that will not change* A decent weekend of New York sports. The Rangers didn’t win at all this weekend, thanks to a 3-2 shootout loss last night at home to the Panthers. The Rangers are still the first overall team in scoring and are the third overall team as far as points in the NHL and lead the Metropolitan division by two points. The Rangers are still playing well and the limited times that I have watched the Rangers this season, I am happy with the play of the team. The Islanders only played one game over the weekend and lost to Pittsburgh 3-2 in a shootout.  The Giants woke up at half time and took control of the game against the Bears and won 22-16. The Giants have now won five straigh

Fresh Start_91: What the hell is going on out there!? What is wrong with the Green Bay Packers? The Packers have the raining NFL MVP in Aaron Rodgers they don’t look like a team that has any idea what is going on or how to play football. The culture in Green Bay might need an overhaul moving forward. The Packers now have four straight games and they have got out played in each and every game in one facet of the game or another. From the offensive play calling to the defense blowing coverages and even Mike McCarthy looking like a first year head coach. This is a team that not too long ago won a Superbowl. This team was a playoff team a year ago and made it to the divisional round. In a league that is pass driven as ever before, and with a top tier quarterback the Packers on paper look like they have the ability to succeed. But with the lack of a running back the team has gone to the dumpster. The Packers have 3 rushing touchdowns and they are all by Aaron Rodgers. No running back

Fresh Start_90: This needs to get fixed! The Womens basketball committee to fix the ranking system… The UConn women’s basketball team is ranked number 3 in the rankings to start the season, and I just don’t see how that is even conceivable. The team has won 77 in a row and are the three time defending champs, coming off one of the most impressive seasons in women basketball history (in terms of margin of victory). Geno Auriemma has become one of the best coaches in college sports of all-time and has created a culture in his locker room, like Nick Saban has done at Alabama, or John Wooden did back in the day with his UCLA Bruins. In my mind, the team that has won three in a row deserves some respect for just dominating the league, and becoming the closest thing to a WNBA team as possible, and might actually be better than some WNBA teams. On Thursday the Lady Huskies beat number 2 Baylor at home 72-61 behind freshman Crystal Dangerfield who collected 19, 4, and 5 off the bench. T

Fresh Start_89: McCann to Houston The Yankees are going all in for the rebuild, trading away Brain McCann on Thursday to the Astros for pitching prospects Albert Abreu and Jorge Guzman. McCann was on the decline with the bombers only batting .242 with 20 homers and 58 RBI’s. McCann also lost his job to rookie sensation Gary Sanchez in late august. There will be a battle for the back-up catcher role, with the clear cut favorite being Austin Romine. Romine in limited action with the big league club batted .242 with 4 homers and 26 RBI’s, while slugging .382. It was clear that the Yankees were moving on from McCann when they moved him to the DH role last year, and with his lack on need on the team with Sanchez playing as well as he was at the time and has shown what he is capable of doing, it was about time for both parties to move on. The bombers are getting younger and are clearing cap space at the same time. The overhaul of players is in full swing and as a Yankee fan, I can’t w

Fresh Start_88: The death of Daily Fantasy Well I didn’t think a day like this would come, but I always feared it. If you haven’t heard about the problems with daily fantasy sports sites in the past year, you can google your heart about it, but I will give you a short recap. Draftkings and Fanduel the two major sites came under fire for the way they monitor their sites. There is no cap for how much money the site can make from bot accounts made by either site and the payout system to real users was not monitored to the right standards, while painting a wonderful mirage to make users believe it wasn’t gambling. Both of the sites were sued by the courts in New York last winter for false advertisement, and were almost outlawed in New York. Both sites made some necessary changes to the deposit and withdrawal system, and revitalized their rain over the fantasy sports world once this football season came around. The MLB are also partial partners of Draftkings so, that also help the si

Fresh Start_87: If you get knocked down, jump right back up, over and over again *I know I haven’t said anything about the page views, but thank you guys so much, it means more than you know, it allows me to do what I love to do and know that people are stopping by each day. For people to take time out of their day and read my articles, it just brings this uncontrollable smile to my face, and I thank each and every one of you for making me a part of your day* I am no different from you… I have anxiety, fear, insecurities, and things that I just can’t stop thinking about. You might have different things that you think about, depending on where you are in your life, and that is expected, just know you aren’t alone. Part of that feeling of anxiety or insecurity is not knowing yourself or believing in the vision that you have set out for yourself. Don’t get me wrong, there will be times that you question the process, but in the end; at the end of the day right before you touch you

Week 11 picks  Week 11 picks Well I am don’t know the NFL this year at all. I am all over the map with my picks this year. I haven’t had two good weeks in a row all season. Last week I went 6-8 and I’m just continuing my dissension deeper and deeper away from .500, hopefully I can bounce back and have a decent week this week with my picks. Sources:(footballlocks.com, nfl.com) Don’t forget to like, comment, subscribe, and share on your way out!

Fresh Start_86: With the first pick in the 2016 NFL draft… It’s about dam time. Jared Goff is finally starting in the NFL and it only took 10 weeks. The stigma around the number one overall pick in the 2016 draft was that he couldn’t play on this level. The fans were chanting his name two weeks ago in the coliseum and Goff never got to see the field. After a week where the offense never got into the endzone, Jeff Fisher’s hand is finally forced and the rook is up. Goff is stepping into a game against Dolphins where they need to win to stay alive in the playoff race. Even with 3 wins, the Rams are still in the playoff picture somehow, they just need to keep winning, and the Rams are hoping the winning ways fall into the right hand of Jared Goff. Goff will have to do better than 9 touchdowns,11 interceptions, and 2,169 passing yards collected by Keenum this season under center for the Rams. From his college days at California, he drives up the interstate to L.A. to play for the Ra

Week 10 Thursday, Sunday, and Monday game balls FINALLY! We have just witnessed the best weekend of football of the year. The games actually were entertaining and could keep an audience for more than a quarter. A couple of games I have in mind are the Cowboys and Steelers, Saints and Broncos, and the last game of the night Seahawks and Patriots. The Monday night game wasn’t a snooze fest either and that is just refreshing as a fan. Even though the Jets didn’t win, which sucks, the ability to turn on a different game and be compelled to watch is something that has been missing immensely throughout the league this season. Getting right into my game balls, we have to start with Thursday… This game was probably the worst out of all the prime-time games by far, but it’s still the Thursday game, so there has to be a game ball given out. In one of the worst Thursday night matchups of the year my Week 10 game ball goes to Baltimore Ravens Safety Eric Weddle. Weddle had 4 tackles, which

Fresh Start_85: What to do with the BCS Saturday for many college football fans are exhilarating and fun of excitement, fear, hope, and sometimes tears. This is multiplied if you are a fan of a power conference team. I unfortunately on Saturday saw my Michigan Wolverines suffer a one-point loss to Big Ten rival Iowa thanks to a last second game winning field goal by Hawkeye kicker Keith Duncan. This was a much needed win for Iowa, since they are fighting just to stay relevant in hopes of making a bowl game and pad their resume for 2016. The Wolverines needed to win this game to stay undefeated and make their case even stronger in the eyes of the BCS to move up in the rankings following a Clemson loss to Pittsburgh. Michigan just look like they were moving in quick sand for the majority of the game, not having as much explosive plays that we have been accustomed to see this year from the Wolverines. Iowa did a great job making Michigan play to the level that they wanted and limit

Fresh Start_84: Say no to Chapman Don’t click off just yet Yankee fans. I know you would disagree with me and many of you might think I am losing my mind about the Yanks. I would prefer Jansen over Chapman, yes I would, because we already had Chapman and we dealt him away. We didn’t pay his contract for our rental of Chapman, and I honestly wouldn’t want to pay the money that Chapman wants for the years and the play that he will produce of the field. Jansen can be a spark for the bombers that had in the early years of this decade in the Marino Rivera days. No one will ever be the Sandman ever again, but Jansen is more reliable then Chapman as a closer. Last season Jansen had 47 saves with a 1.83 in 68 2/3 innings for the Dodgers and provided a bridge to Clayton Kershaw in Game 5 of the NLDS. Chapman had 36 saves between the Yankees and Cubs with a 1.51 combined ERA in 58 innings in a shorten season, courtesy of his domestic violence troubles. The “Cuban Missal” in my opinion wi

Honest Review #10- What the Bryce!? UNCLE! I was extremely happy that Bryce Petty was starting when I woke up this morning, and thought this Rams defense was the perfect defense to get his career started for the next franchise QB for the Jets. The first half wasn’t all that bad, and the Jets had the lead entering half and were getting the ball back on the other side. The second half on the other hand, looked like it was going into slow motion. Petty looked like a first time starter, as he just missed throws, and the offensive coordinator Chan Gailey just didn’t trust Petty at all. I’m not going to say the coaches are out to get Petty, but they don’t trust him 100% and that is exonerated by the play calling in the second half. The Rams had the ball for 34:29 minutes and it showed on key third downs that they Jets were tired and didn’t have enough gas to get off the field. This defense made a terrible Rams offense look like a mid-tier offense in the league. The Jets did shut down

Fresh Start_83: The “new old-age” Braves? The Atlanta Braves have been extremely active early on in the baseball offseason, heating up the stove if you will. On Thursday, the Braves signed ex-Blue Jay R.A. Dickey for only a season for 8 million dollars. Dickey hasn’t been all that impressive in his Blue Jay career, being that it is highlighted by a 14-13 season with a 3.71 ERA in 2014. Dickey north of the boarder has been about average throughout each season. The knuckle baller can bring a veteran presence to a very young ball club, that will have a new stadium and a high draft pick in the draft this coming June. The Braves said they want to have an attractive team when they enter their new home, and getting older might not be the sexy move for the Braves, like they have might have wanted. If you remember, not that long ago the Braves had Jason Hayward (now a World Champion), Justin and Melvin Upton (each finding their way again with new teams), Andrelton Simmons (currently on the L

Fresh Start_82: DV in MLB Domestic Violence will be the everlasting shadow that will be cast over the 2016 MLB season. Jose Reyes, Aroldis Chapman, and Hector Olivera have all faced survive suspensions because of the domestic violence. The domestic violence problem has plagued Major League Baseball for the past two decades. This isn’t just an issue in the NFL, this is a serious problem in Major League Baseball. There is no set penalty for domestic violence and there shouldn’t be in a 162 game season. This is an issue that pro sports are currently facing that needs a serious punishment for the accuser and the guilty party. The guilty party in this new case is New York Mets closer Jeurys Familia. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred is giving Familia leeway for now due to the new CBA deadline being December 1 st . The investigation is open on Familia for now and will be for the future. This is a possible nail in the coffin for a very shallow New York Mets pitching staff. The majority of t

Fresh Start_81: Weed growing in the NFL Whether you liked the outcome of the election or not, your state might be getting a nice wrapped basket of marijuana in the mail in 2017. 7 states in total legalized the use of marijuana for different uses. Maine, California, Nevada, and Massachusetts all legalized weed for recreational use. While Florida, North Dakota, and Arkansas legalized medical uses. The NFL following election day also had to look at these new baskets of marijuana. 3 of the owners in the league said that the league should be more open about the use of marijuana in the league. Of course, it wouldn’t be legal completely for the players to use at their own pleasure but it would be available as a pain medication. Several ex-players have raved about the benefits that marijuana can have for the players as pain medication. Several other owners said that they would be open to league using the drug already. The NFLPA will look into the use of medical marijuana as a pain s