Miscellaneous Articles

2010 New Zealand World Cup Predictions
by Doc's Sports - 4/5/2010

The All Whites of New Zealand are the exact definition of an unknown soccer entity coming into South Africa. Their lone World Cup appearance was 26 years ago, but the one connection to that team is their head coach Ricki Herbert, a player for his country in ’82.

NBA Free Picks - ESPN Friday Night NBA Doubleheader
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 4/2/2010

The April NBA schedule is just about as boring an offering as any of the professional sports dish out to fans. With a lack of drama around the playoff races this April should prove no different. However, ESPN does have a pair of primetime games that have the looks of being potential conference final previews.

Small School Players in the NFL Draft
by Aaron Smith - 4/2/2010

Each year the players from schools that are considered ‘off the map’ in college football are overlooked by almost all of the experts. Every season some of those small school players end up making a big impact in the NFL, so it is time to pay attention. While it is understandable that the media becomes fixated on the first round or so and the huge prospects, as a wise sports follower you should realize that these players from obscure schools do make a huge difference!

2010 Germany World Cup Predictions
by Doc's Sports - 4/2/2010

Germany has advanced to at least the quarterfinal stage in each of the last four World Cups. From 1994 to 2006 they have proven their worth as one of the more accomplished and consistent football nations in the world. 2006’s finish was a big hit, wrapping up their time as the host country with a third-place finish. Four years later a bit different look is shaping up for the Germans.

2010 Slovakia World Cup Predictions
by Doc's Sports - 4/2/2010

Any past success seen by this nation at the World Cup was as former Czechoslovakia. Now Slovakia has emerged from the shadow of the neighboring Czechs and also bested them in the qualifying group to advance to the Finals via winning UEFA’s Group Three. Czech Republic was left at home in third place and perhaps a new central European country has risen to the top as one to contend with this summer, and also in the future.

2010 Australia World Cup Predictions
by Doc's Sports - 4/2/2010

Australia’s 2006 World Cup appearance was the only one of its kind in the team’s history, however it wasn’t without some drama. First, the Socceroos advanced to the Round of 16 despite no one expecting anything from them. Secondly, they were bounced via some major controversy when Italy’s star Francesco Totti was awarded a bogus, napkin-soft penalty in the final minutes with the game tied, leading to the game-winning score.

NBA Free Picks: Thursday NBA On TNT Doubleheader
by Matt Severance - 4/1/2010

It’s the second-to-last Thursday TNT doubleheader of the regular season, and tonight is an important night for Dallas and Denver as they both face other playoff teams with the Mavs and Nuggets still desperately trying to grab the No. 2 seed in the West and stay away from the Lakers as long as possible in the NBA Playoffs.

NBA Power Rankings
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 3/31/2010

The playoff races appear to be a little anticlimactic with the exception of the Bulls and Raptors fighting for the chance to be rushed out of the playoffs in the first round by the Cavaliers. There are already 11 teams eliminated, leaving only three teams with a chance to get into the top eight of their conference. Last week’s ranking in parentheses and teams eliminated from the postseason are denoted with an asterisk.

2010 Netherlands World Cup Predictions
by Doc's Sports - 3/30/2010

The Dutch are the best football nation never to win the World Cup. 2010’s version of the Oranje could be their best team capable of breaking through, but that is their gift and curse. Always being considered a top contender helps promote confidence, but the building pressure from an entire nation for their football team to finally break through is omnipresent and travels with them everywhere they go.

2010 Cameroon World Cup Predictions
by Doc's Sports - 3/30/2010

Cameroon has made more World Cup appearances than any other African nation. However, the Lions were absent from Germany four years ago. Prior to that they were at the Finals in four straight tournaments from 1994 to 2002, but just one of those times did they advance beyond the group stage.

2010 Denmark World Cup Predictions
by Doc's Sports - 3/30/2010

The Danes have to like their World Cup group much better now, knowing full well that not many gave them a chance to reach the finals once their European qualifying group was announced. Denmark was paired with the likes of Portugal, Sweden and Hungry but made quick work of their pairings by winning UEFA’s Group One and insuring automatically qualification and also forcing the Portuguese to find their spot in the 2010 World Cup via a play-off.

2010 Japan World Cup Predictions
by Doc's Sports - 3/30/2010

The Japanese are never going to blow you away with their footballing skills, but to that same point they are never a side to take lightly. Naturally, by virtue of playing in Asia, this side isn’t going to get a whole lot of credit, and perhaps rightfully so with comparisons to the rest of the major elite. But still, Japan has ability and they will not be the tournament’s minnow.

2010 England World Cup Predictions
by Doc's Sports - 3/29/2010

Say what you want about the Brazil’s ‘title or bust’ expectations or even Argentina’s lofty desire to finally get back on top as the world’s best, but no country will ever be as scrutinized about their World Cup play and results as England.

2010 USA World Cup Predictions
by Doc's Sports - 3/29/2010

Soccer in the States is never going to be overwhelmingly popular, and certainly not ahead of the big four American sports. But respect, now that’s a whole different consideration. And if the U.S. ever wants to be taken seriously as a legit soccer nation, the opportunity doesn’t get much better than this summer’s World Cup.

2010 Slovenia World Cup Predictions
by Doc's Sports - 3/29/2010

Slovenia makes just their second World Cup appearance as an independent country after the breakup of former Yugoslavia, having debuted in 2002. As the runners-up in Group Three of in European qualifying behind Slovakia but ahead of favored Czech Republic, Slovenia then went on to provide perhaps the shocker of qualification by knocking out heavily-favored Russia in a play-off to decide one of the last teams in the field.

2010 Algeria World Cup Predictions
by Doc's Sports - 3/29/2010

Similar to Slovenia, Algeria found its ticket to South Africa after a very impressive play-off result against a big favorite. The Desert Foxes sent Egypt packing, besting them in Sudan, no less, and that result has to be considered a massive upset considering the Egyptians’ success throughout African football (Remember, this is an Egypt team that had just won January’s Africa Cup of Nations, their third straight title in the bi-annual tournament).

Tim Tebow in the NFL Draft
by T.O. Whenham - 3/26/2010

There are several players likely to have more impactful NFL careers in the NFL, including a couple of quarterbacks, but no player has been at the center of more discussion, debate or controversy than Tim Tebow. Opinions about him are all over the board. Coaches like John Fox and Pete Carroll have turned heads by gushing over him. Miami QB Chad Henne stirred up a hornet's nest last week when he suggested that he didn't think that Tebow was an NFL quarterback.

World Cup 2010 Handicapping: Odds for the First Games
by T.O. Whenham - 3/26/2010

The World Cup can't get here soon enough. There is far too much time to kill between the drawing of the field and the start of the tournament. With this much time we are able to over-analyze, over-speculate, and generally drive ourselves crazy. That's why the NCAA Tournament is so perfect - just four days from the draw to the first tip-off.

NHL Power Rankings
by T.O. Whenham - 3/26/2010

It's been quite a while since we last checked in on the NHL Power Rankings. The crazy thing, though, is that things just haven't changed that much. Some teams have climbed and a couple of fallen had, but for the most part the teams that were the good ones before the Olympics still are, and vice versa. Previous rankings are in brackets:

Wide Receivers in the 2010 NFL Draft
by Aaron Smith - 3/25/2010

The wide receiver position is a need for many teams in the NFL today, but if anyone out there is looking for a Calvin Johnson-type of freak athlete in this draft, they’ll be quite disappointed. This year’s class of wide receivers is full of solid athletes with plenty of skill, but none are absolute sure-thing stars in the league. Those speedy receivers may as well get ready to find a home in Oakland! The group as a whole is fairly deep, but there are quite a few hit-or-miss type players in this year’s NFL Draft.