Jeff Dufour's Cleveland Cavaliers Fan Profile

Mid-Season Report posted on 06/30/2008

I know that most people consider the All-Star break the mid-season point in the baseball season but it's not so let's get right to it.

(Before I start I should say, other then my mid-season awards, I will not be talking about the NL.  There is not a team in the NL right now that can beat the Red Sox, Rays, Yankees or Angels in the World Series.  I'll get back to you if a team, mainly the Cubs, makes a nice trade to improve their team.)

Let's run through the awards before we get into anything else.

NL

MVP- I know Chipper is flirting with .400 but he has missed a lot of time and his team isn't very good.  Because of that, I will give it to Lance Berkman who also plays on a team that isn't very good but his numbers across the board are better. 

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The Black Mamba? How about the Gardner Snake posted on 06/13/2008

I have stood by Kobe for years, even though I love the Big Fella.  When Kobe broke up that team after the 2004 NBA Finals I continued to root for him even though I was pissed at him.  When the Lakers won the Western Conference this season, as I wrote last week, I half-heartedly jumped back on the Lakers bandwagon.  Not to be a diehard fan but to root for them in this NBA Finals.  I figured Kobe Bryant was ready to take that final step in becoming an all-time great and win his first Shaq-less title.  Now, four games into the NBA Finals, with the Lakers down 3-1 after blowing a 24 point lead in game 4, I am ready to end this Kobe talk until further notice.  And that could be never again.

Kobe Bryant can’t be considered a top-10 or better player until he wins a title as the leader of a team.  I don’t care how great he is offensively and how many MVP’s he may win.  Tim Duncan and Shaquille O’Neal have 4 rings, those two are all-time greats.  The self-proclaimed “Black Mamba” is Scottie Pippen, an above average player who was the second best player on a team that won titles.

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Thanks for Everything posted on 06/13/2008

I attempted to write this piece on Monday night but I couldn’t do it.  I was still shocked and heart-broken that Michael Strahan had decided to call it quits after 15 Hall of Fame seasons in the NFL.  I know most people have been saying for two days now that this didn’t surprise them and they were far from shocked when the announcement was made but I will be real with you, I couldn’t believe it.  When my brother called to tell me the news late Monday morning all I could muster up to say was, “No freaking way”.  I was shocked and to be honest, still am.  I tried to convince myself all day that this was the Giants and Strahan’s way to get him out of training camp again this year and in late August he would announce he had the itch to play and would be returning for another season. 

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Go Lakers but Good Luck, Papa posted on 06/07/2008

Since I was 1 year old the last time these two teams met each other in the NBA Finals I will refrain from writing another boring rivalry-renewed piece.  I admit it, I know very little about the history of NBA because I never cared to research it.  Growing up in the 90’s I watched MJ and as far as I’m concerned that was the height of this league, until right now.  If you read any of my columns over the past couple months you know that I was more excited about these NBA Playoffs then anyone and I have to admit, they have disappointed for the most part.  Outside of a couple games and storylines (the Hawks taking the C’s to the brink in round 1, the Cavs-Celtics Game 7 in round 2, the Lakers-Jazz Game 6 in round 2 and the Lakers dominating the defending champs) these playoffs have gone by the books and have been far from memorable.  Hopefully these NBA Finals can save the best NBA season Post-Mike.

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Checking In With The Sports World posted on 06/04/2008

After weeks of soul searching I am back.  And because the sports world is so busy right now I couldn’t decide which story to write on.  With that said, I am going to run through the sports world as a whole and let everyone know what I think about everything.  By the way, I haven’t been soul searching at all.  I finished school, went home for two weeks and relaxed, headed to Scottsdale, AZ for nine days for my brother’s wedding and then came back to Boston and helped move my girlfriend into her summer apartment.  So without further ado, my thoughts.

Let’s start with two sports that are not mainstream sports except for this time of year.  The NHL got their wish, big time.  Sid the Kid and the Pittsburgh Penguins dominated the eastern conference with their dazzling offense and made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals.   Out west hockey town was rocking again as the Detroit Red Wings reached the Cup Finals and met up with the Penguins.  This was the championship that the NHL needed and I have not seen any ratings but I would guess they are better then the past few years.  Now, if the Penguins can use the momentum from their Game 5 win and carry it over to Game 6 and hopefully even a Game 7, then the NHL might be able to be considered an actual sport again. 

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