Observations…..

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We are a month removed from a Giants Superbowl win, Spring Training is in full swing, March Madness is here, and the true contenders in the NBA are showing their colors. Vancouver and Detroit are at the top of the NHL power rankings and finally Jerry Sandusky talk has been brought down to a minimum.
On this fine Monday in March, here are a couple of things that have been on my mind:

Miami Heat are Overrated:
Despite the constant propping of Lebron James, the Heat are NOT going to win the championship this year. James is known to put up some gaudy numbers during the regular season, or when the game isn’t a must win. Some may argue that he has had a few game winning shots, I would argue that not one of those shots has brought him a championship.
In the finals last year, when the Miami Heat were beat in six by the Dallas Mavericks, Lebron James averaged 17.8 pts per game. His average was down 8.9 pts from the regular season, the largest drop off in pts from the regular season to the finals in NBA history. Clutch, I think not. In 2012, Lebron’s teammate Chris Bosh was quoted as saying that he thought Dwayne Wade should be the one to take the last- second shot instead of James or himself. A lot of faith Bosh has in his teammate. To win a championship there are quite a few factors that contribute, Talent, Athleticism, Depth, Chemistry, Heart, and Playing as a Team. Lebron James is missing a few of those. Can you guess which ones? It certainly isn’t talent or athleticism. Once, people can get over the star power of his name, they will realize James needs to grow up before he achieves the elusive ring.

Bobby Valentine is the new Rex Ryan:
A little advice to Bobby Valentine: the Yankees-Red Sox Rivalry has been around a long time before you took the Sox manager job and it will be there when you are long gone. Valentine thinks by running his mouth it will somehow ignite the rivalry that he is just now becoming a part of. It is going to take a lot more than Valentine’s baseless comments to bring the spark back to the historic rivalry. For starters, both teams have to be competitors on the field. The season hasn’t even started yet. After, the Red Sox historic September collapse last year and a mediocre offseason, the Sox still have plenty of looming questions. The Yanks look better on paper, but age could be an issue as the season progresses. Secondly, the players need to be willing participants and bring the heat. There is no longer a Varitek to palm Arod’s face mask. No Pedro Martinez to throw at the head of an opposing Yankee. Beckett isn’t as hotheaded as he was in the past, probably because his skills have diminished. The Yanks don’t have a Karim Garcia to get into it with the Sox bullpen, or Jorge Posada to defend his teammates during a bench -clearing brawl. Something significant would have to happen to bring this rivalry back to life. Bobby V running his mouth is not it. Boston fans get sick of hearing Rex Ryan run his mouth with empty threats, well Boston fans, Bobby V is clearly in the beginning stages of becoming the next Rex Ryan. He needs to save it for his first clubhouse motivational speech.

Enough with the trade Rondo talk:
Trade rumors about Boston’s All-Star point guard have been circulating for months. None of the proposed deals held any ground because the Celtics asking price is too high. President of operations Danny Ainge claims that his last serious talk regarding trading Rondo was in the offseason. I highly doubt that, considering we hear a new a story every week. Rajon Rondo has entered elite point guard status. He has had his ups and downs as a Celtic and at times can be described as moody, but all that is irrelevant when you look at the big picture. The last two weeks have been a world wind for him. He was suspended for two games after throwing the ball at a referee and showed patterns of inconsistency. Then came a division matchup against the Knicks. No one expected Rondo’s historic game against much-hyped point guard Jeremy Lin and the athletic New York Knicks. Rondo had 18 points, 17 rebounds, and 20 assists en route to handing the Knicks to another loss at TD garden. This was only the third time in the history of the game that a player has recorded at least 20 assists and 17 rebounds in a game. The other two guys, oh, just a couple of men named Wilt Chamberlain and Magic Johnson. Not too shabby, huh? The Celtics have shown glimpses of their former selves in the last couple of weeks. I know that the Celtics chance of winning a championship this year are slim if they don’t make a move by the trade deadline, but Rondo is not that move.