Except maybe the Los Angeles Lakers.

Kobe Bryant and the Lakers displayed their potential in game 5 against the Rockets. Granted the Houston Rockets were without their 7’6 Center Yao Ming–and when they had him, they went 5-0 overall against the Lakers–in game 5, the Lakers exemplified passion, teamwork, and exceptional zone defense. The Rockets struggled to bring the ball up the court, menanced by the Lakers defense, which snatched up 12 steals.  Their stonewall D was also complimented by their exceptional offense.  Six of their players scored in double figures including a combined 72 points from the Lakers starters.

If the Lakers play like they did in game 5 against the Rockets, they could provide a substantial challenge against King James and the Cavaliers. In the 08-09 regular season, the Lakers went 2-0 against the Cavaliers with sizable margins of 101-91 and 105-88.  If the Lakers stay injury free and continue to work as a cohesive team, Lebron better start getting chalked up and ready to play.

Schooler’s BOLD PREDICTIONS

From Last Time:
I predicted Manny Paquiao to knock out Ricky Hatton in the 9th, instead he knocked him out in the 2nd.

I predicted the Orlando Magic to do some damage in the NBA Playoffs, they are currently down 3-2 in their series to the Boston Celtics, expect the Magic to send it to a game 7 but I doubt if Orlando can win the series.

I predicted Greg Oden to challenge Jose Canseco to an MMA bout out of desperation.  No contract talks are currently in the works.

Predictions:

Expect a Lakers vs Cavs NBA Finals, an epic showdown between Lebron and Kobe.

Mark Cuban will go missing, Kenyon Martin will be suspected.

To complete the construction of the best Madden team possible, Al Davis signs Michael Vick to a contract with the Oakland Raiders.

In the United States today, it has become more and more popular to involved oneself in professional sports, not only watching but participating in ways our grandfathers would have never conceived.  I am of course talking about the sacred world of Fantasy Sports.  Ranging from CBS to Yahoo to ESPN, Football to Golf, the Fantasy Sports phenomenon is sweeping the nation.   Besides Fantasy Football, the most popular Fantasy Sport is Fantasy Baseball.  Some say it takes the most time and attention to detail, also it is the often the most complex form of Fantasy Sports. Fantasy Baseball has been referred to in movies such as Stepbrothers (above), as well as Knocked Up (the scene where they sneak up on Paul Rudd because they think he’s cheating but, he is actually having a live fantasy baseball draft, and he is elated because he drafted Hideki Matsui in the 6th round, a steal if you ask me).   Participating in a fantasy baseball league has its pros as well as its cons and they are quite apparent.

Pros
-    Get to Know the Players
Because an active roster in the Major Leagues consists of 24 players one must have exceptional knowledge of many players.  If you want to create a dominant team you better know the top 10 players in categories from batting average all the way to WHIP (the total number of hits and walks allowed by pitchers divided by total innings pitched, lower is better).  To do this successfully it takes a bit of research.
-    Fun and Bragging Rights
Anyone who enjoys professional sports loves competitions as well as bragging rights for succeeding in competitions.  Not only does fantasy baseball instigate massive amounts of trash talk but its amusing and entertaining to compete and talk smack to your good friends about sports , especially if you have money riding on it.

Cons
-    Time Waster
To be affective when managing a fantasy baseball team, one needs to but in massive amounts of hours.  As previously stated the stats and players you need to be aware of are countless.  Not to mentions that you need to be checking your roster daily to make sure who is playing as well as looking out for the infamous injuries.
-    Overall it’s Meaningless
Although in fantasy baseball there is a point system and object, draft and manage a team who had excellent results.  However, on the whole fanasy baseball is completely meaningless.  It is an evaluation of random players in separate games so there is really no element of team whatsoever besides being each player residing under the name “The Abusement Park”.  Fantasy baseball is an extremely fun experience if you are willing to put in the time and effort, you might just be able to remind your friends of your winning league every chance you get until next season.

Schooler’s BOLD PREDICTIONS

Look for the Orlando Magic to do some damage if Rashard Lewis and Rafer Alston stay hot, and Dwight keeps his elbows to himself.

Greg Oden proved to be a non factor in the Blazer-Rockets series, averaging 5.4 points, 4 rebounds and 4.6 personal fouls a game, he drops out of the NBA and with no dignity left challenges Jose Canseco to an MMA fight.

How long have you played golf?
Since I was pretty young.  I started when my dad started to learn the game.  I played my first tournament when I was 8.

When did you win your first tournament?
When I was 9.

Tain Lee chips his way out of a bunker

What kind of high-school honors did you receive?
I received 1st team all county with 5 other guys.

Did all the other all county guys go on to play D-I golf?
I think all of them are D-I besides me.

Could you have gone D-I?
Yes, I definitely had my options, Northwestern, USD and UC-Berkley; but my dad went to CMC and my sister goes to Scripps so I was pretty set on coming to CMC.

Do you have any superstitions?
No I don’t believe in superstitions, I’m pretty good with preparation in terms of getting to bed on time and all that, but I don’t have any good luck charms or anything.

Do you have any pre-match music?
No, I will listen to whatever is on the radio, but I don’t have an Ipod in before the match or anything like that.  But I do go through my round, if not the night before the morning of.  I try to visualize the course and the shots that I’m going to take.

Would you call yourself a conservative or aggressive player?
I’m pretty aggressive.  I have had my fair share of big numbers this year because I do have an aggressive nature.  Consciously I have to try and tone it down and remind myself to play smart, but I’m pretty aggressive at heart.

Do you have a favorite club?
I love my 60-degree wedge because I can put a lot of spin and control on the ball.

How you ever bet on golf before with your buddies?
(Laughs) Yeah, I had a really good high school team, Tyler Smith and Matt Pierce, Tyler went to USC and Matt went to Duke.  We played the same course everyday, so we went at it.  One time Tyler was down over $300 obviously I wasn’t going to make him pay so I just had him by my meals for the rest of the season.

How would you describe your temperament on the course?
I have never had any issues with temperament, but it does get intense and I do get into it. But I don’t throw clubs.

What is the best part of your game?
My mental game because golf is very mental, if I had to pick out a physical part of my game I would say my approach shots.  I hit a lot of greens.

Who is your favorite golfer?
I actually used to hate Tiger, but as his career developed you have to have complete respect for the guy, because he is so disciplined and he is the best to ever play the game.

Have you considered going pro?
Of course, but golf is such a day-to-day thing. With going to CMC, I feel like I am in a win win situation, because I have a great education to fall back on.  After I graduate I will probably try for a couple of years and if it works out, it is a dream come true