Half Way Through the Knicks First Season With Amare

or the New York Knicks, the 2010-11 NBA season has been a rather up-and-down campaign.

Initially, after a rather successful offseason highlighted by the signings of Amar'e Stoudmire and Raymond Felton, expectations were very high.

However, the team stumbled out of the gate, earning a dismal 3-8 record through their first 11 games.

Nevertheless, New York managed to right the ship, proceeding to torch their opponents throughout the course of a 13-1 run, which set their record at 16-9.

But then their schedule began to toughen up, as they were soon to face Eastern Conference powerhouses like the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat and Orlando Magic, followed by a matchup against the league-leading San Antonio Spurs and a Western Conference road trip which included a game at the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers.

And while they lost to many of their more-highly-touted opponents, the Knicks still managed to go 6-6 during this stretch, putting their record at 22-15.

Yet with their January 19 loss to the Houston Rockets, New York is currently in the doldrums of a four-game losing streak, with a record of 22-19 at the halfway point of the 2010-11 season.

And with upcoming matchups against playoff teams like the Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder, Heat, Atlanta Hawks and Dallas Mavericks over the next two weeks, the Knicks' schedule doesn't look to get much easier.

Still though, the franchise is currently sitting in sixth place in the Eastern Conference, and it is a full five games above the next team.

So despite their less-than-desirable play of late, there's still hope for the Knicks.

Tiger and Phil are back and ready to battle

Tiger Woods is back next week.

So is Phil Mickelson.

Thanks to the Farmers Insurance event at Torrey Pines, Woods and Mickelson are playing in January, and that in and of itself is an eye opener. Both will make their PGA Tour debuts for 2011 next Thursday.

Fact is, Mickelson couldn't even wait until next week. He's teeing up Thursday in Abu Dhabi on the European Tour with the other three major champions from 2010—Graeme McDowell, Louis Oosthuizen and Martin Kaymer.

Lee Westwood will also start his season before Woods. He's been on site in Abu Dhabi, knocking some of the rust off his game, as he's been rehabbing his bothersome leg and ankle that troubled him in the last few months of 2010.

This early start is a big departure for Mickelson from his typical routine. But Left has said that with the exception of the Masters, last season was not up to snuff for him.

Woods has been absent from Torrey Pines since his U.S. Open victory there in 2008. He was recovering from surgery in 2009, then missed 2010 with his self-imposed exile after his personal problems went ballistic.

Jimmer Fredette: The best guard in college basketball

Is there anything Jimmer can't do?

I'm referring to Jimmer Fredette, the outstanding senior guard from Bringham Young University all the while repressing the urge to make several references to Jimmy, the gym rat who referred to himself in the third person on Seinfeld.

This is the same Jimmy Fredette who's lighting up the college basketball world and starting a battle with UCONN's Kemba Walker for the national scoring lead in a unprecedented race we have not seen...since 2006.

Of course, that was when J.J. Redick and Adam Morrison went back and forth all season for the scoring title and before both were selected in the first round of the 2006 National Basketball Association draft.

Morrison's now a bench warmer with a ring, while Redick's a serviceable pro.

Instead, Jimmer was pretty sweet on half-court jumpers in the first half of a blowout win against Texas Christian University.

Perhaps the most impressive thing, which was a clear make from almost the half-court line, is the confidence of Fredette to make the shot.

He's shown he can be dangerous from anywhere on the floor. He can penetrate and score inside, he can knock down the outside shot, and he can pull it down and distribute to his teammates. He's a very complete player.

What can you do when he's hitting shots like this without any effort. You can't touch him. Don't touch Jimmer. Okay—I had to do at least one Jimmy reference.

Granted, he's had trouble making easy dunks when he's by himself, but he's in a world by himself right now and some team in the late first or early second round of this year's draft is going get an absolute steal in Fredette.

Baseballs MVP Race Will Be One For The Record Books: Who Will Win The Award?

November is upon us and we have entered into that time of year when all sports fans turn there attention to the NFL, college football and the start of college basketball. With that said, it is still time to announce the end of the year MLB awards.

It will be interesting to see which players come away with this years awards. The race is extremely tight in the American League, where there are four candidates who have a legitimate shot at winning the award. While in the National League, it will be a foot race between three sluggers.

In the AL, the race is between; Robinson Cano, Josh Hamilton, Jose Bautista and Miguel Cabrera. All four of these players had very strong statistical seasons in many areas of the game. When it comes to MVP awards, a non playoff team member should never win over a playoff team participant. Therefore, the AL race is between Cano and Hammy.

Both of these players had very nice seasons while helping to lead their teams into this years playoffs. With over .300 batting averages and nice doses of power, each hitter was able to get the job done at the plate.

Hamilton missed almost all of September and because of this, definitely lost some stat numbers. This may have a small effect on some of the votes. Since Cano is a second baseman he will also get some extra votes do to his position.

When it is all said and done, I believe Josh Hamilton will come away as the 2010 AL MVP. His .352 average is just straight remarkable and this will be the difference maker when it comes to the voters.

In the National League, the race will also be a close one. Albert Pujols and Joey Votto will be the top two finishers, with Carlos Gonzalez finishing in third place.

My playoff rule is in effect here once again as Votto is the only player of the group who helped lead his team into this years playoffs. However, when it comes to statistics, Votto is also better then the rest.

All three, hit over 30 home runs, scored over 100 runs and drove in over 100 while batting above .300. When it comes to the deeper statistics, Votto was on a whole new level. With his .600 slugging percentage and his .424 OBP he clearly proved to the world that he deserves this years coveted award.

The MVP awards will be announced to the public next week and all baseball fans should look for Josh Hamilton and Joey Votto to come away as the recipients.

Who Will Play for the BCS National Championship Game?

We are currently approaching the end of the college football season, and it has been quite an exciting one to say the least.

The real question at this point in time is who will be playing for the National Championship.

This is a difficult question, because there are four undefeated teams sitting at the top of the rankings who all deserve a chance at national championship glory.

With that said, let’s break down the contenders and predict the championship game.

Auburn is currently undefeated and sit at the top of the very strong and talented SEC. However, Auburn has a very difficult remaining schedule, where they will have to beat two very talented teams.

When they lose one of these games, which will happen, Auburn will not be going to the BCS championship game.

In two weeks, the Tigers will travel to Tuscaloosa to take on Alabama. The Crimson Tide will show up to this game and will come away with a very important victory for them. This win will cause major chaos when it comes to the BCS rankings system.

When Alabama upsets Auburn, it will pave the way for either TCU or Boise State to make a push for the championship game.

In my opinion, if Auburn loses to Alabama but beats South Carolina for the SEC championship, they are still a better team then undefeated TCU or Boise.

But with the BCS system, they will not be going to the championship game.

Oregon is in a similar position to Auburn: If they win out, they will be going to the title game. All the flying Ducks have to do is win their final two games and nothing will bounce them from the top rankings spot.

When it is all said and done, Oregon will be one of the two teams that will play for this year's title. They were tested against Cal this weekend but proved to the country that they can play defense. Their offense will never be that sloppy again, and they should run the table against Arizona and Oregon State in the upcoming weeks.

When it comes to both Boise and TCU, each team is clearly playing do or die football right now, which means they cannot lose another football game.

Neither team will end up losing another game and one of them will end up playing Oregon. The real question is, which of these teams will be ranked ahead of the other?

The Broncos are a better team then the Horned Frogs, and if they finish the year undefeated, they should be ranked higher. Their marquee win against Virginia Tech and their future win against Nevada will be more impressive than TCU's.

The Horned Frogs win against Utah is becoming less and less valuable, and in many ways, Nevada is probably a better team then the Utes. VT is a better team than anyone on TCU's schedule, and you can even make the case that Boise dominated Oregon State on a higher level then TCU did.

With all of this said, if Auburn loses and Oregon remains undefeated, I see Boise State and Oregon going to the 2010 BCS Championship.

David Lee Makes His Glorious Return To The Big Apple

Its nice to recognize a dude that played his heart out despite the guarantee of constant failure during the Isiah Thomas era. David Lee deserved every second of the standing ovation he got from the Garden faithful. What he didn't deserve was the absolute decimation he was allowed to perform by Knick defenders.

Once the whistle blew and the ball is tipped all emotional ties are to be cut. I love David Lee, its crazy to see him wearing #10 and in a Golden State uniform, but even he knows this is all business. Knocking out his former teammate's front teeth, bloodying his elbow and exposing bone while snagging a double-double in the process. Classic D.LEE hustle and grit. He wanted to win last night, that was evident from the get go. The Knicks however played sloppy and looked lost, jacking up a three whenever and where ever.

The Knicks blew that game last night, end of story. This failing behind big early, and then making runs at a come back in the 3rd and 4th quarter are not going to work for a team that hopes to make the playoffs. Props to Stoudamire for holding it down with a double-double of his own last night. That clean up dunk on Lee's face was nasty, but once again it was all for naught seeing as the end result of the game was not optimal. It was only fitting for Lee to pull down the nail in the coffin rebound, followed by knocking down two free throws for poetic justice

Got to play better, plain and simple. I have faith in this team.

San Francisco In Pictures- AT&T Park, Golden Gate Bridge, Trolley Cars and Seafood

Continuing on with the summer baseball road trip, I traveled to the west coast to tour what their stadiums had to offer. First up was the beautiful AT&T ball park.

The stadium and the city of San Francisco are absolutely amazing. Beautiful scenery and amazing culture every where you look. AT&T Park, home of the Giants was incredible. It's very new, has some neat features and is situated right on the bay.

I was particularly amazed by the structure of the stadium and the landing point that is situated in right field. As I walked in I felt a chill, as I thought about all the steroid infested home runs that Barry Bonds hit. It was a rare occurrence but I had wonderful seats for the ballgame. First row, right on top of the dugout down the first base line. The seats were out of this world and really added to the experience of the game.

The park really is wonderful and is by far one of the best the game has to offer. There is so much to do within the stadium, such as the massive glove and Coke bottle in center field, to the views of the bridge and the bay. There even is an old cable car to check out.

I also had a great time exploring the city. The Golden Gate Bridge is a beautiful structure and enjoyed walked across it and taking in the views of the city. The pier, rides on the cable cars, fresh seafood and exploring all the hidden sectionx of the city was also a treat.

Everyone should take the time to travel to San Francisco and definitely checkout their wonderful ball park!