Over the next month or so, you’ll read a lot of print telling you how if this goes right and that goes right, your NFL team can make the playoffs, or win its division, or win the Super Bowl.  Most of what they say is true; with the right breaks, in the NFL, any team can accomplish any thing any [...]

With NFL training camps opening, there’s a lot of talk about the Collective Bargaining Agreement and possibility of a lockout in 2011.  From what I’m hearing from the representatives of both the owners and players, there are five major sticking points in their negotiations.  1.  Money – This is extremely complicated, so I’ll try to simplify it.  The NFL makes billions [...]

Sharkey’s quickhit thoughts on this past weekend… Dez Bryant refused to carry Roy Williams’ shoulder pads into the locker room after practice yesterday.  Apparently this has ruffled a few feathers.  I don’t see what the big deal is.  It’s rookie hazing, which is a part of the NFL, and has been for the last 50+ years.  Bryant doesn’t want to [...]

You hear that?  That’s the sound of NFL Training Camps opening.  OK, not yet, technically.  But this weekend.  By Monday morning, seven of the thirty-two NFL franchises will be in camp.  By August 1st, all 32 teams will have reported. Obviously, as we see every year, a lot can happen between the start of training camp, and week one of [...]

Sharkey’s quick-hit thoughts on the world of sports… Monday, Ilya Kovalchuk signed a 17 year deal with the Devils.  Yesterday morning, the Devils rolled out all the stops with a press conference/love-fest the likes of which Newark, NJ has never seen before.  Last night, the NHL rejected the deal.  Dangerous precedent the NHL is setting here.  And I’m not just [...]

The biggest free agent of the summer of 2010, Ilya Kovalchuk, has finally signed a deal.  He’ll be taking his talents… no where.  He’s staying in New Jersey.  In classic Kevin Durant style, this deal was announced on twitter. Terms of the deal haven’t been disclosed, which is the NJ Devils club policy – always has been. As a Devils [...]

Sharkey says: First, congrats to Germany for winning 3rd place yesterday.  Can I have it marked down now that that team will win the 2014 World Cup?  Book it. Should be a great match this afternoon.  Netherlands is looking to become the second team to win every World Cup qualifying match and go 7-0 in the World Cup, while Spain [...]

A break for a few minutes from the World Cup, which is dominating my life, as it does every four summers, to catch up on what else is going on in the world of football. A few Americans are on the move, or may potentially be on the move in the coming weeks. The biggest news as of late is [...]

The quarterfinals of this World Cup were certainly a round to remember!  Heavy favorites Argentina and Brazil got sent home early, while little guys Ghana and Paraguay put up great fights, and almost advanced to the Semi-Finals.  The Germans continued to be the surprise of the tournament, while Spain continued to look lackadaisical, yet also continue to get the only [...]

There may not be a single athlete in the history of the world more overhyped than Lebron James.  An important distinction before we get comments calling me a Lebron hater:  Overhyped does not mean overrated.  He is undoubtedly one of the top two (yes Kobe is the other) players in the NBA currently.  And to further prove the point: I predicted [...]