Tag: basketball

No Sweep For You!

Aside Nick Momrik9 Comments

Looks like the Lakers won’t be sweeping the Pistons. Nobody game Detroit a chance, but they walked into L.A. and stole game 1 in convincing fashion. Their defense was simply amazing as usual. Just keep working hard and good things come your way.

Pistons – Goin' To Work

Nick Momrik4 Comments

Detroit PistonsWhat a performance by version 2 of the Bad Boys. They completely dominated tonight’s game with their defense. Ben Wallace never ceases to amaze me, but he pulled out a few suprises tonight with 18 foot jumpers. After winning the first two games of the series I thought the Pistons would coast through round 2, but the Nets won the next 3 to pull ahead. Game 5 was a tough triple overtime loss for Detroit but they played well to even the series in game 6 on New Jersey’s home court. Game 7 was pretty much over at halftime and the third period proved to be the nail in the coffin. Bring on the Pacers!


I Like To Compete

Nick Momrik2 Comments

I don’t care what it is…I like to compete. Whether I’m playing basketball, golfing, playing poker, working, or playing video games, I like to make a competition out of everything. I don’t like to lose to anyone at anything, but I am always up for the challenge.

My Dad ingrained the competitive nature in me as a child while playing sports and it has lived on ever since. I thank him for this because competing is a lot of fun and has given me many memories over the past 24 years.

Since I hate to lose, if I do end up losing, I make it a personal goal to get better at whatever it is that I lost at. I want to be the best and won’t accept anything less. It’s not easy to be the best at everything you do, but I sure do try. It takes a lot of hard work to learn something new or improve your skills at something you are mediocre at. I’ll do research on the Internet, read books, practice…pretty much whatever it takes.

One thing that I’ve recently noticed is that I talk to myself when I’m competing at something. As an example, I’ll be playing basketball, take a shot, and it ends up short. I’ll catch myself whispering, “Use your legs!” Or…I’ll be playing poker online, will play a hand that I shouldn’t have, and of course lose the pot. I’ll again whisper something like, “Play those hands and you deserve to lose.” So even when I’m competing I’m working at getting better!

Challenge me…

The End Of March Madness

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March Madness came to an end last night with the University of Connecticut winning the championship over Georgia Tech. It wasn’t much of a game as UConn led the whole way and the 82-73 final score only looks somewhat close because GT hit about a million three pointers in the final minute. Not to discredit the UConn win, but GT didn’t play very well in the game.

In the semifinals on Saturday there were two excellent games, with GT pulling out a squeker over Oklahoma State with a layup and only 1.5 seconds remaining on the clock. The Duke-UConn game was a different story and I’m not too sure I’ve recovered from the loss yet. UConn was up by double digits on Duke in the first 3 minutes and was up at the end of the of game when it counted, but Duke won the rest of the game. UConn actually went on a 12-0 run at the end of the game to take the lead when it appeared that Duke was going to walk away with the win. The Blue Devils just didn’t execute their offense and continue to drive to the basket, which had been working wonderfully.

I fully admit that Duke lost that game on thier own and could have easily won the title had they made a single basket in the final minutes of the game, but they didn’t. But there is always next year for Duke and they’ll only be losing one starter, so it should be another great year for the team everyone seems to hate.

Ok…now I do have to mention the fact that the reffing in the Duke-UConn game was horrible! I can’t stand it when the refs think they are bigger than the game. Let the players play and determine the outcome. Some of the fouls that they called on Williams and Randolph (both ended up fouling out of the game) were so chincy that my grandma wouldn’t even call them if someone was guarding her. Even the announcers and media people have been buzzing about it. These refs are hand picked at this time of year and the Final Four shouldn’t have a story like this tarnishing the great sports spectacle that it is.

I’m done venting now…Congrats to UConn!

I Love Spring

Nick Momrik2 Comments

Is there any better time of the year than spring? Not for me.

The sun comes out from hiding, the snow melts, the grass changes from brown to green, and you can feel the air getting warmer as each day passes. Spring also has that distinct smell that can’t compete with any other season. Everyone seems to be happier and more up-beat during the spring. Everything is changing in preparation for the coming summer. Spring brings new life and for some “love” is in the air.

The spring is my favorite time of year for sports. No other sporting event can compare to March Madness for excitement as far as I’m concerned. I never get really emotional, but when teams get down to the Final Four things get to me a little bit. The opening that CBS does before the games is just amazing and I almost tear up once in awhile. After the championship game they always show clips of the National Champ along with other teams that battled along the way. For those of you who don’t watch, it is always to the song One Shining Moment and it may be my favorite moment of the year created by sports.

Another great sporting event during the spring is The Masters, the grestest golf tournament in the world. It’s a beautiful golf club that hosts an amazing tournament every year. Every pro golfer’s dream is to win at Augusta National some day.

Both March Madness and The Masters have one thing in common that adds a special touch…Jim Nantz. Does this guy have the greatest voice for what he does or what? His opening to the basketball games and the golf tournament are the most soothing thing a man can hear in sports. It give me the chills every year and I always look forward to listening. I wonder if he realizes what kind of impact he has on the broadcasts…CBS must, because they haven’t stopped using him.

Spring also means that I’ll be out golfing soon. During the summer I could do nothing but golf every day and I’d be a happy guy. It never gets old until the end of the golf season when you need to wear a little bit warmer clothes to be comfortable on the course.

This year I’ll be moving in a few weeks, so the spring has some added excitement in the fact that I’ll have my own place.

Did I mention that I love spring?

March MADNESS

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It has been one hell of an NCAA Tournament so far, and it’s only the first weekend! We’ve seen two number 1 seeds fall, Stanford (ESPN’s pick to win it all) and Kentucky (Dick Vitale’s pick to win it all). Duke (my pick) is one of the few teams to dominate both of their games.

I don’t remember ever seeing so many close games in the first two rounds. Every other game is down to the last few seconds with either team having a chance to come out on top. It’s great to watch, but I need the next few days to recover from all of the emotions!

My bracket is all fucked up. I’ve lost 3 of my Elite 8 teams already and I had Kentucky playing in the final game. I don’t think I’ll be winning any money this year. All that matters right now is that Duke is still playing and playing the best out of any team that I’ve watched. I also realize that they could easily fall like other teams have done. I’m looking forward to the next round of action to begin on Thursday.

March Madness

Nick Momrik1 Comment

Tomorrow marks the beginning of March Madness. The NCAA Men’s College basketball tournament. The Big Dance!

It is my favorite sporting event of the year. I’ll be spending a lot of time over the next few weeks in front of the TV or checking scores at work. I’ve filled out my bracket and I have to admit that it was the toughest year that I can recall for making picks. There is a lot of parity in college basketball, which should make for one hell of a tournament.

GO DUKE!