Archive for March 5th, 2012

WATERCOOLER CHAT: KOBE BIG NIGHT,SAINTS BOUNTIES,REJOINING

BASKETBALL

In the NBA, the Los Angeles Lakers were hosting LeBron/Wade and the Heat.  The Heat have been playing very well as of late, but dropped a nail biter against the Jazz in Utah.  Plus, the final of the member of the Big 3, Chris Bosh, has been out for the last 3 games because of a death in the family.  Could they do it without him?  Kobe is the guy who usually rises to the occasion in big games — ESPECIALLY on his home court.  Plus, this was Kobe’s first rematch against Dwayne Wade since Wade broke his nose in the all-star game, causing him to wear a face mask.  So it was no surprise that Bryant put up a whopping 33 point night.  The Lakers had this game pretty much the whole night, and ran away with it in the 4th quarter.  The Heat may actually have some holes in their armor.  LA Lakers 93, Miami 83.

FOOTBALL

Elsewhere, in the NFL, a big story broke this weekend about the New Orleans Saints.  They put the franchise tag on Drew Brees, pretty much securing him for the rest of his career, but that wasn’t even their biggest story.  No, the Saints reportedly put bounties on vicious defensive hits under their defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.  What does this mean?  Essentially, Williams would pay players if they had a big hit that caused an injury to a key player.  So if a defensive back took out, say, Brett Favre, he would get a $1500 bonus after the game.  And that… is definitely against NFL rules.  On top of this, Williams admitted that it was true, and said it’s something he shouldn’t have done.  The NFL will meet with Williams this week to discuss consequences.  And now it’s reported that they will also look into the Washington Redskins, who MAY have instituted a similar program. 

Finally, also in the NFL, two guys will re-join their respective teams.  First up, the Seattle Seahawks have signed Marshawn Lynch to a 4-year deal.  Marshawn was a lackluster running-back in Buffalo, but when he joined the Seahawks he became an absolute beast.  He gave Seahawks fans an especially memorable long-run against the Saints in the playoffs 2 years ago (breaking about 6 tackles).  Now, he will remain a Seahawk for at least the next few seasons.  And, in Buffalo, wide-receiver Stevie Johnson has signed a 5-year deal to remain a Bill.  Johnson has been the most effective Bills receiver in years, and had a wonderful chemistry with quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. The Bills are a team on the rise, and having Johnson there for veteran leadership is only going to make them better. 

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