The Dandy Divisional Round Recap

By Austin Ngaruiya The football gods blessed us with a glorious weekend of football. Let’s recap, shall we?    Not Your Average Joe The Baltimore Ravens went into Mile High Stadium and stole a game from the Denver Broncos, 38-35, in double overtime. Joe Flacco outplayed Peyton Manning down the stretch, on the road, in a playoff game. No, I am not making this up. This game was an NFL Films dream: frigid temperatures, Peyton Manning versus Ray Lewis, a lot of scoring and even the rare double overtime. In the first half, the Broncos’ offense enjoyed a holiday break when wide receiver Trindon Holliday returned both a punt and a kick for a touchdown. The Ravens answered with a Torrey Smith assault on Champ Bailey. Smith burned …

The New Landscape of the NBA’s Western Conference

  Tony Parker's buzzer-beater shot against the Oklahoma City Thunder By Austin Ngaruiya Before the 2012 season, every NBA expert and non-expert thought the Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder were on a collision course for the Western Conference Finals. Everything has changed. The Lakers have fired head coach Mike Brown, after their first 1-4 start since 1979. Brown’s new Princeton Offense has made their superstars look less than super. It has become so bad that Laker kingdom celebrated their first win over the winless Detroit Pistons like it was the 2004 Finals. On the other end, their defense looked worse, and there was a clear lack of effort. This is ultimately what led to Brown’s demise, along with Kobe’s Death …

2012-2013 NBA Preview

By Austin Ngaruiya There are sounds of sneakers, swishes and fans booing David Stern. Ahh, the NBA has returned. When we last saw the NBA, the Miami Heat were being crowned champions and an enormous monkey was lifted off LeBron James’ back.  In last year’s playoffs, LeBron morphed into Optimus LeBron with astonishing averages of 30 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists per game. He was truly unstoppable. The scary thing is, after winning three MVPs, and a Finals MVP, LeBron might truly be just entering his prime. Now that his championship pressure is gone, look for LeBron to stay in Optimus Lebron mode and have another monster MVP season. Teams in the off-season were very busy trying to make acquisitions that could help them …

Hipster’s Guide to the NBA

By Austin Ngaruiya Are you tired of seeing Lakers and Heat highlights? Do you think that the Clippers and Thunder have become too mainstream? Then you have come to the right place. Here are a set of teams that will not get the national spotlight, but will be fun to watch this season. Portland Trailblazers Portland is home to one of the most rabid fan bases in the entire league; this year they will truly have something to cheer for.The Blazers chose guard Damian Lillard with the sixth overall pick. Lillard led the entire NCAA in scoring, but was not very exposed because he played at Weber State University, a small Division I school. So far, Lillard’s game has translated well in the NBA. He showcased his skills in the NBA Summer League …

The Dallas Cowboys: America’s Terrible Child

By: Austin Ngaruiya Have you ever seen a child throw a tantrum in a public place, but the parents do not seem shocked or even the least bit embarrassed? Bystanders may react, but those parents have already accepted that their child is terrible because of previous public tantrums. The Dallas Cowboys have become that child. On Monday night, the Dallas Cowboys lost to the Chicago Bears 34-18 behind Tony Romo’s five interceptions, with two leading to touchdowns.  The first two interceptions were a product of errors on the receivers. The third was due to a breakdown in protection and the final two were Romo forcing the ball into coverage. Leave it to the Cowboys to make interceptions a team effort. Over the past 40 years, the Dallas …

The Metta World Peace Inner Monologue

The thoughts of Metta World Peace during the James Harden incident By: Austin Ngaruiya Everyone seems to be confused about Metta World Peace’s actions during the Lakers-Thunder game. It's safe to say World Peace has a screw or two loose, and that he is not always in control. We will never truly know what he was thinking during that vicious elbow he gave James Harden, but here is a good guess: Whoa, Kobe just passed me the ball, and now I have a one on three fastbreak; I have to take advantage of this. I can’t mess this up like I have before... I think Justin Beiber is here and I want to impress him. The basket seems pretty far away, I’m not sure I can keep my dribble for that long. Alright, almost there, but Kevin Durant is …

The Free Agent Quarterback Carousel

A satirical overview of the off-season quarterback free agent moves. By: Austin Ngaruiya A fellow named Peyton Manning became a free agent in the offseason. All but a handful of NFL teams were in need of his services. However, after some thought, Manning narrowed down his list to the Titans, Dolphins, Niners, and Broncos. Titans’ owner, Bud Adams offered Manning a 100-million dollar contract, 10 percent of the franchise, and some undisclosed benefits in his after-life.  However, Peyton said no because he found them a bit too clingy. The Dolphins made a run at Manning but did not put forth enough effort, leaving them much like they were with the rest of the 2012 free agents, in the “friend-zone.” Then there came the Denver Broncos; …

Tim Tebow: MVP of Christianity

By Austin Ngaruiya In every generation there is an athlete that transcends sports, or in this case spiritual realms. However, Timothy Richard Tebow may be the best thing that has happened to Christianity in a long time. Tim Tebow was born to missionary parents in the Phillipines. He grew up having a very strong faith, and he has never been shy about it. Tebow attended the University of Florida, where he played quarterback. While at Florida, he was a Heisman trophy winner, and a two-time national champion. However, he was not expected to have successful NFL career because of his awkward throwing motion. Nonetheless, the Denver Broncos used a first round draft pick on him. In games this year, Tebow had the tendency to be awful for …

Tim Tebow: MVP of Christianity

By Austin Ngaruiya In every generation there is an athlete that transcends sports. However, in the case of Timothy Richard Tebow, that includes the spiritual realm as well. And he may well be the best thing that has happened to Christianity in a long time. Whether you believe that Tim Tebow is a competent NFL quarterback or not, there is no doubting his devotion to his faith. In a league with players of questionable character, Tebow can be found on the sidelines singing “Lord I Lift Your Name on High.” Throughout the game you will see Tebow go down to a knee and pray. This has become so common that it has turned into a national trending phenomenon called “Tebowing.” “Tebowing” is the act of going to one knee no matter what …

PUC Mid-Season Momentum Finds First Season Wins

By James Shim As most students here at Pacific Union College were heading home for the holidays, the men’s basketball team was extending their stay to play a few more crucial games. Despite the frustration and adversity they have faced up to this point in the season, the Pioneers persevered and showed heart as they went 3-3 in a six game stretch that spanned from December 17 – January 12. The Pioneers could not have found their momentum at a better time. They are in midseason, and the remaining games left are all conference games. The Pioneers, who are 1-2 in CALPAC play, look to improve on that record before the CALPAC Tournament, which begins on February 22. The Pioneers have an ample amount of time to improve their conference …