Russell Westbrook to Have Surgery, Out Indefinitely

This should shake up the playoff picture, especially in the Western Conference. Oklahoma City point guard Russell Westbrook will undergo surgery later today to repair a torn meniscus in in his right knee. The Thunder guard injured his knee in the win over the Rockets on Thursday night in Oklahoma City. As of now there is no timetable for his return to the team, and he is listed as being out indefinitely for the  Thunder's playoff run. For the Thunder, this is a huge blow for their playoff hope as they lose their second best player to a torn meniscus. They could be in serious trouble without a legit scoring option alongside Kevin Durant, and are now vulnerable to being upset in the Western Conference playoffs when before this news it seemed like a consensus that the West was the Thunder's for the taking. Now who will step up to get the points that Westbrook brought to the table, and more importantly who will create enough problems for defenses to take some of the pressure off of Durant?

With a 2-0 lead over the Rockets in the first round, the Thunder should have no problem finishing off that series and advancing to the second round, but from there it starts to get dicey for the defending Western Conference champs as they lose a superstar point guard. The Thunder now become a lot less athletic and explosive with Westbrook in a hospital bed and could easily falter when they face the Spurs, or the Clippers. Can Kevin Durant carry them to the Finals again this year without a legit scoring partner to help him? I highly doubt it. And if he somehow carries this team to the NBA Finals, his reward will be getting swept by the Miami Heat in an unbelievably lop-sided series. All talk of the Thunder beating the Heat this year was just absurd to begin with, and now with Russell Westbrook out you can forget even the small chance that they had to pull off the upset against Lebron and crew.

Bring the Honey Badger to Cincinnati

Since as long as I can remember rooting for the Bengals, the have been searching for a play maker on defense. A dynamic difference maker who can change the momentum of a gave around in half a second, and can get the crowd going wild with a huge hit or interception return for a touchdown. Basically they have needed an Ed Reed, a Charles Woodson, or a Troy Polamalu. Well there have been many names to wear the stripes that gave us hope they could be just what we are looking for. Players like Jonathan Joseph, Odell Thurman, Keith Rivers and Rey Maualuga. While some of those guys had success in the orange and black, none of them lived up to the billing of the X-factor that the team and fans wanted. Well now, that player is out there in the draft, and the Bengals should pounce on him while they can. He is a player known for being a ball-hawk and a dynamic return man as well as laying big hits on quarterbacks and receivers alike. He is the definition of a play maker.

His name is, The Honey Badger.

You may know him better as Tyrann Mathieu, the LSU corner back who terrorized the SEC for three years and wreaked havoc on the most talented offenses in the nation. Not to mention his ridiculous ability as a punt and kickoff returner and you have the recipe for one hell of a player in the NFL. While he has been looked down upon for being kicked off the LSU squad after failed drug tests, lets not act like he murdered someone. He is a kid who made a mistake, and if Cincinnati can keep Pacman Jones in check then taming the Honey Badger will be a walk in the park for this coaching staff. He is likely to slip in the draft because of his off field issues and the Bengals would be crazy not to jump at the chance to draft Mathieu. The guy is an absolute monster and a terror in the open field once he gets the ball. Take a look at his highlight reel form LSU which is TEN minutes long:

You're telling me you wouldn't love to see that guy in orange and black on Sundays? Yeah right. If the Bengals pass on this guy, it will come back to haunt them for years to come. He is fast as anyone on the gridiron and can make a spectacular play out of thin air. He will grow up and the staff will keep him under control like they have done with so many others who have come to Cincinnati with checkered pasts and when he gets on the field he will immediately be a difference maker. He would fit right in with a stacked defense with the likes of Geno Atkins, Leon Hall, Pacman Jones and Carlos Dunlap.Mark my words, this kid will be on a mission to shut up every single one of his critics and I have no doubts that he will. If this beast ends up playing in Paul Brown stadium, may god have mercy on the rest of the AFC north. 

Make it happen Marvin. 

 Bring the Honey Badger to Cincinnati. 

Reds Report: Bullpen Struggles, Cueto to the DL, and Brandon in the Clutch

Since my last Reds Report, the Reds season has been a bit frustrating, along with a lot of exciting and encouraging moments. After winning the first two series against the Angels and Nationals, the Reds were swept by the Pirates before coming home to win the first of three in comeback fashion against the Phillies. During the abysmal Pirates series, the bullpen blew leads and gave up big home runs late in the game, and our ace Johnny Cueto went down with a strained muscle in his back. The bright spot recently has been the Reds' all-star second baseman Brandon Phillips who has been on fire in recent games.

The biggest complaint this year has been the bullpen, and in particular Dusty Baker's questionable decision making when it comes to relievers. We saw J.J. Hoover pitch in what seemed to be every single game to the point where you thought his arm was due to fall off. He started the year solid but has been overworked and has since struggled. This is all on Dusty. You cant run a guy into the ground less than a month into the season, especially when he is a young am and you have the most loaded bullpen in all of baseball. We also saw Jonathan Broxton brought in to face the middle of the Pirates lineup after not pitching for over two weeks. That simply cant happen if you expect your relievers to be productive at all. How can Dusty run guy into the ground at the same time as he keeps another guy on the bench to get ice cold? It seems like a simple problem to solve for a major league manager.

At the beginning of the year the Reds could have had arguably the best rotation in the National League led by Johnny Cueto and Mat Latos. Now that rotation could be in some trouble as the Reds placed Cueto on the 15-day DL with a strained muscle in his back that he suffered in his last start. This is a nightmare flashback for Reds fans after seeing Cueto go down in the first game of the playoffs last year. With that fresh in the memories of fans this hurts, but wont de-rail the Reds season entirely as he is expected to make a recovery this year and the Reds have other viable pitching options for their rotations. Lefty Tony Cingrani is expected to be called up to make Cueto's next start and has been lights out in triple-A Louisville in his first two starts. Cingrani will fill the void while Cueto is gone if he can hold it down and if he impresses could even steal away the fifth starting spot in the rotation away from Mike Leake.

With a lot of disappointing things and injury news, there is also a bright spot for our Redlegs, and his name is Brandon Phillips. BP has been up to his usual gold glove tricks at second base, turning amazing plays that seem to be routine now in GABP. But Brandon has also been golden at the plate, especially when the club has needed his bat most. In Pittsburgh he hit not one, but two game tying home runs when the Reds were down which is about as clutch as it gets even though the Reds eventually lost that game. Two nights ago, after Bronson Arroyo gave up a game tying home run to Chase Utley, Phillips was visibly upset in the dugout and was told by Dusty Baker that h would have his chance to win this game. Dusty predicted correctly and Brandon came up with two men on and promptly hit a two run single to give the Reds a lead they would keep for the rest of the game. He celebrated with as much raw emotion and heart as you will ever see from a guy who cares more about this game than just about anyone. Keep knockin em in BP.

Lance Berkman Knows What's Up

I haven't been shy in the past about not being the biggest fan of Lance Berkman when he was with the Astros, and then the St. Louis Cardinals. Now with the Texas Rangers, his career seems to be winding down to the home stretch but that didn't stop Lance from unleashing his feelings recently when asked about playing at Wrigley Field in Chicago during the Rangers' upcoming road trip as well as his opinion of playing there during his time in the NL Central. . Lance said something today that is so right on point that I have to give him his due for it. Here's the quote from the Big Puma about playing in Wrigley Field in Chicago:

"If they’re looking for a guy to push the button when they blow the place up, I’ll do it ... Chicago’s one of the worst places in baseball … really for anything."

Bingo, Jack.

Its no secret to anyone in baseball that Chicago Cub fans are no doubt the scum of the earth when it comes to our national past time. From thinking this is their year every year, to being scared of a goat, to making poor Steve Bartman's life a living hell for no reason, to pouring beer on players and opposing fans, and basically being the worst kind of sports fans that were ever created by the baseball gods. They are the worst and for some reason they seem to be everywhere. They are the cockroaches of the baseball world.

These fans inhabit a ballpark that matches their wretched ways and has been outdated for about 25 years now. No video boards, no replays, a lack of light that makes it difficult to schedule night games which make for awful annoying mid week and Friday 2:30 starts that are out of place in the modern baseball era. The place has screamed for a renovation or to be torn down for years now and finally something is being done. But Lance is spot on with this quote and there is nothing good that could ever come from the un-friendly confines of old broken down Wrigley Field. And don't forget about the seagulls. The seagulls are the worst.

Keep preaching that truth for us Lance.

Nerlens Noel Will Enter the NBA Draft

After an ACL tear ended his freshman year at Kentucky, the flat-topped big man will officially enter the NBA draft and forgo his sophomore season at Kentucky. Noel is the consensus number one pick on every major outlet's board and seems to be the only sure thing in this draft class that could be one of the weakest in recent history. Noel was the top recruit coming into last year and his projection as the number one pick isn't a shock to anyone as he showed more NBA level talent in his shortened season than anyone in college basketball did all year long. Nerlens carried this underachieving Kentucky team all the way up until he tore his ACL, which of course happened on a hustle play where he blocked a shot. That play tells everything you or any NBA GM needs to know about the kid. He plays all out and has incredible ability on the defensive end.

For Noel, this was a no-brainer to leave for the NBA draft. While his college career didn't end the way he wanted and had to be hard to accept for a kid who genuinely loved the Kentucky program and fans, he simply cant pass up being the number one over all pick. Next year's draft will be loaded and could be the greatest ever so there was no lock he would be a consensus number one pick next June. If he had decided to come back, it would have been a festivus miracle for the Kentucky fans, but the best choice for him is to turn pro and everyone knows it.

On a team last year that showed little heart and effort at times, the one guy who brought it every single night and left everything he had on the court was Nerlens Noel. He played with a fire in his stomach and a chip on his shoulder and the Kentucky fans (including myself) will always remember and love him for that. This kid really loved his time at UK and fully embraced the fan base. There aren't very many kids like him and BBN will always appreciate him. On an underachieving team, Nerlens was the best player on the floor every night and he will always have a place in the Kentucky basketball pantheon.

Good luck in the NBA big fella.

Go Cats.

Ohio State Gives Players Rings for Winning Absolutely Nothing

Did Ohio State hire Tom Crean away from Indiana and I missed it? No, that's just old Urban Meyer giving his players some championship worthy jewelry for winning exactly NOTHING last season. Yup you read that right. They didn't win a national championship nor did they even win a bowl game. In fact they didn't even play in a bowl game, because the program was banned from bowls in 2012. So how does Urban reward the program for their violations? With rings of course! Maybe next they will all get free tattoos to commemorate a wonderful bowl banned, violation riddled season of Buckeye football! Seriously though come on Urban. They even had the audacity to put "champions" on the front of the rings. Oh please. This is supposed to be a top tier program in college football and this simply cant be taken seriously. OSU should be above this and as a past champion Urban should know better than this.

Honestly though what should we expect from a school that hid the violations it committed for so long after knowing about it and then invited the coach responsible for those punishments back into the stadium and onto the field the very next year. That is absurd. These rings however are even more of an absurd move than that one. Given that OSU could actually have a shot at a national title or at least a big ten title, why give players these nonsense rings? If you really believe you could win something that is worthy of handing out the jewelery, then go and earn these rings. Unless you hold up a crystal football at the end of the year, you have zero business wearing a championship ring on your finger.

You didn't win a single thing last year Ohio State. You got yourself in trouble, then more trouble by covering it up that led to the bowl ban. You brought that on yourself and to hand out these rings is on a whole other level of classless and shows just how much of a lack of self awareness that there is around the Buckeye football program.

Brutus should be ashamed.

Kobe Bryant Out for the Year with Torn Achillies

Well it looks like a fitting end to an abysmal Lakers season, as the man who has kept them afloat suffered a torn achilles tendon last night in a win over the Warriors. Kobe Bryant went down in the second half and it was immediately apparent he was injured as he collapsed at the top of the key and grabbed in pain at the back of his left ankle. Kobe will have an MRI in L.A. today to confirm the tearing of his achillies, but it seems like a sure thing from the reports coming from the Lakers and their medical staff. If that is so, Kobe will be done for the rest of the regular season, as well as the playoffs although with their leader going down to injury, it looks very unlikely that the Lakers will even make it into the playoffs in the Western Conference at this point.

With Kobe going down, this will likely be the end of the road for this 2013 Lakers team that has done nothing but disappoint all year long. The only one holding this team together was Kobe, and without him they have no leader and more importantly just about no one who can score at will the way Bryant has been recently. You think a whiny Dwight Howard is going to lead his team to the postseason? Or an insane Ron Artest? No way. The Lakers might as well back their bags and start planning their vacations, and as for Lakers' coach Mike D'antoni, he could be fired at the year's end or he could choose to walk away from the job. Rumors are that he was miserable for months before this injury and with his last hope of salvaging the season going out with a torn achillies, that will likely be the last straw. If D'antoni is back in L.A. next year there is a better chance he is the Clippers' coach than the Lakers'.

Reds Report: Opening Day, Replacing Ludwick, and Choo's Future

Well opening day has come and gone in Cincinnati and opening night is now upon us for the beloved Redlegs. Lots happened in the first real game of the year against the Halos, and it left us with some unanswered questions moving forward. One game in and there is already lots to discuss in this edition of the Reds Reports.

As I said, opening day has come and gone and it ended with a loss. We did get a lot of free baseball on Monday afternoon as the game went into extras before the Angles' Chris Ianetta doubled in two runs in the thirteenth off of J.J. Hoover and that was enough to do the Reds in. The Reds struggled all day at the plate with the exception of Shin Soo Choo who was on base three times, and scored the Reds only run on a wild pitch in the 8th inning. Johnny Cueto looked to be the ace of this staff once again as he pitched an outstanding game, only throwing one bad pitch which Ianetta deposited into the left field seats. That was the only run given up by Cueto and he looked lights out the rest of his outing.

As the Reds scored their only run in the 8th, some very bad things happened on the same play. Ryan Ludwick jammed his shoulder sliding in to third and has now been placed on the 15-day DL with reports coming out that he could be out until the all-star break. Its an awful break for Ludwick and the Reds as they now have to make a roster move to replace Ludwick. Chris Heisey will likely get the bulk of playing time and is a solid replacement player. If I were Dusty I would use Heisey and his spectacular defense in center, and slide Shin Soo Choo over into left field where he is more comfortable. The Reds may call up Dennis Phipps or Derrick Robinson as they were the last to outfielders cut in spring camp, but we could also see Donald Lutz called up to be a fourth outfielder and add some power to the bench.

With Ludwick hurt, the question pops up again as to who will be the Reds left fielder moving forward. They have some decent outfielders in the minor leagues, but no one who is pushing to take over the left field spot any time soon. With Billy Hamilton likely taking over in center next year, the Reds should seriously consider re-signing Shin Soo Choo not as a center fielder, but as their left fielder. Choo is a much better fit in left, and would keep a guy on the team who gets on base like crazy and also has a good amount of power in the small confines of GABP. Sign Choo long term now and let Ludwick go at the end of the year if Billy Hamilton is as far along as he should be. Hamilton will be in center for the next ten years if he lives up to the hype, and Choo in left for the next four years would fill a hole that has been a question mark ever since Adam Dunn was traded in 2008.

The Reds will face the Angels once again tonight at Great American Ballpark for opening night. Mat Latos will look to wrap up the Reds first win of the year and get off to a good start to a season of high expectations for him. He will face C.J. Wilson in his first match up, first pitch is tonight at 7:10.

Prayers to Kevin Ware

Like most everyone, I watched last nights elite eight game between Louisville and Duke. From the outset I was actively rooting for Duke. As a UK fan I was forced to root against the Cards and the beginning of the game was extremely intense and it looked like we were in for a hell of a game. Then it all changed. Louisville guard Kevin Ware went up to block a shot and landed awkwardly. That was how the most gruesome injury I've ever seen televised on a sporting event happened. In that moment I was almost sick as he lay there and CBS showed the replay one more time before deciding it was best not to keep showing it. Suddenly everything was different.

As I watched Louisville players openly weep and collapse after seeing Ware's injury and at the same time seeing Rick Pitino wipe tears from his eyes the game didn't even seem to matter. The game that was on  such a big stage suddenly was pushed to the back burner. Duke players teared up and turned away and even coach K looked like he may pass out. The disgust of the injury turned to profound sadness on the face of the Louisville players as they wept over their teammate. He told them not to worry about him and just kept repeating over and over for them to go win the game. The level of awareness for Ware to say that in that moment is immense. For ten minutes the game was put on hold and not one person cared about starting it again.

When the game resumed both teams were visibly shaken, and seemed preoccupied just as anyone would. Soon it became apparent that Louisville simply wasn't going to lose that game. They weren't letting Ware go down in vain and they were going to do just what he told them to do. Win the game. It wasn't an intense elite eight game anymore, it was a game that Louisville was going to win plain and simple and even the Duke players looked to know it. As a fan, I stopped rooting for Duke after the injury. I stopped rooting for any team, and just like everyone who was watching I was rooting solely for Kevin Ware. Schools, and teams, and games aside, everyone was rooting for that kid in that moment. Rivalries be damned, we were all with him.

I'll stop short of saying I'm going to be rooting for Louisville in the final four, but how can anyone root against them after the heart they showed after seeing a teammate and a brother go down in a brutal way like Ware did. I may not be a fan, but those players sure earned my respect last night and anyone who says otherwise doesn't have a heart. I wont speculate about his recovery, or his future as a basketball player but that team showed me and the rest of college basketball something special last night.

As a fan, a writer and a human being, I send prayers to Kevin Ware, his family, and his teammates through his recovery. I wish the best for him and hopefully we will see him back on the court in college basketball so he can get the ovation from fans that he deserve for pushing his teammates to that win, even though he couldn't be out there with them.

The Flex's Opening Day Preview

Finally. The wait is over and today at 4:10 the baseball season officially begins. Yes there was a game last night, but baseball doesn't truly begin until it is opening day in Cincinnati. No one in all of Major League Baseball does opening day better than the city of Cincinnati. That's just how it works. Football season is over, even if ESPN doesn't realize it, and its time to start talking some baseball. Spring is here and the first pitch from Johnny Cueto is just hours away. With opening day finally here, I have a few things to go over to get you ready for some baseball here on The Flex.

First of all, like I said before, opening day begins in Cincinnati. First pitch is at 4:10 today as the Reds take on the Angels. There has been a lot of talk this off season about the star studded Angels team adding Josh Hamilton. Hamilton joins an already dynamic lineup that features Albert Pujols and rookie of the year Mike Trout. Add Mark Trumbo in there and you have the potential of a lot of runs on the board in L.A. For Hamilton it will be his first visit back to Great American Ballpark since he was playing center field for the Redlegs before he was traded to the Texas Rangers in exchange for Edinson Volquez. I expect the fans to give Josh a very warm welcome as he was very entertaining while in Cincinnati, and showed as much heart to gt back to the big leagues with the Reds as I have ever seen. Lots of fans, including myself, enjoyed his time as a Red and will always root for the guy. Now as for the game, the much hyped Angels are going to show that just throwing talent together doesn't always produce results. Remember, L.A. didnt even make the playoffs this year and they are going to run into a freight train when they have to go against Johnny Cueto on the mound, and a Reds lineup that is loaded as well, at the plate.

Outside of Cincinnati there are a few games on today's slate that jump out immediately. The defending champion Giants take on a very well paid L.A. Dodgers team where we will see Matt Cain and Clayton Kershaw go at it on the mound and plenty of star power at the plate in Matt Kemp, Carl Crawford, and the newly rich Buster Posey. Kemp will likely make some noise and Posey could have a good day but the big question mark to watch in this game is Carl Crawford. Crawford could return to form and steal bases like old times, or he could show up like he did in Boston and go 0 for 4 in his Dodger debut. Another game that sticks out is the Braves taking on the Phillies at 7:10 tonight. The Phillies are a huge question mark on this season as Ryan Howard and Chase Utley have returned to all-star form this spring, for whatever that is worth. On the Atlanta side they have a new pair of Uptons after signing B.J. Upton this off season and trading for Justin Upton late this winter. Along with Jason Heyward they make up one of the most talented outfields in recent memory and it will be interesting to see if they can make a splash on opening day.

The last note here on opening day is our new branch here at The Flex that we have added. We have created The Flex: Live, a live tweeting account on twitter where myself and Glenn Tyson will be live tweeting the biggest sporting events throughout the year. Follow along for our insight and ridiculous thoughts on the games as they happen. Our first Flex Live event will be today as we live tweet the Reds taking on the Angels at GABP. Starting at 4:10 we will be following along with the action and tweeting our usual nonsense and observations until the last out. Follow @TheFlexLive to follow along with us and make the opening day festivities even more enjoyable.

Happy Opening day everyone.