FEINGA FINDS NEW HOME

Crimes don’t always happen at gunpoint in the middle of the night. Sometimes they happen on NFL draft day when some of the best players are overlooked by the media and NFL brass from Phoenix to Flushing Meadows and end up fighting their way through tryouts to make a roster.
Former BYU Cougar Ray Feinga was robbed on draft day, but thankfully the former Utah Mr. Football and All Mountain West standout spent a tumultuous summer in St. Louis where he was eventually waived by the Rams on July 1st. He travelled back to the west coast for a brief stint with the Chargers who waived him just before the regular season.
Feinga has been on the east coast in Miami since December 12th and has impressed the coaching stuff enough to work his way into a possible two-year deal with the Dolphins.
Feinga joins recently signed Hawaii alum Ikaika Alama-Francis who spent the past two years on the Detroit Lions defensive front before signing with Miami last month.

Ngata’s less than winning smile

A lot is being said about Baltimore Ravens DT Haloti Ngata’s ear to ear grin after a 15-yard penalty for a personal foul in their game against Pittsburgh on Sunday, December 29^th. But Ngata, the former Highland High school star and University of Oregon All-American drafted in the 1^st round by the Ravens in 2006 has openly admitted that it was a reflex reaction to the personal foul.

"I was thinking that it was a stupid penalty, and I was just basically laughing at myself that I could do something that dumb.

"That's pretty much why I was laughing, because that was the only thing I could do."

Alright, who hasn’t reacted similarly when faced with that kind of situation? For those who know Haloti personally we all know that though he plays with a mean streak, he not a malicious guy and he had no evil intentions even though it is hard to keep a level head when you’re team is stinkin’ up the field.

Take heart Haloti, I’m sure that by the time you’re working on your tan in Honolulu at your very first Pro Bowl, it will all be forgotten. At least by everyone outside of Pittsburgh.

Baltimore Ravens Adult Comfy Throw Blanket with Sleeves

NBA - 1st ROUND PREDICTIONS

Seti Matua
www.twitter.com/aganoa

This week the NBA opens the first round of the play-off’s with some intriguing match-up’s along with a few long-standing rivalries. There are a few series’ that have already been determined depending on which fans you ask (UTAH-LAL) while others may turn out to be as competitive as they’ve always been (SPURS-MAVS). Here are my predictions. Take ‘em for what they’re worth.

EASTERN CONFERENCE
Chicago Bulls – Boston Celtics
With the revelation that head coach Doc Rivers may sit Celtic Center Kevin Garnett for the post-season, the Bulls’ chances of moving beyond the first round just got better. But the advantage is not significant enough for Bulls to outpace Boston. The Celtics won the season series 2-1 and even without their star Center, they still have enough talent to yield the same result. The defending champs will be pushed, but the Bulls will eventually succumb thanks to experience and an ample amount of weapons. BOSTON in SIX

Detroit Pistons – Cleveland Cavaliers
This series will last as long as the Cav’s want it to last. LeBron “King” James and crew torched the Pistons during the regular season 3-1. The Pistons will miss the contributions of Guard Allen Iverson and their ailing and aging trio of Tayshaun Prince, Antonio McDyess and Rasheed Wallace are no match for James, Anderson Varejo and Zydrunas Ilgauskas. CAVS in FIVE

Philadelphia 76ers – Orlando Magic
Another quick one as long as the Magic live up to their 59-23 regular season record that put them atop the Southeast. The X-Factor in this game is Hedo Turkoglu. With a lot of the Sixers’ attention focused on Dwight Howard, Turkoglu’s inside-outside abilities will be too much for reliable defender Andre Iguodala. But you may want to factor Turkoglu’s ankle injury. MAGIC in SIX.

Miami Heat – Atlanta Hawks
This series is a toss-up. Even though the Hawks got the better of the Heat during the regular season (3-1), you can never count out the tenacity of Dwayne Wade. The Hawks pushed eventual champs Boston in their meeting last year and have steadily improved ever since. The Hawks have to put up a lot of shots to make up for their sporadic offense but their defense has been consistent. HAWKS in SIX.

WESTERN CONFERENCE
Dallas Mavericks – San Antonio Spurs
It’s the rivalry in the Lone Star State that has provided great play-off moments in the past. They split the regular season 2-2 but the Spurs have a slight edge with Tony Parker’s speed and Tim Duncan’s solid inside presence. The Mavs’ Jason Kidd has had his moments of brilliance against Parker but for the most part the Spurs’ guard has been the better of the two. SPURS in FIVE

Houston Rockets – Portland Trailblazers
It’s the battle of the four and five seeds but I still think the Rockets have the slight edge in this contest. Yao Ming is the only significant injury (foot). It will be interesting to see the match-up between Yao and Portland’s Greg Oden, the latter being the more athletic in this contest. The Rockets have experience and history on their side, but the young Trailblazers have been surging and will make things difficult for the Rockets. ROCKETS in SEVEN

Utah Jazz – Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers absolutely demolished the Jazz in their last meeting (125-112), setting the precedent for things to come. Ronnie Brewer is an emerging talent but he has to be spectacular in this series to contain Kobe Bryant. Carlos Boozer has struggled in the play-off’s and I’m willing to wager that he’ll do the same this year. The Jazz will be on vacation before long. LAKERS in FIVE

Denver Nuggets – New Orleans Hornets
This game will come down to the backcourt. The Hornets’ Chris Paul is their biggest offensive threat but Denver’s Chauncey Billups is every bit as lethal and distributes the ball evenly to his big scorers Carmelo Anthony and Kenyon Martin. The Hornets have a number of injury concerns with Center Tyson Chandler the biggest worry (ankle). The Hornets will provide a few scares for the Nuggets, but in the end, Denver will be too big and too experienced for Paul and crew. DENVER in SEVEN.