CHRIS NIMBLEY
Sports Editor

As I am writing this there are still three days left in the NBA regular season; by the time you read this the playoff seeding will be set. As it is right now, the Western Conference is a jumbled mess.
There is no telling who will be the number two through eight seeds in the West. The Lakers are the number one seed; that has been set in stone for some time. As of April 12, Portland, San Antonio and Oklahoma City will be battling it out for the sixth, seventh and eighth seeds, while Dallas, Denver, Utah and Phoenix are fighting for the two through five slots. There is no telling how these last three days will play out and what matchups will come in the playoffs.
What makes this so great is it really doesn’t matter who gets seeded where. Well, not to your average basketball fan; we win no matter what. There are so many different intriguing matchups that it would be impossible to see a potential matchup that wouldn’t be interesting.
The West is loaded with a bunch of great teams besides the Lakers; still, most people seem to think the Lakers will steamroll right through the conference and find themselves back in the championship. I have my doubts about the Lakers, but I also have a hard time seeing anyone beat them in the West.
Full disclosure here: I’m a Nets fan and I have a natural hatred in my heart for the Celtics and Lakers. So, yes, I do have some biases against said teams, but believe it or not the biases will not come into play here.
What happens to me during the course of any sports season is that I root for my team, and those teams have never changed, then if my team is out of it I start rooting for the teams or players I enjoy watching the most. Which means I will be rooting for the LeBrons and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Unless you’re an NBA junkie like me, with the NBA League Pass and two televisions set up next to each other, you probably haven’t had a chance to fall in love with the way the Thunder play basketball. Kevin Durant is quietly becoming the third best player in the league, behind Kobe and LeBron, of course, and your average fan isn’t even aware of this transformation.
The average fan will hear bits and pieces of this type of talk, but will brush it off as pure hype. For those that do I feel sorry for you; you don’t know what you’re missing. The hype is real; in fact, he needs more hype. This kid is only 21 years old and is already going to win a scoring title on a playoff team. He is averaging 30.1 points per game with 7.6 rebounds a game. He is 6-9, but handles the basketball like a point guard, has probably the nicest pure shot since Reggie Miller and has all the confidence in the world. I have watched numerous Thunder games this year and I ‘m shocked at how many times I saw Durant step up and take over a game with ease.
Durant is not the only reason to like the Thunder. They have one of the best young point guards in the league in Russell Westbrook. They are surrounded by a core of young, talented role players, who know their role and do not get in the way of the stars, unlike some other teams built around a superstar and role players who think they can be superstars too.
I will be rooting for the Thunder, but the reality of the NBA is that they are too young to win more than a round or possibly two depending on who they get matched up against, but they could very easily get bounced in the first round. Teams don’t just make the playoffs for the first time and win championships in the NBA; you need to go through a couple of tough playoff defeats before you can move on.
In the East, it’s LeBron I’m rooting for and it is pretty self explanatory. The man is a freak of nature, the things he does, the speed he moves at and the intensity he shows are all enough to leave you in awe, especially when you see him play live. You can’t even begin to imagine the difference in seeing him play live, just the energy he brings into the building is enough to get anyone excited. LeBron is clearly the most dominant player in the league; the problem is his team is terrible, I mean really terrible. He is surrounded by shooters, who continually fail to make big shots when they count and for some reason these people insist on taking the shots instead of just giving LeBron the ball and getting out of his way. Their best offense is when LeBron grabs a defensive rebound, runs up the court himself and 3.2 seconds later is dunking the ball.
The NBA is a star-powered league; there is no real reason why the championship shouldn’t be the Cavs vs. the Lakers, except for the ego of their teammates getting in the way. Artest, you are not Kobe Bryant, even when you were still good you were never Kobe level good, stop pretending you are and get out of Kobe’s way. The same goes for Mo Williams and anyone not named Antwuan Jamison on the Cavs. Watching random Lakers and Cavs games I constantly find myself wondering how these teams can possibly win playing like this; there are so many better teams than them, but there just aren’t many teams that can beat either of them in a seven-game series. Boston is too old and fragile, Atlanta will make it harder than most people think, but they are not getting four wins against LeBron. The Magic could actually beat the Cavs again, but that’s it, nobody else is posing the slightest threat.
In the West, Utah can’t win a road game, Dallas and Phoenix are too soft, San Antonio is too old, Oklahoma City and Portland are too young. In the next couple of years you will see some of these teams - Thunder, Bulls, Bucks, Trailblazers etc. - emerge as powerhouses, but that will have to wait. The moment has passed for teams like the Spurs and Celtics; the time is for Kobe and LeBron, unless Dwight Howard decides he has something to prove. Still, in the end, it will most likely come down to the fact that Kobe will be Kobe and LeBron will be LeBron when it matters and I, of course, will be rooting for the LeBrons.

Baseball
On April 1 the Devils beat Manhattanville College, 14-7. They followed that game the next day by trouncing Delaware Valley College, 13-2. On April 3, the Devils defeated Manhattanville again, this time in a double header, winning both games by the scores of 8-6 and 7-5. The Devils continued their winning streak by crushing Maritime College, 14-1, on April 6. On April 7, the Devils beat Ramapo College, 10-5. On April 9, the Devils extended their winning streak to 11 with a 6-1 victory over Misericordia University. On April 10, the winning streak ended with a 5-2 loss to Misericordia, but the Devils bounced back winning, the second game 6-3.

Golf
On April 1, the Devils finished in 13th place out of 19 teams at the Moravian Tournament. On April 5, the Devils defeated King’s College, 329-343, then later that day they lost to the University of Scranton, 316-329. On April 7, the Devils played Scranton again, this time beating them, 337-359, and they followed that up with a 337-363 victory over Wilkes University.

Softball
On April 2 the Devils split a double header against Manhattanville, losing the first game 5-2 and winning the second 3-1. They also split a double header against Rutgers-Newark on April 8, losing the first, 10-0, and winning the second, 7-2. On April 10, the Devils dropped both games of their double header against Misericordia, losing 7-1 and 7-5.

Men’s Lacrosse
On April 1, the Devils cruised past Alvernia University, 12-5. The Devils then beat up on Misericordia, 13-4, on April 6. On April 10, they won a close game, 9-8, in double overtime against Lycoming College.

Women’s Lacrosse
The Devils lost, 20-10, to The College of New Jersey on April 1. On April 6, they bounced back by crushing Misericordia, 18-4, and on April 8 they earned another big win, defeating Alvernia University, 24-16. On April 10, the Devils won a close game against Lycoming, 8-7.

Men’s Tennis
The Devils lost to Manhattanville, 9-0, on April 1. On April 7, they easily handled Rutgers-Newark, winning 8-1. On April 9, the Devils lost, 9-0, to the College of Staten Island. The Devils then lost to Eastern University, 7-2, on April 10.

- Compiled from information on the FDU Athletics Web site, fdudevils.com

Golf
On March 26, the Devils finished second out of four teams with a score of 337, 10 shots behind Scranton, at the Stevens Invitational. Senior Dennis Kimble shot a team low of 81, while senior Conor Walsh shot an 83 and senior Nick Lambert shot an 85.

Men’s Lacrosse
On March 17, the Devils traveled to San Diego to defeat Ithaca College 12-7. Freshman attack Brian Gill led the Devils with four goals and two assists. The Devils lost to Manhattanville College, 11-7, on March 23. On March 27, the Devils defeated DeSales University, 9-8, in overtime on a game-winning goal by senior attack Kevin Shadiack.

Women’s Lacrosse
The Devils have won five games in a row, first beating Montclair State University, 9-8, on March 10. On March 16, they defeated Savannah College of Art & Design, 18-7. The Devils cruised past Wilkes University with a 12-1 victory on March 22. On March 24, the Devils easily handled Manhattanville College, 14-4, and on March 27, the Devils again won by double digits beating Arcadia University, 16-3.

Men’s Tennis
On March 13, the Devils started their Spring Trip in Hilton Head, S.C., with a 9-0 win over Young Harris College. On March 14, they lost, 8-1, to Frostburg State University. The Devils lost to Mississippi College, 9-0, on March 15. Two days later, they lost 8-0 to Concordia University. The Devils finished their Spring Trip on March 18 losing two matches, first losing 9-0 to St. Norbert College then losing 9-0 to the University of Scranton.

Baseball
On March 9, the Devils defeated William Paterson University, 13-8, in eight innings. On March 13, the Devils started their Florida Spring Trip off with a 7-4 loss to Albion College. They then went on to win the rest of the five games on the Spring Trip. The Devils played a double header at Delaware Valley College, losing one and winning the other. On March 23, the Devils lost to Kean University, 11-2. The Devils beat Wilkes University, 3-2, on March 26. They then played Wilkes University again winning both games of a double header. The Devils crushed The City College of New York, 22-3.

Softball
The Devils started their Florida Spring Trip with a 10-8 loss to Wartburg College and followed it with a 7-5 loss to Bobson College later that day. On March 14, they lost, 1-0, to SUNY Plattsburgh and then lost again, 12-5, to Westfield State College. The Devils got two wins on March 16, first defeating Western New England College, then Franciscan College. On March 17, the Devils lost, 5-2, to New England College and then lost, 6-3, against Bowdoin College. The Devils lost to SUNY Geneseo and were also beaten by Keene State on March 19. The Devils ended their Florida Spring Trip on March 20 by splitting their games, first losing, 7-1, to Wisconsin-Whitewater then beating Carleton College, 5-1. On March 24, the Devils beat Stevens Institute of Technology in both games of a double header in their first games back from Florida. On March 27, the Devils lost both games in a double header against Wilkes University. On March 28, the Devils split their double header against Delaware Valley College, losing the first game and winning the second.

- Compiled from information on the FDU Athletic’s Web site, fdudevils.com.

CHRIS NIMBLEY
Sports Editor

The New York Jets refuse to be handcuffed by the new rules of free agency, which limits their ability to improve their team.
This offseason in the NFL is like no other in the history of the sport. The owners of NFL teams and the players union have been unable to come to a new collective bargaining agreement so we are heading into the 2010 season with no salary cap.
Since 1994, there has been a limit on the amount of money teams can spend to field a complete team. With no salary cap it essentially means teams can spend as much money as they want, giving the wealthiest teams a clear advantage. At first this might seem like an advantage for the Jets, unfortunately because of last season’s success, they and seven other teams have a distinct disadvantage from everyone else in free agency. The difference between this year and the years that predated the salary cap are the rules of the Final Eight that kicks into effect when there is no salary cap.
The Final Eight rule means that the last eight teams playing in the playoffs face restrictions on what they can do in free agency. These teams are only allowed to sign a free agent if they lose one of their own and they can’t pay the new free agent more first year money than the player they lost, which means the Jets must get creative.
In the NFL, teams build championships through solid drafting and key free agent pick-ups. Last year, the Jets were knocking at the door of the biggest free agent, linebacker Bart Scott, the minute they were allowed to talk to him. This aggressiveness convinced Scott that the Jets wanted him more than others and Scott played as much of a role as anyone not named Darrelle Revis in the Jets’ success last year. This year the Jets can’t do that; they are at the mercy of everyone else and can only sit and watch other teams sign the big name free agents.
The Jets general manager, Mike Tannenbaum, has been as aggressive as any other GM over the years and even with his options limited he has shown he will continue to be aggressive. With free agency beginning at 12:01 a.m. on March 5, the Jets made a big move hours before free agency began. They managed to make a trade that will have more of an impact on their team than most, if not all, of the other big name free agent signings that have since taken place and will continue to take place. The Jets sent a 2011 draft pick to the San Diego Chargers for cornerback Antonio Cromartie. Cromartie is without a doubt a top 10, if not top five, corner in the NFL and now he will be plugged into the best defense in the league and asked to cover the opposing team’s second-best receiver. This is clearly a win-win situation; surrounding Cromartie with this type of talent will only make him better and having a top flight corner as your number two corner will only make it that much harder for teams to pass on the Jets.
Last season, the Jets had the number one ranked pass defense and overall defense, but still there were holes that needed to be filled if they want to be able to beat the elite teams like the Colts or the Saints. The biggest reason for the Jets’ defensive success was the play of Revis. Revis has been the most dominating shutdown corner the NFL has seen since Deion Sanders; only Revis can play against the run and actually tackle people - something Deion never did. The Jets’ weakness against a high-powered passing game was that they only had one Revis. When they lost to the Colts it wasn’t because of the Colts’ best receiver, Reggie Wayne, as Revis shut him down all game. It was their inability to cover the other receivers the Colts threw at them. With Cromartie it is hard to imagine Austin Collie or Pierre Garcon consistently slicing through the Jets defense as they did in the AFC Championship game last season.
This one move of trading a 2011 draft pick for one player already has to scare quarterbacks throughout the league. Last season, the Jets gave up just 154 passing yards per game, 30 yards less per game than any other team, at least 50 yards less than all but five other teams. Adding a clear top 10 cornerback to the team has to be giving quarterbacks in the AFC East nightmares, and yes, that includes Tom Brady. Brady and many other quarterbacks were already frustrated with the different schemes and looks the Jets defense gave them. The Jets were able to do these exotic blitz packages because of the presence of Revis. The addition of Cromartie on the opposite side of the field gives the Jets even more room to play with and take chances.
Cromartie is in the final year of his contract so he must perform if he wants to get a big payday and anyone who has watched the NFL knows players tend to step it up in a contract year. He has been a dominating force and a big time playmaker; add him to a team that allowed only 154 passing yards a game and any team that plays the Jets next year will be entering not only “Revis Island,” but what I now call the “No Fly Zone.”

The Devils’ spring sports teams are looking to keep up their winning ways from last year. If preseason polls are any indication, they should be in good shape.
Last season was a success for many of the spring teams and there is hope for improvement this year. The golf team finished with an 8-1 record and won the Freedom Conference Championship, which got them into the NCAA Tournament where they finished 33 out of 36 teams.
The women’s lacrosse team finished last year with a 14-6 record and made it to both the MAC and ECAC Tournaments before losing in the second round of each. The Devils were picked to finish third in the conference in the preseason Middle Atlantic Conference Coaches poll.
The softball team will be looking to improve on their record of 17-17 from last year and look to make it into postseason play like they did the previous four years. The Devils have been picked sixth in the preseason Freedom Conference Coaches Poll this season. They will begin the season on a Florida spring break trip, where they will play their first 12 games.
The men’s tennis team will be looking to rebound from a disappointing 3-11 season and get back to the postseason. The Devils open up their season on March 13 with a trip to Hilton Head, S.C., to play six games.
The baseball team finished last season with a record of 21-14-1 before ultimately losing in the Freedom Conference Tournament. The Devils were picked to finish fourth in the conference by the coaches, but they did get two first place votes as well.
The men’s lacrosse team finished last year with a 13-5 record and beat Widener University, 8-7, to win the MAC Tournament and earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament where they lost to Washington and Lee University, 6-5, in overtime. The Devils were chosen first in the preseason poll and hope to repeat last year’s success by proving the coaches right and winning the conference again.

Men’s Basketball 
On Feb. 8, the Devils beat City Tech, 62-50. The Devils dropped a close game with a 66-64 loss against Misericordia University on Feb. 13.
The Devils then defeated Eastern University, 65-59, on Feb. 16. On Feb. 18 they lost, 78-56, to Manhattanville College and on Feb. 20 the Devils lost the last game of their season to DeSales University, 73-46.

 
Women’s Basketball 
On Feb. 13, the Devils lost, 60-47, to Misericordia University. The Devils beat Eastern University, 49-43, on Feb. 16.
On Feb. 18, they lost to Manhattanville College, 67-53, and on Feb. 20 they lost their last game of the season against DeSales University by the score of 81-52.

- Compiled from information on the FDU Athletics Web site, fdudevils.com

Men’s Basketball 
On Jan. 2 the Devils lost, 70-69, to Regis College. The Devils lost to Lancaster Bible College, 80-67, on Jan. 3. The Devils lost to The College of New Jersey, 86-69, on Jan. 6.
On Jan. 9 the Devils were beaten by King’s College, 79-62. On Jan. 11 the Devils lost, 71-68, to the College of Staten Island. The Devils lost, 73-63, to Manhattanville College on Jan. 13 and then lost, 64-48, against DeSales on Jan. 16.
The Devils lost in double overtime, 86-81, on Jan. 20 against Eastern University. On Jan. 23 the Devils lost, 81-67, to Misericordia University. The Devils beat Lebanon Valley College, 59-57, on Jan. 27. On Jan. 30 they lost, 61-58, to Wilkes University and on Feb. 3 they lost to Delaware Valley College, 78-61. 
 
Women’s Basketball 
The Devils lost to NYU, 86-53, on Jan. 2 and the next day, they beat Brooklyn, 82-75. The Devils then lost, 51-40, to King’s College on Jan. 9.
On Jan. 13 they lost, 64-49, against Manhattanville. On Jan. 16 the Devils lost to DeSales 75-53, but bounced back with a 54-41 victory over Eastern University on Jan. 20. The Devils lost, 74-61, on Jan. 23 against Misericordia University. On Jan. 28 the Devils defeated the College of New Rochelle, 100-28 and followed that up with a 66-46 victory over Wilkes University on Jan. 30. On Feb. 3 the Devils lost to Delaware Valley College, 81-54. 

Men’s Swimming
On Dec. 8 the Devils lost, 107-60, to Drew University. The Devils beat York College, 130-97, on Dec. 10. On Jan. 9 they lost to Messiah College, 128-58.
The Devils lost to Lycoming College, 79-38, then bounced back to beat King’s College, both on Jan. 20.
On Jan. 23 they lost to Lebanon Valley College, 94-76. The Devils lost to Mount Saint Mary’s, 107-70, on Jan. 28.

Women’s Swimming
The Devils split their matches on Dec. 8, first losing to Drew University, 49-46, then beating St. Elizabeth, 69-26.
On Dec. 10 the Devils won both of their matches, beating York College, 94-28, and then beating Sarah Lawrence, 82-39.
On Jan. 9 they lost to Messiah College, 110.50-86.50. The Devils lost both their matches on Jan. 20, losing to Lycoming College, 83-38 and then to King’s College, 64-58.
On Jan. 23 they lost to Lebanon Valley College, 103-84. On Jan. 28 the Devils lost to Mount Saint Mary’s, 111-87.

Compiled from information on the FDU Athletics Web site, fdudevils.com