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Fourth Quarter Press: Cavaliers - Warriors 3 - another classic in prospect

WINTER is finally here. Yes, I am a huge ‘Game of Thrones’ fan and it provides the perfect context for this year’s NBA playoffs and championship scenarios. I’m not going to bore you with the details here, but to say the least, this year’s playoffs

FOURTH QUARTER PRESS: A sports minister to stay the distance

WHILE the appointment of Michael Pintard as Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture has been met with mixed reviews - and even some calls for a ‘wait and see’ approach to his efforts - the Marco City MP has already started work with hopes of getting “a clearer sense of where we are going as a Ministry”.

FOURTH QUARTER PRESS: ‘Take Bahamian culture to the world’ with the Bahamas Bowl

THE Bahamas Bowl was the first major sporting event I covered as a journalist.

FOURTH QUARTER PRESS: Gardiner coming into his own

IN the weeks since announcing changes in coaching and management, men’s national 400 metre record holder Steven Gardiner has made a strong push to keep his name synonymous with the title: ‘world’s best male 400m athlete’.

FOURTH QUARTER PRESS: Lack of funding directed toward development ‘the greatest obstacle to Bahamian athletics’

TO say my last column touched some nerves may be an understatement.

FOURTH QUARTER PRESS: What more can Bahamas do to compete with regional powerhouse Jamaica?

IT’S hard not to look at the success of Team Jamaica at this weekend’s IAAF World Relays - held here in The Bahamas at the Thomas A Robinson stadium - and not ask what more Team Bahamas can do to catch-up with the skill and talent of its regional counterpart.

FOURTH QUARTER PRESS: In the world of sports the government has played well

AS tomorrow marks the dissolution of the country’s ninth Parliament since Independence, it is highly likely that we are closing the doors on what may be the single greatest sporting tenure of any government administration.

FOURTH QUARTER PRESS: ‘Division-by-division breakdown’ of who will win it all in the MLB

WITH a swing and a drive to deep left field, back, back, back, gone - a homerun.

FOURTH QUARTER PRESS: Minister Johnson’s firm stance ‘does more harm than good’

WITH the third instalment of the IAAF World Relays set for late April, I read with great interest the clear “line in the sand” message by Youth, Sports and Culture Minister Dr Danny Johnson in which he declared that local athletes still pondering whether to attend a proposed training camp ahead of the April meet, shouldn’t show up at all.

FOURTH QUARTER PRESS: New England Patriots - ‘Retooled’

THERE is just no better way to say this, the New England Patriots have drawn a line in the sand and adopted the premise, no retreat no surrender, placing the entire league on notice that they are all in for the 2017, 2018 and perhaps the 2019 National Football League regular seasons – the remainder of Tom Brady’s mythical career.

FOURTH QUARTER PRESS: ‘I predict a strong showing in the group stage’ by Rake ‘n’ Scrape boys

IN the weeks since Team Bahamas completed a creditable sixth place finish in the CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship, reports abound concerning some unrest within the squad and a tricky draw for the upcoming FIFA World Cup tournament. Despite this, however, the focus should remain on the bright future ahead for the country’s beach soccer programme.

FOURTH QUARTER PRESS: With UB, ‘one certainly expects a level of improvement’ in collegiate athletics

SYNONYMOUS with colleges and universities the world over is collegiate athletics.

FOURTH QUARTER PRESS: SAC - the class of the private schools on the track and field

NOT sure yet, but maybe, just maybe I might get married over the next few weeks – after all, until mid-march the sports calendar looks bleak to say the least.

FOURTH QUARTER PRESS: Triumphant Tom is the Man - for his team and his mother

MY admiration and respect for Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr is often scoffed at and mimicked by many that know me well, but I am grateful that after a demanding NFL regular season, hard-hitting post-season and, finally, an exhilarating Super Bowl comeback win over the Atlanta Falcons last Sunday, I am not the only one singing and writing about his immense talents and successes.

‘King James has allowed his power to go to his head’

LET me just say from the onset of this article that I fully understand that the most basic dream we all share is to have the opportunity to live a style of life that allows us to live, work and play in such way that we can hardly differentiate between the respective outputs.

FOURTH QUARTER PRESS: ‘Please take to social media and get the momentum going behind Buddy’

LET’s see if I can recall it correctly!

RICARDO'S NFL PICKS: Matt Ryan has had the best year of his career...Go Falcons

Championship weekend is finally here and guess what, my Patriots are ready to square off in their sixth consecutive AFC championship game with a win taking the team to its ninth Super Bowl in team history, a record.

FOURTH QUARTER PRESS: Our sports officials need to be commended

SPORTS officials in the Bahamas are moving in the right direction and they need to be commended.

The ‘Big boys’ are back this week...and I am all in on my Patriots

THE Divisional round is upon us, the ‘big boys’ are back this week and the Super Bowl is just one month away.

FOURTH QUARTER PRESS: ‘This is a great time for golf in the Bahamas’

FOR many, the joys of professional sports and the fandom that comes along with it exist within the win/loss ratios of those we cheer. However, for a country eyeing development on all fronts, success has to be marked by the improvements shown along the route.

RICARDO'S NFL PICKS: Lions ‘a lame duck team’ against Wilson’s Seahawks

TO keep it simple the NFL playoffs are upon us, so if you have one please feel free to break out your happy dance.

RICARDO'S NFL PICKS WEEK 17: ‘It’s going to be a terrific finish to the NFL regular season’

SUNDAY will mark the end of the 2016-17 NFL regular season and it’s going to be a terrific finish.

RICARDO'S NFL PICKS: All I want for Christmas is another good picking week

AFTER a sizzling 15-1 week 15, there is hope.

FOURTH QUARTER PRESS: Watch Ayton advance in an exciting sporting 2017

AS WE bid farewell to the 2016, a year that has been tremendous for Bahamian sporting enthusiasts, it is time to cast our collective consideration to everything on the horizon for 2017. With the flip of the calendar comes a cadre of possibilities.

RICARDO'S NFL PICS - WEEK 15: Hawks and Fins can get my week off to a good start

WHILE I am all one for competition, my performance thus far this year has truly limited my chances of arguing the way I want to at a couple of my favourite watering holes and from the comfort of my barber’s chair.

FOURTH QUARTER PRESS: Don’t panic! Lakers have a real future with their young guns

AFTER a five-game skid heading into last night’s match-up with the New York Knicks, you might be surprised about what I have to say about the Los Angeles Lakers.

RICARDO'S NFL PICKS: Finally, a winning week . . . Now to keep it going

WEEK 13 was good to me. 12-3 good. With this, my second consecutive strong performance - and first winning week for the year - I have officially left last place behind ... and this time for good. Trust me!

FOURTH QUARTER PRESS: ‘Gronk’ may be sidelined but don’t be too quick to count out Brady and the Patriots

WITH the news that Rob Gronkowski is expected to be sidelined for the remainder of the year, all of New England breathes a sigh of regret, while the rest of the league lets out a sigh of relief.

RICARDO'S NFL PICKS: I’m sticking with quick picks to salvage bragging rights

CONSIDERATIONS and politeness now go out of the window.

FOURTH QUARTER PRESS: ‘I just want the world to know Bahamians are on the rise’

IN case you missed it last week, Bahamas native Lourawls “Tum Tum” Nairn and his Michigan State Spartans touched down in the capital as a part of the 2016 Battle 4 Atlantis - giving many local basketball fans something to cheer about.

RICARDO'S NFL PICKS: Vikings, Cowboys and Steelers can make mine a happy Thanksgiving

I KID you not. My struggles with picks over the last couple of weeks have been so severe that I have started to question the context in which I view sports, in particularly football.

RICARDO'S NFL PICKS: First SuperBowl winners under President Trump will be the Patriots

MY, oh my. As I write this week’s picks column I realise I have been away for two weeks on vacation, and arguably, mentally away for four of the last five weeks due to the circumstances associated with the passage of Hurricane Matthew.

RICARDO'S NFL PICKS WEEK 9

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

RICARDO'S NFL PICKS: WEEK 8

TONIGHT Jaguars

RICARDO'S NFL PICKS: Even the Packers can get it right against the bumbling Bears

THE aftermath of Hurricane Matthew kept me from commentating in my picks column last week. The week before, with the storm approaching the Bahamas, the picks were done a day early.

FOURTH QUARTER PRESS: Sports can bring a welcome distraction after Matthew

AS sports in the Bahamas has taken a back seat to Hurricane Matthew and the repairs in its aftermath, I have been speculating on how much of a hit sports across the country has taken due to this storm.

RICARDO WELLS: NFL PICKS WEEK 6

SHORT AND SWEET:

FOURTH QUARTER PRESS: Clear benefits of being in the presence of sporting greatness

THE presence of the Miami Heat in the Bahamas over much of the last week was a sight for sore eyes.

RICARDO'S NFL PICS: Wentz, Prescott benefit from new protection rules

LIKE so many other persons tasked with picking NFL games, I am still working to decode the mystical secrets of this season’s style of play.

RICARDO'S NFL PICKS: Vikings will feel the pain missing injured Peterson

THAT injuries are always the most important plot point of an NFL season is a certainty and this year is no different.

Olympic success must inspire a system of excellence

AS it is no secret that most of the country’s national sporting bodies are attempting to build quality programmes, capable of both improving and expanding their respective disciplines, track and field through its parent associations is no different.

RICARDO'S NFL PICKS WEEK 2: ‘My Patriots got a big win last week so I’m overjoyed’

THEY said the Pats without Tom, without Gronk and with all the other issues had no chance down in the desert last week.

Bahamians should learn not to shoot the messenger

IF enough of us speak, someone is bound to hear. If enough of us speak, someone will listen. If enough of us speak, someone will be influenced. If enough of us speak, lives can be changed.

RICARDO WELLS NFL PICKS - WEEK 1: ‘Thankfully, the NFL is finally back because the last seven months have been truly depressing’

IF it was ever said, claimed by myself or anyone on my behalf, that I was fine and content without football, let me just clear that up right here, right now.

Rams aim to bring back the glory days in LA

Ricardo Wells looks at a gamble on the NFL’s new bright lights . . .

FOURTH QUARTER PRESS: Putting the pride back in youth/high school sports

A COUPLE of weeks ago I took a break from my regular, nuts and bolts reporting to discuss the growth and development of sports - in a broad sense - in the Bahamas. The feedback from that piece has inspired me to go a step further and urge an extensive re-branding and re-formatting campaign for youth/high school sports in the country.

FOURTH QUARTER PRESS: Double talk casts a shadow over Shaunae’s golden moment

OVER the last week I’ve lived on two extremes. On one end I was convinced that, without a shadow of a doubt, had Shaunae Miller wanted to, she should have been allowed to run; and on the other, no one person is bigger than the entire team.

‘Team Bahamas has underperformed in Rio’

IT was back in May, more specifically a string of days running from the end of May into the start of June when I first thought to myself that the development of local sports and athletes were suffering as a result of limited funding.

FOURTH QUARTER PRESS: Buddy blazes a trail for wannabe Bahamian sports stars

SHORTLY after 9am, the point to prove is that they belong on the court with him.

FOURTH QUARTER PRESS: Time to focus on the Boys of Summer

IN a few short months we have become friends.

FOURTH QUARTER PRESS: Fans need to separate the performer from the person

HAS THE game changed before our eyes?

FOURTH QUARTER PRESS: How basketball can make fools of us all

I HAVE been tasked with the job of putting a nice, neat, properly-tied bow on the 2015-2016 National Basketball Association (NBA) season.

FOURTH QUARTER PRESS: ‘It is my honest belief that tonight’s Game 6 will end the NBA season’

I WRITE this week’s column with a sense of finality.

FOURTH QUARTER PRESS: Bring on ‘Iggy’ and stop the Thunder roll

BACK-to-back, three games in four nights, long road trips and short home stands all are contributors to the way teams play on a night-to-night basis during the NBA’s regular season.

FOURTH QUARTER PRESS: Thunder making a big post-season noise

IN the midst of all the Warriors, Cavaliers, Spurs clutter it seems that many expert lost the ‘Thunder-size’ talking point over the course of the 2015-2016 National Basketball Association (NBA) season.

Curry’s MVP award adds spice to talent argument

STEPHEN Curry is officially the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) first unanimous Most Valuable Player

FOURTH QUARTER PRESS: Lakers put their faith in Walton and youth

THE announcement that the Los Angeles Lakers have hired Luke Walton, a former standout player for the team, as its new head coach has set the National Basketball Association (NBA) abuzz and left many experts to speculate further on the future direction of the team.

FOUR QUARTER PRESS: Injuries taking toll on Warriors and the Clippers in playoffs

WHOEVER’S job it was to wish and pray for a good playoff tournament in the NBA this year ... that person clearly forgot to show up for work this post-season.

FOURTH QUARTER PRESS: A ‘lacklustre’ first round in NBA playoffs

THE NBA playoffs are officially underway, with all eight of the first-round series through two games.

FOURTH QUARTER PRESS: Farewell Kobe, inspiration of my young life

Strangely enough, it took the man that facilitated Jordan’s success, Phil Jackson, to inspire Kobe’s drive. No, don’t misconstrue my narrative: Jackson didn’t make Kobe or Jordan - he enabled them.

FOURTH QUARTER PRESS: The greatest guard of all time? Only one answer - Allen Iverson

Ask any guard at any level of the game today which player inspired their tenacity and effort.

FOURTH QUARTER PRESS: What’s the buzz with ‘LA LA in Lakerland’?

THE NBA has been a buzz this past week with the defending world champions, the Golden State Warriors, pulling even closer to the 96’ Bulls’ 72-win campaign; Lebron detailing a wish to play alongside some of his generation’s best players, a kid making a mad dash to hug Carmelo, Kyrie Irving’s supposed “ex-girlfriend” and last but certainly not least – the “LA LA” in Lakerland.

FOURTH QUARTER PRESS - On Guard: ‘Splash Brothers’ defensive ineptitude can no longer be overlooked’

ENTRENCHED in the fictional world of one of the largest television shows going today - Game of Thrones - there exists this notion that no person, notwithstanding their power, riches or brilliance is safe.

FOURTH QUARTER PRESS: Dream draft can revive lowly Lakers

SLOW down: it’s the first week of March and yes, the Los Angeles Lakers are - at best - tanking in hopes of securing a high pick in this year’s draft.

RICARDO'S NFL PICKS: Conference Championship

TRENDING on trends seems to be the newest trend.

RICARDO'S NFL PICKS: Divisional Playoffs

Redemption for Palmer, Seahawks to end Panthers’ dream season

IT’S certainly clear that everything the 2015-2016 NFL season lacked, last weekend’s wildcard round made up for.

RICARDO'S NFL PICKS: Wild Card Round

A ‘pitiful’ finish in our weekly ‘pick-em’ challenge

THE season is done and to celebrate my last place finish in our weekly “pick-em” challenge here at the Tribune I channelled my all time favourite football related rant.

RICARDO WELLS NFL PICKS Week 17

Vikings to join the playoff party as the door closes

THIS week brings with it a sobering but eager mood. The 2015-2015 NFL regular-season will draw to a close, narrowing down the field of 32 teams to 12.

RICARDO WELLS NFL PICKS: Week 16

Time to show who is top of the NFL class

IT IS week 16 in the NFL and that means finals. No, this isn’t like the finals weeks we all remember from college, definitely nothing like that.

RICARDO WELLS NFL PICKS: Week 14

Like me, Johnny Football is back . . . except he is going to lose this week

IF YOU recall, a few weeks back I completely packed in my picks segment and dedicated myself to my Patriots.

RICARDO'S NFL Picks Week 13

Brees and home comforts might blow Panthers over at last

THIRTEEN NFL teams now hover at one game above or one game below .500 ... Wow!

RICARDO'S NFL PICKS

Bye bye Carolina’s perfect record - I’m going with the Cowboys

BYE WEEKS are done, it’s turkey day, football is on and, most of all, the NFL playoffs picture is starting to become clearer.

RICARDO'S NFL PICKS WEEK 11

What is it with this topsy-turvy season?

LAST weekend gave me a pretty good view of the parody that exists in the NFL.

RICARDO'S WEEK 10 NFL PICKS:

Jets flying high on top-ranked defence

BEFORE we jump into the picks this week, let’s take a moment to celebrate and cheer the week that was. There were high quality games all around, late-game heroics and, in a couple of instances, gut-wrenching plays.

RICARDO'S NFL PICKS Week 9

Not even Johnny Football can chalk one up for the Browns

ANOTHER frustrating weeks in the books, 7-7 through the 14 games played around the league last week pushing me to 66-53.

RICARDO WELLS NFL PICKS Week 8

‘A week when football logic goes completely out the window’

WHO do I lash out at in a week when the logic of football goes completely out of the window?

RICARDO WELLS: NFL PICKS WEEK 7

WHO WILL BE KINGS FOR A WEEK IN NFL’S GAME OF THRONES?

THERE has to be some creative spin or detailed marketing plan under development in the NFL’s league office to describe this season.

RICARDO WELLS NFL PICKS WEEK 6

Colts face Brady backlash over deflate-gate

I AM not going to vent my frustration with my five loses form Week 5. I am not going to mention how Seattle, Kansas City and Baltimore all lost games in the fourth quarter or overtime; games they were leading most of the way.