Sports fans love to brag about their trivia knowledge. Many of the facts out there are pretty commonplace, almost shameful if you don’t know them. Whether it’s Babe Ruth’s career home run total, Michael Jordan’s jersey number, or anything else like this, they’ve become a part of pop culture.

Interestingly enough, there are plenty of obscure facts out there that happen to be just as impressive, interesting, and entertaining, as any of the more obvious ones. Let’s have a look at some of these examples. It’ll give you some great bait for parties.

For example, Duke Farrell, a former professional catcher, once threw out 8 men trying to steal a base in one game. Might as well have credited him with the win, that’s 8 outs he caused and 8 potential runs he saved.

During a 1966 tennis match between Rodger Taylor and Wieslaw Gasiorek at the Kings Cup, a total of 126 games were played between the two. Eventually, officials insisted upon a draw.

Many players in recent years have served above 130 MPH, a few above 140, and a select few above 150, but Michael Sangster of England served 154 MPH in 1963, all done with a wooden racquet.

The summer olympics are the most watched sports event in the world, followed by the World Cup. What comes next? Any guesses? Don’t even try, because you’ll probably never get it. It’s Formula One Racing.

The longest drive in the history of golf was hit by a British man by the name of Edward Bliss in 1913. He was only 182 pounds at the time, and more impressively, was just 50 years old. This drive went 445 yards.

Bill Veeck, former owner of the Cubs, hired midgets to serve food in the stands. His reasoning was that no fans would have their views of the field blocked.

Shaquille O’Neal’s shoe size is a 22. All of his sneakers are specially made for him and his huge feet.

In ancient Japan, there were contests held on a weekly basis to see who could fart the loudest and the longest. How’s that for a weird sport?

Satchel Paige, a former Negro League baseball player, pitched at 59 years old as a Major League baseball pitcher. Many say he was one of the greatest pitchers to ever play the game.

Los Angeles Lakers: The key here will be can Ron Artest and Kobe Bryant play nicetogether? We all assume Bynum, Gasol, Odom, and fisher will play as they did last year. Trevor Ariza surprisingly was the sleeper last season and Ron Artest doesn’t seem to be a good fit. Yes, he has amazing defense and he is big but Ariza understood his role was to be a pesky defender, shoot the long ball, and challenge the perimeter player to beat him to the rim.

Artest often takes over games and likes to be the focal point of his teams. This won’t be possible in LA as long as Kobe Bryant is on the court. The adjustment in roles may be an easy shift for Artest, but if he doesn’t take well to it, things could be murky come playoff time. Regardless, the Lakers should easily win their division during the regular season.

San Antonio Spurs – The knock on the Spurs has been their affinity to injuries, and the fact that both Duncan and Ginobili are on the other side of 30. The window for this team closes each year, but Jefferson and McDyess should give this team a much needed burst of life. This previously shallow team suddenly became much deeper with these two, and the Spurs are the favorite (if there is one) to dethrone LA.

Dallas Mavericks. It seems like this team always enters the season with high hopes, only to quietly exit during the first round of the playoffs. With some big additions in Shawn Marion and others, Dirk and Jason Kidd have a nice core in place now. Josh Howard’s effectiveness will be a question mark, and the development of Barea will be key.

Boston Celtics – I believe that the Celtics’ best days are behind them. The only improving forces on the team are the young players in Rondo, Perkins, Powe, and Davis, but this isn’t enough to offset the decline of players like Garnett, Allen, and Pierce, all one year older. Rasheed Wallace should definitely improve the team, but there’s much competition in the East this season and I don’t think he’ll be enough.

Cleveland Cavaliers: Cleveland, you are expected to make those Kobe/LeBron ABCpuppet commercialsuseful come June 2010. No excuses will be accepted. You lost nobody and gained a bunch. Williams and West will continue to be one of the topduo of guards in the league. Varejao will need to prove he was worth 50 million as he did against Orlando in the Conference Finals last year. His flaw is he cannot defend the outside which reallyhurt Cleveland last year. He needs to reinventhis defense to cover the perimeter.Shaq, will need to be Diesel and not “Dwight you stole my name and my All-Star spot”. Shaq will need to cut out the T.V. antics and really focus because he is not the Shaq he was in L.A. in his late 20′searly 30′sIlgauskas will be upset but have to realize the team wants to win a championship and he is not the starting center to get them there.

There’s not much of a bench in Cleveland at all, but I’m not so sure as to how much they really need one. Bench players may see 15 minutes or less per game, and the starters should jump this team out to some big leads that the bench really only needs to worry about preserving. Cleveland could definitely go all the way in 2010.

Orlando Magic. The victors in last year’s Eastern Conference finals knocked out both Boston (though without Garnett) and Cleveland, to the surprise of many. They’ve lost Hedo Turkoglu and Courtney Lee, both valuable pieces, but the additions of Vince Carter, Matt Barnes, and Brandon Bass should more than make up for that in the eyes of most. Vince Carter’s impact on a team is questionable seeing as how the Nets have fallen from grace these past few years, but with the right fit, the Magic will look better than before and remain the team to beat in the East.

When you take a look at the Western Conference, it seems as if the Lakers are at the top, with San Antonio not too far behind. The three to eight seeds are literally unpredictable, especially with the amount of free agent signings thus far during the off season.

What role will Greg Oden take on in Portland? Oden’s role with the team and his health/effectiveness are probably the biggest concerns on anyone’s mind. Oden seems to get hurt at the drop of a pin, and his fragility may be a key issue to the team’s success.

The rest of the world realizes this about Oden’s fragile state and believes he’ll be injured virtually every season. Oden has shown flashes of maturity and development, and his game seems to be progressing. A healthy Oden could be key to the team’s success, bringing Portland basketball to another level.

Most critics will say that one should expect Oden to miss significant chunks of every season of his career, but time will tell about Oden’s state. Regardless, Oden’s defensive presence is very valuable to the team, and would go a long way in building a successful season in Portland.

The young, inexperienced core of the Blazers team is another concern in Portland. Most of the players on the team have only played in one NBA playoffs, and that was last season, the first time the Blazers made it since 02-03. The lack of experience could limit the team’s potential.

Many Western Conference players and teams have years of playoff experience, and this goes a very long way come April, May, and June. Portland has nothing of the sort at this point in time and may take a few years to acclimate.

As far as Miller’s impact is concerned, there’s no doubt that most believe he’ll improve the team. The bigger question at hand is the extent to which his presence will impact things.

The Portland team matches up with Los Angeles really well. Miller is a stronger point guard than Derek Fisher, Bryant obviously wins over Roy, Artest is stronger than Outlaw, and Gasol is stronger than Lamarcus Aldrdige. Odom and Bynum is up in the air, but the point is that all match-ups are close. Things could get interesting.

The Trail Blazers signed Andre Miller, adding a steady veteran presence to the mix at the point guard position. Many are now wondering if this means that Portland will be the third-best team in the Western Conference behind the Lakers and the Spurs…and further, whether the team stands any chance against the Lakers and Spurs. A few questions come to mind.

Today the Portland Trail Blazers offered veteran point-guard Andre Miller a three-year, $21 million deal ($14 mill guaranteed, and a team-option for the third year) The major question now is IF Miller does accept the contract (in which his agent, Andy Miller, stated he will), do the Portland Trail Blazers emerge as the three seed in the West and if so, can they compete against the big and bad Los Angeles Lakers? A few things need to be taken into consideration regarding to the Blazers team as a whole.

How about Greg Oden’s effectiveness? He missed the entire first season with a knee injury, and had some injury issues to deal with last season, but was pretty effective when healthy and his skills progressed rapidly.

Another question on the minds of many is the youth of the Portland team. While there’s plenty of talent to go around, the team is still young and inexperienced. Portland made its first playoffs in 6 seasons last year, and this was the first playoffs appearance for virtually everyone on the team.

When compared to teams like San Antonio and Los Angeles, players like Duncan , Ginobili, Parker, Bryant, and Gasol win in the experience department hands down. This lack of big time playoff experience could be a limiting factor in Portland.

Compare that to the Lakers, and Kobe Bryant has played in more playoff games than the Blazers entire roster (175 career playoff games). Obviously Portland is very inexperienced, but if their young talent can override their lack of playoff experience, they definitely have a chance at contending for the title.

If Andre Miller signs, does he bring this team into contention with the Lakers? Last season the Blazers posted a 2-2 record against the Lakers. With an improved point-guard in Miller, do the Blazers have such an overpowering advantage at the one position to beat LA?

As far as match-ups against the Lakers are concerned, Miller is stronger than LA’s point guard, but the team is mostly stronger than Portland otherwise. Portland does play well against Los Angeles, so it’ll be exciting to see what happens from here.

It’s a funny thing in the NBA. Both Cleveland and Boston seem to have forgotten about the team that beat them in the playoffs just two short months ago. Both teams are insisting that they’ll make the NBA finals, and cite each other as their biggest obstacles. Ironically, the team that knocked them both out has quietly improved.

In Cleveland, all of the focus is on Shaquille O’Neal having joined the team and the impact he’ll have there. In Boston, everyone’s looking at veteran Rasheed Wallace’s presence there and the effect he’ll have on the team, especially in the event of an injury. At the end of the day, the Magic are looking as good as they did last year, and better. Here’s a rundown as to the situation there:

PG. Basically right where they left off. Rafer Alston was a savior in Orlando, and carried a team that otherwise might have flopped without the presence of Jameer Nelson during a breakout season. Nelson is back, and Orlando will be in a good place.

PF. Rashard Lewis will pick up where he left off (after his suspension, of course), but the position is deeper here than it was last year. Tony Battie has always played hard, but Brandon Bass is simply stronger, younger, faster, and more valuable. Adding to some more depth, Ryan Anderson is a legitimate threat from three point land and should be an interesting complement to Lewis’s abilities.

C: Business as usual. Dwight Howard at center is about as much as any NBA team could possibly ask for. Backing him up will be Marcin Gortat.

SG. While the team isn’t exceptionally strong at the point, both Pietrus and Barnes are talented players and most teams would be very happy to have them as their “weakest starter”. JJ Redick is improving too. Slowly, but steadily.

SF – Most magic fans were upset Orlando did not throw 10 Million a year at Turk but that was before they knew Vince Carter was coming. Carter is an upgrade at the SF position. He can shoot the 3 ball as well as Turk. He can handle the ball as well as Turk. He can create his own shot better than Turk which is something Orlando lacked last year. He will provide a deeper threat freeing up Dwight Howard from double teams. He can jump over most centers which will create more dunks off points and put more teams in foul trouble which Turk could not. He is shorter but I think that sacrifice was well worth it. Bigger is not always better. He can pass the ball as well as Turk. He is 32 and Turk was 31. He is a 8 time All-star player and Turk was a 0 time All-star, even though he should have been one in 2007-2008. Vince also has better defense.Vince was a major upgrade at SF.

So again, why are the Orlando Magic underdogs? Because they let Turkoglu and Courtney Lee leave? They have upgraded at their positions on all levels. This unit makes the Magic more versatile. They still have shooters but now they have adding play-making abilities and rebounding to their arsenal of talent. The Eastern Conference still belongs to the Magic and will be the team to beat in the East.

5. Dwyane Wade – It was hard to come up with my #5 here. I love Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki, I think that Kevin Durant is quickly on the rise, and believe that Kevin Garnett is still elite. But Dwyane Wade had an amazing 2008-2009 campaign, having led the NBA in points per game.

While Wade may turn over the ball more often than most players at his position, Wade really bridges the gap between point guard and shooting guard for the Heat, so this is forgivable. The fact that the Heat went from the joke of the NBA to a decent team in one season speaks volumes about Wade’s presence.

4. Dwight Howard – Superman has assumed the role that Kevin Garnett occupied about 5-10 years ago. A dominant big man with a build that allows him to move as quickly as a small forward does. While he shoots free throws like Shaq, he’s improving in this department.

Having brought his team to the NBA finals, Howard’s talent speaks volumes. The league’s best rebounder and shot blocker will improve all facets of his game during the next few years. That’s just scary.

3. Chris Paul – Easily the best point guard in the NBA, and will be considered one of the game’s all-time greats by the end of his career. While his team struggled a bit last season, short of David West, there’s probably less talent on that team after these two than there is on any team in the NBA. Paul’s assists, steals, rebounds, and points all speak for themselves. Arguably the best ball handler in the NBA too.

2. Kobe Bryant – Some may criticize me for putting Kobe at #2, and not #1. After all, he led his team to an NBA championship this past season. But hear me out. He’s still an incredible player, make no mistake about it – but his numbers have slowly begun to decline. At 30 years old, this is to be expected.

As for the NBA title, his supporting cast (Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom) was more than LeBron had on his side. Give LeBron Pau and Lamar, and he’ll bring home a ring too.

1. LeBron James – James will continue to get better with each season, and will learn from any failed efforts in his quest for a championship. The strongest player in the NBA today won his team and amazing 66 games in 08-09. The LeBron James era is in full effect.

Veteran point guard Jason Williams”nicknamed White Chocolate earlier in his career for his flamboyant play”is returning to the NBA after a season away from basketball. Williams announced that hes re-entering the league this season, and will do so in an Orlando Magic uniform.

Williams signed a one year NBA contract to play for the Los Angeles Clippers in 2008, but walked away from it without playing a game wanting to spend time with his wife and family. His attempt to be reinstated late in the season was rebuffed by the NBA, and he ended up sitting out the entire campaign.

Ultimately, he settled on Orlando due to its proximity to his home in nearby Isleworth, Florida and the role the Magic wanted him to play on a championship contender. Magic General Manager Otis Smith provided these comments on the signing:

“Jason provides depth and leadership to our backcourt. He is a veteran point guard that knows what it takes to help us reach our ultimate goal.”

When asked to reflect on his NBA and college career”marked by several suspensions and countless other controversies”Williams sounded a philosophical tone:

“Let me tell you this: If I could go all the way back [to the beginning], I wouldn’t do a damn thing different. I know I messed up here and there along the way, but those things I didn’t do right helped me become the person I am now.”

Williams played a crucial backup role during the Miami Heats 2005-2006 NBA championship run, and will be expected to play a similar function as the Magic try to get over the hump and unseat the reigning NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers.

5. Dwyane Wade – It was hard to come up with my #5 here. I love Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki, I think that Kevin Durant is quickly on the rise, and believe that Kevin Garnett is still elite. But Dwyane Wade had an amazing 2008-2009 campaign, having led the NBA in points per game.

His turnovers were a bit high, but no one’s complaining. Wade definitely won his team far more games than they would have won without him.

4. Dwight Howard – The big man led his team to the NBA finals last season and seems to be on the way up. His turnovers are on the way down, his free throw situation is (slowly) improving, and he’s a rebounding and blocked shot machine.

Howard was best in the NBA when it came to both rebounds and blocked shots in 2008-2009, and his 57.8% field goal percentage was one of the best in the NBA. Howard is simply a beast.

3. Chris Paul – Arguably on his way to becoming one of the best NBA point guards of all-time, CP3 seems to get better with each year. Leading the NBA in both assists (11.0) and steals (2.6) is no laughing matter. At just 24 years old, it’s scary to think about where he’ll be at his peak.

2. Kobe Bryant – Some may criticize me for putting Kobe at #2, and not #1. After all, he led his team to an NBA championship this past season. But hear me out. He’s still an incredible player, make no mistake about it – but his numbers have slowly begun to decline. At 30 years old, this is to be expected.

Kobe has more talent around him than James does in Gasol and Odom (and now Artest). Bryant will remain one of the game’s best for the next few years, but LeBron James is improving with each season, pushing him ahead of Kobe on my list.

1. LeBron James – No championship in Cleveland yet, but he’ll get his eventually. If you swapped LeBron and Kobe, I can undoubtedly say that the Lakers would still be champions. Probably even more dominant than now, because LeBron’s numbers are pure gold. What he does for an otherwise miserable team in the Cavs is simply remarkable.

And just like that, all of the Lamar Odom speculation is over.

Lakers fans celebrate the extension of their valuable forward, while the Heat wonder what could have been had they succeeded in signing Odom. Additionally, the fact that they didn’t sign Odom is a legitimate blow to the team’s chances of extending Wade after his contract expires this season.

And what does this signing do for LA’s chances of repeating as champs? Are they now guaranteed another championship? As I’ve stated before, I believe that the Lakers would have been the best in the league with or without Lamar Odom.

With ESPN now reporting that Odom will re-sign a four-year, $33 million deal with Los Angeles, there is no possible way any professional NBA analyst can rank the Lakers anywhere else besides on top of the totem pole.

With Odom intact, the Lakers now have an extremely dangerous foursome of Odom, the newly signed Ron Artest, Pau Gasol, and Kobe Bryant. I’m not sure there’s a better combo of four players on any single NBA team. In fact, I am sure. There’s no better combo out there.

Put that all together and this organization is stronger than Arnold Schwarzenegger in his body building prime. Is it even a question that the Los Angeles Lakers will repeat during the upcoming season?

With a roster that is so experienced, dynamic, and such well-coached, the only thing stopping the Lakers from making a third consecutive appearance in the NBA Finals would be if Bryant decided to retire mid-season. Although a few contending Western Conference teams have bulked up during the offseason, not one is even close to stepping onto the Lakers supreme level.

This Lakers team should win more regular season games than it has in any recent years. I wouldn’t be surprised to see somewhere between 68 and 71 games. Very little stands in the way, short of major injury. Anything can happen, but I predict a repeat in Los Angeles.

What’s great about being a fan of any sports team is basically sharing the experiences that the entire organization goes through season by season. Obviously you do not talk to the GM’s, owners, or players on a regular basis or even discuss your opinions and thoughts with them at all. But throughout the entire season and playoffs (if your team is fortunate enough to make it there) you get a feeling of attachment as if you were just another player on the roster, conversing your ideas with the team.

When things go well you shout stuff like, “That is why I love this team, there is no organization better than us.” And when things go wrong you scream and yell things like, “Wow, how can they be so stupid?…If I was the coach that would have never happened!” But nevertheless, you support your team through thick and thin to the fullest.

Each and every team is surely different and unique in their own way, and for the Orlando Magic, if you had to summarize their story in one word, it would be “Underdogs.” Taking it back real quick to the beginning of last years playoffs and the Magic headed into the postseason with not many NBA analysts on their side. After surpassing the Sixers, the Magic headed into Boston as the underdogs (even with an injured Kevin Garnett on the sidelines).

Despite their injury issues, many still favored the Celtics to surpass the Magic in their series. Between the home court advantage, the veteran experience in Boston, and the inexperience in Orlando, the Magic were written off early in the series. Against Cleveland, no one gave the team a chance, despite the fact that the Magic had won the season series against the Cavs. Orlando quieted the doubters with a run to the NBA finals, their second since the mid 90s.

Aside from the momentum that any NBA finals run brings, Orlando has bolstered its roster tremendously during the off-season. Vince Carter is one of the top players in the league, and the threesome of Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis, and Vince Carter will undoubtedly be one of the strongest in the NBA. Building around them, the team has made some nice moves, with the addition of Matt Barnes, Ryan Anderson, and Brandon Bass, all of whom are capable of building around these All-Stars and strengthening the team all around. Rashard Lewis will sit out the first three weeks of the season due to a substance abuse violation, but the team remains strong as ever nonetheless.

Many might see this as a major problem, but all is calm in Orlando. The team will be just fine without him.

With Lewis sidelined for almost an eighth of the season, the Magic seize a perfect opportunity to mess around with their roster and see who fits in well and where. It gives players like Matt Barnes, Mickael Pietrus, Brandon Bass, Ryan Anderson, and Marcin Gortat an outstanding chance to step up their game and not only help themselves in the long run, but the entire Magic team as well. Taking the Lewis situation as if it were an injury and the Magic can already honestly say that they have enough productive role players on their bench to fill the shoes of their starting All-Star without running into much of a problem whatsoever.

Now how many other contending NBA teams can genuinely say that if they lost one of their starting All-Stars for 10 games, there team would not be heading for disaster? None.