Alex McVeigh

Alex has written 148 posts for How To Watch Sports

I am 25 years old, I live in Northern Virginia, and in real life I am a newspaper reporter. I graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in English, and I was a substitute teacher for a few months before becoming a writer.

I am somewhat of an oddity as a sports fan. I love the Boston Red Sox and I hate the New York Yankees. I love the New York Giants and I hate the Dallas Cowboys. I love the Dallas Mavericks and I hate the San Antonio Spurs, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Golden State Warriors, the Miami Heat (UPDATE) and the Orlando Magic.

My favorite players are Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Youkilis and Eli Manning in approximately that order. I think Alex Rodriguez, Tony Romo and Dwyane Wade should burn in hell. I don't like Tim Duncan, but goddamit I respect him.

I am not a fair-weather fan. I liked the Red Sox pre-2004 (don't believe me, ask me where I was or how many things I broke after the 2003 ALCS), the Giants pre-Super Bowl XLII, and the Mavs post-2006, 2007 and 2008 (do I sound like a bitter Mavs fan yet?).

ESPN pisses me off to no end. They love to fan the flames of controversy, and they will give as much airtime as possible anything that is controversial, while at the same time ignoring things that true sports fans enjoy.

I also enjoy music, comedy, and fine cigars.

All other details of my life are quite inconsequential.

Please feel free to e-mail me with questions, comments, suggestions and/or arguments at: ajmcveigh@gmail.com

Alex McVeigh's most recent articles:

Caught You Looking: The NBA Playoffs’ Four Biggest Surprises So Far

By Roger Pimentel, Alex McVeigh, Sam Orme and Kyle Flanagan ⋅ May 21, 2010 ⋅ Post a comment

The Lakers and the Magic are in the Conference Finals, and that’s according to the script. But not much else has gone as planned in the NBA Playoffs.

NBA Free Agency: Too Much Cap Space and a New CBA Could Lead to Trouble

By Alex McVeigh ⋅ May 18, 2010 ⋅ Post a comment

As the NBA heads into a major free agency summer, the teams that have a lot of cap space could overpay a mediocre free agent. With looming changed to the collective bargaining agreement, this could be trouble for a lot of teams.

The NBA’s Summer of Change, Part II: LeBron James Planning a Coup?

By Alex McVeigh ⋅ March 17, 2010 ⋅ 3 comments

A coup is defined as: A) a quick, brilliant and highly successful act; and B) a takeover of one group by another. Both of which LeBron James is capable of.

The NBA’s Summer of Change, Part I: John Wall and the Point Guard Generation

By Alex McVeigh ⋅ March 1, 2010 ⋅ 3 comments

John Wall is this year’s LeBron James in the draft. But with so many lottery teams already set at the point guard position, it’s likely that Wall will shake things up more than people realize.

No News is Good News: Why NBA Coaches are Essentially Worthless

By Alex McVeigh ⋅ January 18, 2010 ⋅ Post a comment

Every sport has their legendary coaches, but in basketball the legendary coaches seem to bounce around more than most. And that’s why I’m here to let you in on a little secret: coaches are essentially useless.

Know Your Role: The NBA’s Evolving 6th Man Position

By Alex McVeigh ⋅ December 9, 2009 ⋅ One comment

The NBA sixth man is an important part of any team, but it’s not a demotion, as some would think it to be. It’s strange that they keep track of starts when finishes are much more important.

The Shoulders of Giants: A Look at the NBA Center

By Alex McVeigh ⋅ December 1, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment

The NBA center. Along with a quarterback and the ace of your pitching staff, the center is what most teams live and die by. The center ideally plays night in and night out, clogging the lane, dominating the boards, tipping in errant shots and blocking opposing shots.