Archive for the ‘ Sports ’ Category

What USA Baseball Should Look Like in the World Baseball Classic

Although it is about a year away I was just thinking about the World Baseball Classic (WBC). The random thought came to my head because I wondered why the USA never puts on a good showing in the WBC. We have a lot of great players that are born here and yet it seems we never send the cream of the crop players.  I know it is by spring training and everyone is cautious of injuries but where is the sense of pride toward our country. This is America’s pastime, we invented this game. Yes, there are many very talented players from countries like the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Japan. Those countries always tend to send their better players and we usually don’t send the talent to match those teams.

I wondered if I could have all USA baseball players at my disposable, similar to the way soccer does for their international games, who would be on my team. Well not only did I make a graphic but I have reasons why and other potential candidates to fill these positions.

Catcher – As much as I hate to admit this being a Dodger fan but the clear choice here has to be Buster Posey. He is the best hitting catcher in the league and he can hit pretty much anywhere in the lineup. Not only is he a great power hitter, but he can hit for average as well. Mike Napoli and Brian McCann are also options but I don’t think they bring the same level of play that Posey can.

First Base – Another one that I don’t like to admit as a Dodger fan but I think Mark Trumbo would be another great choice. He is a great power hitter and thru 111 games this season he has matched his home run total (29) from last year playing 149 games, plus his BA. is 30 points higher,  his OBP. is 45 points higher, and his SLG. is 66 points higher. Prince Fielder and Mark Teixeira are other options but Teixeira is getting a little older and Fielder is a defensive liability he could be more of a mix in the DH category.

Second Base – This one is a toss-up because I think both are a great choice but it has to be either Ian Kinsler or Dustin Pedroia.  Kinsler and Pedroia are both great players, they both have speed and power and you wouldn’t really go wrong with either one. While neither one is having a career best type of season they’re still solid all-around and are less of a defensive liability than Dan Uggla. Young upstart Jason Kipnis might be able to throw his name into the hat with his great season for the underachieving Cleveland Indians. Second base isn’t deep with talent outside of these few players and the best second baseman in the league, Robinson Cano, who would play for the Dominican Republic.

Shortstop – Troy Tulowitzki has to be the choice here despite being hurt and playing for a Rockies team that hasn’t put up much of a fight this year. The talent pool at shortstop isn’t what it once was when the best three American shortstops were Derek Jeter, Nomar Garciaparra and Alex Rodriguez (even though A-Rod chose to play for the Dominican a few years back). JJ Hardy is also another great option but when Tulowitzki is healthy he is an MVP-caliber player that averages around 30 HR and 100 RBI.

Third Base – Another position with a few candidates you can choose from, Evan Longoria, David Wright or Ryan Zimmerman. I really couldn’t make up my mind on this one but I have to go with Longoria because I think all-around he is a better player than Wright and Zimmerman. Zimmerman is great defensively and Wright is great offensively, but Longoria is a Gold Glove third baseman and has put up over 30 HR and 100 RBI in a season. Although he has been hurt this season, he is still a great player and would fit nicely in the middle of the lineup.

Outfield – This one is a little easier and baseball analysts would probably for the most part agree that it would have to be Matt Kemp, Andrew McCutchen and Mike Trout. These guys are all five-tool players that can bat anywhere in the top of the line-up and cover almost every inch of the outfield.  I don’t think there’s a trio of outfielders that would be a better fit. Josh Hamilton, Jay Bruce, Ryan Braun, Adam Jones and Andre Ethier are good fits and could be used as backups, but they do not possess the same skill set of the Kemp-McCutchen-Trout trio. Any one member of this trio is a legitimate triple-crown candidate and should average 30 HR and 30 SB every season. In a few years we might be throwing Bryce Harper’s name in the mix but as of now he is going to have to wait a little while besides he’s only 20.

Designated hitter – Josh Hamilton or Ryan Braun are probably two best players not on this list and I think you take them both and use them based on the handedness of the opposing pitcher.  The other can be used as a pinch hitter and a backup outfielder but these guys need to be there in the middle of the lineup.

Starting Pitching – Clayton Kershaw, Justin Verlander, Jared Weaver, Matt Cain and David Price. I would have voted for Stephen Strasburg but I feel that the limitations put on how many innings he can throw take him right out of the mix as for the other pitchers, not much has to be said about the others, what they’ve done pretty much speaks for itself.

Relief Pitching – I like the two young relievers from Atlanta Johnny Venters and Craig Kimbrel. Mitchell Boggs, Sean Burnett and Randy Choate are great setup men to have. Closers Jim Johnson, Chris Perez, and JoelHanrahan would fill out the back end of the bullpen. Kimbrel would probably be the best choice as the closer considering he has an ERA of 1.20, 31-33 in save opportunities, and opponents are batting .120 against him.

2012
08/23
CATEGORY
MLB
Sports
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Evaluating the Trade for Superman

Lakers Sixers Nuggets Magic
Dwight Howard Andrew Bynum Andre Iguadola Aaron Afflalo
Chris Duon Jason Richardson   Al Harrington
Earl Clark     Nikola Vucevic
      Moe Harkless
      Josh McRoberts
      Christian Eyenga
      (3) 1st round picks

 

 

 

Lakers – The clear winner in this four-team trade which is also contingent on the health of Dwight Howard’s back. Howard is a very active and Dominant force compared to Andrew Bynum. His defensive and rebounding efforts are very high, and he finishes strong offensively underneath the basket. The downsides for Howard are his back and that there is no guarantee he will return next season because he will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. The lineup of Howard, Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Pau Gasol and Metta World Peace will be hard to stop. Chris Duhon and Earl Clark are both throw in pieces that can see some playing time. Duhon minutes can fluctuate based on the play of Steve Blake. Clark will see minutes off the bench until Howard returns and Antwan Jamison returns back to the bench.

 

Sixers – This is a great move for the Sixers, they took the NBA’s best big man out of the Eastern Conference and brought over the second best big man to their team. Andrew Bynum wanted to be the man and now he will get the opportunity to show what he can do in that role. His immaturity is always in question as well as the health of his knees.  Bynum is a big upgrade over Elton Brand and allows Spencer Hawes to move down to the power forward position where he would be more effective.  They also received Jason Richardson who will give even more depth in the guard-forward area along with Nick Young and Evan Turner.

 

Nuggets – Andre Iguadola is a nice addition for the Nuggets, Iguadola will likely play more of a shooting guard role for the Nuggets than the small forward he played for the Sixers. George Karl already has Danilo Gallanari and Wilson Chandler at the small forward position. The starting line up will most likely feature Ty Lawson, Iguadola, Gallanari, Kenneth Faried and JaVale McGee. That starting linup combined with a bench that features a bench of Andre Miller, Timofey Mozgov, and Chandler give the Nuggets a solid team that should make the playoffs again in about the same seeding as last year.

 

Magic – Obviously, the Magic look like the loser in this trade because they gave up Dwight Howard and really didn’t get fair value in return. Aaron Afflalo is a good solid player, he isn’t a superstar but he keeps progressing every year.  Al Harrington is a veteran who can score from anywhere on the floor but doesn’t play any defense and has been known to have attitude issues. Nikola Vucevic is a good young big man that needs to be developed, but showed in college he can be a potential inside scoring threat with the right teaching. Moe Harkelss was the 15th overall pick in this year’s draft; he’s a small forward with good size and averaged over 15 ppg for St. John’s last year. Josh McRoberts is power forward with some athleticism but that’s about it; he doesn’t really have an offensive or defensive game. Christian Eyenga is an athletic small forward that has spent most of his career in the D-League but like McRoberts he’s known for mostly just that.

 

2012
08/13
CATEGORY
NBA
Sports
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We See You Hanley

On July 25th the Dodgers completed a trade to bring Hanley Ramirez to Los Angeles. Most fans seen this as a surprise, not to toot my own horn but I listed it as a possibility in a blog post last month.

 The Miami Marlins invested a lot of money this offseason to sign some big name free agents, one of which was Jose Reyes, an all-star shortstop, a position that was already occupied by Ramirez. Instead of consulting Ramirez about a move to another position, they pretty much forced him in to the move. His numbers went down significantly from his MVP-caliber seasons of years past and his unhappiness was very apparent in spats with manager Ozzie Guillen. It was apparent Ramirez wanted out but owner Jeffrey Loria wasn’t ready to let his former batting champion go. With a large payroll and a losing record the Marlins decided to sell. The combination of Ramirez’s large contract and lack of production made him moveable but not for nearly as much as they would’ve got for him three years ago.

 The Dodgers were receiving no offensive production from the left side of the infield (3B and SS). Juan Uribe is terrible and greatly overpaid; Dee Gordon isn’t ready to be a leadoff hitter and played below average defense. Now the Dodgers lineup consists of rookie Luis Cruz and Ramirez who is now back to his natural position of shortstop and his put the claims of not hustling and just completely losing his game to rest. He has 10 RBI’s in nine games for the Dodgers including a game-winning homerun against the rival Giants in San Francisco. A change of scenery was all that Ramirez needed to start producing again, maybe not exactly the Ramirez of old but a very productive #5 hitter in a very dangerous lineup.

 The fans seem to love Ramirez already. He gets a loud roar from the crowd and they do his “I see you” gesture every time he gets a hit. Matt Kemp has been known to do the “I see you” at Ramirez which seems to come across like “you see me on base bring me in”. The swag that Ramirez had a few years ago is back. Yesterday he had the game winning single and once he made contact he posed after his hit just like Kobe Bryant would after a jumper. Dodgertown now has three signature chants “MVP” (Kemp), “Andre” and “Hanley”. Hopefully they will be able to ride their new found production into the post-season and have a chance to win a World Series.

2012
08/06
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MLB
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Don’t Fight it Superman

The spectacle going on now known as the Dwight-mare is really all for not. If you are not a sports fan or have been living under a rock the last month or so Dwight Howard has requested to be traded from the Orlando Magic. Specifically the Brooklyn Nets, however the Brooklyn Nets went crazy spending money on Deron Williams, Gerald Wallace and Joe Johnson. Then re-signing Brook Lopez and Kris Humphries pretty much put the Howard saga with them to rest. Now he is pretty much left with the option of the Lakers, Rockets or Hawks. He said he wouldn’t re-sign with any of these teams, but the problem is how he is going to get to Brooklyn who are way over the cap and lack the assets to trade for Howard.

As Jalen Rose has said this week on ESPN, the choice is simple it’s the Lakers and Howard should just put his ego to the side because he is putting himself in championship contention. Howard should see it as an honor cause he would be playing in the arena which banners of 17 NBA Championships and the jerseys of 7 Hall of Famers. Not to mention he’d be playing on the NBA’s first four headed monster along with Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash and Pau Gasol.  He would also be able to receive a max deal next year of $100million/5-years.

There is something about LA teams in which they have common themes. For example: The Lakers always have a dominant big man, the Dodgers always have great pitching and USC will always have good running backs (although lately the trend has been leaning to quarterback). Every great Laker Center has been like Superman, so Dwight come home to Krypton where you belong and put on that purple and gold cape. This decision is a lot more simple than it is dragging on to be, get a third team involved so that this deal can get done ASAP, and the victory parade can come back to LA.

2012
07/18
CATEGORY
NBA
Sports
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NBA Off-Season Winners and Losers

Winners

 

 

Nets – Although they didn’t get Dwight Howard they have transformed themselves into a playoff team. Would I say contender? No, but they should be significantly better than they were last year. Joe Johnson and Gerald Wallace are both good players, maybe not as great as the Nets would have liked but can be very complimentary to Deron Williams. Another thing that people fail to recognize is that Brook Lopez and Kris Humphries aren’t scrubs. Lopez is a good inside scorer and Humphries is a great rebounder and can clean up around the basket. Plus, they still have Marshon Brooks to either come off the bench or use as a trade chip. To quote Nets partial owner Jay-Z, “Hello Brooklyn” welcome to the NBA.

Lakers – Overnight the Lakers have shot to the #2 team in the West and the #3 team in the NBA just by signing Steve Nash. The missing point guard the Lakers have been missing since Magic Johnson. Although Nash is 38-years-old he is a player that keeps himself in great shape and is still considered one of the top-5 point guards in the league. Kobe should have no problem giving up ball control duties because he has never played with a genuine PG like Nash. Nash will also compliment Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum in getting them easier baskets. The Lakers now need to focus on adding depth to the bench; shooters, athletic wings and backup bigs should be targets for this team which is built to win now.  They still have their amnesty which they could choose to use on Metta World Peace or Steve Blake and have an expiring contract in Josh McRoberts that some teams would love to take off the Laker’s hands.

Heat – What do the defending champs do in the offseason to get better? Maybe just sign one of the best shooters of all-time to come off the bench. They also added Rashard Lewis, who is not nearly the player he was when he signed a huge contract to play for the Orlando Magic, a contract he never lived up to. However he can still shoot the ball. Miami is now loaded with shooters that compliment Dwayne Wade and LeBron James’ ability to drive and kick out, and Chris Bosh’s ability to post-up and kick out. The Heat will definitely be favored to win the NBA championship next year, but the Thunder and Lakers might have something to say about it.

Celtics – They lost Ray Allen and that’s never a good thing. However they added the best 6th man in the NBA Jason Terry, kept Kevin Garnett, Brandon Bass and Jeff Green, and added two bigs in Fab Melo, and Jared Sullinger. This team is designed to win right now and although they don’t look like they should beat the Heat on paper they definitely will have more tools at their disposal compared to last season.

Hornets – After being left for dead following Chris Paul’s departure, the Hornets have been sold and are looking to be on the comeback trail. After drafting Anthony Davis and Austin Rivers, they kept Eric Gordon and lured Ryan Anderson away from the Magic. Are they a playoff team? Not this year but maybe in a few years giving time for Davis and Rivers to develop and maybe a few more moves here and there.

Pending

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hawks – In his first two weeks as GM Danny Ferry got rid of two contracts (Marvin Williams and Joe Johnson) that cleared up a lot of cap space. In return they got a good point guard in Devin Harris, a lot of expiring contracts and the cap room to sign Lou Williams and trade for Kyle Korver. The cap space they’re freeing up will help them make a run at both Dwight Howard and Chris Paul (both will be unrestricted free agents) next year. No matter what the moves were great because they weren’t getting full value for Johnson or Williams but the potential of what the Hawks can do with the money saved could be extraordinary.

Clippers – The Clippers made a few moves that can either make or break what they tried to build last season. Lamar Odom is a risky move because if they get Lamar Kardashian that was on Dallas last season it’s a wasted body on the bench. If they get the Lamar Odom, who played for the Lakers then they are in business and get a player that can take loads of pressure of Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. They also chose not to pursue Ray Allen in favor of re-signing Chauncey Billups and signing Jamal Crawford.  Allen would give the Clippers a sharp-shooter that could’ve easily slid into the starting lineup. Instead they chose to go with Billups coming off surgery that ended his 2011-2012 season. Crawford will give them a steady scorer off a bench that has been depleted this off-season.

Rockets – They have freed up a lot of cap space and still have many assets to trade, all they need is the right pieces to come along. They are clear that they want Dwight Howard or Andrew Bynum; the problem is in order to get either one the Lakers and/or Rockets would need to take back contracts of Hedo Turkoglu and Jason Richardson. In theory the deal can get done but a fourth team would need to be involved to absorb the contracts of the aforementioned players. It seems like the Knick will not match the offer sheet signed by Jeremy Lin which will once again make him a Rocket. As good as Lin showed he can be the jury is still out on if this deal which will pay him $14million in his final year is justifiable.

Losers

 

 

Mavericks – They cleared so much cap space to get Dirk some help. They were poised to get Dwight Howard and/or Deron Willams and ended up Chris Kaman, Elton Brand and Darren Collison. No where are they near the caliber of Howard and Williams but they’d be better served to have Kaman and Brand in their Clipper days and Collison in his UCLA days. The truth is they did not get better; in fact they got older and slower. They are better equipped to win a championship between 2003-2007 then they are right now. I don’t see them doing much more than a 7 or 8 seed in the playoffs at most. Mark Cuban has money to spend and since winning a championship he hasn’t spent it wisely; rather than buy superstars they need to build a team like they did when they won the NBA Championship.

Suns – They lost the player who had been the face of their franchise for years and didn’t get much in return because a few draft picks can’t replace what Steve Nash has done for the Suns. They also didn’t get Eric Gordon as the Hornets matched the qualifying offer. They did get Michael Beasley and Luis Scola who are both good players but don’t fit into the Suns style of basketball. It may take a while before you see the Suns in the playoffs again because this team will need some time to rebuild.

Bulls – Coming off a season in which they owned the league’s best record despite not having Derrick Rose for most of it, the Bulls still have the same problems they had last year. They still don’t have a capable shooting guard and a consistent threat in the post. The chips that they have to trade (Carlos Boozer, Taj Gibson and Luol Deng), they don’t want to move and some pieces other teams don’t want. So unless some moves are made I don’t see them advancing past the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.

Magic – Not only have they not been able to trade Dwight Howard, they haven’t been able to move Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu, or Glen Davis; not to mention they lost Ryan Anderson. They still have no coach and a plethora of players who are greatly overpaid. They have not made their team better in any way and need to get a move on with trying to move pieces around or it’s going to be a long time before you hear anything positive about the Magic.

2012
07/16
CATEGORY
NBA
Sports
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Derby Time

Every July we get an exhibition that is hands down the best in all of sports, the Home Run Derby. The Home Run Derby is the best skill display in all of sport because it showcases the best players in baseball, unlike the NBA’s Slam Dunk contest which now features mediocre players. As kids we  would love to watch it and mimic it in the front yard, plus anyone who plays baseball video games loves the Home Run Derby mode. Even though over the years the format has changed the rules never changed, hit a home run or it’s an out. My favorites include:

·         Josh Hamilton’s 28 in single round at Yankee Stadium (2008)

·         Bobby Abreu’s 41 total  at Comerica Park (2005)

·         Big Mac and Junior teeing off at Fenway (1999)

·         First Derby at Coors Field (1998)

 

Every other sport doesn’t really have anything that can compare to the Home Run Derby. Basketball has the Slam Dunk Contest has lacked star power and have changed the rules and format so many times no one knows what’s going on. Football has a few skills challenges for the Pro Bowl which neither the contests nor the game is taken seriously. Hockey has a pretty cool skills challenge for the All-Star Game but it doesn’t get much publicity cause hockey isn’t the most popular sport in the states.

 

This year we have some great contestants which should lead to an exciting Home Run Derby:

AL

Robinson Cano put a great team together with guy s that can hit the ball for miles but can they put the ball out often enough to win the contest.

Robinson Cano (20 HR, captain) – The defending champ is back as this year’s captain and has an effortless swing and has been known to go deep early and often.

Jose Bautista (27 HR)– Joey Bats has been one of the best home run hitters in the game the last couple year but struggled in last year’s derby only hitting 4 home runs.

Prince Fielder (14 HR)– Last year’s NL captain makes his debut as a member of the AL, he’s off to a slower start than expected but he is on a new team in a new league.

Mark Trumbo (21 HR) – The Angels slugger is off to a great start despite not having much playing time to start the season then having to play multiple positions just to get into the lineup. He has a great bat and needs to be in the lineup every day.

NL

Matt Kemp (12 HR, captain) – After a disappointing 2 home runs in last year’s derby Kemp is back as the captain and returning from a hamstring injury that’s plagued him over the last few months. He is not playing in the All Star Game but will hit tonight, Dodger fans don’t be too nervous the derby is glorified batting practice and the hamstring should be fine.

Carlos Beltran (20 HR) – The Beltran of old has somehow resurrected in St. Louis after disappointing in New York and San Francisco.

Carlos Gonzalez (17 HR) – CarGo is having another good season but injuries and his team’s losing record have put a damper on his good statistical season.

Andrew McCutchen (18 HR) – McCutchen is truly worth every bit of the hype he had since being called up a few years ago. He can hit for power, he has speed and has become an MVP candidate. He has led the surprising Pirates to first place in the NL Central.

2012
07/09
CATEGORY
MLB
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Draft Day

When I was a little kid I would always be excited for the NBA draft. I remember there was even a routine behind it. I would hang out all day with my oldest cousin, who is practically my brother, and we would have lunch go swimming and eat otter pops until it was time to start. Then we would go watch it in my grandparent’s room because it was by far the coolest in the house and was the only air conditioned room. We would like to see what teams our favorite college players would go to and get mad when the Lakers drafted “nobody’s”. Some of the more memorable drafts my cousin and I watched included:

 1993 Chris Webber was drafted and then traded for Penny Hardaway, creating one of the most dynamic duo’s in the NBA (Shaq and Penny)

 1996 – A high school kid by the name Kobe Bryant was taken 13th by the then Charlotte Hornets and traded to the Los Angeles Lakers for Vlade Divac. Little did we know this move would change basketball in LA for years to come.

However, now the draft doesn’t have that aura around it like it once did. I don’t know if the players aren’t as talented or do we just have to wait for the next generation of stars to emerge. Since players are forced to go to college now it takes away from the game of college basketball. College basketball used to be based on guys who wanted to go college and develop before going to the NBA and you were able to become familiar with them because they would stay for 3-4 years. Now players come and go so fast in college you really don’t get a chance to really like them because by the end of the year they’re gone. For example Kyrie Irving, last year’s number one pick, was at Duke for all of maybe half a season and was still the number one pick. John Calipari’s Kentucky teams two out of the last three years were basically filled with freshmen who were one and done.

 No matter what we love the draft and no matter if it’s a deep draft or a weak draft we will watch it. We will cheer when our team selects a future superstar and groan when they pick someone we never heard of. We will continue to boo David Stern every time he comes to the podium and we will cheer Adam Silver when he comes out to replace Stern for the second round. We look back five years after the draft and see who flopped and who flew under the radar to exceed expectations. The draft can set you up for the next few years like the Oklahoma City Thunder or leave you flailing for help like the Charlotte Bobcats. I can’t wait to see how these picks are going to turn out because there are an exciting core of players that can be really good if they can reach full potential.

2012
07/02
CATEGORY
NBA
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Dodgers Current Problem: Lack of Beast Mode

Halfway into the season and all the baseball experts opinions about the Dodgers are starting to come to fruition.  The Dodgers have lost their big lead in the National League West. They have 9 out of their last 12 games and have scored a combined total of 26 runs in those 12 games (2.17 runs per game). They said the Dodgers couldn’t score runs, which they aren’t. This sounds like the team that the guys from Baseball Tonight expected to see and I’m sure all the media-types who are so anti-Dodgers are chomping at the bit to say “I told you so”.

I don’t think they’re opinions are 100% accurate, because there are factors that clash with their ideas. For example, they expected the Dodgers to be mediocre even with Matt Kemp in the line up every day. With Matt Kemp in the lineup every day the Dodgers were on a roll because he changes the dynamic of the lineup. With Kemp in the lineup the guys in front see decent pitches because they don’t want him to come to bat with runners on base. Guys like Andre Ethier and Juan Rivera love hitting behind Kemp because Kemp’s speed makes the pitchers throw more fastballs, which any 4 or 5 place hitter loves to see. When Kemp is out Ethier becomes “the man” in the lineup with pretty much no protection. If he does get on base he doesn’t have the speed that Kemp has which allows pitchers to keep the ball down against guys like Juan Rivera and James Loney which more times than not results in a double play.

It’s a travesty because the pitching for the most part has kept the game within reach only for the offense to fail miserably to manufacture a few runs. It is starting to get frustrating for Dodger fans who were finally excited to see the Blue Crew play well after the evil reign of Frank McCourt. However, today starts a weekend home stand. If the dodgers can play decent this week and next week it will take them to the all-star break, and Matt Kemp will be back following the all star break. There is no need to panic because Superman in Dodger Blue is coming back in Beast Mode status ready to unleash is wrath on NL pitching. Plus, don’t forget the trade deadline is about a month and with general manager Ned Colletti having the ability to spend money look for the Dodgers to make a splash by the trade deadline.

Needs

 Targets

1B

 Justin Morneau, Carlos Lee, David Ortiz, Carlos Pena, Brian LaHair, 1 of the 2 Angel disposable first baseman or anybody but James Loney

3B

 David Wright, Edwin Encarnacion, Chase Headley, Hanley Ramirez, David Murphy

OF*

 Ichiro, Shane Victorino, Carlos Quentin, Michael Cuddyer, Denard Span, Carlos Gonzalez (if you are willing to give up anyone not name Kershaw, Kemp or Ethier. The Rockies are willing to listen to offers.)

P

 Cole Hamels, Matt Garza, Ryan Dempster, Zack Greinke, Wandy Rodriguez, John Lannan
2012
06/28
CATEGORY
MLB
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The Post I NEVER Wanted to Write

As much as I don’t want to believe it I have to accept the fact that LeBron James is an NBA Champion. I really despise LeBron as a person but as a player I can’t deny the fact that he is a great basketball player. For all the jokes that we’ve had about LeBron not having a ring, we can now dispatch them from our repertoire. He has got revenge on all of us, a revenge that is so irreversible that none of us can do anything about it. He won the “big one” and not only did he win but he was “the man”. He made Kevin Durant actually look young and inexperienced, he exposed Durant’s inability to play good defense and made it hard to believe that Durant was this year’s scoring champion. The king finally got his ring and will forever be etched in history as an NBA champion.

  • However, several things had to take place for this to happen in my opinion.
  • The Thunder defeated three of the past four NBA Champions and then all of the sudden start having issues with Scott Brooks.
  • Scott Brooks declines a contract extension.
  • The aging Celtics take the Heat 7 games despite having injury issues causing a lack of depth
  • Derrick Rose getting hurt in the playoffs, thus making the Bulls just another team
  • David Stern vetoes the trade sending Chris Paul to the Lakers, which I still feel would have put them over the top in the West and would have triggered other moves that would have led to better bench players.

 I know these all sound like excuses, maybe they are, maybe they’re just good luck for the Heat. Nonetheless, things had to fall into place for the Heat to win and you can’t deny them capitalizing on those things to win, but it just feels incomplete. I think I am just bitter cause I tend to be more old school and don’t like how the Heat, LeBron especially, over celebrate. Too be excited is one thing but these guys were celebrating before they even played a game. They play to the crowd more than a WWE wrestler, play basketball not try to draw pop or heat (no pun intended). I mean with four minutes left in the game they were jumping up and down like bunch of kids, I would expect that from high school kids or even if it was the NCAA Finals. These are grown men act like you’ve been there and act like a winner, be gracious in victory as you would in defeat.

To sum it up I realize that I don’t dislike LeBron James because of his skills on the court, my dislike pretty much stems from his antics and attitude. For as much as people say that he works hard on his game I think the biggest facet that he needs to work on he doesn’t. If he were to develop a solid post game no one would be able to guard him, he’d be too fast for bigs and too strong against guards. LeBron definetly has a chance to be one of the top-10 players of all-time, but he still has some work to be mentioned in the same conversation as Jordan and Kobe. LeBron is the complete package and the most insane physical specimen the NBA has ever seen but talent and what you do with it are two different things. If LeBron gets at least 3 championships he will get talked about among the all-time greats.

2012
06/22
CATEGORY
NBA
Sports
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UFC Needs to Switch the Card

I know August 4th is still a ways away but have you seen the UFC on Fox 4 fight card. It seems like a decent card but the co-main events don’t make sense to me. The first one is Ryan Bader vs. Lyoto Machida and the other is Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Brandon Vera. Am I the only one here that thinks there is a mix-up here? These fights have more predictable outcomes than a John Cena WWE match. I know the UFC is probably trying to get the winners to square off in a PPV fight, but on this free card I think you would be able to get a lot of money from sponsors if you flipped the card to:

Machida vs Shogun III

&

Bader vs. Vera

I know the motto goes if you do something well never do it for free, but this isn’t exactly free sponsors pay for these free UFC cards. I know we have seen Machida and Shogun fight before but they put on good exciting fights. The competition they have fought over the last 10 fights or so pale in comparison to those of Bader and Vera.

Shogun’s last 5 fights: Dan Henderson (L, but it was an all out war), Forrest Griffin (W), Jon Jones (L, Jones has become the most dominant force in an already stacked division), Lyoto Machida twice (L,W).

Machida’s Last 5 fights: Jones(L, Who hasn’t lost to Jones), Randy Couture (W), Rampage Jackson (L, everyone know Machida won that fight), Shogun Twice (W,L)

Bader’s last 5 fights: Jackson (W, he fought a Rampage that was uninterested and hurt), Jason Brillz (W, WHO?), Tito Ortiz (L, an aging Tito at that), Jon Jones (L, this was a #1 contender bout that wasn’t even close), Lil Nog (W, Lil Nog is nowhere near Big Nog)

Vera’s last 5 fights: Eliot Marshall (W, Who?), Thiago Silva (L), Jon Jones(L, total beatdown by Jones), Randy Couture (L, a very old Couture), Krzystokf Soszynski (L, Are you serious?)

All I am saying is if you want to give people an entertaining card that will draw viewers, then make competitive matches that people want to see. Don’t make matches that any fight fan can predict the ending too. The only team that thinks these guys have a shot is the people in their camps. I know any fight there is a chance for an upset but I can almost guarantee no upset. I predict 1st round KO for Machida and 2nd round TKO for Shogun.

2012
06/21
CATEGORY
MMA
Sports
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