Week 15: Deuces Wild

Statistics might be the best factual information out there. You can manipulate them nearly any way you want. You can analyze them for days if you'd like. You can create equations, charts, and graphs with them. You can base entire reports, studies, or, in this case, articles on them. The sky is the limit when dealing with statistics.

Statistics can be formed many ways. They can be decimals, percentages, or fractions. They can be counting numbers, whole numbers, or integers. Let's put it like this, if there is a way to write a digit, then there statistics using that way.

In the NFL, statistics are formed mainly from decimals, percentages, whole numbers, and integers. The passer rating system uses decimals. The quarterback completion percentage obviously uses percentages. Pass completions, pass attempts, rush attempts, receptions, catches, etc. all use whole numbers (numbers that start with 0 and go up from there). Passing, rushing, and receiving yards also use whole numbers, but could use integers (negative as well as positive numbers).

Now that I've set you up with all that info on statistics, I'm going to use none of it. (Yea, I know, you're all confused as hell right now. Hang in there though.) I'm going to be talking about ordinal numbers. You know, numbers like first, second, third, fourth, etc. These numbers are the most important numbers in the sports world. Don't believe me? At the end of the day, where do you want your team to be? I would hope the answer is first. It doesn't matter to you that your quarterback has a crappy passer rating, or that your running back didn't reach 1,000 yards. As long as you can say your team was first, nothing else matters.

While first is the most important ordinal number in sports, this past week in the NFL the number 'second' certainly popped up a lot. There were two pretty big firsts, though, one being the undefeated Green Bay Packers were defeated and the other being the winless Indianapolis Colts won. Week 15 was also the first time four teams score 40 or more points. But seconds still reigned supreme.

Let's start off with the what could have been but wasn't since I already brought that up. If the Packers won the rest of their regular seasons games and then went on to win the Super Bowl, then they would have been the second team to go undefeated since the 1972 Miami Dolphins team. If the Colts lost the rest of their regular season games, then they would have been the second team to go winless since the 2008 Detroit Lions. Two big seconds no more after Week 15.

The San Francisco 49ers have become the second team to go 15 straight weeks without allowing a rushing score. The Chicago Bears did it in 1985. I'm sure there are more seconds like this one, but they are probably more obscure and not nearly as big as that.

Moving on to the wins and losses portion of the seconds. Tebow and his Broncos lost for the second time this year to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. The first lost coming Week 8 against the Lions. In both of those losses the defense surrendered 40 or more points. The Jets were torched by three touchdowns or more for the second time. This time by the Eagles and previously by the Patriots in Week 10. (I don't know whether Jets fans are pissed or depressed.) The Steelers lost for the second time to someone other than the Ravens. The Niners did them in this time with the Texans beating them last in Week 4. While doing so, the Niners held an opponent to just a field goal for the second time this year. The Bucs were their victims the first time back in Week 5. It was also the second time Ben Roethlisberger threw for 330 yards in a losing effort.
As you can see, there were plenty of easy seconds to pickup on.

To conclude, I don't really have a point. I was just fascinated on all the seconds and felt like sharing them with the world. I'm sure Week 15 had plenty more firsts, seconds, thirds, fourths, etc., but I didn't want to dig too deep. When you dig too deep, the statistics start sound stupid and pointless, and people start losing interest. This is why I barely scratched the surfaces in this article. The deepest one I threw in was about the Niners going 15 straight weeks without allowing a rushing TD, but my friends at ESPN helped me out on that (No, I'm not really friends nor am I affiliated with anyone at ESPN. It's just an expression.) I hope you enjoyed all the secondary stats I provided. I just had to point out that deuces were better than aces, at least for one week.

Crosby's Concussion Continued

About 11 months ago, I wrote an article about star hockey player, Sidney Crosby, entitled "Crosby's Concussion." That article was read by 95 people, exactly five times more than my second most read article, "Storming in with a Championship Mentality," which was about the St. John's men's basketball team. This statistic prompted me to write a follow up on Sid the Kid (who is out with concussion-like symptoms, again).

Last article I was ripping Crosby for blaming the NHL for what was all his, and his team's, fault. He should never played the game after the infamous Steckel hit. But that's in the past, that was almost a year ago. Crosby returned to the ice November 21, a home game against the NY Islanders. He scored two goals and assisted two more. It was a glorious return for the NHL's best player. (Ovechkin fans don't even try to dispute this. Crosby has 12 points in 8 games while Ovechkin has 22 in 31. That's just sad.) Those two goals are the only two he has, but he has been an assist machine this year grabbing 10 in eight games. Unfortunately, after the eighth game, he complained of headaches and has been out ever since.

No reports of a specific hit on Crosby have surfaced, which is not good for Sid. It would be better for a specific hit because then that could be the explanation of why Crosby is sidelined. Instead, he is out because he simply can't play hockey without the symptoms resurfacing. When you play hockey, you are expected to be able to take bone-jarring hits, get up, and continue playing. Right now, Crosby cannot do this without suffering major aftereffects, a very ominous sign.

Right now, it seems that the Penguins are willing to take a patient approach with their young captain, which makes sense because the kid can still play when he's on the ice. The question remains how long Crosby's latest setback will, well, set him back. It's been two weeks and all that's happened is that the Penguins put him on the injured list. This could either be procedural, or it could mean Crosby is not close to coming back any time soon. Since the move is retroactive to the amount of time he has already missed, he can be taken off the injury list at any point (players are required to miss two weeks if they are put on the injured list). But if he were coming back soon, I don't think the Pens would have made that move. This leads me to believe that Crosby may go through what he went through in the beginning of the year, which was not being able to do anything until the symptoms left and then increasing his rehabilitation at a very slow rate. I am predicting at least another two weeks, which would make a month total.

Depending on his recovery time and return to the ice, you may hear retirement speculation for Crosby. Retirement is something Sid the Kid should be seriously considering for two reasons. The major one being health reasons. Head injuries and concussions are no joke, and could lead to serious problems later in life or even death. (Yea, I know what you're thinking, 'But Troy Aikman suffered at least eight concussions in his career and he seems fine.' Well just because someone seems fine doesn't mean they actually are, you don't know what kind of problems Aikman could have. Even if he was fine, there are always exceptions to the rule, but would you want to gamble with a head injury? No? Thank you.) The other reason being no team is going to want a player who can barely play, no matter how good the player is. If Crosby doesn't retire and plays on, then the Penguins, or any other team, will never be able to pinpoint when his symptoms could return. This may mean Crosby will be forced to retire.

I don't think Crosby will consider retiring just yet though. Why you ask? The main reason being because he is only 24 years old. He could decide to take two, three, or even four years off and still be near his prime. (If he decided to do this, he may have to find a new team though. I don't think the Penguins are that patient.) His youth also means he still has the energy and drive to get back to the ice. The older you are, the harder it is to find the will to come back, unless your name is either Michael Jordan or Brett Favre. Another reason he won't retire any time soon is that he is has already made one comeback, and played well. This is an encouraging point for Crosby because it should be a definite confidence booster.

Yep, Sidney Crosby will be back. No one knows when, but everyone's waiting. After all, you know, there's nothing better than a good comeback story.

References

http://spotlightsonsports.blogspot.com/2011/01/crosbys-concussion.html#inscore_ifheight_xdc_500
http://www.blogger.com/stats2.g?blogID=6086517375313657516#posts,ALL_TIME
http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/7363769/sidney-crosby-put-injured-list-pittsburgh-penguins
http://espn.go.com/nhl/player/gamelog/_/id/3114/sidney-crosby
http://espn.go.com/nhl/player/_/id/3101/alex-ovechkin

NBA: Nuclear Beginnings Achieved

About a month ago, when the owners and players of the NBA were still fighting over money, David Stern said something about a nuclear winter if a deal didn't get done soon. What did he mean? I haven't a clue. I don't thing anyone knows. After all, the man is 70 years old and he's the commissioner of the NBA, which in recent years has become less about basketball and about more money. His job has been about keeping the wolves at bay rather than doing what's best for the league. So when he preached about a nuclear winter, I'm sure it was a just desperation scare tactic. I'm sure he didn't mean that he was going to interfere with the trading of one of the league's top stars a month later, right?

Of course, if you have been following NBA news the last two weeks, then you will know exactly what I'm talking about. Yes, star point guard, Chris Paul, was finally traded a few days ago to the LA Clippers (the team I pledged my allegiance to a week earlier after they had signed Caron Butler, no big deal). But he was traded to the wrong LA team (as much as I hate to say it). There was absolutely nothing wrong with the original 3-way trade involving the Lakers, Houston Rockets, and New Orleans Hornets (aside from the Rockets getting completely screwed but everyone's just ignored that part apparently). The trade would have sent Paul to the Lakers, Pau Gasol to the Rockets, and Luis Scola, Kevin Martin, Goran Dragic, Lamar Odom, and the Knicks #1 pick to the Hornets. (Again, what were the Rockets thinking even accepting these terms? You give up two good starters, a great bench player, and a #1 pick for Pau Gasol? Really?....Really?) The trade sent shock waves throughout the NBA. Every owner's heart sank as they thought, "Seriously? The Lakers just got their star of the future?" So logically, they protested, well a good number of them did, and the result was a nuclear explosion (pun intended). Seemingly right after the trade was announced, David Stern vetoed it. Yep, looks like even with a new agreement between the owners and players, a nuclear winter had begun.

Stern said he vetoed the trade because the Hornets could get a better deal for Paul. He felt they could get younger, more cost-friendly players, and a better pick in the draft (which was completely true by the way). So onward to the next team on Chris Paul's wishlist. The Knicks were number 1, but had nothing really to trade away, if you didn't know that nugget, and the Lakers were number 2, but were posterized (again, pun intended) by the commish. Team three for Paul was the LA Clippers; the team that just happened to be able to offer the Hornets the best deal. That deal included young star Eric Gordon, prospect Al-Farouq Aminu, veteran Chris Kaman, and the T-wolves unprotect #1 pick. The deal was eventually agreed upon by the Clippers and NBA execs negotiating on the behalf of the league-owned Hornets (even know the NBA gave Hornets front office full autonomy in trading Paul, which we're also ignoring apparently).

So the Hornets got Eric Gordon, who was on their wishlist; Paul goes to a team he wanted; and the LA Clippers get Chris Paul for (at least) 2 seasons. Everyone's happy, right?  Wrong. The nixed trade left the Lakers and Rockets coping with players they thought they had traded away. Lamar Odom was so distraught that he asked the Lakers to trade him, which they promptly did. (They sent him to Dallas along with a 2nd round pick for a protected 1st round pick and a roughly a 9 million dollar trade exception.) Pau Gasol was deeply saddened. Kobe Bryant was pissed, and I mean pissed after Odom was traded. He was so mad he decided to divorce his wife! OK, fine, that was mutual. He did rip Lakers ownership and had a talk with Lakers GM, Mitch Kupchak, though. And who knows how the three Rocket players feel. (They're doing well, I think. I've heard no reports about how they feel, which leads me to think no one cares about them.) Even Deron Williams of the Nets was angry, calling Stern a "bully."

Now that the Chris Paul dust has settled, NBA fans should be happy. A team that wasn't going to be competitive gave up its star player to an up-and-coming team that will now be ultra competitive. A new LA rivalry was created. It's now Kobe and Pau vs. Paul and Blake. That might just be the best rivalry in the West now, another plus. Come to think of it, things really did work out quite nicely for the NBA. Heck, Stern vetoing that trade may have been one of the best moves he's made during his time as commissioner. (Hahahahaha..hahahaha..ah. Sorry, I just thought about how the commissioner screwing the Lakers and helping the "other team from LA," which is essentially what happened. Wow, that's good stuff.) The nuclear winter came; everyone weathered it; and the NBA came out better than it was before. Holy crap, am I actually praising Stern for interfering with the trade? You betcha I am. You didn't see that one coming, did you? Congratulations David Stern for keeping your word and bringing that nuclear winter. You know, Dwight Howard still needs to be traded. Can you give us an atomic new year next?

References

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/story/_/id/7333285/los-angeles-lakers-deal-acquire-chris-paul-off
http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/story/_/id/7353870/los-angeles-clippers-new-orleans-hornets-agree-chris-paul-trade
http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/story/_/id/7341952/los-angeles-lakers-lamar-odom-dealt-dallas-mavericks-asking-trade
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/12/kobe-bryant-lamar-odom-trade-video_n_1143522.html
http://espn.go.com/new-york/nba/story/_/id/7341720/new-jersey-nets-deron-williams-calls-david-stern-bully-talks-orlando-magic-dwight-howard

Conference Changes

All the major NCAA conferences have been going through some big time changes. The SEC and ACC expanded. The Pac-10 grew to be the Pac-12. The Big Ten now has 12 members while the Big 12 only has 10 (yes, I know, it's dumb). And the Big East lost two members originally, then added a replacement, then lost the replacement, then lost another member, and then added three replacements and two other members just for one sport (rollercoaster rides sure are fun). While some of these changes have already occurred, most of them will take affect within the next couple years. Since I grew up watching UConn and currently attend St. John's, I will be focusing on the Big East.

For many, many years, the Big East has been known as a strong basketball conference. It has been anchored by the likes of UConn, Syracuse, Pitt, and Georgetown. It was never really known for its football, and yet somehow the conference as an automatic qualifier in the BCS. The automatic qualifier, which has become simply known as AQ, is the golden ticket to a big bowl game. Earlier this year, Syracuse and Pitt decided to leave the Big East for the ACC because it is a better football conference and the two universities will receive more money. In response to this, the Big East added Texas Christian, TCU, to the conference. Recently, TCU and West Virginia decided to leave for the Big 12, which, again, only has 10 members now. (Side Note: The Big 12 lost Texas A&M and Missouri to the SEC and gained TCU and West Virginia. Gotta love when the replacements are better than what walked away.) By the way, if you were wondering, no TCU programs ever played a game in the Big East, but they do still have to pay the 5 million dollar exit fee (apparently all they really wanted to do was give a generous donation to the Big East).

It took years for the Big East to replace these teams. OK, so it was only a couple months, but it seemed like years if you were following the situation, trust me. To replace the three original members that left, the Big East added Houston, Southern Methodist (SMU), and Central Florida (UCF) from Conference-USA in what were clearly moves to boost the conference's football prowess. It then further boosted said football prowess by adding Boise State and San Diego State as football-only members. Because I know you are all dying to know where the rest of the Boise St and San Diego St programs went, BSU's will head to the Western Atlantic Conference and SDSU's will head to the Big West. (Side Note: The Western Atlantic Conference is the dumbest name ever because the closest WAC member to the Atlantic is Lousiana Tech, which is nowhere near the Atlantic.) The Big East is also in talks with adding the Naval Academy as a football-only member.

Overall, I like the new additions to the Big East. We added two football programs in Boise St. and Houston that could end up being in the Top-10 once the final rankings come out after the bowl games. We added decent football programs in San Diego St. and SMU. UCF is below average in football, but hey it gives USF a rival. Gaining a presence on the West Coast and Texas markets, and reinforcing our presence in Florida, will be great for recruiting in all sports. I love the Big East going after Navy but only if it means it'll go after Army as well. The Army-Navy rivalry is one of the more legendary college football rivalries, and I'd love to boast it occurring in my conference each year.

There are two things I don't like with these additions. The first thing is that Houston, SMU, and UCF all have average-to-terrible basketball programs; thus, ending the Big East being a power basketball conference in the future. Yes, the conference will still have a handful or so of teams representing itself in the NCAA Tournament, but the days of it putting double digits into the tournament appear to be over. The other think I don't like is that now our conference name makes no sense. Sure, before this season we had a member from Wisconsin and another from Illinois, but that's two out of 18 members. Now, it has two West Coast teams and two Texas teams to go along with those two, making the name even more illogical. I think they should rename the conference. They could call it the Cornerstone Conference because, if you haven't noticed, it now has members representing the four corners of the country. Boise St. takes care of the northwest corner. San Diego St. takes care of the southwest corner. A few members take care of the northeast corner (St. John's, Providence, UConn, etc.). UCF and USF take care of the southeast corner. The Big East might just be the only conference that will be able to boast this (OK, probably not, but give me credit for coming up with that observation).

To sum this article up, the Cornerstone Conference seems to have found a way to keep itself from collapsing. The basketball side still has plenty of good programs, and the football side will gain plenty of good programs. The football side will probably retain its AQ status, and elite programs like Boise St. and Houston will never get snubbed during bowl selection ever again. The basketball side will still retain some of its power, and may get back to full strength someday. The mediocre-to-terrible teams may get better because the programs are now in the Big East which will hopefully result in them getting better players. Oh, a couple important details I forgot to mention, none of the new additions will actually play in the Big East until 2013, and the departing members can't leave until 2014 (yes, I know, that doesn't make sense). Man, conference changes are fun.

References

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/7327683/big-east-conference-introduces-boise-state-broncos-san-diego-state-aztecs-houston-cougars-smu-mustangs-ucf-knights
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_East_Conference
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Athletic_Conference
http://espn.go.com/college-football/standings
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/standings

Ramirez Reality

Before I get into the reality of Ramirez, I would like to say I have returned from an 8-month sabbatical, consisting of things known as 'school', 'summer', and 'internship', and I plan on writing many articles this month. My time away from writing was fun, but there's just too much going on in the sports world to not come back. Now that the sappy stuff is done, it's time to move onto the feature presentation.

Hanley, Manny, and Aramis Ramirez all have the same last name, but that's not the only thing they have in common. Manny and Aramis are currently jobless while Hanley is position-less and resisting a move. Hanley and Aramis should have some good years left while Manny wants to prove he still has some good years left. They're even from the same country, the Dominican Republic. In fact, Manny and Aramis share a hometown in Santo Domingo. I hope the all find themselves happily on a baseball team come spring training too, and I may just have an idea to accomplish this.

You see, Hanley plays shortstop for the Miami Marlins. The Marlins signed one of the top free agents, Jose Reyes, who also happens to be a shortstop. Reports are surfacing that Hanley Ramirez not does want to move to third base, which is what usually happens to shortstops that lose their positions. The reality of the situation is that Hanley will eventually just accept that he has to play third, but what if he throws a fit and wants to be traded?

If he takes this route, I would highly suggest the Marlins just give in to his demands and trade him. Why? Well for starters, he's a budding superstar that they could multiple players in return for. Marlins are in need of starting pitching. There's a team out West that has plenty of that, but lacks offense and a good shortstop. If you were thinking of the San Francisco Giants, then you would be correct. Last season, the Giants traded away their top pitching prospect for an aging bat in Carlos Beltran. I don't see why they couldn't deal for Hanley. If I were Giants GM, Brian Sabean, I would consider doing a trade with Hanley and Matt Cain as the centerpieces.

Hanley is locked up for another three more years and 45 million more dollars, which is a very manageable contract by the way. Matt Cain has one year left on his extension, and would be a good pair with Marlins ace Josh Johnson, not to mention a pitcher that would actually be worth paying. (Sorry, I'm just not a fan of C.J. Wilson or Mark Buehrle.) Now some of you may be thinking that the Giants would be getting the better end of this deal, which is why they could offer one of the two outfielders they just acquired, Melky Cabrera or Angel Pagan. Both are centerfielders by trade and the Marlins don't really have a true centerfielder, which is why you heard Hanley to centerfield a possibility. Both would also be could candidates to bat 2nd behind Jose Reyes.

Now let's discuss what happens if the Marlins do trade Hanley. I'm going to assume he gets traded soon because that's where the other two Ramirezes come in. With Hanley gone, the Marlins will be missing two things, a third baseman and a big bat. The most logical thing to do here would be to sign Aramis Ramirez. This possibility would be the best "quick fix" in the history of baseball. They could also get creative. Manny Ramirez is a horrible outfielder now, so why not move him to first? First is a very hard position to pickup, especially towards the end of your career, but Carlos Lee did it in Houston. The willingness to learn a new position would be the ultimate proof that Manny that not only can, but actually wants to play. If they sign him early enough, he'll have the whole offseason, and a 50-game suspension, to learn the position. While he's serving his suspension, Gaby Sanchez could man first. When he returns, Gaby Sanchez would move to third, which was the first position he played when he was in the minors, by the way. (Mini side note: For those thinking they wouldn't need to replace Hanley's bat because they're signing Pujols, it ain't happening. Pujols got his 10-year, 220 million dollar offer from the only team he's ever known, and if he too takes his talents to South Beach, then it'll make LeBron James look like a saint.)

In conclusion, none of this is going to happen. It's just gives you something to think about because it does have some sense to it. Hanley would be happily playing shortstop on a team that would never force him to move to third. Aramis would happily be playing third base on what seems to be the up-and-coming Marlins, with a moderately large contract. Manny would happily get his chance to continue his career, even if it's at a new position. Again, none of this is going to happen. It's just a reality that the Ramirezes could hope and dream for.

References

http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/stats/_/id/3853/aramis-ramirez
http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/stats/_/id/2974/manny-ramirez
http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/stats/_/id/6195/hanley-ramirez
http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7323887/hanley-ramirez-miami-marlins-want-3b-move-source-says
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/extrabaggs/2010/03/28/contract-extension-for-matt-cain-leads-a-busy-morning-of-giants-news/

Irving leaving, what the (Blue) Devil is this?

Kyrie Irving is a 6-2 freshman basketball guard who plays for Duke University. He played 8 games before a toe injury sidelined him for 3½ months. During those 8 games, he averaged 17.4 points, 5.1 assists. 1.5 steals, and shot 42% from behind the arc in 29 minutes per game. He returned to action during the NCAA Tournament. In 3 March Madness games, he averaged 17.6 points, 2 assists, 1.3 steals, and shot 50% from the 3-point line in 24 minutes per game. These numbers are pretty good for a college guard, but he only played in 11 games. This doesn't matter though for he can rebound next season, right? Wrong. Irving has announced he will enter the 2011 NBA Draft. He will not hire an agent until after the May 8th deadline for deciding to stay in school, just in case he changes his mind. But still, what is Kyrie Irving thinking?


Irving has stated his intent to jump to the NBA early to follow his dream. Apparently his dream is to play 11 out of a possible 37 games his freshman year and then jump to the NBA. I understand that college basketball players have a dream of playing in the NBA, but what's the rush if you haven't even played a full season of college basketball? If Irving stays at Duke another year, then it most likely will only heighten his draft status for 2012 due to teams being able to see more of him. Of course by staying he could also suffer a career-ending injury and never make it to the NBA, but that could happen at any point in time before the next NBA season. Speaking of the next NBA season, no one knows when that will be because nearly everyone who knows anything about the NBA is predicting a lockout for next season, including Kyrie Irving. So add lockout to little-time-on-the-court-as-a-freshman to the reasons why it is so baffling to hear Irving announce he is entering the 2011 NBA Draft.


Now obviously this isn't entirely Irving's fault. He was just given a choice, and he chose possibility of wealth and quick fame over honing his skills in college for another year. Many people would make the same choice, but the way he's doing it seems wrong. He technically didn't play a full year of college basketball, which is what every other freshman entering this year's draft did, or came very close to. The rule is that you have to be one year removed from college to enter the draft though. A rule I think the NBA should try to change. They would have trouble doing that as college athletes wanting to go pro but can't could sue the NBA saying they are blocking their right to participate in the professional basketball market. This is why I think the NBA should make it so that the rule says a player must play 1 full season in college before jumping. This will give players time to prepare for the NBA and mature as a person while avoiding weird situations like this one with Kyrie Irving.


The likelihood of the rule being rewritten, though, is slim to none. The same goes for the chance of Irving changing his mind and staying at Duke for another year. The reality of it all is that Irving is leaving and that he will most likely be one of the first players selected in the upcoming draft, if not the first. People like me will just have to accept this fact even though logic says otherwise. I personally should be rejoicing that Duke is losing a very talented player because I hate Duke athletics (it's a Big East thing), but I'm not. I feel for all the Duke students, alumni, and fans, and all college basketball fans really, for today we lost a good player. Everyone knows that the NBA isn't quite like NCAA basketball, and that play is different between the two. Just like everyone knows that many people will have this thought run through their head for quite some time: Irving is leaving, what the blue devil is this?


References


http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/player/profile?playerId=51267
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/draft2011/news/story?id=6305059
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/team/schedule/_/id/150/duke-blue-devils

Not So Crazy Eight..ty-Five?

Chad Ochocinco was has been known for publicity stunts. From touchdown dances, to TV shows, to Twitter, to his last name, Chad has always been about getting his name out. Well this time he put his name out, but I don't think it's for publicity. He asked for and received a tryout for Sporting Kansis City of the MLS. The tryout is the normal 4-day tryout that all tryouts get. Ochocinco has already completed two days of the tryout and will play on the team's reserve team against the Kansas City Brass, a minor league team. Now why do I think this Ochocinco stunt is not for publicity? Well for starters, soccer is his second favorite sport.

As a kid, soccer was the sport Chad Ochocinco, then Chad Johnson, played. He started at age 4 and played until age 15. He then stopped to begin his football career. He is now friends with soccer stars such as Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Ronaldinho. He visited Ronaldo and his Real Madrid teammates, and met the team manager, Jose Mourinho, in January. He also uses a soccer ball to warm up for NFL practices and games. As you can see, Ochocinco appears to be trying out for the love of the sport, not just to do something crazy while the NFL is going through a labor dispute. He has stated that he does not have to be paid either.

Sporting Kansas City, known formerly as the Kansas City Wizards, began in 1995 as one of the MLS's first 10 members. The team is owned by a group known as Sporting Club, which is why they changed their name to Sporting Kansas City. The team is quite successful being in the playoffs on and off throughout its existence. They are winners of the MLS Cup, MLS Supporter's Shield, and the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. They are one of 5 teams to win all three domestic major championships. Inviting Ochocinco to a tryout doesn't hurt the club at all. It actually increases exposure for the team, and it apparently won't cost them anything if he does make the team. So of course the team allowed him to tryout. The reserve game he is playing in is standard to all tryouts also, so they are not even giving him any special treatment. They are treating him just like any other person they granted a tryout too.

While Sporting Kansas City is perfectly fine allowing in Ochocinco, people in the NFL are not as supportive. Ochocinco's football coach, Marvin Lewis, questioned his commitment to the tryout, asking, "What has he ever done that he's completed? What circle has he ever connected in any way?" Ochocinco has said he is not taking this lightly and that he's looking forward to trying to achieve his childhood dream of playing for Major League Soccer, even though the league was not created until he was in high school. Another person in the NFL, Packers tight end Jermichael Finley, called Ochocinco a clown for trying out for the MLS. I personally think it's perfectly fine for Ochocinco to tryout for a sport he's loved since childhood. I am also think it's not one of his schemes to make expose himself to the public. I think, this time, Ochocinco is a not-so-crazy eighty-five.

References

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=6224036
http://espn.go.com/sports/soccer/news/_/id/6254842/chad-ochocinco-says-mls-trial-no-joke
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=6250413
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=6257987
http://www.sportingkc.com/history

The Mystery of the Kid-less Pens

Sydney Crosby is arguably the best player in the NHL. In 42 games, he had 66 points, 32 goals and 34 assists. He was averaging a goal and an assist per game. If he kept up that pace to this day he'd have around 62 goals and 64 assists for a mind-blowing 126 points. But we will never know if that would have happened because Crosby suffered nasty head shots in back-to-back games in early January resulting in a concussion and has been out ever since. With Crosby out for about half the year, you can kill the Penguins playoff and title hopes, right? Well, no, not really. In fact, the Pens have been just fine without Sid the Kid, going 17-11-5 so far in his absence. The question is: how are they doing so well without him? Note that the Pens other star center, Evgeni Malkin, has also been marred by injury this year matching Crosby's games played total of 42, and that this team has had to deal with numerous injuries all season long. The answer is seemingly excellent work between the pipes and some key trades.

In nearly all of January and February, the Penguins relied on superb goalkeeping from goalies Marc-Andre Fleury and Brent Johnson to keep them in games. In fact, the two Pen goalies only allowed 66 goals through 33 games, good for a 1.91 average for those two months. They also had strong play from centers Jordan Staal and Tyler Kennedy, presumingly the ones who took over for Crosby and Malkin, respectively. Staal having 25 points on the year (10 goals, 15 assists in 35 games) and Kennedy having 40 points on the year (18 goals, 22 assists in 72 games). The end of February, beginning of March was when management decided to bring in the calvary.

The trades started February 22nd with the trade of defenseman Alex Goligoski to Dallas for left winger James Neal and defenseman Matt Niskanen. They acquired Neal for his scoring abilities and Niskanen is a great assist man when in good form, only had 6 at the time of the trade though. Next trade G.M. Ray Shero made was two days later, acquiring veteran winger Alexei Kovalev from Ottawa in exchange for a conditional 7th round pick in this year's draft. Shero got Kovalev for his veteran leadership and scoring ability. The trade reunited Kovalev and the Pens, as he played from 99-03 with them. All three players Shero went out and got are all great offensively, obviously adding more firepower while Crosby is out and for when he returns.

Crosby has been two weeks free of concussion-like symptoms and has been on the ice skating 10-15 minutes a session recently. Today he got up to 30 minutes ice time, and now the next step in his recovery is a regular practice. Crosby could be back for the end of the regular season, but will most likely return closer to playoff time. When he does return, the Pens will have a very high octane offense with Crosby, Staal, Neal, Kovalev, Kennedy, etc. Combine that with superb goalkeeping from Fleury and Johnson, and the Pens are yet again Stanley Cup contenders. Now you know why the Pens weren't done when Crosby (and Malkin) got injured, and, more importantly, you know the mystery of the Kid-less Pens.

References

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/players/profile?playerId=3114
http://espn.go.com/nhl/team/schedule/_/name/pit/pittsburgh-penguins
http://espn.go.com/nhl/players/profile?playerId=3541
http://espn.go.com/nhl/players/profile?playerId=3339
http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas/nhl/news/story?id=6145303
http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=6154492

The Young and the Used

The Texas Rangers went to the World Series last year for the first time ever. You can say it was Josh Hamilton's bat or Cliff Lee's arm that rode them to the final series of the baseball , and you no one could say you were wrong. Hamilton and Lee were both a big part of the monster success of the Rangers, but the key to the Rangers clubhouse was a guy named Michael Young. Young is the longest tenured Ranger on the team and he is the only player to survive the turnover of the Texas Rangers over the last decade. This is due to his hitting ability, his versatility in the infield, and his leadership. But over the years, Young has looked like management's mule as well.

Young was originally a second baseman. He made the Rangers team at second in 2000 and became the starter the following year. He only played second base until 2003 though. In 2004, the Rangers asked him to switch to short to make room for newly acquired Alfonso Soriano. Young accepted the move but little did he know he'd be on the move again 5 years later. In 2009, the Rangers asked him to move to third to make room for up-and-coming shortshop prospect Elvis Andrus. Young again accepted the move, begrudgingly at first, but he got over it and worked hard to be the best third baseman he can be. Young has always been known for his excellent fielding, no matter what position he plays. His stay at third was the shortest of all the changes though as this off-season the Rangers signed Adrian Beltre to play third. Young's new position you ask? He doesn't get one. The Rangers have now tabbed him as their DH/super utility man. Young's response to this new change was: "Please try your best to trade me."

Young has had enough with all the change. I would be too. Michael Young is indeed getting older, but his production as not decreased any. None of these changed were because of age, injury, or anything that prevented Young from playing the previous position. All of these changed were about replacing Michael Young with someone else and just moving him like he didn't mind learning a new position every few years. Most starters in the majors have one position throughout their career, maybe two. Michael Young has had 3 already, and will be moving into a 4th this year. The Rangers, knowing how loyal Young has been, tried to accommodate his trade requests, but either the demands were too high or no one wants a 34-year old infielder that gets paid 16 million dollars.

I think this problem can be solved easily. Young is unhappy because he doesn't have one position to play. Being a DH does not really bother him as much as having to play all four infield positions. I say four because he has been seeing action at first this spring training and will presumingly start at that position throughout the year as well as at 2nd, short, and 3rd. My suggestion is to just make him the outright starter at 1st. Right now the Rangers starting 1st baseman is Mitch Mooreland, a young first baseman who was decent in limited at-bats and then caught fire during the playoffs. Mooreland is only 25 and he will get his chance to be a full-time player. I think it is more important to give your veteran leader a specific role on the team rather than making him the DH/super utility player. This is why it makes more sense to put Young at first and have Mooreland either spot him or send him to Triple-A to get in at-bats. You let Young play first for the next 2 years, then you give him the DH/super utility role because at 36 his skills will be on the decline.

In reality, though, Young will have the DH/super utility role this year, whether he likes it or not. He is learning how to be ready to play any position and not let it effect his rhythm. He has been doing it his way as well. Young has said that he has not asked Andres Blanco or any other super utility player how to handle bouncing around the infield, citing that the reason being he wants to trust his own instincts. His own instincts have worked very well to this point, and so the Rangers brass probably has no problem hearing that from him. Rangers G.M. Jon Daniels has said that he will not trade Young this spring, but didn't rule out it out altogether. Another thing we can't rule out is that there is probably going to be more to this 'The Young and the Used' storyline.

References

http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas/mlb/news/story?id=6255894
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/splits?playerId=4566&type=batting&year=2001
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/y/youngmi02.shtml#contracts
http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas/mlb/news/story?id=6227023

D-Rose, A-Star

Earlier this week, ESPN's Colin Cowherd, host of The Herd on ESPN Radio and co-host of Sportsnation, went on a rant on twitter about how Derrick Rose isn't a true star because he didn't recruit LeBron hard enough to join the Bulls and that the only person he could get to join him was Carlos Boozer. He said Rose wants his own fame, and isn't a "get it guy" who wants rings. He said real stars want to play with other stars, and since Rose didn't make a good enough attempt to get LeBron last summer and refused to call him back or meet with him or whatever, Rose isn't a true star. I think Cowherd had a bad day earlier this week or something because I have no idea how any of this makes sense.

True stars don't want to play alongside other stars...they want to beat them. True stars know that if you win a ring by yourself with good complimentary players around you, then you've accomplished something huge. Kobe Bryant is a true star because he's not a "get it guy." While he's said he wanted to leave on multiple occasions, he never left the Los Angeles Lakers to join a team with more star players. He waited for his team to get players to help him, and they did. Obviously I am talking about the post-Shaq era of the Lakers, but even back then management went out and got Kobe help. More recently they got him Pau Gasol, Ron Artest, etc. The Cavs got LeBron players too, and he made the Finals..and lost. LeBron James is not a true star. What kind of true star agrees to create a super team made of 3 of the best players at their positions. Is anybody honestly going to be impressed when the "Heatles" win their first ring? I know I'm not. I'll be one of the people saying, "You have a stacked team in a league that welcomes decade long dynasties. Not impressive." Sorry for than mini LeBron rant, back to how Derrick Rose is a true star.

If the rumors are true and Rose refused to call back LeBron or meet with him or whatever, then that was the smartest thing he could have ever done. Sure acquiring LeBron would have put the Bulls on the fast track for multiple rings, but at what cost to Derrick Rose? With LeBron, Rose is just a sidekick, no longer a star. Without LeBron, Rose is the face of the franchise, the star. Without LeBron, everything the Bulls accomplish and don't accomplish is directly attributed to how Rose plays, and that is what a true star is. The Chicago Bulls is Derrick Rose's team, no one else's. The Miami Heat is whose team? They have 3 guys that could be the star, but no one is. You think Miami's closing problems and them not having 1 guy that wants the ball at the end of the game are just a coincidence? Heck no. You'd think it'd be easier when a team has multiple guys that have closing ability, but it clearly isn't. It isn't because it creates a controversy. With one star everyone on the team knows who will get the ball at the end of close games. With three stars no one knows what will happen or who is going to get it, hence the controversy.

Cowherd says that the only player Rose could get was Boozer and that proves what other stars think about him. Well considering that there were only 5 great free agents last summer in James, Wade, Amare, Bosh, and Boozer and 3 of them already knew they were probably going to the Heat, that leaves two left. Now consider the fact that Amare's old coach was in New York and that they had a boat load of money to spend since they were most likely going to loose out on LeBron; there goes Amare off the list. This leaves Boozer left, who the Bulls signed. Derrick Rose got the one guy he knew would come to Chicago and not steal his limelight but still help the team a lot. You can call it selfishness, or wanting his own fame, or whatever. I call it being a true star. He recognized when he was drafted that he was going to be the guy in Chicago, and he made sure no one was going to take that away from him, even if it could have meant multiple rings. Derrick Rose wants his own rings, and right now that's trumping forming a super team because the Bulls sit atop the East and the Heat are playing catch up 3.5 games back. Derrick Rose has a simple nickname, D-Rose, and he is A-Star.

References

http://twitter.com/#!/ESPN_Colin
http://search.espn.go.com/derrick-rose/
http://espn.go.com/nba/standings

DJ Dilemma Part 2

Last winter the Yankees and Jeter had trouble agreeing to a new contract. They finally agreed, but not after some spats from both sides. This spring it looks like there will be another Jeter dilemma. Dilemma number two will be where to put him in the lineup, 1 or 2. Last year Jeter batted lead off and had one of his worst years statistically. The year before he batted there also and had one of his best years statistically. The problem is that he's not getting any younger and players decline with age, not improve. The Yankees have a young, blazing fast left fielder in Brett Gardner who would be a much more logical choice at lead off, but manager Joe Girardi might still go with Jeter at the top. Why? According to Girardi, the Yankees signed Jeter to be a lead off man. Now I don't know the terms of the contract, but I'm pretty sure there's nothing written about how Jeter must be lead off man throughout the life of the contract. What I do know, though, is that if Girardi goes with Jeter on top it will be a very foolish decision.

Historically speaking Derek Jeter is a # 2 hitter. Jeter only started hitting lead off everyday a few years ago, and I could see why. Early 30's Jeter was a .300 hitter with good speed, knew how to get on base, and didn't have a lot of power. He was the definition of a typical lead off hitter. But times have changed and Jeter is now mid 30's Jeter. His first year of this part of career did not scream lead off man. His numbers were down across the board, but they weren't really that bad. He hit .270 with 10 homers, 67 RBIs, 18 steals, and a .340 on-base percentage. To me, these are 2 hole numbers. The average could be better, but the main job of the #2 guy is to continue the trend of the lead off guy and got on base before the heart of the order comes up. The only real difference between 1 and 2 is how often you get on base, and while Jeter's average and OBP were decent they were not good enough to lead off. They were good enough to bat behind the lead off man. Brett Gardner was the man who had better lead off numbers last year.

Gardner hit .277 with 5 homers, 47 RBIs, 47 steals, and a .379 OBP. While the average should be a ways higher for a lead off man, the .379 OBP and 47 steals is what makes Gardner fit for the top spot. He is a patient hitter with young, fast legs that can fly around the bases and cause havoc for opposing teams. He is the type of player you want leading off games, not batting las. Russell Martin has above average speed for a catcher, have him bat last. Batting first in the lineup, logically, gets you more at bats per game because you see your first at bat in the first inning not third or fourth. Getting Gardner more at bats will increase his steal numbers and possibly his average and OBP numbers. It could also decrease these numbers, but with Jeter's numbers already decreasing I think it's worth the risk to put Gardner atop the Yankee lineup for the whole season.

In conclusion, I think the rest of Yankee Universe would like to see Gardner at the top of order as well. If Girardi goes with Jeter, the likely thing that will happen, and Jeter starts repeating his numbers from last year, then the fans will definitely want to see a change atop the order. I think fans will be more lenient if Gardner struggles a bit on top because he can cover up his struggles with the ability to get on base frequently and then stealing lots of bases. In reality, Gardner was only 4% more efficient than Jeter in the OBP category, but baseball is not a reality sport In baseball that 4% is a lot. The first Jeter Dilemma was handled in favor of the New York Yankees. Now let's hope the second dilemma is handled in favor of the New York Yankees as well. Because the reality is that...for once...Derek Jeter is not the best option in this scenario.

References

http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/news/story?id=6228324
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=3246
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=29174

Life Without Pigskin

If you haven't heard, the NFL owners locked out the players, and the union decertified so the players can sue the NFL. In layman's terms, this means that as of right now NFL football will not happen this coming fall. This does not mean as much to the owners as you may think because all, or most at least, have other businesses besides their NFL team. But as it means little to the owners, it means everything to the players because the NFL is their full-time job. So my question is, what have the players been up to? Well, some players are trying to make sure the players don't get shafted in the next collective bargaining agreement (CBA) while trying to make sure there is football this fall. Other players are organizing workouts with coaches and pretending that this whole dispute never happened. Then there are those players that are turning to other sports to make money for the time being.

It should be no surprise that some of biggest names are fighting for the players and trying to get a deal done one way or another. Some of the big names include are: the three best active quarterbacks in Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, and Tom Brady; Manning's center, Jeff Saturday; and Ravens starting corner Domonique Foxworth. The quarterbacks are part of a 10-player lawsuit against the NFL for violating antitrust laws, named the Sherman Act. Brees and Saturday have been vocal to the press about the whole situation while Foxworth attended some of the meetings between the owners and players. Kevin Burnett, a not-so-big name player and linebacker for the Chargers, took his frustrations to the press as well and tore into Goodell's character calling him a "blatant liar." No one knows if players getting this involved will hurt or help the CBA negotiations.

Why those players are fighting for football in 2011-2012, other players are anticipating football this year and honing their skills with coaches. Chad Henne was the first to do this having (illegal but non-punished) meetings with his new offensive coordinator, Brian Daboll, and quarterback coach, Karl Dorell. These meetings were before the old CBA expired there were rules that disallowed player/coach interaction, but the NFL chose not to punish the Dolphins. The Rams and Browns were also having such meetings and the NFL sent them cease-and-desist letters. All contacts between teams and players is forbidden now that the CBA expired, so it is unknown if teams are still breaking the rules and having player/coach meetings. If not, you can rest assure that the likes of Chad Henne and Sam Bradford are working out alone somewhere preparing as if a lockout never happened.

If I told you Chad Ochocinco was going to play professional soccer in Kansas City, would you believe me? You don't have to answer that because the Associated Press and ESPN have reported that Sporting Kansas City of the MLS has given Ochocinco a 4-day tryout to make the team. Ochocinco loves the sport of soccer and played from age 4 until high school, choosing to focus on football there. Another player switching sports during the lockout is Ravens safety, Tom Zbikowski, who returned to the sport he played in college: boxing. Zbikowski won his second career fight against Richard Bryant, winning 50,000 dollars in the process. While Ochocinco and Zbikowski chose to dabble in completely different sports, two receivers returned to arena football. Rod Windsor and Troy Bergeron, both practice squad players last year for the Browns and Cowboys, both signed AFL contract and both were rookie of the year for the league at one point. I guess for these players it is all about trying to raise income, except for Ochocinco, who I am sure has enough money to sit out this lockout and a few more after that.

One thing can be said in loo of these facts, and that is that the players are not all unified about getting what they want from this deal. I would not be surprised if some players didn't care if the owners took another billion off the top as long as it meant football in the fall. While enough of the star players have stepped up trying to fight for the players, I don't think it will be enough. I think either the owners will win this deal or there will be no football this year. If all the players were unified for the cause it might be a different story, but with players quickly willing to go elsewhere to find work this might be a sign of no 2011-12 season. Everybody brace yourselves for life without pigskin because things are looking pretty grim right now. Good thing there's Madden.

References

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=6205936
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=6229285
http://espn.go.com/blog/afceast/post/_/id/26490/chad-henne-indicates-dolphins-broke-rules
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=6227522

Trail Blazing

The Portland Trail Blazers do not look like much of a threat sitting in 7th place in the West only seven games of .500 with a 32-25 record. But the Blazers have suffered injury problems as they do every year it seems. Their best player, Brandon Roy, as only played in 24 games and just returned from arthroscopic surgery on both knees. Their best rebounder, Marcus Camby, has been out for weeks due to knee surgery as well and is listed as day-to-day. Their former #1 pick, Greg Oden, is out for the season with a broken kneecap too. So for this team to still be in the playoff hunt is a minor miracle to start off, and then they went out and made a pretty decent sized splash in the trade pool yesterday

Portland's General Manager, Rich Cho, brought in a guy that can do a little bit of everything. The guy is 3-4 man Gerald Wallace formerly of the Charlotte Bobcats. Wallace is averaging 15.6 points per game and 8.2 rebounds per game in 39 minutes per game. He is a great finisher around the rim, can shoot mid and long range jumpers, and it's a beast on the boards. I know what casual NBA fans are thinking: "Wait, since when does getting 8 boards a game make you a beast on the boards?" Well for a taller man that is average, but when you are only 6-7 like Wallace then that is pretty impressive. Wallace also will bring more energy to this team. But now the Blazers have a problem. Who's going to start, Wallace or Nic Batum?

To me, this is a no-brainer. Batum, while averaging about 7 minutes less than Wallace, is averaging 4 points and rebounds less than him. 7 minutes less time on the basketball court and could make up the difference, but I think Wallace is the better player than Batum. He is the older, more experienced player who is definitely the better boards crasher. They are probably even scoring wise. Since Camby is out right now, I think Wallace should get the nod over Batum. When Camby returns to the starting lineup is where I see a tough decision between Batum and Wallace.

In conclusion, keep an eye on the Trail Blazers towards the home stretch of the regular season and in the postseason, if they make it. With Roy back, Camby most likely returning soon, and the addition of Wallace, the Blazers are all of a sudden a formidable and very dangerous team. They have plenty of scorers and plenty of guys that can grab rebounds. They are so talented that even their second team could put up big numbers on you. Even if they have a disappointing finish to the season, you should still watch because they have three of the most exciting players in the NBA in Wallace, Batum, and Rudy Fernandez. All three know how to finish with style, and there is a good chance all 3 could be on the floor at the same time as well. In the end, look for Portland to blaze a trail to the Finals...or at least look great trying.

References

http://espn.go.com/nba/standings/_/group/2
http://espn.go.com/nba/team/stats/_/name/por/portland-trail-blazers
http://www.nba.com/blazers/news/injuries.html
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=6155334
http://espn.go.com/nba/player/stats/_/id/1026/gerald-wallace

Johnny Comes Marching Home Again

Earlier this afternoon, the St. John's Red Storm men's basketball team won an exciting thriller over #4 Pittsburgh at Madison Square Garden. Johnny star, Dwight Hardy, put in the winning bucket off a layup with just seconds remaining in the game to the Storm up 60-59. Pitt then missed the half court heave as time expired, which put the game in the books. St. John's beat a ranked team at the Garden yet again. Since then #4 Syracuse blew them out on January 12th, St. John's has not lost a game at MSG. This feat becomes even more impressive when you look at the teams they beat and by how much. Today's game was just the second close game at Garden against ranked opponents; the other being St. John's first upset versus then #13 (now #9) Georgetown, 61-58, on yet another final second shot made my second leading scorer, Justin Brownlee. The Johnnies other three wins at the world's most famous arena consisted of no less than 15 points, all of course versus ranked foes. On Jan. 16, the game after the loss to the Orange, St. John's defeated then #11 (now #7) Notre Dame 72-54, a whopping 18 point victory, which is the largest this year at the Garden. The Red Storm's next victory came against then #3 Duke two weeks after the Notre Dame dismantling. This time they won 93-78 in what was the Johnnies highest scoring output of the season. The most recent blowout victory for the former Redmen came a little over two weeks ago against then #9 Connecticut. It was a 17 point beat down, 89-72. The Storm are 7-1 at MSG this season.

What does this mean you ask? Well for starters it is going to help St. John's become ranked for the first time in several years. This is not official information due to the new rankings coming out on Monday, but St. John's is almost guaranteed to join the Top 25 due to their current 4-game win streak against some tough opponents in UConn, Cincinnati, Marquette, and Pitt. The big wins at MSG also solidify St. John's bid for the NCAA Tournament this year. The biggest factor of St. John's performing so well at the Garden is that the Big East Tournament is played annually at Madison Square Garden. The Johnnies domination at the MSG can only mean they have to be mentioned as favorites to win the that tournament.

To conclude, St. John's basketball recapturing Madison Square Garden has been great for the university as well as the city of New York. New York City has always had great pro teams, but did not many great college teams. Back in the day, St. John's basketball used to run the city until some incidences in the early 2000's made the program rebuild basically. But now that St. John's is winning again the city is back on the map and hopping with St. John's chatter. St. John's grabbing big wins this season is great timing as their fellow MSG tenants, the New York Knicks, have not had the season that was unexpected after having a busy off-season. St. John's is making MSG the place to see good basketball. Johnny has truly come marching home again.

References

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=310502599
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/team/_/id/2599/st-john-red-storm
http://www.redstormsports.com/sports/m-baskbl/archive/stjo-m-baskbl-archive.html

Pujols Predicament

The agreed upon deadline between the St. Louis Cardinals and star first baseman, Albert Pujols, to work out a contract extension ended yesterday in failure. Strange, really, both parties want Pujols in a Cardinals uniform for the rest of his career, and yet they could not agree. Shades of the Jeter/Yankees earlier this winter. The difference being that everyone fully expected Jeter and the Yankees to agree on something eventually because Jeter is old and would get significantly less if he went to another team. With Pujols though, he is young and still very much in his prime, meaning a lot of teams will be interested in trying to sign him once he files for free agency. You'd think the Cardinals would have just given him what he wants now so that they'd avoid competing with other teams this fall. The Cards offered him what was said to be a 200 million dollar deal that spanned nine or ten years last week that Pujols rejected. Other offers included a share of the Cardinals organization itself.

Pujols rejecting these deals really makes you think if he is interested in staying with the Cards, or cashing in on a monster contract. The offer the Cards made him is not that bad, but it is said that Pujols wants A-Rod money, as in 10-yr, 275 mil. Technically speaking, Pujols should be able to demand whatever he wants because he has been the best hitter in baseball since he came into the League in 2001. He has never hit less than .312. His lowest home run and RBI totals are 32 and 103, respectively. He hit 49 home runs, his career high, the year he played the least amount of games, 143. He has also struck out more than 70 times once since he struck out 93 times as a rookie. The man is a hitting machine, and no one has seen anything quite like him, which brings me to the Cardinals.

The St. Louis Cardinals know they have the best hitter in the game right now, and they know he supposedly wants to finish his career in St. Louis. They also know that he took a home team discount for his last contract, as it was only worth what ended up being 8-yrs, 111 million due to the Cardinals picking up the option for 2011. They knew this day would come eight years ago too, and yet they failed to get the job done. Now it looks like the Cardinals will have to complete with Pujols other suitors these fall. The Cardinals now will most likely have to pay even more than they wanted to due this competition with the likes of the Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers, LA Dodgers, and LA Angels.

Personally, I cannot see Pujols in any other uniform than a Cardinals uniform. Pujols is like the Derek Jeter of St. Louis. If the Cardinals don't keep him, the city of St. Louis might riot. Think about it, what does St. Louis have besides Pujols and the Cardinals? They have the St. Louis Blues of the NHL and the St. Louis Rams of the NFL, and both teams are mediocre at best and nowhere's near a championship like the Cardinals are. The Cardinals are in quite the predicament, quite the Pujols predicament.

References

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/spring2011/news/story?id=6131069
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/stats?playerId=4574
http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/4201009/

Payton/Jones Reunion Coming?

It was announced on the 9th that Sean Payton, head coach of the New Orleans Saints, is moving his wife and two daughters to a house in Dallas, and that will be there permanent home. The Saints management has signed off on this as well. The fans are less enthused. Why? Well probably because Payton was a former assistant coach for the Dallas Cowboys and still remains close with owner/general manager, Jerry Jones. The Cowboys current coach is Jason Garrett, who hasn't even coached a full season yet. Payton's contract with the Saints after the 2012 season. You see where I'm going with this?

Now I'm just stirring the rumor pot here, but it does make a lot of sense. Payton's contract in New Orleans being a few more years allows Jones to have a trial run with Garrett as coach. If Garrett works out, then Jones won't go after Payton. But if Garrett doesn't work out, I can bet almost anything that he will go hard after Payton. Coaching for the Dallas Cowboys is obviously the more prestigious and high paying job. The Cowboys will also be a lot younger than the Saints after the 2012 season. Not mention there is all the stuff mentioned in the first paragraph that makes it a good fit as well.

Of course this can all be prevented if New Orleans offers Payton another contract extension. He would not reject an extension because even if he wanted to coach the Cowboys, there is no guarantee Jones will be calling him in for an interview in 2012. Payton is also the man that the Saints their first Super Bowl, and so he knows he is loved there. Also you never know, Payton might move his family back to New Orleans someday.

In conclusion, I think Payton will be staying with the Saints. I think it'd be too hard to leave a team you've gone so far with. Payton is also a huge Dreew Brees fan, and Brees will most likely finish his career in New Orleans. While the move to Dallas makes for a good rumor, I think that's all it will turn out to be. My answer to my own article title? No, there will not be a Payton/Jones reunion coming anytime soon.

References

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=6102666
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3587182

Performance Enhancing Draws

Usually here I give you mostly informational pieces with my a little of my opinion at the end, but in this article I'm going to something a little different. I'm going to tell you how betting has enhanced sports for me. When I say performance enhancing draws, I'm obviously just spoofing the common sport topic of performance enhancing drugs. Here draws don't me ties. They simply mean bets. Yes, it is an actual synonym of bet; I looked it up on thesaurus.com.

It all started last month. One of my best friends, and now fellow sports blogger Kyle Picano, started telling me all about the bets he does. So one day I finally started asking about betting in general. He told me one of his websites you have to put money into and the other is free and costs you nothing. I was quite intrigued by the idea of betting at no risk, which is essentially what the free site was. I joined the site, its called centsports if anyone is interested, and started making bets. How the site works is that it gives you 10 cents, paid with by the ads on the site, and you can bet that 10 cents however you want. If you bet it all and lose? Well then they give you 10 more cents. They also have bonus offers that will give you more money if you do surveys, join certain website, and other things like that. I found out I early on in my betting career that I like to have money on a lot of games. This would always annoy Kyle, who believes in betting it all to gain more money before betting on multiple games. Sometimes I did just bet it all, but most of the I would divvy it up 2, 3, 4, or even 5 ways.

At first, I did not win much because I was still learning how to bet. I also was betting on teams that had huge payouts but were heavy underdogs. But I think a month has past since I started betting and I finally broke through. Yesterday I won over 6 dollars on two 5-line parlays, which means 5 games or matches in one bet. My previous high was about 43 cents. Today was the first day in which I had dollars in a play instead of cents. I started off the day with over 7 dollars in various bets with the chance to win over 30 dollars. When you have the chance to win 30 dollars betting on a variety of different sports, this obviously makes sports way better.

When you have money on the line, it forces you to align yourself with whoever you bet on. So it turns a game or match that you wouldn't normally care about into something you'll stay up all morning following just to see if you won some cash. I never used to follow the sports of tennis and soccer. Dating back to the day I started betting, tennis has been the sport I have watched most and soccer is one of the sports I've won the most money on. As you can see, betting as widened what sports I follow. Money talks and sports betting is a great example of that. I'm all for performance enhancing draws.

PG-AWOL No. 1

The man who replaced Tiger in October for best golfer in the world will not be playing in this weekend's tournament. Lee Westwood is not literally AWOL, that was just to make for a catchy title, but he did miss the cut today and will have to sit out the Qatar Masters. Martin Kaymer, who recently overtook Tiger for number two in the world, did make the cut however. If Kaymer finishes first or second, then he will overtake Westwood as the number one golfer in the world. He is currently 10 shots back.

Westwood missing the cut at Qatar is the follow up to a 64th place finish in the European Tour's event in Abu Dhabi last month. He says his struggles are mainly to do early season rust, but it does make you question whether he is truly the best golfer in the world. Yes, a few months ago it certainly looked like he was when he dominated the field in South Africa at the Nedbank Challenge. Don't get me wrong the best can struggle at times, but when you start out the year with a 64th place finish and a failure to make the cut that is a lot of struggles. Lee Westwood is definitely not the golfer that we thought he was when he overtook Tiger at the end of last year, especially now that is position as the top golfer is being threatened after a mere 3 months.

In reality, Kaymer will probably not take overtake Westwood at the Qatar Masters. He shot a 70 today and is 10 strokes back, as stated earlier. This means that he would have be nearly perfect throughout the weekend to have a chance at first or second. Even if he doesn't overtake Westwood this tournament, having a good weekend will get him that much closer to the number one spot, and with Westwood back to the range to figure out what he's doing wrong, it could only be a matter of time before we crown Martin Kaymer as the number 1 golfer in the world.

All this uncertainly at the top must make golf officials very unhappy. The sports is bound to flop if there is no de facto number one, or at least some excellent players fighting for it like Nadal, Federer, and even Djokovic in tennis. In the good old days of golf there was Tiger Woods as the unquestioned best golfer in the world and everyone else was trying to catch him. Nowadays Woods is falling faster than the chances of the Lakers 3-peating and it it seems that the other golfers are just golfing and if they manage to do well enough to take the number one spot then so be it. Golf needs a star to emerge and take the number one spot. Golf needs another Tiger Woods.

References:

http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/news/story?id=6089963
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Westwood#PGA_Tour_wins_.282.29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Kaymer

Net Way Robbery

Evgeni Nabokov is a veteran goalie with ten years NHL experience, all of them coming with the San Jose Sharks. This season he and the Sharks parted ways and he decided to go play in Russia's KHL. But that didn't work out and so he was granted his release. The Detroit Red Wings, a seemingly perennial Stanly Cup-contender, are thin at goalie right now and looked into signing, which they ended up doing. But NHL rules say he had to pass through waivers before the Wings could actually get him. Not surprisingly, he didn't clear waivers and the New York Islanders claimed him. My question is, 'But why?'

The Islanders are also thin at goalie having traded away Dwayne Roloson and with Mr. 15-Year Deal, Rick DiPietro, always injured. They have actually been going with two rookie goalies in Nathan Lawson and Kevin Poulin, but the former has been battling the flu. So, yes, they technically need a goalie and Nabokov would probably see way more ice time in New York than in Detroit. But he doesn't really care about ice time. Nabokov is 35 years of age and nearing the end of his career, and so he wants that a chance to win the Cup. I thought that was clear when he decided to sign with the Red Wings even though he'd only matter on the team for the 2 months Chris Osgood is out after sustaining a hernia. He won't get the chance at the Cup with the Islanders as they are at the bottom of the standings and have been long out of the playoff race.

The Isles obviously didn't care what Nabokov wanted, only thinking about tending to their own needs, which is completely understandable. Sometimes, though, you have to care about what the player wants because Nabokov has decided not to report to the Islanders, and they have suspended him for his refusal. So now nobody gets what they want. The Wings don't get their veteran goalie to soften Osgood's injury; Nabokov doesn't get his chance at a Stanley cup this year; And the Islanders don't get a goalie they desperately need. You see why I wondered why now?

The New York team from Long Island should have never put a claim in for Nabokov. In fact, the team no team should have put a claim in for Nabokov. Furthermore, I don't even agree with that NH:L rule. What's the point of allowing a team to sign a player mid-season that has played overseas if the player then just has to go through the waiver process? It should either be one or the other. Either the player has to go through the waiver process and then try and work out a deal with his new team or just let the player sign a contract with the team of his choice and don't have a waiver process. Having both does not make any sense, but rules are rules and they have allowed the Islanders to commit net way robbery.

References:

http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/nhl/news/story?id=6048076
http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/nhl/news/story?id=6062772

The Underrated Debate

Today ESPN's Jayson Stark produced his underrated starters in Major League Baseball for 2010. Stark has been a baseball writer with ESPN since 2000 and was with the Philadelphia Inquirer prior to joining ESPN. He is personally one of my favorite sport writers and one of the reasons I decided to start this blog. His articles are usually fantastic and very interesting, and this one fit the bill as well, except I didn't agree with most of the players he picked. Except for Michael Cuddyer, Carlos Ruiz, and Mike Adams, I feel like all the players he chose are widely known in the baseball community and respected at their positions. I also feel that Starlin Castro is not underrated since he is only a rookie and has not even played a full MLB season yet. So with all these disagreements with Stark, I decided to make my own "All-Underrated Team."

First Base: Aubrey Huff

Aubrey Huff is a ten year veteran that has had a good year basically every year he's given at least 400 at bats, which he has gotten every year since 2001. In fact, since '01, Huff has these averages for batting average, homers, RBIs, and OPS: .281, 23, 82, .815. He has been somewhat of a journeyman despite these numbers though, playing on five teams, Tampa Bay, Houston, Baltimore, Detroit, and San Francisco. Coming off his second best year in 2008, he had kind of a down year in 2009, but that did not dissuade the San Fran Giants from signing him. They needed a big bat and they knew he could potentially give it to them, and he delivered. Huff batted .290 with 26 bombs, 86 RBIs, and an OPS of .891 as a key component to the Giants winning their first World Series since the move from New York. I don't know about you, but I certainly would not have predicted Aubrey Huff as the first baseman to lead his team to a World Series title last year. Oh and by the way, Huff has never been selected for an All Star team.

Second Base: Orlando Hudson

Orlando Hudson is an eight year veteran who has also moved around a lot. He played 3 years for Toronto and then Arizona followed by one year stops in Los Angeles and Minnesota. He has also put up good numbers since his first full season in 2004. He has a good bat for a second baseman hitting double digit homers, or close to it, in every season since '04 except this past year when he was hitting in spacious Target Field. He also boasts a career average of .280 and an OPS of .770. He is rock solid on the defensive side as well making only 82 errors in 1121 games, good for a .986 fielding percentage. Having made 2 All Star teams, he is not as underrated as Huff, but still underrated nonetheless. He has been on a playoff team 3 out of the last 4 seasons, each with a different team, and yet he has had to settle for short term contracts the past three offseasons. This past offseason he only received a two-year deal from the Padres, and another new team will make it 5 teams in 9 years. When an All Star second baseman whose good both offensively and defensively goes through 5 teams in less than 10 years, you know he's underrated.

Shortstop: Stephen Drew

Stephen Drew is relatively young having only been in the majors since 2006, but he has made quite the impact at the shortstop position. Unfortunately, there is a logjam at the shortstop position currently and so Drew is largely overlooked. I was browsing through some final fantasy rankings for 2010 on various sites and Drew was always in the Top 10. It's good to see he's getting some fantasy love, but that's about all he's getting. According to ESPN, Drew's seasonal averages have some eye-popping numbers coming out of the shortstop position, including 12 triples (even though he has stolen no more than 10 bags in a season), and 16 homers. Over the last three seasons he has hit no less than 11 triples per year and he has almost as many career triples as he does home runs, 46 to 65. He was one of four players to have double digit triples and homers in 2010, but the other three stole at least 30 bags compared to Drew's 10. That shows that Drew drove the ball well enough to get a triple rather than use his speed to stretch hits into triples. One reason Drew may be overlooked is his low hit and runs scored totals. Drew also showed that he is clutch when it matters in his only Postseason hitting .387 with 2 homers in 7 games in 2007. To cap off how much underrated he is, he has never been selected to an All Star game.

Third Base: Casey Blake

Casey Blake might just be the most underrated baseball player out of all active players. His baseball career started in 1999, but he nobody gave him a chance until Cleveland in 2003. From 1999-2002, Blake was a member of three teams and got a total of 112 at bats. During this span, he literally hit a homer every other year. Since 2003, Blake has not hit anything less than 17 homers a year. Blake's numbers are not eye-popping, but they are decent. I don't think the Dodgers sell him short though. Remember that Indians catcher who made his MLB debut in 2010, he goes by the name Carlos Santana, and his debut was pretty impressive. Well he was not always an Indian, he was traded from the Dodgers to the Indians, along with another player, for Casey Blake in 2008. Blake was 35 years old back then. The Dodgers traded a top notch catching prospect for a 35-year old journeyman third baseman. The Dodgers knew what they were doing though because Blake has put up fairly consistent numbers as a Dodger. Blake has also not been picky about what position he plays as he has played every position besides center field and catcher throughout his career.

Right Fielder: Michael Cuddyer

I have no quarrels with Stark's pick of Cuddyer. I have always liked Cuddyer and thought that nobody really gives him the credit he deserves.

Center Field: Marlon Byrd

Marlon Byrd is the Casey Blake of center field. He got very few shots until the Rangers started him in 2007. In fact, he's only reached 400 bats or greater fives times in his eight year career. But during those five seasons he had batting averages of .303, .307, .298, ..283, and .293. He has also hit double digit homers every year since 2007. He also has only 20 errors in the 5 seasons he's started as well. He is also well traveled, playing in Philadephia, Washington, and now Chicago besides playing in Texas. He has been noticed more recently though as he was an All Star this past season. With only 5 somewhat full seasons under his belt and only being age 33, Byrd still has a lot of baseball left. Hopefully he will get to start a lot more seasons to come.

Left Field: Josh Willingham

Josh Willingham has seen regular time in left field for 5 seasons now and he done quite well as a regular. During the three seasons of the five in which he got 400 or more at bats, he slugged out 26, 21, and 24 homers. His career average is only .265, but that should go help since he is playing in a larger stadium after he was traded to Oakland in December. His homer numbers will probably decrease in Oakland, but the A's still picked up a good player.With only 16 errors in left field in his career, he also has a good defensive player. While he had a couple All Star-worthy seasons, he has never been selected to an All Star Game.

Catcher: Carlos Ruiz

I also agree with Carlos Ruiz's selection to this list. When I read Stark's reasons why he was chosen I was completely shocked. Ruiz is really good at his position, and no know really knows it.

Starting Pitcher: Jered Weaver

Jered Weaver burst onto the pitching scene in 2006 going 11-2 with a 2.56 ERA. Despite such success in his rookie season, he finished 5th in the 2006 AL Rookie of the Year race. Since then he has only had 1 one season with an ERA over 4, which was 2008 when it was 4.33. This past season he struck out 233 batters, the most of all pitchers this season. He pitched 224 and third innings, good for 8th most in the majors. His ERA was 3.01, 16th highest of all qualifying pitchers. With walk total of 54 was tied for 21st lowest among qualifying pitchers as well. He did make the All Star game in 2010, but that was an imperative since he had such a high strikeout out total. He finished 5th in the

Closer: J.J. Putz

J.J. Putz was one of the premiere closers in 2006 and 2007 for Seattle, saving 76 games and blowing only 9. The Mariners then lost confidence in him in 2008 because he blew 8 saves and saved only 15. He then signed with the Mets as a set up man because he could not get a closer job. That did not work out and he had his worst year so far in his career. But he rebounded last year while pitching for the White Sox. Now he has the closer gig in Arizona, and I personally think he will flourish there. Teams need to be patient with him, even Mariano had a year that wasn't amazing.

Set-Up Man: Mike Adams

I did not even know this guy existed until I read Stark's article. That's how underrated he is.

To conclude, I picked started that are underrated that contribute to a team. Stark I think chose stat stars that continue to fly under-the-radar even though they put up great numbers. My problem with that is that if you are a stats star, then you are at least known by the baseball stats junkies. I chose players that a team needs but are overlooked because they do not put up crazy, eye-popping numbers each year. I feel I chose the truly underrated players of baseball.

References:

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&id=6044419
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jayson_Stark
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/stats?playerId=4479
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/stats?playerId=5029&context=fielding
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/stats?playerId=6298&context=batting
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/stats?playerId=4149
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/stats?playerId=5033&context=batting
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/stats?playerId=6024&context=batting
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/stats?playerId=6479
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/stats?playerId=5640