Top Contenders
Jadeveon Clowney DE/LB Texans: Whether he lines up at outside linebacker or defensive end, Clowney is the favorite. The rare talent has an incredible combination of size, speed, and athleticism to put fear into opposing quarterbacks. Clowney’s pass rushing skills alone should make him an effective threat from day one.
Continue reading “2014 NFL Rookie Of The Year Candidates: Defense”
Top Contenders
Sammy Watkins WR Bills: Watkins was the top receiver in the draft and I mentioned in my big board and my first mock draft that he should make an immediate impact. The Bills thought so, too. They traded up five spots from pick 9 to pick 4, gave up their 2015 1st round pick, and traded their number one receiver Stevie Johnson less than 24 hours after drafting him. Watkins has the talent and skill set to challenge for 1,000 yards from the get go.
Continue reading “2014 NFL Rookie Of The Year Candidates: Offense”
I have been seeing this going around Facebook and Twitter recently and I thought I’d give it a shot. So, here is MPT’s NBA All-Time Starting Lineup:
PG – John Stockton ($2): The NBA’s all-time leader in assists and has that category locked down by more than 3,000 assists. Stockton is the ultimate distributor and floor general, and I think his style of play fits in perfectly with my next two players. If “Pistol” Pete Maravich was an option, he’d be strongly considered here.
SG – Michael Jordan ($5): You can’t go wrong with the best player of all-time. His Airness has countless of achievements that include 6 NBA Finals MVPs, 5 NBA MVPs, and a 14-time All-Star. Jordan’s 10-time All-NBA First Team and 9-time NBA All-Defensive First Team shows his prowess on both ends of the floor.
SF – Larry Bird ($4): Larry Legend adds another scorer to the mix and a shooter to the lineup. He was one of the best, if not the best, all-around player in NBA history. Bird finished his career with 24.3 points per game, 6.3 assists per game, and 10.0 rebounds per game. Bird is also the best shooter out of the 25 players you can choose from, he was a 88.6% career free throw shooter and won three straight 3-point shootouts without having to take off his warmups.
PF – Tim Duncan ($3): Mr. Consistent that produces night in and night out. Even currently at age 38, he’s still getting it done. Duncan is good for a double-double on any night. He’s averaged a double-double in 13 out of his 17 seasons in the NBA and just missed two more in the past two seasons. Don’t sleep on his defense either, Duncan is an 8-time NBA All-Defensive First Team to go along with his 10-time All-NBA First Team and 2 MVPs.
C – Hakeem Olajuwon ($1): Even though it was toward the end of his career, The Dream was one of my favorite players to watch growing up. Like Duncan, he was a consistent double-double threat. Olajuwon averaged 21.8 points per game and 11.1 rebounds per game in his career. He gives my lineup some height as a legitimate 7-footer and gives me an excellent defensive stopper. Olajuwon is the NBA’s all-time leader in blocks and averaged 3.1 blocks per game in his career. He also was a 2-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year. A great addition to round out the squad. Oh, and I can’t forget “The Dream Shake”, I’m just going to leave this here for you:
So, who’s your starting 5? I would love to see what lineup you guys come up with.
It was announced that the Chicago Cubs signed 12-time All Star Manny Ramirez yesterday. Ramirez, who turns 42 later this week, has been looking to continue his playing career. He was signed to a minor league contract and will be playing for the Cubs Triple-A affiliate Iowa Cubs as a player and a coach. Ramirez is one of the best hitters of all time and was an integral part of the Red Sox teams that won the World Series in 2004 and 2007, and was named the World Series MVP in 2004. He is currently tied for 83rd all time in batting average with a .312 average and is 14th all time in home runs with 555. Cubs general manager Theo Epstein, who was the general manger for those Red Sox teams, said the Ramirez signing was to help mentor and teach the Cubs young and talented hitting prospects, and he wouldn’t be a fit on the Cubs Major League roster. If he does well enough in the minors and wants to go up to the majors, I say why not? It would be great to see Manny back in the MLB and the Cubs could certainly use any help they can get. He could also mentor the Cubs young hitters Anthony Rizzo, Junior Lake, and Mike Olt. Plus, I think everyone would love to see Manny Being Manny again:
Yesterday, the United States unveiled their roster for who would be going to Brazil for the World Cup and there was one glaring omission: Landon Donovan. The 32 year old has been a staple of the U.S. National team since 2000 and has been a part of the past three World Cup teams. It was very surprising to me that Donovan didn’t make the cut. He has the second most appearances (156) and most goals (57) in the U.S. National team’s history. Manager Jurgen Klinsmann said it was the hardest decision he’s ever had to make and that he had a couple players slightly ahead of Donovan. Donovan is the face of the U.S. National team and the best player in the team’s history, I would have taken him to Brazil if I had the choice. I think Donovan’s experience, leadership, and skill could have been utilized. His 12 World Cup appearances and 5 World Cup goals are a U.S. National team best. His 5 World Cup goals are as many as Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo (2), Argentina’s Lionel Messi (1), Netherlands’ Robin van Persie (2), and England’s Wayne Rooney (0) have scored in the World Cup combined. That’s ridiculous! Donovan took the news graciously. Donovan’s helped soccer grow in the United States over his career and will continue to do so. Hopefully he will find his way to Brazil one way or another. Thanks for the memories, Landon, and we will always have this:
Jon Griffin, playing for the Arizona Diamondbacks Double-A affiliate Mobile BayBears, pulled off a historical achievement in baseball of the course of Wednesday and Thursday. Griffin’s BayBears took on the Tennessee Smokies on Wednesday night where he connected for 4 home runs in 4 straight at bats, which tied a Major League record. He finished that game 5-6 at the plate with 4 home runs and 7 RBIs in a 17-7 victory. In the very next game on Thursday, Griffin hit a home run in his first at bat to give him 5 home runs in consecutive at bats and set the record for any level of professional baseball, besting MLB’s Colorado Rockies Carlos Gonzalez 4 straight home run effort in 2012. Even though Griffin, 25 years old, isn’t a highly sought prospect, the Diamondbacks should give him a call up to the big leagues to see if he can keep it going and let it ride out. He at least warrants a call up sometime in his career for accomplishing something amazing like that.
Either Atletico Madrid or Real Madrid will be declared the best team in Europe for the 2013-2014 season tomorrow at the Champions League Final in Lisbon, Portugal. The recently crowned La Liga champion Atletico Madrid made it to the final by beating Chelsea in the semfinals. The two were tied 0-0 after the first left leg, leaving it all up to the second leg to decide a winner. Chelsea started off well and were the first to break the draw in the first half, but not before Atletico tied it right back up with a minute before the half. In the second half, it was all Atletico. They poured in two more goals to advance to their first Champions League Final appearance since 1974 on a 3-1 aggregate. Real Madrid was up 1-0 after the first leg and then had the tall task to hold off Bayern Munich, who may have been the best team in the tournament, at Bayern’s house. Madrid had no problems and dismantled Bayern in a surprising blowout. It was 3-0 at half time and the final score was 4-0. Defender Sergio Ramos scored the first two goals and star forward Cristiano Rondalo capped it off with two of his own. Madrid won on an aggregate of 5-0 and moved on to their first Champions League Finals appearance since 2002. Now let’s get on to the preview for the all-Spanish Champions League Final:
With the lottery for the NBA Draft now set, here is a mock draft for the picks in the lottery:
I’ve never been one to take too much stock into the NBA Draft Lottery. I mean, why in the hell should I watch a bunch of old guys pulling cards out of envelopes for a half hour when there are much more important things on during the prime-time hours? This year was different though, as I had to swallow my cynicism for one reason and one reason alone. My beloved Boston Celtics.
Man oh man; it’s been a long time since I’ve been featured on my own blog, huh? Admittedly I go through erratic phases where I churn out content only to have them followed by even longer phases of complete and utter laziness (cut to shot of me eating French fries off my stomach on the couch). Whatever though, it’s my process. Don’t judge me.
Anyways. I took a while to get into a preview for the NBA Conference Finals for a couple of reasons. Number one, the most obvious, my aforementioned laziness and need to binge watch Netflix when I should be writing. Number two, I wanted to give myself a little bit of time to come up with a well thought out prediction rather than just going with my heart as I have been since the opening round. The Western semi’s I got right for the most part, with San Antonio and OKC prevailing. My predictions in the Eastern semi’s were made more with my heart and less with an eye of objectivity. I had given up on the Pacers along with everyone else outside of Indiana, and totally expected the young, upcoming Wiz kids to send them fishing. Of course the Pacers continue to screw with the minds of basketball fans by showing up just enough to make it out of the round. I still think Washington lost the series more than Indy won it, but that’s neither here nor there at this point.
In the Brooklyn-Miami series, I had totally sold myself on the idea that the Nets could push Miami to the brink. They matched up well in the small ball game. On paper, there was equal star power on both sides, and if anything else I thought the personal rivalries between the Heatles and the zombie Celtics would be enough to make it go the distance. That thought process allowed me to overlook the facts that LeBron James is the best player in the world whenever he really decides to be, KG is done and it’s sad to see, Kidd is not a good coach yet, there’s no home court advantage playing in Brooklyn (unless Rhianna sits courtside braless again, but then everybody wins), and oh yeah, LeBron James is the best player in the world. Twice for emphasis. Add to the fact that Deron Williams devolved before our eyes this year and the Nets never really stood a chance.
UNDRAFTED 