Personally, I relate certain sports and big games with different themes like entrance music you would find at a bigtime boxing bout or UFC fight. So I decided to compile a list of what I think to be the top 10 list of all-time. Without further adue lets get to the list.
A’s outfielder Yoenis Cespedes comes in with not one but two amazing plays in back to back games against the Angels earlier this week. He gunned down Howie Kendrick at home in the game on June 10th and the throw will be a contender for play of the year. Cespedes’ next victim was Albert Pujols at third the next night. His insane throws didn’t even bounce once, one covering a distance of 300 feet, and were very Vladimir Guerrero-esque. Cespedes now leads the MLB with 9 outfield assists, breaking a tie with Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista, who is in second with 7. He is one of baseball’s most exciting players and I’m sure there will be plenty of highlight reel throws like these from him the rest of the season.
Class of 2016 Kwe Parker throws down a vicious jam in pre-game warmups yesterday at an event called Diamond Day, which was a fundraising benefit for the Josh Level Foundation for 17 year old Josh Level, who passed away after collapsing during a game. The reactions by the fans in the background make this video and the dunk even better. This dunk would easily be the best dunk in any of the dunk contests the NBA has put out in recent years. It would also be in contention for the best dunk in this year’s college dunk contest. I thought Adreian Payne’s jam stole the show, but Parker’s might take the cake. Whose dunk do you think was better, Payne or Parker? The 6’2″ shooting guard with insane athleticism is getting looked at by Clemson, Virginia Tech, and N.C. State, and should have more offers by the time he graduates in 2016.
Just like Nike and Adidas, Beats by Dre have now given us their promotion ad for the Cup, and just like the others it got my fired up for next week’s tournament, while subconsciously making me want new headphones. While I’m certain there will be more entertainig ads in the upcoming weeks, it does beg the question whether the U.S. mainstream as a whole is finally ready to move soccer into it’s top tier with football, basketball, baseball and hockey? Or is this just another case of siezing the moment when the dollar signs flash?
It just seems like everyone is trying to get in on the marketing gold mine that is the World Cup, and for good reason. While the Super Bowl is without a doubt THEE prime time for a company to air it’s latest and most creative campaignes for an American audience, it can certainly be argued that the World Cup provideds an even rarer opportunity for advertisers to attack the market. A once every four years tournament of the world’s most popular sport, and suddenly you’re looking at the population of a company’s target demographic becoming exponentially larger. Of course, this is speaking from an American’s view point, as I am more than sure that other countries have long known of this “New World” marketing that we are just now starting to Christopher Columbus (come on, you know you liked that).
Being a Boston based blog and Patriots fans, we want fans to get familiar with the Pats top draft picks:
Easley would have been a top 10 pick if he didn’t tear both of his ACLs in college. When healthy, he is an extremely talented player that can play all along the defensive line and brings a lot of potential. He tore his right ACL last September, so he is close to being fully healthy and the Patriots can afford to ease him on until he’s ready. I think Easley will see the field and contribute this year.
I was shocked when the Patriots picked Garoppolo, I thought they were going to draft another position and didn’t know what to think of the pick. In a week since the draft, the pick has started to grow on me. Garoppolo is a good prospect and the quarterback he looks up to and models his game after is none other than Tom Brady. He will eat up anything and everything Brady has to say while he learns from the best. If you have the time, here is Garoppolo’s QB Camp with Jon Gruden in full, it’s pretty interesting and you get an inside look on what Garoppolo is all about: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.
Nike is one of the best in regards to ad campaigns, especially when it comes to soccer. Their “Take It To The Next Level” ad for the Euro 2008 and the cage ad “Secret Tournament” for the World Cup in 2002 come to my mind as two of the best Nike has done. In their newest ad “Winner Stays”, it starts off with two groups starting up a pickup game where they decide that the winner will stay on to play the next challenger. Over the course of the ad, the players in the pickup game become the star players they claim to be. Just like me, my friends, and many others used to do playing a pickup game in the backyard while growing up, minus actually transforming into the athlete. The ad also shows off some of the latest gear and cleats from Nike. It finishes off with the campaign’s slogan, where it tells the player to “Risk Everything”. While the ad features some of the world’s best in soccer, be on the lookout for cameos from other sports. Check it out and get hyped up for the World Cup, which is less than two months away. I know I already am.
In honor of the social media trend known as “Throwback Thursdays”, we here at Undrafted would like to start our own version of fad, taking trips down memory lane each Thursday to remember iconic moments in sports history. I could think of no better athlete to kick of our version of this day of nostalgia than the recently retired NBA shooting guard Allen Iverson. The timing for this couldn’t come at a better time as Iverson himself will be featured in a documentary of the same name in the famed Tribeca Film Festival this Sunday.
A couple of weeks ago, college basketball had their version of the dunk contest and the players put on a show. Can honestly say this was better than what the NBA has put out there. Here are the highlights in case you missed it:
Eastern Kentucky’s Marcus Lewis ended up winning the 2014 Dunk Title, but Michigan State’s Adreian Payne threw down a vicious jam 37 seconds into the video. I thought it was the best of the night and he had a great celebration as well.
This is an interview of former NBA player Stephen Jackson on ESPN’s Highly Questionable with Dan Le Batard and Bomani Jones. Jackson was/is known as the most realest player in the league. He gives it to you straight, no BS, and will tell you how it is, whether you like it or not. In this interview he talks about everything from his childhood, the strip club incident with Jamaal Tinsley, the Malice at the Palace, the most embarassing thing a teammate has done in the locker room, and more. It’s an awesome interview for any sports fan. Stephen Jackson is a great personality and is hard not to like, even with his reputation as a bad guy when he played in the league. He was just keeping it real. Check it out and enjoy.
This week’s play of the week has already been decided and we don’t have to wait til the end of the week to see it. In last night’s Game 2 of the NBA Finals, Heat forward Lebron James comes up with a great defensive play and blocks Spurs center Tiago Splitter as Splitter attempts to dunk. Usually, it is the other way around with these types of plays and you see someone getting posterized on a slam. Here, we have a unique play where we have a posterization for a great defensive play. It is one of the best blocks I have ever seen. I can’t recall anything that closely resembles it. It was truly an amazing play. Lebron James is the best player in the league and of this generation, that block is just one example of his talent and he is doing what ever it takes for the Heat to win another championship.
UNDRAFTED 