NFL Free Agency Winners and Losers

Since the NFL lockout has been lifted, the NFL has seen a flurry of free agent activity, and, as always some teams have taken the initiative to improve their rosters, while others have not. Here are some of the teams I believe have really improved this week through their acquisitions or trades.


New England Patriots- Bill Belichick has struck again. His trades for DT Albert Haynesworth and WR Chad Ochocinco are both low risk and high reward opportunities. The Patriots gave up two fifth round and a sixth round draft pick to get the two players, which is a low price to pay for the talent they may get. Both of these players will need work and discipline to be productive, but if Belichick can handle them, they will make the Patriots much better.

New Orleans Saints- The Saints traded for RB Darren Sproles, a dynamic return man in San Diego, re-signed a favorite target of Drew Brees in Lance Moore, and moved the unproductive RB Reggie Bush to Miami for undisclosed draft picks. This is a team that needs only a few tweaks to potentially win the Super Bowl, and that’s what they hope they’ve done here.

Carolina Panthers- The Panthers have spent this week with an open wallet, spending freely to re sign veterans and bring in new players. They re signed standout DE Charles Johnson, resigned three solid LB’s in Thomas Davis, Jon Beason and James Anderson. They were able to keep RB DeAngelo Williams in town, avoiding his inevitable loss if he made it to free agency. They completed a trade with Chicago to get a solid pass catching tight end in Greg Olsen, signed former Minnesota DE Ray Edwards, and brought in K Olindo Mare. In my opinion, the Panther’s have made themselves a lot better this week and look poised to  improve on last season’s 2-14 season.

Philadelphia Eagles- The Eagles completed a great trade with the Cardinals this week, sending backup QB Kevin Kolb to the hapless Arizona Cardinals and receiving essentially their best player, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, in return, along with a good draft pick. The trade gives the Eagles a ball hawking cornerback who has good size and strength for his position, and desperately fills a pressing need for Philadelphia in what was a weak secondary last season.


Free Agency Losers-

Cincinnati Bengals- The hapless Bengals have had a rough week, losing top CB Jonathan Joseph and star WR Chad Ochocinco to free agency, along with the arrest and likely punishment of possible free agent RB Cedric Benson. QB Carson Palmer, a key player for Cincinnati during the past few seasons, refuses to play this season for the Bengals. He has demanded a trade or plans to retire rather than play for the Bengals again. Bengals owner Mike Brown has taken the low road on the issue, stubbornly refusing to trade Palmer and forcing him to retire. Fans and analysts alike can’t understand why Brown doesn’t trade away Palmer to try and better his team, rather than waste every benefit of the situation. Combine all these issues with their stagnancy in the free agent market and you’re looking at a practically guaranteed last place finish in the AFC North.

Chicago Bears- As a Bears fan, I’m a little surprised and disappointed with the Bears activity this week. After trading away talented TE Greg Olsen to Carolina, they signed former Pittsburgh TE Matt Spaeth, a blocking TE to fit into Offensive Coordinator Mike Martz’s system, a decision I think further limits Chicago’s already lacking offense. Sources close to WR Roy Williams say he wishes to sign with the Bears, something that the Bear’s front office may be looking to complete soon. Williams has completed several less than stellar seasons in Detroit and Dallas, so I’m really not too excited about this addition, unless he traded someone to get a different set of hands. The Bears have not accomplished much of value this offseason so far.


Well there you have it, my opinions on who has benefited from the free agent period and who hasn’t. Now on to the regular season, where the players will do what they do best, wherever they end up playing.

Winning isn't everything, is it?

Alright. I have a bone to pick, and I have to admit, I've felt this way for a long time. And before I even write this article, I know I'm gonna get a lot of heat for it, but who cares. I'm a little put off by the idea that a championship quality player with a stellar career fails to garner the same respect from sports fans everywhere that even average players with championship rings get. Its a ridiculous notion to think any less of a player simply because he never reached that point in his career.So many different factors have made it easy for some players to win rings, and harder for some players to even reach the Finals. So, since I feel like a lot of you more casual fans may not know exactly the guys I'm referring to, I'd like to make a list of well known and (deserving) players in the NBA who do not have a championship, lets see if any of them surprise you.


In the NBA, the following players have not yet or never did win a championship during their career: Allen Iverson, LeBron James, Patrick Ewing, George Gervin, "Pistol Pete" Maravich, Charles Barkley and perhaps the best 1-2 combo in the history of the NBA, John Stockton and "the Mailman" Karl Malone.

Wow, definitely some big names there. Of that list, only James and Iverson are not in the basketball Hall of Fame, and to count the number of All-Star selections amongst those men would take quite a bit. So, to make my point, let me list some players who have one or more championship rings in the NBA and  then we will see how accomplished one has to be to have a championship ring.


Some players who have one or more championship rings: Luke Walton (2), Melvin Ely, Beno Udrih (2), James Posey (2), Jason Kapono.
Now, how many of those players put up numbers anywhere nears the list up above? How many of the players off of this list have even  made an All Star Game?


To judge a player by the number of championships he has is a joke. There is an easy way to get championship rings, and these guys have found it. Be on the right team, at the right time, in the right year. You can earn a ring in this game, or you can get one by being along for the ride. However, the casual fan in America will always use championships won as a measure of skill, which is a horrible disservice to the great careers that many of the games best players have had. The smartest way to critique a player is to look at all the facts and made a well educated claim, rather than randomly spouting out the common stats.

Athlete of the Week

I’m gonna start a new segment on here, where I’m going to pick one athlete every week who, through their play or their actions outside of sports, has made a very positive impact on the world of sports.

This weeks athlete is Nelson Cruz, OF Texas Rangers

Cruz broke out of a slump in a big way on Friday, going 4 for 4 with 8 RBI's in a game against the Toronto Blue Jays. He was a triple shy of hitting for the cycle, as he hit two singles, a double and a 3 run homer in the game. Nelson had been 8-43 (.186) in his last 12 games before the Friday night outburst.

Got a nomination for athlete of the week? Send me a suggestion at kvn_myr@yahoo.com.

Free Agent Frenzy likely to follow end of lockout

    A huge amount of progress has recently been made in resolving the NFL lockout, and it appears that the lockout should wrap up early next week. With the NFL season so close and training camps opening very shortly, NFL teams will have a very short, frenzied period with which they need to sign enough players to fill their expanded roster of 90 players for training camp. Many experts predict that by Wednesday, many teams will be avidly and directly pursuing free agent players. Luckily for those teams in need of help, there is a bevy of talent on the free agent market right now, that may be secured at a manageable price. Here are a list of the biggest NFL free agents this summer and where they could end up.

Nnamdi Asomagha CB - Asomagha is a rare player, a freakish combination of skill and athleticism that has allowed him to rise up to the level of a shutdown corner. Its quite obvious that during his stint in Oakland over the past few seasons, he altered many games in favor of the Raider’s simply with his defensive presence. Several teams could greatly used Asomagha to shore up their weak secondaries, but he is by far the most sought after free agent this summer and will not be cheap to secure.

 Some of the teams that could greatly use him are the Houston Texans, Philadephia Eagles, Tampa Bay Bucaneers, Detroit Lions ,Denver Broncos and the San Fransisco 49er’s.


Plaxico Burress WR - Burress is an interesting story this summer, as he has be a free man for only a few weeks, yet is poised to return to the NFL nearly two years after an incident where he accidentaly shot himself in a New York nightclub with an unregistered firearm. Burress was a very talented, big bodied receiver for several seasons before the incident, which saw him released from his team, the New York Giants. Burress and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, have told the media that Plaxico worked out a lot in prison, and is still in great shape. The only problem is that teams don’t know how well that will translate back to the game he has been out of for 2 years, and how well his work ethic and hands will show up when he gets back onto the field. Had Plaxico been in the league this whole time and not in jail, I can assure you he’d be in the midst of some 6 year, 45 million dollar deal, but as he comes out of prison, he can’t expect big money and will very likely receive a low deal from a team. Until we can see if the old Plaxico is back, he remains a low risk- possible high reward player and will be paid as such.

Teams that could use Plaxico: Seattle Seahawks, Washington Redskins, New York Jets, Carolina Panthers and the St. Louis Rams.


Donovan McNabb QB - McNabb is a guy I have felt a lot of sympathy for over the past two seasons. After many successful years as quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles, the team picked up Michael Vick after his release from jail, and his re-emergance put a quick and ugly end to McNabb’s time in Philly, as many people thought it would. Betrayed by his own team, McNabb was picked up by division rival Washington, where he spent last season under fire from coach Mike Shanahan and the fans alike. He put up career lows in all categories and it remains to be seen where his career will go from here. Unfortunately, his recent career plunge makes him much less valuable on the free agent market. However, there are some teams in this league in desperate need of a quarterback who can lead the team, something McNabb has proven himself capable of.

Some teams that could use McNabb: Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins. He could also be picked up and used to mentor a young quarterback in any of the following places; Carolina (Cam Newton) Tampa Bay (Josh Freeman) Cleveland (Colt McCoy). 


Kevin Kolb QB - Probably the second most sought after free agent of this summer is Kolb. A proven passer who has always been a career backup behind Donovan McNabb, Kolb is matured and ready to start for his own team. Several teams will probably try to snap him up, but Arizona is a great fit for Kolb, with a Pro Bowl receiver in Larry Fitzgerald, A VERY winnable division,  and a team which severely needed a capable quarterback to excel last year, and with Kolb could be an impressive team next season. Kolb has spent some time in Arizona recently, presumably getting a feel for the area and some of his possible teammates, as he worked out with Larry Fitzgerald while there.

Some of the teams that may try to get Kolb: Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks, Washington Redskins.


Matt Hasslebeck QB - Well, if you haven’t noticed the trend in this article, there are several teams in dire need of a QB, and only a few decent ones to go around. Hassleback has played for the Seattle Seahawks for the past few seasons, though his performance has been hampered by injuries and a shaky offensive line, and it is assumed that he will start the season at the helm of a new team next year, but that location remains unknown.

Some of the teams that could be in the mix to get Hasslebeck: Washington Redskins, Arizona Cardinals (althought their interest in him is much less than their interest in Kolb), Miami Dolphins.



Though there is a lot of speculation as to which teams will pick up each player once free agency begins, it is anyone’s guess as to where these guys will go. One thing is for sure, this free agency period will be fast and furious, and has the potential to leave several teams in a very bad position, especially those who may have though they were very close to landing their guy.

Twitter and its Impact on the world of sports

A dorm room, a confession booth in a church, a quiet coffee shop. These are all places where people may converse quietly and with relative secrecy about anything they want. Twitter is NOT one of those places. Well, Duh, you may be thinking, but that seemingly obvious fact has escaped many an athlete during the Twitter boom that has enveloped and reshaped the sports world. Twitter is a generally positive medium, through which many athletes interact with fans on an unprecedented basis, (i.e  Brandon Phillips  ) and many others promote charities and other good causes with it as well. More than a few athletes pride themselves on their number of followers, and through this increased exposure, many have started to make waves in this newest form of social media. In a world where one big sports moment can catapult an athlete from relative obscurity to overnight stardom, there is increased danger for that star to “cross the line” with a comment or post.  Just recently, Pittsburg Steelers’ RB Rashard Mendenhall posted seemingly harmless self reflections on the 9/11 terrorist attacks after the death of Osama Bin Laden, and his remarks struck a sensitive note for many people throughout the sports world. Mendenhall’s sponsor, Champion Brand, quickly withdrew its endorsement deal on Mendenhall to escape being caught in the crossfire, and Mendenhall eventually apologized after receiving much criticism. The use of Twitter by many athletes has also triggered other sort of punitive or preventative actions by sports teams. Somewhat recently, Mississippi State university men's basketball coach  banned the use of Twitter by the team members, raising an ethical debate by itself. To what extend does the control of a team prohibit a player from using Twitter, even one who has no prior offenses to set a precedent with? Furthermore, NBA player Charlie Villanueva of the Milwaukee Bucks was punished by the team for Tweeting during the halftime break of a game. Questions of his athletic motivation aside, was this act so negative that it must be swiftly punished, like a kid caught stealing candy?

Twitter is a revolutionary form of social media for an athlete because it allows them to connect with fans on much more of a personal level, without them having to do much work. Followers flock to big profile athletes like Chad Ochocinco, Shaquille O’Neal and now, Hope Solo. With that much exposure to so many people, are these athletes to be held responsible for what they say on Twitter, even if it is just their opinion? Or should it be a censored media, at the discretion of the team? One thing is certain, as more and more people join Twitter, it is inevitable that they will flock to their favorite star, and will then be witness if that star uses a gay or racial slur in a post, or if they trash their team and express dismay over not being traded. As long as big profile athletes are using Twitter, every once in a while, one of them will say something they shouldn’t have, and so the revolving door of rash remarks and afterthought apologies will continue.

Concerns over College Football

As the summer winds down and fall approaches, the sports world starts to turns its attention to the national spectacle that is college football. I have no doubt that we will see the typical scenes around college football, including the scheduling of cupcake games, the BCS system argument that surrounds the NCAA every year, and the constant changes that make up the AP Top 25 poll. 

Well I have one more topic to add to the discussion. Every year, there are a select few teams who experience remarkable and mostly unchallenged success in their football seasons. These teams can be found in all three divisions of football, and while some scream for the respect they deserve (Boise State), some are more comfortable avoiding the spotlight(Grand Valley State University and Mount Union University). The success and records these teams achieve year in and year out begs the question, why aren't these teams playing teams that are more on their level?

Boise State university has garnered alot of attention recently by racking up a 93-17 record since 1999 with nine conference titles and six bowl wins in nine trips. Fans and players for the team have recently been making alot of noise by challenging bigger and more well known teams for the chance to compete on the same stage.


Grand Valley State University is located in Western Michigan, and has been a perennial powerhouse since its football introduction in the 70's. The team has racked up a .729 win percentage in the 40 years since then, including 4 national titles. The Laker's are seemingly untouchable in any regular season game and have rarely lost outside of the conference or national championship games.Some serious debate has questioned possibly putting the team up against teams from the Big Ten conference, which has also become a tougher football conference in the past decade.


Mount Union university, located in Alliance, Ohio, has risen to become a football superpower over the past few years. In fact, they are the only team that has a higher winning percentage than Grand Valley State, as they post a .965 win percentage and a record 10 Division III national championships since 1993. They hold the record for consecutive wins from all three divisions with 55 straight victories, and have posted 14 undefeated seasons from 1994- 2005.

These three teams may be the most well known examples of dominance outside of the spotlight, but they are not the only ones. These teams have been able to filled their teams with ultra talented players year after year, and they continuously outclass all of their opponents. Some sports fans, however, think these three teams could all benefit from playing teams that are in higher talented divisions, and I am in agreement 100% of the way. As the saying goes, pick on someone your own size. 

World Cup victory a win for U.S Soccer but not Soccer in the U.S

If you know me, you know that soccer is not, and never has been, my area of expertise. That being said, I am an avid watcher of all U.S soccer matches, especially during the Men and Women's world cup.


When the American women, down a player and down a goal to arguably the best team in the world Brazil, came back to force overtime and an eventual win on penalty kicks, they earned my respect and they should have earned yours too. This American womens team is focused, committed and surprisingly talented, and play in the World Cup finals on Sunday. Surely, this is a sign of a growing interest in soccer in this country, right?

Don't be so sure. Soccer, for all is popularity on the world stage, has yet to gain a strong foothold in the mind of the American sports fan. We are thoroughly infatuated with football and baseball, but seem to have only a middling interest in the international pastime. Why does soccer continue to be an afterthought in this country?

To answer that question, you must go to the playgrounds and fields of America. Our young boys grow up playing football or baseball, sports requiring expensive gear and specialized fields that their parents can provide. Our young girls? Hell, half or more of the young girls in this country don't grow up involved in sports, either by their own choice or parent intervention. Now lets travel around the world to Cameroon. Or Tunisia. Or Egypt. Or Brazil. Children in these countries, poor and rich alike, play soccer from a very young age, perfecting skills in a sport they can play anywhere, from a plain dirt field to an inner city concrete court. Our athletes go away to colleges to tune their skills for a professional career, but find themselves splitting their time equally between academics and sports. Our children play sports for the fame, for the social status, for the bragging rights among peers at school. Their athletes play for the love of the game, the purest form of passion. Our culture does not embrace a purely sports star, we encourage the formation of well rounded individuals. Good at many things, great at nothing. As long as this sports culture remains in America, that phrase will always describe our American soccer team and its status around the world.  Good at many things, great at nothing.

Best of luck to our U.S women this weekend, and I encourage you all to support them in any way you see fit.

NFL Latest

Football fans everywhere got news that brightened their summer this week, as a new CBA deal for the NFL seems to be taking shape and the lockout could be over as soon as next week.  With that in mind, the biggest problem facing the NFL after the lockout is not players being unready for the season, but player frustration as it finally starts to rear its ugly head.

Steelers ILB James Harrison recently made strongly worded comments about his teammates as well as NFL Comissioner Roger Goodell. Harrison referred to Goodell as "stupid", "idiot" and a "clown", as well as using a gay slur to define him. Harrison has long had a distaste for Goodell, as the commissioner fined Harrison over $150,000 for several illegal hits this past season.

Harrison has not been the only player to attract controversy this summer. Steelers RB Rashard Mendenhall posted controversial remarks on Twitter after the death of terrorist leader Osama Bin Laden, which he eventually was forced to remove. Steelers WR Hines Ward was arrested earlier this week on a DUI charge in Georgia, which further presses home the fact that NFL players, like many other people, need to stay occupied to stay out of trouble.

You don't need to be particularly smart to realize how much these players want and need this lockout to end. And in many ways, the fans who enjoys the games, businesses that profit from them, and cities they put on the map need it to end as well. Once the lockout is over, players can get back to playing football instead of making public comments like Harrison, an area we can all agree is not their forte.

Hamilton grieves over fan death

This is probably one the saddest stories I have ever read. For someone to lose their life in such a freak accident, and for Josh Hamilton to have to deal with that tragedy being on his mind, its horrible.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Josh-Hamilton-talks-about-Shannon-Stone-8217-s-?urn=mlb-wp11986

Credit to Big League Stew by Yahoo editor 'Duk

Illegal benefits; The top recruit of NCAA sports

College football. The very mention of this sport brings about thoughts of rivalries, legendary stadiums and cinderella stories. Unfortunately, however, an alarming new trend of major violations has threatened to derail this sport and upset its loyal fan base. Just today, disgraced programs Ohio State and West Virginia assigned themselves self imposed punishments to appease the NCAA, but it remains to be seen if these solutions will be accepted. Ohio State has vacated all the wins from its 2010 season, including its win in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. Its longtime head coach, Jim Tressel, recently resigned because of his part in the scandal, which saw OSU players selling team memorabilia for tattoos and other benefits, and its starting quarterback has fled to the NFL to avoid his punishment from the NCAA.

This is a tremendous problem, and its growing. These punishments come after a series of violations tied to the USC football program forced them to vacate 30 wins that they gained while having Reggie Bush on their roster. Those wins include the 2004 BCS national championship, as well as the Heisman Trophy Bush won while he was playing there.

Forcing schools to vacate wins that they gained illegally seems like a good solution, but its lead a forever unfilled void in the history of college football, as those wins are not given to the opponent these schools "beat". Thus, college football will never have a 2004 BCS Champion.

College basketball has not been immune either, as several top tier schools have violated NCAA rules on recuiting and benefits. The University of Indiana, the University of Southern California and Memphis University have all been found to have violated the rules, and all have been punished accordingly. All told, between college football and college basketball, over 100 games have been vacated by  various teams, including national championships, conference titles and tournament wins.

There will always be people who prefer college football or basketball to its professional counterparts. And there truly is a lot to love about college sports still. However it is time that everyone start paying attention to what their favorite school is doing and paying a bit more attention to what that school considers honest and integrity.

Let me know if you agree or disagree with anything I've said.

Locked Out : Long Term effects of the NFL Lockout

I'm a big football fan. Huge. I'm a fantasy football addict, and my normal Sunday from Sept to January consists of watching two games on TV, five or six more on my computer, while periodically refreshing my players stats and, if I get a chance, checking to see how my Bears are doing. So far, the NFL lockout has stretched 113 days, longer than many people, myself included, predicted it would last. The start date for team minicamps and preseason games are creeping dangerously closer, and the season is legitimately in jeopardy. With that being the case, here are a few pro's and con's I see evolving if the current situation is not resolved soon.

Pro's

The unlikely yet possible loss of the football season may positively affect the other popular sports, as NFL fans may now seek out entertainment through other sports. However, I find a complete shift like this unlikely. If you preferred NFL football over college before, the absence of a season will not change your tastes.

The NFL currently has around 2,000 players on a team roster, along with a large free agent base. Even small end salaries in the league are in the six figures, so many players are not hurting for money, even with their current unemployment. Many of these 2,000 players are happy residents of the towns they live in, and the extra time they may have during this lockout may allow them to improve the area they live in.

As a third positive of a lost season, it means we will not have to suffer through the agonizing back and forth process that Brett Favre will ultimately go through before deciding that he wants to play football again.

Con's

The lockout gives Brett Favre more time to recuperate and rest his body before making a comeback for the 2012-2013 season.

As the opposite of the second Pro I stated, the public will find itself immersed with many young, rich and undisciplined football players, some of whom are likely to end up in legal troubles, hopefully not the sort that Donte Stallworth has gotten into before.

Ultimate fan boredom will sweep the nation. This is a country that lives for the power, passion and glory that only football can bring. We live for the last second TD catches to win the Super Bowl, the crushing hit on 4th and 1 to force a turnover on downs, and the flashy spins, twirls and flat out speed of an electric running back. Take away football, and you take away the livelihood of so many Americans.




Overall, the lockouts only benefit may be the missed opportunity for a preseason, which is widely uncared for by football fans throughout the nation. Hopefully the lockout ends quickly, so we can all get back to watching what we love, whether it be from a couch in our parents house, or the nosebleeds at our favorite hometown stadium.

MLB Milestones in the wake of the Steroids Era

Here I sit, watching Derek Jeter on national television as he is only 4 hits shy of the elite 3,000 hit club, and with Roger Clemens perjury trial fresh in my mind, I start to wonder what accomplishments by players lately have been real, and which ones tainted?

Now I'm definately not accusing Jeter. If there is one thing I am sure of when it comes to Jeter, it is that he is clean as a whistle. However, you do not need to go far to find a steroid user, only right down the bench to A-Rod. Alex Rodriguez came, to his credit, clean about his steroid use to the public last year, and for the most part, it blew over without scathing his reputation too much. Joining him as the three most recent exposures is former Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez and the current home run record holder Barry Bonds. Having been at a Boston series a few years back where Ramirez hit two homers in the games, (probably the only excitement in the series) I, like many fans, am left to wonder what impact steroids had on those hits. Or those two games. Or the series. In this current sports world where steroid use has been the elephant in the room, when and how do we go about exploring the gray area surrounding users and non users? So far, MLB's approach has been to test players regularly, suspend those who fail, or prosecute those have way after their careers have peaked, when the damage has already been done. Current MLB testing has turned up a surprising amount of failures, many of which players have attempted to explain as an "accidental intake" of a substance they thought was safe. How do we as fans know whether those accounts are true or not?

As far as Barry Bonds' image in the public eye goes, there is some debate as to whether or not he used steroids. The ball he hit out of the park for his 765th career home run, the record breaking shot, was eventually bought by fashion designer Mark Ecko, who let fans vote on its fate. The fan vote declared the ball was to be sent to the Baseball Hall of Fame with an asterisk on it, to show the record was tainted.

With the environment in baseball being what it is, its tough to thoroughly enjoy an accomplishment like the one Jeter will soon reach without wondering what extra edge the player may or may not have used to get there. For the sake of the fans and the game itself, I hope all players, current and future, clean up their act and play the game cleanly.

MLB All Star Game Selections

Yesterday, the final selections for the Major League All Star Game were selected, and, as to be expected, there were some surprising snubs. Some of the biggest snubs that I saw were:

Mark Teixeira ,1B, Yankees: The switch hitting first baseman is having a strong season, with 25 HR's and 65 RBI already. He has hit .312 this season with men on base, and he has been a significant driving force for the Yankees offense this season. However, a strong season by the fan picked Prince Fielder has left Teixeira on the outside looking in this year.

CC Sabathia ,P, Yankees: Several Yankees made the All Star team this year, but the obvious snub on that team was Sabathia. The Yankee ace was the first pitcher to 11 wins this season, posting a 3.05 ERA and a team leading 106 strikeouts. He has also amassed a 1.21 WHIP.

Sam Fuld ,OF, Tampa Bay Rays: I may be one of the few people touting Fuld this year, but I'm going to be honest; I've never seen one person on Sportscenter's top plays more often than Fuld has been this season. His offensive numbers are lackluster, but his defense in that outfield this year has been ridiculous. This guy was a cast off from the Cubs, but has won a starting position for the Rays and has proven himself this year.

Craig Kimbrel, CP, Braves: Kimbrel has been a shutdown closer this year, with 24 saves and 67 strikeouts this year, an insane number for a closer considering that leads fellow teammate and SP Jair Jurrjens (63 SO's), an 11 game winner. He posts a 1.12 WHIP as well.

Andrew McCutchen,CF, Pirates: McCutchen is an unusual player in baseball. He has become known for his unique mix of blazing speed and power hitting. He's having a better season from a standpoint of batting average, OBP, slugging percentage and steals than OF Carlos Beltran, however manager Bruce Bochy selected Beltran.


A few bones to pick:

Robinson Cano, 2B, Yankees: Having a quality year at 2nd base, though he is hardly the best 2nd baseman in the AL. Also, committed two late inning errors in the Mets-Yankees game after being selected for the team. Not a good thing to see out of an ASG selection.

Derek Jeter, SS, Yankees: I know. I know. By saying Jeter doesn't belong on the All Star team i'm probably not making many friends. Jeter, however, is not playing his best baseball. Before his injury, his stat splits were already below those of his career averages, and his production is not what it used to be. Another statistic, the Yankees are 13-3 without Jeter, as his replacement, Nunez, has pulled his own wait. With all of the questions about what Jeter's role will be when his injury heals, I don't see why he ca be a good selection for the ASG.

Michael Cuddyer, OF, Twins:  Look, I'm all for representing all the teams in the MLB, however, I can't think of a guy on that team worth a roster spot this year. Its no secret that the Twin's are not very good this year, but Cuddyer's stat line (11 HR, 16 Doubles, .289 AVg, .357 OBP, 34 RBI and 7 SB) is fairly average. And for that line to be an All Star, without Cuddyer being a shutdown defensive force, makes me think another guy deserves the spot.

Anyways, those are my snubs and my nubs. I'm looking forward to the All Star game, it should be a good one.

First Posting

Well, here it is, my first baby step into the world of sports blogging. In this blog I will post about fantasy sports, which I avidly play, as well as my take on anything and everything sports. I will talk about all four major pro sports, the NBA,NFL,NHL and MLB, as well as the world of college sports. If you like what you see, I welcome any and all of your feedback.