Now that the 2010 NFL scouting combine has taken place, it’s time to take our first shot at a mock draft. This one will only feature the first ten picks, but in subsequent versions we will slowly expand to encompass the entire first round. And when we do, we will be putting our mock draft up against Mel Kiper Jr’s in a little friendly competition.
1) St Louis Rams- Sam Bradford, QB Oklahoma
With needs practically everywhere, the Rams pass on the two highly regarded DT’s and pick up the best QB in the draft. With prototypical size at 6’4 and 236 pounds and tremendous accuracy, Bradford will be a great starting piece for the Rams to build their offense around.
2) Detroit Lions- Russell Okung, OT Oklahoma State
After acquiring DT Corey Williams from the Browns in a trade, the Lions opt to turn their attention from improving their ability to get to the opponent’s QB, to protecting their own. Drafting Okung will not only upgrade their Left Tackle position, but it will enable incumbent LT Jeff Backus to slide over to guard and upgrade that position as well.
3) Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska
I can’t help but think the Tampa Bay front office will feel like this when they see Nebraska’s monster DT Ndamukong Suh available at #3. If Suh lives up to all the hype he’s been receiving, in a few years he’ll have Bucs fans saying “Warren who?”
4) Washington Redskins- Trent Williams, OT, Oklahoma
Both Bradford and Okung going off the board in the top 3 is probably the worst case scenario for the Redskins. If this situation were to occur, I think the Redskins would actively seek a trade down unless they become enamored with QB Jimmy Clausen. But for now, I have the Redskins taking the next best OT on the board to fill the gaping hole left by recently retired Chris Samuels.
5) Kansas City Chiefs- Eric Berry, S, Tennessee
The best player on the board here is DT Gerald McCoy, but with two former top 5 picks already manning the DE spots in their 3-4 defense, it makes a lot more sense for the Chiefs to take the next best player, Eric Berry. Berry is the best defensive back in this draft who is no stranger to making plays… and a lot of them.
6) Seattle Seahawks – Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma
Ideally looking for a Left Tackle or a Quarterback, Seattle decides to go with the best player available in explosive DT Gerald McCoy. McCoy will be the explosive, disruptive force that the Seahawks were hoping DT Cory Redding would be when they acquired him from the Lions for Julian Peterson.
7)Cleveland Browns – Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma State
I’ve read that the Browns may be seriously interested in QB Colt McCoy early in the second round or possibly even trading back up into the first for him. In the first round, however, they’ll draft his new number one target who will be the playmaker they had hoped Braylon Edwards would be.
Oakland Raiders- Taylor Mays, S, USC
Does Taylor Mays have top 10 talent? No, he doesn’t. But, Taylor Mays is one of the best athletes in this draft class and as Al Davis has proved in the past, he loves numbers. Davis must be drooling over these: At 6’3 230 lbs, Mays is the size of a linebacker and ran his 40 yard dash in the low 4.4’s at the combine. However, most scouts clocked Talyor Mays in the 4.3’s and NFL Network unofficially clocked him in at 4.24 in the 40-yard dash, which would be a record tying performance. Quite simply, Taylor Mays is a freak.
9)Buffalo Bills- Bryan Bulaga, OT, Iowa
The third OT goes in the Top 10 when the Bills opt to select Left Tackle Bryan Bulaga from Iowa over QB Jimmy Clausen. Although he may not have the potential of Okung or Williams, Bulaga is considered to be a polished player who should be ready to start right away in the NFL. Although Clausen will be heavily considered I think the Bills will decide to solidify their Left Tackle spot and give one of their young QBs one more shot to prove they can be the man in Buffalo.
10)Jacksonville Jaguars- Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, South Florida
Last year, there were two PLAYERS who recorded more sacks then the entire Jacksonville defense (Jared Allen had 14.5 sacks and Elvis Dumervil had 17 sacks compared to the Jaguars’ 14). Obviously, the Jaguars need help with their pass rush. Pierre-Paul wasn’t the most productive pass rusher in the NCAA last season but his great size (6’4, 270) and outstanding athleticism will be awfully hard to ignore for a team with such an anemic pass rush.
March 31, 2010 · Filed under NFL
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Wrestlemania was on Sunday Night, which for the WWE is their Super Bowl. The event in itself is always pretty fantastic, as the entire company always saves their big guns for that night. The best matches take place, and the night is always great. But, that has come and gone, and since it’s the WWE, there’s always another show to get ready for. So, Monday Night Raw the night after Wrestlemania is always a fun show. It’s kind of like Opening Day for wrestling. Most of the feuds have been decided, and we get our first look into what the WWE will do for the upcoming year, as well as tie some loose ends together from Wrestlemania. For tonight’s Monday Night Raw (which I’ll be watching on Tuesday Morning on DVR, since last night was the first night of Passover), Shawn Michaels’ retirement will likely be the main topic of discussion, as well as John Cena’s newly won WWE championship, Jack Swagger’s Money in the Bank victory and Triple H’s win over Sheamus. I figured there would be no better time than now to do a running liveblog of this episode. Here goes, and this is why I love Monday Night Raw.
9:50 AM Here we go! This is the third version of these columns that I’ve written, after the Oscars and American Idol a few weeks ago. It’s time. I’m excited. Are you excited? Because I’m excited!
9:51 The WWE credits roll, and we go right into a Wrestlemania highlight package featuring the Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels. Touching already. I’ll be equipped with a few pieces of Matzah to get through this diary, that’s for sure. I have a feeling this show will become all about Shawn Michaels.
9:54 Yep, it’s announced that Shawn Michaels’ farewell will be tonight. And out comes Batista, likely to talk about his loss to John Cena last night. Batista has had an up and down stretch as a main eventer in the WWE. He’s been accused of giving lackluster performances and not caring enough about his job as a headliner in recent years. But, in his feud with Cena before Wrestlemania, he was outstanding as the bad guy. He was convincing and really fantastic. I hope he continues such a run.
10:02 Seemingly everyone in the arena chants “You Tapped Out!” to Batista as he talks. Who are the people who chant at wrestlers? I’ve been to a bunch of live events and haven’t ever done this, or at least not much. I have trouble yelling at the top of my lungs about scripted events. There are worse things that people can do, but it’s just a bit weird to me. John Cena comes out, and we’ll see how this goes.
10:04 We get our first “Cena Sucks” chant of the night. I’ve written about it before, but the amount of negativity towards John Cena is astounding. He does nothing but be consistently entertaining and is undoubtedly the face of the company. In an era of steroids and premature deaths, he is the clean, likeable face of an organization that is struggling in the public eye. Why do people decide that he sucks, when he works so hard to not only become a better wrestler but become a better role model for the fans than any other performer in the WWE? He is what every wrestler should strive for: someone who engages fans of all ages and can be admired by impressionable kids and teenagers. Good for him. I applaud you, John Cena, and apologize for all the backlash that has been heaped upon you by jealous, bored fans who think they’re smarter than everybody else.
10:10 Cena challenges Batista to a title match tonight on Raw, but Batista says no (for some idiotic reason) and the two exchange blows. Jack Swagger comes out, the winner of the Money in the Bank match (meaning he can have a title opportunity at any time) from Wrestlemania, hits John Cena in the head with the briefcase and says he wants to have his title match right now. But, Cena isn’t as knocked out as Swagger thinks, and Swagger cancels the title match. Interesting. I enjoyed that. It seems like there’ll be retrospectives on Shawn Michaels’ career throughout the night, and they start by showing a clip of Michaels (or HBK, for the Heart Break Kid) with Marty Jannetty, his old tag team partner with The Rockers. Occassional podcast guest Evan Abo’s favorite wrestler of all time is Jannetty. His pants are likely moist right now.
10:16 Ted Dibiase (the WWE Hall of Famer, not the current member of Legacy) comes out to the ring with a bunch of other WWE legends. And now out comes Roddy Piper, with Ricky Steamboat and Sargeant Slaughter! What is happening here?! And now Jerry Lawler is going to the ring! Is this a promo for Hot Tub Time Machine, since these guys were all popular in 1986?
10:18 Unbelievably, astoundingly, I’m right. Out come Rob Corddry and Clark Duke, part of Hot Tub Time Machine, and guest hosts of Raw for the night. So, they’re having wrestlers from 1986 outside the ring as the lumberjacks in a Legends Lumberjack Match. Interesting, although it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. Corddry and Duke announce that the main event of tonight will be Batista and Swagger vs. Cena and a partner of his choice. Will it be Shawn Michaels? That’d be pretty cool. This Lumberjack match will be Christian versus Ted Dibiase (the current wrestler), with his father looking on. Let’s see what happens.
10:23 The match is going on, and Jerry Lawler keeps making really weird facial expressions from the outside of the ring. It’s as if he’s announcing with his face instead of his voice. Michael Cole is attempting to announce this match by himself. It’s not going well. But the match has been pretty good.
10:24 Cole says that Craig Robinson was scheduled to be a guest host tonight with the other two guys, which I hadn’t heard anywhere, but I’ll trust him. That would’ve been great. Darryl from The Office on Raw? Count me in. Dinkin’ Flicka.
10:25 Christian wins the match as Dibiase was distracted by the legends outside of the ring. The Dibiases have an argument in the ring after Ted loses.
10:27 They show HBK giving Marty Jannetty Sweet Chin Music and throwing him through a glass window. Evan is now crying. HHH is up next, likely to talk about Michaels.
10:29 They show the Popeye’s commercial about Louisiana chicken tenders, where a saucy black woman talks about how she makes tenders in her kitchen. Because all Popeye’s chains have a feisty black woman sitting in the back and making her special recipe of chicken and shrimp, obviously. That’s totally natural.
10:33 Corddry and Duke go into a hot tub with all of the Divas. I’m assuming this will become a running gimmick throughout the night.
10:38 Triple H gives an impassioned speech about Shawn Michaels, but as he’s speaking is blindsided by Sheamus and hit with a crowbar and goes down! Really good segment, and I think it’ll make Sheamus become much more of a bad guy than he had been. This will really rile up the crowd against him, which is a good thing for his character. Good segment, as Saucy Black Lady talks about her Louisiana Tenders again.
10:40 Time for a Wrestlemania rematch, with a 5 on 5 Divas Match. We’re only seconds away from seeing Maryse for the first time tonight, only the hottest WWE Diva since Trish Stratus. And there she is! MARYSE! She is ridiculously hot. Oh man, she is out of control. AND SHE GETS PINNED! She was posing to the crowd and looking super hot, but she was caught and got pinned, and the 5 on 5 match is over. It doesn’t matter. She’s a goddess.
10:44 For the HBK farewell, they’re using Audioslave’s “Be Yourself” as the theme song for it. It’s only among my favorite songs of all time. This catapults this entire night from an A to an A+ for me. I’ve really enjoyed Raw so far. Bret Hart is up next, so that could change quickly.
10:46 I have REALLY hated Bret Hart’s tenure in WWE for the last three months. See, I didn’t start watching wrestling until after Bret Hart had already left the WWE. So, there’s no nostalgic value for me in seeing him. The entire time he’s been here this year, all he’s done is complain about how Vince McMahon screwed him, and it’s been really boring. He hasn’t wrestled at all, but only complained. Everyone who used to watch Hart has eaten it up, but since I have no memories of him, it’s just been really annoying to me. I’m sure a lot of younger fans feel the same way.
10:49 Bret decided to wear full pants tonight, instead of his jean shorts! How nice of him! He wishes Michaels well, and congratulates him on an amazing career. He talks about his brother Owen, in a genuinely nice moment, and the crowd chants his name. I’ve hated this story (read above), but that was nice.
10:55 Out comes the Miz and the Big Show, and the Miz is laying down the law as it is, and telling Bret that these last three months have been a waste of time. A fantastic job by the Miz here. I’m enjoying the hell out of this. He’s telling Bret Hart to his face that he’s overrated! This has been damn good.
10:57 Out comes the Hart Dynasty, the tag team from Smackdown. This could get interesting, and maybe set up a future tag match with the Miz Show. Finally, a potential future storyline that could work well. I like this! That match may be happening after the commercials.
11:00 Yep, that match will happen now. It’s a non-title match, so obviously the Hart Dynasty will win.
11:04 David Hart-Smith puts the Miz in a sharpshooter, which the Big Show pulls him out of, and makes him leave the match. The Harts win via count out. Good match, and good segment as a whole. We’re past the halfway mark of the show, which means that we’re going to eventually have a really bad segment. It always happens, it’ll just depend on when. Time for the Saucy Black Lady again!
11:09 Craig Robinson!!!! Darryl’s here! AND HE ENDS THE DIVAS MATCH! AND IN COMES MARK HENRY! Mark Henry’s sitting in the hot tub with Corddry and Duke in a speedo! Thank you, Craig! And in comes Hornswoggle as well. This has gotten better. That was fun. Lawler gives a shout out to Audioslave.
11:15 Time for the Swagger/Batista Cena/Mystery Partner match. I really like Swagger, and I’m glad he won the match last night, although I was personally rooting for Kofi Kingston. But, either way, I do like Swagger and think that this will help his career. He might have a speech impediment, though.
11:19 Who will Cena’s mystery partner be? I’m a big fan of mystery partners. Always adds to the suspense of the match. I really have no clue who this will be. If it’s HBK, this place is going to go crazy. It’s Randy Orton. I guess that makes sense. They’ll save HBK for later.
11:22 Isn’t it more impressive to be a 1 time WWE champion for years in a row than a 9 time champion, like Cena? If someone is a 9 time champion, then that means he’s lost the title 8 times, and a 9th when he loses it again. Is that really so amazing? I wouldn’t advertise that if I were a WWE champion. Which I certainly won’t ever be.
11:25 As I write this, I see that Bill Simmons, one of my favorite writers, just put out a running diary of Wrestlemania from Sunday. Kill me. Whatever, this liveblog is still going on strong! No quit from me!
11:28 Orton wins the match with 2 RKOs to Swagger and Batista. It seemed like a good match, but I was distracted by the fact that Simmons decided to do the exact same kind of column as me and by looking at pictures of Maryse.
11:31 Time for HBK. This is going to get emotional.
11:33 A long ovation, and out comes the Undertaker. Let’s see what happens here.
11:34 He comes out with his music. Tips his hat to HBK, and leaves, without saying a word. Well done. It’s getting misty in the Rothschild basement.
11:36 The speech begins, which is interrupted a few times by the fans chanting his name, and thanking him. A middle-aged woman is seen crying in the audience. Shawn’s crying, and we’re all crying. He thanks Adam, a video guy in Connecticut that puts together the highlight clips for the WWE, among others. And he’s right, those clips are always amazing. So I thank you too, Adam.
11:42 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cim_8IMd-6Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNISYXLxkXE&feature=video_response
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HZ_9NkUMQ4&feature=related
Stunning. I can’t think of much to say about the end of Raw and Michaels’ speech, because I honestly don’t think I’m a good enough writer yet to do it. Watch the three youtube clips above. It was as emotional a moment as I can remember in a long time, and probably the most touching moment I can ever remember as a WWE fan. Truly amazing.
Final Thoughts
This was among the best episodes of Raw that I can remember. I picked a great week to do this diary, Bill Simmons be damned. There wasn’t as much movement in storylines as I had expected, besides the match involving the Miz and the Hart Dynasty. But, it was still an absolutely amazing show.
There was a poetic quality to the way that Shawn Michaels ended his career tonight on Raw, as opposed to how Triple H’s night went, Michaels’ long time partner. Triple H gave his final thoughts about HBK early in the show, but was then interrupted and taken out by Sheamus, someone who represents the next generation of WWE stars. Michaels was able to retire tonight without any type of gimmick, and was truly adored by the fans. It was the difference between someone who had seen it all and decided to make his final memory one that will last forever, and someone who is still engrained in the day-to-day squabbles of the WWE. While Triple H’s speech was touching, the gimmicky aspect of fighting with Sheamus kept it from reaching higher levels. HBK was able to have a transcendent moment that went beyond what the WWE has to offer, and went to a level in all of sports that’s rarely seen. It isn’t HHH’s fault that his moment tonight was derailed. He’s still in the WWE, and he has obligations to fulfill. Such is the life of a wrestler. But for Michaels, it was amazing to see what it’s like for someone to essentially graduate from the WWE. It isn’t an easy life, being a wrestler. Unlike most athletes, who at the very least have a home where they play half their games and can settle a family down, a wrestler doesn’t have that stability. Every single game is a road game. It’s the reason that TNA Wrestling has attracted so many big name stars, since all of their events are in Orlando. The lack of a consistent family lifestyle has to be one of the main reasons why we’ve seen so many wrestlers fall to drugs, alcohol, arrests, and for far too many, an early death. For others, like we’re seeing on TNA with Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair, the addictive nature of wrestling in front of an audience has been too much to resist. Instead, we’re seeing guys in their 50s fighting, when they’re at least 10 to 20 years past their primes. Every time that we see guys like these trying to reclaim past glory, it’s become sad. That’s why seeing Shawn Michaels, who can easily claim to be the greatest wrestler of all time, retire and walk away is so refreshing. Seeing someone cement his legacy by walking away before he has a chance to ruin it is something we rarely see in sports, but have never seen in wrestling. Unfortunately, the only top guys who have really ended their careers on top were the guys who have died in the process. I don’t ever remember seeing another person truly go away before without tarnishing their legacy, at least a little. It’s the reason that we hope and pray that Michaels truly is done. I believe him. I think this is it, and it’s the end to a truly magnificent career.
Final (Final) Thoughts
I don’t watch the WWE every week, and I miss most pay per views. I’d be lying if I said otherwise. But as I watched Shawn Michaels’ retirement speech, a pack of wild horses couldn’t drag me from the TV screen. There are only a few things that can really do that to me, where I wouldn’t miss something for anything in the world, except maybe getting with Maryse. The season finales of a few seasons of The Office. A playoff game that one of my favorite teams is competing in. The finale of Paradise Hotel. I’m sure there are others, but I’m not thinking of them right now. For this moment to reach that rarified air says something. There are so many aspects of the WWE that I hate. (Actually, I expected to make fun of way more things in this liveblog, but it was such a well-done show that I had no reason too. Kind of a bummer.) But for one singular moment to be that riveting means that, at its best, the WWE can reach levels higher than almost any other program. And for that, it’s why I love Monday Night Raw, Shawn Michaels, and the WWE.
March 30, 2010 · Filed under Uncategorized
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The UEFA Champions League is moving on to the quarterfinal stage starting tomorrow. The premier match up is between reigning champions FC Barcelona from Spain and Arsenal from the English Premier League. The Gunners are currently in 3rd place in the EPL and are only 4 points away from Manchester United who sit atop the standings. Barcelona is tied with Real Madrid for the lead in La Liga and both are 21 points clear of third place Valencia. The other 3 quarterfinals are Bundesliga powerhouse Bayern Munich facing off against Manchester United, Italian leaders Internazionale against surprise Russian squad CSKA Moscow, and a match up of two French teams, French league leaders Bordeaux against Olympique Lyonnais. The final is creeping closer, now less then 2 months away, as teams from six nations are all vying to lift the trophy in the Bernabeu Stadium, home of usual Champions League powers Real Madrid. Each quarterfinal presents an interesting match up and all Champions League games should be a great warm up for the big event this summer, the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
FC Barcelona v. Arsenal: The reigning champs are coming off a dream season where they were virtually unbeatable. In 2009 Barcelona completed only the 5th European treble ever, meaning they won the UEFA Champions league, their domestic league (La Liga), and their domestic cup (Copa Del Rey), all in the same season. They also went on to become the first team ever to win 6 out of 6 competitions in a single year when they added on titles in the Supercopa de Espana (match up of La Liga and Copa del Rey champions, or in this case runner-up since Barcelona won both), the UEFA Supercup (match up of Champions League winner and Europa League winner), and the FIFA Club World Cup (the winners of each confederation’s club championship plus the host club). This season, they have already been eliminated from the Copa del Rey, but they can still become the first team to successfully defend a Champions League title.
Reigning FIFA Player of the World, 22 year old Argentine Lionel Messi, is playing at a higher level than anyone else in the world right now. During a recent stretch, Messi scored 8 goals in 3 games, including back to back La Liga hat tricks with a 2 goal performance against VfB Stuttgart in the Champions League Round of 16 mixed in between. The fact that the final takes place in Real Madrid’s home stadium provides even more fuel for the reigning champs to repeat and stick it to their bitter rivals.
Arsenal had won 6 EPL games in a row since a defeat away to Chelsea on the 7th of February, until they recently tied Birmingham this past Saturday. After losing the first leg away at FC Porto 2-1 in the Champions League, they dismantled and completely outclassed the Portuguese side with a 5-0 victory back at Emirates Stadium to easily advance. Led by leading goalscorer, captain, and native Spaniard Cesc Fabregas, the Gunners are looking to avenge a defeat in the final of the Champions League to Barcelona back in the 2005-06 season. Although they have had a successful season, they are certainly underdogs in this match up and they will need a result at home if they are hoping to advance.
Prediction: The first leg is to be held at Emirates Stadium where nothing but a victory is needed for Arsenal to have a chance to advance. I think Barcelona gets a draw away and is just too strong at home and will advance on a 4-2 aggregate.
Bayern Munich v. Manchester United: Many people questioned if Manchester United would be as much of a dominant team without star Cristiano Ronaldo, who left to Real Madrid in a record transfer. Not only have the Red Devils answered their critics by making it to the Champions League quarterfinals with little struggle, they also are leading the EPL. Striker Wayne Rooney is having a career year and has carried the scoring load this year for Man U. The 24 year old has scored at a blistering pace with 33 goals in 37 games in all competitions for the EPL leaders this season. He also scored 4 of United’s 7 goals in their 7-2 aggregate defeat of AC Milan in the Round of 16. The match away against Bayern Munich on Tuesday starts a tough stretch for the Red Devils where they next face off against Chelsea at home at Old Trafford, who are right on their heels in the EPL. The next match is the home leg of the Champions League against the German side that will ultimately determine a spot in the semifinal. Led by Rooney, Man U will be looking to make their third consecutive Champions League final after winning it all 2 years ago and losing in the final to Barcelona last season.
The German juggernauts have struggled recently in the Bundesliga after losing their second straight game this past Saturday and now sit in 2nd place in the league behind Schalke. Dutch star Arjen Robben is tied for the team lead in goals with 14, despite only playing 19 games in all competitions this season. Munich slipped by Italian side Fiorentina in the last round advancing on away goals, the deciding goal coming from the Dutch striker. They face a much stiffer test from the Red Devils and if the Germans manage a n upset, it will likely be due to the play of Robben.
Prediction: With the way Wayne Rooney is playing, I think that Man U. will just be too much for the Germans. Arjen Robben could be a difference maker but the Red Devils should advance rather comfortably on a 4-1 aggregate.
Internazionale v. CSKA Moscow: The Italian league leaders have struggled in their domestic league as of late losing 2 of their last 4 and only getting the full 3 points in 2 of their last 9 matches. They now only lead Serie A by a single point over AS Roma and rivals AC Milan sit only 3 points back. Inter was rather impressive, however, in the last round of the Champions League when they defeated English side Chelsea, who had made the final 2 years ago and were defeated in the semifinal last season on a last minute goal by Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta. Inter is led by top goalscorers Alberto Diego Milito and Samuel Eto’o, who came over from Barcelona in an exchange for Swedish international Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Cameroon native Eto’o scored the only goal on the 2nd leg of their match up at Chelsea to advance the Italians on a 3-1 aggregate. Their next opponents are Russian side CSKA Moscow, which seems to be a favorable match up for the Nerazzurri.
CSKA Moscow are looking to be the first Russian side to ever win the UEFA Champions League. In their way are the Italian leaders. A different match up could have made a semifinal appearance much more unlikely for Moscow, but Inter will be a difficult enough task for the Russians to overcome. They advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating Spanish side Sevilla on a 3-2 aggregate score. After drawing at home, they got a surprise win away to earn their match up against Inter. They have shown signs that they can compete with the elite teams of European soccer. In the group stages, they earned a 3-3 draw at Old Trafford where they led late and should have actually won the game. The first leg of their quarterfinal will be held at the San Siro, where the Russians will need to keep it close in order to have a chance to advance when they are back on home soil.
Prediction: Despite their recent struggles in Serie A, Inter Milan was impressive in their defeat of Chelsea. CSKA Moscow can pull the upset if they can hang around with the Italians at the San Siro. I think Inter will continue their strong play in the Champions League and will advance on a 3-1 aggregate.
Olympique Lyonnais v. Bordeaux: Lyon is coming off of one of the biggest upsets in recent memory in the Champions League. They knocked off the Galacticos, Real Madrid, who have names like Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Raul, Sergio Ramos, Gonzalo Higuain, and Karim Benzema. The French side earned a tough draw at the Bernabeu after a surprising win at home in order to advance with a 2-1 aggregate score. In the 2nd leg, Cristiano Ronaldo scored early for Madrid to tie the aggregate at 1-1 and they seemed to be on their way to scoring again and advancing without much difficulty. Lyon didn’t panic, however, and it stayed 1-0 for a long stretch until Miralem Pjanic scored a crucial goal in the 75th minute to the tie the game. This goal meant that Madrid would need to score twice in the final 15 minutes in order to advance, which of course they failed to do. Despite their European success as of late, Lyon currently sits in 4th place in the French League, although they are only 2 points away from the leaders. They start the first leg at home against a familiar opponent Bordeaux, who defeated them the last time the teams met up in December of 2009.
Bordeaux earned their quarterfinal match up in much less dramatic fashion with a comfortable 3-1 aggregate score over Greek side Olympiakos. They also cruised through the group stage winning Group A without a defeat. They beat out the 2nd place team in the group, Bayern Munich, by 6 points and defeated the German team twice, both home and away. Bordeaux has also enjoyed more success domestically than their French counterparts. They are tied for the lead of the French league but have games in hand over most of the field. There are 6 teams within 3 points of the lead in the league, including both Lyon and Bordeaux. The two teams, who last met in December in Lyon with Bordeaux winning 1-0, will meet again in league play on April 17th.
Prediction: This is the toughest match up for me to pick. It is somewhat unfortunate that the two French teams have to be up against each other, however, on the bright side, this match up guarantees a French team will be in the Champions League semifinal. Both sides are familiar with each other and are close to each other in the French League standings. Lyon is coming off more of a high after their defeat of the Galacticos, but Bordeaux has been almost as impressive with their Champions League play thus far. Given their recent success against Lyon, I will give the edge to Bordeaux to advance on a 3-2 aggregate.
March 29, 2010 · Filed under Soccer
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All I ask of you is one thing: please don’t be cynical. I hate cynicism- it’s my least favorite quality and it doesn’t lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard, and you’re kind, amazing things will happen. – Conan O’Brien
In William Golding’s novel “Lord of the Flies” (This isn’t a high school book report or a term paper, trust me), the parents of all of the kids on a flight are killed in a plane crash. Only the kids survive on a deserted island. They have to figure out how to rule themselves, now that they have total authority. Who will be in charge? How will they get along with each other? Can they create a better, freer society than the one that they were born into? With full and total control, they have the power to turn their island into any type of society that they please, for better or worse. How they use this power is where the book takes different turns.
Around the turn of the century and for a few years after that, I was a bigger wrestling fan than I am today. The Rangers were in the midst of an 9 year drought from the playoffs, and the Orlando Magic’s fortunes weren’t much better, as they were ensconced in the Ronny Seikaly Era. Because of this, it would be rare that I missed an episode of Monday Night Raw, and would make a concerted effort to watch a good amount of WWE pay-per-views, although never in a legal way. Let’s face it, 35 bucks is far too much money for a high school kid to pay to watch WWE Backlash. I was excited by the product that the company was putting out, with the likes of The Rock, Triple H, Brock Lesnar, Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho and others at the forefront. I had a positive, impressionable approach on how the company was being run, since I hadn’t seen any of it before. I was so excited about it that I wanted to find another outlet to learn more about what I was watching. Where could I find out more about this exciting new show? Weren’t there other people like me out there? I searched the internet, and found a few different wrestling websites that fans ran. They would feature recaps of past shows, news and notes about the wrestlers, and even would run spoilers of the taped Smackdown show that would be shown later in the week. Everything was exciting. But, as I delved further into these websites, I noticed a certain tone that marred everything that was written. Everything that was written was amazingly negative towards the WWE. People who had been watching wrestling for decades were sick of some of the generic storylines that weren’t generic as of yet to me. They were sick of the same wrestlers doing the same things over and over again, and were skeptical of some up and coming new guys. The negative attitude filtered into my brain. All of a sudden, I was having the same issues as these people were. Triple H went from being an effective bad guy to a power-hungry Stephanie Mcmahon-marrying scumbag. I learned to hate many of the aspects of WWE that I used to love. The more knowledge that I gained, the more cynical I became. Eventually, I got sick of it all and went back to watching wrestling on a far more casual basis. I couldn’t handle the constant bickering about everything that was wrong with WWE, and why they were going to fail as a company if they kept it up.
As my enjoyment of the WWE faded, in 2006 the Rangers had a rebirth of sorts. After the long playoff drought, they emerged from the NHL lockout of 2004-05 with a younger, grittier team, led by the rejuvenation of Jaromir Jagr and standout goaltending from rookie netminder Henrik Lundqvist, along with a bunch of young, scrappy players with something to prove. This was the kind of team that I took a liking to instantly, and I watched nearly all of their games. After an emotional win at home against their hated rivals, the New Jersey Devils, in January, I was fully hooked. I wanted to interact with other people, and to see if they were having the same Ranger Renaissance that I was having. So, once again, I took to the worldwide web on a search for some kindred hockey spirits. I found a message board, www.nyrcafe.com, that I still use to this day. Once again, I found the level of negativity to be astounding. I did (and do) think that the posters on this specific forum are almost all very intelligent and have interesting points to make that I don’t usually think about when watching hockey. I respect their viewpoints and think that almost all of them have ideas that are valid. But, the points that most of these people made steered directly towards the pessimistic, once again. People complained about how softly Marek Malik played, whom I had thought was among the best defensemen on the team at the time. They complained about the lack of secondary scoring, the inconsistency of Michal Roszival, and even occasionally about Jagr himself, who was having an MVP caliber season. Even when the Rangers clinched the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade, the tone wasn’t nearly as jubilant as I’d expect. If you look at almost all of the threads right now (slang for a topic that is discussed through multiple posts within the actual message board), you’ll find tons of negative things that everyone has to say about virtually the entire team. I don’t blame them at this very moment, because the team stinks and Glen Sather needs to be fired, but it’s been this way for years, even when things were going far better. It seems that every subject matter is complained about, even if it’s something that is almost certainly positive. Many people complain about Henrik Lundqvist, who has proven to be an elite goalie in the NHL by almost any standard and is one of the few bright spots on the current Rangers team. I always want to look at the message boards for a team that has just won their championship. I wonder if people complain about things even at that high point in their team’s history. Did Penguins fans find something to complain about when Sidney Crosby lifted the Stanley Cup a year ago? Along with this, the individual threads that have the most replies generally aren’t the ones that contain clear, intelligent thoughts. They’re usually the ones that have reckless opinions that people call each other out for. Eventually, the thread will resort to phony name-calling and people complaining about how everyone else is totally wrong and knows nothing about hockey. Things become chaotic, and eventually it peters out before moving onto the next topic for people to yell about, generally involving the firing of a coach or the benching of a player.
Why do we have a desire to do this? Why is it that whenever we have free range to say whatever we want under the guise of anonymity that we feel a need to only speak cynically? Think about the interactions that we all have on a daily basis with other people, and especially strangers. If you see someone that you know but aren’t close with, think about how you react. If they ask how you are doing, how will you answer? You’ll almost certainly say something like “Good”, “Not too bad”, “Can’t complain” or something that’s faintly positive, even if you’re having the worst day of your life. What does that even mean? Isn’t that the polar opposite of what happens on these message boards? If you were to say that you were doing terribly in conversation, even if you were having a crappy day, you’d be labeled as a downer and someone’s that’s a drag to be around. Yet, on the internet, if you only talk about the positive things going on with a team or a company, you’re labeled as a “shill” or a “Kool-aid drinker”. And this isn’t just for these two examples that I’ve laid out. I’ve spoken to fans of other teams, and they’ve told me that it’s the same for their teams. What is it about these message boards that turn people into cynical monsters?
In my opinion, it comes down to the lack of any structure of rules and the all-empowering anonymity that comes with writing on these boards. Writing on a message board becomes an easy excuse for us to let our other problems out and turn our misdirected anger towards sports and other unseen people who watch them. If I’m mad at my boss for something happening at work, I can’t yell and scream at him or I’ll get fired. But I can certainly go home and namelessly bitch and moan about Wade Redden’s terrible contract. And it’s not that there are no rules at all. On some message boards, including the aforementioned Rangers one, cursing isn’t allowed, and some things are at the discretion of the moderator, or person in charge of the website. But, in reality, no one is really in charge. Everyone can write whatever they want within that small boundary and not have to worry about offending someone that they might have to encounter the next day. It is the truest form of freedom of speech, because there are no repercussions to saying whatever you want. We have freedom of speech in this country, but only from a legal standpoint. People can still lose friends, colleagues, jobs and the respect of others based on what they say. It’s not that way on the internet. So, an unidentified guy can run his mouth about whatever he feels like and feel safe in doing so. Take a look at the comments section of this random article that I pulled up from Entertainment Weekly’s website, about last week’s episode of American Idol. Not all of the comments are blasphemous, but as you continue to read the comments, you’ll find a pattern. There aren’t a whole lot of comments about how great the singers are. Most of them are about how some person sucks, and how another guy can’t hold a candle to another guy. The amount of positive commentary is minimal. Eventually, some people resort to name calling towards the other posters, and things get slightly uncomfortable, albeit tame compared to some other ones that I’ve read. Here’s a note from “Travis” towards the end of the comments:
“Dave, if you knew anything about music, you’d realize that Adam Lambert was on key much more of the time during his runs and wailing than Siobhan Magnus has been so far this year. You only like her more because she is a cute girl and you are probably a braindead redneck.”
Really, Travis? What does being a redneck have ANYTHING to do with how this guy perceived American Idol to be? I actually agree with what Travis had to say, but that’s not the point. This was just one of dozens of needlessly inflammatory responses to a very simple column about what the Idol singers sang last week. It’s a trend that continues across an infinite number of message boards, column responses, insider websites, and other platforms across the internet. And it’s concerning.
Let’s go back to Lord of the Flies for a moment. As time continues without any authoritarian figure to rule over the kids, and each person continues to care less about what everyone thinks of them, the island plunges into chaos. People start caring less about their survival and more about how to get back at one another. Different controlling powers take over, everyone becomes nearly savage in their lifestyle, and it results in the death of Piggy, the one character that represented logic, reason and a grounded life. What is so different between that and what is happening on the internet today, besides far lesser consequences? In a world full of written and unwritten rules, we finally have one place where there are virtually none. And since almost everyone goes by a name that isn’t theirs on message boards, they have the ability to write anything they want without suffering the humiliation of sounding dumb around familiar people. Without these restrictions, we too fall into the savage ways of the Lord of the Flies gang, from an online standpoint. The way we write to each other becomes more tense and animalistic than the way that we would speak to each other under any other circumstance. It feels as if we’re trying to rebel against something, and the only way to accomplish it is to be as negative as can be. To be positive would be to cross over to the establishment, and become a crony zombie for what is being fed down our throats. Either you’re one of us, the negative message board people, or one of them, the fatcats that take all of our money by force and make our lives miserable.
The problem is that there’s nothing to rebel against. If you don’t want to watch the Rangers because you’re so enraged at how Glen Sather has ruined the franchise, then turn the TV off and sell your tickets. There’s no force involved, and James Dolan will survive without your cablevision revenue. If you’re infuriated by how Vince McMahon has brought down the WWE from “The Glory Days”, as so many like to call them, then you don’t have to watch. The same goes for American Idol or any other team, event, or show that people are invested into. The way that we resort to the tactics used by the children in Lord of the Flies is somewhat depressing, but it isn’t that surprising. It’s human nature to try to battle, and when rules and repercussions are taken away this type of anarchy will survive, and it’s only multiplied when anonymity is involved. People will tussle with each other. It’s just the way it is. But in these cases, there’s no battle to be won. The people have the choice of what to do, watch and react to. They’ve already won. When there’s nothing to fight for, what’s left for the bored fighters to do?
March 26, 2010 · Filed under Uncategorized
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The Angels will be looking for their 4th straight AL West crown, but standing in the way are the new and improved Mariners. The Rangers could also surprise the division and steal the title. The Athletics will likely be out of the race and are rebuilding for the future with a group of young pitchers full of potential. This will be one of the more interesting division races in baseball and it will likely come down to the Angels and Mariners battling for the division title and perhaps also a wild card berth.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: Managed by Mike Scioscia, arguably the game’s best, the Angels have won 5 of the last 6 division titles, including the last 3. After another playoff appearance, they finally defeated postseason foes the Boston Red Sox in the Division Series, only to lose to the Yankees in the ALCS.
The Angels lost two big time players in pitcher John Lackey, the former ace of the staff and game 7 winner of the 2002 World Series, and third baseman Chone Figgins, the team’s catalyst on offense who led the them in on-base percentage. They also lost DH Vlademir Guerrero, who had injury problems last season as he has unfortunately become accustomed to. They replaced him with another aging DH in Hideki Matsui, who had 28 home runs and 90 RBI in 446 at bats last year for the world champion Yankees. He was also last year’s World Series MVP and is a big time clutch hitter. If his knees hold up, he would help an offense which finished 2nd in all of baseball in runs scored, trailing only the Yankees. Figgins was coming off his best season and will see the Angels many times this year while playing with fellow AL West opponents the Seattle Mariners.
The loss of Figgins will hurt the top of that lineup and will in turn greatly help Seattle’s. The middle of the lineup is solid, however, featuring players like Torii Hunter, Bobby Abreu, and Kendry Morales, who had a breakout season last year. Factor in the addition of Matsui and that is a pretty intimidating middle of the lineup. Hopefully for their sake they will have people in front of them who reach base without Figgins being there.
The rotation will certainly miss Lackey and will now count on pitchers like Ervin Santana, Jered Weaver, and Joe Saunders to carry the load. Also returning to the rotation is lefty Scott Kazmir, who the Angels picked up at last year’s trade deadline. Also joining the rotation is Joel Piniero, who had a rebound season last year finishing with 15 wins for St. Louis. The pitching staff certainly isn’t as good without Lackey, but should be good enough for a team that scores as many runs as the Angels do. The bullpen struggled last year with usual set-up man Scot Shields injured and ineffective for most of the year. The addition of former Tigers closer Fernando Rodney and a healthy Shields should help improve the pen.
Player to watch: 3B Brandon Wood – With Figgins leaving to Seattle, Wood is expected to step in as the every day third baseman. He was once a top 10 prospect in both 2006 and 2007.
Key Losses: DH Vladimir Guerrero, P John Lackey, 3B/IF Chone Figgins, P Kelvim Escobar, P Darren Oliver, P Jose Arredondo
Key Additions: DH Hideki Matsui, P Joel Piniero, P Fernando Rodney
Seattle Mariners: The Mariners finished 3rd in a 4 team division but were a surprising 8 games above .500. They have been active this offseason with their biggest move being the addition of all-star pitcher Cliff Lee. Lee, who we all saw be extremely impressive in last year’s World Series for the Phillies, will join a rotation led by young superstar Felix Hernandez, who had 19 wins and a 2.49 ERA last season, good enough for a 2nd place finish in the AL Cy Young Award race. Once you get passed this dynamic one-two punch at the top of the rotation, there is little depth. Lefty Erik Bedard resigned with the club this offseason, however, injuries have sidelined him much of the last few seasons and he is a question mark once again for this year. With Hernandez and Lee leading the way, the Mariners will be looking to improve on a pitching staff which was 6th best in all of baseball in terms of ERA.
The addition of Figgins helps the top of the lineup which already includes hit machine Ichiro Suzuki. This means there should be plenty of base runners to knock in for the middle of the batting order which now includes the always enigmatic Milton Bradley. Few people have questioned Bradley’s ability over his career, but the same cannot be said about his psyche. After a tumultuous experience in Chicago’s north side Bradley, who recently referred to himself as, “baseball’s Kanye West,” will be looking for a resurgent season, similar to the all-star year he had in Texas in 2008. The run support will be a welcomed change for a team which finished 28th in the league in runs scored. Many experts are picking Seattle to win the division this year and they will certainly be in contention if the offense can increase its production from last season.
Player to watch: C Adam Moore – Catcher is weak position for the Mariners this season and there is certainly room for the 83rd ranked prospect in baseball to settle into a starting role. Moore made his major league debut last September and will likely be on the opening day roster this season.
Key Losses: 3B Adrian Beltre, 1B Russell Branyan, 3B Bill Hall, OF Endy Chavez, C Kenji Johjima, P Brandon Morrow
Key Additions: P Cliff Lee, 3B/IF Chone Figgins, OF Milton Bradley, 1B/OF Ryan Garko, 1B Casey Kotchman, P Brandon League, OF Eric Byrnes
Texas Rangers: After finishing 2nd last season in the division, the Rangers will look to build upon a year where they greatly improved their pitching staff from dead last in the league to 18th in ERA. Nolan Ryan has developed a new philosophy with the Rangers’ pitchers and it seems to be working thus far. With Kevin Millwood gone, 17 game winner Scott Feldman will now be the leader of the staff along with new acquisition Rich Harden. Coming into last season, Feldman had a total of 7 wins to his name. Harden has always had injury issues, but when he is healthy he can be a dominant pitcher. Although he didn’t have the best season last year, he started over 25 games for the 2nd straight year and for only the third time in his 7 year career. Coming out of the Athletics organization, which has been known for growing young stud pitchers, he was a top prospect. The rest of the staff is more of a question mark but with the amount of runs the offense produces they do not have to be outstanding.
The Rangers offense led the league in runs in 2008 and finished in the top 10 again last season. They added notorious Ranger killer Vladimir Guerrero at DH who, if he stays healthy, can be a great asset. After a breakout 2008, highlighted by his memorable performance in the Home Run Derby, outfielder Josh Hamilton struggled with injuries last season and will be looking to bounce back. The remainder of the outfield is made up of 30 home run man Nelson Cruz, and Julio Borbon, who in his rookie season last year hit over .300 and had 19 stolen bases in only 46 games. The infield includes perennial all-star Michael Young, second baseman Ian Kinsler, who hit 31 home runs last year, and 21 year old Elvis Andrus, who had an impressive rookie season in 2009.
If Hamilton, Guerrero, and Harden can stay healthy for the majority of the season, Texas should be able to stay in the playoff hunt in a very competitive division where the Mariners and Angels also have high quality teams. I still think the Rangers are a couple of pieces away from being at the level of the top 2 teams in the division, however, a playoff appearance isn’t too far fetched for this season.
Player to watch: P Neftali Feliz – The 3rd highest rated pitching prospect coming into this season according to Baseball America, Feliz has an explosive fastball that has reached 100 MPH numerous times. He came to Texas from the Braves in the Mark Teixeira deal. Feliz will likely start in the bullpen but he will be a starter by the end of the year. He made his first major league appearance last year and compiled a 1.74 ERA and had 39 strikeouts in only 31 innings pitched.
Key Losses: P Kevin Millwood, OF Marlon Byrd, 3B Hank Blalock, OF Andruw Jones
Key Additions: DH Vladimir Guerrero, P Rich Harden, P Darren Oliver
Oakland Athletics: A team made up mostly youngsters, the A’s will struggle to compete with the 3 other teams in the division. They were major sellers at last year’s trade deadline where they shipped off players like Matt Holliday and Orlando Cabrera. There were positives from last year, however, as the young potential aces the A’s always seem to have in their farm system got a chance to show their stuff. This is evident by 4 of their top 5 starters from last year, in terms of innings pitched, being the age of 24 or younger. Two of those starters, Brett Anderson and Trevor Cahill, both just turned 22 in the last couple of months. They also both compiled double digit win totals in their rookie seasons last year. Just like in year’s past, the A’s seem to have a plethora of young pitching prospects. Their recent star pitchers have included he likes of Tim Hudson, Barry Zito, Mark Mulder, and Rich Harden.
Joining the relatively young staff are veteran pitchers Ben Sheets, who is a 4 time all-star and hasn’t pitched since September 2008 due to injury, and Justin Duchscherer, who also missed last year due to injury. Signing Sheets was an unexpected move for the A’s and his injuries have made him a risk. Duchscherer had a career year in 2008 when he posted a 2.54 ERA in 22 starts. The health of these two starters will determine how successful the A’s rotation can be this season.
Another bright spot for the A’s pitching staff was closer Andrew Bailey, who is the reigning AL Rookie of the Year. The 25 year old Bailey will look to improve on a season where he had 26 saves while boasting a 1.84 ERA, a 0.88 WHIP (walks + hits per innings pitched), and 91 strikeouts in 83 1/3 innings pitched.
The batting order certainly isn’t made up of household names, but they always seem to finish in the middle of the league in offensive rankings. Catcher Kurt Suzuki is a solid looking player and led the team with 88 RBI last year. Other players such as Ryan Sweeney, who led the team in batting average last year at .293, and newly acquired Kevin Kouzmanoff add some depth to the lineup. The departure of Bobby Crosby opens up the shortstop position for 25 year old Cliff Pennington, who was a 1st round pick for the A’s in the 2005 draft.
The A’s are in a rebuilding year and with the likes of the Angels, Mariners, and Rangers in the division, they should finish in the AL West cellar. If their young pitchers Anderson, Cahill, and Bailey can reach their potential by the next couple of years, the Athletics will become a team to be reckoned with in the near future.
Player(s) to watch: 1B/OF Chris Carter/OF Michael Taylor – Both players are rated in the top 30 of the top prospects for 2010 according to Baseball America. They should both be making their MLB debuts this season and should be a big part of the Athletics future.
Key Losses: 2B Adam Kennedy, SS Bobby Crosby, IF Nomar Garciaparra, P Dana Eveland
Key Additions: P Ben Sheets, 3B Kevin Kouzmanoff, OF Coco Crisp, OF Gabe Gross, IF Jake Fox
Final Verdict: The division will come down to the Angels, Mariners, and Rangers. I would make the Angels slight favorites since they have been there before. They know how to play good baseball down the stretch and as far as I’m concerned, are the champs until they can be knocked off. The Mariners pose the biggest threat to the Angels. With the one-two punch of Hernandez and Lee to lead off the rotation along with offensive additions like Figgins, Bradley, and Garko, they are a big threat to win their first AL West title since 2001, when they tied a single season record with 116 wins. The Rangers can potentially play spoiler and steal the division from the Angels and Mariners. In the end, I think the Angels will prevail in a close race and the Mariners will be in contention to win a wild card berth.
March 25, 2010 · Filed under MLB
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