Game: Basketball
Matchup: Horace Grant vs. Brian Scalabrine
Throwdown - 1 on 1 to 21 (with two's)
Throwdown - 1 on 1 to 21 (with two's)
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Throwdown Thursday - 1 on 1 with..
Throwdown Thursday - a chance to make a case which athlete/athletes would win out in any given contest. This week: 1 & 1 with two of the greats.
The MASKED Valuable Player
Now first off, I am aware of the skepticism from those that know me of my bias to this particular topic, however, I am going to hopefully back up my belief that Russel Westbrook should win the MVP this season with factual information, as well as a little of my opinion.
1-This is a 4-horse race to most people. To me, it should only be 3. Russel Westbrook, James Harden and Steph Curry all are in the Western Conference, a far superior conference than the East. Lebron James, who is the best player in the world right now, is playing teams like the Knicks, Magic and 76ers on a consistent basis while the 3 studs in the West, have to go toe to toe against each other! The fact that Lebron is in the East should discredit him for MVP of this season (His numbers don't match up to Westbrook either.) Yes he is the best in the world, but he's not the best this year. Lets not forget that Lebron, when healthy, has played with Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving all season!
2-Now that I've voiced a little opinion on narrowing it down to 3 players, let me throw some facts at you to SHOW you why Westbrook is the MVP. Here are the stat lines for the 3 remaining candidates.
Westbrook- 27 ppg, 8.2 apg, 7 rpg 2.1 stlpg in 33.2 minutes of action a night. His PER is 29.91
Harden- 26.9 ppg, 7 apg, 5.8 rpg, 1.9 stlpg in 36.7 minutes of action a night. His PER is 26.95.
Curry- 23.8 ppg, 7.8 apg, 4.5 rpg, 2.1 stlpg in 33.2 minutes of action a night. His PER is 27.92.
As anyone with eyes could see, Westbrook has the best numbers right now. The only thing that is holding him back from being the clear cut runaway right now, is the fact that the Thunder are in 8th place in the West while Curry and Harden are in 1st and 4th respectfully. This is a positive to Westbrooks MVP chase believe it or not. The Thunder started the season 3-12 with a multitude of injures as we all know. Once they became 100% healthy, it was only temporary. Durant went back down, Adams got injured, and the weight of the season rested on Westbrooks super-hero shoulders. Thought of to many as not a "true" point guard, Westbrook began to literally do EVERYTHING to help his team win. Hes now amassed 4 straight triple doubles and 6 this season! Now I never understood what people meant by a "true" anything. What's a "true" small forward, a "true" power forward? That is a topic for a different day.
With Durants absence, Westbrook as jolted the Thunder who, at one point this season, literally had only 3 guys sitting on their bench for a game while 5 were on the floor and they included Ish Smith, Lance Thomas and Sebastian Telfair, to a surging Thunder team with a much different look. Yes Sam Presti has done an excellent job going out and getting talented players who buy in and getting rid of one player who was too selfish to buy in...Yea I'm talking to you Reggie Jackson! With that being said, Westbrook as brought this team back to, not only relevancy, but to the exciting powerhouse we've come to see in recent years. I would assume that Steph Curry would gladly give up the MVP trophy to either one of the other 2 guys to NOT have to face a Thunder team with Russel Westbrook playing the way he is, a RESTED healthy KD and a supporting cast who has all elevated their games.They have all elevated their games because of the dominance, power and brilliance of the 2014-2015 MVP, Russel Westbrook.
1-This is a 4-horse race to most people. To me, it should only be 3. Russel Westbrook, James Harden and Steph Curry all are in the Western Conference, a far superior conference than the East. Lebron James, who is the best player in the world right now, is playing teams like the Knicks, Magic and 76ers on a consistent basis while the 3 studs in the West, have to go toe to toe against each other! The fact that Lebron is in the East should discredit him for MVP of this season (His numbers don't match up to Westbrook either.) Yes he is the best in the world, but he's not the best this year. Lets not forget that Lebron, when healthy, has played with Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving all season!
2-Now that I've voiced a little opinion on narrowing it down to 3 players, let me throw some facts at you to SHOW you why Westbrook is the MVP. Here are the stat lines for the 3 remaining candidates.
Westbrook- 27 ppg, 8.2 apg, 7 rpg 2.1 stlpg in 33.2 minutes of action a night. His PER is 29.91
Harden- 26.9 ppg, 7 apg, 5.8 rpg, 1.9 stlpg in 36.7 minutes of action a night. His PER is 26.95.
Curry- 23.8 ppg, 7.8 apg, 4.5 rpg, 2.1 stlpg in 33.2 minutes of action a night. His PER is 27.92.
As anyone with eyes could see, Westbrook has the best numbers right now. The only thing that is holding him back from being the clear cut runaway right now, is the fact that the Thunder are in 8th place in the West while Curry and Harden are in 1st and 4th respectfully. This is a positive to Westbrooks MVP chase believe it or not. The Thunder started the season 3-12 with a multitude of injures as we all know. Once they became 100% healthy, it was only temporary. Durant went back down, Adams got injured, and the weight of the season rested on Westbrooks super-hero shoulders. Thought of to many as not a "true" point guard, Westbrook began to literally do EVERYTHING to help his team win. Hes now amassed 4 straight triple doubles and 6 this season! Now I never understood what people meant by a "true" anything. What's a "true" small forward, a "true" power forward? That is a topic for a different day.
With Durants absence, Westbrook as jolted the Thunder who, at one point this season, literally had only 3 guys sitting on their bench for a game while 5 were on the floor and they included Ish Smith, Lance Thomas and Sebastian Telfair, to a surging Thunder team with a much different look. Yes Sam Presti has done an excellent job going out and getting talented players who buy in and getting rid of one player who was too selfish to buy in...Yea I'm talking to you Reggie Jackson! With that being said, Westbrook as brought this team back to, not only relevancy, but to the exciting powerhouse we've come to see in recent years. I would assume that Steph Curry would gladly give up the MVP trophy to either one of the other 2 guys to NOT have to face a Thunder team with Russel Westbrook playing the way he is, a RESTED healthy KD and a supporting cast who has all elevated their games.They have all elevated their games because of the dominance, power and brilliance of the 2014-2015 MVP, Russel Westbrook.
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Top 5 most underappreciated positions in sports
#5. The Set-up Man:
It has been and forever will be known that in baseball - it comes down to pitching. We all know the importance of great starting pitching -that's a given. Also, we know how a lights out closer can put a lid on things with a scoreless 9th taking home the glory (and the save). Not to be ignored bridging these lies the Set-up man. In the eyes of many under-appreciating viewers, this is seen as almost a commercial break from the action. A chance to reload on the Miller Light and grab a footlong before the concessions close up shop. Not today. Here's to the Set-up Man for cracking the top 5. Today, we got your back (unless you hang a curve and make us look like idiots).
#4. The Swingman:
NBA analysts seems to flip flop every year on what wins championships. Some (including myself) think its won in the paint. Others say the 1-2 punch back-court are a must and will create space for everyone to fill their role. Lost on this is the versatile Swingman. The match-up nightmare that does both! Case and point: Boris Diaw, Draymond Green, Paul George. Not saying the guys will ever score an MVP vote, but if the V stood for Versatile - would give anyone a serious run for the money. The "Point-Forward" spot - when played the right way - creates mismatches across the board. Not only for him, but for teammates as well. Put a guard on him - he'll post up. Match him with a big - hes stretching the floor. While some teams tend to occupy this spot with a spot up corner shooter (ie Kyle Korver), I think the better play is the Swing-man that will keep the defense on edge. Here's to the nightly 9point 7board 4assist 1steal & 1block that today, we celebrate.
#3. The Gunner:
The field position game is to some degree - appropriately mentioned throughout the course of a football game. In an effort to not group all the special teamers into one category, today we give the rose to the punt gunners. There is something to be said for the the back up to the back ups back up who will only see the field for about 7 seconds every time the team has to punt and for about 6 of these seconds, he will be fighting off 2 defenders while clawing tooth and nail to - best case scenario - force a fair catch. Someday Yahoo will add a spot on the fantasy roster for these guys but for now - you'll have to settle for #3 on our otherwise meaningless article. Congratulations.
#2. The Caddy:
Cant help but give the #2 spot the the guy that gets up at the crack of dawn to walk the course, check out the greens, scout every inch of the course to "set the table" if you will to help out his buddy for ZERO of the accolades (all the while forced to dressed like a painter). At the very least, let the guys put their own names on their backs! I find it hard to believe the golfer who is standing next to them and who's bag they are holding wouldn't be a dead give away. Show some love to the caddy!
#1. TBD
Tune in later for our #1 Top spot on the chart. In the meantime - drop your thoughts below on who you think rounds out the list.
It has been and forever will be known that in baseball - it comes down to pitching. We all know the importance of great starting pitching -that's a given. Also, we know how a lights out closer can put a lid on things with a scoreless 9th taking home the glory (and the save). Not to be ignored bridging these lies the Set-up man. In the eyes of many under-appreciating viewers, this is seen as almost a commercial break from the action. A chance to reload on the Miller Light and grab a footlong before the concessions close up shop. Not today. Here's to the Set-up Man for cracking the top 5. Today, we got your back (unless you hang a curve and make us look like idiots).#4. The Swingman:
NBA analysts seems to flip flop every year on what wins championships. Some (including myself) think its won in the paint. Others say the 1-2 punch back-court are a must and will create space for everyone to fill their role. Lost on this is the versatile Swingman. The match-up nightmare that does both! Case and point: Boris Diaw, Draymond Green, Paul George. Not saying the guys will ever score an MVP vote, but if the V stood for Versatile - would give anyone a serious run for the money. The "Point-Forward" spot - when played the right way - creates mismatches across the board. Not only for him, but for teammates as well. Put a guard on him - he'll post up. Match him with a big - hes stretching the floor. While some teams tend to occupy this spot with a spot up corner shooter (ie Kyle Korver), I think the better play is the Swing-man that will keep the defense on edge. Here's to the nightly 9point 7board 4assist 1steal & 1block that today, we celebrate.
#3. The Gunner:The field position game is to some degree - appropriately mentioned throughout the course of a football game. In an effort to not group all the special teamers into one category, today we give the rose to the punt gunners. There is something to be said for the the back up to the back ups back up who will only see the field for about 7 seconds every time the team has to punt and for about 6 of these seconds, he will be fighting off 2 defenders while clawing tooth and nail to - best case scenario - force a fair catch. Someday Yahoo will add a spot on the fantasy roster for these guys but for now - you'll have to settle for #3 on our otherwise meaningless article. Congratulations.
#2. The Caddy:
#1. TBD
Tune in later for our #1 Top spot on the chart. In the meantime - drop your thoughts below on who you think rounds out the list.
Bills sign Matt Cassel!!!
Bills make another big move here not even 24 hours after the Shady McCoy deal, has some Bills fans wondering if this is the Orton replacement we were all waiting for? Hard for any Bills fan to be excited about such a move. Cassel has been in the league now for quite some time. Jumped around a bit, had some success after replacing Brady in NE and even made the Pro Bowl. Shortly after taking the Bradyless Patriots to the playoffs the Chiefs were the first to jump at the opportunity to plug in a guy who looked like a legitimate starter. That didn't pan out and he then moved to Minn where injuries and poor play ultimately led to Teddy Bridgewater being the guy.
The question here isn't whether or not we are excited to see this guy play and take our Bills to the playoffs but instead, is he coming in as the projected starter or as competition to EJ? Is EJ done? Cassel has the 2nd worst QBR since 2009 ahead of only Mark Sanchez, Rex Ryan's other QB. Embarrassing to say the least.My thought is this...this is a significant downgrade from Kyle Orton and my hope is that EJ figures it out this year and starts week 1. We all know Cassel at this point...throws a lot of INTs, gets hurt easily and had 1 winning season on a great roster after Brady went down. With EJ, I think at his best he can perform better then Cassel on the field. The time is now for EJ to show and if he doesn't and Cassel starts week 1, adios EJ and hopefully adios to Whaley and everyone else that thought EJ was the guy where they were willing to take him early in the first round. If he cant beat out a perennial backup then he should head straight to the XFL, oh wait does even that exist anymore?...
Let me know your thoughts...
Its not crazy, its Sports
http://grantland.com/features/its-not-crazy-its-sports-the-subterranean-stadium/
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Is Arod really getting a shot this Spring?
On the eve of Arod's first spring training game yanks fans are left to wonder what will come of baseball's forever black eye? Now we can sit here all day and talk about what type of numbers he will put up. Will he make the team? Will Arod settle for a buyout? Tough to even fathom when he's set to make north of $60 mil over the next three years. Instead, I find myself thinking how much support is this guy getting from the organization. The organization I have grown to love ever since I was a little kid. The organization that stands for everything right in this otherwise backwards sports world we live in. Look, ill be the first one to tell you that Arod is degenerate and deserved everything that has gone wrong in his life but let's not forget that he paid the price. He sat out a year and a half from baseball and he's now honoring his contractual obligations and trying to get back up to speed with major league baseball. So as we sit here on the night before Arod is slated to start at DH down in Florida we are left to wonder where he stands with the folks 1000+ miles away.
It goes without saying that we desperately need Arod to perform and to make this team. 230 BA, 20 dingers, 80 RBI's would be a lift for a team that had a horrible time scoring runs last year. Is it possible? Probably not...Shoot id go as far as to say that would be one of the most impressive comebacks sports has seen in a while. They have always said the hardest thing to do is to hit MLB pitching, take into account that Arod is 39 and hasn't played in a game since 2013 and id say that is one of the more impressive things you'll see.
So to sum it all up...let's show a little love NY (Girardi, Steinbrenner, Yankee mgmt.) As much as we hate this guy, we need this guy and everyone loves a comeback story...
DeMarco....Polo!!!!
Its official, with the franchise tag of Bryant, the cowboys have made publicly clear they are in search of reinforcements at the RB spot that are more cap friendly than Murray. Can't say I disagree with them and given the line in big D, I find it hard to believe they won't find someone to throw back there that wont produce close to the numbers Murray posted - without coughing up the ball.
The league appears to be coming down a bit from the west coast style with the Pro style offence taking its place so this move is bitter sweet - but given the success of Joseph Randle (when hes was not ripping off Walmart), and the Boys position in the draft to make a play for a strong RB (and hopefully some secondary help) - I like the move. Thoughts??
Why the Bills made a WRONG choice at head coach
To me, as a fan of a rival team in the AFC East (Dolphins) who are, by no means an organization that exemplifies how to pick a head coach, I believe that the Buffalo Bills made a poor decision by hiring Sexy Rexy Ryan for their head coach.
1st-Rex is a proven defensive mind who guided the Jets to 2 AFC Championship games. Other than that, he did nothing to help the development of Mark Sanchez and Geno Smith. This is reason 1 why the Bills made a bad choice, his inability to develop a QB, who we've concluded, is by far the most important player on a football team, and by far the position that the Bills need help with the most
2nd- The Bills had a top 5 defense last year under Jim Schwartz who did an amazing job. By hiring a defensive minded HC, who 100% will be calling the defensive plays, what does that do to not only the psyche of Schwartz, but also his desire to WANT to stay? Why would the Bills hire a coach who knows little to nothing about offense, when that is exactly what they need? The Bills were already in perfect position defensively to continue to have success, yet they decided to change things up by hiring Rex...By the way, he will be implementing his 3-4 defense as well so Mario has to change positions again.
3- To me, this hire shows me something...The Bills are interested in selling tickets and being talked about, instead of winning and being relevant. If they had waited, done their homework and gotten a HC who knows how to develop and work with a QB, that would have been the ideal situation. Their defense would be in place with Schwartz and the HC could focus a lot of his time on developing Manuel and whoever else they draft/bring in.
Finally, Rex will sell tickets and put the Bills on Sportscenter no doubt, but the 9-7, 8-8 seasons are going to continue until they bring someone in who can help their team find the next Jim Kelly.
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