World Series Sweep

Hey All,

Last night was game four of the MLB World Series, and it was one for the ages. It was San Francisco's to loss from game one. After they gave Verlander a run for his money, I knew that the Giants would have yet another World Series Title.

The Giants were able to sweep the Tigers and take home their second Title in just 3 years. Their win Sunday was do in large part to their pitching. It was outstanding throughout the playoffs. Now let's take a look at who produced in critical times for the Giants.

 Marco Scutaro, who else? delivered one more key hit this October, a go-ahead single with two outs in the 10th inning that lifted the Giants to a 4-3 win.

On a night of biting cold, stiff breezes and some rain, the Giants combined the most important elements of championship baseball. After three straight wins that looked relatively easy, they sealed this victory when Sergio Romo got Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera to look at strike three for the final out. ''Tonight was a battle,'' Giants star Buster Posey said. ''And I think tonight was a fitting way for us to end it because those guys played hard. They didn't stop, and it's an unbelievable feeling.'' ''Detroit probably didn't know what it was in for,'' Giants general manager Brian Sabean said. ''Our guys had a date with destiny.''


''Tonight was a battle,'' Giants star Buster Posey said. ''And I think tonight was a fitting way for us to end it because those guys played hard. They didn't stop, and it's an unbelievable feeling.''

Posey, the only player who was in the starting lineup when San Francisco beat Texas in the 2010 clincher, and the underdog Giants celebrated in the center of the diamond at Comerica Park.

Posey put the Giants ahead 3-2 with a two-run homer in the sixth and Delmon Young hit a tying home run in the bottom half. It then became a matchup of bullpens, and the Giants prevailed. Ryan Theriot led off the 10th with a single against Phil Coke, moved up on Brandon Crawford's sacrifice and scored on a shallow single by Scutaro, the MVP of the NL championship series. Center fielder Austin Jackson made a throw home, to no avail.


I think what happened to Detroit was the layoff that they had from sweeping the Yankee's in the ALCS. They had more than a week off, and you would think that would help a team, yet it did not. The only thing the layoff did for the Tigers was make them sloppy. The pitching was horrendous, they bats disappeared, and  the players just looked like they didn't care anymore. But what surprised me the most, was how quick this postseason went for the MLB. It was over in a blink of an eye. The excitement of late inning games, and game 7's, just didn't happen this season. It's quite sad to see, if you love baseball, you just don't want it to end.

I'm sorry to have to say this to you baseball lovers out there, but it's Football season, and hopefully soon it will be Hockey season. All good things must come to an end, and for the Tigers, it ended in extra innings in game four of the World Series.

Read more at http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/san-francisco-giants-beat-detroit-tigers-four-games-win-world-series-02812

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports.

Fantasy Football Surprises

Hey All,

Today, I want to talk about some of the players that have surprised me in the NFL as of late. That could either be a good surprise, or a bad one. Also I think this will help out many of you in the Fantasy Football world.

So as we hit the midway part of the season, let's get down to some mid-season business.

The first person I think that everyone can agree on, that's QB Robert Griffin III. Many expected Robert Griffin III would do well, but I'm not sure anyone anticipated he would be a dominant fantasy quarterback. Through Week 7 he leads the league in completion percentage and yards per attempt, and trails only Arian Foster in rushing scores.


I imagine someone will say Peyton Manning, but I was not surprised at all. Better, he's getting more comfortable with his team, the offense, the coaches and his own limitations. He's going to be scary in the second half. Peyton Manning has been surprisingly close to his elite form. Griffin is out-Cam Newton-ing the famed "greatest rookie quarterback ever," and late-round rookie Alfred Morris is rolling with the big boys, producing near the level of Arian Foster and Ray Rice.


My biggest surprise has been Mike Shanahan, who committed to a rookie backfield that has allowed two of fantasy football's brightest stars, Griffin III and his unheralded-yet-equally valuable running back, Morris, to thrive. Given improvements and better health at wide receiver over the offseason Griffin and Morris will find themselves among the fantasy elite for years to come. And they may even put to rest Shanahan's anti-fantasy owner reputation. I did not expect to write about the Redskins as much as I have and that's a good thing for them.


The other major surprise has been Adrian Peterson's comeback. Around now is when we all thought we'd start seeing the "real" Peterson starting to round into shape. Instead, he's been valuable from Day 1,ranking as the league's third-best back this year so far. A miracle of modern sports medicine and training is what Peterson has been.

That has been the players, fantasy wise, that have surprised me. Now let's take a look at who has been a bit of a disappointment fantasy wise this season




LeSean McCoy was a top-3 pick in most fantasy drafts this summer, but he hasn't lived up to that billing. He has averaged just 4.1 yards per carry, just 4.5 yards per reception, and has reached 100 yards from scrimmage just once in his last five outings (he reached that mark in 10 of 15 games last year). Throw Darren McFadden, Cam Newton and Matthew Stafford into the debate, as well.


Newton. He's done nothing, but all the talent is still there. I think a lot of the problem is the team -- they've abandoned the run, leaving Newton to do it all and he just can't. I think this could end up being good for him in the long run, but he doesn't seem to be learning and that worries me a bit. The plus is that he's healthy, but that makes it even more confounding that he could vanish like this. Then again, notice that Ponder is a positive surprise and Newton is a bust -- but they're four points apart on the season. The difference is value and clearly Newton was drafted much higher and weighted with unrealistic expectations.


After Monday night, you're going to hear a lot of audible complaints from Stafford and Calvin Johnson owners. Megatron, specifically, came into the season as the most dominant player at his position in fantasy, a lone wolf, but he has barely performed like a starter in a standard 12-team, two-receiver league. A number of second-tier backs can make a case, including one assumed first-tier one in McCoy, and Jimmy Graham certainly qualifies as a bust relative to draft position. But, in the end, those guys should pay their owners back. It's hard to be as certain with the Panthers' Newton. He looks like a beaten man and his fantasy owners are, too. If someone would've told me that Stafford would have fallen so far down the quarterback totem pole that he'd find himself behind the likes of Christian Ponder, Mark Sanchez, Brandon Weeden and Alex Smith, I would've said you were crazy, but Detroit is unraveling and Stafford's less-than-inspired play is a major cause. Also getting dishonorable mention is Darren McFadden (Who would've believed that he'd remain healthy yet still be a bust?).


These are just some of the views of the writes of Sports Illustrated. To be honest I couldn't agree with them more. These players have not impressed me at all. They all had this big buzz around them coming into this seaosn, and they have let everyone down. Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/fantasy/10/22/fantasy-football-roundtable/index.html#ixzz2AG58BrTg


Until next time,\
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports.

Top 4 Players To Keep an Eye On

Hey All,

 Today I will like to talk about some key players around the NFL who are either hurt or will not be with the team as of 2013.

First player on my list is Green Bay Packers Charles Woodson, FS. According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's Tom Silverstein, he believes that this will be Woodson's last year with the team. The reason Silverstein says it will be his last season with the Packers is because Woodson's Salary of $9 Million will be "too odious for the Packers to pay a 36-year-old Corner coming off a broken collarbone."  Truth is I think Woodson's age is finally catching up to him. His play has slipped of the past year, but to say that he won't be able to produce in 2013 is outrageous. If it comes done to it, and he is not on the team, he will make for an interesting open market in the NFL.

Next on my list is Victor Cruz of the New York Giants, WR. Cruz is looking for a long-term deal by the offseason. Cruz is scheduled to be a restricted free agent this offseason. He has gone on record saying "We don't want to drag it along and (have it) become something that blocks the team in the offseason, and something that's in the media every day." He also said "We want to just knock it out halfway through the season, or during the season at the very least, and put it behind." Cruz never considered a holdout last summer, but in the midst of another monster campaign, it wouldn't be surprising if he resisted simply being slapped with the RFA tender. Locking him up is almost certainly a top priority for the G-Men as he is one of Eli's main targets, and a huge deep threat.

Sean Lee, LB, for the Dallas Cowboys is next on my players to watch list. ESPN Dallas reports that the Sean Lee will need season-ending  surgery on his right big toe. Two NFL Network insiders confirm the report, and Fox Sports Southwest is told the injury is similar to Felix Jones' season-ending torn toe ligament in 2008. The Cowboys have a capable backup in veteran Dan Connor, but this would be a devastating loss for their defense. Lee has been arguable the NFL'stop inside linebacker through seven weeks, racking up 58 tackles with four passes defensed. With freakish closing speed, the IDP stud has been elite in run support and above average in coverage. Now I still think this is a huge loss for the boys, as they have not been the best defensive team this year, and this can't do anything but hurt them this season.

The last player I will talk about is QB Kevin Kolb of the Arizona Cardinals. Although he expects to play again this season, Kolb (ribs/shoulder) acknowledges there is no timetable set for him to return. "Unfortunately they can't tell me because of the severity of it," Kolb said. "Every Monday and Wednesday when I meet with the doctors, I ask them 'Hey give me a timetable.' And they won't do it. At least until another couple weeks where things settle back in like they're supposed to." I'm not expecting to see Kolb back on the field until after Thanksgiving. The Cardinals have a very capable backup in Skelton in the time being. Skelton should fill in the roll nicely until Kolb is healthy enough to return to action.

Those are the players I believe that will affect their teams if something major doesn't happen soon. There are plenty more players to talk about but I don't want to have you fine people bored with that so there's my top 4 players to keep an eye on, and possible loss them from your fantasy team if need be.

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports.

The Collapse of The Pirates

Hey All,

Today is a very sad day in the land of the Burg. It's now October and the battlin buccos should be preparing for the postseason, but yet they are not. Following the worst half of baseball that I have ever seen in my life. The Pirates have now had 20 straight losing seasons. That sets an MLB record, a record no team what's to hold. Unforchantaly the Buccos own that record.

The Pirates fell apart right after the trade deadline. There was no stopping it, the management had made its decision. They should have kept the team as it was when they were winning, instead of trying to bring a new comer in. Pedro Alvarez said it the best, "we should have kept all of us together, and not try and make some big move."

If you look back on when the Bucs were winning, you'll notice that they were just out there to have fun and play baseball. Between throwing up the Zoltan Z after every hit, and the pitchers having more enthusiasm after every pitch, that was when the Pirates were winning games. Then the pressure got to them after the All Star break and they fell apart.

Do I think Wandy Rodriguez was a bad pick up, no, but I don't believe he was a good fit in the Pirates pitching rotation. When manager Clint Hurdle moved around the starting rotation is when he got into pitcher James McDonald's head and his "stuff" wasn't there anymore. He was in the heads of his players. Hurdle shouldn't have picked up a pitcher, but rather pick up a position player to help out the hitting. The Pirates weren't losing games by much, in the first half of the season, just by 1 or 2 runs. If they would have brought in a big bat to help out, I think I'd be talking about how far the Bucs are going to go into the playoffs, rather than them missing it yet again and having an under .500 season.

The last thing the bugs me about the Pirates season was the fans chanting "MVP!! MVP!!! MVP!!!" every time McCutchen got up to bat. Do I think he had a chance at it, in the first half of the season, yes. Do I think he carried that team at that time, yes. Do I think if they had a first half MVP as well as a second half MVP that he would have won it, yes. But that does not mean that he is going to get it. Yes I know he was batting in the 400's and his slugging and on base percentage were outrageous, but by no means was he in MVP forum.

All in all the Pirates had a good season, and have a lot of room for improvement. I've said this countless times but if they can find and put a team together that works, and that is winning an having fun, they will be a nice team and can make a good run for October and the postseason.

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports.