Fantasy football fans were scared for 135 days not knowing what they were going to do while the NFL lockout was enduring the longest lockout in NFL history. Fantasy football fans were more worried about not being able to compete in fantasy football than they were about watching the actual games. Fantasy football has become one of the largest hobbies that people participate in, whether it is for money, or simply, bragging rights. Luckily, everyone knew the lockout was going to end because the NFL owner's would be throwing money down the drain. Millions of dollars would have been lost from each team by simply just missing one or two preseason games. The lockout ended and now it is time to sign up with your buddies and try and earn the right of being able to talk some smack and win your league. I will try and help out fantasy football fans by making a list of the top ten fantasy sleeper picks for this season. Last year, I was able to get Arian Foster in the 8th round and also Michael Vick in the 11th round and that helped me in my ESPN league to make it all the way to the championship game. The first four rounds are key to get players that will be consistent, but as you get into the later rounds it is important to try and find players that are capable of putting up big numbers weekly. Last year, Arian Foster, Peyton Hillis, Michael Vick, Chris Ivory, Mike Tolbert and many other guys were guys who put up good numbers, and yet, a lot of these guys were drafted late or not drafted at all. Alright, time to get the list crackin' of the top ten fantasy football sleeper picks for your teams this year.
10. Dennis Pitta (TE-Baltimore Ravens)
The Baltimore Ravens knew what they were doing when they gave Todd Heap his pink slip. Dennis Pitta and Ed Dickson are both very talented young tight-ends who are both entering their sophomore seasons. Pitta battled a little bit of the injury woe last year, but is 100% healthy entering this season. Currently, Pitta is second on the depth chart behind Dickson, but expect Pitta to surpass Dickson early in the season. The reason why Pitta is a sleeper is because in a lot of fantasy drafts he might not even get drafted, and if you want to wait and grab a tight-end in one of the latter rounds, Pitta is your guy. Expect Pitta to be a big redzone target this year for Joe Flacco. Pitta looked great in the Ravens opening preseason game against the Eagles, making four grabs for nearly 50 yards. Expect Pitta to be in the same situation Marcedes Lewis was last year, go undrafted in a lot of fantasy drafts and work his way into being a consistent starter on fantasy rosters as the season progresses. I expect Pitta to be a big threat in the redzone, which should make his TD numbers pretty impressive this season. With Derrick Mason gone, expect Flacco to try and find a new security blanket when Boldin is getting double teamed, and Pitta could very well be that guy. Don't draft Pitta before the last couple of rounds because he has a good chance to go undrafted and could be one of the sexier free agents to pick up on your roster.
9. Daniel Thomas (RB-Miami Dolphins)
There is a reason why the Miami Dolphins chose to not re-sign Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. We all know Reggie Bush is not the type of running back that can carry the ball 20-25 times every Sunday. Daniel Thomas is a physical back who also has good agility. Thomas will be the guy who will be the running back when the Dolphins get inside their opponents red zone. Expect Thomas to put up good numbers in his rookie campaign and to be a good running back to have as your flex running back. Thomas should go in rounds six or seven, and it might be a reach to take him anytime before that. Expect Thomas to end up with around 800 yards this season and double-digit touchdowns. Especially, with Miami's weak passing game expect Thomas to carry most the load in getting a lot of carries as they try and use Bush as more of a receiving running back. Thomas is arguably the best rookie running back to go along with Mark Ingram and Ryan Williams. Expect for Thomas to emulate LeGarrette Blount and he might end up putting up better numbers than Blount did last year because he will be in the mix right from the start.
8. Jacoby Ford (WR-Oakland Raiders)
Jacoby Ford proved to be a playmaker last season for the Oakland Raiders. Ford scored seven TD's last season as a rookie receiver out of Clemson. Also, Ford became more of a threat as the Raiders got deeper into the season. Expect Ford to be a starting receiver for the Raiders week one. Ford is coming off a broken hand injury in training camp, but he should be good to go by week one. He quickly became one of Jason Campbells' favorite targets last year as he continued to make big plays for the Raiders offense. If Ford is available in rounds eight or nine you should pick him up because he is capable of putting up good numbers as your second or third receiver. Ford is a good guy to use for your flex position and also a good guy to have on your bench to fill in for injuries or during bye weeks for your top two receivers.
7. Tim Hightower (RB-Washington Redskins)
Tim Hightower should be the number one back on the Redskins roster by the time week one starts. Ryan Torrain will be battling Hightower for the number one back position. With John Beck probably being the starting quarterback for Washington, expect the Redskins to look run first and pass second. Especially with Head Coach, Mike Shannahan, being a coach who likes to run the ball, as we saw when he was with the Denver Broncos. With Denver, Shannahan always ran the ball, and was very effective with guys like Olandis Gary and Mike Anderson. If Hightower is avaliable in rounds six or seven he would be a good guy to pick up as your flex running back. Hightower might be available after those rounds, but anywhere after round six he would be a good guy to pick up for your roster. Expect Hightower to put up good numbers, as he averaged close to five yards per carry last year with the Arizona Cardinals.
6. Julio Jones (WR-Atlanta Falcons)
Jones is in a perfect situation to put up big numbers as a rookie wide receiver with a very explosive Falcons' offense. Especially, with Roddy White being lined up on the other side to take on double team after double team. Julio Jones is a very explosive wide out and should have no trouble with coming up with big plays for Atlanta. It might take Jones a few weeks to get acclimated with Matt Ryan, but expect Jones to have a big second half. I expect Jones to go in rounds nine or ten, which is an absolute steal if you can get him after round nine. Jones should be a receiver to have on your bench in the early part of the season, but could very well be a consistent starter on your fantasy roster as the season progresses. I think Jones is in a perfect situation with the Falcons offense. He is a perfect guy to have as a back up wide out to put up pretty good numbers for your squad.
5. Mike Sims-Walker (WR-St. Louis Rams)
This was a huge off-season signing by the Rams as they look to bolster a weak receiving core. Sims-Walker should be starting week one opposite of wide out Mark Clayton. Sam Bradford had a stellar rookie campaign almost leading the Rams to the playoffs single handily. Expect Bradford to have an even better sophomore season and throw for more than 3,000 yards and over 20 touchdowns. Sims-Walker would be an absolute good pick in rounds seven or eight and should put up good numbers in his first season as a Ram. I really think he is capable to be a starter on your team, but would be better fit to be a flex option and a guy to have on your bench just in case of injuries or on bye weeks to fill in. He is in a perfect situation with second year starter Sam Bradford and should see a lot of balls coming his way.
4. Jeremy Maclin (WR-Philadelphia Eagles)
Maclin should drop a few rounds this year because of his illness he was dealing with during training camp, but luckily all of the tests came up negative and he will be ready to go week one. Maclin put up decent numbers last year as a rookie, and expect him to put up better numbers in his sophomore campaign. The Eagles have a very explosive offense and with Jackson, more than likely, to get double teamed expect a lot of balls going Maclin's direction. Maclin is a deep threat and a very explosive wide out, so expect him to put up big numbers. Of course, there will probably be weeks were Maclin might not put up huge numbers every week, but if he can get on track with Mike Vick, expect Maclin to have some big fantasy weeks. Maclin will probably go later in the draft in rounds six or seven, and you might be able to get him in the eighth or ninth round because of his illness he was dealing with during training camp. Maclin will be a perfect guy to have as a flex option or as a back up.
3. Mike Thomas (WR-Jacksonville Jaguars)
Expect Thomas to put up big numbers this year as he has become the Jaguars number one receiver with Mike Sims-Walker bouncing the St. Louis. Thomas had a good year last with the Jags with 820 yards receiving and four TD's. Expect those numbers to increase this year. It really doesn't matter if Garrard or Gabbert are throwing him to ball because both guys will be looking at him a lot and he will put up good numbers. For some odd reason Thomas is still ranked in the 30's among all NFL receivers so he should be going in rounds eight or nine. Thomas could very well end up being a consistent starter on a lot of fantasy rosters, but would be an absolute steal to have him as a flew option or as a guy to have on the bench. I think Thomas is going to put up huge numbers this year, and yet he continues to go under the radar among ESPN.com, NFL.com, and Yahoo.com rankings. Don't let that happen to you when it is round eight or nine and you need another receiver because Mike Thomas is your guy.
2. Mike Tolbert (RB-San Diego Chargers)
Just like last year there is a ton of hype about Ryan Mathews when no one is talking about Mike Tolbert. Tolbert was an absolute beast for the San Diego Chargers last year. Especially, with most defenses keying in on Phillip Rivers this opens up the Chargers' running game. Last year, Tolbert had 182 carries for 735 yards and 11 TD's, and also had another 200-plus receiving yards. Tolbert was a savior for a lot of fantasy owners last year when he was going faster in free agency than the hottest girl who just broke up with her boyfriend. Once again, Mathews will probably be going in rounds three or four as owners will draft him just on pure hype like most owners did last year. Expect Tolbert to be available in the eighth round or later, and you shouldn't even consider drafting him before that just because he is still listed as the number two running back on the Chargers depth chart. However, expect Tolbert to be the guy that is in for the Chargers in their goaline offense so he should produce a lot of TD's. Also, if Mathews has another injury plagued season Tolbert will put up big numbers and could be an excellent option as a flew running back. If Tolbert is available in the double digit rounds you better snag him up because he ranked in the top 20 among all running backs last year in fantasy production. Tolbert is a great flex option and also a good guy to have on your bench to put in during bye weeks for your other backs and also to put in if one of your backs get injured. Expect Tolbert to put up close to the same numbers he did last year, flirting with close to 1,000 total yards and right around the 10 TD mark.
1. LeGarrette Blount (RB-Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Blount is rated in the top 20 among all running backs but he is definitely a sleeper because he will be a great value pick to get in rounds three or four because he is definitely capable of putting up first round numbers. Blount rushed for over 1,000 yards last season even though he didn't get in consistently for the Bucs' offense until week seven. Last year, Blount averaged five yards per carry and found the endzone six times, and expect his TD number to double this season, and also he will be the featured back from week one this year so expect Blount's workload to increase significantly. Just as long as Blount doesn't punch somebody in the face and get suspended expect him to help your fantasy team tremendously. Blount proved he has matured a lot since his fiasco during his senior season at Oregon and was good on and off the field as an undrafted free agent for the Buccaneers last season, and Bucs' Head Coach Raheem Morris is the man to thank for that. If Blount is available in rounds three of four it would be wise to pick him up because he is very capable to put up the same numbers as the running backs who get taken late in the first round. Expect Blount to get close to 1,500 yards this season and double digit TD's. Also, Blount has been working hard at becoming a better wide receiver out of the backfield during the off-season and also working on pass protection, so he should be on the field more as the third down running back. If Blount can continue to mature expect him to be a huge contributor to your fantasy team.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
BenJarvis Green-Ellis (RB-New England)
Rashad Jennings (RB-Jacksonville)
Jordy Nelson (WR-Green Bay)
James Jones (WR-Green Bay)
Greg Little (WR-Cleveland)
Percy Harvin (WR-Minnesota)
Greg Olsen (TE-Carolina)
Colt McCoy (QB-Cleveland)
Mark Ingram (RB-New Orleans)
Denarius Moore (WR-Oakland)
Friday, August 19, 2011
Thursday, July 21, 2011
The UFC Had a Long Road to Gain Popularity
Mixed Martial Arts has been around for centuries worldwide, but it was in 1993 when Mixed Martial Arts competition arrived in America. It was November 12, 1993, at the McNichols Sports Arena, in Denver, Colorado, when the Ultimate Fighting Championship held its very first event. It was an eight-man tournament with the winner having to win three fights in a row to take home the 50,000 dollars rewarded to the winner. There were no weight limits, there were no time limits, both men fought until either someone got knocked out, submitted, or if their corner threw in the towel, and there were only two rules: no eye gouging or biting. You could kick to the groin, head-butt, pull hair, anything you chose, just as long as you didn't try and gouge someone's eyes or bite them (good thing Mike Tyson was a boxer.) Despite there being no weight limits, it only took the 6'1", 170 pound, Royce Gracie, a total of 4:59 seconds to capture the first ever UFC event. Still, this was looked as being a sport that was considered to be violent and cruel and had a very small fan base at this time. Politicians were campaigning to have the UFC unsanctioned in all 50 states, and they were pretty successful because 36 of the 50 states would not sanction Mixed Martial Arts events. This is when the UFC and other MMA organizations knew they needed to reform their sport.
It was on February 7, 1997 at the Dothan Civic Center in Dothan, Alabama, when the UFC finally started heading towards the right direction at UFC 12. This was the first time in the UFC that they actually had weight classes. Still, it was nothing like we see today, with seven different weight classes. There were only two weight classes at UFC 12, but it was a start to regulate the sport. Also, UFC 12 was the first event that Joe Rogan was apart of as a commentator. UFC 12 was originally supposed to be in New York, but due to the backlash from politicians, New York would not sanction the event and they had to head down South to Alabama for UFC 12. This was a big eye opener, knowing that they had to regulate the sport if they wanted to become a legitimate sport, and if they wanted to hold events in big venues. As the UFC events continued, the regulation on rules continued to improve. At UFC 14 all fighters had to wear gloves and kicks to the head of a downed opponent were removed. UFC 15 banned hair pulling, groin strikes, head-butting, and strikes to the back of the neck and head. It was not until UFC 21 that five-minute rounds were introduced. Finally, close to six years after UFC 1, the UFC was going down the right path to become a legitimate sport and on the way to becoming the fastest growing sport this country has ever witnessed. On November 17, 2000, the UFC was finally sanctioned in a state not in the South, when New Jersey sanctioned UFC 28. Then, after UFC 28, there were three men that made the smart decision's of their lives.
Dana White, Frank Fertitta, and Lorenzo Fertitta bought the UFC from the Semaphore Entertainment Group for two million dollars. Everyone thought these guys were making a horrible business decision because the UFC was not an organization that many thought could make money. However, Dana White and the Fertitta brother's knew exactly what they were doing. They saw a sport that was on the brink of becoming a legitimate sport after the UFC finally regulated rules and gained more and more popularity. They bought the UFC at the right time and knew exactly what needed to be done to become one of the best sports in the world. Lorenzo Fertitta was a former member of the Nevada Sports Athletic Commission so it was easy for the UFC to get sanctioned in Nevada. UFC 33, was the first mixed martial arts event to be sanctioned in Las Vegas, but UFC 33 ended up being one of the worst cards in UFC history. The UFC finally got sanctioned in Las Vegas and had a good opportunity to shine to gain more popularity, but then Tito Ortiz and Vladimir Matyushenko, along with Jens Pulver and Dennis Hallman, put up two of the most boring championship fights in UFC history. (Even worse than Anderson Silva vs Thales Leites). Despite the criticism of UFC 33, the UFC was still able to land a television deal with Fox Sports Net. In June 2002, The Best Damn Sports Show aired the first ever mixed martial arts event on cable television. UFC 37.5 had fighters on the card such as Robbie Lawler, Pete Spratt, and Yves Edwards, but they were banking on Vitor Belfort and Chuck Liddell putting on a show in the main event, which they did of course. Six months later on November 22, 2002, at UFC 40, was when the Fertitta brother's and Dana White knew they could finally get MMA the mainstream it needed. Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock was one of the most anticipated fights in UFC history. Ken Shamrock was returning to the UFC, his first fight back in the UFC since 1996. Also, other fighters on the card included Chuck Liddell, Renato "Babalu" Sobral, Matt Hughes, Pete Spratt, Carlos Newton, Robbie Lawler, Vladimir Matyushenko, and Andrei Arlovski. Still, Shamrock and Ortiz was the fight everyone wanted to see. The trash talking for this fight presented a lot of hype for the fight and it was one of the first times we ever saw two fighters on a network show hyping up their fight. Both men were on the Best Damn Sports Show talking trash back and forth hyping up their fight. The fight lived up to the hype, as Tito Ortiz whooped the old man's ass and kept his belt. UFC 40 did something that no other UFC event had ever done. Mainstream media outlets were covering the event, ESPN, USA Today, and many other newspaper's covered the event, and the UFC was finally on big-time media outlets. This event had more than four times the amount of pay-per-view buys than any other UFC event that Zuffa had ever put on. Even though UFC 40 was a huge success for White and the Fertitta's, they had lost over 30 million dollars since purchasing the UFC in 2001. This is when they knew they needed to make another big move to try and become more mainstream.
Hello Ultimate Fighter. This was the single, biggest decision that Dana White and the Fertitta brother's ever made. The Ultimate Fighter was a major success, and even though their idea got shut down by the big networks, Spike television knew this could be a huge hit. Dana White knew that which ever four fighters made it to the Finale, they would have to put on a huge show, and it was even bigger than that. Diego Sanchez dismantled Kenny Florian to become the first ever Middleweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter, but this was nothing to what the Light Heavyweight's did. Stephan Bonnar and Forrest Griffin put on a 15-minute war, which was by far the most important fight in UFC histroy. Dana White could not of even imagined these guys putting on this kind of war and if I had to guess what Dana White was thinking at this instance it would be this: cha-ching$$$!! Bonnar and Griffin was the type of fight when you were watching the first round you were on your cell phone calling up all of your buddies, and saying are you watching this! Turn it to Spike, this fight is f***ing crazy bro! At least this is how I recall it. I must of called 20 of my friends, and then they probably called 20 of their friends, and so on. This is exactly what Dana White was hoping for, and the UFC has just continued to rise in tremendous strides towards becoming one of the best sports in the world. I really believe if The Ultimate Fighter had not been started that the UFC would have become bankrupt and MMA would still be were it was at in the 20th century. Also, the success of The Ultimate Fighter paved the way for Spike to start showing UFC Unleashed and also UFC Countdown shows. Finally, after close to four years have passed since White and the Fertitta's purchased the UFC, it was finally becoming what they knew it could become. They still knew that fighter's would have to step up to the plate and put on amazing shows to keep gaining the popularity.
Dana White knew the exact two guys to have on the first pay-per-view after The Ultimate Fighter: Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture. Also, others on the card included Matt Hughes, George St. Pierre, Jason "Mayhem" Miller, Frank Trigg, Renato "Babalu" Sobral, Joe Riggs, Mike Van Arsdale, and Patrick Cote. UFC 52 doubled the previous high in pay-per-view buys with 300,000 for this event. This was due in large part of the success the UFC achieved from The Ultimate Fighter because so many fans were tuned in watching The Ultimate Fighter Finale because of two men: Stephan Bonnar and Forrest Griffin. Chuck Liddell revenged his loss against The Natural knocking him out in the first round. (I had to get that in there because The Iceman was and always will be my favorite fighter to ever step inside the octagon.) From there, the UFC just kept gaining in popularity in huge strides, I don't even think Dana White was sure how fast this sport would grow. UFC 60 produced 620,000 pay-per-view buys when Matt Hughes took on a legend in Royce Gracie. Royce Gracie ranks up their with Griffin and Bonnar as being the most important person ever in MMA. Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar put on the most important fight in UFC history, but Royce Gracie was the most important fighter in UFC history. UFC 66 was the first time that the pay-per-view buys reached over one million when Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell fought for the second time. 2006 was the year the UFC proved it could hang with the big boys on pay-per-view. The UFC broke the record for most pay-per-view buys in one year, generating over 222,766,000 million dollars. Boxing and the WWE could not hang with the UFC, which was a significant accomplish for the UFC, but more importantly the sport of Mixed Martial Arts. This led to Roger Huerta being on the cover of Sports Illustrated, when him and Leonard Garcia put on one of the best fights in UFC history. Also, Chuck Liddell was on the cover of ESPN the Magazine. MMA fighters were finally being looked at as being superior athletes like NBA, MLB, and NFL stars.
Currently, the UFC is now shown in more than 130 countries worldwide. Dana White and the Fertitta brother's accomplished what they knew could be achieved. MMA is the fastest growing sport that we have seen, and is continuing to rise in tremendous strides. There have been hundreds of UFC events, but UFC 100 was a symbol that the UFC showed that they are here to stay. Not many people thought the UFC would be around to have 100 events, but because of the help of Dana White and the Fertitta brothers, they accomplished this tremendous achievement. MMA continues to rise in popularity, and when people laughed at Dana White when he said this was going to be the most popular sport in the world, he knew exactly what he was talking about. Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar were the two guys who got this sport to mainstream, but it has been the hundreds of other fighters who made it happen. Guys such as Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, Randy Couture, Rich Franklin, Anderson Silva, Matt Hughes, and many other veterans of the sport who put on the fights after The Ultimate Fighter Finale to achieve greatness in the sport of MMA. Young guys such as Jon Jones, George St. Pierre, Dominick Cruz, Frankie Edgar, Jose Aldo, Cain Velasquez, and many other young studs will keep this sport growing at a huge rate. Also, with the help of Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan broadcasting these events, they have become the voices of the UFC, and when you think of the UFC these two guys always come to mind.
MMA had a long road to go, and specifically the UFC, but even when things weren't looking good for the sport they never gave up. Politicians wanted this sport to fail, tons of people wanted this sport to fail, but that was never on the minds of Dana White, Lorenzo Fertitta, and Frank Fertitta. These three men risked a lot in a business that was set up to fail, but yet, they turned it into a huge success and are the main reason why MMA is were it is at today. MMA continues to gain huge popularity in hundreds of different countries, and will only continue to accomplish great feats. The UFC was going against the odds, but this only made the organization stronger. The Ultimate Fighter was the smartest business move the UFC made, and we continue to see The Ultimate Fighter be a huge success as they are set to air the 14th season of The Ultimate Fighter this Fall. UFC and Spike's contract ends after 2011 is over, and we are close to seeing The Ultimate Fighter and the UFC have many options to sign with a big time network in 2012. The UFC continues to grow at tremendous strides, and it will continue to grow as a sport and be up there with the ranks of the NFL, MLB, and the NBA. Remember, it took all of these other sports a lot longer to gain the popularity and success that MMA has achieved in 18 short years. And, when just looking at the UFC since the Fertitta brother's and Dana White purchased the UFC in 2001, look how fast MMA has risen in these short ten years. This Fall, the UFC is putting on huge fights. UFC 135 has the likes of Rampage Jackson vs Jon Jones and Matt Hughes vs Diego Sanchez. UFC 136 has the likes of Frankie Edgar vs Gray Maynard, Jose Aldo vs Kenny Florian, Brian Stann vs Chael Sonnen, Jeremy Stephens vs Anthony Pettis, Melvin Guillard vs Joe Lauzon, and Jorge Santiago vs Demian Maia. (This card will be better than UFC 132, which in my opinion, was easily the best card of the year.) UFC 137 has the likes of George St. Pierre vs Nick Diaz, BJ Penn vs Carlos Condit, Cheick Kongo vs Matt Mitrione, Dennis Siver vs Sam Stout, and Mirko Crop Cop vs Roy Nelson. The UFC will only continue to put on amazing events because there are so many talented mixed martial artists. Now, instead of our young generation wanting to become boxers, they now want to compete in MMA. Boxing is a sport for the older generation, but MMA is the most popular sport among our young generation, and just imagine 15 years from now how big MMA is going to be. The UFC had a long way to go, but when faced with adversity they fought back and have achieved what they knew could be done. MMA is the fastest growing sport in the world, and in the next 50 years we could see MMA being the most popular sport in the world.
It was on February 7, 1997 at the Dothan Civic Center in Dothan, Alabama, when the UFC finally started heading towards the right direction at UFC 12. This was the first time in the UFC that they actually had weight classes. Still, it was nothing like we see today, with seven different weight classes. There were only two weight classes at UFC 12, but it was a start to regulate the sport. Also, UFC 12 was the first event that Joe Rogan was apart of as a commentator. UFC 12 was originally supposed to be in New York, but due to the backlash from politicians, New York would not sanction the event and they had to head down South to Alabama for UFC 12. This was a big eye opener, knowing that they had to regulate the sport if they wanted to become a legitimate sport, and if they wanted to hold events in big venues. As the UFC events continued, the regulation on rules continued to improve. At UFC 14 all fighters had to wear gloves and kicks to the head of a downed opponent were removed. UFC 15 banned hair pulling, groin strikes, head-butting, and strikes to the back of the neck and head. It was not until UFC 21 that five-minute rounds were introduced. Finally, close to six years after UFC 1, the UFC was going down the right path to become a legitimate sport and on the way to becoming the fastest growing sport this country has ever witnessed. On November 17, 2000, the UFC was finally sanctioned in a state not in the South, when New Jersey sanctioned UFC 28. Then, after UFC 28, there were three men that made the smart decision's of their lives.
Dana White, Frank Fertitta, and Lorenzo Fertitta bought the UFC from the Semaphore Entertainment Group for two million dollars. Everyone thought these guys were making a horrible business decision because the UFC was not an organization that many thought could make money. However, Dana White and the Fertitta brother's knew exactly what they were doing. They saw a sport that was on the brink of becoming a legitimate sport after the UFC finally regulated rules and gained more and more popularity. They bought the UFC at the right time and knew exactly what needed to be done to become one of the best sports in the world. Lorenzo Fertitta was a former member of the Nevada Sports Athletic Commission so it was easy for the UFC to get sanctioned in Nevada. UFC 33, was the first mixed martial arts event to be sanctioned in Las Vegas, but UFC 33 ended up being one of the worst cards in UFC history. The UFC finally got sanctioned in Las Vegas and had a good opportunity to shine to gain more popularity, but then Tito Ortiz and Vladimir Matyushenko, along with Jens Pulver and Dennis Hallman, put up two of the most boring championship fights in UFC history. (Even worse than Anderson Silva vs Thales Leites). Despite the criticism of UFC 33, the UFC was still able to land a television deal with Fox Sports Net. In June 2002, The Best Damn Sports Show aired the first ever mixed martial arts event on cable television. UFC 37.5 had fighters on the card such as Robbie Lawler, Pete Spratt, and Yves Edwards, but they were banking on Vitor Belfort and Chuck Liddell putting on a show in the main event, which they did of course. Six months later on November 22, 2002, at UFC 40, was when the Fertitta brother's and Dana White knew they could finally get MMA the mainstream it needed. Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock was one of the most anticipated fights in UFC history. Ken Shamrock was returning to the UFC, his first fight back in the UFC since 1996. Also, other fighters on the card included Chuck Liddell, Renato "Babalu" Sobral, Matt Hughes, Pete Spratt, Carlos Newton, Robbie Lawler, Vladimir Matyushenko, and Andrei Arlovski. Still, Shamrock and Ortiz was the fight everyone wanted to see. The trash talking for this fight presented a lot of hype for the fight and it was one of the first times we ever saw two fighters on a network show hyping up their fight. Both men were on the Best Damn Sports Show talking trash back and forth hyping up their fight. The fight lived up to the hype, as Tito Ortiz whooped the old man's ass and kept his belt. UFC 40 did something that no other UFC event had ever done. Mainstream media outlets were covering the event, ESPN, USA Today, and many other newspaper's covered the event, and the UFC was finally on big-time media outlets. This event had more than four times the amount of pay-per-view buys than any other UFC event that Zuffa had ever put on. Even though UFC 40 was a huge success for White and the Fertitta's, they had lost over 30 million dollars since purchasing the UFC in 2001. This is when they knew they needed to make another big move to try and become more mainstream.
Hello Ultimate Fighter. This was the single, biggest decision that Dana White and the Fertitta brother's ever made. The Ultimate Fighter was a major success, and even though their idea got shut down by the big networks, Spike television knew this could be a huge hit. Dana White knew that which ever four fighters made it to the Finale, they would have to put on a huge show, and it was even bigger than that. Diego Sanchez dismantled Kenny Florian to become the first ever Middleweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter, but this was nothing to what the Light Heavyweight's did. Stephan Bonnar and Forrest Griffin put on a 15-minute war, which was by far the most important fight in UFC histroy. Dana White could not of even imagined these guys putting on this kind of war and if I had to guess what Dana White was thinking at this instance it would be this: cha-ching$$$!! Bonnar and Griffin was the type of fight when you were watching the first round you were on your cell phone calling up all of your buddies, and saying are you watching this! Turn it to Spike, this fight is f***ing crazy bro! At least this is how I recall it. I must of called 20 of my friends, and then they probably called 20 of their friends, and so on. This is exactly what Dana White was hoping for, and the UFC has just continued to rise in tremendous strides towards becoming one of the best sports in the world. I really believe if The Ultimate Fighter had not been started that the UFC would have become bankrupt and MMA would still be were it was at in the 20th century. Also, the success of The Ultimate Fighter paved the way for Spike to start showing UFC Unleashed and also UFC Countdown shows. Finally, after close to four years have passed since White and the Fertitta's purchased the UFC, it was finally becoming what they knew it could become. They still knew that fighter's would have to step up to the plate and put on amazing shows to keep gaining the popularity.
Dana White knew the exact two guys to have on the first pay-per-view after The Ultimate Fighter: Chuck Liddell and Randy Couture. Also, others on the card included Matt Hughes, George St. Pierre, Jason "Mayhem" Miller, Frank Trigg, Renato "Babalu" Sobral, Joe Riggs, Mike Van Arsdale, and Patrick Cote. UFC 52 doubled the previous high in pay-per-view buys with 300,000 for this event. This was due in large part of the success the UFC achieved from The Ultimate Fighter because so many fans were tuned in watching The Ultimate Fighter Finale because of two men: Stephan Bonnar and Forrest Griffin. Chuck Liddell revenged his loss against The Natural knocking him out in the first round. (I had to get that in there because The Iceman was and always will be my favorite fighter to ever step inside the octagon.) From there, the UFC just kept gaining in popularity in huge strides, I don't even think Dana White was sure how fast this sport would grow. UFC 60 produced 620,000 pay-per-view buys when Matt Hughes took on a legend in Royce Gracie. Royce Gracie ranks up their with Griffin and Bonnar as being the most important person ever in MMA. Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar put on the most important fight in UFC history, but Royce Gracie was the most important fighter in UFC history. UFC 66 was the first time that the pay-per-view buys reached over one million when Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell fought for the second time. 2006 was the year the UFC proved it could hang with the big boys on pay-per-view. The UFC broke the record for most pay-per-view buys in one year, generating over 222,766,000 million dollars. Boxing and the WWE could not hang with the UFC, which was a significant accomplish for the UFC, but more importantly the sport of Mixed Martial Arts. This led to Roger Huerta being on the cover of Sports Illustrated, when him and Leonard Garcia put on one of the best fights in UFC history. Also, Chuck Liddell was on the cover of ESPN the Magazine. MMA fighters were finally being looked at as being superior athletes like NBA, MLB, and NFL stars.
Currently, the UFC is now shown in more than 130 countries worldwide. Dana White and the Fertitta brother's accomplished what they knew could be achieved. MMA is the fastest growing sport that we have seen, and is continuing to rise in tremendous strides. There have been hundreds of UFC events, but UFC 100 was a symbol that the UFC showed that they are here to stay. Not many people thought the UFC would be around to have 100 events, but because of the help of Dana White and the Fertitta brothers, they accomplished this tremendous achievement. MMA continues to rise in popularity, and when people laughed at Dana White when he said this was going to be the most popular sport in the world, he knew exactly what he was talking about. Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar were the two guys who got this sport to mainstream, but it has been the hundreds of other fighters who made it happen. Guys such as Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, Randy Couture, Rich Franklin, Anderson Silva, Matt Hughes, and many other veterans of the sport who put on the fights after The Ultimate Fighter Finale to achieve greatness in the sport of MMA. Young guys such as Jon Jones, George St. Pierre, Dominick Cruz, Frankie Edgar, Jose Aldo, Cain Velasquez, and many other young studs will keep this sport growing at a huge rate. Also, with the help of Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan broadcasting these events, they have become the voices of the UFC, and when you think of the UFC these two guys always come to mind.
MMA had a long road to go, and specifically the UFC, but even when things weren't looking good for the sport they never gave up. Politicians wanted this sport to fail, tons of people wanted this sport to fail, but that was never on the minds of Dana White, Lorenzo Fertitta, and Frank Fertitta. These three men risked a lot in a business that was set up to fail, but yet, they turned it into a huge success and are the main reason why MMA is were it is at today. MMA continues to gain huge popularity in hundreds of different countries, and will only continue to accomplish great feats. The UFC was going against the odds, but this only made the organization stronger. The Ultimate Fighter was the smartest business move the UFC made, and we continue to see The Ultimate Fighter be a huge success as they are set to air the 14th season of The Ultimate Fighter this Fall. UFC and Spike's contract ends after 2011 is over, and we are close to seeing The Ultimate Fighter and the UFC have many options to sign with a big time network in 2012. The UFC continues to grow at tremendous strides, and it will continue to grow as a sport and be up there with the ranks of the NFL, MLB, and the NBA. Remember, it took all of these other sports a lot longer to gain the popularity and success that MMA has achieved in 18 short years. And, when just looking at the UFC since the Fertitta brother's and Dana White purchased the UFC in 2001, look how fast MMA has risen in these short ten years. This Fall, the UFC is putting on huge fights. UFC 135 has the likes of Rampage Jackson vs Jon Jones and Matt Hughes vs Diego Sanchez. UFC 136 has the likes of Frankie Edgar vs Gray Maynard, Jose Aldo vs Kenny Florian, Brian Stann vs Chael Sonnen, Jeremy Stephens vs Anthony Pettis, Melvin Guillard vs Joe Lauzon, and Jorge Santiago vs Demian Maia. (This card will be better than UFC 132, which in my opinion, was easily the best card of the year.) UFC 137 has the likes of George St. Pierre vs Nick Diaz, BJ Penn vs Carlos Condit, Cheick Kongo vs Matt Mitrione, Dennis Siver vs Sam Stout, and Mirko Crop Cop vs Roy Nelson. The UFC will only continue to put on amazing events because there are so many talented mixed martial artists. Now, instead of our young generation wanting to become boxers, they now want to compete in MMA. Boxing is a sport for the older generation, but MMA is the most popular sport among our young generation, and just imagine 15 years from now how big MMA is going to be. The UFC had a long way to go, but when faced with adversity they fought back and have achieved what they knew could be done. MMA is the fastest growing sport in the world, and in the next 50 years we could see MMA being the most popular sport in the world.
Friday, July 15, 2011
MLB Predictions
This year has been a pretty crazy baseball season. The Pittsburgh Pirates were over .500 at the all-star break for the first time since 1992. Clint Hurdle has done an outstanding job in his first year as manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, winning 47 games, which is only 10 less than they did all last season. The Cleveland Indians are tied for first in the American League Central, a team that went 69-93 last year. The Arizona Diamondbacks are 3.5 games back of the reigning 2010 champs in the National League West. The Diamondbacks have a new swagger about them, thanks to their manager Kirk Gibson. Arizona won 49 games in the first half of the season, which is only 16 less than they did all of last season. Also, thanks to resurgence of Jose Reyes (contract year of course) the New York Mets are one game above .500, which no one would have thought when the 2011 season got started. The Washington Nationals are 46-46, and even their former manager Jim Riggelman knew how surprising this was, so he asked for a contract extension. (We all know how that went, Mike Rizzo, the General Manager said no, so Riggleman said peace and bounced.) Also, we saw another manager act selfishly and quit on his team when Edwin Rodriguez resigned from the Florida Marlins. I'm glad they did though, because now baseball was able to get two former managers who have won the World Series as former managers. (Jack McCeon and Davey Johnson.) Baseball is so unique because you really never know how it is going to pan out. The Pirates, Indians, and Diamondbacks are all either in first place or within 3.5 games of first at the all-star break. All three of these teams were considered to be near the bottom of their divisions before the season started. That would be like the Los Angeles Clippers, New Jersey Nets, and Washington Wizards in first place at the all-star break. We all know how their 2010-11 season played out, NOT GOOD! Now lets have some fun and try and do the impossible and predict how the rest of the 2011 baseball season is going to play out. I know everyone is thinking the Phillies and Red Sox is an easy selection for the World Series this year, but so were the Phillies and Yankees last year. We saw how that played out. We'll go division by division and I will tell you why I have a pretty good feeling why these respected squads will be playing in the post-season.
AL EAST
The American League East is definitely one of the best divisions in baseball, if not the best. The top three teams in the AL East are three of the top teams in the American League. The Tampa Bay Rays are currently in third place in the AL East, yet their winning percentage is 4th best in the entire American League. Despite the Toronto Blue Jays having one of the best players in baseball in Jose Bautista, they will be lucky if they finished up the season in third place in the AL East. The Baltimore Orioles... Enough said. The Rays have had an outstanding season after losing their entire bullpen and Carl Crawford off of last years squad, when they won the AL East. The Rays have one of the best young pitching staffs in all of baseball and should hang around until September, then I expect the Yankees and Red Sox to have at least an eight game lead on the Rays. The Yankees have lucked out with the resurgence of Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia to help bolster their pitching staff. They have one of the best lineups in all of baseball, especially with Curtis Granderson finding his swing from 2009 when he was a member of the Detroit Tigers. CC Sabathia is one of the best pitchers in the game, and I would take him in a must win game over any pitcher in the game. Dude loves pitching in pressure situations. However, I think the Boston Red Sox have to deep of a team when it comes to pitching and hitting and I see them winning the AL East. They have one of the best lineups in the game, they were first in runs, batting average, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage during the first half of the season, and I expect that to continue this in the second half. Their lineup one through nine is the best in baseball. Their pitching hasn't been as good as it should in the first half, but I expect that to change in the second half. Even if it doesn't, I still see them winning the AL East because this team scores a lot of runs, but if they want to win a World Series there pitching needs to step it up a notch.
AL CENTRAL
The AL Central has been the most strange division in baseball. The Minnesota Twins started the season playing like the Bad News Bears, while on the other hand the Cleveland Indians started the season playing like they did back in the mid-to-late 1990's. The Kansas City Royals got off to a nice start, but then they finally remember they were the Kansas City Royals. The Royals will definitely finish in last place in the Central. The Chicago White Sox are still waiting for Adam Dunn to show up. He is batting below the Mendoza line, and if he doesn't step up the Sox are done. Their bullpen has been horrible this season. A lot of people think the Sox will get back into the mix, however I do not, and I think they are finishing in fourth place in the Central. The Minnesota Twins always seem to get hot in the second half every year, but I think their slow start put them in too big of a bind. This division will come down the the Indians and the Tigers. The Indians have had an outstanding season, due in large part to their young pitching staff and the amazing Asdrubal Cabrera, with his bat and his glove, and even his barehand. However, the Tigers have too much firepower to not win the Central. Justin Verlander has been the best pitcher in the American League this year, and Max Scherzer has been dynamic throwing the ball too. Miguel Cabrera is easily the best hitter in the division and they have a lot of other talented hitters to go with Cabrera. Also, Jose Valverde has been one of the best closers in the game. His 24 saves are tops in the American League.
AL WEST
This division was the toughest to call because both the Angels and Rangers are finally playing up to their potential and I could really see this one going either way. Everyone had high hopes for the Oakland A's, including myself. However, the injury bug and no bats in their lineup came back to bite them. The only thing going for the A's is their General Manager, Billy Beane, gets to have a movie made about him, that's the most exciting, and only exciting thing going on for the A's. The Seattle Mariners have been a surprise this year flirting with .500 for most of the season even with their horrible lineup. Their pitching has been stellar this year, we all knew how good the reigning AL Cy Young award winning Felix Hernandez was, but rookie Michael Pineda has been just as good. Also, closer Brandon League has been excellent this year, he's second in the American League with his 23 saves. However, the Mariners are going to be battling with the A's for the third spot in the AL West, while the Rangers and Angels battle it out for the AL West. The Rangers have one of the top lineups in all of baseball, and the Angels have one of the best pitching staffs in all of baseball. Oh man, this is a tough decision, but I have to go with the pitching. I think this race is going to go down all the way until the end of the season. Both these teams play each other 13 more times, including a three-game series to end the season. Whoever wins this last series will win the AL West, and I think when the Angels throw Jared Weaver, Dan Haren, and either Ervin Santana or Joel Piniero at the Rangers, they will be able to find away to pitch their way into the post-season and knock off the reigning AL Champs.
AL WILD CARD
The American League wild card spot is really going to come down to two teams: Yankees and Rangers. Of course, if the Indians can keep their stellar season they will be a long shot, but hey it is baseball anything can happen. However, I think the Yankees and Rangers will be neck and neck once we get to mid-September. The Yankees have the better team, but the Rangers play in a weaker division and will have an easier schedule. The Yankees will have to play the Red Sox nine more times this year (a team they can't beat this year), the Rays and a Blue Jays team that is capable to win anytime with their lineup. The Yankees are 15-14 this year against the AL East and are 38-22 against the rest of baseball. On the other hand, the Rangers will get a ton of games against the Mariner's and A's down the stretch. Despite, the Rangers having the easier schedule I am going with the Yankees because I think there pitching is a little better than the Rangers. This is going to be a close race but I think the Yankees will find a way to get themselves back to the post-season and try and win their 28th championship.
AL EAST CHAMPS: BOSTON RED SOX
AL CENTRAL CHAMPS: DETROIT TIGERS
AL WEST CHAMPS: LOS ANGELES ANGELS OF ANAHEIM
AL WILD CARD WINNER: NEW YORK YANKEES
NL EAST
The National League East has two of the best teams in all of baseball. The Philadelphia Phillies have the best record in baseball, and the Atlanta Braves have the second best record in the National League, and the fourth best record in all of baseball. Also, the Mets and Nationals have been playing decent ball this year. Jose Reyes has been the best player in baseball this year, and has led the way for the Mets. In my eyes he is the leading candidate for NL MVP. The Nationals are one or two years away from contending in the NL East, especially when Stephen Strasburg's arm heals up and when Bryce Harper is actually old enough to drink. The kid is only 19, but once he gets a little more maturity he has a chance to be one of the best hitters in the game. All potential right now though. The Florida Marlins season seemed to get cursed once Scott Cousins took out Buster Posey at home plate. They are 15-29 since Posey got injured, including a 1-20 record from June 1st until June 21st. At the end of the day, the NL East will come down to the Braves and Phillies. Both of these two teams are very similar, both have stellar pitching staffs and both teams are still waiting for their bats to come alive. The Phillie's pitching staff is first in ERA, quality starts, WHIP, and fifth in opposing teams batting average. The Brave's pitching staff is second in ERA, fifth in quality starts, third in WHIP, and second in opposing teams batting average. The Phillies have all the recognizable pitchers like Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, and Roy Oswalt. The Braves have all the guys who are pitching just as well, but do not have the same popularity as the Phillies staff. Jair Jurrjens, Tommy Hansen, Tim Hudson, and Derek Lowe have been one of the best pitching staffs in the game, but yet these names rarely get mentioned among the best in the game. Their bullpen is better than the Phillies with Jonny Venters and closer Craig Kimbrel. Kimbrel leads the majors with his 28 saves. Call me crazy, but I think the Braves bats will pick up, their pitching staff will continue to pitch outstanding, and they will find a way to win the NL East. Whoever does not win this division will still get into the playoffs as the wild card winner.
NL CENTRAL
If Adam Wainwright did not need to get Tommy John surgery before opening day the Cardinals would have been an easy pick for the NL Central. One streak that will continue is the Cubs will keep their World Series drought for another year, man that must suck to be a Cubs fan. They haven't won since 1908, and yet Cub fans try and blame it on a dork named Steve Bartman and a goat. The Pittsburgh Pirates have been the story of the first half so far, and it is a long shot for them to contend for the Central title, but I am hoping they find a way to finish the season above .500. They haven't done that since the Barry Bonds days in Pittsburgh. The Cincinnati Reds just seem like they can not get it together because their pitching staff is too inconsistent. They have one of the better young lineups in baseball, but if their pitching continues to struggle it does not matter how good their lineup is. This division is going to come down to the Milwaukee Brewers and the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals are sure glad they signed Lance Berkman because a lot of teams thought he was done, but he is having an MVP type of season. He leads the National League in home runs with 24. They are hoping Albert Pujols can stay healthy during the second half and get back to his old dominant ways. However, I think the Milwaukee Brewers will win the Central, not because of their power happy lineup, but because of their underrated pitching staff. Zack Grienke, Yovani Gallardo, and Shawn Marcum are three of the better young pitchers in the game and they have a savvy veteran in Randy Wolf. Also, with the addition of Francisco Rodriguez to bolster their bullpen, which was clearly their main weakness only makes them better. Whether, they go with Rodriguez or with current closer John Axford, they will have a capable closer. They have one of the better lineups in the National League. Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder are both having MVP caliber seasons. Rickie Weeks, Corey Hart, and Casey McGhee are also very capable hitters and this team knows how to hit the long ball. If they can figure out their road woes this team will run away with the NL Central and have a chance to contend for a World Series title.
NL WEST
The San Francisco Giants finally got that (rally) monkey off of their back and won their first championship since moving from New York. The reigning champs have shown tremendous resiliency this year and have shown how important team chemistry is. Buster Posey and Freddy Sanchez are both on the shelf for the rest of the year, their two best hitters, and yet still are one of the top teams in all of baseball. Due in large part to their amazing pitching staff. The Padres knew they were not going to contend this year once they traded Adrian Gonzalez. The Dodgers are just struggling to find a way to make payroll, and come on Dodgers pay the best broadcaster baseball has ever seen, Vin Scully. Matt Kemp and Clayton Kershaw are both two of the best players in baseball, but they are still one of the worst teams in the National League. The Colorado Rockies are still waiting for Carlos Gonzalez to get back to his 2010 form, and when Jorge De La Rosa went of the shelf for the year, their pitching staff has suffered tremendously. They still have a chance to contend for the West but they better get going soon. This is the Giants division to lose, and the Arizona Diamondbacks are going to be their toughest test. Arizona has one of the better young players in all of baseball in Justin Upton. Kirk Gibson has done an outstanding job this year as the skipper of the Diamondbacks. Their bullpen is one of the NL's best this year after having one of the worst statistical bullpen seasons last year in the history of baseball. However, I still think the Diamondbacks are too young to find a way to win the NL West. The San Francisco Giants have some of the best pitchers in the game. They have arguably the best closer in the game, and who knows what is walking around in that guys beard! Ryan Vogelsong has been one of the best stories in the game this year and has pitched just as well as Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain this year. The San Francisco Giants pitching staff is too good to lose to NL West, and if their arms stay healthy they will run away with the division. And the Kung Fu Panda is raking and is back to his 2009 form, due in large part because he is passing on the Big Mac's and actually on a strict diet.
NL WILD CARD
Do I even need to explain, I have the Braves winning the NL East so the Philadelphia Phillies will take the wild card. Whoever is in second place in the NL East will win the wild card in a land slide. I'll even go as far to say that the NL East will come out with the two top records in the National League.
NL EAST CHAMPS: ATLANTA BRAVES
NL CENTRAL CHAMPS: MILWAUKEE BREWERS
NL WEST CHAMPS: SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
NL WILD CARD WINNER: PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Now that I have all my playoff teams in the mix there is only one more thing to do: World Series prediction. The sexy pick of course is the Philadelphia Phillies vs the Boston Red Sox, but I am not going with that. It usually seems like the favorites usually end up never playing in the Fall classic. Pitching is always the main factor when it comes to winning in October and November. Alright so here we go, DRUM ROLL PLEASE...
WORLD SERIES PREDICTION
ANAHEIM ANGELS VS ATLANTA BRAVES
2011 CHAMPIONS: ATLANTA BRAVES
AL EAST
The American League East is definitely one of the best divisions in baseball, if not the best. The top three teams in the AL East are three of the top teams in the American League. The Tampa Bay Rays are currently in third place in the AL East, yet their winning percentage is 4th best in the entire American League. Despite the Toronto Blue Jays having one of the best players in baseball in Jose Bautista, they will be lucky if they finished up the season in third place in the AL East. The Baltimore Orioles... Enough said. The Rays have had an outstanding season after losing their entire bullpen and Carl Crawford off of last years squad, when they won the AL East. The Rays have one of the best young pitching staffs in all of baseball and should hang around until September, then I expect the Yankees and Red Sox to have at least an eight game lead on the Rays. The Yankees have lucked out with the resurgence of Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia to help bolster their pitching staff. They have one of the best lineups in all of baseball, especially with Curtis Granderson finding his swing from 2009 when he was a member of the Detroit Tigers. CC Sabathia is one of the best pitchers in the game, and I would take him in a must win game over any pitcher in the game. Dude loves pitching in pressure situations. However, I think the Boston Red Sox have to deep of a team when it comes to pitching and hitting and I see them winning the AL East. They have one of the best lineups in the game, they were first in runs, batting average, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage during the first half of the season, and I expect that to continue this in the second half. Their lineup one through nine is the best in baseball. Their pitching hasn't been as good as it should in the first half, but I expect that to change in the second half. Even if it doesn't, I still see them winning the AL East because this team scores a lot of runs, but if they want to win a World Series there pitching needs to step it up a notch.
AL CENTRAL
The AL Central has been the most strange division in baseball. The Minnesota Twins started the season playing like the Bad News Bears, while on the other hand the Cleveland Indians started the season playing like they did back in the mid-to-late 1990's. The Kansas City Royals got off to a nice start, but then they finally remember they were the Kansas City Royals. The Royals will definitely finish in last place in the Central. The Chicago White Sox are still waiting for Adam Dunn to show up. He is batting below the Mendoza line, and if he doesn't step up the Sox are done. Their bullpen has been horrible this season. A lot of people think the Sox will get back into the mix, however I do not, and I think they are finishing in fourth place in the Central. The Minnesota Twins always seem to get hot in the second half every year, but I think their slow start put them in too big of a bind. This division will come down the the Indians and the Tigers. The Indians have had an outstanding season, due in large part to their young pitching staff and the amazing Asdrubal Cabrera, with his bat and his glove, and even his barehand. However, the Tigers have too much firepower to not win the Central. Justin Verlander has been the best pitcher in the American League this year, and Max Scherzer has been dynamic throwing the ball too. Miguel Cabrera is easily the best hitter in the division and they have a lot of other talented hitters to go with Cabrera. Also, Jose Valverde has been one of the best closers in the game. His 24 saves are tops in the American League.
AL WEST
This division was the toughest to call because both the Angels and Rangers are finally playing up to their potential and I could really see this one going either way. Everyone had high hopes for the Oakland A's, including myself. However, the injury bug and no bats in their lineup came back to bite them. The only thing going for the A's is their General Manager, Billy Beane, gets to have a movie made about him, that's the most exciting, and only exciting thing going on for the A's. The Seattle Mariners have been a surprise this year flirting with .500 for most of the season even with their horrible lineup. Their pitching has been stellar this year, we all knew how good the reigning AL Cy Young award winning Felix Hernandez was, but rookie Michael Pineda has been just as good. Also, closer Brandon League has been excellent this year, he's second in the American League with his 23 saves. However, the Mariners are going to be battling with the A's for the third spot in the AL West, while the Rangers and Angels battle it out for the AL West. The Rangers have one of the top lineups in all of baseball, and the Angels have one of the best pitching staffs in all of baseball. Oh man, this is a tough decision, but I have to go with the pitching. I think this race is going to go down all the way until the end of the season. Both these teams play each other 13 more times, including a three-game series to end the season. Whoever wins this last series will win the AL West, and I think when the Angels throw Jared Weaver, Dan Haren, and either Ervin Santana or Joel Piniero at the Rangers, they will be able to find away to pitch their way into the post-season and knock off the reigning AL Champs.
AL WILD CARD
The American League wild card spot is really going to come down to two teams: Yankees and Rangers. Of course, if the Indians can keep their stellar season they will be a long shot, but hey it is baseball anything can happen. However, I think the Yankees and Rangers will be neck and neck once we get to mid-September. The Yankees have the better team, but the Rangers play in a weaker division and will have an easier schedule. The Yankees will have to play the Red Sox nine more times this year (a team they can't beat this year), the Rays and a Blue Jays team that is capable to win anytime with their lineup. The Yankees are 15-14 this year against the AL East and are 38-22 against the rest of baseball. On the other hand, the Rangers will get a ton of games against the Mariner's and A's down the stretch. Despite, the Rangers having the easier schedule I am going with the Yankees because I think there pitching is a little better than the Rangers. This is going to be a close race but I think the Yankees will find a way to get themselves back to the post-season and try and win their 28th championship.
AL EAST CHAMPS: BOSTON RED SOX
AL CENTRAL CHAMPS: DETROIT TIGERS
AL WEST CHAMPS: LOS ANGELES ANGELS OF ANAHEIM
AL WILD CARD WINNER: NEW YORK YANKEES
NL EAST
The National League East has two of the best teams in all of baseball. The Philadelphia Phillies have the best record in baseball, and the Atlanta Braves have the second best record in the National League, and the fourth best record in all of baseball. Also, the Mets and Nationals have been playing decent ball this year. Jose Reyes has been the best player in baseball this year, and has led the way for the Mets. In my eyes he is the leading candidate for NL MVP. The Nationals are one or two years away from contending in the NL East, especially when Stephen Strasburg's arm heals up and when Bryce Harper is actually old enough to drink. The kid is only 19, but once he gets a little more maturity he has a chance to be one of the best hitters in the game. All potential right now though. The Florida Marlins season seemed to get cursed once Scott Cousins took out Buster Posey at home plate. They are 15-29 since Posey got injured, including a 1-20 record from June 1st until June 21st. At the end of the day, the NL East will come down to the Braves and Phillies. Both of these two teams are very similar, both have stellar pitching staffs and both teams are still waiting for their bats to come alive. The Phillie's pitching staff is first in ERA, quality starts, WHIP, and fifth in opposing teams batting average. The Brave's pitching staff is second in ERA, fifth in quality starts, third in WHIP, and second in opposing teams batting average. The Phillies have all the recognizable pitchers like Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, and Roy Oswalt. The Braves have all the guys who are pitching just as well, but do not have the same popularity as the Phillies staff. Jair Jurrjens, Tommy Hansen, Tim Hudson, and Derek Lowe have been one of the best pitching staffs in the game, but yet these names rarely get mentioned among the best in the game. Their bullpen is better than the Phillies with Jonny Venters and closer Craig Kimbrel. Kimbrel leads the majors with his 28 saves. Call me crazy, but I think the Braves bats will pick up, their pitching staff will continue to pitch outstanding, and they will find a way to win the NL East. Whoever does not win this division will still get into the playoffs as the wild card winner.
NL CENTRAL
If Adam Wainwright did not need to get Tommy John surgery before opening day the Cardinals would have been an easy pick for the NL Central. One streak that will continue is the Cubs will keep their World Series drought for another year, man that must suck to be a Cubs fan. They haven't won since 1908, and yet Cub fans try and blame it on a dork named Steve Bartman and a goat. The Pittsburgh Pirates have been the story of the first half so far, and it is a long shot for them to contend for the Central title, but I am hoping they find a way to finish the season above .500. They haven't done that since the Barry Bonds days in Pittsburgh. The Cincinnati Reds just seem like they can not get it together because their pitching staff is too inconsistent. They have one of the better young lineups in baseball, but if their pitching continues to struggle it does not matter how good their lineup is. This division is going to come down to the Milwaukee Brewers and the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals are sure glad they signed Lance Berkman because a lot of teams thought he was done, but he is having an MVP type of season. He leads the National League in home runs with 24. They are hoping Albert Pujols can stay healthy during the second half and get back to his old dominant ways. However, I think the Milwaukee Brewers will win the Central, not because of their power happy lineup, but because of their underrated pitching staff. Zack Grienke, Yovani Gallardo, and Shawn Marcum are three of the better young pitchers in the game and they have a savvy veteran in Randy Wolf. Also, with the addition of Francisco Rodriguez to bolster their bullpen, which was clearly their main weakness only makes them better. Whether, they go with Rodriguez or with current closer John Axford, they will have a capable closer. They have one of the better lineups in the National League. Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder are both having MVP caliber seasons. Rickie Weeks, Corey Hart, and Casey McGhee are also very capable hitters and this team knows how to hit the long ball. If they can figure out their road woes this team will run away with the NL Central and have a chance to contend for a World Series title.
NL WEST
The San Francisco Giants finally got that (rally) monkey off of their back and won their first championship since moving from New York. The reigning champs have shown tremendous resiliency this year and have shown how important team chemistry is. Buster Posey and Freddy Sanchez are both on the shelf for the rest of the year, their two best hitters, and yet still are one of the top teams in all of baseball. Due in large part to their amazing pitching staff. The Padres knew they were not going to contend this year once they traded Adrian Gonzalez. The Dodgers are just struggling to find a way to make payroll, and come on Dodgers pay the best broadcaster baseball has ever seen, Vin Scully. Matt Kemp and Clayton Kershaw are both two of the best players in baseball, but they are still one of the worst teams in the National League. The Colorado Rockies are still waiting for Carlos Gonzalez to get back to his 2010 form, and when Jorge De La Rosa went of the shelf for the year, their pitching staff has suffered tremendously. They still have a chance to contend for the West but they better get going soon. This is the Giants division to lose, and the Arizona Diamondbacks are going to be their toughest test. Arizona has one of the better young players in all of baseball in Justin Upton. Kirk Gibson has done an outstanding job this year as the skipper of the Diamondbacks. Their bullpen is one of the NL's best this year after having one of the worst statistical bullpen seasons last year in the history of baseball. However, I still think the Diamondbacks are too young to find a way to win the NL West. The San Francisco Giants have some of the best pitchers in the game. They have arguably the best closer in the game, and who knows what is walking around in that guys beard! Ryan Vogelsong has been one of the best stories in the game this year and has pitched just as well as Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain this year. The San Francisco Giants pitching staff is too good to lose to NL West, and if their arms stay healthy they will run away with the division. And the Kung Fu Panda is raking and is back to his 2009 form, due in large part because he is passing on the Big Mac's and actually on a strict diet.
NL WILD CARD
Do I even need to explain, I have the Braves winning the NL East so the Philadelphia Phillies will take the wild card. Whoever is in second place in the NL East will win the wild card in a land slide. I'll even go as far to say that the NL East will come out with the two top records in the National League.
NL EAST CHAMPS: ATLANTA BRAVES
NL CENTRAL CHAMPS: MILWAUKEE BREWERS
NL WEST CHAMPS: SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
NL WILD CARD WINNER: PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Now that I have all my playoff teams in the mix there is only one more thing to do: World Series prediction. The sexy pick of course is the Philadelphia Phillies vs the Boston Red Sox, but I am not going with that. It usually seems like the favorites usually end up never playing in the Fall classic. Pitching is always the main factor when it comes to winning in October and November. Alright so here we go, DRUM ROLL PLEASE...
WORLD SERIES PREDICTION
ANAHEIM ANGELS VS ATLANTA BRAVES
2011 CHAMPIONS: ATLANTA BRAVES
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Derek Jeter becomes the 28th member of the 3,000 hit club
Derek Jeter has done something that no other Yankee player has ever achieved. He has done something that only one other player has done. July 9th, 2011, will always be remembered when Derek Jeter got hit number 3,000. Also, his 3,000th hit found its way over the left field fence, becoming the second player in MLB history to hit a home-run on his 3,000th hit. (Wade Boggs was the other.) Derek Jeter arguably is one of the best among the elite to ever wear the famous pin stripes. When mentioning Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, and Joe DiMaggio, you now have to include Derek Jeter among this historic list of Yankee greats. Ruth might have hit 714 career home runs, Gehrig is arguably the best first baseman to ever play, Mantle won three MVP's and the triple crown in 1956, and DiMaggio was one of the best hitters in MLB history and his 56-game hitting streak is a prime example. However, none of those Yankee greats did what Derek Jeter accomplished on July 9th, 2011: joining the 3,000th hit club. Jeter became the 28th member of the 3,000 hit club after hitting a home run against two-time All-star David Price. Derek Jeter is now in the same group as former greats such as Pete Rose, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Ty Cobb, Stan Musial, Tris Speaker, Honus Wagner, Cal Ripken Jr., George Brett, Robin Yount, Tony Gwynn, Rickey Henderson, Al Kaline, and Roberto Clemente just to name a few. Yet, there is one significant difference between Derek Jeter and all of the other former greats: Derek Jeter did it during the steroid era. On some nights of course the match-up against opposing pitcher did not pose a disadvantage, but on some nights there would be pitcher's on the hill that were on the juice, and provided a significant advantage while on the mound.
Derek Jeter is arguably the best player our generation has ever seen, yet a lot of people might disagree. Chicks dig the long ball, and so does everybody else. So the easy pick that most fans go with as the best player our generation has seen is a player like Albert Pujols or Barry Bonds. However, there is one thing that Derek Jeter has on the rest of the field: championships. Derek Jeter is the second player in MLB history to achieve 3,000 hits and play in at least five World Series. (Eddie Collins was the other.) There is one thing that Jeter has on everybody else and that is leadership. Whenever the Yankees needed a clutch play in the post-season, Derek Jeter has always been the guy to make that play. The Yankees were on a dry spell when it came to winning championships until Jeter got called up in 1996. New York had not won a World Series since 1978, but this changed once Jeter put on the pinstripes. Jeter won Rookie of the Year in 1996, but played even better during the 1996 post-season, finishing the playoffs with a .361 batting average. Jeter has continuously done this in his career and has come up with huge plays in clutch situations in the playoffs. In 1998, Jeter was in the zone against the San Diego Padres and finished the series with a .353 batting average in route of a four-game sweep and more importantly, his second World Series ring. The following year was the best year that Jeter ever had.
In 1999, Derek Jeter somehow finished sixth in the American League MVP voting after finishing the year with a .349 average, 24 home-runs, 102 RBI, 37 doubles, 9 triples, .438 OBP, .552 SLG %, and 134 runs scored. Derek Jeter could care less about the AL MVP, because he only had one thing on his mind: his third World Series ring. In the Division Series against the Texas Rangers and against the 1999 AL MVP, Ivan Rodriguez, Derek Jeter went 5-11 batting .455, and more importantly, a three-game sweep of the Rangers. Ivan Rodriguez went 3-12 in the series with no RBI and the Texas Rangers only scored one run in the three-game sweep. In the ALCS against the Boston Red Sox, Derek Jeter's hot bat continued as he finished the series batting .350, 1 home-run, 3 RBI, and .409 OBP. In the World Series against the Atlanta Braves, Jeter was still raking, and he finished the World Series batting .353. Derek Jeter changed the mindset of the New York Yankees franchise, because people tend to forget that they had a 18-year drought from winning a World Series ring. Since Jeter's rookie year in 1996, they racked up three more World Series Championships in his first four years in the majors. In 2000, the Yankees were going for the three-peat, and once again, Derek Jeter would be the guy to lead the way. The Yankees beat the A's in the ALDS and the Mariners in the ALCS, Jeter finished the first two rounds with a .268 average, 1 home-run, and 7 RBI. Jeter saved his best for the World Series, as the Yankees met up with the New York Mets. He went 9-22, batting .409, 2 home-runs, 2 RBI, 1 triple, 2 doubles, and an amazing .864 SLG %. Derek Jeter became the first player in Major League history to win the All-star game MVP and the World Series MVP in the same year. This was the first time since 1953 that the New York Yankees have won at least three straight World Series, and it was the third time in New York's rich history that they had a three-peat. (The two other times were 1936-1939 and 1949-1953.)
2001 is a year we will never forget, and the great past time was a great way for people to get their minds off of what happened on September 11th, 2001. This is still a very tough day to remember as I remember being a Freshman in high-school and just in shock as I was getting ready to go to school. I could not believe what I saw on television. All I could think about was what happened and I could not get my mind off of it, and yet when baseball was on, it was a way to get my mind off of that tragic day. Especially, people that lived in New York and whether or not you were a Yankee fan, or even a baseball fan, a lot of people found the great past time as a way to take a break off of what happened on September 11th. Once again, Derek Jeter showed his leadership skills as he did everything possible for the community, along with many of his Yankee teammates and manager Joe Torre, to lend a hand in helping out the community of New York. The city and people of New York was first and baseball was second to them. Yet, I think it very well could have been the opposite for the people of New York and baseball became a first priority to them to have some type of positivity, as we were all trying to get over what happened on September 11th, 2001. For once, a lot of people were rooting for the New York Yankees to win for the city of New York. A team that had been hated by so many, quickly became a team that a lot of people were rooting for during the 2001 season. With the New York Yankees down two games to none in the ALDS against the Oakland A's, Derek Jeter made the best play of his career, and it was not with his bat. With the A's up in the bottom of the seventh down 1-0, Jeremy Giambi was on first base with two outs, and Terrance Long lined a double down the right field line. Shane Spencer got to the ball in the corner and relayed it back to the infield and missed both cut off men with his throw, and Derek Jeter was probably the only player in baseball that would make this historic play. Jeter standing close to second base realized the throw was way over the heads of both Chuck Knoblauch and Tino Martinez and sprinted towards the first base line and scooped up the throw off of a hop, right between home-plate and first base, flipped it Jorge Posada, and Posada tagged out Giambi just in the nick of time. The Yankees never looked back and won the next three games against the A's and moved onto the ALCS. (The Yankees became the first team in ALDS history to drop the first two games at home and win the series.) The Yankees rode that momentum into the ALCS and beat the Seattle Mariners in five-games knocking off the team that won 116 games during the regular season in ease. The Yankees won the AL pennant for the fourth straight year and were trying to capture their fourth straight World Series. The Yankees lost in a heroic seven game series to the Arizona Diamondbacks, which very well could be the best World Series ever played. Despite losing, Derek Jeter became Mr. November in this series when he hit a walk-off home run in game four at 12:01 AM on November 1st. However, Jeter struggled in the series batting .118 and went 4-27. Yet, it was no easy task as he was going against Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson in four of those seven games, two of the best pitchers we have ever seen. Despite losing the World Series, the 2001 New York Yankees were winners in a lot of peoples eyes because they put the city of New York on their back after the 9/11 tragedy, helped get people's minds off of this historic tragedy, and give something people to get attached to and allow something positive to cheer for.
There is one athlete that comes to mind to me when comparing Derek Jeter: Michael Jordan. Jeter has five World Series rings to his name and has the leadership qualities that Jordan had. Like Jordan did, Derek Jeter put a city and a team on his back and got his team to the very top. Jordan was one of the best scorers and defenders in the game, and Jeter is one of the best hitters and defensive shortstops we have ever seen. His five gold gloves and his career .313 batting average is historic. Jeter became the fourth youngest at 34 years old to get his 3,000th hit. He became the third shortstop in MLB history to get to the 3,000 hit plateau and did it in 1,500 less at bats. (Robin Yount and Cal Ripken Jr. are the other two shortstops.) Jeter has scored more runs than any shortstop that is currently in the Hall of Fame. His 231 career home runs are currently third most among shortstops trailing Cal Ripken Jr. and Robin Yount. He ranks fifth all-time in doubles and RBI among shortstops and is sixth among shortstops in stolen bases. The one thing he has among the best shortstops baseball fans have ever seen, is his five World Series championships. Derek Jeter very well could go down as the best shortstop we have ever seen and joining the 3,000 hit club only cements his legacy. Jeter is a 12-time All-star, five-time World Series champion, five-time gold glove winner, four-time silver slugger award winner, All-star MVP, one-time World Series MVP, Rookie of the Year, and has finished in the top 10 in MVP voting seven times. (Top three in MVP voting three times.) Derek Jeter might not be the best Yankee to ever play, the best player of this generation, but you could definitely make an argument that he is. There is one stat that does not show up on the stat sheet and that is being a leader and that says a lot playing for the New York Yankees. In my eyes, Derek Jeter is the best player our generation has ever seen, and the best shortstop in MLB history.
Derek Jeter is arguably the best player our generation has ever seen, yet a lot of people might disagree. Chicks dig the long ball, and so does everybody else. So the easy pick that most fans go with as the best player our generation has seen is a player like Albert Pujols or Barry Bonds. However, there is one thing that Derek Jeter has on the rest of the field: championships. Derek Jeter is the second player in MLB history to achieve 3,000 hits and play in at least five World Series. (Eddie Collins was the other.) There is one thing that Jeter has on everybody else and that is leadership. Whenever the Yankees needed a clutch play in the post-season, Derek Jeter has always been the guy to make that play. The Yankees were on a dry spell when it came to winning championships until Jeter got called up in 1996. New York had not won a World Series since 1978, but this changed once Jeter put on the pinstripes. Jeter won Rookie of the Year in 1996, but played even better during the 1996 post-season, finishing the playoffs with a .361 batting average. Jeter has continuously done this in his career and has come up with huge plays in clutch situations in the playoffs. In 1998, Jeter was in the zone against the San Diego Padres and finished the series with a .353 batting average in route of a four-game sweep and more importantly, his second World Series ring. The following year was the best year that Jeter ever had.
In 1999, Derek Jeter somehow finished sixth in the American League MVP voting after finishing the year with a .349 average, 24 home-runs, 102 RBI, 37 doubles, 9 triples, .438 OBP, .552 SLG %, and 134 runs scored. Derek Jeter could care less about the AL MVP, because he only had one thing on his mind: his third World Series ring. In the Division Series against the Texas Rangers and against the 1999 AL MVP, Ivan Rodriguez, Derek Jeter went 5-11 batting .455, and more importantly, a three-game sweep of the Rangers. Ivan Rodriguez went 3-12 in the series with no RBI and the Texas Rangers only scored one run in the three-game sweep. In the ALCS against the Boston Red Sox, Derek Jeter's hot bat continued as he finished the series batting .350, 1 home-run, 3 RBI, and .409 OBP. In the World Series against the Atlanta Braves, Jeter was still raking, and he finished the World Series batting .353. Derek Jeter changed the mindset of the New York Yankees franchise, because people tend to forget that they had a 18-year drought from winning a World Series ring. Since Jeter's rookie year in 1996, they racked up three more World Series Championships in his first four years in the majors. In 2000, the Yankees were going for the three-peat, and once again, Derek Jeter would be the guy to lead the way. The Yankees beat the A's in the ALDS and the Mariners in the ALCS, Jeter finished the first two rounds with a .268 average, 1 home-run, and 7 RBI. Jeter saved his best for the World Series, as the Yankees met up with the New York Mets. He went 9-22, batting .409, 2 home-runs, 2 RBI, 1 triple, 2 doubles, and an amazing .864 SLG %. Derek Jeter became the first player in Major League history to win the All-star game MVP and the World Series MVP in the same year. This was the first time since 1953 that the New York Yankees have won at least three straight World Series, and it was the third time in New York's rich history that they had a three-peat. (The two other times were 1936-1939 and 1949-1953.)
2001 is a year we will never forget, and the great past time was a great way for people to get their minds off of what happened on September 11th, 2001. This is still a very tough day to remember as I remember being a Freshman in high-school and just in shock as I was getting ready to go to school. I could not believe what I saw on television. All I could think about was what happened and I could not get my mind off of it, and yet when baseball was on, it was a way to get my mind off of that tragic day. Especially, people that lived in New York and whether or not you were a Yankee fan, or even a baseball fan, a lot of people found the great past time as a way to take a break off of what happened on September 11th. Once again, Derek Jeter showed his leadership skills as he did everything possible for the community, along with many of his Yankee teammates and manager Joe Torre, to lend a hand in helping out the community of New York. The city and people of New York was first and baseball was second to them. Yet, I think it very well could have been the opposite for the people of New York and baseball became a first priority to them to have some type of positivity, as we were all trying to get over what happened on September 11th, 2001. For once, a lot of people were rooting for the New York Yankees to win for the city of New York. A team that had been hated by so many, quickly became a team that a lot of people were rooting for during the 2001 season. With the New York Yankees down two games to none in the ALDS against the Oakland A's, Derek Jeter made the best play of his career, and it was not with his bat. With the A's up in the bottom of the seventh down 1-0, Jeremy Giambi was on first base with two outs, and Terrance Long lined a double down the right field line. Shane Spencer got to the ball in the corner and relayed it back to the infield and missed both cut off men with his throw, and Derek Jeter was probably the only player in baseball that would make this historic play. Jeter standing close to second base realized the throw was way over the heads of both Chuck Knoblauch and Tino Martinez and sprinted towards the first base line and scooped up the throw off of a hop, right between home-plate and first base, flipped it Jorge Posada, and Posada tagged out Giambi just in the nick of time. The Yankees never looked back and won the next three games against the A's and moved onto the ALCS. (The Yankees became the first team in ALDS history to drop the first two games at home and win the series.) The Yankees rode that momentum into the ALCS and beat the Seattle Mariners in five-games knocking off the team that won 116 games during the regular season in ease. The Yankees won the AL pennant for the fourth straight year and were trying to capture their fourth straight World Series. The Yankees lost in a heroic seven game series to the Arizona Diamondbacks, which very well could be the best World Series ever played. Despite losing, Derek Jeter became Mr. November in this series when he hit a walk-off home run in game four at 12:01 AM on November 1st. However, Jeter struggled in the series batting .118 and went 4-27. Yet, it was no easy task as he was going against Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson in four of those seven games, two of the best pitchers we have ever seen. Despite losing the World Series, the 2001 New York Yankees were winners in a lot of peoples eyes because they put the city of New York on their back after the 9/11 tragedy, helped get people's minds off of this historic tragedy, and give something people to get attached to and allow something positive to cheer for.
There is one athlete that comes to mind to me when comparing Derek Jeter: Michael Jordan. Jeter has five World Series rings to his name and has the leadership qualities that Jordan had. Like Jordan did, Derek Jeter put a city and a team on his back and got his team to the very top. Jordan was one of the best scorers and defenders in the game, and Jeter is one of the best hitters and defensive shortstops we have ever seen. His five gold gloves and his career .313 batting average is historic. Jeter became the fourth youngest at 34 years old to get his 3,000th hit. He became the third shortstop in MLB history to get to the 3,000 hit plateau and did it in 1,500 less at bats. (Robin Yount and Cal Ripken Jr. are the other two shortstops.) Jeter has scored more runs than any shortstop that is currently in the Hall of Fame. His 231 career home runs are currently third most among shortstops trailing Cal Ripken Jr. and Robin Yount. He ranks fifth all-time in doubles and RBI among shortstops and is sixth among shortstops in stolen bases. The one thing he has among the best shortstops baseball fans have ever seen, is his five World Series championships. Derek Jeter very well could go down as the best shortstop we have ever seen and joining the 3,000 hit club only cements his legacy. Jeter is a 12-time All-star, five-time World Series champion, five-time gold glove winner, four-time silver slugger award winner, All-star MVP, one-time World Series MVP, Rookie of the Year, and has finished in the top 10 in MVP voting seven times. (Top three in MVP voting three times.) Derek Jeter might not be the best Yankee to ever play, the best player of this generation, but you could definitely make an argument that he is. There is one stat that does not show up on the stat sheet and that is being a leader and that says a lot playing for the New York Yankees. In my eyes, Derek Jeter is the best player our generation has ever seen, and the best shortstop in MLB history.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
MMA Power Rankings
There has never been a sport that has become so successful in such a short period of time. UFC 1 took place all the way back in November 1993, and since then we have seen mixed martial arts become the fastest rising sport our generation has ever witnessed. If there is one person to thank it is Royce Gracie, because without him, who knows if the sport of mixed martial arts would have ever achieved the popularity it needed. The Gracie family taught the world the art of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and it has evolved into an art that many fighters are trying to perfect. Now, if you want to compete at the highest level of mixed martial arts you have to be a well rounded fighter. If you are a one trick pony, then do not even waste your time trying to compete at the highest level (just ask Dan Hardy how that is working out for him). There is so much talent now in mixed martial arts, and the majority of the top fighters compete in the UFC. Although, there are still some fighters who do not compete in the UFC who among the sports best. Also, Dana White and the Fertitta brothers made the smartest decision they ever made with starting the famous series, The Ultimate Fighter, which produced one of the best fights MMA has ever seen in the TUF 1 finale with Stephan Bonnar and Forrest Griffin. This single fight alone was the one that help pave the road for the UFC to become a huge success. Now, it is time to get down to business to find out who the top ten mixed martial artists are in my mind. I think it is pretty obvious who the top two guys are, but after that it was tough because there are so many talented fighters in MMA.
TOP TEN MMA FIGHTERS
1. ANDERSON SILVA (UFC Middleweight Champion)
- (30-4, 17 wins by KO or TKO, 6 wins by submission)
Anderson Silva has reeled off 14 consecutive victories, and has won all 13 of his fights in the UFC since joining the organization on June 28th, 2006. In his UFC debut against Chris Leben, he knocked him out in 49 seconds, but more impressively landed 100% of his strikes, 27 for 27. He ruined Rich Franklin's career at 185, dismantling Franklin both times. Since winning the Middleweight belt on October 14th, 2006, against Franklin, Silva has successfully defended his Middleweight belt nine times, which is a UFC record. Also, Anderson Silva has moved up to the Light Heavyweight division two times, and his opponents never made it out of the first round. Since, Anderson Silva's UFC debut he has knocked out the likes of: Vitor Belfort, Forrest Griffin, James Irvin, Rich Franklin (twice), Nate Marquardt, and Chris Leben. Silva has submitted the likes of: Chael Sonnen, Dan Henderson, and Travis Lutter in his UFC days. Anderson Silva has dominated all of his opponents since joining the UFC except for one, Chael Sonnen. Silva showed you can never count him out of a fight because Sonnen dominated the first four rounds, and in the fifth round Silva caught Sonnen in a triangle arm-bar. In Anderson Silva's last fight, he showed Vitor Belfort he was no match for Silva, when he caught him with a front kick to the jaw in the first round in route of his TKO victory. Anderson Silva is easily the best counter-striker in the MMA, and might be the best striker in MMA. Anderson Silva is very easily the most technical striker in MMA, and has an outstanding ground game receiving his Brazilian jiu-jitsu black-belt from the Nogueira brothers. Anderson Silva gets an opportunity to revenge his last loss (even though it was not a legitimate defeat losing via DQ because of an illegal kick) against Yushin Okami on August 27th at UFC 134 in Brazil.
2. GEORGE ST. PIERRE (UFC Welterweight Champion)
- (22-2, 8 wins by TKO, 5 wins by submission)
Ever since George St. Pierre got caught by Matt Serra at UFC 69, we have seen a new St. Pierre that can not be stopped. St. Pierre has won nine straight fights since that loss, and none of those fights have even been close. It has been total domination for the Canadian, and he has made it look easy. Just to show how dominate he has been, in his last nine fights he has won 30 of the total 33 rounds on the judge's scorecards. St. Pierre is by far the best wrestler in the 170 pound division, and is considered one of the best in all of MMA. Since losing his belt against Serra at UFC 69, St. Pierre had to go through Josh Koscheck and Matt Hughes to get back to title contention. He did it with ease. He dominated Matt Serra the second time around, winning back his Welterweight belt via TKO (knees to the body) in the second round. St. Pierre avenged both of his MMA losses by beating both Matt Serra and Matt Hughes (twice) in dominating fashion. St. Pierre has defended his Welterweight belt successfully six times in a row and will look for lucky number seven against a very scrappy opponent in Strikeforce Welterweight champion, Nick Diaz. George St. Pierre has beaten the likes of Jake Shields, Josh Koscheck (twice), Dan Hardy, Thiago Alves, B.J. Penn (twice), Jon Fitch, Matt Serra, Matt Hughes (twice), Sean Sherk, Frank Trigg, Jason "Mayhem" Miller, Jay Hieron, Karo Parisyan, and Pete Spratt during his MMA career. If he can successfully defend his belt against Nick Diaz in October, as MMA fans we can only hope Silva does the same against Okami and we finally get a super-fight with Anderson Silva and George St. Pierre, to really find out who is the top guy in MMA.
3. JON JONES (UFC Light Heavyweight Champion)
- (13-1, 8 wins by KO or TKO, 3 wins by submission)
Jon Jones answered the question if he was for real or not, when he dominated one of the best light heavyweight fighters in the world in Mauricio "Shogun" Rua to win the light heavyweight belt. Jones should be 14-0 because his only loss came via DQ due to illegal elbows against Matt Hamill (a fight he was dominating until the DQ.) Jones has made everyone of his opponents look like an amateur due to his athleticism and his unorthodoxed striking. The guy is so good he can even stop crime hours before his biggest fight. The morning of his fight against Shogun Rua for the light heavyweight championship, he chased down a burglar after he stole an elderly woman's purse, and hours later knocked out the 205 pound champ. This guy is the real deal and we could see him dominate the Light Heavyweight division like we are seeing Anderson Silva dominate the Middleweight division and George St. Pierre dominate the Welterweight division. Jon Jones trains in one of the best camps in the world with Greg Jackson's camp. Greg Jackson's fighters have a ridiculous 81% winning percentage in pro MMA fights. The list goes on and on with the fighters Jackson has produced: George St. Pierre, Rashad Evans, Shane Carwin, Clay Guida, Melvin Guillard, Donald Cerrone, Carlos Condit, Nate Marquardt, Diego Sanchez, Brendan Schaub, Yoshihiro Akiyama, and Brian Stann just to name a few. This camp has been one of the main reasons why Jones has been able to mature so quickly and continue to improve tremendously from fight to fight. Jon "Bones" Jones has fought in eight UFC fights since joining the promotion back in August 2008 and he has beaten the likes of : Mauricio Rua, Ryan Bader, Vladimir Matyushenko, Brandon Vera, Jake O'Brien, Stephan Bonnar, and Andre Gusmao. His first two fights in the UFC were both unanimous decision victories in which Jones absolutely dominated. All of his other five victories in the octagon have ended in either a TKO or submission. He will get a chance to defend his belt for the first time against Quinton "Rampage" Jackson on September 24th in Denver, and if he dominates Rampage the rest of the 205 pound division knows this guy might be rocking the 205 pound belt for awhile.
4. FRANKIE EDGAR (UFC Lightweight Champion)
- (13-1-1, 2 wins by TKO, 3 wins by submission)
This number four spot was a toss up between Edgar and Jose Aldo but because Edgar has beaten better talent I had to give this spot to Edgar. Frankie Edgar pulled off one of the biggest upsets inside the octagon to win the 155 pound belt when he beat B.J. Penn at UFC 112 via unanimous decision. Frankie Edgar is one of the most well-rounded fighters in MMA because he is a very good boxer and has outstanding wrestling. Also, we saw the heart and determination in Edgar when Maynard hit him with everything in the first round in Edgar's last fight and Edgar came back and looked really good in rounds two through five, and in a lot of people's eyes thought he should of won that fight. (I thought the judges got it right with the draw.) The one knock on Frankie Edgar has always been that he does not finish fights and a lot of his fights end up going to a decision, but I hate it when people say that because a win is a win, especially when fighting in the UFC. Since Edgar's only loss to Gray Maynard the first time they fought at UFC Fight Night 13 in April 2008, he has not lost in his last six fights. (Five victories and a draw.) He has beaten the top guys in the155 pound division: B.J. Penn (twice), Sean Sherk, Matt Veach, Hermes Franca, Spencer Fisher, Mark Bocek, Tyson Griffin, and Jim Miller. We all knew this kid was the real deal when he picked apart B.J. Penn in the rematch and he forced Penn to move back up to 170 pounds. Frankie Edgar will get another chance to beat the only man to ever beat him when he fights Gray Maynard for the third time, and if Edgar can beat Maynard this time around he will definitely solidify himself as the best 155 pounder and hopefully we will see him fight Gilbert Melendez next.
5. JOSE ALDO (UFC Featherweight Champion)
- (19-1, 12 wins by KO or TKO, 2 wins by submission)
Jose Aldo has won his last 12 fights since his only loss back in November 2006 to Luciano Azevedo. Aldo put himself on the map when he knocked out Cub Swanson in the WEC with a flying knee eight seconds into the fight. In his next fight he dismantled the WEC champ Mike Brown and since then he has dominated all of his opponents defending his featherweight belt three times. He dominated Urijah Faber in his first title defense with his brilliant striking and mostly with his leg kicks. (If you have not seen the pictures of Faber's legs after this fight you have to check it out.) Aldo dominated the very tough Mark Hominick in his first fight in the UFC winning via unanimous decision. Jose Aldo trains with Team Black House, which is one of the best camps in the world. Ed Soares, the founder of Black House, trains the likes of Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida, the Nogueira brothers, Junior Dos Santos, Ronald Souza, and Rafael Cavalcante. This is by far the best camp in Brazil. Jose Aldo is going to be a tough guy to beat in the Featherweight division and if he can knock off Kenny Florian in his next fight he might be holding the Featherweight belt for a long time to come. Jose Aldo has beaten the likes of Mark Hominick, Manvel Gamburyan, Urijah Faber, Mike Brown, Cub Swanson, Chris Mickle, Rolando Perez, Jonathon Brookins, Alexandre Nogueira, Shoji Maruyama, Fabio Mello, and Thiago Meller. Aldo keeps getting better as he is maturing as a fighter and the rest of the Featherweight division is going to have their hands full as they try and get his belt.
6. CAIN VELASQUEZ (UFC Heavyweight Champion)
- (9-0, 8 wins by KO or TKO)
Cain Velasquez is an absolute monster that is an outstanding wrestler with powerful striking. He went through Brock Lesnar easily, knocking him out in the first round to capture the Heavyweight belt. Velasquez has his toughest fight in his first title defense against Junior Dos Santos in November, but if he can knock off Dos Santos he might be holding onto the Heavyweight belt for quite some time. In six of Velasquez's nine fights he has knocked out his opponent in the first round. Only one time in Velasquez's MMA career has he not finished a fight, and that was against Cheick Kongo. Velasquez has knocked out the likes of Brock Lesnar, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Ben Rothwell, Denis Stojnic, Jake O'Brien, and Brad Morris. The former two time All-American wrestler while at Arizona State trains with one of the best camps in America. American Kickboxing Academy has some of the best coaches and fighters in the world. Javier Mendez, the founder of AKA, also has two of the best trainers in the world in Bob Cook and Dave Camarillo. Some of the fighters that AKA trains are Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck, Mike Swick, Daniel Cormier, Cung Le, Josh Thomson, and King Mo Lawal. Velasquez has the biggest fight of his life coming up in a few months and luckily for him he has one of the best camps in the world to help him prepare for a very dangerous and hungry Junior Dos Santos.
7. DOMINICK CRUZ (UFC Bantamweight Champion)
- (17-1, 6 wins by KO or TKO, 1 win by submission)
Dominick Cruz is one of the best technical strikers in MMA. Yet, a lot of people are unaware of how good Cruz really is. He still has not stepped into the UFC octagon because of a hand injury, and a lot of the casual fans are not as familiar with Cruz because he has spent most of his career fighting in the WEC. He will get a chance to revenge his only loss in his career this Saturday night against Urijah Faber in the main event of UFC 132. He has successfully defended his Bantamweight belt two times in a row after beating Brian Bowles to capture the 135 pound belt. Just to show how Dominick Cruz has not gotten any respect dates back to when Faber and Cruz first locked horns back in 2007. They were fighting for the belt and on the WEC poster promoting the fight it was just a picture of Urijah Faber that had both their names stated as fighting for the belt. When Dominick Cruz signed the poster, he signed right on Faber's face. Ever since this, the two have hated each other with a passion. Dominick Cruz has been waiting for this fight for over four years and now he gets his chance to knock off the California Kid. Cruz has a very good resume and has beaten the likes of Scott Jorgensen, Joseph Benavidez (twice), Brian Bowles, Ivan Lopez, Ian McCall, Charlie Valencia, Kenny Aimes, Juan Miranda, and Michael Barney. When Cruz won an easy unanimous decision against a very game Scott Jorgensen in his last fight he landed 243 total strikes, which is a WEC record, and would be a UFC record. Also, Cruz landed 54 of 180 strikes in the fifth and final round, showing his tremendous endurance and stamina. The dude does not get tired and could fight six of seven rounds if he wanted. Jorgensen only landed 69 total strikes the entire fight. Cruz is one of the best tactical fighters in the world and throws punches at many different angle and is a very tough guy to connect with. Urijah Faber is going to have his hands full and better hope he can get some takedowns on Cruz, but Cruz is outstanding at takedown defense. Faber is going to have to be ten times better than he was when he submitted Cruz in 2007, because Cruz has improved significantly in every aspect of his game since his only defeat. If he can add Urijah Faber to this list it will only move him higher up on the pound for pound best in MMA. Cruz trains with one of the most underrated camps in MMA. Alliance MMA was started by Brandon Vera back in 2007 in Chula Vista, California. Alliance MMA trains the likes of Phil Davis, Ed Ratcliff, Travis Browne, Joey Beltran, and Alexander Gustafsson. He is going to depend heavily on his camp to get him ready and prepared for Faber as he tries to defend his Bantamweight title for the third straight time, and capture his first win in the UFC.
8. JON FITCH (UFC Welterweight Contender)
- (23-3-1, 5 wins by KO or TKO, 5 wins by submission)
A lot of people might disagree with Fitch being in the number eight spot, but after looking at his resume compared with a lot of the other fighters who are left, it was an easy selection to go with Fitch. I understand he does not have all the knockouts and finishes in his fights, but he knows how to win. He has only lost one time since since December 2002, and that was to some guy named George St. Pierre. Fitch has 20 wins in his last 22 fights. (Lost to GSP for the 170 pound belt, and got robbed when the fight with B.J. Penn was ruled a majority draw.) As mentioned earlier, Fitch trains with one of the best camps in the country with Bob Cook and Dave Camirillo with AKA. Jon Fitch has beaten the likes of Thiago Alves (twice), Ben Saunders, Diego Sanchez, Mike Pierce, Paulo Thiago, Akihiro Gono, Chris Wilson, Roan Carneiro, Luigi Fioravanti, Kuniyoshi Hironaka, Josh Burkman, Brock Larson, Shonie Carter, and Kyle Jensen. Jon Fitch knows he won't move much higher up in the pound for pound best until he beats the best Welterweight fighter in MMA history, George St. Pierre. Jon Fitch's shoulder injury seems to be close to 100 %, and expect him to get a rematch with B.J. Penn at UFC 138 in San Jose in mid-November. If he can knock off Penn he will most likely be in line to get his second chance at St. Pierre.
9. RASHAD EVANS (UFC Light Heavyweight Contender)
- (15-1-1) 5 wins by KO or TKO, 2 wins by submission)
Rashad Evans might be the only hope to knock off Jon Jones if Rampage Jackson fails in September. One reason why I think Evans has a better chance than anyone else in the 205 pound division is because Evans knows Jon Jones better than any other 205 pounder. He trained with Jones for the last two years and knows his game just as good as Jones. He knows his strengths, but more importantly his weaknesses. First, Evans has to get through a very talented young fighter in Phil Davis, who brings the same type of athleticism that Jon Jones brings to the octagon. If Evans can come out victorious, he will definitely be next in line to get the winner of Rampage and Jones. (If he is healthy of course.) Rashad Evans was a guy that no one thought had a chance to win The Ultimate Fighter during season 2, but he proved everybody wrong and won TUF 2 knocking off the likes of Keith Jardine, Mike Whitehead, and Brad Imes in the finals. (This season was all heavyweights and Evans was fighting guys way bigger than him and he out-wrestled everyone put in front of him.) His UFC career has been a lot like his path on TUF because not a lot of people ever thought he would ever hold the belt at 205. Rashad Evans put his name on the map with one of the best knockouts in UFC history when he knocked off Chuck Liddell's head into the 10th row. Everyone says Liddell was washed up, but people tend to forget the fight Liddell put on with Wanderlei Silva in his previous fight (one of the best fights in UFC history), and was a win away from fighting for the 205 pound belt.Other than Liddell, here are some of the other guys Rashad Evans has beaten: Rampage Jackson, Thiago Silva, Forrest Griffin, Michael Bisping, Sean Salmon, Jason Lambert, Stephan Bonnar, Sam Hoger, and Hector Ramirez. Evans knocked off Griffin for the 205 pound belt, but was knocked out by Machida in his next fight. However, Evans changed his gameplan from standing and banging to utilizing his wrestling now. We have seen how his new gameplan has worked tremendously when he dominated Thaigo Silva and Rampage Jackson in his two fights after the Machida fight. Evans and Jones used to be good friends but a lot has changed since Jones won the belt and called out his Greg Jackson teammate and now they hate each other. Evans left the Jackson camp recently and what else would be better than a Jones and Evans fight for the 205 pound belt.
10. GILBERT MELENDEZ (Strikeforce Lightweight Champion)
- (19-2, 11 wins by KO or TKO, 1 win by submission)
Gilbert Melendez would be higher up on this list if he was not fighting in Strikeforce. The talent of fighters in the UFC and Strikeforce is not even close to comparable. However, there are four fighters that currently fight in Strikeforce that I could see competing for the UFC belt. (Gilbert Melendez, Nick Diaz, Dan Henderson, and Daniel Cormier). (Tyron Woodley is a guy also that might be able to, but we will find out how good he is when he fights Paul Daley in late July). Melendez is one guy who looks way better every time he steps foot into the octagon. In his last title defense against Tatsuya Kawajiri he dominated Kawajiri and grounded and pounded him for the TKO victory in the first round. Melendez has won his last five fights since his last defeat to Josh Thomson, and has looked impressive during this streak. He beat Thomson during this streak, along with Mitsuhiro Ishida, who was the only other guy to beat Melendez. Melendez has revenged both of his losses and did so in dominating fashion. Some of the guys Melendez has beat in his MMA career include: Tatsuya Kawajiri (twice), Josh Thomson, Mitsuhiro Ishida, Shinya Aoki, Rodrigo Damm, Clay Guida, Gabe Lemley, Nobuhiro Obiya, Tetsuji Kato, and Harris Sarmiento. Gilbert Melendez trains with one of the better camps in the United States in Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, also known as the "Brat Pack," because of guys like the Diaz brothers. Gracie's camp has some of the toughest, scrappiest fighters in the game, with Nick Diaz, Nate Diaz, Gilbert Melendez, Jake Shields, David Terrell, Daniel Roberts, and Gil Castillo representing Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. Melendez is likely to have his toughest fight in his MMA career with Jorge Masvidal, who dismantled a game K.J. Noons with his stand up. If Melendez can get by Masvidal to defend his Strikeforce Lightweight belt for the sixth straight time, expect Dana White to line up a title shot with Melendez and whoever possesses the UFC Lightweight belt. And, whoever that may be will have their hands full against a very tough Gilbert Melendez.
HONORABLE MENTIONS (IN ORDER 11-20)
-JUNIOR DOS SANTOS (UFC Heavyweight Contender)
(13-1, 8 wins by KO or TKO, 2 wins by submission)
-NICK DIAZ (Strikeforce Welterweight Champion and newly UFC Welterweight Contender)
(25-7, 13 wins by KO or TKO, 8 wins by submission)
-ALISTAIR OVEREEM (Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion, DREAM Heavyweight Champion, & K-1 World Grand Prix Champion)
(35-11, 14 wins by KO or TKO, 19 wins by submission)
-GRAY MAYNARD (UFC Lightweight Contender)
(10-0-1, 2 wins by KO or TKO)
-MAURICIO "SHOGUN" RUA (UFC Light Heavyweight Contender)
(19-5, 16 wins by KO or TKO, 1 win by submission)
-EDDIE ALVAREZ (Bellator Lightweight Champion)
(22-2, 12 wins by KO or TKO, 7 wins by submission)
-QUINTON "RAMPAGE" JACKSON (UFC Light Heavyweight Contender)
(32-8, 14 wins by KO or TKO, 7 wins by submission)
-LYOTO MACHIDA (UFC Light Heavyweight Contender)
(17-2, 6 wins by KO or TKO, 2 wins by submission)
-DAN HENDERSON (Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion)
(27-8, 12 wins by KO or TKO, 2 wins by submission)
-JAKE SHIELDS (UFC Welterweight Contender)
(26-5-1, 3 wins by TKO, 10 wins by submission)
TOP TEN MMA FIGHTERS
1. ANDERSON SILVA (UFC Middleweight Champion)
- (30-4, 17 wins by KO or TKO, 6 wins by submission)
Anderson Silva has reeled off 14 consecutive victories, and has won all 13 of his fights in the UFC since joining the organization on June 28th, 2006. In his UFC debut against Chris Leben, he knocked him out in 49 seconds, but more impressively landed 100% of his strikes, 27 for 27. He ruined Rich Franklin's career at 185, dismantling Franklin both times. Since winning the Middleweight belt on October 14th, 2006, against Franklin, Silva has successfully defended his Middleweight belt nine times, which is a UFC record. Also, Anderson Silva has moved up to the Light Heavyweight division two times, and his opponents never made it out of the first round. Since, Anderson Silva's UFC debut he has knocked out the likes of: Vitor Belfort, Forrest Griffin, James Irvin, Rich Franklin (twice), Nate Marquardt, and Chris Leben. Silva has submitted the likes of: Chael Sonnen, Dan Henderson, and Travis Lutter in his UFC days. Anderson Silva has dominated all of his opponents since joining the UFC except for one, Chael Sonnen. Silva showed you can never count him out of a fight because Sonnen dominated the first four rounds, and in the fifth round Silva caught Sonnen in a triangle arm-bar. In Anderson Silva's last fight, he showed Vitor Belfort he was no match for Silva, when he caught him with a front kick to the jaw in the first round in route of his TKO victory. Anderson Silva is easily the best counter-striker in the MMA, and might be the best striker in MMA. Anderson Silva is very easily the most technical striker in MMA, and has an outstanding ground game receiving his Brazilian jiu-jitsu black-belt from the Nogueira brothers. Anderson Silva gets an opportunity to revenge his last loss (even though it was not a legitimate defeat losing via DQ because of an illegal kick) against Yushin Okami on August 27th at UFC 134 in Brazil.
2. GEORGE ST. PIERRE (UFC Welterweight Champion)
- (22-2, 8 wins by TKO, 5 wins by submission)
Ever since George St. Pierre got caught by Matt Serra at UFC 69, we have seen a new St. Pierre that can not be stopped. St. Pierre has won nine straight fights since that loss, and none of those fights have even been close. It has been total domination for the Canadian, and he has made it look easy. Just to show how dominate he has been, in his last nine fights he has won 30 of the total 33 rounds on the judge's scorecards. St. Pierre is by far the best wrestler in the 170 pound division, and is considered one of the best in all of MMA. Since losing his belt against Serra at UFC 69, St. Pierre had to go through Josh Koscheck and Matt Hughes to get back to title contention. He did it with ease. He dominated Matt Serra the second time around, winning back his Welterweight belt via TKO (knees to the body) in the second round. St. Pierre avenged both of his MMA losses by beating both Matt Serra and Matt Hughes (twice) in dominating fashion. St. Pierre has defended his Welterweight belt successfully six times in a row and will look for lucky number seven against a very scrappy opponent in Strikeforce Welterweight champion, Nick Diaz. George St. Pierre has beaten the likes of Jake Shields, Josh Koscheck (twice), Dan Hardy, Thiago Alves, B.J. Penn (twice), Jon Fitch, Matt Serra, Matt Hughes (twice), Sean Sherk, Frank Trigg, Jason "Mayhem" Miller, Jay Hieron, Karo Parisyan, and Pete Spratt during his MMA career. If he can successfully defend his belt against Nick Diaz in October, as MMA fans we can only hope Silva does the same against Okami and we finally get a super-fight with Anderson Silva and George St. Pierre, to really find out who is the top guy in MMA.
3. JON JONES (UFC Light Heavyweight Champion)
- (13-1, 8 wins by KO or TKO, 3 wins by submission)
Jon Jones answered the question if he was for real or not, when he dominated one of the best light heavyweight fighters in the world in Mauricio "Shogun" Rua to win the light heavyweight belt. Jones should be 14-0 because his only loss came via DQ due to illegal elbows against Matt Hamill (a fight he was dominating until the DQ.) Jones has made everyone of his opponents look like an amateur due to his athleticism and his unorthodoxed striking. The guy is so good he can even stop crime hours before his biggest fight. The morning of his fight against Shogun Rua for the light heavyweight championship, he chased down a burglar after he stole an elderly woman's purse, and hours later knocked out the 205 pound champ. This guy is the real deal and we could see him dominate the Light Heavyweight division like we are seeing Anderson Silva dominate the Middleweight division and George St. Pierre dominate the Welterweight division. Jon Jones trains in one of the best camps in the world with Greg Jackson's camp. Greg Jackson's fighters have a ridiculous 81% winning percentage in pro MMA fights. The list goes on and on with the fighters Jackson has produced: George St. Pierre, Rashad Evans, Shane Carwin, Clay Guida, Melvin Guillard, Donald Cerrone, Carlos Condit, Nate Marquardt, Diego Sanchez, Brendan Schaub, Yoshihiro Akiyama, and Brian Stann just to name a few. This camp has been one of the main reasons why Jones has been able to mature so quickly and continue to improve tremendously from fight to fight. Jon "Bones" Jones has fought in eight UFC fights since joining the promotion back in August 2008 and he has beaten the likes of : Mauricio Rua, Ryan Bader, Vladimir Matyushenko, Brandon Vera, Jake O'Brien, Stephan Bonnar, and Andre Gusmao. His first two fights in the UFC were both unanimous decision victories in which Jones absolutely dominated. All of his other five victories in the octagon have ended in either a TKO or submission. He will get a chance to defend his belt for the first time against Quinton "Rampage" Jackson on September 24th in Denver, and if he dominates Rampage the rest of the 205 pound division knows this guy might be rocking the 205 pound belt for awhile.
4. FRANKIE EDGAR (UFC Lightweight Champion)
- (13-1-1, 2 wins by TKO, 3 wins by submission)
This number four spot was a toss up between Edgar and Jose Aldo but because Edgar has beaten better talent I had to give this spot to Edgar. Frankie Edgar pulled off one of the biggest upsets inside the octagon to win the 155 pound belt when he beat B.J. Penn at UFC 112 via unanimous decision. Frankie Edgar is one of the most well-rounded fighters in MMA because he is a very good boxer and has outstanding wrestling. Also, we saw the heart and determination in Edgar when Maynard hit him with everything in the first round in Edgar's last fight and Edgar came back and looked really good in rounds two through five, and in a lot of people's eyes thought he should of won that fight. (I thought the judges got it right with the draw.) The one knock on Frankie Edgar has always been that he does not finish fights and a lot of his fights end up going to a decision, but I hate it when people say that because a win is a win, especially when fighting in the UFC. Since Edgar's only loss to Gray Maynard the first time they fought at UFC Fight Night 13 in April 2008, he has not lost in his last six fights. (Five victories and a draw.) He has beaten the top guys in the155 pound division: B.J. Penn (twice), Sean Sherk, Matt Veach, Hermes Franca, Spencer Fisher, Mark Bocek, Tyson Griffin, and Jim Miller. We all knew this kid was the real deal when he picked apart B.J. Penn in the rematch and he forced Penn to move back up to 170 pounds. Frankie Edgar will get another chance to beat the only man to ever beat him when he fights Gray Maynard for the third time, and if Edgar can beat Maynard this time around he will definitely solidify himself as the best 155 pounder and hopefully we will see him fight Gilbert Melendez next.
5. JOSE ALDO (UFC Featherweight Champion)
- (19-1, 12 wins by KO or TKO, 2 wins by submission)
Jose Aldo has won his last 12 fights since his only loss back in November 2006 to Luciano Azevedo. Aldo put himself on the map when he knocked out Cub Swanson in the WEC with a flying knee eight seconds into the fight. In his next fight he dismantled the WEC champ Mike Brown and since then he has dominated all of his opponents defending his featherweight belt three times. He dominated Urijah Faber in his first title defense with his brilliant striking and mostly with his leg kicks. (If you have not seen the pictures of Faber's legs after this fight you have to check it out.) Aldo dominated the very tough Mark Hominick in his first fight in the UFC winning via unanimous decision. Jose Aldo trains with Team Black House, which is one of the best camps in the world. Ed Soares, the founder of Black House, trains the likes of Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida, the Nogueira brothers, Junior Dos Santos, Ronald Souza, and Rafael Cavalcante. This is by far the best camp in Brazil. Jose Aldo is going to be a tough guy to beat in the Featherweight division and if he can knock off Kenny Florian in his next fight he might be holding the Featherweight belt for a long time to come. Jose Aldo has beaten the likes of Mark Hominick, Manvel Gamburyan, Urijah Faber, Mike Brown, Cub Swanson, Chris Mickle, Rolando Perez, Jonathon Brookins, Alexandre Nogueira, Shoji Maruyama, Fabio Mello, and Thiago Meller. Aldo keeps getting better as he is maturing as a fighter and the rest of the Featherweight division is going to have their hands full as they try and get his belt.
6. CAIN VELASQUEZ (UFC Heavyweight Champion)
- (9-0, 8 wins by KO or TKO)
Cain Velasquez is an absolute monster that is an outstanding wrestler with powerful striking. He went through Brock Lesnar easily, knocking him out in the first round to capture the Heavyweight belt. Velasquez has his toughest fight in his first title defense against Junior Dos Santos in November, but if he can knock off Dos Santos he might be holding onto the Heavyweight belt for quite some time. In six of Velasquez's nine fights he has knocked out his opponent in the first round. Only one time in Velasquez's MMA career has he not finished a fight, and that was against Cheick Kongo. Velasquez has knocked out the likes of Brock Lesnar, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Ben Rothwell, Denis Stojnic, Jake O'Brien, and Brad Morris. The former two time All-American wrestler while at Arizona State trains with one of the best camps in America. American Kickboxing Academy has some of the best coaches and fighters in the world. Javier Mendez, the founder of AKA, also has two of the best trainers in the world in Bob Cook and Dave Camarillo. Some of the fighters that AKA trains are Jon Fitch, Josh Koscheck, Mike Swick, Daniel Cormier, Cung Le, Josh Thomson, and King Mo Lawal. Velasquez has the biggest fight of his life coming up in a few months and luckily for him he has one of the best camps in the world to help him prepare for a very dangerous and hungry Junior Dos Santos.
7. DOMINICK CRUZ (UFC Bantamweight Champion)
- (17-1, 6 wins by KO or TKO, 1 win by submission)
Dominick Cruz is one of the best technical strikers in MMA. Yet, a lot of people are unaware of how good Cruz really is. He still has not stepped into the UFC octagon because of a hand injury, and a lot of the casual fans are not as familiar with Cruz because he has spent most of his career fighting in the WEC. He will get a chance to revenge his only loss in his career this Saturday night against Urijah Faber in the main event of UFC 132. He has successfully defended his Bantamweight belt two times in a row after beating Brian Bowles to capture the 135 pound belt. Just to show how Dominick Cruz has not gotten any respect dates back to when Faber and Cruz first locked horns back in 2007. They were fighting for the belt and on the WEC poster promoting the fight it was just a picture of Urijah Faber that had both their names stated as fighting for the belt. When Dominick Cruz signed the poster, he signed right on Faber's face. Ever since this, the two have hated each other with a passion. Dominick Cruz has been waiting for this fight for over four years and now he gets his chance to knock off the California Kid. Cruz has a very good resume and has beaten the likes of Scott Jorgensen, Joseph Benavidez (twice), Brian Bowles, Ivan Lopez, Ian McCall, Charlie Valencia, Kenny Aimes, Juan Miranda, and Michael Barney. When Cruz won an easy unanimous decision against a very game Scott Jorgensen in his last fight he landed 243 total strikes, which is a WEC record, and would be a UFC record. Also, Cruz landed 54 of 180 strikes in the fifth and final round, showing his tremendous endurance and stamina. The dude does not get tired and could fight six of seven rounds if he wanted. Jorgensen only landed 69 total strikes the entire fight. Cruz is one of the best tactical fighters in the world and throws punches at many different angle and is a very tough guy to connect with. Urijah Faber is going to have his hands full and better hope he can get some takedowns on Cruz, but Cruz is outstanding at takedown defense. Faber is going to have to be ten times better than he was when he submitted Cruz in 2007, because Cruz has improved significantly in every aspect of his game since his only defeat. If he can add Urijah Faber to this list it will only move him higher up on the pound for pound best in MMA. Cruz trains with one of the most underrated camps in MMA. Alliance MMA was started by Brandon Vera back in 2007 in Chula Vista, California. Alliance MMA trains the likes of Phil Davis, Ed Ratcliff, Travis Browne, Joey Beltran, and Alexander Gustafsson. He is going to depend heavily on his camp to get him ready and prepared for Faber as he tries to defend his Bantamweight title for the third straight time, and capture his first win in the UFC.
8. JON FITCH (UFC Welterweight Contender)
- (23-3-1, 5 wins by KO or TKO, 5 wins by submission)
A lot of people might disagree with Fitch being in the number eight spot, but after looking at his resume compared with a lot of the other fighters who are left, it was an easy selection to go with Fitch. I understand he does not have all the knockouts and finishes in his fights, but he knows how to win. He has only lost one time since since December 2002, and that was to some guy named George St. Pierre. Fitch has 20 wins in his last 22 fights. (Lost to GSP for the 170 pound belt, and got robbed when the fight with B.J. Penn was ruled a majority draw.) As mentioned earlier, Fitch trains with one of the best camps in the country with Bob Cook and Dave Camirillo with AKA. Jon Fitch has beaten the likes of Thiago Alves (twice), Ben Saunders, Diego Sanchez, Mike Pierce, Paulo Thiago, Akihiro Gono, Chris Wilson, Roan Carneiro, Luigi Fioravanti, Kuniyoshi Hironaka, Josh Burkman, Brock Larson, Shonie Carter, and Kyle Jensen. Jon Fitch knows he won't move much higher up in the pound for pound best until he beats the best Welterweight fighter in MMA history, George St. Pierre. Jon Fitch's shoulder injury seems to be close to 100 %, and expect him to get a rematch with B.J. Penn at UFC 138 in San Jose in mid-November. If he can knock off Penn he will most likely be in line to get his second chance at St. Pierre.
9. RASHAD EVANS (UFC Light Heavyweight Contender)
- (15-1-1) 5 wins by KO or TKO, 2 wins by submission)
Rashad Evans might be the only hope to knock off Jon Jones if Rampage Jackson fails in September. One reason why I think Evans has a better chance than anyone else in the 205 pound division is because Evans knows Jon Jones better than any other 205 pounder. He trained with Jones for the last two years and knows his game just as good as Jones. He knows his strengths, but more importantly his weaknesses. First, Evans has to get through a very talented young fighter in Phil Davis, who brings the same type of athleticism that Jon Jones brings to the octagon. If Evans can come out victorious, he will definitely be next in line to get the winner of Rampage and Jones. (If he is healthy of course.) Rashad Evans was a guy that no one thought had a chance to win The Ultimate Fighter during season 2, but he proved everybody wrong and won TUF 2 knocking off the likes of Keith Jardine, Mike Whitehead, and Brad Imes in the finals. (This season was all heavyweights and Evans was fighting guys way bigger than him and he out-wrestled everyone put in front of him.) His UFC career has been a lot like his path on TUF because not a lot of people ever thought he would ever hold the belt at 205. Rashad Evans put his name on the map with one of the best knockouts in UFC history when he knocked off Chuck Liddell's head into the 10th row. Everyone says Liddell was washed up, but people tend to forget the fight Liddell put on with Wanderlei Silva in his previous fight (one of the best fights in UFC history), and was a win away from fighting for the 205 pound belt.Other than Liddell, here are some of the other guys Rashad Evans has beaten: Rampage Jackson, Thiago Silva, Forrest Griffin, Michael Bisping, Sean Salmon, Jason Lambert, Stephan Bonnar, Sam Hoger, and Hector Ramirez. Evans knocked off Griffin for the 205 pound belt, but was knocked out by Machida in his next fight. However, Evans changed his gameplan from standing and banging to utilizing his wrestling now. We have seen how his new gameplan has worked tremendously when he dominated Thaigo Silva and Rampage Jackson in his two fights after the Machida fight. Evans and Jones used to be good friends but a lot has changed since Jones won the belt and called out his Greg Jackson teammate and now they hate each other. Evans left the Jackson camp recently and what else would be better than a Jones and Evans fight for the 205 pound belt.
10. GILBERT MELENDEZ (Strikeforce Lightweight Champion)
- (19-2, 11 wins by KO or TKO, 1 win by submission)
Gilbert Melendez would be higher up on this list if he was not fighting in Strikeforce. The talent of fighters in the UFC and Strikeforce is not even close to comparable. However, there are four fighters that currently fight in Strikeforce that I could see competing for the UFC belt. (Gilbert Melendez, Nick Diaz, Dan Henderson, and Daniel Cormier). (Tyron Woodley is a guy also that might be able to, but we will find out how good he is when he fights Paul Daley in late July). Melendez is one guy who looks way better every time he steps foot into the octagon. In his last title defense against Tatsuya Kawajiri he dominated Kawajiri and grounded and pounded him for the TKO victory in the first round. Melendez has won his last five fights since his last defeat to Josh Thomson, and has looked impressive during this streak. He beat Thomson during this streak, along with Mitsuhiro Ishida, who was the only other guy to beat Melendez. Melendez has revenged both of his losses and did so in dominating fashion. Some of the guys Melendez has beat in his MMA career include: Tatsuya Kawajiri (twice), Josh Thomson, Mitsuhiro Ishida, Shinya Aoki, Rodrigo Damm, Clay Guida, Gabe Lemley, Nobuhiro Obiya, Tetsuji Kato, and Harris Sarmiento. Gilbert Melendez trains with one of the better camps in the United States in Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, also known as the "Brat Pack," because of guys like the Diaz brothers. Gracie's camp has some of the toughest, scrappiest fighters in the game, with Nick Diaz, Nate Diaz, Gilbert Melendez, Jake Shields, David Terrell, Daniel Roberts, and Gil Castillo representing Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. Melendez is likely to have his toughest fight in his MMA career with Jorge Masvidal, who dismantled a game K.J. Noons with his stand up. If Melendez can get by Masvidal to defend his Strikeforce Lightweight belt for the sixth straight time, expect Dana White to line up a title shot with Melendez and whoever possesses the UFC Lightweight belt. And, whoever that may be will have their hands full against a very tough Gilbert Melendez.
HONORABLE MENTIONS (IN ORDER 11-20)
-JUNIOR DOS SANTOS (UFC Heavyweight Contender)
(13-1, 8 wins by KO or TKO, 2 wins by submission)
-NICK DIAZ (Strikeforce Welterweight Champion and newly UFC Welterweight Contender)
(25-7, 13 wins by KO or TKO, 8 wins by submission)
-ALISTAIR OVEREEM (Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion, DREAM Heavyweight Champion, & K-1 World Grand Prix Champion)
(35-11, 14 wins by KO or TKO, 19 wins by submission)
-GRAY MAYNARD (UFC Lightweight Contender)
(10-0-1, 2 wins by KO or TKO)
-MAURICIO "SHOGUN" RUA (UFC Light Heavyweight Contender)
(19-5, 16 wins by KO or TKO, 1 win by submission)
-EDDIE ALVAREZ (Bellator Lightweight Champion)
(22-2, 12 wins by KO or TKO, 7 wins by submission)
-QUINTON "RAMPAGE" JACKSON (UFC Light Heavyweight Contender)
(32-8, 14 wins by KO or TKO, 7 wins by submission)
-LYOTO MACHIDA (UFC Light Heavyweight Contender)
(17-2, 6 wins by KO or TKO, 2 wins by submission)
-DAN HENDERSON (Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion)
(27-8, 12 wins by KO or TKO, 2 wins by submission)
-JAKE SHIELDS (UFC Welterweight Contender)
(26-5-1, 3 wins by TKO, 10 wins by submission)
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
2011 NBA Mock Draft
This is all for fun and this is how I see the 2011 NBA draft going down on Thursday, June 23rd. Of course, it is almost impossible to predict what trades might happen because there are millions and millions of rumors swirling (and no way in hell do the Suns trade Steve Nash for the second overall selection from Minnesota, or will the Lakers trade Pau Gasol for Kevin Love and the second overall pick). The only trade I see maybe going down is the San Antonio Spurs trading Tony Parker or George Hill for an early to mid first round pick, but since the draft loses a lot of talent after Irving and Williams I doubt San Antonio will trade one of their two point guards. Although, this draft lacks the explosiveness in the lottery selections, there is some depth in this draft that teams can get what they need in the second round. The NBA draft is always a hit or miss situation, just imagine if the Detroit Pistons would have selected Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, or Carmelo Anthony in the 2003 NBA draft instead of Darko Milicic. Or, if the Atlanta Hawks would have drafted Deron Williams or Chris Paul instead of Marvin Williams in the 2005 NBA draft. And, of course, if the Portland Trailblazers could have Kevin Durant instead of Greg Oden, who they selected as the first overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft. Now it is time to have some fun and get my mock draft underway.
2011 NBA Draft Mock Draft
First Round
1. Cleveland Cavaliers - (PG) Kyrie Irving (Fr. Duke)
2. Minnesota Timberwolves - (SF/PF) Derrick Williams (So. Arizona)
3. Utah Jazz - (C) Enes Kanter - (Turkey) (Ruled ineligible for playing professionally in Turkey while enrolled at Kentucky last year.)
4. Cleveland Cavaliers - (C) Jonas Valanciunas - (Lithuania)
5. Toronto Raptors - (PG) Brandon Knight - (Fr. Kentucky)
6. Washington Wizards - (PF) Tristan Thompson - (Fr. Texas)
7. Sacramento Kings - (PG) Kemba Walker - (Jr. UConn)
8. Detroit Pistons - (SF) Kawhi Leonard - (So. San Diego St.)
9. Charlotte Bobcats - (PF) Marcus Morris - (Jr. Kansas)
10. Milwaukee Bucks - (SF) Alec Burks - (So. Colorado)
11. Golden State Warriors - (SF) Klay Thompson - (Jr. Washington State)
12. Utah Jazz - (PG) Jimmer Fredette - (Sr. BYU)
13. Phoenix Suns - (SF) Chris Singleton - (Jr. Florida State)
14. Houston Rockets - (PF) Jan Vesely - (Czech Republic)
15. Indiana Pacers - (SF) Jordan Hamilton - (So. Texas)
16. Philadelphia 76ers - (C) Bismack Biyombo - (Congo)
17. New York Knicks - (SG) Iman Shumpert - (Jr. Georgia Tech)
18. Washington Wizards - (SF) Tobias Harris - (Fr. Tennessee)
19. Charlotte Bobcats - (PF) Markieff Morris - (Jr. Kansas)
20. Minnesota Timberwolves - (SG) Marshon Brooks - (Sr. Providence)
21. Portland Trailblazers - (PF) Nikola Vucevic - (Jr. USC)
22. Denver Nuggets - (PF) Trey Thompkins - (Jr. Georgia)
23. Houston Rockets - (SF) Tyler Honeycutt - (So. UCLA)
24. Oklahoma City - (SG) Nolan Smith - (Sr. Duke)
25. Boston Celtics - (PG/SG) Josh Selby - (Fr. Kansas)
26. Dallas Mavericks - (PF) Kenneth Faried - (Sr. Morehead St.)
27. New Jersey Nets - (PF) Donatas Motiejunas - (Lithuania)
28. Chicago Bulls - (SF) Justin Harper - (Sr. Richmond)
29. San Antonio Spurs - (SG) Reggie Jackson - (Jr. Boston College)
30. Chicago Bulls - (SG) Shelvin Mack - (Jr. Butler)
Second Round
31. Miami Heat - (PF) Jajuan Johnson - (Sr. Purdue)
32. Cleveland Cavaliers - (PF) Jeremy Taylor - (USA) (Played overseas after skipping college)
33. Detroit Pistons - (PF) Jordan Williams - (So. Maryland)
34. Washington Wizards - (SG) Malcolm Lee - (Jr. UCLA)
35. Sacramento Kings - (PF) Nikola Mirotic - (Montenegro)
36. New Jersey Nets - (SF) Jimmy Butler - (Sr. Marquette)
37. Los Angeles Clippers - (SF) Kyle Singler - (Sr. Duke)
38. Houston Rockets - (PG) Cory Joseph - (Fr. Texas)
39. Charlotte Bobcats - (PG) Norris Cole - (Sr. Cleveland State)
40. Milwaukee Bucks - (PF) Rick Jackson - (Sr. Syracuse)
41. Los Angeles Lakers - (PG) Darius Morris - (So. Michigan)
42. Indiana Pacers - (PF) Jon Leuer - (Sr. Wisconsin)
43. Chicago Bulls - (SG) E'Twaun Moore - (Sr. Purdue)
44. Golden State Warriors - (SF) Chandler Parsons - (Sr. Florida)
45. New Orleans Hornets - (PG) Isaiah Thomas - (Jr. Washington)
46. Los Angeles Lakers - (SG) Travis Leslie - (Jr. Georgia)
47. Los Angeles Clippers - (SG/SF) David Lighty - (Sr. Ohio St.)
48. Atlanta Hawks - (PF) Matthew Bryan-Amaning - (Sr. Washington)
49. Memphis Grizzlies - (PG) Andrew Goudeluck - (Sr. College of Charleston)
50. Philadelphia 76ers - (SF/PF) Malcolm Thomas - (Sr. San Diego St.)
51. Portland Trailblazers - (PG) Charles Jenkins - (Sr. Hofstra)
52. Denver Nuggets - (SG) Ben Hansbrough - (Sr. Notre Dame)
53. Orlando Magic - (SG) LaceDarius Dunn - (Sr. Baylor)
54. Cleveland Cavaliers - (SF) Scotty Hopson - (Jr. Tennessee)
55. Boston Celtics - (C) Keith Benson - (Sr. Oakland)
56. Los Angeles Lakers - (PG/SG) Demetri McCamey - (Sr. Illinois)
57. Dallas Mavericks - (SF) Chris Wright - (Sr. Dayton)
58. Los Angeles Lakers - (SF) Jereme Richmond - (Fr. Illinois)
59. San Antonio Spurs - (SF) Davis Bertans - (Latvia)
60. Sacramento Kings - (SG) Brad Wanamaker - (Sr. Pittsburgh)
June 22nd, 2011
2011 NBA Draft Mock Draft
First Round
1. Cleveland Cavaliers - (PG) Kyrie Irving (Fr. Duke)
2. Minnesota Timberwolves - (SF/PF) Derrick Williams (So. Arizona)
3. Utah Jazz - (C) Enes Kanter - (Turkey) (Ruled ineligible for playing professionally in Turkey while enrolled at Kentucky last year.)
4. Cleveland Cavaliers - (C) Jonas Valanciunas - (Lithuania)
5. Toronto Raptors - (PG) Brandon Knight - (Fr. Kentucky)
6. Washington Wizards - (PF) Tristan Thompson - (Fr. Texas)
7. Sacramento Kings - (PG) Kemba Walker - (Jr. UConn)
8. Detroit Pistons - (SF) Kawhi Leonard - (So. San Diego St.)
9. Charlotte Bobcats - (PF) Marcus Morris - (Jr. Kansas)
10. Milwaukee Bucks - (SF) Alec Burks - (So. Colorado)
11. Golden State Warriors - (SF) Klay Thompson - (Jr. Washington State)
12. Utah Jazz - (PG) Jimmer Fredette - (Sr. BYU)
13. Phoenix Suns - (SF) Chris Singleton - (Jr. Florida State)
14. Houston Rockets - (PF) Jan Vesely - (Czech Republic)
15. Indiana Pacers - (SF) Jordan Hamilton - (So. Texas)
16. Philadelphia 76ers - (C) Bismack Biyombo - (Congo)
17. New York Knicks - (SG) Iman Shumpert - (Jr. Georgia Tech)
18. Washington Wizards - (SF) Tobias Harris - (Fr. Tennessee)
19. Charlotte Bobcats - (PF) Markieff Morris - (Jr. Kansas)
20. Minnesota Timberwolves - (SG) Marshon Brooks - (Sr. Providence)
21. Portland Trailblazers - (PF) Nikola Vucevic - (Jr. USC)
22. Denver Nuggets - (PF) Trey Thompkins - (Jr. Georgia)
23. Houston Rockets - (SF) Tyler Honeycutt - (So. UCLA)
24. Oklahoma City - (SG) Nolan Smith - (Sr. Duke)
25. Boston Celtics - (PG/SG) Josh Selby - (Fr. Kansas)
26. Dallas Mavericks - (PF) Kenneth Faried - (Sr. Morehead St.)
27. New Jersey Nets - (PF) Donatas Motiejunas - (Lithuania)
28. Chicago Bulls - (SF) Justin Harper - (Sr. Richmond)
29. San Antonio Spurs - (SG) Reggie Jackson - (Jr. Boston College)
30. Chicago Bulls - (SG) Shelvin Mack - (Jr. Butler)
Second Round
31. Miami Heat - (PF) Jajuan Johnson - (Sr. Purdue)
32. Cleveland Cavaliers - (PF) Jeremy Taylor - (USA) (Played overseas after skipping college)
33. Detroit Pistons - (PF) Jordan Williams - (So. Maryland)
34. Washington Wizards - (SG) Malcolm Lee - (Jr. UCLA)
35. Sacramento Kings - (PF) Nikola Mirotic - (Montenegro)
36. New Jersey Nets - (SF) Jimmy Butler - (Sr. Marquette)
37. Los Angeles Clippers - (SF) Kyle Singler - (Sr. Duke)
38. Houston Rockets - (PG) Cory Joseph - (Fr. Texas)
39. Charlotte Bobcats - (PG) Norris Cole - (Sr. Cleveland State)
40. Milwaukee Bucks - (PF) Rick Jackson - (Sr. Syracuse)
41. Los Angeles Lakers - (PG) Darius Morris - (So. Michigan)
42. Indiana Pacers - (PF) Jon Leuer - (Sr. Wisconsin)
43. Chicago Bulls - (SG) E'Twaun Moore - (Sr. Purdue)
44. Golden State Warriors - (SF) Chandler Parsons - (Sr. Florida)
45. New Orleans Hornets - (PG) Isaiah Thomas - (Jr. Washington)
46. Los Angeles Lakers - (SG) Travis Leslie - (Jr. Georgia)
47. Los Angeles Clippers - (SG/SF) David Lighty - (Sr. Ohio St.)
48. Atlanta Hawks - (PF) Matthew Bryan-Amaning - (Sr. Washington)
49. Memphis Grizzlies - (PG) Andrew Goudeluck - (Sr. College of Charleston)
50. Philadelphia 76ers - (SF/PF) Malcolm Thomas - (Sr. San Diego St.)
51. Portland Trailblazers - (PG) Charles Jenkins - (Sr. Hofstra)
52. Denver Nuggets - (SG) Ben Hansbrough - (Sr. Notre Dame)
53. Orlando Magic - (SG) LaceDarius Dunn - (Sr. Baylor)
54. Cleveland Cavaliers - (SF) Scotty Hopson - (Jr. Tennessee)
55. Boston Celtics - (C) Keith Benson - (Sr. Oakland)
56. Los Angeles Lakers - (PG/SG) Demetri McCamey - (Sr. Illinois)
57. Dallas Mavericks - (SF) Chris Wright - (Sr. Dayton)
58. Los Angeles Lakers - (SF) Jereme Richmond - (Fr. Illinois)
59. San Antonio Spurs - (SF) Davis Bertans - (Latvia)
60. Sacramento Kings - (SG) Brad Wanamaker - (Sr. Pittsburgh)
June 22nd, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
McIlroy Masters 2011 U.S. Open
A kid who blew a four shot lead heading into Sunday at Augusta, showed that he was able to battle adversity and learn from his mistakes that cost him the green jacket. That Sunday, McIlroy shot an 80, including four bogeys, a double-bogey, and a triple-bogey and after his triple-bogey on the 10th hole, his dreams of winning the 2011 Masters became a nightmare. Yet, McIlroy showed something special after blowing the 2011 Masters by acting like a true veteran and not shining away from the criticism. He showed what being a true man is about. He showed his composure and his toughness and used the media's criticism to make him a stronger golfer, but more importantly a stronger person. This fueled him to become the second youngest U.S. Open winner since 1923, when Bobby Jones won the U.S. Open. McIlroy is only 22 years old and became the second youngest to win a major since World War II. (You might have heard of the other guy, Tiger Woods, who was 21 when he won his first major at Augusta.)
At the 111th U.S. Open at the Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland, McIlroy blew the rest of the field out of the water. It was never even close on Sunday, and the only reason to watch Sunday's round was just to see how many strokes McIlroy would win by. He ended up winning by eight strokes and shot 16 under par. No one got any closer than eight strokes on Sunday, and when McIlroy hit a perfect shot on the 10th, a foot away from a hole in one, it was evident that no one was getting close to McIlroy this Sunday. His winning margin of eight strokes was the most at the U.S. Open since 2000, when Tiger Woods won by 15 shots at Pebble Beach. Among the records broken at the 111th U.S. Open: shooting 268 (16 under) for the tournament, shooting 199 (14 under) after 54-holes, shooting 131 (11 under) after 36-holes, 17 under par at any point at the U.S. Open, fastest to reach double-digits under par (26 holes), tied Tiger Woods with a six shot lead after 36 holes, joined Lee Trevino and Lee Janzen as the only players to shoot in the 60's all four days, and hit 62 out of 72 greens in regulation, which is the best any golfer has ever done since they kept track of that statistic. It was truly something special to witness, watching this young stud from Northern Ireland dominate the field. McIlroy led the U.S. Open from the first hole all the way to the 72nd hole, becoming the seventh player in U.S. Open history to accomplish this feat.
If there is ever someone to finally compare to Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy is the guy. I understand this was only his third time winning an event, (Dubai Desert Classic in 2009, Quail Hollow Championship in 2010, and the 2011 U.S. Open) but the scary thing is, he is just going to keep getting better. I do not know if many golfers would have been able to bounce back after blowing the Masters, and win the following major two months later, at ease. The only other golfer that I could see pulling that off is the old Tiger Woods. McIlroy does not have any serious flaws in his game, he has a powerful drive with good accuracy, an excellent iron player, above average with his wedge, and a very good putter. It is unfair to McIlroy to compare him to be the next Tiger Woods, but he seems like the guy who would love this, because he has that swagger and confidence to relish this. You could just see his confidence on the course throughout all four days, and you would not think someone at his young age would be this confident after blowing the 2011 Masters. He took a different approach than most other golfers, instead of looking at it as blowing a four shot lead at Augusta, he looked at it as leading the Masters for the first three days and learning from his mistakes on that Sunday. McIlroy has led the first two major tournaments this year in seven of the eight rounds and was that one bad day away from competing for the Grand Slam this year. Golf fans now have something fun to look forward to while Tiger Woods is on the shelf trying to require from his knee injury. Just imagine Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods paired together on the final day of one of the four major championships, going mano y mano on the last 18 holes to win a major. This is exactly what Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, golf, and the fans have been waiting for. It is going to be exciting to watch if Tiger Woods will motivate himself to get back to what he was before his knee injuries and get back to the old Tiger Woods. The one thing that almost certain, Rory McIlroy is going to keep getting better, if he keeps up the hard work he has been doing since he started golfing at the age of four. Just remember, if McIlroy does not win the rest of this year, do not write him off just yet, because it took Tiger Woods 28 months to win another major after winning the Masters in 1997. We really won't know how good McIlroy is going to be for another couple of years, but he is definitely on the right path towards greatness.
At the 111th U.S. Open at the Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland, McIlroy blew the rest of the field out of the water. It was never even close on Sunday, and the only reason to watch Sunday's round was just to see how many strokes McIlroy would win by. He ended up winning by eight strokes and shot 16 under par. No one got any closer than eight strokes on Sunday, and when McIlroy hit a perfect shot on the 10th, a foot away from a hole in one, it was evident that no one was getting close to McIlroy this Sunday. His winning margin of eight strokes was the most at the U.S. Open since 2000, when Tiger Woods won by 15 shots at Pebble Beach. Among the records broken at the 111th U.S. Open: shooting 268 (16 under) for the tournament, shooting 199 (14 under) after 54-holes, shooting 131 (11 under) after 36-holes, 17 under par at any point at the U.S. Open, fastest to reach double-digits under par (26 holes), tied Tiger Woods with a six shot lead after 36 holes, joined Lee Trevino and Lee Janzen as the only players to shoot in the 60's all four days, and hit 62 out of 72 greens in regulation, which is the best any golfer has ever done since they kept track of that statistic. It was truly something special to witness, watching this young stud from Northern Ireland dominate the field. McIlroy led the U.S. Open from the first hole all the way to the 72nd hole, becoming the seventh player in U.S. Open history to accomplish this feat.
If there is ever someone to finally compare to Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy is the guy. I understand this was only his third time winning an event, (Dubai Desert Classic in 2009, Quail Hollow Championship in 2010, and the 2011 U.S. Open) but the scary thing is, he is just going to keep getting better. I do not know if many golfers would have been able to bounce back after blowing the Masters, and win the following major two months later, at ease. The only other golfer that I could see pulling that off is the old Tiger Woods. McIlroy does not have any serious flaws in his game, he has a powerful drive with good accuracy, an excellent iron player, above average with his wedge, and a very good putter. It is unfair to McIlroy to compare him to be the next Tiger Woods, but he seems like the guy who would love this, because he has that swagger and confidence to relish this. You could just see his confidence on the course throughout all four days, and you would not think someone at his young age would be this confident after blowing the 2011 Masters. He took a different approach than most other golfers, instead of looking at it as blowing a four shot lead at Augusta, he looked at it as leading the Masters for the first three days and learning from his mistakes on that Sunday. McIlroy has led the first two major tournaments this year in seven of the eight rounds and was that one bad day away from competing for the Grand Slam this year. Golf fans now have something fun to look forward to while Tiger Woods is on the shelf trying to require from his knee injury. Just imagine Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods paired together on the final day of one of the four major championships, going mano y mano on the last 18 holes to win a major. This is exactly what Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, golf, and the fans have been waiting for. It is going to be exciting to watch if Tiger Woods will motivate himself to get back to what he was before his knee injuries and get back to the old Tiger Woods. The one thing that almost certain, Rory McIlroy is going to keep getting better, if he keeps up the hard work he has been doing since he started golfing at the age of four. Just remember, if McIlroy does not win the rest of this year, do not write him off just yet, because it took Tiger Woods 28 months to win another major after winning the Masters in 1997. We really won't know how good McIlroy is going to be for another couple of years, but he is definitely on the right path towards greatness.
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