What. A. Game.

They'll be partying in Kansas City tonight.  A game with expectations for a pitcher's duel has become a classic give and take by both teams.  For the first time since 1985 the Kansas City Royals are in the playoffs and they cashing in.  Down 7-3 in the eight the Royals relentless offense with the help of speed and some small ball tied it up in the 9th.

In the tenth inning the Royals trust a just drafted pitcher out of college in a pressure filled situation and he nails it. Finnegan pitched a 1.2.3 tenth, scoreless 11th before being relieved in the 12th.  Oakland Scored in the 12th but the Royals refused to quit.  Eric Hosmer hit a one out triple and then scored the tying run.  Later in the inning catcher Salvador Perez, previously 0-5 hits one down the third base line driving in the winning run.

THANK YOU CAPTAIN

"NOW BATTING FOR THE NEW YORK YANKEES, THE SHORTSTOP, NUMBER 2 DEREK JETER... NUMBER 2"- Bob Sheppard

An entrance that won't happen again…

 

In his final at bat at Yankee Stadium he went out in style.  He walked off in the bottom of the ninth.  It was a perfect ending to his last ever home-stand.  In his last at bat, on the road at Fenway Park vs. the Yankees’ arch rival Boston Red Sox, Jeter hit a classic Derek Jeter hit, an infield single which he legged out and drove in an RBI. He left to a standing ovation and chants of his name by the Fenway Faithful.  Truly a classy end to a career that never lacked in class.  

Before the game the Red Sox honored Jeter with former Red Sox greats, Former Celtic Paul Peirce, Former Patriot Troy Brown, and Bruins Legend Bobby Orr.  My favorite part however was when Pete Frates, creator of the famous ALS ice bucket challenge, was honored as well.  He thanked Jeter for participating in and spreading awareness to the ice bucket challenge and ALS.  It was a cool moment especially considering Frates was a baseball player for Boston College before he was diagnosed. The Sox ended the ceremony by giving Jeter a piece of the Green Monster which read RE2PECT.  A word that along with class defined his career.  He played with class and respect.

In an age where many athletes are just about the money, and winning isn't everything. Jeter gave it all every single time he stepped on the diamond.  He was the leader of one of the most historic sports franchises and helped the Yankees win five World Series titles. He was a perfect example for young baseball players to try to emulate on the field with his effort and leadership.  At the age of 26 Jeter was a 3 time World Series champion yet he never was satisfied.  He went in to each season with the goal of winning it all again, a goal he always did his best to achieve.  Players in the MLB today grew up idolizing Jeter.  He was a great role model in an industry where most players don't want to be one.  Next season won't be the same without him, the world of Baseball just lost a phenomenal, but in 5 years the Cooperstown will gain a legend.  

Thank You Jeter, the world of baseball tips its cap 2 you... Hell of a career.

Heeeeeerrrreee's Johnny ('s finger)

A big topic of discussion in sports today Is the performance or lack there of by Johnny Manziel on Monday Night football this week. 

The 21 year old rookie quarterback was shown on camera flipping off the Washington bench. When asked about it in his post game press conference, he explained his actions by saying a lot of trash is talked on the field and he lost his composure. Something he needed to learn from. He later said it wasn't a big deal to him... Johnny, wake up! It's absolutely a big deal. You're a rookie competing for the starting quarterback job, the one position where keeping your composure is most vital. What's gonna happen in the last 2 minutes of a playoff game and you need a touchdown to win or tie. I have news for you, Johnny. The defense is going to talk trash. Focusing on that will only distract you from you know WINNING THE GAME.  

He doesn't get it. At that position you have to get it in order to succeed. His off the field antics wouldn't matter if he performed well on the field, but it looks like he hasn't taken enough time to prepare.  No coach in their right mind is going to start a rookie quarterback who has had a sub par preseason this far, let alone who carries himself the way Manziel does.  

Brian Hoyer being named starter might just be the a positive for Manziel's career. Not only can Johnny learn under a veteran quarterback who himself learned from one of the best of all time, but maybe just maybe it'll humble Johnny a bit. Maybe for once he won't be the hot shot who gets whatever he wants without needing much effort. Maybe he'll grow up and stop taking his career for granted. 

He has a lot of talent but talent can only take you so far in professional sports. You must always be willing to learn and improve. Putting in the time both on and off the field of play is essential to being a professional. 

New Beginning for Rising Star

You know that saying, "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade"? It sure seems that David Wilson has once or twice. 

Just a short time ago, Wilson was forced to retire at a very young age from Professional Football due to a severe neck injury. 

Often when in post retirement athletes get depressed or the very least have a void in their life due to no longer playing the game they've always loved. 

Wilson 23, had already decided to pursue a career in track and field. Setting his eyes on the upcoming 2016 Olympics games in Brazil. His event of choice is triple jump. A discipline he performed in adolescence during high school. 

Football and Track are two very different sports but in order to even make the NFL or Olympics an athlete has to have the drive, and discipline it takes to succeed. It looks like Wilson has both along with other essential intangibles to accompany his supreme athleticism, it will be interesting to follow his track Journey the next few years. Good Luck! 

Blockbuster!

The trade deadline has come and gone! What an exciting day it was. For the first time I can think of, many deals consisted of swapping Major Leaders rather than just prospects. Seemed like throughout the day from morning till the 4pm eastern deadline, twitter was blowing up with reports and speculations of trades. 

If you haven't figured out already, I'm a big Red Sox fan. Unfortunately the Sox have fallen out of the playoff push, but that meant they were a BIG contributor today. They traded Jon Lester and Johny Gomes to Oakland for Yoenis Cespedes. Both teams made out great. Oakland got a much needed starting pitch to solidify their rotation for an attempt to go deep into the postseason, and the Sox got a slugger with a cannon for an arm who should be playing in Right Field. Add him to Jackie Bradley Jr.'s and that makes any play at the plate exciting. 

Once they dealt Lester, they then traded John Lackey to to the Cardinals for 1B/OF Allen Craig. Craig played a key role in the cardinals World Series run in 2011. He will probably play left field and will provide power. An outfield which had very little production during the first half of the season just got serious sluggers. Craig will also fit well in the short left field at Fenway. 

Maybe it's just the optimistic fan in me, but I think these moves will boost the offensive production to a point where the rest of this season won't be boring after all. Dare I say the Sox will chase the wild card? What do you all think? 

Game 7

GAME 7… The two words in sports which create excitement, stress, anxiety and hype all at the same time.

 Throw in the fact it’s the NHL then you have something there.  Oh, by the way, the Bruins verses the Canadians in Boston; what more can someone ask for?  Two storied franchises who have despised each other for decades, who’s fan-bases loath one another; go toe to toe tonight to decide who moves on to the Eastern Conference Finals and who gets sent home packing.  

The series thus far has had its share of drama.   Game one was decided by a rocket off PK Subban’s stick in double overtime, where game four ended abruptly in single overtime from Matt Frazier, who was called up just prior to the game from the AHL. 

With the series tied at 3 a piece tonight can go either way.  Something normally insignificant such as a lucky bounce, poor officiating, or a mental lapse can ultimately determine the outcome of the entire series… That’s what makes it worth watching, that’s why athletes play the game.  It’s what they dream about when they’re kids hoping to make it pro.  They’ve played it in their heads for years, now is the time to do the real thing.

LET”S GO BRUINS  

2014 NFL mock draft

With all the pandemonium and anticipation toward tomorrow nights NFL draft I thought why not take a shot at the first ten picks. Here they are, enjoy the draft! 

1) Jacksonville Jaguars (via Houston) Blake Bortles

2) St Louis Rams: Khalil Mack 

3) Houston Texans (via Jacksonville) Jake Mathews 

4) Clevland Browns: Jadeveon Clowney

5) Oakland Raiders: Johnny Manziel 

6) Atlanta Falcons: Greg Robinson 

7) Tampa Bay Bucs: Mike Evans 

8) Minnesota Vikings: Teddy Bridgewater 

9) Buffalo Bills: Anthony Barr 

10) Detroit Lions: Sammy Watkins 

March Madness

It's that time of year again. A time where a few weeks is dominated by college basketball games. The biggest tournament in college sports kicks off today and I'm excited! 

Today and tomorrow will surely display its fair share of upsets. Some of which in my bracket are Harvard over Cincy St. Joes over Uconn and Manhattan over Louisville. That's right, I said it. I'm picking the defending national champs to lose in the first round. 

Should be a great tournament, I can't wait to see how my bracket looks in the end. 

NFL Free Agency Part 2

WOW! What a week it has been.  Free agency has not failed to disappoint through each day that has passed.   

Seemingly as soon as the Bucs released Darrelle Revis, he arrived in New England to visit the Patriots.  Hours later a deal was done.  Revis should fill the hole Aqib Talib left when he signed a ridiculous 6 year contract with the Denver Broncos.  When healthy since acquiring him, Talib was the shutdown corner the Pats hadn’t had since Ty Law left the team.  Talib locked down just about any receiver/tight end he was assigned too.  Unfortunately his durability was questionable.  Revis does not have durability questions and is a legit shutdown cornerback. 

New England is also closing in on former Seahawks corner Brandon Browner. Browner was suspended last season for violating NFL drug abuse policy and will not be eligible to play this season until week 5.  However he is 6’4” and plays physically.  Any contributions he can provide to the Patriots will be a positive.  New England also will only have to pay him for 8 weeks of the season which is huge because of their current salary cap dilemmas. 

Elsewhere in the AFC the Broncos not only signed Talib, but Linebacker Demarcus Ware and Safety TJ Ward.  It looks like the Broncos and Patriots are stacking up to make the most of Peyton Manning and Tom Brady’s last seasons. 

If this week is an indication of things to come, this season will be very exciting.   

NFL Free Agency

What are the two words that spark excitement during a sports offseason? That's right Free Agency! 

In just under 4 hours from now the NFL's free agency will be in full affect. So many question marks for teams hoping to retain players and speculation as to where players may end up. Maybe the biggest headline is a name who is not a free agent. (Yet) The Tampa Bay Bucs have said they are looking to trade All-Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis by tomorrow. If they are unable to strike a deal they will likely cut him in order to avoid having to give up their 3rd round draft pick to the Jets. (Jets traded Revis to the Bucs last season.)  

What are your thoughts on where Revis will land or any other free agency stories for that matter? Comment below and enjoy the madness! 

Olympic hockey's future

The Sochi Winter Olympics have ended and with it the debate of the standing of Olympic Hockey's future has begun.  The National Hockey League is seriously considering putting an end to the Olympic break during the NHL regular season. 

Some arguments say the risk of star players injuring themselves is not worth it. Of course this happened in Sochi. New York Islander's star John Tavares suffered a serious knee injury while playing for team Canada that has ended his season. I understand the owners' frustrations when a player on their team goes down while playing in a different uniform than theirs. At the same time it's an injury that's part of the sport in general. Whether they play in the Olympics or not the risk of injury is the same.

NHL players should play in the Olympics for as long as Hockey is an Olympic sport. The Olympics is about the best athletes in the world competing against one another in their respective sports. If NHL players are disallowed the rest of the world will have a clear advantage over teams like USA and Canada who's players were all from the NHL. It'll go back to the days where the Soviets had "amateur" players who just so happened to have played for years together. It wouldn't ban all pros from the Olympics it's just the NHL. 

The NHL doesn't do well in the ratings as it is. How will it do when it goes against the Olympics? Ask the NBA. Not only was All-star weekend terrible, it wasn't the only sport on then. If you are a sports fan you didn't have to watch it just for the sake of watching sports. The Olympics were on and were a lot more interesting. Put it into perspective, nationally the NBA is viewed by more than the NHL. If the NBA cannot compete then how will hockey? 

The Olympics is a platform to grow the game of Hockey in the United States. Be honest, did you know who T.J. Oshie was 3 weeks ago? I'll tell you now, I saw his name on the roster and thought "who?!" How many recognize the name now? Exactly! What he did in the game against Russia was UNBELIEVABLE. It went viral and for days afterwards that's all people could talk about. A country who isn't so high on hockey was in a frenzy as a result of a hockey game. That game sparked the interest of so many and MAYBE it'll make them interested in watching the NHL. 

Bottom line the Olympics aren't just a global sporting event it's a collaboration of sports which people, sports fans or non sports fans, watch because of national pride. What better show to put on for everyone than highly paid athletes playing for their country with passion and heart. It's rare for a sport's best athletes to actually care about a game when money is not on the line. Why ruin that? 

Super Bowl Sunday

After an exciting season in the NFL it comes down to only two teams. The AFC champion and # 1 ranked offense battles the NFC champs and best ranked defense in a historical Super Bowl. The first Super Bowl ever to be played outdoors in a cold weather climate in Met Life Stadium in New Jersey.

 A game in which the outcome could solidify Bronco Quarterback Peyton Manning's legacy and bring silence to his doubters. A win would give the reigning MVP his second ring and possibly cap off an outstanding career.  

On the other side a Seahawks win would mean second year quarterback Russell Wilson would be the shortest quarterback to ever win a Super Bowl. A feat once considered impossible for a sub 6 foot tall quarterback. Wilson listed at 5'11" would break a barrier which just might influence the thought process of general managers in future drafts. A position once focused on who had the size, arm strength, and pocket presence is changing before our eyes. More and more mobile quarterbacks are finding success in today's game and the height of a quarterback is slightly less important when GM's look at their draft board. For this Saints quarterback Drew Brees can be thanked. At 6 feet tall Brees has become one of the leagues top quarterbacks with arguably the best offense in recent years. He led the Saints to a Super Bowl win against the Colts, then quarterbacked by you guessed it Peyton Manning. Wilson looked up to Brees. He modeled his game after him because of their commonality of being undersized quarterbacks. He saw Brees was successful and used it as inspiration to chase his dream of a playing in the NFL. 

My prediction for tonight is the Seattle Seahawks will win the first Super Bowl in franchise history and hand Peyton Manning his second loss in the biggest game of the year. Russell Wilson will win most valuable player of the game and break down a wall in which future "undersized" quarterbacks will be able to run through on their way to chasing their dreams of playing in the NFL. 

Nfl Playoffs

Wildcard weekend has come and gone paving the way for the divisional playoffs. The Saints are heading to Seattle with hopes of a different outcome than their previous playoff game in Seattle. Carolina and San Fran will face off with their punishing defenses and highly athletic signal callers.  The Colts will be in New England. A matchup which should consist of a lot of offense and some opportunistic defense, will be highlighted by Tom Brady and Andrew Luck. Arguably the best quarterback of his generation Vs. The projected best quarterback of the coming years. Last but not least the Chargers look to storm into Denver and come out with a similar result as their week 15 matchup when they handed the Broncos their only home loss of the season in a major upset on Thursday night football. 

If I had to pick them my winners would be Seahawks, 49ers, Patriots, and Chargers. Regardless it should be an entertaining weekend on the gridiron.