A Giant Trade

Currently tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the National League West division after being swept by them in a 3-game series this past weekend, the San Francisco Giants improved their roster today by acquiring the Phillies outfielder Hunter Pence, who in only 5 MLB seasons has totaled 471 RBI’s, 943 hits and a batting average of .290.  Last season Pence finished 4^th in the MLB in batting average (.314) and eighth in RBI’s with 97.  Furthermore, he is a spectacular fielder with blazing speed and great knowledge of the position and field.  The Giants sent 2 prospects and outfielder Nate Schierholtz to Philadelphia in exchange for Pence, which on paper appears to work out far better for San Francisco.

This season, Pence is hitting .271 with 17 home runs and 59 RBI’s for the struggling Phillies and will give a much-needed boost to an inconsistent Giant offense.  San Francisco is currently tied with the Dodgers for 11^th in the MLB in runs scored at 408 and it is fairly safe to presume that whoever totals more in that category will likely end up winning the division as well.  It appears as if Pence will bat 5^th and fill in the injured Pablo Sandoval’s spot and will likely display his versatility as he was leading Philadelphia in runs, hits, home runs, RBI’s and walks.  This move is also beneficial as the Dodgers have been busy acquiring new assets for a potential World Series run that include Hanley Ramirez and Shane Victorino.

Ultimately, the Giants got a much needed confidence boost after being swept by the Dodgers at home this past weekend including being shut out the final 2 games.  With a little over 60 games remaining in the 2012 MLB season the National League West division race will undoubtedly be one of the most exciting in recent memory.

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Rangers Land Ryan Dempster

After 2 weeks of much speculation as to where the Cubs ace Ryan Dempster would be traded to the, 35 year old was sent to the Texas Rangers right at the deadline.  Ironically, the Rangers drafted him back in 1995, though his MLB debut was 3 years later for the Florida Marlins.  He has been shuffled around throughout the bullpen during his 15-year career and has accumulated 87 saves during his tenure in Chicago, though he is now a full-time starter.  Over 16 starts this season Dempster has compiled a 5-5 record and an NL leading 2.25 ERA.  Equally impressive is his strikeout to walk ratio, which is currently 83-27.  The Rangers add an immense amount of depth to their pitching staff with this new acquisition and furthermore match their division rival the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim who recently traded for Zack Greinke.  The Angels have been on fire as of late as they close in on Texas’ division lead so look for Dempster to make an immediate impact for the Rangers.

The trade came as a surprise to many as the Los Angeles Dodgers had seemed to be the clear favorites to win the Dempster sweepstakes, however they apparently pulled out of the discussions at the last minute opening up the door for Texas.  Many baseball experts felt if Dempster did not land in LA he would end up being a New York Yankee due to their history of making big-time moves at the trade deadline, which would have been incredibly detrimental to Texas’ hopes of winning the AL pennant.  With a devastating splitter, slider and fastball Ryan Dempster will vastly improve the Texas Rangers hopes of getting to a third straight fall classic, and hopefully walk away with the title of world champions this time.

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A Complete Meat Grinder of Events



In the NCAA basketball tournament there is just a complete meat grinder of events whether it is the opening rounds or the national championship itself. All of the events and March Madness are great things but they pale in comparison to the Final Four. There is nothing that captures our imagination like predicting the Final Four. To be at the Final Four would invoke the jealousy of your friends that could drive them to tears. To have Final Four tickets would have your friends willing to wash your clothes for a year to get you to take them.

The Final Four is just a spectacle to behold. The Final Four is the deciding series of events to see what teams will be the last gladiators standing after the grind that is known as the NCAA basketball tournament. The Final Four has the teams that have managed to wade through the opening rounds to the sweet sixteen and the elite eight and now they can taste greatness at their fingertips. There is a bloodlust for victory that drives them to compete at a level that is often never seen or reached unless you have gotten as far as the teams in the Final Four.

The teams with a rich history such as Kentucky, Kansas, and Duke seem to get there or just a win away but there is always the cinderella team that seems to capture our imagination with the possibility that anything is possible. Who will be the giant killer and make it to the Final Four like some of the unknowns out there that are just lurking to take down a big dog. Going to Final Four is an experience that most people out there merely fantasize about because of the improbability of getting tickets but to get tickets you will be in a class of your own amongst your friends you will be envied by all, that is a promise.

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The Greatest Indiana Pacers of All Time

5. Rik Smits: (1988-2000)

The second overall pick in the 1988 NBA Draft, Rik Smits otherwise known as “The Dunkin’ Dutchman” was a 7 foot 4 monster for 13 seasons in Indiana.  Smits made an immediate impact for the Pacers in his rookie season, starting 71 games and averaging 11 points to go along with 6 rebounds.  His best statistical season came in 1995-96 when he averaged 18.5 points per game.  Smits helped anchor the Pacers to the 2000 NBA Finals, which they lost, as he competed against one of the all time great centers; Shaquille O’Neal.

4. Mark Jackson: (1994-1996, 1997-2000)

Mark Jackson is regarded as one of the greatest point guards in NBA history.  Playing for the Pacers on two different occasions throughout his career, Jackson was initially traded to Denver and then traded back to Indiana during the 1996-1997 season.  He helped lead Indiana to the Finals in 2000 and is third on the NBA’s all-time assists list, accumulating 10,323 for his career.  Jackson went on to be a color commentator and is currently the coach of the Golden State Warriors.

3. Mel Daniels:  (1968-1974)

Perhaps the most successful Pacer of all time, Mel Daniels played for Indiana during the ABA years and was a flat out stud.  Daniels helped the Pacers win 3 ABA championships as well as twice being named MVP of the league.  He was an imposing forward/center tallying a career double double average with 18.4 points and 14.9 rebounds per game.  Daniels had a highly esteemed career and went on to coach Indiana for the 1988 NBA season.  He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this year.

2. George McGinnis: (1971-1975, 1980-1982)

George McGinnis is an Indiana legend, playing his college basketball as a Hoosier and is one of four Pacers to have his number retired.  He won 2 ABA Championships and an ABA scoring title as well as being named co-MVP of the league with Julius Erving in 1975.  Furthermore, he is a member of the ABA’s All-Time Team.  McGinnis went on to play with Dr. J in the NBA for the Philadelphia 76ers after the league merger and competed in the 1977 NBA Finals.  At 6 foot 8, George McGinnis was unstoppable, posting career averages of 20.2 points to go along with 11 rebounds per game.

1. Reginald “Reggie” Miller: (1987-2005)

Upon retiring in 2005, Reggie Miller held the NBA record for career 3-pointers made (he is now second on that list, behind Ray Allen) and was one of the most clutch playoff performers the likes of which have seldom been seen.  The 11^th overall pick in the 1987 NBA Draft out of UCLA, Miller went on to play his entire career with Indiana scoring 25,279 points.  He was known for his flamboyant taunting of opponents as well as his prowess as one of the NBA’s premiere “trash-talkers”.  Though he never won an NBA championship, Reggie won a gold medal with the United States men’s basketball team in the 1996 Summer Olympics.  A 5-time NBA All-Star, Reggie Miller is the greatest Indiana Pacer player of all time.

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LSU: Defensive Back Factory?

There are few schools in the country that produce quality defensive backs like LSU does. The Tigers have had a cornerback drafted in the top 10 of the NFL Draft for two consecutive seasons (Patrick Peterson, 2011, and Morris Claiborne, 2012), and a third who was a Heisman finalist as a sophomore. Although the Tigers have to replace starters Claiborne and strong safety Brandon Taylor, as well as reserve cornerback Ron Brooks, many people view the secondary as a team strength heading into 2012 as well.

The star of the secondary is cornerback Tyrann Mathieu, who won the Bednarik Award for defensive player of the year a season ago, garnering First Team All-American honors from multiple media outlets. The junior tied for the team lead with 76 tackles, and also collected six tackles for loss, nine pass breakups, two interceptions, six forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries. Perhaps most impressively, he scored four touchdowns on the year, twice on fumble recoveries and twice on punt returns. Mathieu always seemed to be around the ball, and was said to play much bigger than his modest size (5-foot-9, 175 pounds). This is one of the reasons he earned the nickname “Honey Badger”, for his fearless play and attitude. The Tigers’ other returning starter is free safety Eric Reid, a Second Team All-SEC defender from a season ago. The 6-2, 208-pound junior tied with Mathieu for the team lead in tackles, and chipped in two interceptions of his own. In fact, the interception he wrestled away from Alabama tight end Michael Williams at the goal line of the two team’s first meeting was one of the most impressive plays of the year. Both Mathieu and Reid will probably be high on the NFL’s radar after the season, even though both of them will only be juniors in 2012.

The two players most likely to take over the remaining starting jobs are cornerback Tharold Simon and strong safety Craig Loston. Simon actually started three contests a season ago, and played extensively throughout the season, collecting 42 tackles, 10 pass breakups and a pair of picks. The 6-3, 187-pound junior has great length for a cornerback, which usually makes him good at matching up with the taller receivers the Tigers face. Loston does not have as much playing experience as Simon, only contributing 14 tackles in 2011. But Loston is a former star recruit, and the junior should be effective now that the starting job appears to be his. It is not a given that both will be able to produce as well as the starters did a year ago, but there appears to be a great chance that each will have immediate success.

Head coach Les Miles has done a good job recruiting defensive backs in recent years, and seems to have another high-quality group heading into the 2012 season. There are not many schools across the country that could lose a first-, third-, and fourth-round draft pick to the NFL from their secondaries, but LSU seems to be one of them.

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Do the Rangers Need to Make Any Deals before the Deadline?

The Texas Rangers have been one of the best teams in baseball in the first half of the season, and they should be a strong contender for the American League’s spot in the World Series. Manager Ron Washington has his squad playing well in 2012, and they are looking to finally win it all after coming up just short the past two seasons. The question remains, do the Rangers need to consider trading for any other players before the July 31 trade deadline to give themselves the best shot at securing the franchise’s first championship? It would appear that the Rangers’ lineup is set for the rest of the season, and the bullpen is also doing a great job. Though Josh Hamilton cooled off in June after an incredible start to the season, he’s still one of the most dangerous hitters in the AL, and the rest of the lineup has done a good job picking up the slack when needed. The bullpen has been called upon more than Washington would probably prefer, but they have pitched well over the first half of the season. Closer Joe Nathan has been a great addition to the team, and Mike Adams is generally considered one of the best set-up men in the game.

However, injuries to the pitching staff have hurt the Rangers over the last month, as four starters have been placed on the DL since May 25. Left-hander Matt Harrison and right-hander Yu Darvish have done a great job holding down the fort, and the Rangers should be getting Derek Holland, Alexi Ogando, Colby Lewis and Neftali Felix back after the All-Star break. But Texas may want to protect themselves from further injuries to the starting rotation by bringing in another high-caliber pitcher. One pitcher the Rangers may be paying close attention to until the deadline is Milwaukee’s Zach Greinke, the AL Cy Young award winner in 2009 with the Kansas City Royals. Greinke is set to become a free agent after the season, and the Brewers are not sure they will be able to afford to keep him past this season. The Rangers have shown they are not afraid to trade for potential rental players, as they did with Cliff Lee in 2010, so they may feel the same way about Greinke this season. The right-hander is having a great season with Milwaukee, and could come into Texas and further solidify their rotation. A Rangers’ rotation with Greinke at the top could potentially be pretty formidable, especially in the postseason. Other starting pitchers that could potentially be on the trading block include the Cub’s Matt Garza and Ryan Dempster, and Philly’s Cole Hamels.

The trade deadline is still about a month away, and this will give Washington time to evaluate whether his pitchers are going to be able to successfully return from their injuries. If they are not, it should not be a surprise to see Rangers’ management make a move before the end of July in order to give them the best shot at winning in October.

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2012 MLB All-Star Game Rosters Released

With the 2012 MLB All-Star game only 8 days away the complete roster for each team has been made official.  As previously predicted, Josh Hamilton smashed the record for most All-Star votes which was previously 7,454,753 as Hamilton accumulated 11,073,744 votes.  This is a remarkable amount of votes as it was nearly 4 million higher than the previous record and the National League’s highest vote getter, Buster Posey, who earned 7,621,370 votes.  Both of these players topped previously held vote records by their predecessors in their respective league which is a good indication by the active involvement of the fans and should translate to great ratings.  The National League could have a tough time finding their power this year as they lost sluggers Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols to American League teams this past offseason.  However, with upcoming stars like Joey Votto, Melky Cabrera and Matt Kemp the NL may not miss a beat.  Quite possibly the most intriguing question entering the game is who will be the starting pitcher for the National League as there seems to be two very worthy candidates.  The Giants Matt Cain has been dominant the past 3 seasons and it has continued into this year as he threw the first perfect game in franchise history this season coupled with his 9-3 record and 2.53 ERA to back up his consistency.  Though, the Mets have an ace of their own that has accumulated a MLB best 12-1 record with a 2.15 ERA and 116 strikeouts.  However, it is the way in which Dickey has dominated that is so profound as his number one pitch is the unconventional knuckle ball. 

Before losing in 2010, the American League was on a 13-game All-Star winning streak which was due in large part to their power hitters.  There shouldn’t be a shortage of power hitters as the American League is once again fielding the far better slugging team.  Led by Josh Hamilton and Prince Fielder, the starters also include last year’s State Farm Home Run Derby champion Robinson Cano at 2B as well as last years home run leader Jose Bautista in the outfield and the always consistent “Big Papi” David Ortiz in the DH spot.  This phenomenal collection of players should give the entire National League rotation all they can handle.  The 2012 MLB All-Star game is intriguing in that it faces the superior pitching league against the superior hitting league. 

There is further incentive for players who play for teams like the Dodgers, Giants, Rangers and other league leaders as they want to win the game and earn home field advantage for their league in the 2012 World Series.  You can bet Josh Hamilton, along with Texas Ranger teammates Mike Napoli, Adrian Beltre, Matt Harrison, Joe Nathan, Elvis Andrus and Ian Kinsler who currently have the best record in baseball will put out a full effort considering they lost in the World Series at the St. Louis Cardinals in game 7.

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Los Angeles Clippers Offseason

After having a bittersweet 2011-2012 season the Los Angeles Clippers are no longer satisfied just making the playoffs.  Though they accomplished much last season including winning a playoff series and winning game 7 on the road of that series only to be swept in the next round by the freight train that was the San Antonio Spurs.  They have been busy this off-season trying to improve their roster which suffered several key injuries last season.  They have actively pursued re-signing guard Chris Paul and have yet to be effective although forward Blake Griffin is set to sign his extension of an estimated 5-years 95 million dollars on the July 11^th deadline.  It has been rumored that Paul will wait until next season in order to sign a max deal worth approximately 108 million dollars.

The big headlines surrounding the Clippers have been in the acquisition of Lamar Odom from the Dallas Mavericks as well as re-signing Chauncey Billups and signing free agent Jamal Crawford.  The most intriguing of these players could be Odom who was originally drafted by the Clippers before moving around to championship contenders until having the worst statistical season of his entire career for Dallas last season.  Odom is one of the biggest question marks in the entire NBA due to his lack of consistency.  At 6 foot 10 he can hit long range shots and handle the ball making him at times virtually unguardable although he is prone to having lapses of judgment in his playing ability.  Odom tends to respond better when playing in a sixth man position which will be convenient as Blake Griffin is undoubtedly the starter.  Billups proved to be a solid contributor starting for the Clippers last season until suffering a season-ending injury as he switched from his normal point guard position to a shooting guard spot.  He and Crawford will likely split time as both are proven scorers with Crawford getting the edge in that department.

With the Los Angeles Lakers recently acquiring veteran point guard Steve Nash they have catapulted themselves once again into the championship conversation.  However, the Clippers still have arguably the best point guard in the NBA with Chris Paul and are not threatened by the newest Laker.  On paper the Clips have one of the best starting 5’s in the entire NBA and can virtually match-up with every championship contender.  High hopes have returned to the city of angels for the Clippers as they are now nicknamed “lob city” due to the high volume of alley-oop passes from Paul to big men Blake Griffin and Deandre Jordan.  Jordan was one of the bigger mysteries in this years playoffs as he was recently signed to a lucrative contract although he was on the bench for many of the Clippers playoff games.  They need a more consistent performance from the 7 foot 1 Jordan who has the potential to be one of the elite big men in the NBA.

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