The Super Bowl is less than 48 hours away, and I still haven't made a prediction. It's the Best of Best, Seahawks and Broncos. Let's do some analyzing:
Quarterback: Russell Wilson vs. Peyton Manning- Advantage: Broncos
Running Back: Marshawn "The Beast Mode" Lynch vs. Knowshon Moreno- Advantage: Seahawks
Full Back: Michael Robinson vs. No fullback listed for Denver- Advantage: Seahawks
Wide Receivers: Broncos Wide Receiving Core (Decker, J.Thomas, D.Thomas, Welker) vs. Seahawks (Harvin, Kearse, Tate, Baldwin)- Advantage: Uhh duh! Broncos
Offensive Line: Broncos (Franklin, Vasquez, Ramirez, Beadles, Clark) Seahawks (Okung, Carpenter, Unger, Sweezy, Giacomini) Advantage: TIE (Slight push: Broncos)
Tight End: Julius Thomas vs. Zach Miller- Advantage: Broncos
Defense analyze tomorrow. Stay tuned..
Friday, January 31, 2014
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Picks for NFL Honors- A few Surprises?
It's that time of year again! On Saturday, the NFL will be holding their NFL Honors 2013 in New York City. Alec Baldwin said he might get there late this year, because he'll be playing Words with Friends throughout the show and while driving. The awards up for grabs this year are:
I will go from boring to exciting (meaning the MVP award last)
Don Shula NFL HS Coach of the Year: None
NFL.com Fantasy Player of the Year: Jamaal Charles- Kansas City Chiefs RB
He had an unbelievable year and also led the Chiefs to the 1st playoffs in 3 years.
Runner Up: Peyton Manning- Denver Broncos QB
AP Defensive Player of the Year: Luke Kuechly- Carolina Panthers MLB
Provided defensive stability to the linebackers in the Carolina secondary. Helped Thomas Davis and Charles Johnson succeed in the 3-4 defensive that Ron Rivera brings.
Runner Up: Richard Sherman- Seattle Seahawks CB
Salute to Service Award: Champ Bailey- Denver Broncos CB
Bailey is of the best corners to ever play the game. It's one of his last years, give it to him as a "parting gift"
Runner Up: Troy Polamalu- Pittsburgh Steelers S
Pepsi NEXT Rookie of the Year: Keenan Allen- San Diego Chargers WR
AP Defensive Rookie of the Year: Kiko Alonso- Buffalo Bills LB
Had 159 tackles in one year, also had 4 INTs. Interceptions are hard to come by as a linebacker. He never missed a game for injury purposes or any other purposes. Had 87 solo tackles.
Runner Up: Sheldon Richardson- New York Jets DT
FedEX Air and Ground Players of the Year: Peyton Manning and LeSean McCoy- Denver Broncos QB and Philadelphia Eagles RB
Manning had almost 6,000 passing yards and led the Broncos to their first Super Bowl in 17 years. Not much you can argue about that. McCoy led the Eagles to a playoff appearance and dominated all run based defenses and destroyed them. McCoy had almost 1,700 rushing yards this year.
AP Offensive Rookie of the Year: Keenan Allen- San Diego Chargers WR
Allen led his team, San Diego Chargers to a playoff berth, and led his team in receiving yards and receptions.
Runner Up: Cordarrelle Patterson- Minnesota Vikings WR
GMC Never Say Never Moment of the Year- Ravens vs. Vikings
Ravens vs. Vikings had a combined 5 touchdowns in the final 125 seconds. Can't beat that.
Runner Up: Broncos vs. Cowboys
AP Comeback Player of the Year: Phillip Rivers- San Diego Chargers QB
Had an amazing bounce back year and made the Chargers a deep contender for years to come. Had 4,478 passing yards and his touchdown to interception ratio was 1:2.9!
Runner Up: Fred Jackson- Buffalo Bills RB
AP Coach of the Year: Ron Rivera- Carolina Panthers
Rivera led the Panthers to a playoff berth a 1st round bye heading into the playoffs. Rebuilt the franchise and gave hope to the people of Charlotte.
Runner Up: Bruce Arians or Sean Payton
Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year: Charles Tillman- Chicago Bears DB
Tillman innovated the local "Play 60" campaign to local Chicago public schools. He also donated a large sum of money to local homeless shelters and Red Cross.
Runner Up: Charles Johnson- Carolina Panthers DE
And finally, last but not least, the AP Most Valuable Player goes to......
I will go from boring to exciting (meaning the MVP award last)
Don Shula NFL HS Coach of the Year: None
NFL.com Fantasy Player of the Year: Jamaal Charles- Kansas City Chiefs RB
He had an unbelievable year and also led the Chiefs to the 1st playoffs in 3 years.
Runner Up: Peyton Manning- Denver Broncos QB
AP Defensive Player of the Year: Luke Kuechly- Carolina Panthers MLB
Provided defensive stability to the linebackers in the Carolina secondary. Helped Thomas Davis and Charles Johnson succeed in the 3-4 defensive that Ron Rivera brings.
Runner Up: Richard Sherman- Seattle Seahawks CB
Salute to Service Award: Champ Bailey- Denver Broncos CB
Bailey is of the best corners to ever play the game. It's one of his last years, give it to him as a "parting gift"
Runner Up: Troy Polamalu- Pittsburgh Steelers S
Pepsi NEXT Rookie of the Year: Keenan Allen- San Diego Chargers WR
Allen led his team, San Diego Chargers to a playoff berth,
and led his team in receiving yards and receptions.
Runner Up: Cordarrelle Patterson- Minnesota Vikings WR
Bridgestone Performance Play of the Year- Broncos vs.
Raiders (Week 1)
Manning throwing 7 TDs in one game is enough explaination
you need for this.
Runner Up: Broncos vs. Cowboys
Greatness on the Road: Seahawks
Look at their record. Virtually, unbeatable anywhere they
played.
AP Defensive Rookie of the Year: Kiko Alonso- Buffalo Bills LB
Had 159 tackles in one year, also had 4 INTs. Interceptions are hard to come by as a linebacker. He never missed a game for injury purposes or any other purposes. Had 87 solo tackles.
Runner Up: Sheldon Richardson- New York Jets DT
FedEX Air and Ground Players of the Year: Peyton Manning and LeSean McCoy- Denver Broncos QB and Philadelphia Eagles RB
Manning had almost 6,000 passing yards and led the Broncos to their first Super Bowl in 17 years. Not much you can argue about that. McCoy led the Eagles to a playoff appearance and dominated all run based defenses and destroyed them. McCoy had almost 1,700 rushing yards this year.
AP Offensive Rookie of the Year: Keenan Allen- San Diego Chargers WR
Allen led his team, San Diego Chargers to a playoff berth, and led his team in receiving yards and receptions.
Runner Up: Cordarrelle Patterson- Minnesota Vikings WR
GMC Never Say Never Moment of the Year- Ravens vs. Vikings
Ravens vs. Vikings had a combined 5 touchdowns in the final 125 seconds. Can't beat that.
Runner Up: Broncos vs. Cowboys
AP Comeback Player of the Year: Phillip Rivers- San Diego Chargers QB
Had an amazing bounce back year and made the Chargers a deep contender for years to come. Had 4,478 passing yards and his touchdown to interception ratio was 1:2.9!
Runner Up: Fred Jackson- Buffalo Bills RB
AP Coach of the Year: Ron Rivera- Carolina Panthers
Rivera led the Panthers to a playoff berth a 1st round bye heading into the playoffs. Rebuilt the franchise and gave hope to the people of Charlotte.
Runner Up: Bruce Arians or Sean Payton
Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year: Charles Tillman- Chicago Bears DB
Tillman innovated the local "Play 60" campaign to local Chicago public schools. He also donated a large sum of money to local homeless shelters and Red Cross.
Runner Up: Charles Johnson- Carolina Panthers DE
And finally, last but not least, the AP Most Valuable Player goes to......
Peyton Manning!
- AP Most Valuable Player
- AP Coach of the Year
- AP Offensive Player of the Year
- AP Offensive Rookie of the Year
- AP Defensive Rookie of the Year
- Pepsi NEXT Rookie of the Year
- NFL.com Fantasy Player of the Year
- Don Shula NFL HS Coach of the Year Award
- Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year
- AP Comeback Player of the Year
- GMC Never Say Never Moment of the Year
- FedEx Air and Ground Players of the Year
- Greatness on the Road
- Bridgestone Performance Play of the Year
- Salute To Service Award
- AP Defensive Player of the Year
Monday, January 27, 2014
Kobe- Why So Many Votes for the 2014 NBA All Star Game?
I was glancing at the NBA All Star Game Starters and I saw Kobe Bryant's name up there. He has only played 6 games this entire year, and yet he has 988,884 votes. Hmm.. why is that, although Kobe says he won't play in the All Star Game in New Orleans, I'm still skeptical.
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| Kobe Bryant |
Is Michael Crabtree really "medicore"?
As many of you may know, Richard Sherman's rant was all over local and national news. His sudden rant and outrage turned many "don't care for the Super Bowl" type fans into sudden die-hard Broncos. He recently said twice that Michael Crabtree is "medicore" and I'm here to analyze that.
Michael Crabtree, 6'2", 215 lbs. graduated out of Texas Tech in 2008. He was drafted 10th overall in the 2009 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. In 2009, he played in 11 out of 16 games, and only caught 48 passes for only 2 TDs. In 2010, he played a full season and caught only 7 more passes then the year before (55). His numbers sharply increased over 2011-2012, in which he caught a total of 157 passes. His numbers sharply drop after the 2012 season into 2013, in which he only catches 19 passes (in 6 games).
Sherman was right. Yes, Crabtree is medicore, his numbers will continue to drop, because of the new Pro/Pistol formation that many teams are utilizing. Kapernick is made for running and with the arrival of Anquan Boldin, his numbers will drop. Don't be surprised if the 49ers draft a WR in the 2nd-3rd round range. Also, I predict Crabtree will be a non-factor by 2017-2018 season. He is already 26 years old and already his body is breaking down.
Michael Crabtree, 6'2", 215 lbs. graduated out of Texas Tech in 2008. He was drafted 10th overall in the 2009 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. In 2009, he played in 11 out of 16 games, and only caught 48 passes for only 2 TDs. In 2010, he played a full season and caught only 7 more passes then the year before (55). His numbers sharply increased over 2011-2012, in which he caught a total of 157 passes. His numbers sharply drop after the 2012 season into 2013, in which he only catches 19 passes (in 6 games).
Sherman was right. Yes, Crabtree is medicore, his numbers will continue to drop, because of the new Pro/Pistol formation that many teams are utilizing. Kapernick is made for running and with the arrival of Anquan Boldin, his numbers will drop. Don't be surprised if the 49ers draft a WR in the 2nd-3rd round range. Also, I predict Crabtree will be a non-factor by 2017-2018 season. He is already 26 years old and already his body is breaking down.
Blood Brothers- Jason Kubel and Michael Tonkin
As I was reading the local paper the other day, new addition Jason Kubel is excited about playing with his brother in law, rookie reliever Michael Tonkin. Kubel, a South Dakota native, is glad to be back with his old teammates. He says, "I'm very much looking forward to playing baseball with these guys again. They have amazing chemistry, and hopefully I'll be able to bring the World Series trophy back here." Right. Kubel signed a minor league contract with the team earlier this year. He's got slim chances of making the team this year, but he could end up in Triple AAA, and make the team off of a mid-season call-up.
Alex Meyer- Pitcher at day- Teacher by night
I was checking out the latest updates on Bleacher Report and I look at this article.
"Twins Top Pitching Prospect Making $63 As Sub Teacher" Imagine having a 6'9" teacher in Indianapolis, Indiana teaching you about the French Revolution? Makes you smile a bit.
"Twins Top Pitching Prospect Making $63 As Sub Teacher" Imagine having a 6'9" teacher in Indianapolis, Indiana teaching you about the French Revolution? Makes you smile a bit.
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Twinsfest Part 4- Photos and Legendary Nickname
After the "Highfivers" reached their goal and beat it, we went venturing the service level and waiting for players to come out of the Autograph Station #4 and the Photo Booth. We walked over to the same place where we encountered Mr. Fingers, and talked to Jim "Mudcat" Grant. We asked him a question on how he got his nickname.
"When I started playin' ball, the managers thought that I was from Mississippi, so they called me Mudcat, y'all understand?. They said that because there are a lot of mud cats in the Mississippi River, but I'm from Lacoochee, Florida." We talked a little while longer, then left.
We stopped high fiving to go have some lunch. It was so packed, we had to find a table next to the children face painter. Then, we went and shot some hoops and got photos with these ballplayers:
We also had an funny/hilarious encounter with Chris Collabello. We were playing hoops, and therefore started this dialogue:
"Hey, Mr Collabello, what's up?
"Nothing much, man."
I go up, and shoot a 19 on the basketball arcade game, and then say:
"Hey Wilson, beat that man!"
Collabello sharply interrupts,
"Nah man! Beat my 48 I put up yesterday!"
Wilson proceeds to get a 27. Then us and Collabello, proceed to do a soul shake. Whatever that was. More tomorrow. Peace
"When I started playin' ball, the managers thought that I was from Mississippi, so they called me Mudcat, y'all understand?. They said that because there are a lot of mud cats in the Mississippi River, but I'm from Lacoochee, Florida." We talked a little while longer, then left.
We stopped high fiving to go have some lunch. It was so packed, we had to find a table next to the children face painter. Then, we went and shot some hoops and got photos with these ballplayers:
We also had an funny/hilarious encounter with Chris Collabello. We were playing hoops, and therefore started this dialogue:
"Hey, Mr Collabello, what's up?
"Nothing much, man."
I go up, and shoot a 19 on the basketball arcade game, and then say:
"Hey Wilson, beat that man!"
Collabello sharply interrupts,
"Nah man! Beat my 48 I put up yesterday!"
Wilson proceeds to get a 27. Then us and Collabello, proceed to do a soul shake. Whatever that was. More tomorrow. Peace
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| Samuel Deduno and I |
.jpg) |
| Eric Fryer (acquired in the Morneau deal) and I |
Twinsfest Part 3- The Highfivers
The Twinsfest last year was very closed and very restricted. It wasn't very personable. This year, Wilson and I made a goal:
Get at least 10 player highfives between the two of us. That seemed impossible. We wanted that goal so bad. And we did it! Here is how many we got! MORE IN.. TWINSFEST.. Part 4!
Get at least 10 player highfives between the two of us. That seemed impossible. We wanted that goal so bad. And we did it! Here is how many we got! MORE IN.. TWINSFEST.. Part 4!
- Eric Fryer
- Chris Parmelee
- Alex Meyer (who was 6'9", 240 lbs.)
- Anthony Swarzak
- Sean Gilmartin
- Jim Perry
- Kevin Correia
- Scott Erickson
- Ricky Nolcaso
- Darin Mastroainni (he has grown his hair out. He looks very different)
- Samuel Deduno
- Andrew Albers
- Brian Dozier
- Trevor Plouffe
- Chris Herrmann
- Miguel Sano
- Jason Kubel
- Tony Oliva
- Jim "Mudcat" Grant
- Rollie Fingers
- Joe Mauer
- Josh Willingham
- Chris Collabello
- Bert Blyleven
- Jared Burton
Twinsfest- Part 2
I ended off with getting an autograph from Mr. Blyleven and we chatted for a little bit, then Wilson and I headed off to the elevators to explore the suite level. Then, out of the blue, we see a 6'5" giant. It was JOE MAUER. Then we asked him:
"Hey Mr. Mauer!"
"Hey Guys, how's Twinsfest so far?"
"Great, can we get a high-five?"
"Oh yes, absolutely!"
Wow! That was one of the best highlights about Twinsfest! (so far) We walked, then I got an autograph and a picture with this man: Rollie Fingers! WOW! I'm stumbling into legends all over the place!
"Hey Mr. Mauer!"
"Hey Guys, how's Twinsfest so far?"
"Great, can we get a high-five?"
"Oh yes, absolutely!"
Wow! That was one of the best highlights about Twinsfest! (so far) We walked, then I got an autograph and a picture with this man: Rollie Fingers! WOW! I'm stumbling into legends all over the place!
That was pretty sweet, BUT..... the best is yet to come! IN.... TWINSFEST.. PART 3
Twinsfest 2014- The best so far.
I went to Twinsfest yesterday with my buddy Wilson, who blogs Pride of the Twins, a super cool site. We saw many different aspects of Target Field that most people will never see. We saw the field when there was about 3-5' on the ground. We saw about 30 different players walking around (unlike years past) and conversing with the crowd. Pride of the Twins is Wilson's blog.
Wilson and I were walking around on the service level (probably the best and most interactive level out them all) and I talk and see this guy: Wow! How awesome was that to talk to a Hall of Famer! Mr. Blyleven was a very personable man, and very kind. I got an autograph with him. More to come in Twinsfest Part 2!
Wilson and I were walking around on the service level (probably the best and most interactive level out them all) and I talk and see this guy: Wow! How awesome was that to talk to a Hall of Famer! Mr. Blyleven was a very personable man, and very kind. I got an autograph with him. More to come in Twinsfest Part 2!
Getting Started
Hey Everyone! I'm just getting started with this blogging concept! In later posts, I will be posting about Twinsfest and baseball rumors and trades/free agencies! And also my trip down to Florida in the spring to watch some Tigers baseball! Let me know if you want any certain topics to be discussed. Otherwise, enjoy!
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