The Rise and Fall of the Pittsburgh Pirates

The season started in Wrigley Field for the Pirates as they played their opening series against the Cubs. With bases loaded in the 5th inning, Neil Walker hit a grand slam that bounced clear out of the stadium. They went on to win that series and win their next series against the Cardinals as well. A week later, they took 2 out of 3 games against the Reds.

That's the way the beginning of the season went for the Pirates. Their pitchers were pitching at a whole different level, the players showed some offensive life, and the team won games. Series wins over the Phillies, Diamondbacks, Astros, Orioles, Red Sox, and Blue Jays in June as well as several sold-out games only helped the young ball-club keep rolling along.

On July 16th, the Pittsburgh Pirates were in first place in the NL Central with a record of 48-43. This was the climax of a cinderella story for a team which hasn't finished a season above .500 since 1992.

Since then, however, the Pirates have been a different story. Their current record sits at 62-73 and they are all but eliminated from the playoffs. Their record during the month of August has been terrible: 7 wins and 21 losses.

How could a team fall so far, so fast?

One reason is injuries. The Pirates have been one of the most injury-plagued teams this season, highlighted by the injuries of their top 3 catchers (Ryan Doumit, Chris Snyder, and Jason Jaramillo). Jose Tabata, Pedro Alvarez, Evan Meek, Ross Ohlendorf, Ryan Ludwick, Derek Lee, Steve Pearce, Kevin Correia, Paul Maholm, Alex Presley, Chase d'Arnaud, and Kevin Hart all spent at least 15 days on the DL this season.

Another reason for the swift decline of the Pirates was the break down of their pitching. The pitching stats for the first half of the season were very impressive: Jeff Karstens' ERA was 2.55, Paul Maholm's was 2.96, and Kevin Correia's was 4.01.

Since the All-Star break, however, Jeff Karsten's ERA has been 4.73, Paul Maholm's has been 5.75, and Kevin Correia's has been 7.23. Kevin Correia looked to be on pace for close to 20 wins after earning 11 wins at the time of the All-Star break, however, he's only won one game since, while losing four.

Even Joel Hanrahan, who didn't blow a save in the entire first half of the season, has blown three since.

It's a familiar story for Pirates fans, a never-ending cycle of hope and disappointment.

As the Pirates play the final game of a series versus the Astros, there remains an air of a "could-have-been" season. A season where they could have been in the playoffs. A season where they could have been a .500 team.

As the saying goes for the fans of many poor performing teams: "There's always next year". Well, at least they put up a good fight.

Philadelphia Flyers Lockup James van Riemsdyk

The Philadelphia Flyers have signed left winger James van Riemsdyk to a six year extention, which will annually pay him 4.250 million a year.

Van Riemsdyk put up a respectable 40 points in 75 games last season, playing in a third line supporting role for the Flyers.

However with the departure of top six forwards, Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, the Flyers expect more production from the young sniper as his playing time will increase.

In last year's playoffs, van Riemsdyk was one of the Flyer's most dynamic players, putting up 7 points; all goals, in eleven games.

James van Riemsdyk was drafted second overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2007.

Miami Dolphins Pre-Season Analysis and Grades

With the NFL season looming around the corner, it’s time to take a look at one of the most talked-about teams this off-season. The Miami Dolphins are coming off their second consecutive 7-9 season and are hoping that this will be the year that they can turn it around. Let’s break down the team, position by position, and analyze the outlook of the Dolphins 2011-12 season.

Quarterbacks: As has been the constant question since the retiring of Dan Marino, who will be the Dolphins starting quarterback? As of right now, the leading candidate is Chad Henne. With the departure of Tyler Thigpen to the Bills, and Chad Pennington’s release, the Dolphins really have very little quarterback depth. The other three quarterbacks on the roster are Matt Moore, Kevin O’Connell, and Pat Devlin. You don’t need me to tell you that none of those three quarterbacks are anywhere close to being an NFL starter. While Chad Henne’s reputation as a starting quarterback may be low, keep in mind that this will only be his second full season as a starter.

Henne

Grade: C+ ... It seems that the Dolphins have some concerns at the quarterback position, especially should Henne get injured. It would be painful to watch Moore, O’Connell, or Devlin run the Dolphins offense. Moore might not be as bad as the other two as he does have legitimate NFL experience and put together a very good year in ’09 (98.5 QB rating), but after a disaster season last year (5 TD, 10 Int, 57.5 QB rating in 3 starts) I don’t know how much faith I have in him. I don’t want to get into a big debate about Henne, and whether he’s good enough to be an NFL starter, so I’ll just stick with the facts. This past season, Chad Henne threw for more yards and had a higher QB rating than Mark Sanchez. Mark Sanchez is widely considered a solid, young quarterback while Henne is usually referred to as “mediocre”. I do think that Henne has the potential to become a legitimate NFL starter, and if he has the stuff, this will be his year to prove it. So far this pre-season, Chad Henne seems to be vastly improved. He had a rough start against the Falcons in the first week, but he was much improved against the Panthers, and was excellent against the Buccaneers (10/13, 175 yards, 1 TD) and was not hesitant to throw the deep ball (evidenced by the 60 yard TD to Brandon Marshall).

Offensive Line: The Dolphins offensive line boasts one of (if not the) best tackles in football. LT Jake Long has been outstanding in his first three seasons in the NFL, and I don’t expect this year to be any different. While injuries may be a concern, considering he had a labrum tear in his shoulder last season, I wouldn’t be too worried. He sat out the first three pre-season games, but has been practicing and been itching to get back onto the field. Coach Sparano hinted that even if Long misses all 4 pre-season games, he will still likely be the starting left tackle. As a three time Pro-Bowler in just as many seasons, Jake Long will be the anchor of this Miami Offensive Line. Opposite of Jake Long will likely be the recently signed Marc Colombo. Colombo was the starting right tackle for the Cowboys from 2006-2010 and has been in the league since 2002 when he was a first-round pick by the Bears. Colombo seems to be a solid right tackle and will complement Jake Long nicely. Vernon Carey has been one of the most consistent tackles in the NFL as he made 74 straight starts through January 3, 2010. Unfortunately for Carey, the two tackle positions have been locked-up this year, but he will still be a starting guard. Carey had solid seasons in ’08 and ’09 by only allowing 6 and 4 sacks respectively, but only made 12 starts last season. I expect Carey to have some growing-pains on his transition to guard, but he’ll feel more comfortable as the season goes on. As for the other guard, Richie Incognito will have a large impact this season. Being a seven-year veteran and starting all 16 regular season games last season, he’ll be a sure-fire starter. He also adds some aggressiveness, which the team has been lacking. While not an elite lineman, Incognito will be solid this season. At center will be Mike Pouncey, the 15^th overall selection in the past draft. He will fill a void that Miami has been lacking for a few seasons and seems to be Miami’s franchise center for years to come. If he’s anything like his brother Maurkice, who had a fantastic rookie season last year and made the Pro-Bowl, the Dolphins should have no problems at center this season.

Grade: B-… Jake Long and Marc Colombo should carry this offensive line and have the talent to do so. Incognito will be solid, but nothing special, and will likely commit more than his fair share of penalties. If Mike Pouncey is anything like his brother Maurkice, he will have a very good rookie year at either center or guard. Vernon Carey is a wild-card, as he is learning a new position, but I feel that he’ll do just fine.

Bush

Running Backs: Rushing will be vital to the Dolphins success this year. With an inconsistent passing game (fueled by an inconsistent quarterback), the running game will have to step-up this season. With Ronny Brown now signed with the Eagles, and Ricky Williams backing-up Ray Rice in Baltimore it looks like Daniel Thomas and Reggie Bush will be getting the majority of the carries. Recently signed Larry Johnson hardly played last season, and hasn’t really been good for half a decade, but I feel the Dolphins will utilize his power on short-yardage situations. Other than that, don’t expect Larry to put up 1,000 or even 500 yards. Reggie Bush looks to be the starting running back this season which actually scares me. Since he came into the league in ’06, the most he’s carried the ball for in a season is 581 yards in ’07. Even then, he only averaged 3.7 yards per carry and fumbled the ball 7 times which is unimpressive to say the least. Daniel Thomas played well in his two years at Kansas State, rushing for 2,850 yards, averaging 5.2 yards a carry, and powering his way to 30 rushing TD’s (including 19 last year alone).

Grade: C+ …Reggie Bush can be a good back when healthy, but after missing half of last season with a broken fibula, he is definitely an injury risk. My season prediction is that Bush begins the season as the starting running back and performs adequately, while Daniel Thomas gets 10 or so carries a game and plays very well. An injury to Reggie Bush is more than possible, and in that case, I expect the rookie, Daniel Thomas, to get the majority of the carries and thrive behind the Dolphins’ O-Line and the organization’s fondness of power running backs. Overall, the Dolphins do not have a proven running back on their roster (besides Larry Johnson who hasn’t scored a touchdown since ’08) and will need a big season out of Reggie Bush and Daniel Thomas in order to be successful.

Fullbacks: Two words: Lousaka Polite. In his 3 years with the Miami Dolphins he has plowed the way for numerous running backs and has showed that he’s one of the dominant lead-blocking fullbacks.

Grade: A… Not to mention, over the past three years Lousaka Polite has ran the ball 43 times on third-and-one and forth-and-one, and has converted 41 of those for first downs. Not bad.

Marshall

Wide Receivers: The Dolphins’ wide receiver corps will be led by Brandon Marshall and Davone Bess. Marshall is coming off his forth-straight 1,000 receiving yard season, though he did have a rough season and only caught 3 TD’s and averaged a meager 2.8 yards after catch. Bess caught an impressive 79 passes to go along with 5 TD’s and was the go-to receiver on 3^rd down. The rest of the receiving corps consists of 3^rd year wide receiver Brian Hartline, 2^nd year receivers Roberto Wallace and Marlon Moore, and rookie Edmond Gates. Brian Hartline is not an especially athletically gifted receiver, but he does have decent speed and good hands. He caught 43 passes for 615 yards and will continue to be an underrated receiver on the team. Roberto Wallace and Marlon Moore scarcely played last year and only had 6 catches each. However, I can see a lot of potential in Roberto Wallace and his 6’4 frame. He will be a big target and attract some attention when he goes deep. I can see Roberto Wallace being a Brandon Marshall-type player a few years down the stretch, but that will take time. Marlon Moore is smaller (6 feet tall) and not quite as gifted as the other 4 receivers. I don’t want to say too much about him because there’s a decent chance that he won’t make the 53-man roster. Edmond Gates is likely the speediest receiver on the squad and will likely be competing with Wallace for the 4^th wide receiver spot.

Grade: A-… I expect Brandon Marshall to improve on last year’s numbers as he settles down and begins to focus. He and Chad Henne seem to be on the same page so far in pre-season and with new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll eager to let Henne throw the ball deep, Marshall might just have a great season. Davone Bess, as always, will thrive under single-coverage while defenses double-team Marshall. There’s no reason why Bess can’t put up Pro-Bowl caliber numbers after nearly doing so last season. The receiving corps look to be very solid, if not great, and will help out Chad Henne greatly.

Tight Ends: While the Dolphins lack a big-name tight-end, Anthony Fasano is solid and will lead the tight ends corps. The second tight-end spot is up for grabs. My bet is that Charles Clay, the rookie full-back/tight-end, will see time there as well as Mickey Shuler.

Grade: C+...The Dolphins tight ends aren’t going to scare any defenses, but they will be average. Fasano is coming off a good receiving year for a tight-end (39 catches, 528 yards, 4 TD’s) and the other tight end will hopefully be solid. If Charles Clay is the second tight end, expect him to be a solid blocker, but mediocre receiver.

Defensive Line: One of the strengths for the Dolphins the past several years has been their defensive line. This year should be no different with Randy Starks, Paul Soliai, and Kendall Langford expected to be the starting linemen in the Dolphins 3-4 defense. Starks is an above-average run-stopping defensive-end who will get to the quarterback every now and then. He’s coming off a down year in which he only had 30 tackles and 3 sacks, but had 56 tackles and 7 sacks in ’09. I expect him to put up numbers somewhere in the middle this season. Paul Soliai made waves last off-season when the Dolphins placed the franchise tag on him and signed him to a 1-year 12.38 million dollar contract, and we all hope that he lives up to it. The nose tackle was a beast of a run-stopper last season and was constantly getting pressure on the quarterback. Kendall Langford is coming off a solid season at defensive-end in which he posted 47 tackles, 3 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles. He should post similar, if not improved, numbers this season. The biggest threat to Langford’s job security is ’10 first-round pick defensive-end Jared Odrick. Odrick missed his rookie season with a broken leg, but is healthy this season and could make a push for a starting job as the season goes on. Other back-ups who will likely see some playing time include ’09 second-round pick Phillip Merling and Tony McDaniel. Merling scarcely played last season, appearing in just 5 games, and recorded a meager 3 tackles. McDaniel on the other hand appeared in 15 games (including one start) and had 36 tackles and 2.5 sacks.

Grade: A-…While the D-line does lack a star player, all three starters are very good and will help maintain the Dolphins 7^th ranked run-defense. The squad also has a good amount of depth in Tony McDaniel and Jared Odrick. The Dolphins will heavily rely on their D-line this season.

Dansby

Linebackers: The Dolphins’ linebackers are going to be the most exciting aspect of this team, mark my words. The Dolphins have a tackle-machine in Karlos Dansby, a premier pass-rusher in Cameron Wake, a steadily improving player in Kevin Burnett, and a young, exciting player in Koa Misi. Dansby and Wake will anchor this linebacking group. In his 7-year career, Dansby has amassed 650 tackles, including 420 in his past 4 seasons. There’s no reason why Dansby can’t put up another 100 tackles this season. The other star of the linebacker group is outside linebacker Cameron Wake. Wake played in the CFL (Canadian Football League) in 2007 and 2008, and was an all-around beast. He won Most Outstanding Defensive Player in ’07 and ’08 and was the Most Outstanding Rookie in ’07. After posting a solid 5.5 sacks in 14 games in ’09, Wake had a breakout season last year in which he had 57 tackles, 14 sacks, and 3 forced fumbles on his way to a Pro-Bowl season. Since Wake is now recognized as an elite pass-rusher, he will often be double-teamed this season, which will lead to a drop-off in production. Still, Wake should be good for 10+ sacks and potentially another Pro-Bowl. The newest Miami Dolphins linebacker, Kevin Burnett, will definitely help out this team by offering an upgrade over Channing Crowder. He spent last year with the Chargers and had a very good year with 95 tackles, 6 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 2 interceptions. He will be a very nice addition to the Dolphin’s defense and will undoubtedly be the other inside linebacker along with Dansby. On the opposite side of Wake will be second-year player Koa Misi. Misi played in all 16 games last season and played fairly solid. He totaled 41 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and 2 fumble recoveries in his rookie season. I expect him to improve upon last seasons numbers and continue to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

Grade: A… The linebackers will be the primary playmakers on defense this season for the Dolphins. Wake will continue to make life difficult for opposing offensive lines and Dansby will lead the team in tackles while Burnett and Misi will continue to improve in their 7^th and 2^nd years in the NFL respectively. Don’t forget about Jason Taylor either! I am confident that the 36 year-old still has something left in his tank. He will play 15-20 snaps a game and will likely get more than his fair share of sacks.

Cornerbacks: Led by 3^rd year cornerbacks Vontae Davis and Sean Smith, the Dolphins have a couple question marks in this aspect of their secondary. While Vontae Davis will likely have a decent season and make some big plays, Sean Smith still has several questions to answer. He played adequately last season, but it seemed that he dropped an interception nearly every game, and he has only intercepted one pass in the 31 games he’s played in. Davis, on the other hand, has 5 interceptions in 32 games played. If Sean Smith can simply hang onto the ball, he’ll do just fine this season. As for the other cornerbacks on the depth chart, the only ones I see getting playing time are Benny Sapp, Nate Ness, and maybe Jimmy Wilson. Benny Sapp is a veteran cornerback who’s entering his 8^th year in the NFL. While he’s nowhere close to being an elite, or even a very good cornerback, Sapp is an above-average corner who will probably see playing time in Nickel and Dime formations. Ness is a second-year corner/safety who will likely be riding the bench for the majority of games unless someone is injured. Jimmy Wilson is a seventh-round draft pick this past draft with decent upside. I have no idea what the Dolphins plan to do with him as far as playing time is concerned.

Grade: B… Sorry Vontae Davis, despite what you’ve said about you and Sean Smith being “the best cornerback tandem in the league” I don’t think many people are buying it. While Vontae Davis is a very good corner who can limit even some of the best receivers impacts in a game, it’s the other cornerbacks that are the concern. If Sean Smith has a breakout year and plays well, then the Dolphins might have a top-ten cornerback tandem.

Bell

Safeties: Led by Pro-Bowler Yeremiah Bell, the Dolphin’s safeties look to play a big role in this Dolphins defense. Yeremiah Bell has the strong-safety position locked-up after posting over 100 tackles last season and making the Pro-Bowl in ’09. It’s the free-safety position, however, in which the position-battle is being fought. Chris Clemens (the starter last season) and Rashad Jones (the second-year player out of Georgia) have been battling for the starting job since the beginning of training camp, and it really could go either way. Jones is more of a ball-hawk and has a tendency to make the big play. Clemens, on the other hand, is more of a conservative player who is less mistake-prone. No matter who’s the starter come the season opener, both are solid players and will help out the defense significantly. Having to choose between Clemens and Jones is a good situation for the Dolphins to be in.

Grade: B+…Yeremiah Bell just might be the Dolphins best secondary player and he has a great feel for the ball. There’s no doubt that that he’ll make several great plays this season. Chris Clemens and Rashad Jones are both solid safeties and will help the team in different ways.

Special Teams: While it may seem unusual to say, one of the best players on the Dolphins is their punter. Brandon Fields basically single handedly beat the Jets last season with one of the greatest punting performances of all time. The Dolphins offense could hardly muster 100 yards of total offense, but thanks to Fields’ 564 punting yards on 10 punts, the Jets were consistently starting their drives deep in their own territory. Fields averaged 46.2 yards per punt, 5^th in the NFL. He had 6 games last season in which he punted the ball 60 yards at least once, and also pinned other teams inside their own 20 on nearly half of his punts. Additionally, Fields rarely punted the ball into the end zone, doing so on only about 5% of all his punts. Kicker Dan Carpenter has one of the most powerful legs in the league, but unfortunately had a sub-par 2010 season. He was inconsistent overall, making just 73.2% of his field goals, 37^th in the NFL. However, he did make all of his field goals from under 40 yards. His low-point of the season was a 0 for 4 kicking performance against Buffalo, which ended up costing the Dolphins the game. He did have some bright spots last season, including back-to-back games against Pittsburgh and Cincinnati where he went an impressive 10 for 10, including one from 54 yards out. His highlight of last season was a 60-yard field goal against Cleveland, the longest field goal by any kicker since Sebastian Janikowski in ’09. Another aspect of special teams, the return game, is an area in which the Dolphins can improve. Nolan Caroll and Patrick Cobbs split time as kick returners and ranked 16^th and 38^th respectively in average yards per return. With the departure of Patrick Cobbs and the arrival of Reggie Bush, however, perhaps the Dolphins will utilize Bush’s speed and have him return kicks. The Dolphins were better at returning punts, however, as Davone Bess averaged 11.4 yards per return, 8^th in the NFL, right behind DeSean Jackson. Miami failed to return either a kick or a punt for a touchdown last season.

Grade: B+...Brandon Fields is an exceptional punter and will continue to be one of the few game-changing punters in the NFL. Dan Carpenter will look to rebound after a shaky year and hopefully make another Pro-bowl after doing so in’09. If he can shake this past year off and go back to making 89% of his kicks like he did in ’09, the Dolphins will be much improved. The return game does lack explosiveness, but with new players likely returning kicks this season, its unfair to base this season’s expectations on last years statistics.

Bottom Line: The Dolphins do have some weak spots on the roster, primarily on offense, and there are still a lot of uncertainties surrounding Chad Henne. However the Dolphins’ defense ranked 6^th in total yards allowed, 7^th in rushing yards allowed, 8^th in passing yards allowed, tied for the 10^th most sacks, and had the 10^th fewest penalty yards in the NFL. Overall, the Dolphins defense is solid and there are very few question marks. If the Dolphins want to improve on a 7-9 record, however, it’s the offense that needs to step up and take charge.

Philadelphia Eagles: With Added Firepower and Pressure, Can They Succeed?

Nnamdi Asomugha

To start this article I would like to thank Jeff Lurie.

After 14 years of suffering through offseasons where the Eagles could have signed big names such as Julius Peppers, this offseason they finally went out and signed many big name free agents such as Cullen Jenkins and Nnamdi Asomugha to put the team in the position as a Super Bowl favorite.

Now being the Super Bowl favorite comes with positives and negatives. One HUGE negative is the pressure. The media, other teams, and most of all the fans have all eyes turned to the Eagles. Especially with the nature of Philadelphia sports fans, the pressure increases.

Even in a meaningless preseason game again the Steelers where Mike Vick threw three interceptions, questions where flying about the new-look Eagles.

As much as it hurts for me to say, here are some reasons the Eagles will NOT live up to the expectations put on them:

1) The Lockout

The lockout really hurt the Eagles. Even though they signed many talented free agents, they have had very limited time to "gel" as a team.

Training camp was shortened and it may take some of the players a couple games to get into "regular season form".

In the NFL time and preparation is everything, and the Eagles didn't have much time to get the necessary preparation in for the regular season.

Castillo

2) Juan Castillo

As a first year defensive coordinator for the Eagles, Juan Castillo has the second most pressure on the team. Who has the most pressure, we'll get to that later.

Castillo played linebacker in his playing days, but has never coached on the defensive side of the ball. He brings a lot of energy to the Eagles revamped defense, but once again doesn't have the time with this Eagles defensive.



During the Steelers game, Castillo was experimenting with a zone that clearly didn't work.

Hopefully by the time Week 1 comes, he will be done experimenting.

3) Mike Vick

Yeah, Castillo may have a lot of pressure on him. But, Mike Vick has the most pressure on him on the team, and maybe even in the league. As ESPN First and Ten host Skip Bayless said on Twitter yesterday, Mike Vick is a good NFL Quarterback, but not great.

The season of the Eagles rides on Vick's shoulders, and that may be too much pressure for him. Vick has only played 16 games once in his career, and towards the end of the season last year his play declined.

Many critics have criticized Vicks ability to consistently play at the same level for all 16 games of a season.

Hopefully for Eagles fans, Vick will prove critics wrong like he has his whole career. Also, Eagles fans hope that this version of the "Super Team" will turn out better than the Miami Heat did.

David Stern's Legacy Is On The Line

Many around the NBA and sports world have had a generally positive view about commissioner David J. Stern. Those who have followed his journey know that he went from being a simple league attorney working to bring the NBA to golden era of the 1980's which featured the entertaining NBA finals battles between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers. However Stern's future and his everlasting legacy as perhaps one of the best commissioners in sports history may be in serious jeopardy.

Although the improvements that Stern has contributed to the benefit of the league are without doubt, Stern has been through many points of turmoil with the league. The controversy began just one year after Stern took over in the year 1985. it was the NBA draft lottery and teams had their eye on the prize which was Patrick Ewing the young and talented center from Georgetown. The New York Knicks were coming off a disappointing season and were in need of hope to show that that the future was bright for their fans, that future was Ewing and new commissioner Stern, whose favorite team growing up was the Knicks, were able to "win" the lottery. The events of the lottery to this day are still unclear and remains controversial.

David Stern also had to deal with an NBA referee betting scandal in which Tim Donaghy who was convicted on betting on games as an NBA official, said in statements that the league office told the NBA officials to make sure the Sacremento Kings end up losing a game 6 clinch game of the 2002 western finals to have great ratings for Kings vs Lakers game 7. After the statements many fans and followers of the game became skeptical of not only NBA officiating but if the league had any control at all at the results of NBA games.

Although Stern has managed to get great marketing and popularity in for the NBA recently by making it one of the more popular leagues of today, many critics would say one of the worst moments of his career was the lockout of the 1998-1999 NBA season. The lockout came right after one of the most popular NBA finals series ever between the Chicago Bulls and the Utah Jazz which featured Michael Jordan winning his final championship before retiring. 50 games were missed the next season and the NBA's popularity, which was once so high a couple seasons before, lost immense interest and popularity which took years to get back. Many around at the time were critical of stern and thought that the popularity would be difficult regain, and that the work stoppage may define Stern's legacy as commissioner. However over time Stern was able to regain interest and popularity in the NBA and bring back great ratings most notably last year in the NBA Finals between the Heat and the Mavericks. It seemed that the NBA's popularity was at an all time high as so many had an interest in the events of the 2010-2011 season. However just like the 1998-1999 season in which games were missed following a great year in 1997-1998 the same is likely to occur if not worse due to this NBA lockout. After the work stoppage in 1999 Stern was able to reshape his legacy however this time he may not be able to that and the results could be devastating.

One thing is clear the NBA, David Stern, and his legacy are on the clock, a clock that is ticking very fast.

Hunter Pence adds Energy, Power, and Balance to the Phillies Lineup

After acquiring Cliff Lee in the offseason, the Phillies were touted as the favorite to win the World Series from opening day.

With a starting rotation containing two former Cy Young Award winners, a World Series MVP and four all-stars, how could they lose? 

Unfortunately, baseball consists of pitching AND hitting. With the loss of Jayson Werth, the Phillies were left with a hole in right field. Even though the Phillies were winning games, the offense was streaky. Some games they would show up, but most games were left on the shoulders of the pitching staff.

To solve this ongoing problem the Phillies went to a familiar face, Ed Wade, to trade for all-star right fielder Hunter Pence. Not only does Pence add power to the lineup hitting .324 with four HR and 12 RBI in 19 games, but most importantly he adds balance.

The Phillies for years have had a majority left-handed hitting team. Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, and Raul Ibanez are all lefties, and Shane Victorino and Jimmy Rollins hit both ways. When Pence was added to the lineup, he was inserted in the five-hole to protect Ryan Howard and to balance the lineup with a right-handed hitter in the middle of the lineup.

Lastly, what Charlie Manuel likes most about Pence is the energy he brings to the Phillies clubhouse. The Phillies lineup has been re-energized, and Pence has already fit in with the rest of the Phillies players and media.

Gary Matthews, a Phillies announcer, asked Pence what he was thinking as he rounded third to score in a 10 inning game against the PIrates. Pence replied with, "Good game, let's go eat."

With the energy, balance, and power Hunter Pence brings to the Phillies they are certainty now the favorite to win the World Series, if they were not already.

Pittsburgh Steelers History

Art Rooney

THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS

A few years ago, the Pittsburgh Steelers won the Super Bowl. It was their sixth Super Bowl championship. Last year, they were just one win away from their seventh. But the Steelers weren’t always the great team they are today. Let’s go back in time and follow the Pittsburgh Steelers’ history from the beginning.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have the fifth oldest franchise in the NFL (National Football League). They were founded in 1933 by Art Rooney.

Rooney made and won a horse racing bet for $2,500. That was a lot of money back then. Over time, inflation has occurred. Back then $2,500 was equivalent to well over $30,000 today. He used that money to buy an NFL team in Pittsburgh. He called them the Pittsburgh Pirates after his favorite baseball team. For their first eight seasons they never won more than half of their games. In 1941, hoping to change the team’s luck, Rooney changed the team’s name to the Pittsburgh Steelers because of all the steel mills in Pittsburgh. The next year they had a winning record. But over the next 30 years, the Steelers would only have seven other winning seasons. That’s how the Steelers got their name as the "Losers of the NFL". In the 1950’s they cut future Super Bowl quarterbacks John Unitas, Len Dawson, and Earl Morrall.

Chuck Noll

The Steelers were a losing team until Chuck Noll became their coach in 1969. One day a reporter said to Noll, “Coach, this is historically a city of losers.” Then Chuck Noll said “Then we’ll change history.” Chuck Noll’s first two draft picks in 1969 were defensive linemen. The first player was Joe Green and the second one was L.C. Greenwood. Up till this point in time, Joe Green was the best player to step foot on a professional football field as a Steeler or a Pirate. The Steelers went 1- 13 that year (there were only 14 games back then.) The next year the Steelers got first draft choice. They picked Q.B. Terry Bradshaw. In 1972 their first draft choice was Franco Harris. That year the Steelers made the playoffs and then won the first round by the “The Immaculate Reception” by Franco Harris with 22 seconds left in the game. “The Immaculate Reception” was the best play according to NFL films in history. In 1974 Noll drafted 4 future Hall of Famers. In that same year the Steelers won their first Super Bowl. After that game Art Rooney said “Today’s win made all of the other years worth it.” Out of the next five years the Steelers won three additional Super Bowls. Those victories earned the Steelers the title of “The team of the 70’s.”Their defense after those years was known as “The Steel Curtain.”

Art Rooney died just before the 1989 season. Chuck Noll retired and Bill Cowher replaced him in 1992. Bill Cowher’s first three years coaching the Steelers were all playoff years. They reached the Super Bowl again in 1994 but they lost against the Dallas Cowboys.

In 2004, the Steelers drafted a new quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger. In that 2004-2005 season, the Steelers went 15-1. They lost against the New England Patriots in the second round of the playoffs. After the Steelers lost to the Patriots, Jerome Bettis was thinking of retiring until Ben Roethlisberger said to him “Give me one more year, and I promise you I will get you to the Super Bowl.”

After Super Bowl XL

The next year the Steelers started off 7-5 after their first 12 games of the season. They then won their last four regular season games to become the last seed in the playoffs. Then they became the first team to win three straight away games in a row to make the Super Bowl. They beat the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL to win their fifth Super Bowl; Hines Ward was the MVP of the game. 

In 2009, Steelers WR Santonio Holmes brought home another Super Bowl title to Pittsburgh. With time expiring Holmes arguably made the most clutch play in NFL history to win the game. Roethlisberger has two Super Bowl titles and three Super Bowl appearances. The question today is "Is he a Hall of Famer???"

This leaves us here today with the 2011-2012 Pittsburgh Steelers. What is your take on what will happen to them this season?

What to Expect From the Texans This Season

There was a reason why the Texans were expected to make the playoffs last season. The year before, they achieved the finest accomplishment in franchise history: a winning season. Matt Schaub led the league in passing and was expected to become even better. The biggest problem for the Texans was their lack of a running game. The Texans ranked 30th in rushing in the league, primarily because Steve Slaton did not live up to his expectations. However, in the very first game of the season against the rival colts, the solution was found. Arian Foster was unstoppable, rushing for 231 yards and reaching the endzone 3 times.

The Texans seemed unstoppable.

They were ranked number 3 in ESPN's power rankings, and their offense was electric. In the end, however, just one small problem prevented the Texans from achieving greatness, their secondary. The Texans had the leagues worst secondary in 2010, and it caused them to finish disappointedly at 6-10.

Expect that to change this season.

The Texans signed Pro-Bowl corner Jonathan Joseph, and an excellent safety in Daneal Manning. With these two defensive veterans on the team, the Texans are expected not to only improve their secondary, but actually have a good one. The Texans front seven seems to be stacked. They are made up of three Pro-Bowlers in Demeco Ryans, Brian Cushing, and Mario Williams. With the addition of JJ Watt, the Texans first round draft choice, the front seven seems very scary. Watt is impressing everyone at training camp. Gary Kubiak has said that Watt has already won the respect of the team's veterans, and Defensive Coordinator Wade Phillips is quoted as saying, "JJ Watt is stepping up and being a starter right now."

With an unstoppable offense and a revamped defense, the Texans appear to be playoff bound.

Delmon Young to the Tigers

Source: espn.com

Delmon Young (OF) has been traded from the Minnesota Twins to the Detroit Tigers for left-hander Cole Nelson. 




This is a great move for the Tigers, strengthening their lineup. Although the position was not needed in Detroit, this allows them to bench the struggling Magglio Ordoñez, who is batting .223.


Coincidentally, the Twins and Tigers start a series tonight so Delmon will be facing his former Minnesota team immediately. 




Earlier today, Delmon decided that he did not want to wait for a cab to get to Comerica Park in Detroit. He hitched a ride from none other than the Twins bus and rode with his former Twins club.  




"I'm not going to sit in a 30-minute cab ride," Young said. "Now, I think it would be awkward if I took the team bus back."






Just a couple of hours ago, in his first at-bat as a Tiger, Young homered to left-center field (see picture). This could foreshadow, what I think, a big future for Young in Detroit. 

Lebron James's Potential Post Game

After a year that was filled with ridicule, jokes, instant analysis, hate, success and failure, LeBron James is trying to improve and focus on what really matters, which is the game of Basketball.

Although many people have mixed views on Lebron's game, whether or not he has the killer instinct, or relies on his jumpshot too much, a key aspect that was missing from James's game was post game. It had been a part of Lebron's game that many analysts said was the missing piece to a complete array of dominant skills to a dominant player. As the years went by Lebron failed to add the post game to his repertoire, and with his latest finals failure the critics got louder about Lebron and his game.

While James failed to show components of operating in the post, he also failed to even discuss his plans of adding a post game to the media until earlier this week. In a charity event interview with the media in Ohio LeBron James said a myriad of things such as he is optimistic that there will be a 2011-2012 season, he is not considering any overseas offers currently, that he looks at the 2011 finals loss as motivation, and most importantly that he will be working to add a post game with Hakeem ''The Dream" Olajuwon. This comes as major news as James for the first time acknowledged that that was an area of his game in which he needed to improve upon as well as letting the world know that the finals loss to the Dallas Mavericks is giving motivation and dedication to silence his crazed critics.