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Last Word On Sports

Sports News Since 2011. Honestly.

Last Word On Sports Logo

Sports. Honestly. Since 2011

Year: 2012

Boom or Bust – Evaluating the NBA's top (and Bottom) Prospects

Posted on by Jordan Leung

Editor’s Note:   Last Word on Sports is pleased to announce the launch of our new and improved, and greatly expanded, NBA coverage.  We have brought on two new and exciting writers in Jordan Leung, and Kaine Elmy.  This is Jordan’s first piece for the site, but he is not new to the world of NBA coverage running his own site www.smokerafer.com prior to joining our team.   We are pleased to announce that Jordan will be bringing you his unique brand of basketball analysis and basketball humour here as well, beginning today.  We ask that you also stay tuned for Kaine’s first piece on our site, also out later today, and we hope you will enjoy the NBA coverage they will provide.  Now, on with the show!

 

With the rookie photo-shoot wrapped up a few days ago, and what should be the biggest trade of the offseason completed, we can almost say the NBA season is nearly here. For many of the league’s top players and veterans, they are concerned with how they can get better as individuals and as teams in order to compete for a title. Then there are other players – more concerned with earning a roster spot, or how they can prove their worth for a chance to play significant minutes in North America’s smallest major sports league.

Back in the 2005 NBA draft, the Houston Rockets drafted Illinois stud Luther Head with the 24th pick. In an injury riddled season for Houston, Head played the fifth most minutes of any rookie, as well as tying for the fifth highest in win shares in his rookie class. In his second NBA season, Head became a reliable sixth man on a 52 win Rocket team, averaging 10.9 points per game, making the sixth most three pointers in the NBA, while shooting the fourth best percentage among qualified players.

After two highly successful seasons as a late first-round pick, things got worse for Head. He never averaged more than 20 minutes a game again, and is now no longer on an NBA team.

From the same 2005 draft class, there are two of the NBA’s best point guards in Chris Paul and Deron Williams, there is last year’s laughing stock of the NBA, Raymond “Cheeseburgers” Felton, second round pick Monta Ellis is one of the game’s top scorers, and Andrew Bynum, the tenth pick of that draft earned the title as the second best center in the NBA.  We also have second pick Marvin Williams who has yet to prove that he was worth the second pick on draft night. Former dunk contest champion Gerald Green managed to find his way back in the league after a short stint in Europe. Lottery pick Fran Vasquez has yet to play a minute in the league, and another lottery pick Sean May hasn’t smelled an NBA floor since 2010.

The point is that after making the league, there is no way of telling where you will be in two, five, or ten years from now.

In this multi-part series, I will preview the top and bottom prospects (excluding rookies) of every NBA team, and I will analyze their strengths and weaknesses, why they are not better than they should be, what we should expect from them next season, as well as a prospect score out of 10. Please note that this prospect score is an overall aggregate that considers their potential, skill level, and other talents, while also taking into account a player’s realistic ceiling. For example, if I think John Wall will never improve in the NBA, I might give him a prospect score of 3 out of 10 because he is falling short of expectations, and not reaching his full potential. If I think Devin Ebanks has the potential to become a great role player in the NBA, I might give him a prospect score of 8 out of 10 because he is maximizing his potential and using the skills he has. This does not mean that I think Devin Ebanks is a better player than John Wall.  It is a formative assessment, not summative.  That is, I am not comparing players against each other, but rather analyzing them individually.

Check back tomorrow in my first edition of NBA Boom or Bust, where I will begin my analysis of the Southwest division starting with the 2011 NBA Champions, the Dallas Mavericks.

Red Sox and Dodgers Close to Making Blockbuster Trade

Posted on by Max Warner

The Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers are in the process of completing the biggest trade of the baseball season.  Boston is reported to be sending Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Josh Beckett and Nick Punto to the Dodgers for James Loney, and prospects Jerry Sands, Rubby De La Rosa and Ivan DeJesus.  Both Gonzalez and Beckett were claimed off waivers by the Dodgers earlier today.  For those of you confused as to how trades work after the non-waiver trade deadline, when a player is placed on waivers and is claimed by another team, the team placing the player on waivers has 48 hours to work out a trade with the team making the claim, allow the claim to go through without making a trade, or to pull the player off waivers.  Players claimed after August 31 are ineligible for the playoffs.  Both Gonzalez and Loney have been scratched from their scheduled games tonight, indicating that a trade is imminent.

This trade signifies several important things for the Red Sox, first and foremost that they are giving up on this season and are entering a rebuilding/reloading phase by trading their starting first baseman, left fielder and a key member of their starting rotation.  Second, this trade clearly indicates that Bobby Valentine will remain the manager of the Red Sox beyond this season.  Earlier this month, I wrote that the Red Sox had to fire Valentine or else change their roster substantially to ship out some of the players who disliked Valentine and complained to Boston ownership about him in July.  The Sox have clearly chosen the latter course of action.  Third, the Red Sox don’t believe that Beckett and Crawford can recapture their star form, as both had a disappointing season in 2012 and are owed a combined $229.5 million over the remainder of their contracts.  The Dodgers, on the other hand, are looking to bolster their roster for the stretch drive; they are currently 1.5 games out of a wild card spot and 3 games behind division leading San Francisco.

Here are the major pieces that the two teams would get in this trade:

The Dodgers:

Adrian Gonzalez-The 31-year-old has just 15 homeruns and an .812 OPS, disappointing numbers for a man making $21 million for each of the next seven years.  He previously put up big numbers (4 season of 30 plus homeruns) playing in pitcher-friendly Petco Park, so the move to spacious Dodger Stadium shouldn’t hurt him too much.  He would be a significant upgrade over Loney.

Josh Beckett-This player could definitely benefit from the move to the pitcher-friendly Dodger Stadium.  His 1.33 WHIP and 5.23 ERA this year were a bad surprise after his solid 2011.  Beckett would provide a veteran, playoff experienced starter (13 career playoff starts) who could fill out the middle of the L.A. rotation behind Clayton Kershaw and Chad Billingsley for the stretch drive.  He has two years and $31.5 million left on his contract.

Carl Crawford-After another injury-plagued season (just 31 games) in 2012, Crawford wants to have Tommy John Surgery to treat his injured elbow, which has been bothering him all season.  He is owed $20-plus million over each of the next five seasons, and could be healthy at some point in 2013 and could take over for the aging Bobby Abreu in left field next season.

The Red Sox:

James Loney: Is a first baseman with inadequate power (.646 OPS in 2012, career .423 slugging percentage) who can also play a little right field.  He is arbitration-eligible this off-season, and could be a temporary replacement at first base for Gonzalez until Sands is ready to take over, or could be the left-handed half of a platoon with Sands at first.

Jerry Sands-Is a 24-year-old who can play first base, right or left field.  He has hit 53 homeruns over the past two seasons in Triple-A and has also posted an OPS of .921 over that span.  Sands strikes out a lot (1 K per 4 at bats in Triple-A), but he could be a cheap source of power at first base or in left field for the Sox for the next couple of years.

Rubby De La Rosa-This 23-year-old right-handed pitcher recently returned from Tommy John Surgery on August 21.  He has just over 60 innings of experience in the Majors, and has pitched in Rookie and High-A ball this year.  He has averaged over a K per nine innings in 6 minor league seasons, with a 2.75 ERA, and he should be given a shot at the Boston rotation in 2013.

Ivan DeJesus-The former second round pick of the Dodgers in 2005 has just 40 games of Major League experience.  He has spent the past three season at Triple-A, hitting a collective .301 with a .770 OPS.  He has played five different positions in 2012, and has previous experience as a shortstop.  His bat may not be good enough to allow him to become the future starting shortstop the Sox are looking for.

As the negotiations continue, it will be interesting to see how the Dodgers new ownership group, which includes Magic Johnson, is able to handle the approximately $253 million in player salaries they are receiving from the Red Sox.

…and that’s the Last Word.

Follow me on Twitter:@MaxWarnerMLB

"The Ritual" – My Dad, My Family and Hockey

Posted on by Michael Kovacs, ADMIN

“Mischief, you silly cat, get off of that window ledge!” 

I remember being awakened by my father’s persistent yelling at our appropriately-named mischievous cat one Saturday morning.  Then again, when you are 14 years old and jaded everything your parents say is somewhat annoying.  I’m not sure whether it was what he said or how he said it.  Regardless, it made me roll my eyes as only a teenager can.

I was just a typical Canadian kid.  I liked hockey – it was as cemented in my DNA as my eye colour or the fact that I write with my right hand.   I had played and watched the game as far back as I could remember.  In fact, one of my earliest memories is of my father allowing me to sneak out of my room and join him to watch “Hockey Night in Canada” (Canada’s version of Monday Night Football) while my mother lay in bed pretending not to notice.  It was this ritual that I remember, not the game itself. I couldn’t tell you anything about a single game I ever watched as a young kid because that wasn’t what drew me to the television.  Rather, it was the flicking on and off of the lights by my father to signal that “it was time” that made the game special.

I will always be thankful for my mother.  “What about your father,” you might ask.  That seems so obvious, but I argue that he got to have the fun.  It was my mother who sacrificed sharing in this ritual so that we, my father and I, could have that bond, which we have to this day.  I have never told her that.

My brother, Jeff, played hockey too, but he gave it up after only a few seasons.  I guess it just didn’t go well for him and he didn’t have the interest.  He didn’t really watch it on television either, even though we asked him countless times to share in our ritual.  For the record, this wouldn’t be the first time that Jeff was left out despite our pleading.  I wonder if this bothered him.

Most evenings of my childhood were spent playing road hockey until the streetlights came on.  Winters were always a struggle, but not because of the five or more inches of snow that slowed the frozen tennis ball down considerably; that was just one more element to add to the fun.  Instead, we dreaded winter because it meant that the streetlights would come on by 6:00pm.  A dozen or so familiar faces from around my neighbourhood would join in the game each night, including my father.  He was the only dad who played.  It was all perfect.  Hockey was more than just a game; it was a culture, even for a young boy.

By the time I was about nine or ten, I can remember not finding the ritual of watching Hockey Night in Canada with my father to be as interesting.  He was just as enthusiastic, and my mother was trying her best to continue her role, but it was me who was having the difficulty.  I don’t know why, but it lost its luster. I still liked hockey; it just wasn’t as fun to sneak out of my room.  Of course by this age I knew my mother wasn’t really sleeping, so perhaps that took away some of the magic, kind of like finding out that Santa was really my dad.

As I got a bit older, into my adolescence, my relationship changed drastically with my father, and the horrible part is that I know the exact minute when that happened.  We were going to the park with our hockey nets and my father was putting on his shoes, getting ready to come and play.  Carelessly I said to him, “Dad, I think I’m just gonna play with my friends today.”

“Okay”, he said, as he took off his shoes and placed them by the front door.  I didn’t try to hurt him, but I knew I had.

The next morning, as my tabby-coloured cat was perched in the morning sun on our window ledge, I had the nerve to be annoyed at my father.  That was the exact moment when our relationship changed once more.  I was wrong… completely wrong. This is when I learned what it meant to take something, or someone, for granted.  As I lay in my bed, memories raced through my mind. I remembered the “ritual” and what it really stood for — the uncompromising bond between father and son.

Though we don’t play hockey together any longer — that game has shifted to my sons, Nicholas and Thomas — we still watch it on television.  For the first 14 years of my life my parents sacrificed so much.  Of course my mother would have, and did, everything for me, but the difference was that I never wounded her like I did my father.  It is not the fact that I asked my father not to play hockey with me and my friends anymore that I regret most, as that day comes for all fathers.  Rather, it is that I have never spoken about it with him and offered any form of explanation or apology.

Now, as I play with Nicholas and Thomas, I wonder how long our rituals will last.

I should call my father. Maybe there is a football or baseball game we can watch tonight.

NFL Fantasy: Riding the Waiver Wire

Posted on by Bobby Scott

As we all await the start of our Fantasy Football season, with most drafts complete or on their way we watch for players that are sitting on the waivers unclaimed, looking for the next Marques Colston, Victor Cruz, Arian Foster or Jordy Nelson. Week-by-week we look at the waiver wires, sifting through highlights so we can scoop up the next big fantasy superstar.

Many die hard NFL fantasy players, like me, make notes of players on waivers that are producing and could be the next big thing. The reality is that most everyone in your league likely has the same approach, or at least their spin on it. The problem is we all wait too long to pick up these players and scold the owner who grabs them first. This year things are going to change because we’re going to stop carrying dead weight on our squads and drop players who aren’t producing.

First thing is stay away from players I like to call “Project Players” in Dynasty Leagues. These are players who have the potential to be superstars, but it’s going to take 2-3 years for it to happen. Let someone else use up one of their roster spots for the entire season while they suffer through bye weeks of making tough decisions on who to drop and who to keep.

Always try to keep in mind a player on your roster who you have no problem dropping should you need to pick up another player.  If you do this, it will make picking up guys from the waiver wires less stressful. When dropping a player look to the waiver wire first to see if there are similar players of the same caliber. Make a note of them so if the player you pick up is a bust you can still pick up your original player or the other players you noted.

When adding  NFL Rookies off the waiver wire if they’re going to produce right out of the gate then keep them on your squad, but if not drop them. Let’s face it, with only a few exceptions most NFL wide receivers only start approaching their potential in year three. Running backs, depending on the depth chart and offensive line, usually take about two years to adjust to the speed of the game. Quarterbacks depend on their supporting cast; who is he going to pass to and who is going to help in the back field, to determine how fast they produce.

Some guys to track on the Waiver Wire:

Steve Smith STL- Coach Fisher is super excited about his performance in a camp and what he’s going to bring to the Rams offense.  A healthy Sam Bradford should help the Rams passing game and Smith is currently looking like he just might be the #3 WR on the team which could lead to productive weeks.

Rashad Jennings JAC– With no MJD and trade rumors flowing around look for Jennings 4.7 YPC to be a nice addition to any Fantasy team.  Jennings may end up the starting running back and getting the bulk of the carries for the Jaguars all season long.  In fact you might  want to pick up Jennings or even draft him right now given the uncertainty in the MJD situation.

Vick Ballard IND – looks like Indy is going to run a running back by committee to start the year but the second Donald Brown stops producing look for Ballard to be promoted to full time starter.  Andrew Luck may be the next big thing in Indy, but teams with rookie QBs tend to run the ball a lot early in the career of those QBs.   This Rookie out of Mississippi State is a powerful back who can grind out yardage, and might even get a chance as a goal line back.

Vincent Brown SD – I know he’s injured and won’t be back till week 9 but do yourself a favor and open your calendar and select November 03, 2012 8am and write “Pick up Vincent Brown”. This kid has worked way too hard not to be a super star.  The Chargers are thin at WR and will not hesitate to put Brown into the lineup, and give him a large role as soon as he’s healthy.  He could be very valuable in the second half of the season and fantasy playoffs.

Robert Turbin SEA – The rookie out of Utah State is the backup running back for the Seahawks.  Marshawn Lynch is the starter and has a long history of legal problems.  Lynch is again facing charges related to a DUI and we know that Commissioner Goodell does not take kindly to players being arrested.  Lynch was previously suspended for a similar incident in Buffalo.  If the hammer falls on Lynch again, you’ll want to pick up Turbin.  Leon Washington could also factor in here, so keep an eye on him as well, but I think Turbin is the better bet.  Washington has never been known as a workhorse, and is more of a third down back.  Seattle is also a team with uncertain and inexperienced QBs indicating they will also rely heavily on the run game.

Shane Vereen, NE – The 2011 2nd round pick out of California didn’t get much playing time last year.   He was limited by a series of hamstring injuries most of the year, and never did adjust to the NFL game.  Fellow 2011 draftee (a third rounder) Stevan Ridley of LSU appears to be the starter in New England, replacing the law firm, but he’s no sure thing either.  If Ridley struggles the Pats will turn to Vereen and the high powered Pats offence can often lead to red zone TDs for whoever gets the RB job.  Remember what I said above about RBs often taking off in their second year.

Visanthe Shiancoe, NE – With Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez the Patriots have built their offence around two TE sets, and using the unique talents of these Tight Ends.  Now as long as they are healthy, we doubt Shiancoe will see the field enough to be relevant, but should either Gronk or Hernandez get hurt, you should be racing to the waiver wire to grab Shiancoe.  He was always reasonably productive in Minnesota, and with playing time would be productive in New England.    He may do nothing, but he’s someone you should have in the back of your mind should the Pats see a TE go down like Hernandez did for a few weeks last year.

Kevin Ogletree/Dwayne Harris, Dal- Two names to keep an eye on at wide receiver for the Cowboys.  Miles Austin’s hamstring always seems to be hurting, and Dez Bryant picked up a minor knee injury this week.  The ‘boys are thin at WR, but someone is going to get targetted by Tony Romo should Austin or Bryant’s injuries linger.  It will be important to watch the Cowboys last two preseason games to see who has the upper hand here.  Right now it appears to be Ogletree.

 

This year I’ll keep my eyes open to tip off my readers on the next big Fantasy super star. The second I feel a player is going to be the next big thing you’ll be the first to know.

Check back soon to get all the tips and tricks to help you with your league. If you have any questions about adding and dropping players or anything else related to fantasy football, feel free to leave us a message and we’ll try to help you make the right decision.

If you’ve got a suggestion for who to keep an eye on, leave us a comment below.

Champs Turning Down Fights: A Dangerous Trend in the UFC

Posted on by Greg Persson

With the recent news of Dan Henderson being forced to withdraw from his title fight with champion Jon “Bones” Jones, the UFC put forth a valiant effort to adjust and salvage a UFC 151 event in Las Vegas. Almost immediately after the news broke, recent light heavyweight convert Chael Sonnen and top middleweight contender Chris Weidman both jumped into the mix and asked to replace the injured Hendo.

Sonnen perked Dana White’s interest in particular as a viable opponent for Jones. However, Jones declined not only Sonnen but any possible dance partner for the 151 main event forcing the UFC to cancel the show. Once again the UFC fans have been treated to a healthy champion refusing to defend their title due to things not working out exactly how they want. Obviously this is not a decision made solely by Jones, as every member of the Greg Jackson camp takes their marching orders from the man with the towel himself, and Jackson is a master at making sure his fighters keep a belt around their waist by any means necessary.

This is not the first Team Jackson member to refuse to defend his title. Carlos Condit upon defeating Nick Diaz for the interim welterweight title in February, decided to sit and wait for injured champion Georges St. Pierre to return to action in November. Condit could have certainly defended his title in that span as he was healthy and the welterweight division is stacked with contenders. But Condit, no doubt under the tutelage of Jackson, declined all comers. In my opinion, that sort of defeats the purpose of an interim title as there really isn’t a point in creating a title which is guaranteed to never be defended.

It isn’t entirely a Greg Jackson strategy to pick opponents and decline worthy title contenders. We have seen this behaviour from other champions as well. The pound-for-pound greatest fighter in the world, Anderson Silva, has a bit of a reputation for setting his own itinerary. Nate Marquardt and the previously mentioned Hendo, were both refused by the middleweight champion because he had already beaten them both and apparently fighters never change or evolve. This lead to one of the worst fights in UFC history between Silva and the grossly outmatched Damian Maia, where Dana refused to even put the belt on the victorious Silva, breaking a long-standing tradition. Even Silva’s most recent title defense against Chael Sonnen almost didn’t happen. Sonnen finally managed to insult Silva’s family and country enough to anger the champ enough to get a second shot.

Even my favorite fighter in the UFC, Junior Dos Santos, attempted to pass over a worthy Cain Velasquez to go after Alastair Overeem. Cigano’s reasoning was better than Jones’, Silva’s or Condit’s in the sense that he just dislikes Overeem and wants to fight him more than Velasquez. Nevertheless it would have pushed back the heavyweight title defense and robbed the fans of what would surely be a fantastic rematch. Thankfully Dos Santos/Velasquez II will be happening in December. With Dominick Cruz and Jose Aldo having recent health issues (Aldo hopefully returning in October) it seems like the lightweight division is stuck carrying the load. Happily, Ben Henderson, Frankie Edgar, Donald Cerrone and Nate Diaz are always ready to go.

It is a fighter’s job to fight and that job becomes even more important when you are wearing gold. If a champion is healthy they should take on all comers whether they have fought before, whether they are a bad stylistic matchup, whether they are a last-minute replacement or whether they belong to the same camp, which is a whole other issue in itself. Jones simply not wanting to fight is detrimental to the sport and shows a complete lack of respect for the fans. Dana has forced Bones to take on Lyoto Machida in Toronto three weeks after he was supposed to take on Hendo. “Forced” is actually an appropriate term given that Jones doesn’t want to fight Machida either.

This is a dangerous trend for MMA and hopefully it doesn’t continue for the sake of the fans and the sport which is still young and fragile enough to fall apart.

Feel free to leave your comments below, and check out our MMA radio show, “Hammer Radio“.

Inside the National League's Wildcard Race

Posted on by Harold Douglas

As August’s end draws near, the battle for the opportunity to play in the playoffs intensifies significantly. In a league with a 162 game schedule, “must win” games can add some much-welcomed drama and desperation – a recipe for excitement. As we approach the end of the season, an increasing number of games meet this definition.

September of 2011 provided baseball fans with one of the most exciting conclusions in the history of the sport and demonstrated just how quickly things can change in the final month of the regular season. With the welcomed addition of two more wild card spots, one can only expect at least a similar level of excitement. We will look at the American League races tomorrow, but first let’s take a look at the three top contenders from the National League.

National League

1) Atlanta Braves

Why they WILL make it:

That’s a good question. What exactly are the Braves doing that has them in playoff contention?  The answer…clutch hitting and a quality bullpen.

The Braves are around the middle-of-the-pack in most offensive categories. They are top -five, however, in on-base percentage, runs and RBI’s. In other words, they hit when there are runners on. Or put another way, there are often runners on, so the hits they get often result in runs being scored.

Atlanta’s starting rotation is currently sitting bottom three in the NL in quality starts. If the starters are not getting past the fifth inning on a regular basis, obviously this means the bullpen is getting a lot of use. That being said, the Braves currently sit top-five in the NL in team ERA and saves. When the Braves have a lead, the bullpen keeps it that way. When they don’t have a lead, the bullpen is putting a stop to the bleeding and allowing the offense to score runs with clutch hitting.

Why they WON’T make it:

If the starting rotation cannot find ways to get deeper into ball games there is always the possibility that the bullpen starts to run out of gas, starts to get over exposed or more realistically some combination of the two.

X factor(s):

Health. If the Braves can stay healthy for the remainder of the season, we should see them in the playoffs. In particular, Chipper Jones and Jason Heyward need to stay on the field.

2) St. Louis Cardinals

Why they WILL make it:

The Cardinals are the best offensive team in the National League. They are tops in on-base percentage, on-base plus slugging, team batting average, runs batted in, total bases, and most importantly….runs.

The Cards are getting excellent pitching as well. Currently tied for first in the league in quality starts, in or around top-five in the league in team ERA as well as WHIP.

Why they WON’T make it:

I got nothing.  They will….

X factor(s):

Apart from one and a half series with the Nationals and one three-game series with the Dodgers, the Cardinals September schedule is as soft as the inside of a Twinkie. We can expect to see the Cardinals in October.

3) Pittsburgh Pirates

Why they WILL make it:

The Pirates have succeeded in a manner similar to that of the American League’s Baltimore Orioles – hitting the long ball and a solid bullpen. The “big fly” allows a team like the Bucs to score runs in bunches. The strong bullpen is called upon to either keep the lead created by the home run(s) or keep them in the game long enough to tie it up or take the lead with the homer.

Their September schedule also gives them a good chance to sneak into the post season. Apart from two 3-game series with the Cincinnati Reds, their remaining match-ups are all against sub-.500 ball clubs.

Why they WON’T make it:

Similar to the situation the the Braves will be facing, if the Pirates starting rotation cannot find a way to get deeper into ball games, their bullpen might run into fatigue and/or overexposure problems.

The Pirates have also struggled to shut down the running game of their opponents. The Bucs have given up the third most stolen bases in the National League and have thrown out the least amount of would-be base thieves.

X factor(s):

Of the three discussed wild card contenders, The Pirates are the team with the least amount of playoff race experience/success. The Braves and Cardinals have been in this position before and have experienced success.

Side note…..Travis Snider strikes out too much.

My wild card picks:

Atlanta and St. Louis.

*** Look for the Los Angeles Dodgers to play in the post season by winning their division with good pitching, solid acquisitions (Hanley Ramirez and Shane Victorino) and a San Fransico Giants team dealing with the distraction of All-Star Melky Cabrera’s multi-game ban for use of a banned substance.

 

There you have my list of teams and why they will or will not make this year’s post-season.  Be sure to check out tomorrow’s list of American League teams and why they will or will not be playing post-season ball.

Feel free to leave comments below.

Serie A – Road to the Scudetto; Week One

Posted on by Frank Giuliano

Well, Serie A fans, it’s back! This weekend marks the first round of the Itailan top-flight in the 2012-2013 season. Last year, it was a battle for top spot between Juventus and AC Milan. The Old Lady, after six long years, finally lifted the Scudetto for the 28th time in league history and paved the way back to the Champions League. Who will triumph in the 2012-2013 season? Let’s take a look at the main encounters in Week 1 of the Italian Serie A.

Italian Champions, Juventus, take on Parma at the Juventus Stadium in Turin. The encounter last season concluded in a 4-1 Old Lady battering of the Gialloblu. This time around the result should be much the same as Juve has certainly strengthened its side in numbers pretty much guaranteeing the same quality. During the summer transfer market, the Bianconeri brought in an experienced defender in Lucio as well as 20-year old youngster Alberto Masi, physique and strength in ex-Udinese pairing Mauricio Isla and Kwadwo Asamoah, promising young talent Paul Pogba on a bosman from Manchester United, and has taken back Sebastian Giovinco from this weekend’s opponents. These are key signings indeed and Juventus looks set to possibly land the Scudetto again according to bookies. Parma had little chance last year in this fixture, but now without Giovinco, it’ll be very difficult to land a result here. Look for Juve to easily obtain the three points.

AC Milan will take on Ciro Ferrara’s side Sampdoria at the San Siro in Milan. Much of the off-season talk has surrounded the fact that Serie A is being stripped of its stars. This is true as two of the biggest names in Italy have left AC Milan for Paris Saint-Germain. Arguably the best defender in the world, Brazilian Thiago Silva and Swede sensation, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, decided to leave as the Rossoneri are going through some tough economic times. Other departed players are Alessandro Nesta, Clarence Seedorf, Gianluca Zambrotta, Mark Van Bommel, Massimo Oddo, Gennaro Gattuso, and most recently Antonio Cassano. This is an incredible list of star names, but it is time for a revolution at Milanello as Berlusconi looks to bring in some young blood to rejuvenate the side. Main purchases include Riccardo Montolivo, Francesco Acerbi, Kevin Constant, Christian Zapata, and Gianpaolo Pazzini. Certainly, the latter are not as near the calibre as the former, but they will have to do for now. Sampdoria welcome back Andrea Poli as well as Angelo Palombo who were both on loan at Inter Milan, as well as ex-Juve player Marcelo Estigarribia. Sampdoria is normally able to test the Rossoneri and this encounter looks promising for the Blucerchiati, but look for Milan to edge past the Genoa-based side in this match-up.

Inter Milan will travel to Abbruzzo to take on newly-promoted Pescara. The Nerazzurri have been active on the transfer market, bringing in players of good quality such as Walter Gargano, Antonio Cassano, Rodrigo Palacio, Gaby Mudingayi, and ex-Udinese ‘keeper Samir Handanovic. Pescara have been revamped this summer as coach Zdenek Zeman left to take charge at AS Roma, last season’s team leading goal scorers in Ciro Immobile and Lorenzo Insigne were signed by Genoa and Napoli respectively, and playmaker Marco Verratti, dubbed the next Andrea Pirlo, is now playing for PSG. It will be a miracle if Pescara obtain a result from this fixture. Inter looks set to grab the victory here and possibly be Juventus’ main contender for the Scudetto.

Other fixtures for Week 1 are: Atalanta v Lazio; Chievo v Bologna; Fiorentina v Udinese; Genoa v Cagliari; Palermo v Napoli; Roma v Catania; Siena v Torino.

League Final Standings – Predictions:

  1. Juventus
  2. Napoli
  3. Inter
  4. AC Milan
  5. AS Roma
  6. Udinese
  7. Lazio
  8. Sampdoria
  9. Fiorentina
  10. Catania
  11. Palermo
  12. Atalanta
  13. Chievo
  14. Bologna
  15. Cagliari
  16. Parma
  17. Pescara
  18. Siena
  19. Torino
  20. Genoa

Report: Lance Armstrong will not fight Doping charges

Posted on by Ben Kerr

One of the most beloved American sports icons may have finally been exposed as a fraud, and could lose everything he has accomplished. Lance Armstrong is well-known for his dominance on the cycling circuit with seven Tour de France victories, however, for years rumours of banned substance use have hovered over the athlete. Up until today Armstrong has managed to keep his reputation unsullied.

In a 15-page letter submitted by the US Anti-Doping Agency in June it was revealed that formal charges were laid against the cyclist. A number of witnesses, both other riders and team personnel, have stepped forward to speak out against Armstrong for apparent “blood doping”. However, it doesn’t end there; data collected by the International Cycling Union backs up these claims stating that samples collected from Lance Armstrong are: “…fully consistent with blood manipulation” .

Today the Associated Press is reporting that Lance Armstrong will not challenge the report.  Essentially Armstrong is pleading no contest to the charges against him.  Its happened, the legacy of the greatest cyclist ever is coming crashing down.

Aside from the public embarrassment and loss of credibility, Armstrong could lose all of his titles collected over the last sixteen years including his 7 Tour de France titles.

Stay Tuned! Details to come!

… and that is the last word.

Beat the Odds Preseason NFL: Tennessee Titans vs Arizona Cardinals

Posted on by AaronWrotkowski

Line: Tennessee Titans -3 pts -$112 over Arizona Cardinals

Welcome back to Beat the Odds, Preseason Edition. There is a definite strategy to betting pre-season football, and I’m going to break it down for you.

The first thing you should look at when betting on the preseason is the coaches’ career records in preseason.  On top of that you’d ideally like to look at their career records, and break down these records week-by-week during preseason.

A week 3 preseason game is much, much different than a week 4 or week 1 preseason game.  By looking at these career records, this will give you a good indication of how a coach will prepare his team for their games, and it shows you how much a coach will care about winning or losing preseason games.

Preseason football is all about the coach’s game planning and preparation.  Which teams will put in some of their more creative plays in a true dress rehearsal for the regular season and which will play their “vanilla package” – a straight up, no frills attached base offence and defence.

The next step in analyzing a preseason game is to try to find a coach’s press conference transcripts. Analyze them to see what the coach is trying to say about the coming week’s game. Is he talking about trying to get through it without injuries? Is he trying to focus on working on the run game? You get the idea.  Basically, you want to see what the coach has to say.  Sometimes they have a very specific goal in mind, (ie we are going to run the ball 20 times for our starters, no matter what) and in preseason accomplishing these goals can sometimes be more important to a coach than actual winning and losing.

Another good idea when betting a presason game is to look at each team’s depth. Are the backup and 3rd string QB’s on the team good? Are the backup and 3rd string RB’s good? Look at various positions and see if you can find places where you see strength in a team’s depth chart. You will probably be relying on these guys more than the starters to win your bet, as they will get major playing time in the 2nd half.

And lastly, just like a regular season game, you need to look at the injury reports.  You need to find out who is playing and who is sitting. You can usually find these things out in the same way you would find out if you fantasy players are starting or in the coach’s transcripts we talked about before.

Now on to our game, Tennessee and Arizona.  Looking at the coaches, Arizona coach Ken Wisenhunt is a career 8-15 in the preseason. This should already scream out to you as he doesn’t care too much about winning during the preseason.  Further look is that he is 2-3 in Week 3 of the preseason.  Week 3 is the ultimate “dress rehearsal” game of the preseason, and the week where you see your starters the most. It doesn’t look like Wisenhunt puts any more weight into winning this week than any other.

Meanwhile Titans coach, Mike Munchak, is a career 4-2 in preseason. A good indicator that he gets his teams ready and prepared for the games. He is 1-0 in Week 3, so nothing negative against our play.

Both teams will be playing their starters for at least a half. Wisenhunt has said he will let his starters go into the 2nd half while Munchak has said at least a half for his starters. There is no advantage in playing time

The QB’s playing time will be equal as well with both starters playing a lot and then players who are noted as capable backups coming in the 2nd half.  However Arizona’s duo of Skelton and Kolb have really struggled in their first two games, and the definition of capable backup may not apply to the way Kolb is currently playing.

I also lean towards the Titans with their O-line and D-line play. This is where games are won in football. If you can protect your QB, you should have success on offence and if you can get pressure on the other team’s QB, you should have success on defence. The trenches are what matters.

From watching both of these teams’ preseason games, you can see there is an obvious advantage for the Titans. The Cardinals’ QB’s have been running for their lives with Kolb leaving the first game on a big hit and conceding a safety in another. The Titans pass rush has been good so far. They got to the Tampa Bay QB’s often in their last game and did a good job getting to the Seahawks’ QB’s as well. This looks like a long night for the Cards and missing starting tackle Levi Brown to injury does not help the situation.

The Titans offense looked good in the 2nd game where they got some time. They focused on Chris Johnson getting some touches and had some success with some big runs. They have talked about establishing the run in the preseason and should go to Johnson again when the starters are in. I don’t see a huge decided advantage on this side of the ball, but the Titans should be able to put up some points.

I look for the Titans to pressure the Cardinals all game and look for the Cards QB’s to make some mistakes and give the Titans offense some short fields, which will result in better #’s for the offense. Add into the other factors of the coaching records and I can see the Titans coming out ahead by double digits.

Pick:  Take the Titans and Give the 3 points

 

 

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