LWOS INC About Contact Apply Openings Writing FAQ Ad Policy
Last Word On Sports Logo

Last Word On Sports

Sports News Since 2011. Honestly.

Last Word On Sports Logo

Sports. Honestly. Since 2011

Year: 2012

Robin van Persie: Is He, or Isn't He?

Posted on by Michael Kovacs, ADMIN

Right, how are you liking the roller coaster ride that Arsenal fans have been on for the past 12 months?  With no end in sight, Gunners fans have been jerked, kicked and prodded by the club and several players, most notably Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri last summer, and now, just when things began to steady themselves in the wake of the now famous van Persie good-bye letter (more or less), Sky Sports worked another bend into the tracks, just for good measure.

It was reported by Sky Sports yesterday that RvP may in fact be reversing his stance on whether to sign with Arsenal or not.  As was summed up brilliantly by the wildly popular “Arseblog” a couple of days ago, the Dutchman, or quite possibly some bloke publicist, published the letter on his website stating the striker had no intentions on re-signing with the club.  But that wasn’t what caused the most permanent damage.  Here is a particularly troubling part:

“I personally have had a great season but my goal has been to win trophies with the team and to bring the club back to its glory days. Out of my huge respect for Mr. Wenger, the players and the fans I don’t want to go into any details, but unfortunately in this meeting it has again become clear to me that we in many aspects disagree on the way Arsenal FC should move forward.“

Now, I am a big RvP supporter, BUT why should he have a say in how they move forward?  Is it Robin van Persie who knows what’s best for the club, or Wenger who has managed for as long as Persie has been alive?  Oh, and Wenger just happened to play for 12 years himself and holds a degree in Economics – not bad credentials, yes?  Is he not openly challenging Wenger by saying that they  “…disagree on the way Arsenal FC should move forward”?  For me, that is too big and permanent-sounding to retract.

I’m not going to go any further in dissecting what millions of football writers have already done (some well, some not so much) – I elaborated on the letter last week.  With yesterday’s news reported by Sky Sports in mind, you likely belong to one of two camps.  Either you believe van Persie’s letter for what it was – a good-bye letter to fans which shifts blame from himself (who tries to appear with hands-tied) for wanting to win championships, which he believes he can’t do with Arsenal FC soon enough, or you liken his letter to the Wayne Rooney ploy of two seasons ago, where he apparently demanded a transfer out of Manchester, only to sign a new, hefty contract relatively soon afterward.

Though he didn’t mention Podolski or Giroud directly, I think that their signings are playing on RvP’s mind.  Really, if he could see that the club has in fact invested considerably more than it has in a long while, he might be able to realize he could be part of something special.  As good as Podolski and Giroud are (and I say this with all sincerity), Arsenal only challenge for the PL title if the clubs retains its #10.

For me, although I would love to hold on to the hope of him actually re-signing with the club, I have to think his time is done.  Further, and I have absolutely no proof to back me up (call it a hunch, if you will), I think the Sky Sports story was a non-story designed to provoke readers at a time when there is little “big” news to talk about. I guess I can’t blame them, as I am writing on what they wrote yesterday, so what does that make me? That was rhetorical – be nice!

Until tomorrow, lads.

A Historic Weekend in Canadian Sports

Posted on by Greg Persson

Despite disappointing early round exits by top Canadians, Milos Raonic (singles) and Daniel Nestor (doubles), this was a great tournament for Canada, as it claimed three grand slam titles nonetheless.

Three young Canadians represented their country proudly in the Wimbledon Junior tournament. On the girls’ side, two Canadians made the semi-finals. The first was Francoise Abanda, who fell in a hard-fought three set match after cutting through the competition, including number-1 ranked Taylor Townsend. Abanda lost only a single set in the first 4 rounds on her way to a stunning performance. The most astonishing thing about Abanda is that she is only 15, so look for her to make many more waves as a junior and hopefully a professional.

Joining Abanda in the semis was 18-year old Eugenie Bouchard. Bouchard also lost  a single set on her way through the draw and with a straight sets victory over Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, Bouchard became the first Canadian (male or female) to win a Grand Slam singles title taking the 2012 Wimbledon trophy.  At 5’10 Bouchard has the physical tools to make the step-up and be competitive on the WTA tour.  She had previously competed, but after reaching number 300 in the world she decided to hone her skills on the junior circuit a bit more – take one step back to go two forward. With this title Bouchard has cemented herself in Canadian sports history, and I hope she will continue her success at the pro level.

Canadian tennis fans would not have to wait long for their second singles Grand Slam champion, as one day later the boys’ final was contested, pitting number-1 ranked Aussie, Luke Saville, against Vancouver-born Filip Peliwo. Peliwo was a finalist at both the 2012 Australian and French Junior Opens, but fell short on both occasions (to Saville at the Australian). However, Peliwo would avenge this defeat on the grass dismissing Saville in straight sets and becoming the first Canadian male to hold a Grand Slam singles title. Peliwo also jumped over Saville to claim the number-1 overall ranking, which is another Canadian first. Peliwo is definitely ready for the big show and look for him to make his breakthrough to the ATP next year or possibly even earlier. As Peliwo posed for pictures at the Wimbledon Gala with fellow champion Roger Federer, one could only imagine the pride and excitement he must have felt. This exhilaration was shared by many Canadians, including myself, as we have made our presence known in the tennis world, and from where I stand the future looks bright – very bright.

As if that wasn’t enough, Bouchard would cap the weekend off by winning the Junior Women’s Doubles Title with her partner Townsend.   This would give Canada an unprecedented three Grand Slam Championships in one weekend.  What was previously considered a good year for Tennis Canada.

…and that is the Last Word.

Has Anderson Silva Cemented His Place in History?

Posted on by Mark Modeski

What was being hyped up as the biggest fight in the history of the UFC, Sonnen v. Silva II at UFC 148, finally came to head on Saturday night. Back-and-forth banter between Silva and Sonnen over the last few months built incredible hype for the fight, but as Dana White put it, “What sold this fight was the first fight”… and no truer words could possibly have been spoken.  This was the fight that would determine if Silva truly is the greatest in the history of the sport, or if Sonnen could finish what he didn’t in the first match. When all was said and done, the result was the same; Silva’s hand was raised, as I predicted it would.

Silva came into this fight with a fire that we’ve never seen from him before. Many felt that the trash-talk from Sonnen was finally starting to crack the serene exterior of Anderson. Unfortunately, after watching Saturday’s fight it appears that the back-talk only served to add fuel to the vengeance in his game. After being completely smothered in the first round by Sonnen (with echoes from the first fight), Silva came back to do what he does in delivering pin-point strikes (and a rather devastating knee to the chest) to finish the fight in Anderson Silva-style.

Many have argued that Silva has not fought the same caliber of fighter that someone like GSP has – so how could he be considered the greatest of all time? This may be partly true, but I think Silva has fought competition on par with GSP, the only difference being that Silva has been so far beyond the competitors he has fought that they have not looked like legitimate contenders. What’s more, Silva has done this at both middleweight and light heavyweight. What made this fight so compelling was that Sonnen really did appear to have the ability to defeat Silva. I don’t think I need to sit here any rhyme off statistics to prove the validity of this claim, the man wins (usually very decisively) and that’s it.

From the post-buy numbers that have trickled in so far, it does appear that this fight was the biggest fight of all time. People said that this fight was a letdown. The reason for this is that people inherently root for the underdog, (in this case Sonnen). The first fight was engaging for exactly that reason; you got to watch the underdog almost steal away the championship from a man who seemed invincible. Silva v. Sonnen I had people on the edges of their seat because they were waiting in anticipation to see if Silva would turn it around (as he eventually did), or if Sonnen would be the new champ.

I feel bad for anyone who felt that this main event was not befitting of the hype. To those who watched the fight, you got the opportunity to watch the greatest of all time solidify his legacy. It’s like watching Jordan, Gretzky or Nicklaus play when we were kids – twenty years from now you want to be able to say you saw a legend in action.

… and that is the last word.

Follow me on Twitter – @LastWordMark

Alexander Semin: From Russia with lack of effort?

Posted on by Maksim Vasilyev

Editors note:  Update, Alex Semin signs in Carolina.  Click here to read our story.

Last year, Alexander Semin started off with a bang. He scored six points in his first seven games. His team was undefeated and many were picking the Capitals as the favorites to win it all.

While the Caps launched off the line like a Bugatti, it seems they got a flat tire just after the first turn. A month later Semin and  Washington Capitals found themselves with a new coach and struggling to keep their record above .500 (causing Capital fans to drink heavily). Semin himself tailed-off from his point-per-game pace and struggled heavily in November (vodka binge?), but he managed to pick up his scoring pace mid-season and scored 31 points in 37 games from December to the end of February.

His minutes mirror his point production, as in November he had 15.8 minutes per game and it went up in December to 16.3 minutes, January 17.4 minutes, and peaked in February at 17.5 minutes per game.

He finished the season with only 54 points and 21 goals in 77 games. Even the harshest critics expect 30/40 goals out of his talented mitts. He also had career low, since his rookie year, in shooting percentage at 11.5%, his ice time with 16:47 minutes per game, and power play points with 11.  On the bright side, a surprising one at that, Semin finished near the top in plus/minus for Washington forwards. Surprising because his defensive game comes under fire every-time his name is mentioned.  So his back-checking game is clearly underrated. Clearly.

The Capitals struggled to make the playoffs and while taking NY Rangers to game 7 in East Conference Semifinals, many(everyone) considered their overall season another failure. The natural reaction for many in the media, and fans, was to point fingers at the stars who did not get it done once again (the pitchforks and torches were out).

Easiest target of them all? Alexander Semin. You know he has that entire “Russian” thing going for him. Don Cherry’s favorite player is currently the most talented UFA. You would think most teams would be dumping money on him, but the opposite seems to be happening. Is Semin’s camp being hush-hush or no one is calling? We don’t know. It does give some pundits a chance to dump some rubbish on this talented winger.

It is hard to understand this negative complex that has developed with Canadian media about Russian players. The epitome of dumb, reckless, and just pure trash was displayed in this TSN Free Agent Frenzy special where Marc Crawford and Pierre McGuire dumped on the winger, calling him a coach killer, among other things.  To me this is nonsense, for a winger to play at a high level, especially a true sniper, and be effective, he needs a solid, consistent, talented center.

To prove this theory, I took a few wingers in the league who are not exactly known snipers, yet who had scored the same number or more goals than Semin last season.  Let us see what has made them more successful?

What I did is take a look at all the goals they scored last season (including PP but excluding unassisted) by these wingers and see who had the primary assist. I did not bother with the secondary assists as there are countless blogs who use math to prove or disprove the value of the secondary assist.

So the first thing we see here is that Semin never has a true center that he clicks with. His primary assists are all over the place and it seems he had trouble finding his set up buddy. Something can be said about his shooting percentage being off this year, but most can agree that hockey is all about chemistry. True snipers like Semin rely heavily on a proper set-up man to score goals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

What we notice about Callahan is that he definitely spent some time playing with Brad Richard. His stats reflect this. Del Zotto was another affective offensive defenceman for the Rangers. He reminded some people of what Mike Green used to be. His offensive talent clearly reflects on Callahan numbers. I wont argue that Callahan was a utility man for Torts and the Rangers this year playing everywhere, but Brad Richards had a clear impact on his numbers. Brad being a top-tier center, who also gets paid Crosby money, is known as a playmaker that makes other players around him better.

 

 

 

Brown moved up and down the Kings line up but once again we see a clear sign here that most of his goals are coming from a dominant talented center. Both Kopitar and Richards could play top line minutes and are superstars in their own right.  Having almost 50 percent of his goals come from the two centers helpers, the impact of Kopitar and Richards is clear as day on Browns production.

 

 

 

Hudler struggled early on in the season after scoring his first goal in the opener. He found chemistry playing with Zetterberg and Filppula, some would argue a career saving chemistry. The stats show clearly that majority of his goals came from those two creative players. This could be a concern for the Calgary fans as they do not posses a true top center that has proven to be a creative play-maker in the middle. Notable mention is that both Filppula and Zetterberg played center for most of their careers.

 

 

 

What does all of this prove? Well to me it proves that Semin needs a strong creative center to be effective. I am not concerned with his work ethic nor his personality. Hockey players are hockey players with their own personalities, not some cancer filled parasites. The point being is that if Hudler can score 25 goals, I have no doubt in my mind that Semin would have had 35 playing on the line with Zetterberg and Filppula. No matter what most Washignton fans will tell ya, what most pundits from Canada try to sell ya, and no matter how silly Don Cherry looks in his clown suits…Alex can score goals. Last time I checked you need those goals to win.

 

…and that is the Last Word.

 

You can follow me @maximus91

Fantasy Watch: Five Hockey Players Who Lost Fantasy Value This Offseason

Posted on by Ben Kerr

The other day I looked at 5 Fantasy hockey players who gained value based on various offseason moves made in the NHL.   Today I will do the opposite, look at five players who lost value based on offseason moves by their teams.  These players may be overvalued based on the one and three year projections of their value in Yahoo’s Pools, and with other fantasy hockey sites.  This is not a top 5 list, nor a comprehensive list, just five players who have lost value in fantasy circles due to the various moves around them.


Jimmy Howard, Detroit Red Wings, Goalie:  Howard is still the Red Wings starting goaltender, and the Red Wings are still a good team, however some luster has been lost in Detroit.  So far the Wings have made only minor moves in free agency and have struck out in attracting the major names they were after such as Ryan Suter.  While I think they will be able to capably replace the offence lost with the departure of Jiri Hudler, the defence is another matter entirely.  The loss of Nicklas Lidstrom has not been adequately addressed and there is no doubt that losing one of the greatest defencemen of all time must impact him.  I would expect that Howard’s goals against average will rise, and he will not produce wins at quite the same rate.  He’s still a starting goalie on a good team, so he’s worthy of being on a fantasy roster.  However you should be careful not to draft him too high.

 

Radim Vrbata, Phoenix Coyotes, Right Wing:  Vrbata had a career year last year scoring 35 goals and 62 points.  He developped great chemistry with the Wizard, Ray Whitney, who is now in Dallas.  Whitney’s replacement, Steve Sullivan, is not near the same caliber of playmaker and chemistry with Vrbata will take time to develop.  Obviously Vrbata will still get quality minutes and will still be counted on for points on the Coyotes, but the best case scenario here is that Vrbata returns to his normal pre 2011-12 level of production, which is approximately 25-30 goals and 45-55 points.

 

Filip Kuba, Florida Panthers, Defence:  Kuba had a bounce back season playing alongside Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson in Ottawa.  Prior to last year’s 32 points and +26 rating, Kuba had watched both his points and his plus/minus decline for three consecutive years.  Now in Florida Kuba won’t have the prodigious Karlsson beside him anymore and as such his offensive numbers may drop.  Without being on the ice for all the offence that Karlsson produces, his +/- should also suffer.  At 35 years old, Kuba would be the a player who I would avoid entirely on draft day.  Let some other fantasy owner make this mistake.

 

Ales Hemsky, Edmonton Oilers, Right Wing:  Hemsky had long been the best winger on the Edmonton Oilers.  Thats all changed in recent years.  The additions and maturation of Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle have greatly reduced Hemsky’s role. The latest addition of Nail Yakupov, another natural Right Wing (to go along with Eberle), further threatens the number of quality even strength and power play minutes that Hemsky will receive in Edmonton.  Given his long injury history, he would be another player I’d avoid on draft day, allowing another owner to take this risk.

 

Brian Campbell, Florida Panthers, Defence: Campbell put up the second best numbers of his career with 49 assists and 53 points in his first season in Florida.  It was only the third time in his 12 season NHL career that he scored over 50 points.  With the loss of Jason Garrison and his huge slapshot the Florida powerplay has taken a hit, and Cambpell has lost the trigger man on his passes.  He will still get number 1 minutes and should still score 40-45 points, you should be careful not to expect a repeat of his 2011-12 season.

 

I stress this is not to say that these players are worthless, they still have value in fantasy hockey circles.  However this value is decreased from last season, and one should be careful not to overrate these players.  In fact of the 5, I would still draft Campbell, Howard, and Vrbata, I would just downgrade their rankings… however I wouldn’t bother at all with Hemsky or Kuba.

Feel free to leave your comments and suggestions below, and follow me on twitter @LastWordBKerr.

What You May Not Know About Chad Johnson

Posted on by Anto Dowsett

Chad Johnson, formerly known as Chad Ochocinco, changed his name back to his birth name last week prior to his wedding on Wednesday July 4th, 2012. Chad, who is best known for his touchdown dances and NFL antics, married his longtime girlfriend Evelyn Lozada on Independence Day. They have been dating since early 2010 and Chad officially proposed on November 16th of that same year. To no surprise, Lozada accepted his proposal and his 10-carat diamond engagement ring. It was for this reason that Chad announced on February 9th of this year that he would be going back to his original name, Chad Johnson, that way Evelyn would not have to take Ochocinco as her last name.

But this is when things got interesting. Chad has always been known for his antics in the NFL and as such, has received plenty of fines. Also, due to all that he has done, many fans seem to hate Chad, and for lack of a better word, “chirp” him on his abilities. And yet, time and time again, Chad proves that he loves everyone – his fans, and his haters. He certainly showed this last week.

On July 3rd, a woman by the name of Cheryl Minton tweeted at Chad, “I’m feeling pretty low today. Lost my hubby 2 weeks ago. Together 30 years. Very hard.” Unlike most athletes who would ignore this comment, Chad decided to respond with a simple question, “You have a passport?” Cheryl responded with a quick “Yes, I do.” After a brief, but important, conversation Cheryl found herself as a guest to Chad’s wedding the next day. And the best part of it all, Chad mentioned to Cheryl that it was an all-expenses paid trip, paid in full by the man himself, Chad Javon Johnson.

Wow. Let alone the amazement of actually being invited, Chad, despite not knowing this woman at all prior to July 3rd, paid for her trip in full, in order for her to have a day where she could enjoy herself after what had transpired to her husband the month before. Chad, even after all that he’s been through in the NFL, has changed someone’s life forever, and it’s for the better. Instead of simply ignoring the tweet, as just about every other professional athlete and Hollywood star would do, Chad instead invited the woman to one of the most important gatherings in his entire life. I’m sure that Cheryl is eternally grateful for the love and care that Chad has shown her.

Now before you go out and make fun of the year that Chad had last season or “chirp” him for the antics he has pulled off over the course of his career, just remember this story and how much of a caring, kind gentleman Chad Javon Johnson really is, deep, deep down inside.

… and that is the last word.

Follow me on Twitter – @LastWordAnto

Feel free to leave comments below.

Fantasy Focus: Five NHL Players Whose Fantasy Value Skyrocketed this Offseason

Posted on by Ben Kerr

The major moves of NHL free agency have been made, and teams have started to be re-shaped.  While there are still a few more moves to come, such as the signings of Alex Semin and Shane Doan, as well as possible trades of Rick Nash, Bobby Ryan, and Roberto Luongo, I thought that today was a good day to look at 5 players who have seen their fantasy values increase dramatically due to the moves that have been made around them.  Poolies should look for these names to be undervalued in Yahoo (and other services) ranking systems which merely take into account their last three years of results.

 

Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins, Goaltender:  Rask has long been the heir apparent to Tim Thomas’ goaltending job in Boston.  When Thomas announced that he would be taking a one-year hiatus from hockey, the mantle of starting goalie for the Bruins was placed on Rask’s shoulders.  Rask has had excellent stats in limited time.  In fact in 2009-10, Rask stole the starting job from Thomas down the stretch, and ended up starting 39 games and leading the entire NHL with a 0.931 save percentage while also recording 22 wins and 5 shutouts.  The last two years he has started a combined 49 games, recording 22 wins and another 5 shutouts.  His save percentages were .918 and .929 respectively.  The Bruins are still a formidable team up front, and should continue to provide solid defence in front of their goalies.  With Rask as the number 1, look for him to get a big increase in starts, as it is likely he will get around 60 games.  This should lead to stats that will be among the best fantasy goalie stats in the NHL.

 

Anders Lindback, Tampa Bay Lightning, Goaltender:  When Steve Yzerman traded a bevy of picks to get Lindback out of Nashville, he basically assured that the young Swede would be the new Lightning goaltender.  In his two years as the backup to Pekka Rinne, Lindback has started 28 games and put up 16 wins, a .914 Sv % and 2 Shutouts, impressive numbers given the amount of action he has faced.  Lindback looks poised to be a number 1 goalie and Tampa has greatly improved their defence from last season with the additions of Matt Carle and Sami Salo.  The continued maturation of Victor Hedman, and a healthy Mattias Ohlund will also help the Bolts.  I expect the Lightning to have a much better record in 2012-13 and bounce back close to the form that took them to the playoffs in 2011.  Lindback with increased starts should be a major fantasy beneficiary of this.

 

Ryan Ellis, Nashville Predators, Defence:  With the departure of Ryan Suter to Minnesota comes a huge opening at the point on the Nashville power play.  Enter the young, offensively talented defenceman from the Windsor Spitfires.  Ellis had a terrific junior career, both in the OHL and internationally as he won two Memorial Cups, and two World Junior Championship gold medals.  He might be undersized but his offensive talent is undeniable.  In his last OHL season he put up 101 points in just 58 games.  In the AHL last year he put up 18 points in 29 games as a rookie, and in the NHL he put up 11 points in 32 games.  Ellis has outstanding vision and passing skills which will be used to set up Shea Weber’s cannon on the Nashville power play.  Expect a big jump in ice time and points for the 2009 11th overall pick.

 

Mikko Koivu, Minnesota Wild, Centre:  Koivu centres the top line for the wild.   A line that just got much more potent with the addition of Zach Parise.  Koivu is excellent at controlling the puck down low and making plays for his wingers, a style of game that should mix perfectly with a winger who has the proven ability to snipe like Parise.  Add to this the fact that Koivu is a weapon on the Minnesota powerplay, a powerplay that has been greatly strengthened by the addition of Ryan Suter, and a real breakthrough season is possible here.  If Minnesota decides to open up their style and play a more offensive game with their two new additions, it could be a huge year for Koivu.

 

Brad Boyes, New York Islanders, Right Wing: Boyes has struggled and let many a fantasy owner down since scoring 42 goals in 2007-08 and 72 points in 2008-09.  After putting up just 23 points for the Sabres last season many fantasy owners have given up on him, as have many NHL owners and GMs.  Boyes took a major paycut this season signing a 1 year, $1 million deal with the New York Islanders.  It is expected that Boyes will slide into the right-wing hole on the top line vacated by P.A. Parenteau’s departure to the Colorado Avalanche.  While Boyes may never put up 40 goal seasons again, if he plays the year with John Tavares he has the ability to finish plays and could once again crack the 25 goal mark.

 

What do you think, are there other players who you will be targeting for big campaigns next season?  Let us know in our comments section below and follow me on twitter @LastWordBKerr.

MLB Mid-Season Report: Players

Posted on by Mark Modeski

Last week we took a look at the status of some of the teams to watch-out for in major league baseball mid-way through the season, and now we want to take a look at some of the players that you’ll want to be watching out for (for better or worse).

The MVP Candidates:

Andrew McCutchen: The major league batting average leader (.360) has been an instrumental piece of the success that has led the Pirates this year; and this leadership trait could be one of his biggest assets. While he isn’t an out-of-the-park-hitter like some players in the league, he is consistent and does still wield a respectable slugging percentage (.610).

Josh Hamilton: Hamilton currently leads the majors in RBIs (74), and is tight in the race for the home run crown (26). However, what makes Hamilton such a great player to watch is that he is not just a power hitter. With a batting average of .314 he is also consistent. He is in the top ten in almost every category that a hitter could hope to be in, and if the decision was today, I think he would lock-up the AL MVP title.

Mike Trout: This could be one of the first players since Ichiro Suzuki in 2001 to win both the MVP and the Rookie of the Year award. Holding onto the top bating average in the American league (.347), Trout is also a threat on the bases with 26 stolen bases this season. Trout has managed to shine through Angels organization that is stacked top-to-bottom with some of the top batting talent in the majors. Any fan would be remiss not to have Trout in the MVP talks.

Melky Cabrera: Cabrera probably falls off a lot of people’s lists because he doesn’t have the RBI or HR’s that are seen from some other top-talent in the league. That being said, Melky has one of the top averages in the majors thus far at .358, and has been hitting over .400 for the last two months – and he’s poised to just get hotter. He’s also topping the hits tally in the majors this year with 118. Consistency goes a long way in the eyes of voters.

David Wright: Probably the underdog in this list so far, I don’t think he can be overlooked as one of the top talents in the league right now. One of the batting averages in the league (.358) is complemented by a solid hit total (104) and strong RBI count (59). He’s had some struggles in his last few games, but he’s the type of player that can turn it around at any time.

The Players to Watch-Out For:

Jose Bautista: Bautista had a bit of a slow start to the season, and is still only hitting .244 for the season. That said, Bautista has a funny way of finding is groove and settling into it. Over the last month he’s been hitting over .300, and his home run production has gone through the roof (a category he now leads in the majors), and his RBI total is in line with the top players in the MLB.

Yu Darvish: the player that was all the talk in the off-season has cooled off a little as of late – but, is still one of the top pitchers in the league. With a 10-5 record he is still tallying up an impressive win record, and while is ERA is sitting at 3.59, his WHIP is an impressive 1.36 – and let’s not forget the 117 strike-outs that he has to-date.

David Ortiz: I’ve always thought Ortiz was somewhat overrated. However, this year he has been putting up some very respectable numbers. He’s hitting a solid .308 for the season with 22 HRs and 56 RBIs; this puts him well in the mix of the top hitters in the league.

Players Who Have Been Disappointments:

Albert Pujols: Pujols has definitely not been living up to the massive contract that he recently signed with the Angels. Typically a perennial MVP candidate, Pujols is only hitting .270 for the season so far with only 13 home runs to his credit. Everything said, he is still driving the occasional run or two, with a tally of 49 RBIs for the season thus far.

Justin Morneau: The Canadian-born Twins first baseman has had some trouble rebounding from injury. Only hitting .243 for the season so far he’s not really putting up the hit numbers this year that we have seen in more recent MVP-like seasons. All things aside, Morneau has been turning it around as of late, hitting .320 over the last seven games.

J.P. Arencibia: This one makes the list purely on behalf of all the Blue Jays fans out there. J.P. had a great start to the season, achieving league honours at one point and carrying a paltry Blue Jays offence on his shoulders. However, since then he has started to deflate, and has only been hitting .238 as of late. Get your game back J.P.!!!

These are just some observational picks, and things could very well change at any point in the season. There are a lot of players not on this list that probably could be – but, these are just the shining stars (in their respective categories)Expect updates to come soon!

… and that is the last word.

@LastWordMark

Agree? Disagree? Feel free to comment below

 

 

Finally, Goal-line Technology

Posted on by Michael Kovacs, ADMIN

According to the Premier League, goal-line technology will arrive “as soon as is practically possible”.

Hallelujah.

One of the most posed topics for discussion by anyone who even loosely follows the sport is whether or not technology has a place in football.  Everyone seems to have an opinion; either you’re a purist and any mention of rule changes sits as well with you as boiled chicken, or you find room for improvement in the beautiful game.

Using England as an example we can see two sides of the same coin.  In the 2010 World Cup, Frank Lampard clearly rung a ball off the crossbar, which then hit the ground beyond the goal line, only to spin back out of the net.  Despite the sideline judge being in great position, the goal was missed and Germany walked away with the game.  But purists will be quick to point out how just weeks ago, England were fortunate to make it out of the group stage of Euro 2012 as Ukraine clearly scored a goal that might have stopped the Three Lions in their tracks.  There will always be back-and-forth for every decision, so how to know which is right?  Who ultimately makes that decision?  That was rhetorical.

There are two companies in the running to outfit the league with appropriate technology – Hawk-Eye and GoalRef.  FIFA has approved both systems, which are very different from each other.  Hawk-Eye uses high quality cameras, similar to the ones used in tennis – if they can track a tiny tennis ball travelling over 200km/h, I think it should be successful in football.

It sounds like I am arguing for goal-line technology – good, because I am.  I’m certainly not in favour of many rule changes, especially in a sport which has stood the test of time, is loved by so many for what it is, and continues to grow and re-invent itself in both style and athleticism.  That said, along with the inclusion of stricter penalties for embellishment (more on that another day, perhaps), goal line technology is one rule which I think is imperative.

First, there is way too much money on the line, and we know what money does to people.  The more money floating around, the more little black briefcases circulating, the more corruption (or allegations of corruption) will spread.  There is nothing the football bodies can do to assure unbiased officiating, aside from replacing referees with robots.  That said, by including goal-line technology football is assuring the most critical of decisions are accurate, and I believe that makes the game just a bit better.  My only problem is that they can’t seem on a time frame for inclusion of the technology.

…until tomorrow, lads.