Thoughts on the Current Day in Sports

I haven't been able to get on here often enough lately, so I'm just going to write a post on whatever crosses my mind. And I promise more frequent posts ahead.

1. That rookie QB Colin Kaepernick on the 49ers looks like the real deal, if only through the first quarter and a half I've seen him play. With him behind center they still appear to be Super Bowl contenders, as they are simply dissecting the Bears as of this moment. (My original Super Bowl pick was the Philadelphia Eagles. Uhh, yeah.)

2. Fantasy playoffs start soon! Hope you haven't lost all hope yet.

3. Not too excited about Rob Gronkowski going down. He was a cog on one of my fantasy teams. The Patriots will be okay though; as if they don't have enough weapons already, Gronk's fellow tight end Aaron Hernandez could return this week.

4. About that Marlins-Jays trade. I understand Jose Reyes was overpaid. But even as a Phillies supporter, in my mind it is simply disappointing for baseball. It also leads to large-market owners around the league questioning revenue sharing, with good reason. And it makes the AL East just that much more fun: with the exception of the Red Sox, everyone there is a contender. First time probably ever that could be said.

5. I'm still not much of a college football fan right now. It disgusts me for many reasons. But what's going to be a real pain is listening to the, for whatever reason, condescending Notre Dame fans brag about their team's first relevant squad since before I was born.

6. Georgetown's handing it to UCLA in college hoops. At the current rate, Georgetown's going to be the only Big East team left in the next few years. Heralded freshman Shabazz Muhammad came off the bench in his UCLA debut.

7. How the heck did the usually top-notch Houston Texans' D allow Chad Henne, of all people, to pass for 354 and 4 TDs? It didn't take more than a game for Henne to win the starting job over the woeful Blaine Gabbert in Jacksonville. The bust has eclipsed the other bust for a shot a redemption.

8. I wish Tim Tebow would just go play in NFL Europe or something so the media hops off his jockstrap. Actually they still wouldn't. And NFL Europe doesn't exist anymore, but oh well.

9. For those of you still wondering, hockey is still locked out.

10. David Beckham will play his last game for the L.A. Galaxy, the MLS Cup, on December 1. I know the MLS has its diehard fans, but of all the places he could've played as his career winds down, why did he pick the U.S.A.?

11. Woah. I don't care who they've beaten. The Charlotte Bobcats are 5-4.

Just a Few Thoughts...

It's a busy time in sports at the moment: the NBA season is going strong, MLB Spring Training is underway (I'm heading down to Tampa tomorrow for the weekend), men's college basketball is gearing up for March Madness, and the women's season is concluding as well; the NFL draft is approaching, NASCAR started off their season with an eventful Daytona 500, the U.S. just beat Italy in men's soccer for the first time in history, and golf and tennis seasons are in full swing.

I'd just like to use this column for a few random musings about all of that.

Yesterday my weekly copy of Sports Illustrated came in the mail. I pulled it out of the mailbox to find the heading "Marlinsanity?" staring at me across the cover with a picture of a laughing Ozzie Guillen and Jose Reyes. It's not the topic I have a problem with, but rather the heading. What started with Vinsanity for Vince Carter (which was pretty cool at the time), obviously became Jeremy Lin's moniker as well. So now what, because Lin has it, we are just going to call everything a form of "insanity?" Am I going to cook my Ellio's pizza for dinner tonight in the ovensanity? I know I'm fighting against myself on this one, but does Sunday morning's brunch have a side of baconsanity? I hope you see my point.

Anyway, I actually watched some NASCAR this week -- Monday night's early Tuesday morning's Daytona 500 (on a school night; yes, I'm only in high school). I hardly ever do watch, but somehow, I seem to recognize all of the drivers. Even if you think all it is is guys making left turns for four hours, there is actually something transfixing about the sport; whether it be the sometimes frequent wrecks or the surprising amount of teamwork, something kept me watching the entire thing (even with that two hour fire delay). There's certainly no shortage of drama -- you can't go to a tennis match and see Juan Pablo Montoya crash into a truck holding 800 liters of jet fuel (used to dry the track). Sure, this isn't the norm, but if you're casual like me, a few dozen-car collisions will do the trick. I'm also impressed with all the teamwork from the pit crews to the driver that goes into the sport, something I used to overlook. And the teamwork at the end of the sport's biggest spectacle makes for a great story in itself -- third-place finisher Greg Biffle held off second-place Dale Earnhardt, Jr. instead of trying to get the win himself, so teammate Matt Kenseth could bring home the checkered.

I'm back to complaining again to vent about another annoyance of sports. Seems like every sporting event you try to watch this past year or so, you hear more about Twitter than the actual games. Couple that with the fact that ESPN airs tweets like @KingJames: went to da pharmacy for some Rogaine this morning. #itsnotwhatyouthink. Well, I wish a few of them had some humor about them.

I'm about to start packing for Florida. Got a Yankees - Phillies slate at Steinbrenner Field to look forward to. I'll write about it soon after I get back Monday.

Top 25 Baseball Players (20-25)

20) Yadier Molina, C, St. Louis Cardinals

Why is Yadi ranked above Joe Mauer, Alex Avila, Victor Martinez, and the rest of MLB's catchers? Hitting wise, Mauer and Martinez are better, no questions asked (although Molina outhit Mauer last year by a landslide). Avila will be. But defensively, Molina is the best the game has to offer. He manages a pitching staff far better than Martinez, and pretty much everyone else outside of Carlos Ruiz. He possesses a cannon for an arm. And a .309 postseason average, where's he been the battery mate of two World Series-winning pitching staffs? Not bad.

21) Justin Upton, RF, Arizona Diamondbacks

One of baseball's brightest rising stars, Upton is still just 24 years of age. In 2010, he had an awful strikeout rate (152 in just 492 ABs), but he cut it down to 126 in 100 more at-bats in 2011. He was an MVP candidate for a D'Back team that surprised all by making a run into the playoffs. By the time his career is done, his fireplace mantel could possess that hardware.


22) Felix Hernandez, P, Seattle Mariners

Though tying a career high with fourteen wins last year (one more than his 2010 Cy Young season, proving wins to a starter don't signify anything), King Felix took a step back from the past two years. His ERA jumped 1.2 points to 3.47, and he threw sixteen fewer innings. That being said, the stuff was there (222 Ks), and 2011 shows all the signs of a slightly off year (and it was still a very impressive season). By the time his career is done, he'll possess a Hall of Fame resume.


23) Jose Reyes, SS, Miami Marlins

Yeah, he won the batting title this past season. He steals bags, too. But Reyes plays a shaky shortstop, and I'm not going to lie, sitting out the last game to preserve his batting title definitely hurt his ranking. He hasn't been clutch or produced much RBI-wise out of the leadoff hole, but heading this potent Marlins lineup could do him wonders.


24) Dustin Pedroia, 2B, Boston Red Sox

Boston fans love the grit and grind the little guy plays with. He'll probably never again touch his 2008 numbers at the plate, maybe due to the fact he goes out of his way to hit home runs. Nonetheless, Pedroia is a wonderful player, and he'll play an integral part of the Red Sox' attempt to return to the postseason.


25) Michael Young, 3B, Texas Rangers

Certainly his batting stats were inflated by his the protection of Texas' explosive lineup. But still, it takes elite skill to hit .338 under any circumstance. And 213 hits at age 34? Ridiculous. And while this doesn't pertain to rankings, he showed he's an excellent team guy (see: Stranded in Texas) by accepting his role as everyday utilityman. Young's a true professional with a ton of skill (and 2061 career hits).

Honorable mentions: Alex Avila, C, Detroit Tigers; Matt Cain, P, San Francisco Giants; Hunter Pence, RF, Philadelphia Phillies; Joe Mauer, C, Minnesota Twins; Adrian Beltre, 3B, Texas Rangers; Cole Hamels, P, Philadelphia Phillies; Mariano Rivera, P, New York Yankees

World Series Finished, Hot Stove to Begin

Former Phillies Pat Burrell and Aaron Rowand, and the San Francisco club that hasn't won since 1954, are baseball's champions. Cliff Lee's Rangers fall. Phillies fan had a choice of these players to root for, but not their own team. Lee and Rowand are thought of extremely highly in the City of Brotherly Love, many fans wishing Lee was still a Phil, and remembering Rowand's dive into the centerfield fence. Burrell was and is very classy, but receives a mixed reaction when coming to the Bank, due to some inconsistencies in his game. But all three served Philly well.
  
But now the main focus for the Phillies is resigning Jayson Werth. Despite Phils GM Ruben Amaro saying he came up a little short RBI-wise, Werth had another huge season and is a top prize in this year's free agent class, much like Cliff Lee. Lee's chances of returning to Texas are slim, and many expect a ludicrous contract from the Bronx Bombers. Also free agents: (* means option) Adam Dunn, Carlos Pena, Derek Jeter, Jimmy Rollins*, Jose Reyes*, Adrian Beltre*, Carl Crawford, and Vladimir Guerrero*. Aside from Lee, and Andy Pettitte, the pitching class is fairly weak.
   
Crawford is almost guaranteed to leave Tampa Bay, while the Yankees have a decision to make about whether or not to keep the Core Four together. Jeter is likely to resign, and Pettitte will consider retirement. Dunn broke out with the Nationals this season; will he look to go somewhere with a chance to be a champion next season? Just because the season ended hours ago, doesn't mean teams are not already thinking about April 2011.