Kobe Calls It A Career

For the last twenty years, one person has been synonymous with the Purple and Gold of the Los Angeles Lakers: Kobe Bryant. He has been the face of the franchise for well over a decade now, finally calling it a career on Sunday night. He will finish out the rest of the 2015-16 season with Los Angeles, saying in his announcement Sunday on The Players' Tribune website that he will retire after this season, writing that "this season is all I have left to give."

When Kobe does hang it up at the end of the season, he's going to go down as one of the greatest players to step foot on an NBA court. The numbers for Kobe speak for themselves. Kobe is a five time NBA champion (2000–2002, 2009–2010). Three of those NBA titles were with Shaquille O'Neal (2000, 2001 and 2002). Just to prove that those titles were no fluke, Kobe won back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010. Those last two titles, Kobe won finals MVP in both of those years. Kobe was the MVP of the entire league in 2008. He was a seventeen time NBA All-Star (1998, 2000–2015), winning the MVP award of the game four time (2002, 2007, 2009, 2011). He was named to the All-NBA First Team eleven times (2002–2004, 2006–2013), an All-NBA Second Team twice (2000–2001),and and All-NBA Third Team twice (1999, 2005). Nine times Kobe was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team (2000, 2003–2004, 2006–2011) and three more times he was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team (2001–2002, 2012). He has a pair of NBA scoring crowns in his back pocket (2006 and 2007). Kobe won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest in 1997. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team that same year. Kobe will finish his career as the Los Angeles Lakers all-time leading scorer. Kobe has career averages of 25.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game, and put up a career-high 35.3 points per game in the 2005-06 season.

A lot of numbers to hit you with I know, but it goes to show the greatness of Kobe Bryant. He has proven on a lot of nights that he can dominate a game by himself. Hitting four or more points in a game is a pretty good effort in one night, but Kobe has done that with regularity. At the time of this writing, Bryant has played 134 games in which he has scored forty or more points. That's a mind blowing number for a guy who's playing in his 20th NBA season. Now out of these, 5 were sixty-plus point games and 26 were fifty-plus point games. He is third behind Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan, who scored forty or more in 271 and 173 regular season games, respectively. 2003 was a banner year for Kobe, as scored 40 points or more in nine consecutive games, tying Jordan, who accomplished the same feat in the 1986–87 season. The only player with longer streaks of 40 or more is Chamberlain, who had 14 consecutive games twice in the 1961–62 season and 10 consecutive games in the 1962–63 season. In 2006 Kobe went off again, when scored a career-high 81 points against the Toronto Raptors. It was the second-highest number of points scored in a game in NBA history, behind only Chamberlain's 100-point performance in 1962. Then in 2007, Bryant scored 50 points or more in four consecutive games, another amazing feet. This accomplishment is fifth in NBA history behind streaks by Chamberlain, who had 50 or more in seven, six and five (twice) consecutive games in the 1961–62 season. Bryant has also played 12 playoff games in which he has scored forty or more points. Out of the 134 games, 21 resulted in Bryant notching a double-double and 42 resulted in losses.

Those numbers are flat out mind numbing to be able to read. If you get mentioned in the same breath with Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan, you know your going down as one of the greatest to ever play the game of Basketball. What set Kobe apart from a lot of guys around the league was his will to win and the skill that went along with it. At times, Kobe was a lot of trouble to deal with. Look at the mess Los Angeles was in in 2003-04. During that year, Phil Jackson said at times that Kobe was uncoachable (at least according to Phil's book). But still, there's no denying a rare talent when you have one, and Kobe was that rare talent. With the exception of MJ, nobody playing the game in the last 30 years could change the complexion of a game the way Bryant could. When he was on his game and in a groove, there are very few in basketball who were any better.

Kobe was taken 13th overall by the Hornets in the 1996 draft. He never played a game for Charlotte, as his draft rights were trade to the Lakers on July 1st in exchange for center Vlade Divac. The announcement of his retirement comes in the midst of one of his worst season's. He is averaging 15.7 points per game on 31.5 percent shooting from the field, the worst of his career.

Greatest Upsets In Sports

Upset. By definition, an upset occurs in a competition, frequently in electoral politics or sports, when the party popularly expected to win (the favorite), is defeated by an underdog whom the majority expects to lose, defying the conventional wisdom. The underdog then becomes a giant-killer. This happens once in a while in the world of sports, from hockey to basketball to baseball to football to college sports to boxing and even the UFC. It's really what makes the world of sports a beautiful thing. Upsets are going to happen, and the best thing about them is they occur when you least expect it. after what happened Saturday night in Las Vegas at UFC 193, it got us thinking about some of the greatest upsets in sports history. So we offer that to you now. So here are ten of the greatest upsets in all of sports (in no particular order).

UFC 193: Holly Holm KO's Ronda Rousey
It was the kick heard around the world. Holly Holm knocked Ronda Rousey out cold 59 seconds into the 2nd round of their title fight at UFC 193. Heading into the bount, both fighters had been undefeated, Holm at 9-0-0 and Rousey at 12-0 going into this fight. Those numbers changed when Holm landed a kick to the head of Rousey about a minute into round two pout down the champion, thus ending her title reign. Holm became the second female bantamweight champion in UFC history, halting Rousey's run of six consecutive title defenses. It was the seventh knockout win of Holm's MMA career and her quickest finish. Here's an even bigger kicker. Prior to UFC 193, Rousey's past three fights lasted 34, 16, and 14 seconds. But she was no match for former champion boxer and underdog Holm. Rhonda is still one of the biggest, if not the biggest, star in the sport of MMA and UFC. But this loss knocked her down a peg. Don't be surprised if we get a rematch soon.

Boxing: Buster Douglas KO's Mike Tyson (1990)
How big of an underdog was James "Buster" Douglas when he stepped into the ring against Tyson in Japan? The Mirage, which had opened three months earlier, was the only Las Vegas casino to make odds on the fight. They had Douglas as a 42-1 underdog, which is why when he knocked out Tyson, who was 37-0 at the time, in the 10th round, Jim Lampley called it, "The biggest upset in the history of heavyweight championship fights!" In the sport of Boxing, nobody was better at that time than Tyson. Buster Douglas was given no chance what so ever. But Douglas did the impossible and knocked Tyson flat out. This is going down as the biggest upset in boxing history, and one of the greatest fights ever.

New York Jets defeat Baltimore Colts in SuperBowl III (1969)
Not too many people gave the Jets much of a chance in this football game. The NFL had dominated the AFL since the merger in 1966, in fact it wasn't even really close. Then all of a sudden, Joe Namath comes in with The Guarantee, saying the Jets were going to pull off the win. Sure enough, the Jets went out there, knocked off the Colts and claimed the only Superbowl title in New York Jets history. One of the most iconic images taken from this game was the slow-motion shot of him wagging his index finger as Namath ran off the field. Here's some food for thought about this game. Baltimore didn't score its touchdown until late in the fourth quarter but already trailed 16-0 by then to the 18-point underdog Jets. Yes the Jets were underdogs by 18 points in this game, but didn't let it get to them and walked away with the 16-7 victory.

New England Patriots defeaat St. Louis Rams in SuperBowl XXXVI (2002)
St. Louis was the highest scoring team in the NFL, ringing up 503 points and going 14-2 during the regular season. New England was coming in with an unknown in Tom Brady at QB, because Drew Bledsoe was taken out by the Jets in week two. So Brady lead the Pats on a run at the end of the season and a couple of nail bitting victories early in the playoffs. One of which was the Tuck Rule game against the Raiders in the wild card game. Now lets flash forward to the Super Bowl.While St. Louis piled up 427 yards of offense, the 14-point favorites held only one lead (3-0) and the Patriots' dynasty was born as Tom Brady set up Adam Vinatieri's 48-yard, game-winning field goal in Super Bowl 36.

New York Giants defeat New England Patriots SuperBowl XLII (2008)
The New England Patriots were looking to complete their perfect season, but it was the New York Giants who would play party pooper at the 2007 Super Bowl. This game of course had one of the most iconic catches in sports history, as David Tyree caught a pass by pressing the ball against his helmet. This catch would lead the Giants onto their game-winning drive, where they took the game with a 17-14 lead. There was no doubt that many had pretty much labeled the Patriots as winners before the game even started (12-point favorites), as this team was proven under coach Bill Belichick with quarterback Tom Brady. The Giants, on the other hand, were nobodies, but they became somebodies with this win. There is nothing more upsetting than losing a shot at perfection.

Appalachian State defeats Michigan (2007)
Going into the contest, Michigan was the #5 team in the country. It was supposed to be a cakewalk. Nobody told that to Appalachian State. But it came as a shock to the crowd of 109,000 people at the big house in Ann Arbor Michigan. Not only did the Mountaineers win, but they knocked the Wolverines completely out of the Top 25 in the process. Ranked No. 5 entering the season, Michigan had national-championship aspirations. But Appalachian State had different plans. Led by dynamic Quarterback Armanti Edwards and speedy wide out Dexter Jackson, the Mountaineers became the first Division I-AA team to beat a ranked Division I-A team, defeating the Wolverines 34-32. This is going to go down as one of the biggest upsets in all of football at any level.

Pittsburgh Pirates defeat New York Yankees (1960 World Series)
It was a tough series that went seven games in the 1960 World Series. New York Outscored Pittsburgh over the length of the series by a total of 55-27. Let that sink in for a second. New York scored 55 runs, compared to the 27 runs scored by the Pirates. Yet, thanks to the heroics of Bill Mazeroski hitting the walk off home run in game seven, the Pirates clamed the World Series Crown, the last one the team has to date. Yes the two teams were close in record during the 1960 season, Pittsburgh won 95 games while the Yankees won 97.This series was also loaded with players who would eventually win MVP awards at some point in their careers: Dick Groat (1960) and Roberto Clemente (1966) for the Pirates and Yogi Berra (1951, 1954, 1955), Bobby Shantz (1952), Mickey Mantle (1956, 1957, 1962), Roger Maris (1960, 1961), and Elston Howard (1963) for the Yankees. New York had the more talented and higher scoring roster, but Pittsburgh kept the series close (with the exception of game three a 10-0 Yankee win and game six a 12-0 Yankees win). Pittsburgh hung around and won it on the famous game seven home run from a light hitting second baseman.

New York Mets over Baltimore Orioles (1969 World Series)
This was a Mets team that was never supposed to be in the World Series. Here we had a team that had never finished higher than ninth place (next-to-last), and they had not won more than 73 games in a season since joining the National League in 1962. The Mets were not highly regarded before the 1969 season started, but nobody was saying that when the season ended. New York finished the regular season with 100 wins and came out of the National League as a big surprise. They were going up against a more experienced Baltimore team in the Series. Baltimore took game one and still showed the Mets that they weren't quite in their league. That was all Baltimore managed to win in that entire series. What made the Mets the better team in that series was their clutch hitting and defense. Cleon Jones and Ron Swboda made two of the most memorable catches in World Series history. You also have a huge turning point in the deciding game as well. The Orioles led Game 5 of the '69 World Series 3-0 when Mets manager Gil Hodges proved that a pitch thrown by Baltimore's Dave McNally had hit Cleon Jones in the foot. Hodges showed the umpire that there was shoe polish on the ball. Donn Clendenon, pictured left, followed with a crucial two-run home run in the Mets' 5-3 victory that clinched the Series.

Cincinnati Reds defeat Oakland A's (1990 World Series)
The Oakland A's were coming into the World Series winning once in two previous tries, so they had high hopes the third time around would give them their second title in three years. Plans changed when they were going to take on Lou Piniella and his Cincinnati Reds. The A's, being their for the third time in just as many years, were ready to become a dynasty. Unfortunately, one for three just won't do it. The A's were just never in it, as the Reds took Game 1 7-0. That was all she wrote, as the Reds went on to sweep them to claim the 1990 World Series.

Golden State Warriors defeat Dallas Mavericks (2007 NBA Playoffs) 
Golden State won 42 games and were heavy underdogs in this series, for good reason. They were facing the best team in the NBA in 2007, the 67 win Dallas Mavericks. Dallas was supposed to roll through this series and through the playoffs on the way to a title. Golden State had other ideas, as they managed to pull off the upset, winning the series in six games. You can easly pick a storyline for this one because this series had it all. Golden State became the first 8th seed to knock off a top seed in a seven-game series. Coach Don Nelson getting revenge on his former team and bitter enemy, Dallas owner Mark Cuban. The Warriors winning their first playoff series in 16 seasons. Baron Davis, on a gimpy hamstring, pulling a Willis Reed to score 20 points in the Game 6 clincher. It had a little bit of everything.

USA defeats USSR (1980 Winter Olympics)
Talk about a major upset of all time, look no further than this one. Nobody gave these kids much of a chance. Facts are they were going up against one of the mightiest teams in all of hockey history. Before the Olympics had started in 1980, the Russians had played 48 games, winning all 48 of them. It was supposed to be a no contest. Herb Brooks, coach of that scrappy USA team, didn't want to hear of it. He got the team geared up for the game, making sure they were ready to go. During the contest, the US was one of the first teams to actually be able to skate with the Soviets for an entire hockey game. Brooks taught the US team to play the Russian style and throw it right back in the Russians face. It will be forever known as the Miracle on Ice, the night when a scrappy bunch of U.S. amateur and collegiate players knocked off the favored Soviets 4-3 in Lake Placid.

MLB Hands Out Hardware

It comes but once a year. Major League Baseball honors those individuals who are above and beyond the rest of the pack in a great team sport. All that was done on the field has lead to this. To be clear, the award winners that will be listed below are based on regular season numbers only. What happened in the playoffs has no impact what so ever in voting for these awards. There's no better way to officially close the book on the 2015 Major League Baseball season then finally handing out the hardware. So, below, are the winners of the 2015 Major League Baseball awards.

Gold Glove Winners:
AL:
1st Base: Eric Hosmer
2nd Base: José Altuve
3rd Base: Manny Machado
Shortstop: Alcides Escobar
Left Field: Yoenis Céspedes
Center Field: Kevin Kiermaier
Right Field: Kole Calhoun
Catcher: Salvador Pérez
Pitcher: Dallas Keuchel

NL:
1st Base: Paul Goldschmidt
2nd Base: Dee Gordon
3rd Base: Nolan Arenado
Shortstop: Brandon Crawford
Left Field: Starling Marte
Center Field: A. J. Pollock
Right Field: Jason Heyward
Catcher: Yadier Molina
Pitcher: Zack Greinke

Now lets move on to the bigger awards. We will tell you the winners and give our insight as to whether or not they got it right. So here we go.

Manager Of The Year
AL: Jeff Banister Texas Rangers
NL: Joe Maddon Chicago Cubs

Every team that has ever been successful in baseball has a great manager leading the team and that's what we got this year with Banister and Madden. With Banister, he lead a team in the Texas Rangers to an American League West title, something that the team hasn't won since 2011. This Texas team was in last place with 67 wins in 2014. This year they got healthy, with the exception of losing ace Yu Darvish, but they did manage to get slugging first baseman Prince Fielder back and healthy. When you help lead a team to a 21 win improvement from the year before, you make some noise as a manager. When you also consider the big names that got hurt during the season in Texas, with Darvish being the biggest name, it makes what the Rangers did even more impressive.

For the 3rd time in his career, Joe Madden walked away with the Manager of the Year in the National League, beating out Mike Matheny and Terry Collins. It should really come as no surprise to anybody that he walked away with it. It's not to take anything away from what the other two managers did this year. Before this season, Chicago hadn't won over 90 games in a year since winning the Central in back to back years in 2007 and 2008. This year they won 97 games and went all the way to the NLCS. He did have the biggest impact on his club this year, improving the team by 24 wins from the year before, which oh by the way was the biggest turnaround in baseball history. He was able to take a young, talented team to within four wins of a World Series appearance for the first time since 1945. Maddon twice won the award as skipper of the Rays, became the seventh manager to win the award three times and the sixth to win it in both leagues. Maddon became the fourth Cubs skipper to win the honor, following Lou Piniella (2008), Don Zimmer (1989) and Jim Frey ('84)

Rookie Of The Year
AL: Carlos Correa, Houston Astros
NL: Kris Bryant Chicago Cubs

The funny thing about both winners of the Rookie of The Year this year is that neither guy was playing on their big league roster by opening day. Once the season ended however, neither guy will be forgotten. Correa had a close race in the American League, just beating out Francisco Lindor, the shortstop for the Cleveland Indians. When Coreea was called up to the Majors on June 8th, he put up some good numbers. He just hit .279, blasting 22 homers, driving in 68 runs, stealing 14 bases, scoring 52 runs and playing stellar defense. All of this was done in just 99 games and mostly at the age of 20 (until he turned 21 on Sept. 22). That made him the youngest position player in the big leagues. To make this even better, he helped lead the Astros to the ALDS, a series in which they pushed the world champion Royals to five games. Yes Lindor did have a higher batting average (as he hit .313 compared to the .279 of Correa), but Correa had put up better numbers in other categories. Correa had the better year among first year players in the AL.

As for the National League Rookie Of The Year, it was a cake walk for Kris Bryant of the Cubs, who was a unanimous winner. IN fact, Bryant was the first unanimous Rookie of the Year Award winner since White Sox slugger Jose Abreu last year and only the sixth unanimous NL winner overall. We haven't seen a unanimous winner in the NL since Craig Kimbrel in 2011 and Bryant became the first Cubs player to win the NL Rookie of the Year Award unanimously. He's the sixth Cubs player to win the honor and the first since Geovany Soto in 2008. The numbers should speak for themselves. The only other rookie in the NL to hit as many home runs as Bryant did (26) was Joc Pederson of the Dodgers. Bryant lead all Rookies with 99 RBI's, and 87 runs scored. All of this coming after his call up to the Bigs on April 17th, allowing him to play in 151 games. Chicago really took off in the standings after he was called up to play 3rd base, with him being a big reason why. Chicago had a great season, with Kris Bryant being a big reason behind that

Cy Young Award:
AL: Dallas Keuchel, Houston Astros
NL: Jake Arrieta, Chicago Cubs

Being a 20 game winner in Major League Baseball still carries a lot of weight. Which would explain why both Dallas Keuchel and Jake Arrieta won the awards this year. Four out of the last five winners in the American League and Five of the last Six winners in the National League have won twenty or more games in their winning years. With Keuchel, he pulled out a win over David Price of the Toronto Blue Jays and Sonny Gray of the Oakland A's. This marks the 3rd time in history that an Astros pitcher has won a Cy Young award, and the first one since they moved to the American League (Mike Scott in 1986 and Roger Clemens in 2004 were the other two to win the award). Sure David P;rice put up fantastic numbers in helping the Blue Jays go on a good run and come away with the Division. But what Keuchel did was better. Keuchel finished 2015 with a 20-8 record, a 2.48 ERA, 216 strikeouts in 232 innings (most in the AL) and a 1.02 WHIP. He also didn't lose a single game at home, with a 15-0 record and 1.46 ERA at Minute Maid Park. Let those numbers sink in for a moment. He was also one of the big reasons for why the Astros came away as the Wild Card winners and hung around in the AL West race for most of the year.

With the Nation League Cy Young, it was a closer race between Arrieta and Zach Grenkie of the Los Angeles Dodgers, but Arreita came away with the Award. He just beat out Grenkie and Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers. Arrieta doesn't have to do much building if he repeats what he did in 2015. He led the Majors with 22 wins, only lost six decisions and posted a 1.77 ERA that was second only to Greinke's 1.66. Arrieta's second-half ERA of 0.75 was the lowest in Major League history, and he added 236 strikeouts in 229 innings, a 0.87 WHIP, and a no-hitter over the Dodgers. Grenkie had the Cy Young award in hand most of the year, putting up that fantastic ERA he had. But at the end of the day, Grenkie seemed to cool off in the second half of the season, whereas Arrieta was just getting warmed up. And how's this for a surprising stat for you. With Arrieta's win, it was a mini sweep of sorts for the boys from the North Side. The Cubs became the first team since the 2001 Mariners and the first NL team since the 1991 Braves to take home three BBWAA awards in the same season.

Most Valuable Player
AL: Josh Donaldson, Toronto Blue Jays
NL: Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals

Another unanimous vote locked up the MVP award this year in one league, while the winners in both leagues were very well deserving. Lets start with the American League winner, Josh Donaldson of the Toronto Blue Jays. Donaldson beat out Mike Trout of the Angels and Lorenzo Cain of the Royals (Trout was the only other player to pick up first place votes) Donaldson finished the year with a .297 batting average, 41 home runs and 123 RBI's. He was the only guy to finish in the top five in voting for MVP to drive in over 100 runs. He was also tied (with Mike Trout) for the 2nd most home runs in the AL, as both had 41 (which was three behind the 44 hit by Nelson Cruz). Yes I'll say it Mike trout was the best player on the Angels this year. But the difference between him and Donaldson was consistency. Trout had a stretch of about a month or so where he just wasn't hitting at all. Donaldson had been putting up consistent numbers all season long as the #2 hitter for the Blue Jays. When your one of the table setters for sluggers Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion, your going to get plenty of opportunities to shine.

Then there's Bryce Harper of the Nationals, who was the unanimous choice for National League MVP. The only player in the NL who hit as many homers as Harper was Nolan Arenado of the Rockies, who finished with the same number of homers at 42 and more RBI at 130 (most in the NL). The reason Harper won MVP was because he was the best player in that Washington lineup and helped keep them afloat for a while in the NL East. Harper led the Majors with a 1.109 OPS while totaling 42 homers, 124 walks and 118 runs scored, becoming the youngest player in history to hit those three marks in a season. He supplemented his historic campaign at the plate with upgraded defense in right field and an overall maturation into one of the game's great overall talents, as advertised. He was that good

Best and Worst Of NFL Week Ten

Week Ten of the NFL has come and gone, with a few notable events taking place. The AFC playoff picture is taking a little more shape, now with the Jets on the outside looking in after falling to Buffalo. The Jets and Bills are just two of the ten teams still have a winning record, which makes every matchup between contenders feel doubly important. That's why Kansas City and Cleveland's wins in Week 10 stuck out, as it makes the playoff picture even crazier in the AFC. Green Bay couldn't pull off a comeback against Detroit, but fell short of that goal. Denver, on the other hand, would like to have a do over from their meeting with Kansas City, as Peyton had one of the worst games of his career. Carolina and New England keep their perfect seasons rolling right along, while the Bengals where knocked off on Monday night, ending their perfect run. Rex Ryan came out a big winner, taking his first matchup against his former team, while the Giants still can't find a way to beat the Patriots during the regular season. With all that being said, lets take a look at some of the best and worst performances from week ten in the National Football League.

Best:
Ben Rothlesberger, Quarterback Pittsburgh Steelers
When the Steelers game on Sunday started against the Browns, he was the backup to Landry Jones. Big Ben was activated, but was still dealing with the sprained foot. Then Jones went down with an injured foot in his own right early on against Cleveland, and Rothlesberger was called upon to take over under center. As soon as he came in, he went off like a bat out of hell. Ben finished the day going 22 of 33 for 379 yards, 3 touchdowns and 1 pick. We will talk about this in a little bit, but the Steelers big wide receivers Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant really benefited from Ben throwing the ball to them. Cleveland I'm sure would have wanted him to stay on the sidelines, but clearly that didn't happen, and Pittsburgh is really really happy because of it.

Worst:
Peyton Manning, Quarterback Denver Broncos
OK this one really hurts me to say this, because I'm a big big fan of this guy. I really starting to think that his career is now on the decline. The one positive that he had from his game on Sunday against Kansas City, was that he managed to pass Brett Farve on the all time yards list with 71,871. But that was the lone bright spot from Peyton's start on Sunday, after getting benched from Brock Osweller in the 2nd half. Peyton finished the day going 5 of 20 for 35 yards and 4 picks. No that isn't a misprint, those were Peyton on Sunday against the Cheifs. He had a bad day. I'm really starting to get this sinking feeling that this is the end of the line for Peyton's career. He's had a Hall of Fame career and hasn't look like the same QB the last few games. He's really had only one good game this season and that was against the Packers a few years ago. Denver is lucky that they are still a great team with only two losses on the year. But if they want to sustain anything they need to get it figured out with Peyton under center.

Best:
Adrian Peterson, Running Back Minnesota Vikings
He isn't one of the top running backs in the game for nothing folks. I think that Adrian Peterson has made a comeback and in a big way this season. He had a monster game last week against Oakland in a 30-14 Minnesota win. Peterson finished the day with 26 carries for 206 yards and a touchdown. Yeah 206 yards on the ground, that's a pretty good day. In fact, AP was one of only two running backs in week ten (LeSean McCoy of the Buffalo Bills was the other one) who had over 100 yards rushing in a game this week. Peterson was rushing an incredible pace of 7.8 yards per carry. He also scored on a magnificent 80-yard touchdown. Yeah he was FEELING in on Sunday against the Raiders.

Worst:
Joe Flacco, Quarterback Baltimore Ravens
Not so elite was he this week? In back-to-back-to-back drives, Flacco committed three consecutive turnovers, consisting of two interceptions and a fumble. As a result of the turnovers, the Jaguars pulled off a last-second win, 22-20, over the Ravens after Jason Myers kicked a 53-yard field goal for the road team. Flacco finished the day going 34 of 45 for 316 yards 3 touchdowns and a pair of picks. Unfortunately, Flacco’s carelessness cost the Ravens yet another game, and his chronic turnovers have been a serious issue for the Ravens all season long. He really has started to have more and more stinkers the last few games. I think part of it has to do with the fact that Steve Smith Sr. isn't there for Flacco tho throw to, because he's out with an injury. Still it doesn't totally mean he can suck. He has got to try and find a way to lead this team again, otherwise its going to be season over before the calender changes over.

Best:
Pittsburgh Steelers Wide Receivers
Thank you Big Ben for coming in to play this week. Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant must have both been overjoyed to see Ben Roethlisberger come back under center. Bryant had 178 yards and a touchdown on six catches. Just to add to that, Brown had 139 yards and two touchdowns on 10 catches, and he has a good argument for being the best non-quarterback in the NFL this season. Bryant and Brown put up the top two receiving days this week in the entire league, with Bryant finished with the most yards out of anybody in one game. Brown already has 1,141 yards and that’s with some wasted weeks when Michael Vick couldn’t get him the ball. He also had an awesome front flip celebration on one of his touchdowns. Yeah those two guys were in a bigtime groove against Cleveland last week.

Worst:
Mark Sanchez, Quarterback Philadelphia Eagles
Sanchez was called into duty on Sunday, in relief of an injured Sam Bradford. He came in during the second half of Philadelphia’s late loss to the Miami Dolphins. Another bone-headed play from the Butt Fumble architect all but gave the game away, as Sanchez threw an interception in the end zone with the Eagles down just one point late in the fourth quarter. A field goal would have won the game. A series later, Philadelphia turned the ball over on downs to end the game. At one point in the first quarter, the Eagles led 16-3. Now he isn't totally to blame for the Eagles loss on Sunday. A lot of that had to do with the fact that the Eagles couldn't help hold a lead against to Fins. But, Sanchez did help finished the collapse.

Best:
Kirk Cousins, Quarterback Washington Redskins
Your going up against one of the worst defenses in all of football, so you kind of figured you would have a good game right? That's exactly what happened with Kirk Cousins. He picked on that horrible defense, completing 20 of 25 passes for 324 yards, four touchdowns and a perfect 158.3 passer rating during Washington’s 47-14 win over the Saints. Three of his scores came in the first half, when the Redskins gained almost 400 yards and built a 27-14 lead. Anyone and everyone is slicing and dicing the New Orleans defense these days, but credit Cousins for producing a career best day to help his team stay alive at 4-5. When a guy is throwing the ball that well, he and his team are going to be difficult to beat.

Worst:
New Orleans Saints Defense
I guess it is possible for a defensive unit to be mistaken for Swiss Cheese. The New Orleans Saints defense has proven that is possible after all. Because of how bad this defense is, Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan is now looking for employment. His flat-lining defense gave up over 500 yards to Washington, including almost 400 in the first half. The Redskins scored 47 points, giving Saints’ opponents 130 over the last three games. Troubles with quarterbacks remain a big reason for the Saints’ struggles, as Kirk Cousins’ four scores Sunday marked the third straight game New Orleans has allowed at least four passing touchdowns without an interception. By week’s end, the Saints will have the NFL’s worst scoring defense. Deservedly so. And here I thought my Jets defense last year was a train wreck, the Saints actually have it worse. By Far.

Baseball Hall Of Fame Ballot Annonced

Every year, baseball fans wait to see who is going to get into the hallowed halls of the Baseball Hall of Fame. By definition, a Hall of Famer is a group of individuals in a particular category (as a sport) who have been selected as particularly illustrious. First opened in 1936 the Baseball Hall of Fame, the museum now houses 310 members who have been enshrined. In the Hall, there are 215 former major league players, 28 executives, 35 Negro leaguers, 22 managers and 10 umpires. This year, there is a new list that has been announced. On this list are the names of 32 players who are trying to get into the hall of fame. The list of players looking to get into the hall in 2016 is a pretty good list.

Here's the exact list (players and what year they are on the ballot):

Mike Piazza 4th
Jeff Bagwell 6th
Tim Raines 9th
Curt Schilling 4th
Roger Clemens 4th
Barry Bonds 4th
Lee Smith 14th
Edgar Martinez 7th
Alan Trammell 15th
Mike Mussina 3rd
Jeff Kent 3rd
Fred McGriff 7th
Larry Walker 6th
Gary Sheffield 2nd
Mark McGwire 10th
Sammy Sosa 4th
Nomar Garciaparra 2nd
Ken Griffey 1st
Jim Edmonds 1st
Jason Kendall 1st
Troy Glaus 1st
Mike Hampton 1st
Luis Castillo 1st
Randy Winn 1st
Garret Anderson 1st
Mike Lowell 1st
Billy Wagner 1st
Trevor Hoffman 1st
Mark Grudzielanek 1st
Mike Sweeney 1st
David Eckstein 1st
Brad Ausmus 1st

Here's where things get interesting. Of the names on this list, I can only see a couple names getting the call this year. Of the guys returning to the Ballot, this will finally be the year for Piazza. He has come close last year, missing out by 5.15% to get in. This year he finally gets in. He's the greatest hitting catcher to ever play the game, hitting 427 home runs and driving in 1,335 runs. Nobody was as clutch a power hitter from behind the plate then Piazza. Jeff Bagwell is also another guy I see getting in (just not this year). Over 15 years in Houston, Bagwell hit 449 homers and drove in 1,529 runs. If you average that out over 162 games, Bagwell hit 34 a year, driving in about 119 a season. The guy was a solid hitter and solid defensive 1st baseman.

As for the new guys on the Ballot, I can see two getting in without a doubt. One is Ken Griffey Jr. Over his 22 years in the Majors, Griffey hit 630 home runs, driving in 1,830 runs. Most people remember him for his days in Seattle, where he had his best numbers. What I think is a down side for Griffey is that when he finished up his career in Cincinnati, he was so martered by injuries, he wasn't nearly as productive as he was while out West. His best year in Cincy was in 2007 where he managed to stay healthy and hit 30 homers, showing that he still had a touch to his game. What made Griffey so good was he had one of the sweetest swings in all of baseball. The guy was just so graceful with a bat in his hands. He made it look so easy swinging it wasn't even funny. He was a graceful swinger and one of the best in the outfield. There wasn't a ball that was hit that Griffey couldn't run down.

Then there's Trevor Hoffman, a man who nine times during an 18 year career saved 40 or more games in a season, will go down as one of the greatest closers of all time. Yes people are going to remember him for some of the games he's blown during his career. But he had the tools to be a good pitcher in the bigs. His repertoire by then included primarily of his changeup, a four-seam fastball, a slower cut fastball that moves in towards a left-handed batter, and the occasional slider and a curveball. Now would I put him at the top of the list among great closers? No. That's Mariano Rivera, no doubt about it. But in this generation, Hoffman has to be right behind him at two. He will get in there's no doubt about it, but the only question mark is when is Hoffman going to get in.

In order to be elected to the Hall of Fame you need 75% of the votes to get in. The committee will announce the Hall of Fame class in January 6th.

Best And Worst Of NFL Week NIne

A lot has gone down during week nine of the National Football League season that has a few scratching their heads. There are three unbeaten teams still standing: the Carolina Panthers (who may be the beasts of the NFC at the moment), the New England Patriots and the Cincinnati Bengals. Both the Titans and Steelers won in crazy shootout games (Pittsburgh also saw Big Ben get hurt again). Indianapolis went out and took down their former hero, ending Denver's unbeaten season. Upsets, bad coaching decisions, record setting performances, player injuries (see Big Ben again) and a few low scoring games are the highlights from week nine. So now, here's some of the best and worst from week nine in the NFL.

Best:
Antonio Brown, Wide Receiver Pittsburgh Steelers
This guy has been the best receiver in the NFL the past couple of seasons, but what he did on Sunday was almost otherworldly. Brown caught a franchise-record 17 passes for 284 yards (ninth most in NFL history). What makes this even more amazing is that Brown did it without Ben Rothlisberger, who left the game with an injury (Big Ben can't seem to be able to stay healthy this year). When you catch 17 passes it means your having yourself a good day. Add on the 284 yards, it means you were playing at another level. Brown caught 116 more yards then the next top receiver performance this week (Sammy Watkins of the Buffalo Bills had 168 receiving yards against Miami). Yeah if that's not a dominating performance than I don't know what is.

Worst:
Dan Quinn, Head Coach Atlanta Falcons
Lets face facts the Falcons have gone back to their old ways and are starting to really suck again. You know its a bad day when you lose to the San Francisco 49ers who have Blaine Gabbrett as starting QB. But his loss really has to sting because of the bad play calling by coach Dan Quinn. How can you not go for it on fourth down with under three minutes left and down four points. If you fail, you can still hope for a defensive stop with time left on the clock. That’s what the Falcons had to hope for anyway after kicking a useless field goal. Atlanta needed a damn touchdown and instead they kick the field goal and lose by one point. Atlanta is now on a two game losing streak and they have made bad decisions in both those losses.

Best:
Marcus Mariota, Quarterback Tennessee Titans
I think we just caught a glimpse of what the Titans wanted when they drafted him. Mariota stayed cool under pressure in the 34-28 overtime win by the Titans over the Saints. Mariota went 28 of 39 for 371 yards and 4 touchdowns. He didn't throw a pick and no Saints defender laid a hand on him for the sack. What sealed the game was the five-yard touchdown pass from Mariota to Anthony Fasano in overtime that clinched the win for the Titans. The funny thing is this marks only the second win for the season for Tennessee, and in both of the Titans wins, Mariota has thrown for four touchdowns in each game. So memo to the Titans, let this guy throw a little more. If he gets multiple touchdowns, your team has a chance to win.

Worst:
Eddie Lacy, Running Back Green Bay Packers
Something has to be wrong with Eddie Lacy this season. Here's a guy who accounted for 3,001 yards from scrimmage in his first 31 NFL games. Now, Lacy looks like he is a shell of himself this season. Case and point, Sunday in the Packers loss to the Panthers and his five rushes for 10 yards and a critical fumble, a day that is totaly un-Lacy like. Based on his performances, it looks like the Packers may have to go with James Starks. Clearly the better option at this point, Starks had 10 rushes for 39 yards and took over the Lacy receiving role with six catches for 83 yards and a 29-yard TD catch that helped give the Packers a chance to pull off an improbable comeback before falling short. Lacy now has only 308 rushing yards at the midpoint of the season, more than 500 yards off his rushing average his first two seasons. Its sad numbers for one of the top running backs in all of football

Best:
DeAngelo Williams, Running Back Pittsburgh Steelers
As much of an impact that Antonio Brown had in the Steelers 38-35 win over the Raiders, thew same can be said for DeAngelo Williams. Williams rushed 27 times for 170 yards and two scores. Those yards were 41 more than the next leading rusher in the NFL last week, LeGarrette Blount of the Patriots. Overall, the two players combined for 48 touches and 531 total yards. That’s not a typo. Brown and Williams accounted for almost 90 percent of Pittsburgh’s 591 yards. No pair of players has gained more yards in a single game since at least 1960.

Worst:
Todd Gurley, Running Back St. Louis Rams
He had a decent day, finishing with 24 carries for 89 yards. It was the first time in the last five weeks that he failed to reach 100 yards in a game. Don't get me wrong, those are solid numbers, but its a little disappointment when you consider what he's done the last few weeks. Adrian Peterson outshined the rookie as AP racked up 125 yards in the Vikings’ win over the Rams.

Best:
Buffalo Bills Running Game
Big win last week for the Bills. They got a win over a division rival in Miami, a strong 33-17 victory. They slowly worked Tyrod Taylor back into the mix, throwing the ball only 12 times. What good would a passing game do when Buffalo had a running game going. The Bills rushed for 266 yards as a team. This includes 100-yard games from both LeSean McCoy (16 carries for 112 yards) and rookie Karlos Williams (9 carries for 100 yards). The pair also scored three times. McCoy scampered 48 yards for a touchdown in the first half, while Williams found the end zone from 11 yards out in the first half and from 38 in the fourth quarter. Sunday marked the first time the Bills had two 100-yard rushers in a game since 2007.

Worst:
Denver Bronco's Unbeaten Season
Colts got payback against their former QB at home, as the Colts ended Denver's unbeaten season with a 27-24 victory, dropping the Bronco record to 8-1. Coincidentally enough, both Luck and Peyton Manning completed 21 of 36 passes for two touchdowns. Luck passed for 252 yards (to Manning’s 281) but the scale tipper as for who performed better was Manning’s two awful interceptions compared to Luck’s big fat zero. Indy's defense made the plays better than that of the Broncos, who coming into the week had the top overall defense in football. At for Manning, he’ll have to wait until next game to gain those piddly three yards he needed to break Brett Favre’s all-time passing record of 71,838.

Best:
Cam Newton, Quarterback Carolina Panthers
Newton had himself a pretty good day on Sunday, going 15 of 30 for 297 yards 3 touchdowns and threw one pick. He also put pedal to the medal and tallied 57 rushing yards along with a rushing touchdown. That rushing score for Newton was his 38th in his career, tying Kordell Stewart for second place on the all-time list for quarterbacks. His dynamic performance helped keep the Panthers an undefeated team for the year. Carolina is taking giant steps forward as a franchise, and with this guy leading the charge, its going to be a bright future in Carolina.

Worst:
Colin Kapernick, Quarterback San Francisco 49ers
You almost have to feel bad for the guy. He didn't take a snap Sunday, while Blaine Gabbert took all the snaps in the 17-16 49ers win. The fact that Gabbert had a good day, pretty much means that this guy's future in San Francisco my be almost done. Kaepernick clearly is the superior athlete of the two of them, and his critics have bemoaned the fact that he doesn’t use them enough. Gabbert’s Week 9 rushing total surpassed any that Kaepernick compiled in his past four starts. Lets face facts Gabbert had out played Kapernick, who looks like he might not get another start this year at this rate.

NBA 2015-16 Season Preview

You hear that sound? Its squeaking sneakers and bouncing basketballs. That's right, the time has arrived. Slates are wiped clean, its a brand new season on the hardwood. The National Basketball Association is open for business. June 16th, 2015 was the last time meaningful basketball was seen on TV, that was the night of game six when the Golden State Warriors knocked off the Cleveland Cavaliers to capture the NBA Crown. A few changes have come around the league since the end of last season. Teams like the Chicago Bulls (Fred Hoiberg), Denver Nuggets (Michael Malone), New Orleans Pelicans (Alvin Gentry), Oklahoma City Thunder (Billy Donovan), Orlando Magic (Scott Skiles) and Minnesota Timberwolves (Sam Mitchell after the passing of Flip Saunders) all have new head coaches. The regular season will begin on October 27 at the United Center in Chicago. The Bulls start the year off hosting the Cleveland Cavaliers in the early game, then the 2015 NBA Champion Golden State Warriors will host the New Orleans Pelicans in the night game at the Oracle Arena. Christmas Day games will be played on Friday, December 25, as is the tradition with the NBA. The final day of the regular season goes down on April 13.

So now that you know some of the important dates and changes made in the NBA this year, here's how we see this season going down.

Western Conference
1. Golden State Warriors*
The champs will be back at it again this season. This team won't really sneak up on anybody this season, they have a target on their backs as the defending champions. But the question is, how can you top what you did last year? This team finished with 67 victories and won an NBA title for the first time in 40 years. The fact that Golden State is returning the top nine players in minutes is going to be a big help, and the Warriors should land in the top 10 in offensive and defensive efficiency for the second straight season. They still have their top two players in Steph Curry and Klay Thompson locked up for a while and have a solid supporting cast round them once again. When you have a starting five that consists of Curry, Thompson, Barnes, Green, and Bogut its a scary bunch to play against. This Golden State team should again be a heavy favorite to come out of the West again this season.

2. San Antonio Suprs*
You want to talk about a model of consistency, look no further than the Spurs. This team hasn't missed the playoffs since the 1996-97 season, and in fact have only missed post season play five total times in the history of the franchise. I don't see that changing this year. One of the biggest splashes that the Spurs made in the offseason was adding one of the game’s best offensive big men and one of its more underrated bigs to an already experienced and loaded roster. LaMarcus Aldridge and David West will let Pop rest Tim Duncan plenty during the season, which due to his age is something Duncan might need if the Spurs want him healthy come playoff time. Kawhi Leonard continues his trajectory towards superstardom. The league’s most consistent franchise will continue to infuriate opposing fans. When you have a starting five that consists of Parker, Green, Leonard, Aldridge, and Duncan, your set up for success.

3. Los Angeles Clippers*
The Clippers had one of the most entertaining summers in recent memory from an off the court perspective. With everything that happened with DeAndre Jordan and whether or not he was going to Dallas or heading back to LA, it made for some good drama before the start of the season. Now he's back in the fold, and the Clippers are going to contend again this season. When you add in talented players like wily veteran Paul Pierce, Lance Stephenson and Josh Smith, it adds some depth to the team. If the second unit can find a groove and Stephenson can find his Indiana form again, this team has the firepower to make things uncomfortable for teams at the top like the Spurs and Warriors. When you also have a starting five of Paul, Redick, Pierce, Griffin, and Jordan, that will scare the pants off anybody.

4. Houston Rockets*
James Harden is coming off an outstanding year last year, one in which he fell just short of winning MVP (which went to Stephen Curry). One problem Houston had last season was not having much support in the backcourt for Harden. Now they have it in the form of Ty Lawson. Bringing in Lawson is going to help take some of the pressure off Harden, which is going to be a huge help. Once again, the Rockets are going to be known as the top three point shooting team in not only the Western Conference, but in the entire league. Besides that, Houston is one of the best ball possession team in all of basketball, and when you have a starting five that has Ty Lawson, James Harden, Trevor Ariza, Terrence Jones, and Dwight Howard it makes for a good basketball team.

5. Oklahoma City Thunder*
Last season couldn't have gone any worse for OKC. Derailed by injuries the last two years, both Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook will be back healthy to start the season. But health will continue to be a concern for this team, as will depth. They need to find a leader for the second unit, so Durant and Westbrook can get some rest during games. A lighter minutes load will keep them productive, which is the same argument you can make for the Spurs. Another big knock on the Thunder is winning a title. The pressure is really starting to mount in OKC for winning a crown. The pressure is on Russell Westbrook, Andre Roberson, Kevin Durant, Serge Ibaka, and Steven Adams to try and bring home a title. That and stay healthy, because as we saw last year, not having Westbrook and Durant hurt the Thunder. They did have a winning record, but it wasn't enough. This year they have enough talent to get in.

6. Memphis Grizzlies*
The team you’d least want to get in a fight with just got tougher. Here's a team that likes to run with the basketball down load, which is a bit of a surprise considering that this league has now gone to mostly an outside shooting league. In order to get tougher, Memphis added noted scrapper Matt Barnes, they threw in a  solid backup in the form of big man Brandan Wright. Then kept it going by adding possible backup point guard in Russ Smith. When you already have a team that boast a starting five of Mike Conley, Jeff Green, Courtney Lee, Zach Randolph, and Marc Gasol, you have one of the more intimidating lineups in all of the league. Looks like grit-n-grind basketball returns for another year in Memphis, which should be fun to watch.

7. New Orleans Pelicans*
New coach Alvin Gentry has reason to be optimistic going into this season. He does have Anthony Davis, who is quickly becoming one of the top two way players in all of the NBA. The Pelicans are still missing a few pieces, but if they can just put a competent group of four players around Davis, they’ll be a playoff team that goes on a deep run. With a starting five of Jrue Holiday, Eric Gordon, Dante Cunningham, Anthony Davis, and Omer Asik, they will make a solid run at this thing. If it’s an above-average group, that’s when you get into contender territory. First and foremost, Jrue Holiday and Eric Gordon need to stay healthy. That’s a big ask considering the two have combined to miss 129 games over the last two years. The team lacks depth, which will hurt them come playoff time. Still when healthy, this team has enough talent to get in as a seventh seed.

8. Dallas Mavericks*
Talk about a rough go of it over the summer. The Mavs thought they had Deandre Jordan locked up to a contract, but that fell through as they weren't able to pry him from the Clippers grasp. That said, they still had a solid offseason. Dallas got a little better with the addition of Deron Williams and Wes Matthews. Williams looked to have regained his form at the end of last season, and the Mavs are banking on that continuing. Matthews is coming off a torn Achilles, and you never know how well a player can come back from that. But if he returns to pre-injury form, this team will fill it up. The problem is at the five spot, where the options are uninspiring. Javale McGee, Zaza Pachulia and Samuel Dalembert don’t exactly strike fear into opponents. Justin Anderson should be a good 3 and D guy right away in the league. If things break just right, there’s a sliver of hope that they can send Dirk out on top. Dallas still has enough talent to get into the post season.

9. Utah Jazz
This team is going to surprise a few people this year, they are going to make it close this season. This was a team that finished under .500 and came in 11th place last season in a tough Western Conference. This is the NBA's third-youngest team (24.9). They're going to be without second-year point guard Dante Exum, who's out with a torn ACL, and that is going to hurt their chances. After the All-Star break last season, a giant frontcourt featuring 6-10 Derrick Favors, who is going to be somebody to keep an eye on in the pain this season, and 7-1 Rudy Gobert led Utah to a 19-10 record and the NBA's best D. Throw in a talent like Gordon Hayward, who is a solid player, and you have something to build off of. The rest is untapped potential right now. Trey Burke, Alec Burks, Dante Exum and Rodney Hood could all be good players, but haven’t lived up to expectations yet. Defensively this team can lock down opponents. On offense it will stagnate and get clunky at times.And who’s playing point? Still, the Jazz will be in the mix for the last couple seeds come playoff time.

10. Phoenix Suns
New year, same results. I can see Phoenix finishing in the exact same spot they did last season. Still a little tough to make things out for this basketball team, I mean think about it. two years ago they had a winning record and just missed out on making the playoffs. Last year they took a step backwards and fell to under .500. This season, Phoenix nearly won the offseason lottery in getting Tyson Chandler to pair with LaMarcus Aldridge, but Aldridge headed off to San Antonio instead. What’s left is a fun team with some intriguing pieces, that could give teams fits, but will ultimately jockey for one of the final couple playoff spots. I mean look at the team they have. To complement Tyson Chandler, they have Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Knight, PJ Tucker, and Markieff Morris. Plus throw in guys like Mirza Teletovic off the bench, it should help keep Phoenix in the race and finish right around .500 this year.

11. Sacramento Kings
With the talent on this basketball team, there is a little bit of potential and something to possibly build on. I know its been a struggle for the Kings, a team that hasn't made the playoffs since 2006 and hasn't won 30 or more games in a season since winning 33 games in 2007. Came close last year with 29 wins, but still it hasn't really been good for the Kings. There is a little hope here, considering the team has Rajon Rondo, Ben McLemore, Rudy Gay, DeMarcus Cousins and Willie Cauley-Stein. On paper, this team reads like a great starting lineup on paper. How will it play out on the floor? We’re about to find out. Its either going to be really great, or really suck.

12. Portland Trail Blazers
This is going to suck if your a fan of Portland. This is a team who was a 51 win team and a division winner a season ago. They got bounced by Houston in the opening round, so you would think they would be back to rebuilding. But right here and now, Lamarcus Aldridge and Wesley Matthews are gone, as are Aaron Afflalo and Robin Lopez (both signed with the Knicks). The talent that was here has been replaced by role players. Ed Davis is a nice piece, same with Al-Farouq Aminu. And CJ McCollum seems primed for a breakout year. But there’s just not enough here to contend.

13. Denver Nuggets
I think its time for rebuild mode in Denver. After going through a nine year stretch of making the playoffs, the Nuggets has missed it the last two seasons each. Now I think management has sent the loud and clear message that the team is in rebuild. How do I know? When you go and get rid of Ty Lawson in the offseason and, on top of that, drafted Emmanuel Mudiay. Mudiay will be good, and Jusuf Nurkic is a solid big man. But outside of those two, where does the production come from? Does Danilo Gallinari finally show the form they expected?Seems unlikely. This roster has a bunch of question marks. Its not going to be pretty in Denver this season.

14. Los Angeles Lakers
This is Kobe Bryant's last run in the league, but its not going to go very well I can almost guarantee you that. Give the Lakers some credit, they did manage to trade for Roy Hibbert, which will help their 29th-ranked D. Lou Williams and Brandon Bass are going to help mentor the young guys. But relying on those two, an aging Kobe and Jordan Clarkson/rookie D’Angelo Russell is not a formula for success in a stacked Western Conference. Good news for the looming post-Kobe era, right? Not so much. The Lakers have improved just enough to send their 2016 top-three-protected pick to Philly.

15. Minnesota Timberwolves
Minnesota has a little something to build off of here. The fun young players on this roster, along with a stabilizing veteran presence, will help the Timberwolves start to sniff coming back into prominence in a very tough West. When you have guys like Karl-Anthony Towns, Gorgui Dieng and Adreian Payne, you have something to work with. And they get to learn from talent like Kevin Garnett. Zach Lavine and Tyus Jones can study the ageless wonder professor Andre Miller. Kevin Martin and Tayshaun Prince can help Andrew Wiggins continue to grow. The problem will be finding minutes for everyone. If they can correctly balance that equation, this will be a fun team to watch. In two years, they’ll scare the daylights out of the rest of the league. It's just not going to happen this season.

Eastern Conference
1. Cleveland Cavaliers*
Yes I know this is going to be the team that most experts pick to come out of the East, but with how weak the East is by comparing it to the West, its not hard to see why you would take the Cavs. One of the biggest question marks with the Cavs is health. You saw what happened to them in the playoffs last year. Yes they made the finals but lost two big pieces, Irving and Love, by the time the finals started. You still have the big three of James, Love and Irving, who when healthy can beat everybody in the East almost. Adding in guys like Mo Williams and vet Richard Jefferson will deepen an already explosive offense. Add in the talent of guys like Timofey Mozgov and Tristan Thompson and the Cavs will once again be the kings of the East.

2. Chicago Bulls*
Its going to be tough without Derrick Rose, but the Bulls have been able to do it in the past without him. Fred Hoiberg has taken over as Chicago's head coach and all we know for sure is that this year’s Bulls team will be completely different from Tom Thibodeau’s Bulls teams of yesteryear. Hoiberg is known for his offensive acumen and has been the toast of the town this preseason for the free-flowing offense he’s putting into place. A big problem that Hoiberg is going to have is the same thing that Thibodeau had, its dealing with Injuries on his basketball team. Rose is out for a while, dealing with his facial injures. Once Rose comes back, there's hope in Chicago. Rose, they are hoping, can mesh with Jimmy Butler, to make a pretty good one-two punch. Put in Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol, and Doug McDermott to the starting five and it could make Chicago tough to defend against.

3. Atlanta Hawks*
This is a Hawks team that is coming off a 60+ win season last year. Atlanta has a strong chance to go deep in the playoffs. But there is a small problem. Atlanta lost DeMarre Carroll to free agency, which is going to hurt. Replacing his perimeter skills on both ends won't be easy. No East team moved the ball and spaced the floor better than the Hawks. New center Tiago Splitter, though a good fix for the team's rebounding woes (22nd in defensive, 30th in offensive), has neither range nor passing skills. When you have a starting five that consists of Jeff Teague, Kyle Korver, Al Horford, Thabo Sefolosha and Paul Millsap, it still a good mix for a decent playoff team.

4. Miami Heat*
Last season was a bad one in Miami, mostly because a lot of their starters missed playing time during the year due to injury. Miami could be the most intriguing team in all the Eastern Conference this year. A starting five that boasts Goran Dragic, Dwayne Wade, Hassan Whiteside, Luol Deng, and Chris Bosh has plenty of star power to go around. Its going to be an interesting sight to see how well Dragic, Wade and Bosh are going to be playing together. Throw in veterans like Amar’e Stoudemire and young studs like Justice Winslow, and you’ve got one interesting team. On paper, they could be the cream that rises to the top of the East and dethrones the king and the Cavaliers. Al lot of it will depend on how healthy this team can stay and how well they play on defense for coach Erik Spoelstra. Whatever happens, Miami could be fun to watch.

 5. Washington Wizards*
Its been fun the last two years in DC if your a basketball fan. Your team has made it to the 2nd round in each of the last two years, but the party has been stopped there each time. Is it time for the Wizards to possibly be able to expand apon it? Only time will tell. But right now it looks like a distinct possibility. With a back court of Bradley Beal and John Wall, both of whom have improved each year and still may not have peaked yet, it’s definitely possible. Sure Paul Pierce isn't in the mix anymore, which is a huge loss for the Wizards, especially when you think about his contributions in the playoffs last year. Still, the Wizards will try and compensate for the loss with the rising Otto Porter and veterans like Jared Dudley, Alan Anderson and Gary Neal. I’m not sure they can replace Pierce, but they’ll be able to contribute throughout the year for sure. When you have a starting five of John Wall, Bradley Beal, Marcin Gortat, Otto Porter, and Nene, you can make an impact in the East.

6. Toronto Raptors*
The last two seasons, the Atlantic Division crown in the Eastern Conference has gone through Toronto. Lets face facts there's not a whole lot of competition in that Division against the Raptors. The only downside for the Raptors the last two seasons is they have been bounced in the opening round each time. Give the Raptors credit, they did get noticeably better. They did add Demarre Carroll, Anthony Bennett and Luis Scola to a talented back court of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan. Carroll and Scola both have a playoff pedigree of sorts as well, which is what the Raptors need to help get them over the first-round hump this year. Still, two of the biggest problems that the Raptors didn't address is the teams interior D (50.1 percent allowed on 2s last season, 28th in the NBA) and shooting (Toronto projects to have the NBA's 15th-best effective field-goal percentage). If the Raptors were in the West, we'd be punching their lottery ticket. Lucky for them they play in a weak Eastern Conference and will finish 6th.

7.  Milwaukee Bucks*
This was a team who a season ago made a MAJOR step in the right direction. Two seasons ago, they finished with just 15 wins. Last year, it jumped up to 41 wins and finishing the year with a .500 season and a playoff spot (losing to the Bulls in the opening round in six games). There is a chance that the Bucks could be a good basketball team this season. What’s not to like about the roster they’ve put together? They have a talented starting five, which consists of Michael Carter-Williams, Khris Middleton, Greg Monroe, Giannis Antetokoummpo, and Jabari Parker. They have a solid bench, and a coach that appears to know what he’s doing in Jason Kidd. For once, ownership is throwing their money and putting support behind the team. The only thing that could derail a Buck run is a Jabari Parker setback as he returns from an ACL injury. Otherwise, look out for the Bucks. This team may surprise a few people. Just depends on Parker and how healthy he can stay.

8 Boston Celtics*
Boston surprised a few people last year by coming in as the seventh seed and winning forty games. The fact that the biggest impact they made in the playoffs was on Kevin Love’s shoulder is besides the point, they made it to the dance, and that was a big accomplishment. The Celtics are in great shape for the future, but could be set up for some success this season too. With some solid minutes from David Lee and continued off-the-bench excellence from Isaiah Thomas, they could make a run at a higher seed in the East than most expect. Their starting five of Avery Bradley, Marcus Smart, Tyler Zeller, David Lee, and Evan Turner is a solid starting five. Hell it may be the only starting five in the top eight in the East that doesn't have a STAR among them. That just goes to show how weak the Eastern Conference. Still I think its good enough to get bye and make the playoffs.

9. Detroit Pistons
Detroit could be close to possibly getting over the hump. This is a team that hasn't made the playoffs since 2009 and are getting a little bit closer. Year two under Stan Van Gundy definitely has Pistons fans optimistic. Stanley Johnson, who was the team’s first-round pick (No. 8 overall), will start the season coming off the bench, but he’ll be making his presence known league wide before too long. He looked good in training camp and could make noise. Andre Drummond remains one of the game’s best rebounders, and he’ll have a better supporting cast this year to work with. When you have a starting five that consists of Reggie Jackson, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Andre Drummond, Ersan Ilyasova, and Marcus Morris, there's a little bit of hope in the Motor City.

10. Charlotte Hornets
There is good news coming out of Charlotte for a basketball fan. This team has a renovated roster, one that features talent players like Nicolas Batum, Jeremy Lin and rookie Frank Kaminsky. All three of them project to at least 11 points per 36 minutes, and all should give punch to an offense that ranked 28th and shot an NBA-worst 31.8 percent from 3 in 2014-15. There is always a downside. In this case its Michael Kidd-Gilchrist's injury, which drops a stifling D a little bit. There is a great chance though that his Hornets team will improve on their 33-49 record from last season

11. Indiana Pacers
The Pacers are trading in bigger and stronger for smaller and quicker, which might not work out so well in the NBA. You have to give Indiana a little bit of credit for trying to change up their style. Not having Roy Hibbert and David West in the front court I think are going to hurt the Pacers, but apparently Indiana needs and wants a change in their philosophy. This season is going to be interesting to see how the style works for coach Frank Vogel. We’ve already heard rumblings of Paul George being unhappy with his new power forward roll, so forgive the skepticism that this transition will be seamless for the Pacers. When you have the starting five of George Hill, Monta Ellis, Ian Mahinmi, C.J. Miles, and an unhappy Paul George it may make for a long season in Indy.

12. New York Knicks
There has been a lot of changes to this Knicks squad, coming off an interesting year last year. Melo missed a lot of time with the knee injury, then their was the failed attempt to tank at the end of the year (a move which lead to New York landing the 4th pick). Now you bring in Kristaps Porzingis with the fourth pick, you add some pieces in like Robin Lopez and Arron Afflalo. With the starting five of Jose Calderon, Arron Afflalo, Robin Lopez, Carmelo Anthony, and Kristaps Porzingis, it shouldn't be as much of a dumpster fire as last years team was, but it won't be good enough to get into the playoffs.

13. Orlando Magic
Twenty five wins a season ago was a tough go of it for the Magic. A team that hasn't won more than 30 games in season since 2012 has a lot of work to do. Defensive-minded coach Scott Skiles is in for a long haul with this Orlando team. He’s looking to reshape a team that had one of the worst point differentials in the league last year. More often than not last season, this Orlando team would get roasted due to their poor defense. The Magic have some young skilled players like Elfrid Payton who are set to improve on last year’s season. Although they’re trending in the right direction, the Magic are still a year or two away from really competing in the East. The starting five of Elfrid Payton, Victor Oladipo, Nikola Vucevic, Tobias Harris, and Aaron Gordon have a lot of work to do this year.

14. Brooklyn Nets
Sorry Nets fans, this might not be your year. Yes I know the team has made the playoffs in each of the three seasons they have been in Brooklyn, but this year I don't feel they have enough talent to get there. Things didn't get off to a great start for Lionel Hollins last year to say the very least, and it’s not going to get too much easier this year either. The Nets jettisoned mercurial point guard Deron Williams and are letting Jarrett Jack run the show, a downgrade no matter your feelings on Williams. The Nets re-signed Thaddeus Young, a good move for the club, but they’re still not talented enough to compete in the East. It’ll certainly be interesting to see what the Nets can do with Andrea Bargnani, if anything. The starting five of Jarrett Jack, Bojan Bogdanovic, Brook Lopez, Joe Johnson, and Thaddeus Young are going to have a huge hill to climb and it's not going to be an easy one.

15. Philadelphia 76ers
Things haven't been too good in Philly the past few seasons. They haven't made the playoffs since 2012 and in both of the last two seasons have been unable to hit the twenty win mark for the year. It doesn’t look like this is going to be the year for the 76ers, but it could at least be the start of something for the much-maligned franchise and its tanking ways. Jahlil Okafor and a healthy Nerlens Noel could thrive together, and Tony Wroten is poised to improve on last year’s solid campaign. So, optimism in Philly? This year isn't going to provide much of any in Phnilly. The only one of the starting five of Tony Wroten, Nik Stauskas, Nerlens Noel, Robert Covington, and Jahlil Okafor who shows any promise is Okafor. The rest of the team flat out isn't very good.

So there you have it the NBA predictions for the 2015-16 NBA Season!

Best And Worst Of NFL Week Eight

Week eight of the NFL season is now in the books. Things have looked a lot different then they did just a week before. Some big name players had their seasons come to an end, guys like Le'Veon Bell, Steve Smith Sr, Khiry Robinson, Ricardo Lockette, Matt Forte, Cameron Wake, and Reggie Bush all went down for the year with injuries. This week wasn't exactly kind to the Falcons, as they were upset by the Bucs. Bill Belichick introduced Dan Campbell to the real NFL, thanks to New England smacking around the Miami Dolphins. New England, Denver (upsetting the Packers), Cincinnati in tihe AFC and Carolina in the NFC are the lone unbeaten teams left in the league. Drew Brees and Derek Carr both had field days, while the Jets and Raiders both laid eggs this week. There was a shootout in New Orleans and an OT thriller on Monday night. A lot went down in week eight, and here's some of the best and worst from the week that was in the National Football League.

Best:
Drew Brees, Quarterback New Orleans Saints
You want to talk about a guy going off and having a record setting day, look no further then what Brees did against the Giants. In a wild shootout of a game, which saw the Saints walk away with a 52-49 victory, both starting QB's had a day. Eli Manning threw for 350 yards and six TD's. But Drew was that much better. Brees finished the day throwing 39 of 50 for 505 yards and SEVEN TOUCHDOWNS (yes he did throw two picks but that's overlooked by most) Seven touchdowns is an unreal freaking number for any QB. The fact that some people thought that Drew was washed up at the start of the season now seem like they have a little bit of egg on their face after this performance. Brees was felling it on Sunday.

Worst:
Aaron Rogers, Quarterback Green Bay Packers
Don't get me wrong this guy is still one of the elite QB's in the entire National Football League. Having said that, at least in week eight, he sure as hell didn't look like it. When the Pack took on Denver in the Sunday night matchup, Denver walked away with a 29-10 victory. Denver has the top overall and top pass defense in the entire league, and you saw that against the Packers. Riodgers had a tough go of it against that Denver defense. Rogers finished the day going 14 for 22 for 77 yards passing and was sacked three times. He was beaten down by the defense all night long. Like I said, he's still a top flight QB in the entire league, but he got run over by a top level defense on Sunday by the Broncos. 77 yards passing is a bad night, especially if your name is Aaron Rogers.

Best:
Oakland Raiders Offense
I guess I was wrong, the Raiders aren't a pushover as much as we thought they would be. They handled the Jets quite easily 34-20. New York couldn't make a tackle to save their lives. David Carr looked good, going 23 of 36 for 333 yards and four touchdowns. New York's pass defense had been fifth in the entire NFL coming into the week, and Oakland lit them up like a cheap cigar. Latavius Murray ran for 133 yards, Michael Crabtree had 102 yards receiving, Taiwan Jones had a 59 yard TD catch where he broke three tackles, and Andre Holmes had a pair of touchdown receptions. Yeah it was that bad a day for the Jets defense and that great a day for the Oakland offense.

Worst:
New York Jets Quarterbacks
Neither QB in New York green and white had anything going in the game Sunday. Yes I know Fitzpatrick got hurt, injuring his thumb. There's no time table for how long he's going to be out. He went 4 of 5 for 46 yards before he got hurt. Then in comes Geno Smith for his first snaps of the season and well, nothing has changed with Geno. He is still making the same mistakes he was making three years ago as a rookie. There was little hope of a comeback, but Geno made sure the hope was down to zero by taking a sack and not running out of bounds on key plays with little time remaining. And now to add salt to the wounds, it looks like Geno got hurt too, a chest and shoulder injury. If Bryce Petty is the Starting QB next week against Jacksonville, the Jets have a problem

Best:
Todd Gurley, Running Back St. Louis Rams
I think I smell our offensive rookie of the year here in Gurley. He went off again on Sunday in the Rams 27-6 win over San Francisco. Gurley had 20 carries for 133 yards and a touchdown. He's had over 100 yards rushing in each of his last four games (146, 159, 128 and 133) now giving him 575 yards for the season with three scores. Its safe to say that the Rams may have themselves a major offensive weapon to work with. Gurley has been the top rusher in the NFL the last two weeks.

Worst:
Mike Wallace, Wide Receiver Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota came away with a big 23-20 win over the Bears on Sunday. Its a little sad that its a big win considering its the Bears, but still a win is a win no matter how you look at it. One guy who was invisible for the Vikings was wide out Mike Wallace. Here's a guy who had been a big time impact player in Pittsburgh a few years ago. This year, he has yet to break a 100 yard game. The closest he came to it was 89 yards on 8 catches against Denver in week four. This week, playing an average Bears defense, Wallace came up totally empty. No catches for no yards. He was targeted four times and dropped a pair of passes. Teddy Bridgewater did an alright job of spreading the ball around, but how Minnesota managed to beat Chicago without a contribution from Mike Wallace is a bit surprising.

Best:
Benjamin Watson, Wide Receiver New Orleans Saints
Being a favorite target of Drew Brees on a record setting day does have a few benefits. Both Benjamin Watson and Marcus Colston had over 100 yard receiving days on the day but Watson had a day to remember. He finished the day with nine catches for 147 yards and a touchdown. Those 147 yards were the 3rd most receiving yards in week eight (behind 162 yards from Julio Jones and 168 yards from Demaryius Thomas). This was also the 2nd time all season that Watson has racked up over 100 yards in a game (he pulled in 127 yards against Atlanta in week six). This could be a possible turning point for him this season, but we shall see.

Worst:
Dallas Cowboys
You can't catch a break right now if your the boys. Without Tony Romo, Dallas has really flopped. All they could muster against Seattle is a one field goal in each of the four quarters against Seattle on Sunday. It was tough to take the 13-12 loss to the Seahawks. Now your really starting to see the impact of not having Romo under center. Having Matt Cassel start and go 13 of 25 for 97 yards passing isn't going to cut it. Even with Dez Bryant back in the fold, its not helping at the moment. The Cowboys offense has been horrible since week two when Romo got hurt, and there's reports coming in that he won't be ready to go again until week eleven. That can't come fast enough for the Boys.

Best:
Denver Broncos
This one was a bit of a surprise, just a bit. I mean come on Green Bay has been dominating teams most of the year. Now they ran into a buzzsaw known as the Denver Broncos #1 defense. Denver's defense has kept them unbeaten all year. Finally the offense stepped up and joined the defense. Peyton Manning and company finally helped this defense out as they rolled right over Green Bay. Manning was the superior QB in this one somehow, outslinging Aaron Rodgers by 262 yards! Sure Peyton did get picked off once and went without a touchdown, but he still threw 21 for 29 for 340 yards. Anderson and Hillman took a load off Peyton's throwing, which was a big help. Denver's offense finally caught up, at least for this week, to what its defense has been doing.

Worst:
Dan Quinn, Head Coach Atlanta Falcons
When he first took over the new team, Atlanta looked like it might have turned the corner. Now, after the last two weeks, it looks like it might be the same old Falcons. Yes I'll admit it that Atlanta looked fantastic over the first five games. Then they came back to reality. They haven't won a game yet in their division and news flash they still have two games against the Panthers who are the class of that division. Dan Quinn has lost his grip a little on this Atlanta team, which is still a top ten team in both offense and defense.Quinn better get the ship righted in Atlanta otherwise he could be looking for a new job. You never know in this league.

Title To KC Royals Win World Series

It has been quite a long wait in Kansas City. Thirty years is a long time to wait between championships. Well worth the wait if you ask Royals fans. After just missing out on a World Championship, losing a tough game seven to the San Francisco Giants. Kansas City started this season off like a team on a mission. They closed it out the right way this year, making little to no mistakes. Kansas City walked out of Queens Sunday night as the World Champions, beating the New York Mets in five games. What happened in this series was a combination of the Mets losing the series and the Royals winning it.

From the start of the series, with the Alcides Escobar inside the park home run off Matt Harvey on the first pitch of the series, you knew it was going to be an exciting series. New York started clawing back in the 5th thanks to Daniel Murphy and Travis d'Arnaud. A longball from Curtis Granderson got the Orange and Blue a lead, something they weren't able to hold. After trading runs over the next few innings, the game wound its way to extra innings A lot of that was thanks to the Alex Gordon home run off Jeurys Familia in the 9th. This coming off a guy who had been lights out the entire playoffs heading into this series. In the bottom of the 14th inning, Escobar reached first base on a throwing error by David Wright, and Bartolo Colón gave up a base hit to Ben Zobrist, allowing Escobar to reach third base. Hosmer hit a sacrifice fly to Granderson in right field to drive in the winning run. The game ended at 1:18 AM EDT, lasting five hours and nine minutes. The game tied the record for the longest game by innings in World Series history, shared with Game 2 in 1916 and Game 3 in 2005. The loss made Colón the oldest player ever to lose a World Series game.

Game two was all about Johnny Cueto. Even though New York scored the first run of the game with a Lucas Duda single, scoring Murphy, KC responded with four runs on RBI singles by Alcides Escobar, Eric Hosmer, and Mike Moustakas. The Royals scored three more runs in the eighth inning to put this game out of reach. Johnny Cueto pitched a complete game, the first by an AL pitcher in the World Series since Jack Morris in Game 7 in 1991, as the Royals defeated the Mets and took a two games to zero lead in the series. Game three saw the series shift back to New York, something which seemed to energize the Mets. A power surge from David Wright and Curtis Granderson help launch the Mets to their only win in the entire series. Besides the power surge from New York, the Royals made a few uncharacteristic mistakes in this game. First, there was Yordano Ventura forgot to cover the base on a ground ball to the first baseman, and the second in the sixth inning when Royals pitcher Franklin Morales triple-clutched Granderson's ground ball, allowing all runners to be safe, which led to a 2-run single by Wright. That's about as close as the Mets would get in the series.

In game four, Kansas City pulled out a nailbitter, thanks in large part to the botch by Daniel Murphy in the 8th inning. Yes, Michael Conforto hit a pair of home runs, but what everybody is going to talk about is the Murphy botch. Then late in the game, with KC threatening, Daniel Murphy made a bad play in the field, the error proving very costly. While yes the Murphy play was bad, I'm not saying it wasn't, you can also place a little bit of blame there on Tyler Clippard, who couldn't get anybody out, walking the only two batters he faced. It put more pressure on Jeurys Familia, who had been perfect in the playoffs until game one. He had a chance to redeem himself in that fourth game, but wasn't able to do it.

Now in game five, the crowd was into it. Curtis Granderson kept the good vibes going with the leadoff home run in the game. New York managed to push another run across in the 6th to take a lead. With the way Matt Harvey was pitching the whole night, you had this feeling that we might be heading back to KC for a 6th game. Then, going into the 9th, Harvey had pitched great, but you could tell he was wearing down. After giving up a leadoff walk, manager Terry Collins left Harvey in, who gave up a run scoring double to Eric Hosmer. Then they went to Familia. New York made another defensive mistake in the 9th, thanks to the bad throw to the plate by Lucas Duda that allowed the tying run to score. This game wound its way  to the 12th inning, Kansas City loaded the bases. Lorenso Cain drove home three more runs with a double off Bartolo Colón. Wade Davis shut the door in the bottom of the 12th, clinching the crown for Kansas City.

You knew it might be a long series, from a Mets perspective, when in game one, on the first pitch thrown by Matt Harvey, Alcides Escobar hit an inside-the-park home run. The reason the ball traveled the way it did was because both Yoenis Cespedes and Michael Conforto misplayed the baseball. A sign of things to come in the series from a defensive perspective in the entire series. New York's defense in game one didn't get much better as David Wright made a costly throwing error, a play that would set up the eventual winning run for Kansas City. But wait it gets worse for the Mets from a defensive perspective. Game four was big for the Mets. They had an early lead thanks to a pair of Home Runs from Conforto. Then late in the game, with KC threatening, Daniel Murphy made a bad play in the field, a costly one at that.

While yes the Murphy play was bad, I'm not saying it wasn't, you can also place a little bit of blame there on Tyler Clippard, who couldn't get anybody out, walking the only two batters he faced. It put more pressure on Jeurys Familia, who had been perfect in the playoffs until game one. He had a chance to redeem himself in that four game, but wasn't able to do it. Last but not least, there was the throwing error by Lucas Duda in the 9th inning of game five. To be fair Hosmer made a gutsy move by challenging Duda coming down the line the way he did, but still it was a bad throw from Duda. Then you can also add in the bad baserunning by the Mets in the series, the worse one being Cespedes in game four getting doubled off 1st on the line drive.

Now to be fair, the Mets did make mistakes in the series, there's no denying that. But at the same time you saw the experience of the Royals coming through. Look at the Hosmer play in game five in the 9th., If he isn't pushing it down the line on the throw to first, Duda isn't getting rushed on the throw and the game could have ended. But Hosmer made the heads up play, took off and forced a bad throw from Duda. Kansas City was the smarter team in this series. Sure they got a few long balls, Alcides Escobar and Alex Gordon went deep in the first game of the series. Then it was all small ball for KC in the series, something the Mets had trouble doing. The Mets tried to rely on the home run a lot in the series and by not getting too many players on base, it cost the Mets. KC learned from what happened to them last year and took advantage of it. They took advantage of the Mets mistakes in the series and walked away with the series. Kanssa City knew what it was doing, where at times it looked like New York didn't. Salvador Perez rightfully walked away with the MVP of the World Series. He just so happened to hit .364 (8-for-22) with two doubles, two RBIs and three runs scored in the series.

New York made a great run at the title this year and have nothing to be ashamed of. Hats off and congratulations to the Kansas City Royals for winning their 2nd World Series Crown in Franchise history!