What To Watch In Training Camp

Its getting close to that time of year once again. NFL Training Camps have opened up league wide, leaving a lot of intrigue going around. As we are a little over a month away from the return of Pro Football to our TV screens on Thursday, Sunday and Mondays, the clubs are working hard to get ready. The Vince Lombardi trophy is the ultimate goal for every NFL franchise. The journey to reach that goal this year starts right now. We will take a look at the top five stories to watch for the two local teams, of course. But before we do that, here's some other big story lines to keep an eye on around the rest of the league.

Adrian Peterson In New Colors
AP had a rough stay of it his last year or so in Minnesota, so now he's getting a new, fresh start playing in New Orleans. What is going to be a change for Peterson is the fact that he won't be seen as the featured back anymore. He's probably going to get some reduced time playing with the Saints lead back Mark Ingram, who had 1,043 rushing yards last season. Still, there's always that chance that AP could return to his old form and help take the Saints to the promise land.

Return of Beast Mode
Its been two years since we last saw Marshawn Lynch take the field. In 127 games before this year, Lynch had 9,112 rush yards and 74 career touchdowns. He hasn't touched a field in two years, and he goes out and joins a team that ended a 13 year playoff drought by making the post season last year. Oakland can only get better from here and by adding a guy like Lynch could make them even better.

Rookie QB's Pick Up Quick
Most fans know that the NFL is a quarterback driven league. There's a few new fresh faces that are coming into play this year. Mitchell Trubisky Bears), DeShone Kizer (Browns) and Deshaun Watson (Texans) all have high expectations placed on their shoulders going into this year, because of the high praise that they had coming out of college. Watson is going to have to compete with Tom Savage for the starting job with the Texans, so who knows what Houston is going to want to do with the man under center. The Texans now have a young QB that they could mold so hopefully it turns out to work out in their favor.

The Return Of Golden Arms
Two of the brightest stars at the quarterback position in the game are coming off injuries. Cam Newton (partially torn rotator cuff) and Andrew Luck (labrum repair) are coming off shoulder surgeries. Luck, who played well last year, hasn't started to throw yet and seems likely to miss at least the first few practices of camp. It would suck yes, but you need to make sure he's healthy and ready to go by opening day. As for Newton, who had a dramatic drop-off in 2016 from his MVP season, started throwing late in the offseason. Their progress will be two of the most closely scrutinized stories this summer, particularly if their preseason game action is limited in any way.

Now we move on to the biggest stories from the local teams:

New Look Offense Taking Shape
Last year, the Giants managed to make the playoffs by going 11-5 and gaining a Wild Card spot. They did so while averaging 19.4 points per game, which is a tad paltry for a playoff team. So what do the Giants do to improve that? Add weapons. They drafted Evan Engram to play Tight End, bring in Brandon Marshall as the #2 threat behind Odell Beckham Jr., and give Paul Perkins the starting Running Back job. On paper, this looks like it could be a very scary offense to go up against. But that's on paper, how well it translates to on the field will be determined over the course of camp. Hopefully, this offense can get to the level the defense was at last season.

Is The Offensive Line Good Enough?
What good is the new, high powered, offense going to be, if the offensive line can't hold up? There's a few question marks there. Its going to be the same line that started most of last season, which leaves massive doubts about their tackles. Left tackle Ereck Flowers dropped weight this offseason, but will it translate to a better, more effective player? Also, how will free-agent signing D.J. Fluker fit into the mix? Will he fit into the mix? We’ll find out quickly this summer.

Defense Stepping Up
This was the strength of the G-Men last season, as they allowed 17.8 points per game a season ago, which was the 2nd fewest points against in the league last year. There's now potential for them to get even better. The goal, in camp, will be to keep this group healthy and find ways to integrate young players such as middle linebacker B.J. Goodson, safety Darian Thompson and defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson. Let's see if they dominate, and can gel quickly, this summer.

Who's Behind Eli?
More then in years past, the eyes will be on the Quarterback position, but a lot of it won't have much to do with Eli Manning. There's no doubt that Eli is the starter. The question will be, who is gonna be the #2 on the charts right behind Eli? It's a three man battle betweenthird-round pick Davis Webb, former Jets starter Geno Smith and veteran Josh Johnson are expected to compete for the backup job, and Webb probably will serve as the third-stringer this season as he makes the massive jump to a pro-style offense. All their performances this summer will be scrutinized. Who can really step up and make a name for themselves in camp and establish as the guy to be right behind Eli for the Giants.

Do The Jets Have Any Idea What They're Doing?
Where do we start with this one. It will probably take a full season to figure out what's really going to be done with this team, there's not much here this year. General manager Mike Maccagnan built this team with an eye on 2018, stripping down a roster filled with overpaid, underperforming veterans and replacing them with young, unproven talents. They figure to carry at least 10 rookies, many of whom could play key roles. It'll be a tough, competitive training camp with no fewer than six starting jobs up for grabs. It will be very interesting to see who's going to emerge to play a role on this years football team.

Who's Under Center?
Seems like its been a revolving door for the Jets as to who's going to play Quarterback for this football team. Who's going to be the starter and backup for this season has yet to be decided by Head Coach Todd Bowles. many believe that 38 year old newly signed Josh McCown will be the top guy to take the snaps this year. The Jets will set it up so Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty have the chance to compete for the starting gig, but that won't fool anyone. Barring an upset, McCown will be the opening day starter based on experience, if nothing else.  For the record, this isn't McCowns job to lose, its can Hackenberg, or even Petty, step up and possibly take it from him? As soon as the former second-round pick is capable of running the offense,  he'll be in there. But only time will tell if the team actually has their future star under center or if they have to dig for him in the draft next year?

Change of guard with offensive Coordinator
New year, new system, new players, new offensive coordinator. Gang Green is starting over on offense, with first-time Offensive Coordinator John Morton taking over a unit that probably will have at least six new starters and arguably the worst quarterback situation in the league. The talent base is thin, and the receiving corps is largely unproven. Morton will deserve a nice raise if his West Coast offense cracks the top 20. But with what's here, on paper at least, it looks like a long shot.

Sheldon Richardson Front And Center
One of the bright spots over the last number of seasons has been the Jets defense. Sheldon Richardson is one of the anchors of that Jets defense, and has been the last couple of years. But last year, it didn't look that way from Sheldon. There's no doubt about how good he is, but his future is uncertain because he's entering the final year of his contract and has been on the trading block since last fall. It wouldn't be a shock if he's dealt by the midseason trading deadline. In the meantime, the plan is to move him back to his natural position, 3-technique tackle, where he has thrived in the past. And  get him back to playing the type of football all Jets fans know him to be able to play. If he can do that he'll be able to earn himself a nice contract, either from the Jets (I hope) or some other team willing to pay for his services.

NBA Free Agency Recap

Oh, free agency periods. It's around this time of year where you start to possibly see the major power shifts in the NBA. Players getting traded, others signing on with new teams, and others still resigning for HUGE contracts with their current teams. We've seen some drastic changes to the competative landscape in the league so far, and we've seen some major reworking of rosters around the league. Chris Paul, Paul George and Jimmy Butler were all traded. Paul Millsap and Jeff Teague are the latest fresh faces in a loaded Western Conference. Gordon Hayward is ready to help the Celtics threaten the Cavaliers. Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka are back for more in Toronto. Blake Griffin is finally The Man for the Clippers, surrounded by an all-new supporting cast. And the Warriors have still somehow managed to have a better summer than anybody.

So here's a look at some of the winners and losers from free agency so far.

Winner: Golden State Warriors
As if things couldn't get any better for the champs, it may have just done so. Both Steph Curry and Kevin Durant have been brought back into the mix. Curry signed a new deal worth just a shade over $200 million. They brought back Kevin Durant on a lesser deal, he actually took a pay cut to be able to stick around. In Durant’s case, he signed a two-year, $53 million contract that actually amounts to a pay cut from his previous salary while also roughly $9 million shy of his max contract starting number. Andre Iguodala was also brought back on a three year deal. Shaun Livingston, David West, Nick Young and Omri Casspi all brought back to be prime roll players on this loaded team. Some of the other teams in the west, like Houston and Oklahoma City in the west have been trying to close the competitive gap a little on the Warriors, have just seen Golden State push it that much further away.

Winner: Boston Celtics
Boston is a good team that's going to get better. Will they be a threat to knock off Cleveland? In time that's a big yes. Why? Adding Gordon Hayward into the mix was a very big deal. They may have also gotten lucky had they waited a few more days and possibly gotten Paul George as well, but getting Hayward is a very solid pickup in its own right. Hayward is a crafty scorer with a sneaky explosiveness and a deep bag of leaning midrange shots. He adds something to his game every summer. Last season, he weaponized an off-the-dribble 3-pointer that will be even more dangerous as he rockets off picks from Al Horford; Hayward hit 41 percent of his pull-up 3s last season, fourth-best among 57 guys who jacked at least 1.5 such shots per game. He's also got a solid defensive game as well, which is really going to help out in Boston. Facts are they may not knock Cleveland off the pearch in the East in 2018 but, hey, Heywards got a way better shot at it now then he did playing in Utah.

Winners: Oklahoma City Thunder
Talk about taking a huge step forward in the Western Conference, that's what you get with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Yes they lost Taj Gibson (who signed with Minnesota) and they had to give up Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis. But at the end of the day, the reward for trading away thouse two guys could be well worth it. In the trade, Oladipo and Sabonis got sent to Indiana in exchange for Paul George. Sure they got some stiff competition with Minnesota and Denver getting better, by adding a guy like Paul George, even if its only for one year (at least on paper that's how it looks), it will keep OKC in the mix for the playoffs for one more year at least. If this year goes well for the Thunder, then there's a better then even chance they might be able to get both guys back in the mix over the long term. This maybe a one and done deal, but its a huge step up for the Thunder.

Winners: An Already Stacked Western Conference
We already mentioned how the Warriors got better. There's more to it in the West then just that. Denver got better, inking Paul Milsap to a three year deal was a slam dunk (no pun intended). Minnesota revamped its roster with Jeff Teague, Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson. Minnesota doesn't have enough 3-point shooting, and the backup wing situation is a disaster zone. Tom Thibodeau targeting former Bulls is indicative of classic coach/executive narrow-mindedness that will eventually hurt the Wolves if they don't install some checks and balances. Oh yeah, and the Rockets grabbed Chris Paul in a major deal. Its going to be fun out West this year.

Losers: Standing By The Eastern Conference
This is going to be easy to analyze. The Nets, Knicks, Pacers, Bulls and Hawks are all going to be bad. The Magic, entering Year 6 of an interminable rebuild, have done nothing. The Pistons, Hornets and Heat won almost by de-fault, he two sweetest words in the English language. The Eastern Conference: Where standing still is winning.

Losers: Utah, Memphis and Portland
Some of the teams from the West got better, while others just stood by and did nothing and even possibly downgraded. I mean look at it out West. Utah lost Gordan Hayward, Portland got hit with major cap issues and look like a shell of themselves, and Memphis is getting older and doesn't seem like they're going to really do anything about it. All hope is not lost. Utah could swing a sign-and-trade around Hayward, or look to reinvest the money it was going to pay their star on other free agents. The Blazers will welcome back a healthy Jusuf Nurkic next season and could still try to dump salary, which really should remain their top priority. The Grizzlies still have two All-Star caliber starters in Marc Gasol and Mike Conley, and together they have proven to be ultra-resilient over the last six years or so.

Don't Ya Know AL Wins Again!

Five straight years. That's how many times the American League has now won the All Star Game. This one, it took a little bit longer then the teams wanted, but the American League came away with the victory once again. It's the 11th time overall and the first time since 2008 we've had to go past nine innings in the midsummer classic. Most of the talk going into the game had been about a current Yankees star, but it was a former Yankees star that proved to be the hero late in the game.

Before we get into the late innings, here's a few stats about last night's game that made it so interesting. Both starting pitchers, Max Scherzer and Chris Sale, were throwing hard early on, keeping opposing hitters at bay. And the state of Ohio was on display quite well last night as well. Jose Ramirez rapped singles to right field in his first two at-bats, plus he stole a base. He's the first Indians player with multiple hits in the All-Star Game in more than two decades. Then you got Zach Kozart of the Reds, who went one for two in the ball game. That hit was the first one by a Reds player in seven years. Before last night, Reds players had gone 0 for 23 in the game. Then there was one of the cooler moments I've ever seen in a baseball, when Seattle DH Nelson Cruz took a picture with Home Plate Umpire Joe West behind the plate before an at bat. Just one of those moments that make you realize that there is something other then a game.

Now then, on to the scoring. The AL jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the fifth thanks to a Jonathan Schoop double down the line and a Miguel Sano bloop single just inside the right field foul line. The NL tied the game in the sixth inning on Molina's opposite field solo home run. He took Ervin Santana deep. At 34 years and 363 days, Molina is now the oldest catcher to go deep in the All-Star Game. And he actually looked cool in his catchers gear that made him look a little like C3PO from Star Wars. The National League had a chance to pull off a win with a walk off in the 9th. They got runners at 2nd and 3rd. But Mets Outfielder Michael Conforto struck out swinging to end the inning and send us to extras.

The firs thought to run through fans heads was that there might be a repeat of 2002 in Milwaukee. Robinson Cano changed that quickly. He took a 1-1 fastball and deposited the pitch from Wade Davis and dumped it into the bullpen to give the AL the lead. They wouldn't let it go. The American League held on for the 2-1 win in ten innings.

With the win, the American League has now won five straight All Star Games. Its the first time since the 1988 game that we've had a 2-1 score, and its the first time since we've had a game decided in extras since the National League won 8-7 in ten innings in 1994. With the win by the American League, it was their 43rd in the All Star Game, putting the records at 43-43-2 for both leagues. Robinson Cano was named MVP of the game, and for good reason. Hitting the game deciding home run, in extra innings, can help you do that. Cano is the 3rd Mariners player to win the MVP award, joining Ken Griffey Jr in 1992 and Ichiro in 2007. Cano is also the 4th ever 2nd baseman to win MVP, joining Joe Morgan in 1972, Julio Franco in 1990 and Roberto Alomar in 1998.

Next year's game will take place on July 10th from Nationals Park in Washington DC!

All Rise In Miami

The heaviest hitters in the game of baseball gathered at Marlins Park in Miami. Some of the games Elite Sluggers took their best swings to be crowned champion of the long ball. Last year's winner Giancarlo Stanton, New York's Gary Sanchez, the Marlins' Justin Bour, the Rockies' Charlie Blackmon, the Dodgers' Cody Bellinger, the Royals' Mike Moustakas and the Twins Miguel Sano all took their best shots at the fences. All of them came up short to the ultimate winner, Yankees rookie star, and the Majors home runs leader at the all star break (he has 30) in Aaron Judge.

Every round in this years derby was decided by one swing. It all got going with Miguel Sano beating Mike Moustakas 11-10, followed by Gary Sanchez beating the defending champion Giancarlo Station 17-16. Then we had Aaron Judge beat the other Marlin in the Derby, Justin Bour, in a real sluggfest, with Judge winning 23-22. Finally, the first round concluded with a Cody Bellinger 15-14 win over Charlie Blackman. The second round saw Sano beat Sanchez, by an 11-10 final. And in the other semifinal, Judge beat Bellinger 13-12. In the finals it didn't take Judge very long to finish the job, beating Sano 11-10 to claim the first crown of his career, and the first home run derby ever by a rookie.

He finished off Sano with 1:53 on the clock And the dream matchup that everybody wanted to see in the finals, the one between Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, never came to be. The reason? Gary Sanchez took care of Stanton in the opening round. For those of you who are fans of exit velocity (I'm not one of those people but I know a few who are), Judge hit 16 homers with exit velocities of 115 mph or harder, and to all fields of the ballpark. By the time the night was over, Judge had hit four home runs over 500 feet. 501 feet, 504 feet, 507 feet and 513 feet. In total, the distance of Aaron Judge's baseballs flew, if stacked end to end, a total distance of 3.9 miles. It was a total of 37 home runs hit by Judge in this Derby, which is the 2nd most all time in the contest, behind only the 61 that Giancarlo Stanton last year. Hell, the 23 home runs that Judge hit in the opening round marked the third-best round in Home Run Derby history, trailing only Josh Hamilton's 28 in 2008 and Bobby Abreu's 24 in 2005.

Judge becomes the 4th Yankee ever to win the Home Run Derby, joining Tino Martinez in 1997, Jason Giambi in 2002 and Robinson Cano in 2011. So congratulations teo Aaron Judge on dominating the home run derby!

Melo Escaping New York?

You knew it might be coming sooner or later. Carmelo Anthony has been the best offensive player on the New York Knicks for quite some time now. With that being said, there have been rumblings coming out of New York. After signing Melo to the new contract, with the No Trade Clause added in mind you, it looked like Melo was going to stay a Knick the rest of his career. Now it looks like that might not exactly be the case. Carmelo is now willing to leave New York, and the Knicks are willing to trade him. But can they find an offer that fits right?

It was announced Monday by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski that Anthony is willing to waive his no-trade clause to join Houston or Cleveland. This is Melo's way, as far as I can read it, that he wants to win a Championship, and who can blame him. It just looks like he's not going to get it here in New York with the Knicks. As is with anything that the Knicks have done as of late, there are a couple of snags. The Knicks have told people they don't want to take back older players on longer contracts in any transaction. At the same time, many in the organization feel it's best to trade Anthony, and if you do, you hope you are able to get something of value for him. According to insiders at ESPN, there are a couple of factors to take into account for a deal to go through. At the moment, the Knicks are over the salary cap, so they'd have to take back $100,000 plus 125 percent of what they would send out in an Anthony trade. Of course, they could go under the cap if they renounced their rights to Derrick Rose ($29.7 million) and Sasha Vujacic ($1.4 million), moves that would create $16 million in space. Also, there's Anthony's trade kicker. Anthony has a 15 percent trade kicker that would add $8.1 million to his 2017-18 salary. That would bring Anthony's contract to $34.7 million, which is almost untradable.

So what does this all mean? Well it really comes down to money at the heart of the issue. Can a trade be made? Well there are a couple of options, according to ESPN. One is a deal with the Rockets. The deal will get the Knicks a boat load of players. One purposed deal would send Melo to Houston in exchange for Eric Gordon, Trevor Ariza, Ryan Kelly, Shawn Long, Tim Quarterman and Isaiah Taylor. There's also another move involing a third team in the Miami Heat, which would involve a ton of players plus a couple of draft picks being moved around. Then again, there is also a possibility of a deal being made with the defending Eastern Conference Champions, the Cleveland Cavaleres, who have quite a few players that the Knicks have an interest in. But the only logical sense would be a straight up trade Melo to Cleveland for Kevin Love. At the same time, while that might look attractive, Love might not fit into the Knicks offensive system. The last option, if a trade doesn't work, is for the Knicks to straight up buy Carmelo out. A buyout would be a less than ideal outcome for New York, which would receive no assets in return for a player it signed to a $124 million contract just three years ago. But the Knicks could create cap space, and if Anthony and the Knicks elect for the buyout option, the amount reduced would be stretched out over five seasons. For example, if Anthony and the Knicks agree to pay out $35 million of the $54 million Anthony is owed, the Knicks would have $7 million on their cap over the next five seasons (ESPN).

The long and the short of it is the Knicks need to find the right fit for them if they are to get rid of Melo. I know he wanted to stay here in New York, but its starting to look like he's maybe worn out his welcome. So if they can't get a good offer back in a trade, which by the Way Carmelo has made it public knowledge that he wants to go to either Cleveland or Houston, then just buy him out and let him go where he wants to play. Melo has had a good run here in the Garden, but now at this point it might be better to just cut ties and move on.

Hello, Miami

Oh the midsummer classic! Each year, around the middle of July, the best in the game of baseball converge on a city to prove who's the best. This year, the best players in the game will hit up Miami to determine, for pride at least, which league is the best in baseball. The 88th Major League Baseball All Star Game will take place at Marlins Park in Miami on Tuesday, July 11th, with first pitch set for 8PM. Fans and managers have gotten to work to see who's the best of the best, at least this year, to represent the American and National League. We have our answer now.

Here are the starters, reserves, and pitchers for the All Star Game.

American League:
Starters:
Catcher Salvador Pérez Royals (5th selection)
1st Base Justin Smoak Blue Jays (1st selection)
2nd Base José Altuve Astros (5th selection)
3rd Base José Ramírez Indians (1st selection)
Shortstop Carlos Correa Astros (1st selection)
Outfield Mike Trout Angels (6th selection)
Outfield Aaron Judge Yankees (1st selection)
Outfield George Springer Astros (1st selection)
Designated Hitter Corey Dickerson Rays (1st selection)

Reserves:
Catcher Gary Sánchez Yankees (1st selection)
1st Base Yonder Alonso Athletics (1st selection)
2nd Base Starlin Castro Yankees (4th selection)
2nd Base Jonathan Schoop Orioles (1st selection)
3rd Base Miguel Sanó Twins (1st selection)
Shortstop Francisco Lindor Indians (2nd selection)
Outfield Mookie Betts Red Sox (2nd selection)
Outfield Michael Brantley Indians (2nd selection)
Outfield Avisail García White Sox (1st selection)
Designated Hitter Nelson Cruz Mariners (5th selection)

Pitchers:
Dellin Betances Yankees (4th selection)
Yu Darvish Rangers (4th selection)
Michael Fulmer Tigers (1st selection)
Dallas Keuchel Astros (2nd selection)
Craig Kimbrel Red Sox (6th selection)
Corey Kluber Indians (2nd selection)
Lance McCullers Jr. Astros (1st selection)
Andrew Miller Indians (2nd selection)
Chris Sale Red Sox (6th selection)
Ervin Santana Twins (2nd selection)
Luis Severino Yankees (1st selection)
Jason Vargas Royals (1st selection)

National League:
Starters:
Catcher Buster Posey Giants (5th selection)
1st Base Ryan Zimmerman Nationals (2nd selection)
2nd Base Daniel Murphy Nationals (3rd selection)
3rd Base Nolan Arenado Rockies (3rd selection)
Shortstop Zack Cozart Reds (1st selection)
Outfield Charlie Blackmon Rockies (2nd selection)
Outfield Bryce Harper Nationals (5th selection)
Outfield Marcell Ozuna Marlins (2nd selection)

Reserves:
Catcher Yadier Molina Cardinals (8th selection)
1st Base Paul Goldschmidt Diamondbacks (5th selection)
1st Base Joey Votto Reds (5th selection)
2nd Base Josh Harrison Pirates (2nd selection)
2nd Base DJ LeMahieu Rockies (2nd selection)
3rd Base Jake Lamb Diamondbacks (1st selection)
Shortstop Corey Seager Dodgers (2nd selection)
Outfield Cody Bellinger Dodgers (1st selection)
Outfield Michael Conforto Mets (1st selection)
Outfield Ender Inciarte Braves (1st selection)
Outfield Giancarlo Stanton Marlins (4th selection)

Pitchers:
Wade Davis Cubs (3rd selection)
Zack Greinke Diamondbacks (4th selection)
Brad Hand Padres (1st selection)
Greg Holland Rockies (3rd selection)
Kenley Jansen Dodgers (2nd selection)
Clayton Kershaw Dodgers (7th selection)
Corey Knebel Brewers (1st selection)
Carlos Martinez Cardinals (2nd selection)
Pat Neshek Phillies (2nd selection)
Robbie Ray Diamondbacks (1st selection)
Max Scherzer Nationals (5th selection)
Stephen Strasburg Nationals (3rd selection)

Of course, as with all the selections, there are going to be people who feel like they might have gotten snubbed. A little surprised that Severino got the nod when a guy like Marcus Stroman of Toronto was left out. Stroman has more wins and a lower ERA then Severino. Hell how did Francisco Lindour get voted as a reserve for the All Star game, yet Xander Bogarts gets left out (but he is up for final vote for the game along with Elvis Andrus) and how he and Elvis Andrus were left out and Lindor is going is a bit much. Bogarts has the lowest numbers of the three and Andrus is the only other shortstop, along with Carlos Correra, to have driven in more then 50 runs from that position. As for the National League, its a little surprising Justin Turner isn't going to the game, but considering how loaded and top heavy the 3rd base position is in the NL it sucks he had to get left off (for right now as he is in the final vote). Otherwise, it has looked good for who's going to the ASG this season.