MLB UPDATED POWER RANKINGS

UPDATED: 2012 Power Rankings

AFTER 22 GAMES.

3 NATIONAL LEAGUE TEAMS GET INTO THE TOP 5, SO MUCH FOR THE AL DOMINANCE.

TOP 10 TEAMS 

SECOND:rankings are out since the start of the season. 

10.  Boston Red Sox. ( 10-11) Fighting back to .500. While most won't agree with the Red Sox being placed anywhere near the top 10 since they are still in last place in East. I see things differently mainly because their are so many teams bunched up with records close to .500 I can justify going with a playoff tested, offensive powerhouse to emerge out of the pack . They are scoring just as many runs as the Yankees and the bullpen can only perform better. Lester had his first Ace like start of the season and that isn't a bad thing. Dice-K is on his way at worst he eats up innings which will  help the staff out. In a offense that is without Ellsbury and Youkilis struggling the Red Sox will only get stronger as the season continues. Crawford is a bust. 


9.  San Francisco Giants. (12-10) 6-4 in last 10 games, no closer and Aubrey Huff filling in at 2B. Still worthy of a top 10 spot because they have held their own to this point with some major injuries. Lincecum looks to have found his form the NL West is going to be a dog fight and with the Giants staff they are going to stay in the race all season. 

8.  New York Yankees.  (12-9) 6-4 in the last 10 games. garcia is out on the rotation surprising that he lasted that long. The offense has been set by Jeter all season and the Grandy Man has been back at it with 8 bombs already. The pitching staff is a mess right now but the lineup put up 15 unanswered runs in a game. Yanks bats are scary and thats why they remain in the top 10. 



7. Detroit Tigers.  (11-11) suffering through a 5-5 stretch. No need to worry as they play in the weakest of all divisions. Haters would point out unless your name is Verlander and Smyly then you have been awful on the mound but it's still early. The biggest problem is what is going to happen with Delmon the anti-semite



6.   Washington Nationals. (14-8) only 5-5 in last 10 games but 3 of those could of easily been wins against the streaking Dodgers. Losing Zimmerman hurts but they get a huge shot in the arm from 19 year old Bryce Harper finally inserted into the lineup. Currently without Morse and Zimm they will struggle to score runs but lucky for them they have one of the best staff's in all of baseball. 


5.  Tampa Bay Rays. (14-8) 8-2 in last 10 games. If Matt Joyce could ever hit a lefthander the Rays would jump up much higher in my eyes. Led by Longoria and Joyce the pitching is the real strength of the club. When your worst pitcher is a firethrowing young lefthander that is capable of no hitting teams on any given outing, you are doing okay on the mound. 

4.  Atlanta Braves. (14-8)  The Braves have all of sudden caught fire and are 7-3 in last 10 games. They just got staff ace Tim Hudson back to an already deep staff. Freddie Freeman and Michael Bourne are carrying the offense to this point. Nothing  flashy going on in Atlanta, just wins. Wouldn't surprise me if the Braves make a deep playoff run. 


 3.  Los Angeles Dodgers. (16-6) 10-2 at home this season, and going 7-3 in last 10. Fresh off a home sweep of the Nationals the Dodgers look great early. Kemp has been amazing (.425 with 11 homeruns) Great pitching will help the weak the offense. Will probably need to make a trade for another bat before people will take them serious as playoff contenders.

2.  St. Louis Cardinals. (14-8) only 5-5 in last 10 games but we have a feeling Adam Wainright will get back on track. With key injuries the Cards are holding strong and look like the most likely NL team to get the World Series to this point. Great pitching staff will fuel the St. Louis towards the top of these power rankings. 

1. Texas Rangers.  (16-6) Already 9 games in front of the Angels. Having not lost a series all season they are the current clear cut best team in baseball. Seems like the whole team is on fire while Josh Hamilton is going nuts. The only thing slowing the Rangers will be the inevitable injury to the very prone roster of powerbats. Pitching staff has held up so far and the bullpen is nasty. 

FIRST 2 PICKS IN NFL DRAFT

HOLLYWOODS VERSION OF
ANDREW LUCK & ROBERT GRIFFIN III. 

. SHANE FALCO. KEANU REEVES in THE REPLACEMENTS. Played D1 and was a All-American at THEE Ohio State. A brilliant collegiate career came to end up with a blowout loss in the '96 Sugar Bowl. Was drafted by Seattle a played one season before the players strike. Seattle usually isn't very good so we assume he was a high pick. Shane is reunited with his old coach which would help him as he already knows the offense.

WILLIE BEAMEN. JAMIE FOXX in ANY GIVEN SUNDAY.

Foxx plays a third-string quarterback and former seventh-round draft pick. Weird pregame ritual of throwing up, another notable QB to do that was DAN MARINO. Beamen figures out the speed of the game rather fast taking only 1 game to get comfortable and draws comparison to CAM NEWTON. He quickly becomes a healthy MIKE VICK type player, dangerous both running and passing. With success a long comes the ego, we are talking like Dwight Howard ego. out of control. Much like TEBOW he racks up wins real fast and similary loses his starting job after nothing but winning, albeit with a bad attitude.

BRYCE HARPER LOOKS LEGIT

BRYCE HARPER COLLECTS FIRST HIT

IT WAS A "MOON SHOT"

In his first big league game he hit a frozen rope off the centerfield wall for a double in doing so he showed off his blazing speed as every single person around me commented on how fast he pulled into 2B. Later in the game he showed off his arm by throwing an absolute bullet to the plate. The guy showed off all 5 tools his first game at the age of 19. It looks like Bryce Harper will be joining Matt Kemp at the top of the talent pool in the National League.

YANKEES Loved Seinfeld

 YANKEES APPEARANCES

ON SEINFELD

Paul O'neill. Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams. Buck Showalter. George Steinbrenner. Jay Buhner. Danny Tartabull. Hideki Irabu. Phil Rizzuto. 

George Steinbrenner.

George does the exact opposite of he has been doing his whole life and it's paying off big time. The episode were George gets hired by the Yankees and we meet George Steinbrenner played by the great Larry David. 

Phil Rizzuto.

Forget being a Hall of Fame announcer George immortalizes the Phil as a squeezable keychain. "Holy Cow"

  Hideki Irabu.

The Finale of the show. While not actually in the scene the mention of his name is good enough. "12 million for Irabu?"

George Steinbrenner.

Larry David at his best, with his impression of the legendary Yankees owner. George lecturing George.  The late owner sure did love fire sales.

 Derek Jeter and Bernie Williams.

The legendary Yankees get a hitting lesson from the Assistant to the Traveling Secretary. Jeter "we won the World Series" George "uhh yeah in 6 games"

Great Teammate Nominee

MAJOR LEAGUE ADVICE

EVER WONDER ABOUT WHAT BIG LEAGUERS TALK ABOUT IN THE PEN?

The All NBA Most Hated

FIRST TEAM NBA MOST-HATED

5 MOST DISLIKED NBA PLAYERS

BLAKE GRIFFIN.

Is it because players don't like getting posterized when he dunks on them? Is it the fact he went Hollywood? Commercially and on the court. Vlade Divac would be happy with Blakes flops. Most players would say he complains on the court to much. He has no jumper, not great defensively and can't shoot freethrows yet ESPN would have you think he is a top 5 player. Known as an "actor."

LEBRON JAMES.

The self appointed "King" is currently 0 for 8 on the chase for a championship (2 times Finals Loser.) I sort of remember that after school special about Lebron's Free Agency Decision, I believe he took some heat for the way he went about that. Once in Miami he proclaimed he was going to win how many trophies? Is there an older looking 27 year old?

picture courtesy of hogwild.net

DWIGHT HOWARD.

Generally liked up until this season. We learned a lot Dwight much worse than him stealing Shaq's nickname. He held his franchise hostage for the whole season all to stay with the Magic next season making the fans happy but What do the Magic get out of it? They get to go through the same stress of trying to sign Howard again next year. Egomaniac. Just when things started going bad for Howard we learn had been trying to get his coach fired for sometime now. Nothing worse than trying to get someone fired.

KOBE BRYANT.

many reasons people hate "the closest thing to Jordan" according to Michael. Is it because he is indeed the closest thing to MJ anyone has seen? Is it his 5 Rings? Is it that he is going to end up playing his whole career in LA? Is it the fact he is a ball hog? Maybe its the arrogant look he gives to the crowd after he drains a jumper? Or is it that silly rape charge? The case was dropped gosh.

courtesy of redsarmy.com

KEVIN GARNETT.

Widely known as thee most hated player in the league. Garnett gets under players skin for a couple reasons. First and for most he is one of the most viscious trash talkers in NBA history,Constantly jawing all game. Is there a dirtier player in the league? Elbows thrown around, constant pushing and the occasional foot under the jump shooter are all moves designed to hurt players. The chest pounds and angry scowls after every block and dunk rival Blake Griffin.

ANGELS.DODGERS REPORT

WORST AND FIRST PLACE 

LOS ANGELES TEAMS

LA ANGELS of Anaheim.  all you need to know is this... DAN HAREN was nasty while once again he gets no run support and still has no wins.  He allowed only two runs and six hits over 7 1/3 innings while he remains win less  . Albert Pujols remains homer less and almost has me comparing his contract to Barry Zito's . Looked absolutely horrible. The Orioles RF Nick Markakis droves in all  3 of O's runs in a 3-2 victory that took 10 innings.  

LA Angels fall to 6-10  LAST PLACE in the West 

already 7 GAMES BACK of the Rangers. 

LOS ANGELES DODGERS.  all you need to know is this... CHAD BILLINGSLEY got lit up lasting  only 3.1 innings giving up four hits, four walks and nine runs, five earned.  They went on to lose 12-0. Matt Kemp went hittless and as we will see throughout the season if Matt doesn't score or drive in a run, the Dodgers will probably lose. The Astros Wandy Rodriguez was brilliant going 7 inning giving up only 3 hits and obviously 0 runs. 

LA Dodgers fall to 12-4  

STILL FIRST PLACE in the NL West 

LAKERS DOWN THUNDER

LAKERS rally and beat Oklahoma City 

in Double Overtime. 114-106. 

The question is what it really that bad? 

But the real story has to do with the
NBA's TOP CITIZEN AWARD WINNER

photos courtesy of contactmusic and espn.com

METTA WORLD PEACE was ejected and will certainly miss some games in the playoff's and this ultimately hurts the Lakers. 

To me it looked like a guy that was into the game and showing some playoff type enthusiasm. Wait what you don't believe that? ... Well what can I say other then that is just Ron Ron being Ron Ron. 

The playoff's are around the corner and miraculously World Peace is back to playing not only at a higher level but with the rekindled attitude that makes him the nasty defender and the bad ass competitor Lakers fans love about him.  Don't be elbowing and pushing Artest all game and expect to get away with it. You showboat on World Peace and you are asking for it. 

The rule is simple when being the guy stuck guarding Artest:

don't give him any cheap shots, play the game the right way or be prepared. 

TORII HUNTER WANTS TRUMBO IN LINEUP

GREAT TEAMMATE AWARD NOMINEE

TORII HUNTER

Remember when the best defensive Center Fielder of the decade changed positions for the good of the Angels back in 2010? The move sent Torri to Right Field for a unproven commodity in Peter Bourjos.

That was then and this is what he did now. Torii Hunter and manager Mike Scioscia had a meeting the other day to discuss ways to get Mark Trumbo into the lineup.

“We just talked about some DH days—there will probably be a few in my future. Different stuff like that. It wasn’t nothing. We’re trying to get some guys in there.”

Torri Hunter clearly believes in Trumbo because he even offered to give up Right Field every now and then to get Mark into as many games as possible.

With Vernon Wells making all that money besides he is starting to swing the bat better, Scioscia might want to consider moving Torii back to Center as Bourjos is the one not hitting. .206/.229 OBP.


I think fans rather see the hot hitting mega prospect Mike Trout get his chance out there. Trout is mainly DH'ing right now as he is having arm problems so we probably won't see him in CF for awhile.

The way we see it Albert Callaspo .167/.194 OBP and Peter Bourjos need to start producing if they want to continue being regulars in the lineup.

ANGELS MISS JEFF MATHIS?

WHERE HAVE YOU GONE JEFF MATHIS

THE ANGELS NEED YOU?

"HAREN AND SANTANA MISS ME"

http://nbchardballtalk.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/jeff-mathis.jpg?w=301

Well Jeff Mathis was banished to Canada because in America we prefer players to hit over .200. With Chris Iannetta obviously being a huge upgrade offensively, did the Angels management underestimate his ability to handle the pitching staff?

Most experts predicted the Angels to have one of the best staffs in all of baseball, yet they are off to a awful slowwww start. Maybe the automatic out weak hitting Mathis was more valuable then anyone imagined.

NBA PLAYER TAKES A WET WILLY

First you hook up with Lebron's mom and now this. 

Delonte West has been taking some heat for giving what appears to be a "wet willy" to the young Gordon Hayward. “I wanted to fight right there, but you can’t do that,” said Hayward.  Check it out. 

MATT KEMP PLAYER OF THE WEEK

MATT KEMP 

3RD CONSECUTIVE NL PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARD. 

week of April 9-15 

Kemp went 12-22 with 4 bombs, 8 rbi in 6 games. oh he also scored 7 runs. 

He becomes the first player to win it three straight times in the history of baseball! He did so in unlikely fashion.  by winning the award the last week of last season then getting it the first 2 weeks of this year. Currently ranked the best player in baseball by MR RESENTMENT we are looking for another MVP caliber season. 

MLB Power Rankings Mid April

UPDATED: 2012 Power Rankings

1/16 OF THE SEASON DOWN.

TOP 10 TEAMS 

First rankings are out since the start of the season. 

10.  L.A. Angels of Anaheim. (3-6) The Angels are currently are in last place in the AL West, so what. Their pitching has struggled so far this year and lets face it the offense isn't making things easy on them. The offense has been average so far, Pujols hasn't done much yet either. I look for the Angels to have one of the best lineups in baseball to go a long with possibly the best pitching staff. I'm not worried yet. 


9.  Tampa Bay Rays. (5-5) Been a case of 2 teams so far. They went from sweeping the Yankees to shutting it down last week and only managing 1 win. Stats wise they have the worst staff  in the league to this point, with those arms I wouldn't expect that to continue. In fact i think they have a top 5 staff that should keep them in the top 10 teams throughout the season. Currently sitting at 5-5  I look for them to stay close to the Yankees in the East all season. 

8.   Washington Nationals. (8-3)  Looking great so far despite losing their closer and being without their most potent bat (Michael Morse) so far this year. Who would of thought Adam LaRoche would be a game changer, 10 rbi's already. Great young staff, exciting team they should be fun to watch this year. 

7.  Arizona DiamondBacks. (7-3) Not a firm believer in the Dbags this year. Daniel Hudson and Josh Collmenter have struggled on the hill so far and the only one hitting right now is Chris Young. A 3-3 week playing the Rockies and Padres is nothing to get excited about either however they are expected to be the team to come out of the NL West. 

6.  Atlanta Braves. (5-5) Went 5-1 last week after getting embarrassed by the Mets to start the year. Young slugger Freddie Freeman hasn't done anything and he isn't the only one. The offense is struggling but when you have pitching like the Braves you are in every ball game. Welcome back Chipper Jones. Tim Hudson should be back next month. 

5.  New York Yankees.  (5-5)  rough start for the Yankees pitching staff so far, they should figure it out. Jeter is playing like he actually deserves an all-star appearance this year. Haven't seen much out of the Yankees this year but they are the Yankees. Jeter, Granderson, A-Rod, Cano, Tex. enough said. 

4.  Los Angeles Dodgers. (9-1) what can we say about Matt Kemp that we haven't already said. Best player in the game right now, off to a blistering start along with Andre Ethier coming up with a couple of game winning hits already this season the Dodgers find themselves with the best record in baseball so far. (we get it they have only played the Padres and Pirates) All this without Kershaw (0-0 with a 0.90 ERA) recording a victory yet. Chad Billingsley and Javy Guerra are both pitching lights out early on. My pick at an NL wild card we will be watching the Dodgers closely as the season progresses.

3.  St. Louis Cardinals. (7-3) Down goes Chris Carpenter and Lance Berkman to the DL and it doesn't matter. The good thing is they will be back and when they do the Cards only get better than they currently are. With the Ace of the staff Adam Wainright struggling the rest of the staff has picked him up. David Freese could be one of baseballs next superstars as he continues where he left off in the playoff's last year. 

2. Detroit Tigers.  (7-3) White Sox just took 2 of 3 from them so they finished the week at 3-3 or they could of easily been in the no.1 spot. Austin Jackson is playing like he is Willie Mays right now, the offense currently ranks 2nd in batting average and runs scored. We all know about Prince and Miguel manning the middle of the order, the Tigers should win the Central by double digit wins. 

1. Texas Rangers.  (8-2) Two time defending AL Champs are coming off a 6-1 week and currently have the best record in the AL. The pitching has been the story with a microscopic 2.22 ERA the Rangers are hoping the third times a charm. If they remain relatively healthy look for them to occupy the top spot of these rankings for most the season. 

Dodger Stadium Thoughts

DODGER STADIUM: THINK BLUE

UPGRADES ARE  IN ORDER

By David Herrmann (Featured Columnist) April 16 2012

With the new ownership in Dodger land brings a renewed focus on things that need to be changed. Dodger Stadium is now the 3^rd oldest stadium in the major leagues. With little to no changes in its 50 years, Dodger stadium could use some welcome upgrades. I would like to propose the following to Stan Kasten and Magic Johnson:

            Allow fans to walk around the ballpark! The Dodgers seamlessly keep fans in their section of which they purchased a ticket. So for instance if you buy a ticket in the upper deck you are not allowed to move down or walk around the lower concourses. If you buy a ticket in the 100 level sections however you can go to the top of the ballpark. So essentially you can move up just not down. As for the outfield, you are stuck in right field if you buy a right field ticket and vice versa. What I would like Stan and Magic to do is allow people to walk around the ballpark by taking away the ushers who check your ticket at each stair well. This isn’t a prison. We all pay to go into the ballpark. If you are that concerned about having people that pay $5 for their upper deck ticket sitting in the lower reserves stake out more ushers. Every major league ballpark is like this; Dodger Stadium can do it to. I often times buy a upper deck ticket for games and by the 7^th inning I move down to the lower sections. It is baseball; nobody really should care when there are 10,000 open seats. People would like to walk around the entire ballpark and take pictures or just get different vantage points, point said…

            Get rid of the steamed Dodger Dogs! Nobody likes this crap. The Hot Dog should only be eaten one way, grilled. The Dodger Dogs are in some sections grilled and in other sections steamed, only people with knowledge know where to go to get them (fyi located near the back walls of the stadium). The grilled Dogs are considered the classic version and as the stadium turns a new leaf with ownership they can finally end the monstrosity that is a steamed weiner.

            Upgrade the concessions area! As of right now Dodger Stadium might have some of the worst concessions in baseball, Oakland aside. Dodger Stadium is smack dab in the middle of one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world. Why not create food that is “LA.” Why not have an Oliver Street section in which Hispanic food is served including Chili Relleno, Tamales, Fish Tacos etc. Have a China Town section, Korea Town, Sea Food served from Redondo Beach etc. Also, try and get hard to eat at restaurants like Fogo de Chao, Pizzeria Mozza and others have a promo night in which fans can sample food they normally couldn’t obtain. You could give out a voucher to the first 1,000 fans or something to try it at the ballpark if quantity is a concern. This city could get major sponsors for this and charge a premium for these items. I don’t know about you but going to a ballpark now a days is just as much about the food as is the game. LA is a foodie town and this new ownership needs to recognize that a major over haul of this area is essential to profitability and bring people back.

            Embrace Dodger heritage! Yankee Stadium has a wonderful museum that documents Yankee history. Dodger Stadium has nothing of the sort. Why not create something sooner rather than later as proposed on the Dodgers official webpage http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/la/ballpark/next50/project.jsp. This museum could be placed in between Left and Right Field where as of now contains the large speakers and batters eye. They could even build this sucker above ground and you could watch games from it. How about connecting Left and Right Field together and build a monument park thing like Yankee Stadium? Dodgers need to cherish their storied history better and this could help in that avenue while bridging the gap between left and right field.

            Add more to the All You Can Eat Seats in right field. As of now you can only get steamed hot dogs, popcorn, peanuts and nachos as well soda/water. Why not include pretzels, cracker jacks and cotton candy? Also, why not move the all you can eat seats to upper deck and limit that section to wristbands only? I mean looking at Dodger Stadium nobody sits in the last section of upper deck on both sides. Could be fun to change it up.

            Allow people to go down to the field before games even if you don’t have tickets for that section. Going to baseball games is about the experience, most fans will never get the experience to sit in the front rows of a major league baseball stadium like Dodger Stadium because they are simply priced out. At Dodger Stadium if you show up early to watch batting practice and don’t have tickets for the “box seats” you aren’t allowed down. This is dumb, let the kids have a chance at an autograph of to snag a foul ball before the games; it doesn’t hurt anyone by doing it.

BEST BASKETBALL ROLES: MOCKING A DRAFT

BEST BASKETBALL ACTING ROLES

OF ALL TIME

WHO WILL BE # 1?

COUNTING DOWN HOLLYWOODS BEST BASKETBALL CHARACTERS: 

The rules are simple, they have to be a made up character. So no Michael Jordan playing himself in Space Jam,  no Hank Gathers or Pistol Pete on this list.

The rankings come from a judging panel of highly respected fantasy basketball owners and movie critics. Yes I polled some nerdy people. They were asked to rank the top 10 movie ball players based on these factors.

1. Quality of the show. we like Scarface and we look down upon movies like Gigli.

2. Level of ball. is it college basketball of NJB?

3. Value to Team. was the player an MVP candidate? or was he a Luke Walton?

4. Fantasy Basketball Rankings. is he the make believe Lebron James?

#12.  BUDDY. AIR BUD.  A true shooting guard BUD has crazy hops too. The only k9 to make this list this stud only appeared in one game and it just happened to be the Championship Game. Coming off the bench this Golden Retriever draws comparison to Jason Terry, as he adds instant offense when he gets in. Already has more Rings than Lebron.

#11.  GRANDMAMA. FAMILY MATTERS.  Larry Johnson dressed up as an old lady who can slam dunk it harder than Blake Griffin. Teaming up with Urkel they won the Chicago City Tournament. Her age hurts her draft stock on this list but could step in and contribute for a playoff contending team right away. 

#10.  ZACK MORRIS. SAVED BY THE BELL. Scouts love his versatility. is there anything Zack wasn't good at? He played varsity baseball, basketball, ran track, was in the glee club, dance committee, was on the academic bowl team and was video year book editor. A real all around talent on the basketball court especially, his game was compared to that of Chris Mullins. White guy with 20ft knock down jumper. Knee injury has many scouts wondering if he is still a first rounder.

#9.  SIDNEY DEANE. White Men Can't Jump. The trash talking street hustler has game the skill set of a young Shawn Marion. Ballin' it up on the streets of Venice we see the guy has definite next level game. Look for Sidney to be a top 10 pick in any hollywood fantasy draft. Many project him as a 20 point 5 assist guy.

#8. Jamal Jeffries. Juwanna Mann. a basketball star whose undisciplined on-and-off-court antics have earned him a bad reputation in the basketball community.  Jamal out of work, and lacking any other sort of skills, decides to dress up as a woman named "Juwanna Mann" to play for the Charlotte Banshees of the WUBA (fictional version of the WNBA). Think Kobe playing for L.A. Sparks.

#7 Quincy McCall. Love And Basketball.  Scouts have taken clear notice of Quincy, who many see as one of top prospects in the country. His popularity is evident on the court as well with several girls who attend his school.  In the movie Quincy plays five years in the NBA after leaving USC after his freshman season, serving as a bench player for the Los Angeles Lakers. While injuries ultimately end Q's career short for the purpose of this draft we assume everyone is able to pass a physical prior to the draft.

#6.  CALVIN CAMBRIDGE. LIKE MIKE. Bow Wow has game like Jordan. Size hurts him, but when you can jump over 7 footers like David Robinson who needs to be 6'5? Shades of Spud Webb with the offensive ability of Allen Iverson, he would be an instant draw to any franchise looking to boost ticket sales.

 

#5.   BUTCH McRAE. BLUE CHIPS.  Typical raw college player with all the ability in the world. Projected as a top 5 scoring guard in the Association this guy is ready for to help a young team push for the playoff's right now. Think a young Penny Hardaway fresh out of Memphis. Perennial All Star?

    # 4.   SALEH. AIR UP THERE.  The overseas 7 foot project was found in a tiny village in Africa. Saleh while certainly a project projects nicely at the next level. A franchise caliber center to clog the middle, while he can also go out and get you 12-15 points a night. Many compare him to an offensively gifted Ben Wallace.

#3.  JESUS SHUTTLESWORTH. HE GOT GAME. Straight out of High School he is ready for the bright lights of the NBA already. A shooting guard, some say the safest pick in the draft. One of the most gifted scores coming out of high school in years his game projects nicely in the NBA. For some reason his game reminds me of Hall of Famer Ray Allen.

#2.   NEON BOUDEAUX. BLUE CHIPS.  A potential game changer for the lucky franchise that takes him. A 7 ft monster in the middle he led his Western University Dolphins to a win over the #1 ranked team in the Nation while in college. Many fear he will pull an Oliver Miller and eat himself out the NBA. A career 42% free throw shooter also scares many scouts away. With all that said he has the biggest upside potential in the draft he can stay focused.

#1.   Scott Howard. TEEN WOLF.  Have you seen this kid? Out of nowhere he leads his high school squad from last to first. In what appears to be a spiked level of testosterone his game goes from last guy off the bench to Lebron James in high school. With the dribbling abilities of CP3, the passing of Jason Kidd and the scoring ability of Kobe its no wonder the player they call Teen Wolf is the projected #1 pick.

COULD JESUS HIT A CURVEBALL?

LETS NOT START A HOLY WAR:

THE BARTENDER NEEDS A REFILL

Last years AL Rookie of the Year JEREMY HELLICKSON of the Tampa Bay Rays staff was struck in the head while throwing a bullpen session today. "I heard a heads-up, and thank God I put my head down and had my hat on," Hellickson left the field in a cart and spent a couple hours in the hospital before coming back to watch in the game in the clubhouse. He appears to be fine. Hellickson's head getting smashed in during batting practice reminds me of  this classic scene from the movie Major League. 

COULD THIS BE WHAT HAPPENED TO THE RAYS STARTER?

HELLICKSON'S PART WILL BE PLAYED BY HARRIS

LAKERS GEARING UP FOR A DEEP PLAYOFF RUN

ALL WE ARE SAYING IS GIVE PEACE A CHANCE

  26 points tonight against the Spurs. Metta's Jumper is back.

The Lakers have heard all season that their Championship window has closed. Think of all they have gone through. Pau and Bynum wondering if they would be traded, Kobe dealing with some serious mileage on his body, Losing CP3 before they even got him, having a new coach and of course losing Odom. More recently they have had to deal with Bynum throwing baby tantrums and Kobe having to miss a few games with shin issues.

With all that has gone on they are sitting in third place in the West, looking like they are hitting their stride for the playoffs. Lets face it the Lakers don't care about anything but a ring, so staying relatively healthy going into the playoffs is all that matters. 

They now have a point guard in Ramon Sessions that can keep up with the young speedy guards they will be seeing in the playoffs. Metta is coming around and shooting like the Artest of old and has been playing great D when needed. Kobe getting some time off might be the best thing that could of happened to the Lakers. Fresh legs for the final stretch is just what the over worked Mamba needed. It looks like the Lakers have what it takes to meet up with Oklahoma City in the Western Conference Finals. Get to the WCF and anything can happen. The Lakers have the best "big 3" in the game and shouldn't be counted out of any series.

TOP 25 MLB PLAYERS

BASEBALLS TOP 25 PLAYERS
OPENING WEEK : RANKINGS

25.  JOSE REYES  SS Miami Marlins. One of the most exciting players to watch, if you get bored with the game try counting how pieces of flair he has on its impressive how much crap he wears. Sure he is an injury waiting to happen but if he actually did play a full season these would be his numbers.
162-game averages: .292 AVG, 12 HR, 65 RBI, 57 SB

24.  JOSH HAMILTON OF Texas Rangers. Former MVP/drug addict this guy could of been an all-time great. as is he ain't bad. Still the best player on possibly the best team in baseball.
162-game averages: .308 AVG, 32 HR, 117 RBI, .543 SLG

23.  COLE HAMELS P Philadelphia Phillies. If Matt Cain got that contract what will Cole Hamels get? Magic Johnson will be on the phone as soon as the Phillies are bounced out this season.
 162-game averages: 14-10, 3.39 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 206 K

22.  JUSTIN UPTON  OF Arizona Diamondbacks. All the dorks that think they know baseball have Upton as a possible MVP this season, way to go out on a ledge with that one. Turning 25 years of age he is a standout amongst the pups in the big leagues. Definately panned out more than Bossman has.
162-game averages: .277 AVG, 25 HR, 83 RBI, 17 SB

21.  HANLEY RAMIREZ  3B/SS  Miami Marlins.  Sure he has been battling injuries and is sort of a baby but talent is off the charts. Expect him to bounce back with a big season.
162-game averages: .306 AVG, 25 HR, 82 RBI, 41 SB, .505 SLG

20.  JACOBY ELLSBURY CF Boston Red Sox. Robbed of the MVP last year Ells proved when healthy he is a great all around player. I expect a few less bombs this season and few more steals. The best leadoff hitter in the game? Yes.
 162-game averages: .301 AVG, 17 HR, 75 RBI, 56 SB

19.  EVAN LONGORIA  3B Tampa Bay Rays. Can you believe he is only 26? 2 gold gloves, a rookie of the year and a 113 home runs already in his career. Can he stay healthy he can put up some all time power numbers at 3b.
162-game averages: .274 AVG, 33 HR, 115 RBI, .495 SLG

18.   DUSTIN PEDROIA  2B Boston Red Sox. 5' 8", 165 lbs. He is a former ROY and MVP,  One word to describe him would be "winner" stats aren't everything but MVPedroia's are nice.
162-game averages: .305 AVG, 17 HR, 78 RBI, 19 SB

17.  PRINCE FIELDER  1B Detroit Tigers. Possible 600 career home run guy, just a terrific all around hitter. Potential to continue hitting 40 bombs a season for the next 10 seasons.
162-game averages: .282 AVG, 37 HR, 106 RBI, .540 SLG

16.  TIM LINCECUM  P  SF Giants.  The Freak might not be the best pitcher on his staff but I am giving him the benefit of the doubt for now. Show me a good first month and you stay in the top 25.
162-game averages: 15-9, 2.98 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 246 K

15.  JOEY VOTTO  1B. Cincinnati Reds. MVP? Check. New contract? Check. Just got paid some serious dough. One of the most feared hitters in the NL could lead the Reds into the playoff's this season.
162-game averages: .313 AVG, 31 HR, 105 RBI, .550 SLG

14.  C.C. SABATHIA  P NY Yankees.  As about as reliable as they come. Hall of Fame bound when his career his over. The question remains will he domiante the Competitive eating circuit like he has MLB hitters? Joey Chestnut is waiting.
162-game averages: 17-9, 3.51 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 193 K

13.   FELIX HERNANDEZ  P  Seattle Mariners.  Sure plays for a horrible franchise but the guy is only 26 years old and already has a Cy Young.
162-game averages: 14-11, 3.23 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 210 K

12.  ADRIAN GONZALEZ  1B. Boston Red Sox. An MVP candidate every single season, he is in the middle of the prime of his career. Best Boston 1B ever?
162-game averages: .293 AVG, 31 HR, 102 RBI, .514 SLG

11.  CLIFF LEE  P Philadelphia Phillies.  Former Cy Young winner this lefthander ranks as my no.2 lhp in baseball today.
162-game averages: 16-9, 3.65 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 179 K

10.  ROBINSON CANO  2B. NY Yankees. My top 2B in the game. You feel like a double is coming every time he is up. The best hitter on the Yankees right now.
162-game averages: .308 AVG, 22 HR, 96 RBI, .496 SLG

9.   JOSE BAUTISTA  OF Toronto Blue Jays.  His career numbers don't do him justice. The last 2 seasons you can argue he has been the best player in the game. Top 5 in MVP voting last couple of years on the crappy Blue Jays.
162-game averages: .254 AVG, 29 HR, 80 RBI, .481 SLG

8.  CLAYTON KERSHAW P. Los Angeles Dodgers. Reigning NL Cy Young oh yeah he is 24 years old. Could be higher on the list but i feel this is a good spot for such a young pitcher, I already have him as the games best left hander and third best pitcher in all of baseball to start the season.
162-game averages: 14-8, 2.88 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 216 K

7.   RYAN BRAUN  OF Milwaukee Brewers. Current NL MVP. Could be ranked higher on the list but I am showing love to the pitchers at the start of the season. He currently ranks as my 2nd best OF'er in baseball.
162-game averages: .312 AVG, 36 HR, 118 RBI, 21 SB, .563 SLG

6.   ROY HALLADAY P Philadelphia Phillies. Arguably the best pitcher in baseball for a while now. Certainly the most reliable and consistent. Has a couple of Cy Youngs should/could of had more. Threw a no hitter in the playoffs - nasty.
162-game averages: 18-9, 3.23 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 180 K

5.   TROY TULOWITZKI  SS Colorado Rockies. It's my belief A-Rod and Tulo are 2 of the greatest shortstops to ever play the game. I can see Troy winning an MVP or 2 but that all depends on how the Rockies finish. Injuries are the only knock of this guy.
162-game averages: .293 AVG, 28 HR, 103 RBI, .505 SLG

4.   JUSTIN VERLANDER P. Detroit Tigers. Cy Young and MVP last season? Stop it. Commercials with Kate Upton in the offseason? Lucccky. 100 mph fastball with a bender that defies gravity equals no hitter stuff every single time he is on the mound. No. 1 pitcher in all of baseball to start the year and I traded him in a fantasy keeper league last year. oops...
162-game averages: 18-10, 3.54 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 209 K

3.  MIGUEL CABRERA 3B. Detroit Tigers. Tigers have 3 guys in my top 20. If Miguel could field a ground ball he would be ranked no. 1 overall, unfortunately for him defense is part of the game. Maybe the best hitter in all of baseball. No glove, no speed hurts him on the list.
162-game averages: .317 AVG, 33 HR, 118 RBI, .555 SLG

2.  ALBERT PUJOLS 1B. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. 3 time MVP, 2 time World Champion. Has been the best player in the game for sometime now, He falls short this year strictly because of the position he plays. Maybe the best right hand hitter to ever play the game, he will finish his career as a Halo.
162-game averages: .328 AVG, 42 HR, 126 RBI, .617 SLG

1.  MATT KEMP OF Los Angeles Dodgers.  Should of won the MVP last year. just missed a 40/40 season. Playing a gold glove caliber CF pushes him into the no. 1 spot on my list. Player of the week for the first week of the season this year. I may be getting a head of myself but he Could possibly go down as the best baseball player to play in so. cal ever! when its all said and done. 
162-game averages: .294 AVG, 26 HR, 94 RBI, 30 SB, .496 OBP