Not The Year to Count Out KC

  The Kansas City Royals are gearing up for what looks to be a promising year.  If you've read some of my previous posts, you already know that I said the same thing last year.  However, although the Royals just missed the playoffs, I think we can all agree that they did indeed take a giant step in the right direction.  

  With the offseason going according to plan, it looks as though 2014 could be the year the Royals take the next step forward.  And this one my friends, will be a leap!  

  The addition of a certified lead-off man in Aoki, will provide the opportunity for Alex Gordon to relinquish that lead off role, giving him more RBI opportunities. 

  Eric Hosmer looks to be the guy Kansas City hoped for, ending the season strong with a .302 BA, as well as a Gold Glove (#1 and counting).  With the opportunity to pick up where he left off, the "Wizard of Hos" could be the cornerstone for this organization, as it looks to atop their division for the first time since 1985.

  The pick up of Omar Infante seems to me to be one of the best fitting pieces to the KC puzzle yet.  In the Royals long search for stability at 2nd base, Infante is a guy who will give you a consistent .300 effort, with a solid glove up the middle.  He could be a possible fit for the bottom of the lineup, not only to give better opportunities in mid game decisions, but the ability for the top of the lineup to see better pitching as well.  

  Perhaps the most underrated of these young guns, could be the All-Star catcher, Salvador Perez.  Offering a young comparison to the crosstown rival's Yadier Molina, Sal's off to a great start batting above .400 for the spring, and looks to pick up right where he left off.

  This club is a young and hungry, which we have seen in recent years, has been a lethal combination.  With the roster shaping up as it is, look for these guys to be in the conversation. When we talk about October,  The central division is a tough place to be these days, but this just might be the team with the "stuff" to do it.  Detroit... LOOK OUT!

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A Soccer Team to Save Miami?

  It has been reported that Lebron James may be considering joining David Beckham, in bringing an MLS team to Miami.  A couple of things come to mind when I hear this:

  The first being, at this stage in American culture, particularly in Miami, there is a definite place for a soccer team.  This city, flooded with Latin Culture, needs a "futbol" club.  Not to mention, with the name of Lebron James and David Beckham behind it, I don't see how it can go south.

  Now, if you are a Miami Heat fan, this may be the best news you could possibly hope to hear.  With Lebron James' pending free agency rapidly approaching; the question of his 2015 destination is highly in question.  To me, the idea of him creating more roots in Miami, would put my mind at ease, atleast if only a little bit.

  If you look back on Lebron James career, and his journey to become the next "great one", ie. Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant; there is one thing missing.  A franchise with his name on it.  We are now at the stage in the game when we can ask ourselves, "Could this be Miami?",  "Will he embrace the opportunity of being Mr. Miami?"   If a Miami soccer franchise isn't enough to appease the South Florida residents; Lebron's wife, Savannah, will be opening her own juice bar in Miami as well.  Which in my opinion, would be a poor decision if the King had any intent on bailing on the city.

  Another point to note; Lebron James, above all, is a business man.  He knows above anybody else, that if he gets involved in big business in Miami, and then leaves for another team; the likelihood of these businesses succeeding after another "decision" will plummet tremendously.  I am sure he will weigh all of his options before he stirs the pot too much.  But to say the least, the outlook looks a little bit brighter for the Heat these days.

 It seems to me that this is just a family who may have found a home in South Beach.  In my eyes, it would take a lot more than a few extra dollars to move this thriving "James Corporation" back into the cold!

Sleep easy Miami.

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NHL.. No Love Lost

It seems that after a 119-day lockout, no matter where you reside, your local NHL team has been embraced by its fans with open arms. With opening day attendance soaring over numbers of recent years, it seems as though the fans have been desperately waiting to see their favorite players return to the ice.

I had the opportunity to witness this first hand, from the glass of the United Center. From the moment the words "Oh Say..." left Jim Cornelison's mouth, the crowd did not miss a beat. Roaring, and applauding like they have been accustomed to; in keeping with their Blackhawks tradition, you couldn't help but feel hockey was back.

Sell out crowds across the league, and record high dollar sales prove that the NHL has not lost a place in the hearts of their fan base. But what does a shortened season mean for the league?

Could the 48 game season be a sign of things to come? My feeling is that the excitement of a 48 game season will be heightened because of the limited amount of games. Games are likely to be held more important, and a playoff push will come earlier in the season, thus creating an exciting urgency in the eyes of not only fans, but players as well. After this season, and the NHL continues to play their 82 game regular seasons, will fans grow tired of watching games that ultimately don't matter?

This idea is much like the stir in the NBA. After the 2012 lockout, 66-game season, which proved to be one of the more exciting seasons in recent history, the nba seems a bit more prolonged as they have gone back to the 82 game format. Could this be a wake up to commissioners that a shortened, more competitive season should be thrown onto the table?

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BS, I mean...BCS

So after an extremely mismatched and boring bowl season, there was only one way to cap it off. With yet another unbearable game to watch. How the BCS allowed an "Independent" team to play for a national championship is beyond me. Did they honestly think we were going to get a good show?

Brian Kelly and his Fighting Irish had absolutely no answer for Bama's hot start. Down 28-0 at the half and unable to put up a single point of offense in the first half, Kelly said "we have to make tackles"... That's it? I'm sorry coach, but tackling a guy, isn't going to put the ball in the end zone.
Maybe deep out patterns called on 3rd and 2, 3rd and 7, and 4th down; going up against ine of the most lock-down corners in the NCAA had something to do with deficit. In all fairness to Notre Dame, they had no business being there. They haven't had to see an offense or defense like that all season. Hopefully, moving forward the BCS will take into account that there are much more deserving teams of the spotlight.

On the other hand, I'd like to see a little less favoritism for the SEC. They all end up losing to each other, and staying in the top 15. I think this bowl season showed that they can be beat: ie. South Carolina squeaking by a weak Michigan team. Clemson of the ACC beat LSU, in a "big" bowl game, and alas Louisville beating the pulp out of Florida. What does that say about the "greatest conference"? It just didn't sit well with me that Georgia and Oklahoma had to watch teams far inferior in BCS bowl games.

There has to be a better way for the BCS to grade teams. It's an extremely biased and unfair system. Even with the new playoff system being put into place; it will be a 4-team playoff format, with those teams being chosen by a committee. Although it will be a step in the right direction, but i'm not counting on an unflawed system. With so many teams and conferences, it's almost impossible to make it fair, but maybe if we take the competition of the game a little more seriously come bowl time, rather than how much money each team will generate, it may be a step in the right direction.

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Geriatric Lakers. Can They Be Cured?

Last night Kobe Bryant had a simple answer for their loss to Philadelphia; "We're old...". We know! It's no secret that the Lakers are old. But how do they over come it? People like me will tell you that hiring Phil Jackson, and his proven triangle offense would have been the perfect solution to this problem. But let's try to take the situation given now, and see how the lakers can move forward.

I believe that this situation is one where Coach D'Antoni needs to change his style of offense in order to properly suit the players he has on the court. If you have older, post-up players; a fast-paced "D'Antoni" style of offense is not the answer. When you have an aging team, you need to be comfortable in the half court set. A good coach can make these adjustments.

The Lakers have had their share of issues this season. With the injury to Steve Nash, and Dwight Howard coming off of back surgery, it has been a challenge to get this team on the court together to work on those new relationships. D'Antoni has also had a problem working Pau Gasol into the lineup. That in itself is inexcusable. You are given a team with 5 former all-stars; you find a way to work them into your system.

As little credit as Erik Spoelstra gets for his part as Head Coach for the Miami Heat, he was challenged with this task, and is continually making adjustments. With the evolution of the Miami Heat since the addition of Lebron James and Chris Bosh, Coach Spo has had to evolve his team into a "small ball" team. Using their athleticism to compensate for their size, and in a sense, defying the laws of NBA physics. Although the Heat still have a lot to figure out, they are well on their way to making the adjustments they need, certainly further along than the Lakers. That is what "coaching" is. Taking your talent, and formulating a system that works for them.

This has not yet been the case in LA for D'Antoni and the Lakers. By sticking to his "quick point" offense, the Lakers will fail. Until he can can set his ego aside, and embrace the challenge of building something new, he will be holding that team back. But let's face it, having Kobe on your team is always a step in the right direction.

We, The Fans

I want to start this column by saying, I am a Brian Urlacher fan. I consider him a defensive mastermind, as well as one of the greatest leaders on the field of all time. That being said, I do take issue with his recent remarks.

This week in response to a booing crowd, Brian Urlacher said ''Two of the people I don't care about: fans or media"... He also sarcastically continued, ''Our crowd was pretty good for the most part, they were loud for a minute there, the boos were really loud, which is always nice. The only team in our division that gets booed at home is us. It's incredible to me.''

This season, a frustrated fan base has seen their beloved Chicago Bears implode. After a hot 7-1 start, the Bears find themselves at 8-6, and on the cusp of watching the playoffs from home. So understandably, the fans in Chicago are getting restless. Especially, in a town with a history of teams falling short.

Mr, Urlacher,
Yes, you are an athlete. Yes, you are doing your job. But remember you are an entertainer. Booing and heckling is part of the game. Do I agree with it? No. I don't boo my own teams, but I do understand it happens.

You also understand that you live and play in a town with arguably the most passionate fans in the country. And whether they boo you or not, they are paying an average of $110 to be there. These fans are the ones working shift-work, and 50-60 hour work weeks, and choose to spend their hard-earned money to come see you play on Sunday. We, The Fans. We, The Media. WE are the reason you've had a chance to play the game you love for the past 13 years. If I'm not mistaken, you make a pretty good living doing so. Teaching gym doesn't pay as much.

With a background in standup comedy. I understand the frustrations that come with heckling. But it comes with the territory. You deal with it, and move on. Lucky for you, your hecklers aren't seated 6 inches in front of the stage, rather held behind a wall 100ft from the field.

We all understand there is stress that comes with your job. But we all endure that same stress. We have stress meeting quotas and deadlines. Our fire-fighters, police officers, and soldiers, see stress everyday, putting their life on the line. Maybe look at the memorial out front of your "office" that says SOLDIER FIELD next time you pull into work. I bet some of those men and women fighting for your country, are proud to call themselves Bears Fans. I'm sure they are all pleased to know you "don't care".

Now with all that said, I think this team owes the city of Chicago a playoff run. Believe it or not, this awful fan base of yours still has your back. So good luck on the rest of the season. WE wish you a speedy recovery, and hope to see you back on the field soon, and dare I say, in time for the playoffs!

We, the Fans & We, the Media

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Under 6 ft & Under the Radar

As far as rookie quarterbacks go, the 2012 season has been like none other. With the accomplishments of Andrew Luck in Indianapolis, and Robert Griffin III in D.C., it is easy to overlook the 5'11" Russell Wilson and what he has done in Seattle.

Bears, Packers, 49ers; a list of games the Seahawks are SUPPOSED to lose... Not this year.

Coming off the losing 7-9, 2011 season, the Seahawks have come to play. Run by an effective quarterback, and one if the most dynamic running-backs in the league; the 2012 Seahawks are not a team to be taken lightly. Although they are not playoff tested, they are going into the post-season as arguably, the hottest team in the NFL. After last week's 50-17 win over Buffalo, and a 58-0 demolition of Arizona in week 14; this team is flexing their muscles as they roll into the playoffs.  And all this behind an undersized, inexperienced quarterback.

In 2010, I watched this kid and his Wolfpack, show up my Florida State Seminoles on a national stage. As I was in shock at a loss at the hands of NC State, (not so surprising given recent history, ugh!) I couldn't help but think; Who is this guy? And now, the rest of the NFL is asking that same question.

Not even tall enough to see over the offensive line protecting him, Wilson's ability to "see the field" is perhaps the most impressive quality he possesses.  With 21 touchdowns and 9 interceptions, he has been more than just a model of consistency, (a term not used for rookie QB's).   He has been a play maker; athletic enough to move outside the pocket, with the arm strength to throw the long-ball, and cool and calm enough to make the right decisions in the clutch, these are things a player develops over time. This guy just walks into the league equipt with these intangibles, playing like he was a "sure thing" all along.

I'm going to go out on a limb and accredit the success and growth of Russell Wilson directly to the stout defense of these Seahawks. Ranking 3rd in the league, they have been able to give Wilson the confidence he needs to run the offense. Knowing your defense will get you the ball back, will give you that security you need to go out there, man up, and make a play.

Not to mention he has played minor league baseball as well. And as a baseball player, he has that critical thinking head on his shoulders and can bring that level of thinking to his game. This is why you don't see the bad decisions in his play. And as technical as baseball is, he brings that attention to detail to the field with him. After every drive he is sure to be studying on the sidelines, preparing and learning the game everyday. I think we are going to see a great deal of growth from this kid, and this past draft class could prove to be one of the most accomplished the league has ever seen.

Thank you for reading.