breakdown

hey folks, today i'll breakdown what is by far the most brutal division in the MLB: the american league east.


Eastbound.... and UP
2010 final standings: 1) Tampa Bay Rays: 96-66 (division winner)
                                  2) New York Yankees: 95-67 (wild card winner)
                                  3) Boston Red Sox: 89-73
                                  4) Toronto Blue Jays: 85-77
                                  5) Baltimore Orioles: 66-96

2011 outlooks:
>Tampa Bay Rays- the rays retooled this offseason. they lost some big time production players from last season; carl crawford (boston), carlos pena (chicago cubs), rafael soriano (new york yankees), joaquin benoit (detroit), and traded shortstop jason bartlett (san diego) and starting picher matt garza (cubs) to cut costs. they still have the cornerstone of the franchise in evan longoria playing 3rd base and they still have a very solid rotation of david price, james shields, jeremy hellickson, and jeff niemann. this team is going to have to rely on young players, such as reid brignac and desmond jennings, to play to their potential. the rays did make a couple of interesting moves bringing in veterans manny ramirez and johnny damon, reuniting a couple of the "idiots" from the 04 red sox.

>> 2011 prediction for the rays: 84-78. 3rd in the division, not a great year but not a horrible one either. i really like the prospects in this organization but with all the loses they had this past offseason its hard to envision them making a lot of noise in this brutal division. they lost key pieces from their great bullpen of last year and i see this years bullpen blowing a lot of late leads.

>New York Yankees- this offseason the yankees were up to their old tricks in pursuing the top free agents available, cliff lee and carl crawford. but in a very surprising fashion lost out on both of them. the one big move they did make was bringing rafeal soriano, last years allstar closer for the rays, to come in as the 8th inning setup man for the always dominant mariano rivera. the yanks also resigned captain derek jeter after a bit of a dispute. these guys have some question marks in their rotation. yes c.c sabathia was a 20 game winner last year but aside from him and phil hughes, coming off a breakout season, there is a lot of uncertainty. andy pettitte is gone (retirement) and a.j burnett has been unpredictable lately, ivan nova seems like he'll be part of the starting 5 but he is unproven and there is no clear cut #5 guy. the only other position in question is catcher where it is a battle between newly acquired russell martin and spark-plug francisco cervelli. prospect jesus montero is also competing for the backup spot if not push for the starting nod. jorge posada is still here but he is making a permanent move the the DH role.

> >2011 prediction for the yanks: 90-72. 2nd place in division. the rotation like i mentioned is a huge question mark but with this offense and the guys in the back end of the bullpen all the starters have to do is not get lit up like christmas trees. these guys should make a push for the wildcard again this year.

>Boston Red Sox- wow, what an offseason for the bo-sox. not only did they sign carl crawford to play left field, they also traded for perennial all star adrian gonzalez. there were a couple of major losses boston though, victor martinez (detroit) and adrian beltre (texas) to free agency. this lineup is loaded with MVP candidates, and the starting rotation is extremely talented with jon lester, clay buchholz, josh beckett, and john lackey. they added bobby jenks to help bolster a bullpen that includes fireballers daniel bard and jonathan papelbon. kevin youkillis will slide to 3rd base to make room from gonzalez and jacoby ellsbury will move back to center so crawford can play against the green monster in fenway park. only question that i have is, who's catching? looks like their going to go with jarrod saltalamacchia starting and jason varitek backing him up.

>>2011 bo-sox prediction: 99-63. 1st in division. as long as everyone on this team does what they are known to do, which is dominate, then they should find themselves battling for a world series title.  enough said.

>Toronto Blue Jays- the blue jays were a huge surprise last year. the offense put up ridiculous power numbers. --side note: saw them play here in AZ last year, and before the game our very own Nate "the fantasy guru" Gomez told me, "watch i bet they hit at least 5 bombs (homeruns for those of you that dont speak baseball) today"... sure enough the jays belted 5 homers that day-- the one guy who did a lot of damage by himself was jose batutista who smashed a MLB leading 54 big flies! (also another word for homerun) the offense looks to duplicate the offensive output they had last season while the pitching staff looks to put things together. they lost ace shaun marcum (traded to brewers) and the young guns look to prove themselves in the big leagues. ricky romero is set to lead this young staff and watch out for prospect kyle drabek to put up some numbers this year.

>>2011 blue jays prediction: 82-80. 4th in division. i doubt these guys can put up the same type of offensive numbers, but they do have some young hitters that can really swing the bat. i am very suspect of the entire pitching staff but that's only because their young and unproven, but they have big potential.

>Baltimore Orioles- the o's had probably the busiest offseason in the league this year. they added a few big time players to a very talented core group of guys. baltimore traded for local fan favorite mark reynolds and j.j hardy. they also brought in derrek lee, vladimir guerrero, and justin duchscherer via free agency. add these veterans to guys like brian matusz, adam jones, nick markakis, matt wieters, brian roberts and the o's should be much more competitive then years past.

>>2011 prediction for the o's: 74-88. 5th place in division. yes they'll finish last but lets be real they play in the A.L east where wins will be hard to come by. but manager buck showalter certainly is changing the mindset here. he has the youngsters playing hard all the time and it's great to see. these guys will be big time players in this division... just not this year, maybe in a couple of years.

>stay tuned for next time when i breakdown the american league central for you

---Nick Garcia
*sorry for it being a little long. but i hope i was able to inform you.

P.S. <---this is what part of the alphabet would look like if you removed Q and R    :-)

2011 NBA ALL-STAR WEEKEND

This year NBA All-Star weekend was held in Los Angeles, California. All of the stars were out to see a of sports fabulous weekend. First off I am not going to talk about Justin Bieber winning the MVP award at  the celebrity game, I am just going to say the the game was entertaining and Scottie Pippen should have won the MVP award. The following night was All-Star saturday night, were they had the 3-point shootout which James Jones SF for the Miami Heat beat Ray Allen and Paul Pierce in the final round of the 3-point shootout. The next event was the skills challenge were Stephen Curry PG for the Golden State Warriors beat Russell Westbrook from the Oklahoma City Thunder in the final round. Now probably the reason you are still reading this article is because you want to hear about the Sprite Slam dunk contest well here you go. The contestants who were in the dunk contest were Serge Ibaka PF from the Oklahoma City Thunder, Javale McGee Center from the Washington Wizards, Demar Derozan SG/SF from the Toronto Raptors, and last but not least Blake Griffin PF from the Los Angeles Clippers. Well Serge Ibaka jumped from behind the free throw line unlike Dr. J or Joran, in the first round. Javale McGee dunked to balls on to different courts. Blake Griffin jumped over a car as you can see on the left . I think Javale McGee and Blake Griffin should have got one more dunk each because its hard to say who should have won. Now to the All-Star game the West beast the East 148-143 and Kobe was the games MVP. Thanks for reading.

   AG

NFL DRAFT TOP 5 Running Backs

Top 5 Running Backs

1. The Number one Running back in this years NFL Draft is Mark Ingram from Alabama. Mark Ingram could be the next Emmit Smith, he has great balance and vision. If he doesnt become Emmit he could end up like Cardinals running back Bennie Wells, Ingram is a game changer but the transition into the NFL might be hard like it was for Bennie wells.
   
2. The number two running back in the draft is Mikel Leshoure from illinois. Mikel Leshoure Could be the next Rashad Mendenhall because of his ability he has to make cuts and accelerate afterwords.If he doesnt end up like Mendenhall he could being like Knoshawn Moreno, because hes not a powerful running back and tends to shy away from contact like Moreno.
3. Next best running back coming out the draft is Kendall Hunter from Oklahoma St. Kendall Hunter could be the next Adrian Peterson because he runs with great vision and excels when he runs in between the takles the only thing he lacks is power. With his lack of power I can see him ending up like Ryan Grant, Hunter deals with injurys and stuggles in short yardage because of his lack in power.
   
4. The Next Running Back on my Top 5 is Ryan Williams from Virginia Tech. Ryan Williams could be next elite power running back like Steven Jackson because of his great vision and the way he changes direction hes a pure Power Running back. Like Marion Barber, Williams could be only a goal line back because I dont see him being a featured back in the NFL.
5. Rounding off my Top 5 is Demarco Murray from Oklahoma. Murray could be the next Chris Johnson out of this draft he doesnt have Johnson speed but his vision and cuts remind me of CJ. Murray could end up like Jahaid Best becasue of hes a Smaller size running back and hes prone to injury easily if he can stay healthy I really think Murray can be a game changer.
   
   -The Fantasy Guru "Nate"

Hope Springs Eternal

Hi there APoV followers, my name is Nick Garcia. I'm Adam's older cousin. He asked me to be a guest columnist on his wonderful sports blog and I was more than happy to accept. Before i get into my first post I'd like to give you a little background on me. Like i wrote earlier I'm one of Adam's older cousins, I'm in love with every sport out there and as you'll soon find out, I'm very passionate about baseball. I've played baseball since I can remember, from little league to grade school on to high school and then into college. Most of my columns here will be about baseball, but i will occasionally write about other sports. Now i guess I can get to what you all came here to read, the sports blog.



HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL

For many people mid february is the greatest time of the year. Especially here in the state of Arizona. After a surprisingly cold winter the weather is just starting to warm up and there is hope around state, even the country. For millions of americans the hopes differ but there is one common end goal, that maybe this is our year. For example fans of the Giants are hoping that they can have the same if not greater success then they did last year when they beat the rangers to win the world series. While fans of Boston and Philadelphia have high hopes that their big money off season signings will pay off and be able to bring the title back to their respective cities. Or in the city of Chicago, the north side (cubs) is once again hoping and praying that their world series drought (102 years now!) will finally come to an end. Unlike the south side where the white sox hopes are much like boston and philly. but there are plenty of more teams that aren't in the same boat as those teams and are more worried about bouncing back from last season and to get out of the basement of their divisions. Our hometown D-backs drastically changed most of the roster to try and turn around one of their worst years. The Colorado Rockies hope that they can avoid their typical slow start and pair it with the red hot finish that they always seem to have. In Baltimore, the orioles had a great offseason in which saw them sign Derrek Lee, Vlad Guerrero, and trade for local fan favorite Mark Reynolds. They hope those signings plus the young emerging stars can lead them back to a respectable record in the brutal A.L. east. Simple to say that all these hopes can only mean spring training is here! Oh it also means the pittsburgh pirates are now officially eliminated from the playoffs :-)

---Nick Garcia

*p.s: stay tuned for my next installments where i'll brake down each division in baseball going into the new season.

Michael Vick given Franchise Player Tag

Hello, Sports world just wanted to give a brief introduction to who I am before I talk about Michael Vick. First, my name is Nathan Gomez also known as The Fantasy Guru; Im One of the Columnist on Adams Point of View. This is going to be my First Post on the Blog and I hope guys enjoy my posts and listen to my Fantasy Advice.

The Philadelphia Eagles put a franchise tag on the versatile quarterback Michael Vick for at least one more season. The Eagles will keep the 2010 Comeback player of the year by paying him roughly $20 million making him one of the five highest-paid NFL quarterbacks. Michael gave a very humble quote on NFL Networks "NFL Total Access" when he asserts, "I hate to re-live the past, I always want to move forward, but everything happens for a reason. Being a part of the Philadelphia Eagles, having the type of season I had, being around the type of players I've been around, and having the type of coaching I've had over the last year and a half has been destined." He's changed a lot from August 2007, when he was pleaded guilty to federal felony charges and served 21 months in prison. Now with Vick being franchise tag and waiting on a long-term contract agreement; What are the Eagles going to do with Kevin Kolb, the highly anticipated player coming into the 2010 season? Kolb was ready to take the Eagles to the promise land in the pre-season, but during week One, Kolb was tackled by Packers linebacker Clay Matthews, and sustained a concussion. Now with Kolb back and ready for the 2011 season he is on the trading block wait for a team to play for. Kolb has made it clear that he wants to be a starting in 2011, and I see a couple of teams looking into trading for him, and they are The Cardinals and Seahawks. I see the Cardinals as the right fit for Kevin because of the slow pace style of play the cardinals run. In Philly Wide outs Jackson and Maclin are elite speed receivers; as in Arizona, Fitzgerald and Breaston are better possession receivers, Kolb should thrive in the Westcoast offense. The biggest factor I can see why the Cardinals should trade for Kolb instead of Drafting the Heisman Winner Cam Newton, is Experience. Thats what the Cardinals are lacking is a good experience QB. Kolb has backed up Mcnabb for years and Vick last year. While Kolb hasn't played in huge pressure situations, he has been a part of the Eagles for a few years and has been in the playoff atmosphere more than once. When the time comes when Kolb and the Cardinals have a chance to make the playoffs, he won't be scared out of his mind like many other quarterbacks are. Newton just doesn't fit the Cardinals offense they need a pocket passer, like Kurt Warner was, not a Speed Qb like Newton. Getting Kevin isn't going to be easy The Cardinals are going to have to give up there first round and possibly even a third round pick in the draft this year. I really think its worth it and The Cardinals fans shouldn't be mad at them if they end up doing so. Thats my take on Michael Vick's Franchise Tag its a lot more than just Vick. I want to hear what you guys Think about this please reply, Thank for the time. 

-The Fantasy Guru "Nate"

Adam's Point of View Show

What do you guys think? SEASON 1 - EPISODE 1

Jerry Sloan Steps Down

Former head coach of the Utah Jazz Jerry Sloan stepped down today in the middle of his 23rd season with his only team the Jazz. Sloan apparently stepped down because Jazz PG Deron Williams refused to run the plays Sloan drew up. Jerry Sloan was inducted into the Hall of Fame last year, Sloan also won 1,127 games, no titles, and is the was the NBA`s longest-tenured coach. Do you think it was all Deron Williams fault he resigned? comment below to express your opinion.

    AG

Steve Nash

Steve Nash 13# Point Guard of the Phoenix Suns and future hall of fame inductee is such a nice guy for example he gave me a autograph last night when he seemed busy he reminds of Kurt Warner who is also a nice guy who gave me a autograph during a preseason game which is so rare to get. Steve Nash stands at 6 foot 3. Many people may see him as short on television but he is tall, if you meet him up close and personal you will know. Steve Nash is old school, also his birthday is coming up on February 7, he will be turning 37 years and is still one of the elite players in the NBA. If you also think he is such a nice guy than click like. Once again thank you Mr. Nash.

    AG