My thoughts about the 2014 NBA All-Star team

Dang, it’s been a while since I’ve made a post. I’ve been slacking, and there isn’t really a reason for it except for the fact that I’m super lazy. Today I’m going to share my All-Stars for both the Western and Eastern Conference. Let’s do this thing!

Here are my Eastern Conference starters

Guard: John Wall

Guard: Kyle Lowry

Forward: Paul George

Forward: Lebron James

Center: Roy Hibbert

Eastern Conference Reserves:

Guard: Kyrie Irving

Guard: Dwyane Wade

Guard: Lance Stephenson

Forward: Chris Bosh

Forward: Paul Milsap

Forward: Carmelo Anthony

Center: Al Jefferson

It is always tough to pick only twelve people to play in the All-Star game, so there are going to be some great players left out. Arron Affalo, Demar DeRozan, and Joakim Noah could easily be argued for spots on the team, but I don’t think they are quite at that level. Now my biggest problem with the East team is that Lebron is going to be their center. That is ridiculous. Roy Hibbert definitely deserves a spot in the starting lineup. He has been a beast this season, and he is the front runner for defensive player of the year. I also do not agree with Kyrie and D Wade being the starting guards. I think that Wall and Lowry have performed better than Kyrie, and D Wade has not played enough to deserve a starting spot. Kyrie is a great player, but John Wall has been putting up insane numbers this season. He is putting the Wizards on his back, and now they have the potential to get a three seed in the East. Kyrie probably won’t get the Cavs into the playoffs. Kyle Lowry has had to deal with a lot of pressure since Rudy Gay left. He has turned into a quality point guard, and he is leading the Raptors to the playoffs. I was fine with all of the reserves except for one, Joe Johnson. Joe Johnson is a solid player, but he should not be on the All Star team. How could he get a spot over Lowry? I don’t get it. Joakim Noah has been playing well on a not very talented Bulls team, but he is nothing compared to Al Jefferson. Big Al has been putting the team on his back since Kemba Walker got hurt, and somehow they are still the 8th seed. He has been an offensive beast, so he should have a spot on the team. I think my most surprising pick was Lance Stephenson. He is a scrappy shooting guard that has been overlooked because he plays with Paul George and Roy Hibbert. Did you know that Lance leads the league in triple-doubles? He is a great player on both ends of the floor, and he is part of the reason why the Pacers are the best team in the East.

Here are my Western Conference starters

Guard: Chris Paul

Guard: James Harden

Forward: Kevin Durant

Forward: Kevin Love

Center: Dwight Howard

Western Conference Reserves

Guard: Steph Curry

Guard: Damian Lillard

Guard: Tony Parker

Forward: Lamarcus Aldridge

Forward: Blake Griffin

Forward: Dirk Nowitzki

Center: Demarcus Cousins (BOOGIE!)

The Western Conference is much tougher to pick than the Eastern Conference, especially at the guard position. Ty Lawson, Mike Conley, Goran Dragic, and Isaiah Thomas have been playing incredible. A couple of these players should probably play on the East team because they are that good. Anthony Davis also was tough to leave off the list, but there are just too many good big men for him to make the list. Now my biggest problem with the West team is that Kobe Bryant is starting. I know how he is one of the greatest players to ever play the game, but he has only played 6 games this season. James Harden deserves that spot. I also think Dwight should have gotten a spot over Blake. Blake is having a great season, and he is leading the Clippers to victories in Chris Paul’s absence, but Dwight is having a great year on both ends of the floor. He is a shot blocking machine, and he has been a key part in the Rocket’s offense. Plus I think that there should always be a center in the starting lineup. The starting power forward was tough because Kevin Love, Lamarcus Aldridge, and Dirk Nowitzki have been offensive monsters. Any one of them could be the starter, but it’s hard to not start the man who is leading the league in double-doubles. Picking the reserves is a tough task since the West has so much talent, but how could Boogie Cousins not make the team? He has been the best offensive center in the league, and he has helped make the Kings not horrible. Now there is a good chance that he would get into a fight with one of the All-Stars on his team, but that is a risk that should be taken.

I do not agree with some of the decisions made for both All-Star teams, but I understand why they chose the players they picked. I am still excited to watch the game, and I am looking forward to seeing both teams score over 200 points.

Big moves in the MLB offseason part 1

Sports fans are mainly focusing on football and basketball right now. The NFL is past the half way point, and the playoff teams are starting to emerge. The NBA season has just begun, and fans are already focusing on playoffs and MVP awards. I am so interested in the NFL and NBA that I feel like I have forgotten about baseball. This is going to be a huge offseason for a lot of teams, so I need to start paying more attention. To start this offseason I am going to predict where the top 50 free agents, according to mlbtraderumors.com, are going to end up. There is a good chance that I will get every single one wrong, but I am willing to make a fool of myself for your entertainment! Now before I start predicting the top 50 free agents, I want to begin by sharing my opinions on what my favorite team, the Houston Astros, should do this offseason.

The Astros had a horrific season. Receiving 111 losses is a rare feat in baseball, but the LAstros were talented enough to get those many losses. The Astros probably need to replace everybody on the roster, but I think they really need to focus on three positions.

1. Outfield- Robbie Grossman, Brandon Barnes, and L.J. Hoes were the starters at the end of the season for the Astros. That lineup makes me want to cry. It is extremely important that they address this issue, and bring in a new outfielder. I do want to mention that the Astros do have Minor League All-Star George Springer. Hopefully he will be brought up to play centerfield to replace Brandon Barnes. I don’t actually mind L.J. Hoes in right field. He is young, fast, and he has a little power. This means that the Astros should make an effort to upgrade at left field. There are two free agents I like to fill that spot. Nate McLouth and Jason Kubel: McLouth is a speedster that could be a potential leadoff hitter. Last season he hit .258 and stole 30 bases. Last year his salary was $2 million, so he is not that expensive of a contract. Kubel on the other hand is a lefty power hitter. Last season he dealt with multiple injuries, but he is a guy that can hit 25+ homers no problem. He would be a nice power hitter to bat behind Jason Castro.
2. Starting Pitching- Last season was a mess for starting pitching. The rotation started out as Bud Norris, Lucas Harrell, Phil Humber, Brad Peacock, and Erik Bedard. However, they traded Norris to the orioles around the trade deadline, Peacock and Humber got sent down to the minors for most of the season, and Harrell and Bedard were huge disappointments. The rotation changed a lot throughout the year, but in the end the Astros found two decent starting pitchers. Jarred Cosart and Brett Oberholtzer led this horrible rotation during the last portion of the season. The Astros do have some potential starters that performed well in the minors last year, such as, Asher Wojciechowski, Jake Buchanan, and Mike Foltynewicz. The Astros desperately need a veteran pitcher to lead this young pitching staff. I think that man could be Bronson Arroyo. He isn’t a superstar pitcher, but he is experienced and consistent. He has made at least 32 starts per year over the last 9 seasons. He is a little expensive, but I think he might be worth the investment. Also Ricky Nolasco and Paul Maholm are cheaper options that would help lead the rotation. However, the Astros will probably do something stupid and sign Ubaldo Jimenez to a big contract.
3. Relief Pitching- I am literally crying just thinking about the bullpen that the Astros have. I feel like every time the Astros had a lead going into the 8th or 9th inning that someone would blow it. It didn’t matter if it was Josh Fields, Chia- Jen Lo, Kevin Chapman, or Josh Zeid. The game would be blown, and I would be depressed. This should be a fairly easy thing to fix because there are a ton of relief pitchers on the market. Closers like Joe Nathan and Grant Balfour are out of their league, but there are still a lot of cheaper options. Fernando Rodney would be a nice addition. Even though he struggled last season he is still a solid closer that could go fairly cheap. Jesse Crain is another good option. Last year he was one of the best closers in baseball before he hurt his shoulder. That injury will make him a little bit of a discount, so that could be a steal. Also he went to the University of Houston, which could be a reason why he would want to play for the Astros. Other options include Kevin Gregg, Ryan Madson, Octavio Dotel, Joaquin Benoit, and Joe Smith. It would be ideal to get a closer and a setup man because that will greatly reduce our blown saves.

Now it is time for the real fun. Here is part 1 of the top 50 free agents.

1. Robinson Cano- Yankees: This is clearly the best offensive player for the Yankees, so they need to do their best to resign him. However, it would be crazy to sign him to a 10 year $300 Million deal.
2. Jacoby Ellsbury- Red Sox: I know that their are teams that will probably offer more money for him, but since I am a Red Sox fan I have to believe that he will stick with the World Champions.
3. Shin-Shoo Choo- Mets: There has been a lot of teams interested in Choo, and I can see why. He is a solid leadoff hitter that has both power and speed. I think the Mets need some talent, and they are willing to overpay to get it.
4. Brian McCann- Red Sox: There are many teams that are in search for a catcher, and McCann is one of the top catcher free agents. The Rangers, Yankees, and White Sox will also make a run at him, but I believe that he will replace Saltalamacchia as the Red Sox’s catcher.
5. Masahiro Tanaka- Dodgers: This is really a coin flip between the Dodgers and the Yankees. The Yankees need more help in starting pitching, but I think that they will make a run at other pitchers. The Dodgers will probably overpay big time for Tanaka to see if he can make the Dodgers have the best rotation in baseball. However, if the Dodgers don’t get Tanaka then they will probably try to make a trade for David Price
6. Ervin Santana- Yankees: This offseason supplies a large amount of starting pitchers, and Ervin Santana might be the best of the bunch. He had a terrific season last year for the Royals, which means he will be making a huge pay day this year. If the Yankees are smart enough to pass on Tanaka, then they will make a good decision and get Santana. He would make a huge improvement for that rotation. However, if the Yankees do get Tanaka, then I believe the Blue Jays will snag Santana.
7. Matt Garza- Phillies: The Phillies are at the point where they either need to trade all of their assets, or make some moves to become competitive. I believe that they will make some moves to try to reclaim their division. Their first move will be to improve their rotation, and acquire Matt Garza.
8. Hiroki Kuroda- Yankees: The only good part of the Yankees rotation last year was Kuroda. I think that it is important for them to sign some new pitchers, but it is also key to resign Kuroda.
9. A.J. Burnett- Pirates: At this point Burnett will either resign with the Pirates, or retire. I think that he will make a deal with the Pirates to make one last effort at the playoffs.
10. Mike Napoli- Red Sox: There is probably a good chance that he will go somewhere else, since first baseman are valuable this offseason. However, I have to keep faith that he will stick with the Boston Red Sox. They are the only team that deserves his massive beard.
11. Ubaldo Jimenez- Yankees: I think that the Yankees will sign Ubaldo because they are desperate for pitching. He is overrated, and he will be overpaid. I also believe that the Blue Jays would also be stupid enough to sign him. Unfortunately, I think that the Astros are stupid enough to spend their money on him.
12. Carlos Beltran- Rangers: Beltran will get a lot of interest from a bunch of teams, but I think the Rangers will make the best run at him. They are going to need to replace Nelson Cruz, so Beltran could be a pretty good replacement.
13. Curtis Granderson- Reds: I am not overly sure about Granderson. Last season he was plagued with injuries, which cost him a lot of his playing time. Their are many teams looking to improve their outfield, so it is hard to choose which one will grab Granderson. I am going to say the Reds because they need to replace Shin-soo Choo, and he would be another solid power threat to join Jay Bruce and Joey Votto.
14. Stephen Drew- Mets: I am hoping that the Mets overpay Drew, so that the Red Sox won’t get him.
15. Jarrod Saltalamacchia- Rangers: The Rangers will probably replace A.J. Pierzynski with Saltalamacchia. He posted some pretty solid hitting numbers for the Red Sox, so it wouldn’t surprise me if the Rangers snagged him.
16. Scott Kazmir- Twins: Am I really talking about Scott Kazmir?! Is this the same Scott Kazmir that was pitching for the Sugar Land Skeeters in 2012? Why yes it is. For some reason the Indians signed him, and he actually pitched pretty well. I actually have no idea where he is going to go, so I will just pick the Twins because they need to improve on their rotation.
17. Nelson Cruz- Phillies: If the Phillies want to try to make the playoffs, then they need to start signing some players. They could make a huge improvement in their outfield by signing power hitter Nelson Cruz.
18. Omar Infante- Tigers: He will stick with the Tigers because I said so.
19. Joe Nathan- Tigers: The Tigers were a nearly perfect team. They had a great offense, they had a killer starting rotation; however, they lacked the bullpen. The Tigers probably went through 5 different closers by the end of the season. Benoit was somewhat effective, but I think that they will try to make an upgrade by getting Joe Nathan. Nathan was arguably the best closer in baseball, so he would improve the Tigers bullpen drastically.
20. Ricky Nolasco- Rockies: Does anybody really care about Ricky Nolasco? Moving on.
21. Johnny Peralta- Cardinals: Since the Tigers have Jose Iglesias, they will probably not make a move to resign Peralta. The Cardinals could use an upgrade at shortstop, so they will probably get Peralta.
22. Bartolo Colon- Indians: You would think that everyone would want Bartolo. He went 18-6 with a 2.65 ERA last year with the Athletics. This means that a bunch of teams would be fighting to overpay this guy right? Wrong. Bartolo is 40 years old, and he has a history with steroids. However, teams still do want him and I believe that the Indians will get him to try to make another run at the playoffs.
23. Bronson Arroyo- Giants: As I talked about in the Astros section, Arroyo is one of the most consistent pitchers in baseball. The Giants had a very disappointing season, and part of that was due to their pitching staff. Vogelsong was dealing with injuries, Tim Lincecum was still terrible, Matt Cain was not throwing like his usual All-Star self, and Barry Zito was still Barry Zito. I think that the Giants will try to improve the rotation by acquiring Arroyo. He would be a solid #3 behind Madison Bumgarner and Matt Cain. He could help lead the Giants back to playoffs, or the Giants could still just suck. I would hate to be a Giants fan right now.
24. Marlon Byrd- Pirates: Teams are looking for outfielders, but he will probably just stay with the Pirates.
25. Grant Balfour- Angels: Balfour was one of the best closers in the league last season for the Athletics. He will be a hot commodity for several teams. However, I believe that the he will stay in the division, and play for the Angels.

That is all for part 1. Stay tuned for part 2!

Welcome to the Space Jam

I am pulling a Brett Favre! I am coming out of blog retirement. It is time to show the public my predictions and some of my other thoughts about this upcoming NBA season.

Here are a couple things that you should know about me.

-My two favorite teams are the Rockets and the Bobcats

-My five favorite players are Kemba Walker, Dirk Nowitzki, Jeremy Lin, Steve Nash, and Bismack Biyombo

These are a few things that I am looking forward to seeing in this NBA season

1. The Rockets’ total domination- There are mainly two opinions about the Rockets throughout the public. People either think that the Rockets are going to be total beasts and make it to the NBA finals, or that Howard won’t work with the Rockets and the team will be a disappointment. I fully believe that the Rockets can completely dominate the western conference. Why do I think this? It is because the Rockets have the best player in the NBA. Jeremy Lin… Just kidding. I think that Harden and Howard will mesh. Parsons is a great 3 point shooter who can also finish at the rim. There are a couple of concerns at the point guard and the power forward position for the Rockets, but I think that they will solve these problems and destroy the west.

2. The Bobcats’ total domination- I know what you are thinking. Did I read this right? Did he really say that the Bobcats will dominate? Yes I did! Okay, maybe domination wasn’t the right word, but they will be a surprising team in the East. The Bobcats made a huge signing in the offseason. They acquired big Al Jefferson. He is a beast on the left block and he will surely help the offensive production. Kemba Walker is a solid point guard that has a solid midrange shot and is great at driving to the rim. I know it might have been a reach, but Cody “white boy” Zeller is not that bad of a player. I think that he is a good compliment to big Al on the offensive end and he is an underrated rebounder. Ben Gordon might be washed up, but I am predicting a comeback season for him. He is a good 3 point shooter from the corner and from the wing, so I think he will get some open looks from Big Al being doubled on the block. Jeff Taylor is going to be a solid scorer coming off the bench and Bismack Biyombo will be a defensive threat coming off the bench. I know that the Bobcats will probably disappoint me, but I am still going to believe in my Bobcats.

3. Who will emerge from this rookie class?- This is a pretty interesting rookie class. There wasn’t really any elite rookies coming out, but there were several solid rookies drafted. I am very curious to see how all these rookies will emerge on their new teams. I think Cody Zeller, Kelly Olynyk and Victor Oladipo have the best chance of winning Rookie of the year. I believe that they are in the best situations to succeed. It will be interesting to see how Anthony Bennett does as the first overall pick. I am also interested in Otto Porter Jr, Ben Mclemore, and Michael-Carter Williams because I believe they will struggle.

4. Who can stop the Heat?- Everybody is wondering if there is a team that can defeat the Heat. There are a lot of teams that have the talent to go against the Heat, but I am not sure if they can be stopped. We will see what happens.

Now it is prediction time

–  Steve Nash will show up these new young point guards and lead the Lakers to mediocrity. I am predicting 13 points and 9 assists per game for this aging superstar

–  Kemba Walker will be in the top 5 in steals and in the top 7 in assists

– Kelly Olynyk or Cody Zeller will win Rookie of the Year

–  Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will make five 3 pointers this season (he was 2 for 9 last year)

– Bradley Beal will be a top 10 scorer in the league

–  Steph Curry will lead the Warriors to the Western Conference finals

– Paul George is Way Way underrated

–  Josh Smith will win the award for worst shot selection in the league

–  OJ Mayo and Rudy Gay will be disappointments this season

–  Kobe Bryant will not kill Nick Young

–  Greg Oden will play more games than Andrew Bynum

–  Dwight Howard will not lead the league in free throw percentage

–  DeMarcus Cousins will lead the league in turnovers per game

–  Jimmer Fredette will not start a game this season

2013-2014 standings

East:

1. Heat
2. Pacers
3. Bulls
4. Nets
5. Knicks
6. Cleveland
7. Pistons
8. Wizards
9. Bobcats
10. Bucks
11. Hawks
12. Raptors
13. Magic
14. Celtics
15. 76ers

West:

1. Rockets
2. Clippers
3. Warriors
4. Thunder
5. Spurs
6. Grizzlies
7. Mavericks
8. Pelicans
9. Nuggets
10. Timberwolves
11. Lakers
12. Trailblazers
13. Kings
14. Suns
15. Jazz

Everybody needs to get pumped up because the NBA season is almost here. I am extra excited because this wednesday the Bobcats are playing the Rockets. That is a clash of the titans!  Well that is it for my first NBA blog. Stay tuned for more breathtaking blogs.

Baseball is almost here!

The baseball season is so close that I can almost taste it. I guess it is about that time for me to make some predictions on the 2013 MLB season. For this post I will start off by saying who I think will have big comebacks from their disappointing 2012 seasons. 

10. Jason Marquis 

I think that Marquis has found a new home. He started off terrible last year, but he had a pretty big turnaround when he went to the Padres. He lowered his ERA, and he improved his win total when he arrived in San Diego. Also, it is good to see that he is pitching well in spring training. Through 12 innings he has only allowed 3 earned runs, and hitters have a batting average of .240 against him. Don’t be surprised if he ends up being the best Padres pitcher this season.

9. Erik Bedard

Everybody knows that Bedard has a long history with injuries, but at least he would pitch well while he was healthy. That was not the case last year. He racked up 14 losses and had a staggering ERA of 5.01. However, I think he’s ready for a big comeback. This spring training he has looked amazing, and his strikeout rate is fantastic just like it used to be in 2006 and 2007. If Bedard can stay healthy for a good portion of the season, I think he has a chance to be a solid starter again. Now his win total will be fairly low, because the Astros have an extremely weak offense, and they have a young, inexperienced relieving staff that is likely to blow a lot of wins, but I still think that Bedard will impress a lot of people.

8. Brandon Belt

Belt didn’t have a terrible year, but I did expect a little more from him. He hit .275 with only 7 home runs and 12 stolen bases. He has the potential to hit 20 homers and steal 20 bases consistently. I think this is the season where he puts all the pieces together and has a solid season. The last couple of seasons he has been battling for some playing time, so I think that hindered his performance. He has showed in spring training that he is ready to jump to the next level. He is 19 for 47 (.404 avg) with 4 homers and 11 RBIs. I am quite confident that Belt will help take the Giants to the playoffs.

7. CJ Wilson

Wilson didn’t have a bad season last season, but his ERA was a little higher than usual (3.83). I think that he will lower his ERA a bit, but that won’t be the big change for him. Last year he had 13 wins and 10 losses through his 34 starts. I think that this will be a huge improvement because of the stellar Angels offense. I wouldn’t be surprised if he hits 18 wins or more. 

6. Josh Beckett

Oh, how the mighty have fallen! Beckett used to be one of the best aces in baseball for the Marlins and the Red Sox, but last season did not bode well for him. He had an unimpressive 7 wins and 14 losses with an ERA of 4.65 and only 132 strikeouts. Beckett is turning 33 this season, so I think this is a make or break season for him. He desperately needs to show some improvement, and I think he will. The biggest thing he has going for him is the Dodgers offense. That offense will give Beckett a ton of wins even if he doesn’t produce. This spring training has shown that he has a chance to make a turnaround. Through 9.1 innings he has an ERA of 0.96 and has 11 strikeouts. He had a similar ERA last year, but this time he has improved his strikeouts and walks quite a bit. I believe that Beckett has a chance to jump over the overrated Zack Greinke to become the Dodgers’ number 2 starter.

5. Ike Davis

Davis had a pretty disappointing 2012 season. He only hit .227 and had 141 strikeouts. However, there were some bright spots for him. He had a career high in home runs (32) and RBIs (90). Also, he improved dramatically in the second half of the season. Before the All-Star break he hit an abysmal .201 with 12 homers, while after the All-Star break he hit .255 with 20 homers. If the second half of 2012 resembles what Ike Davis is really capable of, expect his homers and RBIs to stay about the same from last year but also expect him to have a big jump in his batting average.

4.Clay Buchholz

Buchholz didn’t have the greatest season last year. He ended up with an 11-9 record with a 4.56 ERA. I think that the first half of the season he was still struggling with his injury from the 2011 season. That would explain why his ERA was 5.33 prior to the All-Star break. However, he improved his ERA to 3.76, and he increased his strikeouts after the All-Star break. Currently he is having a very impressive spring training. Through 13.1 innings he has an ERA of 0.68, and hitters have a .152 batting average against him. This is by far the best spring training he has ever had, and I think this will resurge his career. Expect a much better season from Buchholz.

3. Rickie Weeks

In 2010 and 2011, Weeks was a solid .270 hitter with over 20 homers. Last season he still hit 21 home runs, but he only had a .230 average with 169 strikeouts. Weeks started off terrible. Prior to the All-Star game he had .199 average with 8 home runs and 100 strikeouts. However, he did improve significantly after the All-Star break. His average was .261with 13 homers and only 69 strikeouts. That sounds a lot more like the Rickie Weeks from 2010 and 2011. Don’t be surprised if he ends up winning NL comeback player of the year.

2. Jon Lester

From 2008 to 2011, Lester had no less than 15 wins, never had double-digit losses, and his ERA never was over 3.50. However, 2012 was a complete disaster. He had only 9 wins and 14 losses with an ERA of 4.82. The main reason he was this bad was because of how he played at home. He had 3 wins and 10 losses with an ERA of 6.31 at Fenway Park. That is ridiculously terrible. However, I think that was a total fluke. I have no idea what happened to him, but I know that it isn’t going to happen again. I am so confident because of what he has done this spring training. Through 20 innings he has an ERA of 0.90 with 16 strikeouts. Hitters are only hitting .092 off him! Expect Lester to come back strong and make a case for AL comeback player of the year.

1. José Reyes

By no means did Reyes have a bad 2012 season. He hit .287 with 86 runs and 40 stolen bases. However, I think he has the potential to hit so much better. I think the reason that he didn’t hit as well as he did in 2011 was because of the situation he was in. The corruption in the Marlins organization probably hindered some of his production. Now he is on a much-better team in Toronto, which should his improve his stats. There are two things that show me why he will go back to the hitter he was in 2011. First thing is how he hit after the All-Star break last year. His average was .312 (.264 before the break), and he raised his OPS to .856. The second thing is how he has been hitting this spring, not only in spring training but also in the World Baseball Classic. He has helped the Dominican Republic to many victories, and I think that he will do the same for the Bluejays. I personally believe that Reyes could make a serious run for AL MVP this year. He has a chance of hitting way over .300 with over 40 stolen bases. Jose Reyes is going to be huge this season.

 

Jared Needs to Take Off His Mean Jeans

Jared Sheni might be the meanest person alive. He constantly makes fun of Ricky’s and my favorite sports teams. He has a ton of insults in his back pocket, and he’s not afraid to pull them out at any time. His reign of terror needs to stop. I think I know how to stop him. There needs to be a Make Fun of Jared Sheni Day. This might get him to stop his cruel insults! Let’s make Tuesday, February 26th Make Fun of Jared Sheni Day. We need to make sure that as many people are involved as possible, so spread the word! Let’s make sure that Jared stops his wrath of terror! February 26th will be the end of him. Let’s do this thing, saan!!

All hail the Bobcats!  

49ers All the Way, Saan!!

It’s been awhile since I’ve made a blog post, so I thought I would write one about tonight’s Super Bowl 47. Apparently, a lot of people think that it’s going to be a close game, and there are many people who actually think that the Ravens are going to win. I personally feel that this is going to be a terrible game, and that it won’t be even close. I think the 49ers are going to absolutely destroy the Ravens. Colin Kaepernick will go total beast mode by throwing for multiple touchdowns and by running for a touchdown. Frank Gore will pound on the Ravens’ defense and will probably score at least a td. Vernon Davis will be a total monster, and he will not be stopped. Crabtree and Moss will probably kick in some solid plays, and who knows, even LaMichael James might make some big plays. The Ravens won’t be able to stop this insanely good offense, so the 49ers will probably score at least 35 points.

The 49ers’ defense will stop Joe Flacco’s amazing playoff run. He will throw a couple interceptions, because he will be pressured all game, and he will be making a ton of bad decisions. Ray Rice will have almost no success, because of the 49ers’ all-star D-line and linebackers. The 49ers’ corners and safeties will stop Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith from making the big plays, so in the end the Ravens will have a terrible offensive game.

The final score will be 38-17 49ers. The only reason that the Ravens will score 17 points is because the 49ers will take pity on them in the fourth quarter. This will be a blowout, so congratulations, 49ers!

Baseball Hall of Fame

The results of the baseball Hall of Fame voting came out today, and the results were a little interesting. The biggest shock was that no player got elected into the HOF, which is the first time since 1996. I honestly thought that at least Craig Biggio would get in, so I was disappointed to see that he was 39 votes shy of the 75% needed for induction. I also thought that Mike Piazza had a slight chance to get in since he is one of the greatest-hitting catchers of all time, but he didn’t even get 60% of the votes. 

Now it’s time to talk about the steroid users. I’m not at all surprised that none of them got in, but I was surprised at how few votes they got. Slammin’ Sammy Sosa didn’t even get 100 votes, which was weird because of how much he contributed to the Cubs’ success in the early 2000s. He even got fewer votes then Mark McGwire, which I don’t agree with. I did think that Roger Clemens would get at least 45% of the votes, but he only got 37.6%. I felt the biggest surprise was Barry Bonds. I thought if one steroid user got even close to 75% of the votes, it would be Bonds. However, he only received 36.2%. That is quite shocking. I know that he used performing-enhancing drugs, but so did a lot of people he played against, and none of them were even close to putting up his numbers. I personally feel like he deserved more, but we’ll see how many votes he gets next year.

Now I want to talk about players that are currently in the HOF. I’m astonished at the percentage of votes some of these players got. If I were to ask you, “Who do you think got the highest percentage of votes ever?,” who would you say? You might think Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, or even Willie Mays. You would be incorrect. The answer is Tom Seaver. Now Seaver was a great pitcher, but to get the highest percentage of votes ever?! Now that’s not right. It might also surprise you to hear that Hank Aaron isn’t even in the top five. He’s behind Seaver, Nolan Ryan. Cal Ripken Jr., Ty Cobb, and George Brett. I understand Ty Cobb, but I don’t understand how he is behind the other four.

It may also surprise you to know that Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, and Willie Mays aren’t even in the top 10. That’s crazy! Also, how could Stan Musial and Ted Williams not be in the top 15! This is insane! However, the one that grinds my gears the most is Walter Johnson. He only got 83.63% of the votes! There are 14 pitchers that got a higher percentage of votes than he did, and that’s not right. I don’t know what they were thinking, but he should have way more votes then what he got.

I feel that there are a ton of people who deserved more votes, such as Ernie Banks (83.81%), Tris Speaker (82.09%), Whitey Ford (77.81%), Jackie Robinson (77.50%), Rogers Hornsby (78.11%), Mickey Mantle (88.22%), and many more. Everybody who made the HOF are great players and deserve to be there, but I feel like a lot of talented players got way less votes then they deserved. I can’t wait till next year to see who gets in. I think Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine will be first ballot Hall of Famers, and I think Biggio will get in. Frank Thomas will probably be a little short on his first ballot, but I think he’ll eventually make it. I’m curious to see about how close Jeff Bagwell and Piazza will be to making the HOF next year. 

Now I know you are all asking, “Hey C.J., do you think that the steroid users should get in?” Honestly I don’t know. I know that they did cheat, but they played in a time where a lot other players cheated and they were by far the best players in their era. Plus some of those PED users were on track for a hall of fame career without the steroids. I guess we will see what happens to them in the future. 

Here’s the link to the HOF voting percentages: Click here.

End of semester thoughts

Holy freaking cow! This semester has gone by so fast and I have to say that it has been a blast. I enjoyed all of my classes and had fun almost everyday. I will say that almost everyday was the same. I woke up at the same time everyday. Then I arrived at school at the same time everyday. Then I took boring notes in every class every single day and then I would go home and take a nap. Now it is time to talk about each one of my classes. 

Pre Cal: In terms of learning, this was my least favorite class. I was constantly confused and constantly got C’s ans D’s on my quizzes. Lucky for me I did not have to experience this alone. Art, Curtis, and Audrey had to suffer pre cal as well. It was fun asking each other questions knowing that none of us would know the answer. We all had a good time talking about how much we hated pre cal. If Jessica was closer to us then she could have joined our awesome conversations, but she was on the complete other side of the room. There was also Mr. Ian Harter. He always had to get A’s and B’s on all of his quizzes. Plus every time he walked over to me he would put his hand on my shoulder, look at me, and then walk away. What is this?? Well that is basically it for pre cal. It sucked, but Art, Curtis, and Audrey made it pretty fun. 

Webmastering: I have to admit that there isn’t a lot to talk about here. We basically did boring work everyday. I mean Sean and Andrew helped make the class better, but this class was pretty terrible. I did get to play a lot of Fun Run so I guess that was pretty cool.

English: Now this class was pretty interesting. I feel like we talked almost the whole class period everyday and didn’t learn anything. Mr. Seed and I would always talk about football and that was always pretty fun. There was a lot of people for me to talk to on my side of the room. I was able to chat with Art, Sean, Reed, Simon and Austin. We talked about a variety of stuff, but the worst thing to talk about was Fun Run. Reed would always talk about how he could connect to Fun Run and I couldn’t. Can you believe that guy? The best part about English is when we read Beowulf. That story brought about team Beowulf, which killed in the dodgeball tournament. That is pretty much it for English.

Government: This might have been the most talkative class I was in. On one side it was Ricky, RJ, Sharlyn, Andrea, Austin, Marisa, and I. On the other side there was Ali, Dillon, Jessica, Katherine, Madi, and Kelsey. We were always talking and horsing around. The best part about government is that RJ and I would always throw erasers at Ricky. All 3 of us enjoyed that. Another entertaining part of that class was all the turtling of back packs. Luckily my back pack was never turtled, but others weren’t so lucky. That class was awesome and it sucks that the class is over. 

Aquatic Science: This was by far the most interesting of all my classes. In terms of learning it was just like all of my other classes. It was super boring and it seemed pointless. However, some of us had more fun than others. Marcus, MJ and I usually just chilling in the back, but we always had some good entertainment. We always got to watch Denae, Alexis, Babatunde, Grace, Bo, and Meagan suffer from a certain individual ( I won’t mention who this person is). I felt so bad for them because they were constantly getting yelled at and tortured. However, after it was all over they had a good laugh about it. Even though that was always entertaining, the best part about aquatic science was my fish Gumby. He is the best fish that anyone could ask for. All hail Gumby, the best fish alive (way better than Baba’s). 

Economics: This was by far the most repetitive class. Everyday we do the same exact thing. We read a section in the textbook and then we take notes. Greg, Claudia, Scott, Grant, Xavier, and Chris know what I’m talking about. The best part about Econ was all the stories that Chris and Xavier told us. They had a new crazy adventure everyday and it was pretty entertaining to listen too.

After school: I usually would take a nap after school, but sometimes I would play football with the homies. The homies are Jared #1, Jared #2, Ricky, RJ, Hunter, Toby, J.J. Swatt (Connor), Elliot, and Marcus. Other then football I would usually watch videos on Youtube and watch movies on Netflix. That’s about it.

If you were mentioned in this blog that means you were part of my first semester of senior year and I want to thank you for making it not suck.

Money in the bank. Show me what you drank.

I can’t wait for winter break to be here. I’m not really sure what I’m going to do, but I do know a couple activities that I can do. Like going to IHOP with the homies and playing football with the homies. Probably play some xbox, Wii, and N64. Now I know what you’re thinking. “C.J. is lying. There is no way that you’re doing this stuff. You are a party animal so you’re probably going to the clubs and the coolest parties.” Yes, normally this is true, but I think this winter I’m going to take a little break from that life. It’s time to relax and do stuff at home.

I’m really looking forward to watching the Lakers continue to lose and for the Bobcats to get their eighth win of the season. Kemba for MVP!! 

This week I know that I need to study for my final exams, but that isn’t very exciting. I wish I could do something else, but I guess I have to study a little bit. 😦

Sorry for the boring blog, but I haven’t done anything that exciting in weeks. Next week I will have my end of semester blog, so stay tuned for that one! 

Skyfall thoughts

I finally saw the new Bond movie on Sunday and I had mixed opinions about it.

Pros:

1. I did like the house scene towards the end of the movie. How they planned it and executed it was pretty awesome, especially when Bond blew up the house with the dynamite. That was cool.

2. One of my favorite parts of the movie is when they brought back the Aston Martin. That is the greatest car ever and it was awesome to see it. However, it did suck that it got destroyed…

3. Even though I would have liked Silva better if he had killed one of his henchmen, he was still a pretty good villain. He was insane, yet a genius. The last scene with him and M was a little weird, but I could deal with it. Overall he was good.

4. I will say that the plot was good. It was easy to follow and the goal of Silva was pretty clear. I hate confusion so I liked what they did.

5. The action was pretty solid. Even at his old age, Bond still has some fighting moves. From the train to the last house scene, the action was there and pretty awesome.

Cons:

1. As some people know, I am not the biggest Daniel Craig fan. Yes he might be tougher and more hardcore then some of the other Bonds, but I don’t really care about that. What I care about is elegance, semi funny puns, and getting chicks. One thing Bond is a master at is banging chicks. That might be a little blunt, but it is true. He is basically a chick magnet. However, Craig was not at all. Throughout the movie he had three little four second cuts where he would be making out with a woman. Is that all he can do? That is pitiful and he should be ashamed of how repulsive he is.

2. One thing Bond has to say in his movies is, “shaken, not stirred”, and he didn’t say that! How could that not be in the movie?

3. I though Silva was a pretty good villain, but there is one thing that would have made him better. What I wanted to see was him killing at least one of his henchman. That is what I love in a bad guy. He has to be so crazy and cruel that he is willing to kill one of his henchman. It would have made Silva way better.

4. Something that I didn’t like was Bond’s quick return after he “died”. I felt like he got shot, then the theme song happened, and then he failed at satisfying a woman. I know it said he was gone for three months, but I felt like they showed him too quickly.They probably should have put some scenes in between the theme and his return, but it is too late now.

5. The movie had way too many stupid little cuts. They would cut to Bond doing something unimportant for a couple of seconds then go back to the plot. For example, after he got shot they showed him making love to a woman for a couple seconds, then cuddling with her for a couple seconds, and then he walked to the bar. It was really quick and I just wasn’t a fan of it.

Overall this was a pretty good movie. It is not my favorite Bond movie, but it was still fun to watch. Skyfall is nothing compared to Goldeneye, which is the greatest Bond movie. I don’t want to get too much into it, but I will say they had the greatest bad guys in any Bond movie. Trevelyan, Boris, and Ourumov were great bad guys and that is the main reason why Goldeneye is super duper awesome.

This has nothing to do with James Bond, but I just have too say that I might be a quarterback beast. Today I played football and threw a bunch of td passes with 0 interceptions. I do have to give a shout out to RJ who was the best blocker ever. I don’t want to brag, but I might be on Jamarcus Russell’s level.