Stars Are Out

On Tuesday, July 12th, Major League Baseball held its annual All Star game where the best players from the American League play against the best players of the National League. This years game was held at the home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Chase Field. The National League was able to come out of the contest with a 5 - 1 victory thanks to a key three run blast to center field by Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder.

The game was a great success as it lived up to the expectations of the masses worldwide, it was a worthwhile event for sure. What made the game interesting was that it was real baseball being played at its best. There wasn't really an incident of show boating but rather the players were playing like it was a crucial game in their teams season. This is most likely due to the fact that the result of that game will be crucial for a lot of teams in the second half of the season. Teams looking to make a playoff run would really want to win that game as it provides home field advantage in the World Series. So since the National League won their champion will play host to the American League champion at the 2011 World Series.

The MLB All Star game is easily the best game of its class when compared to other professional sports in North America. Why? Simply because the players actually go out and play with a competitive mindset instead of just putting on a show for the fans. Their game is the only one that has a "prize" for the winner that actually makes a difference in the long run. The NHL, NBA and NFL provide nothing for the winner of their game which gives the athletes no incentive to play their best. The game is much more exciting when the best players are playing their best. From a financial aspect the MLB is not only selling out at the All Star game but their viewers at home are dramatically increased. This helps bring back interest in baseball after its fall thanks to the '94 - '95 strike.

This is not knocking the other professional leagues in any way it's just simply pointing out that the MLB is well ahead of its fellow leagues. The other All-Star games turn into a joke within five minutes of viewing with the minimal effort and contact. Viewers lose interest very quickly and will eventually start channel surfing. The solution would be to do what the MLB does and give the players incentive to win in order to bring out a strong competition.

Fans like to feel involved as well so having them vote for their favorite players gives them a sense of involvement. It's human nature to be interested in something that you have involvement in so more people are drawn to the game. Fans choose their favorite player from both leagues for each position except for the pitcher but do have the option of a write in.

The only thing that the MLB needs to change is the fact that players have the option to opt out of the game if elected. The idea of the All Star game is that the best players are playing against each other in a competitive atmosphere. Their cannot be an All Star game without all stars, it simply does not work. Players that opt out should perhaps face a fine from the MLB as a penalty for not playing. In the case of Seattle Mariners ace, Felix Hernandez, he fell prey to the Sunday before rule. Felix pitched on Sunday right before the break which did not allow for enough rest in between games. There is not much that can be done to change that rule, the pitcher's health is obviously most important. Teams could potentially change their rotation but most will not do that if they feel they will not make it to the world series anyway.

Who Are The VCU Rams?

Who Are The VCU Rams? This is one question that just about every college basketball fan is asking after the rams have ruined practically everyones brackets. Virginia Commonwealth has certainly turned a lot of heads this year after having to play a play in game just to get into the tournament.

This virtually unknown team has managed to knock off some of the potential contenders for the tournament  and are showing no signs of slowing down. The Rams have knocked out Purdue, Florida State and Kansas in order to earn their spot in tonight's Final Four matchup with the Butler Bulldogs.

Their leading point getter this season was forward Jamie Skeen, who managed to put up 15.4 PPG. Along with help from Guard Bradford Burgess, who contributed 14.3 PPG. Skeen and company managed to lead the Rams to a fourth place finish in the Colonial Athletic Conference. Considering the fact that this is not a well known conference of teams, the odds were against them to even make the tournament.

Obviously their is more than meets the eye to this Rams team, their is a great degree of heart and determination that has got them to the dance in Houston. Perhaps the best thing to watch about this cinderella story is the way these guys play as a team. Their is no standout individual efforts but rather their wins depend on strong playmaking and determination. Their are certain things they display that just cannot be coached, heart and determination come from the athlete.

With the eleventh seeded Rams playing an eighth seeded Butler in the final four, the game is bound to be down to the wire. Both teams have over come adversity to get to the National Semi Final, which suggests that this game has the potential to be the game of the tournament. The game could go either way, with neither team having an edge going in to it. Hopefully the VCU Rams can keep their Cinderella story going tonight and find themselves staying in Houston on Monday night.

Cookin' Up A Storm

"A lateral or blind side hit to an opponent where the head is targeted and/or the principal point of contact is not permitted." 


This is the definition of an illegal check to the head under the category of physical fouls in the National Hockey League rule book. Clearly no one forwarded the message to Pittsburgh Penguins forward Matt Cooke, who is constantly delivering dangerous checks to unsuspecting players.

Marc Savard, after the hit delivered by Matt Cooke

Cooke, who was given a four game suspension for his hit to the head of Blue Jackets defenseman Fedor Tyutin, is a repeat offender. Although Tyutin was not injured on the play, it does not change the fact that it was another dangerous hit. This marks the second suspension for Cooke this season, the first being the blind sided hit to the head of Rangers forward Artem Anisimov.


Cooke is known for laying dirty hits whether it be to the head or knee on knee collisions. Regardless of the hit, there is still the intent to injure which the NHL simply cannot justify. How he has not received discipline for these hits in the past is beyond explanation. He is single handedly responsible for the destruction of Bruins forward Marc Savard who has never fully recovered from the devastating blow that Cooke laid on him last season. Somehow the NHL's Disciplinary system failed to notice the fact that Savard missed 41 games due to the concussion he suffered on the hit. Why the NHL has suddenly decided that Cooke's actions are dangerous acts of violence and require discipline, is beyond understanding.


The NHL needs to clamp down on checks to the head, rather than just discussing how bad and life threatening they are. A greater suspension would make a player think twice before repeating a dangerous hit again.    

From The Back Out

After the goal tending display in the Canadian net, at the 2011 IIHF World Junior Championships this past New Year, one has to wonder about the future of the NHL. Clearly Mark Visentin is not able to handle the pressure of being a professional goalie, which is unfortunate for the Phoenix Coyotes as they drafted him 27th overall in last year's NHL entry draft.

Could this be the way goal tending is going to be in the future? There is very little value placed on a goaltender now a day that it is leading to the demise of teams. Team Canada was of course the most recent team to learn this valuable lesson. In order to be successful in today's game you need to build from the back out. That means that at the base of a strong team their needs to be a strong goalie, in order to be successful teams need to minimize the oppositions offense. Teams with weak goalies never go very far in the playoffs, provided they can even hang on to playoff position.

Amazingly, the goalies that have been picked late in recent NHL drafts are the ones that seem to be taking on successful careers. For instance,  Jonathan Quick was selected 72nd overall in 2005 and is currently a top contender for this years Vezina Trophy. Even more astonishing is Nashville's tandem of Pekka Rinne and Anders Lindback who were elected 258th and 207th in their respective draft years. Both goalies are experiencing great success, while most of the goalies selected before them have yet to crack an NHL roster.

Teams clearly do not know how to select a franchise goaltender that could take the team to a Stanley Cup title. Stats, such as save percentage, are one thing but one thing that is not considered is the skill of the team in front of them. Anyone can put up a good save percentage with a great team in front of them, but it's the guys who are successful with lower seeded teams that make great NHL goalies.

Robin Lehner, draft pick of the Ottawa Senators

European goaltenders seem to be the wave of the future, with goalies emerging fast out of Sweden and Finland. Goalies such as Joni Ortio and Robin Lehner could very well be the next Vezina trophy contenders if they continue to preform at the level they were at in Buffalo during the World Junior tournament. The decline of Canadian goaltenders is relatively alarming but may in fact be good for the game. With the difference in North American and European play, that being physicality versus finesse, European goaltenders continue to out preform most North American goaltenders. The obvious exception would be United States goaltender Jack Campbell who is the most promising North American prospect for the NHL in the near future.

Goalies are much more important than teams seem to think, which is a real shame as it usually leads to their demise. Although cliche, the best offense is a strong defense which is pivotal to the success of a franchise. Building from the back out insures future success for the team and delivers a promising result that is sure to please fans.

Fight To The Finish

As week 17 is fast approaching there is a lot on the line in Green Bay, Wisconsin as the Packers sit on the brink of elimination. The Packers find themselves up against the NFC North leading Chicago Bears who have far surpassed the expectations of critics. The Bears have clinched a division title and purely play the role of spoiler for the Packers who are sitting at 9 - 6.

The Packers will rely heavily on Offensive Player of the Year candidate Aaron Rodgers if they want to earn a Wild Card spot. Rodgers, who is coming off of a huge game against the New York Giants last week, is expected to be able to match that performance if not exceed it. After throwing for 404 yards last week and putting up a passer rating of 139.9, Rodgers is going to have to be a real game changer if the Packers are to make a Super Bowl run. Amazingly Rodgers was able to return two weeks after suffering his second concussion of the season in week 14 against the Detroit Lions.

The Packers have suffered injury wise this season but have still managed to tough out the season to hang on to a potential playoff spot. Most notably was the loss of Tight End Jermichael Finley who has the perfect combination of height and size to power through the opposition. Finley sustained a season ending knee injury back in week 5 against the Redskins. The Packers also lost starting running back Ryan Grant after he got his legs tangled up back in week 1 against Philadelphia. Grant became a large part of the offense last season after the loss of Ahman Green.

Clay Matthews

Outside Linebacker Clay Matthews will have to bring his game to Lambeau on Sunday if the Packers are to contain the Bears offense. Matthews has more than proven he is Pro Bowler status with 12.5 sacks this season.

The Packers have not been able to live up to preseason expectations but are finding their groove at an ideal time. They should have no problem making the playoffs considering the fact that if they win they are in but a loss and a Giants win will find them at home come playoff time. The Giants find themselves in Washington this week and the Packers could use a late Christmas gift from the Redskins.