P-L-A-Y-O-F-F-S for the New York Yankees

The 2014 season for the Yankees should be a good one. $471 million was spent on several outstanding additions to a roster who lost a few offensive weapons in Curtis Granderson and Robinson Cano. But, the Yankees went out and filled all and any holes in the offense, and in the rotation.

The addition of Brian McCann brings a speck of youth back into an old team. This signing also brings in power at the catchers position, which was lacking when Chris Stewart was behind the plate in 2013. McCann will help contribute to replace Cano's power numbers. McCann is a consistent 30 HR hitter, and has been at or above that number ever year since 2009. Bringing in a catcher that can hit and hit for power is something this organization needs.

Carlos Beltran also will contribute to the power numbers, even at his "old" age of 36. He is not the outfielder he used to be, with his quick feet and .300 BA. Still, Beltran brings leadership and experience to this team, as well as a big bat. Since 2001, Beltran has had one season with single digit HR's. In 2010, he played 64 games, in a season where he suffered a right knee injury, which required surgery. Beltran had seven HR's that a year. Beltran's age has not hindered his power numbers, and will serve as an excellent OF and DH in this stacked Yankees Outfield.

Also contributing to the Yankees outfield is Jacoby Ellsbury, who was one of the best signings this offseason. The Yankees desperately needed to bring in some young legs to the outfield. Out of the five key outfielders the Yankees have, Ellsbury and Gardner are the only two under 35. Both are 30 years of age. Bringing in Ellsbury, an all around contributor was huge for the Yankees. Ellsbury rounds out the three offensive weapons that the Yankees signed to replace Cano. But instead of bringing the power numbers, he is a hit for average hitter. Ellsbury has had four years without a major injury in the seven years he has played. In those four seasons, he has a batting average of .300, which is just a few points below Cano's batting average the past few seasons in New York. The Yankees really needed Ellsbury. Now the Yankees have another true contact hitter, and a base stealing side-kick for Gardner. Ellsbury also can take over the first or second spot in the lineup, depending on where Jeter is. I believe that Jeter will be the leadoff hitter, with Ellsbury batting second. That bumps Gardner to the bottom of the lineup, because the Yankees need a power hitter like McCann, who also can hit for average in the 3rd spot.

The Yankees knew that with the loss of A-Rod and Cano, as well as Jeter entering his last season that they needed to pick up a versatile infielder. Kelly Johnson was the perfect fit. The Yankees picked up the 32 year old from the Rays for one year, paying him 3 million. Johnson will be playing 2nd and 3rd, as well as contributing to the outfield once and a while. But, if the Yankees are going to succeed, they need to keep Johnson at third. With Johnson at third, Jeter can play short, with Nunez subbing in for him when Jeter needs to rest. Texeira and Overbay will be 1st base and DH, and then there's second base.

The Yankees made a smart move picking up Brian Roberts. Yes he is old, but think about this. By signing Roberts to a one year deal, this serves two purposes. The first purpose is yet another player to pick up some of the slack Cano left, with his career .278 average and quickness, even at 36. The second purpose was to buy some time to get a new franchise second basemen. Guys like Ben Zobrist, Rickie Weeks and Emilio Bonafacio will be on the market for the Yankees to buy. Or, they can re-sign Kelly Johnson, make him the main second basemen, and shop for a new third basemen. The 2015 Free Agents for third basemen include J.J. Hardy, Yunel Escobar, Rafael Furcal, Asdrubal Cabrera, and Hanley Ramirez. Those are all young guys with plenty of years left of good baseball, all under 35. The Yankees, by signing Roberts, set themselves up for another big free-agent year in 2015.

Finally, the Yankees made two big moves for pitching. Bringing back Kuroda establishes a strong rotation, with him sitting at the two spot behind Sabathia. Last season, Kuroda proved himself to be an elite pitcher, shutting down strong offensive teams, and rarely getting shelled. But the signing of 25 year old Masahiro Tanaka from Japan seals the deal. Tanaka is easily the best pitcher in the Japanese league, and he maintained a sub 2.00 ERA for most of his year last year, without recording a loss. Adding Tanaka makes this rotation a deadly one. Sabathia and Kuroda at the top, Nova in the middle, and Tanka and Pineda, both who have had phenomenal spring trainings at the four and five.

With these several key signings, expect great things out the the 2014 New York Yankees. A dominant rotation paired with a younger, stronger, more powerful and more skilled lineup than last seasons spells P-L-A-Y-O-F-F-S.

2013 Pre-Season Starting QB Races

Training camp has just concluded, which means it's time for four weeks of preseason football. Usually, starting quarterback races headline preseason, and this season is no different. Currently, there are four big races going on. Those races are on the Jets, Bills, Jaguars and Eagles. In this article, I will give my opinions on all of them.

Jets- Sanchez vs Smith:

In my opinion, Geno Smith should be the starter. He is young, with a strong arm, and is very mobile. The Jets desperately need a playmaker, and Geno Smith can be that guy. Their only other playmaker is Santonio Holmes, who is injured. Smith would give the Jets some spark entering the season. Sanchez has also been struggling. Since 2009, he has the worst total QBR, which is 34.7. He had the second most interceptions thrown in the 2012 season with 18. He also was 30th out of 32 in total completion percentage with 54.8%. Last year with West Virginia, Smith had a 71.2 completion percentage, and only threw seven interceptions. But, we still have to keep in mind this was in college, and the Big 12 is not the NFL. But, in a read-option heavy league, Smith fits the part of the Jets starting QB.

Bills- Manuel vs Kolb:

Again, I'm going to chose the more versatile and athletic quarterback in EJ Manuel. Kolb is a pocket passer. Manuel is a pocket passer with the ability to scramble and make plays on his feet. He fits Doug Marrone's offensive system. At Syracuse last year, Marrone ran more than he passed, and tried to give Quarterback Ryan Nassib some running chances. Nassib had 84 rushing attempts for 138 and two touchdowns. Manuel had 103 rushing attempts for 310 yards last year at Florida State. I would bet Marrone tries to utilize all of his weapons to pound some yards out on the ground, then go to the air. I would still choose Manuel over Kolb. Though, if Marrone implemented an air it out system like Bruce Arians has in Arizona, which is Kolbs former team, I would choose Kolb because that's the kind of style he plays in, and because of the experience in that kind of system.   

Jaguars- Henne vs Gabbert

This is a tough one, but I'm going to have to choose Henne. They should have Henne start, but keep Gabbert around if things go bad. These two guys are almost even, but I'm picking Henne because of experience. A struggling team like the Jaguars need a quarterback who has had experience in the league. They can't afford to have a quarterback like Gabbert, who doesn't have alot of experience. Lack of experience can result in turnovers and mistakes. Also, last year, Gabbert only played in 10 games last year, due to a forearm injury. Both Quarterbacks played in 10 games. Gabbert started the first 10 games, then Henne finished the season as the starting QB. They had the same completion percentage, but Henne threw for 400 more yards. So, statistics show that Henne is a more effective QB, and is the better choice for the Jaguars starting QB.

Eagles- Vick vs Foles

This is an easy choice. Vick is the clear choice for starter, because he fits Chip Kelly's offensive system better than Foles. Foles is a pocket passer, while Vick is a pocket passer and scrambler. In Chip Kelly's fast paced, high octance offense, a pocket passer doesn't fit. He likes to run read-options, and Quarterback runs. Last year, Marcus Mariota, the Oregon starting QB for the 2012-2013 season, ran 106 times for 752 yards. Mariota also had 5 TD's. Foles is not a QB that you want running Chip Kelly's offense. Mike Vick is the one you want. He is a successfull runner, and in Andy Reid's offense, his running skills were not used correctlly. Chip Kelly will run Mike Vick, and he will be happy, and so will Eagles fans. If this dynamic duo plays out correctly, then expect the Eagles in the playoffs

-Nick O'Connor

What The Yankees do with A-Rod

     In 2007, the Yankees gave Alex Rodriguez a 10 year, $275 million dollar contract, that would last him until 2017, when he would be 43. Now, since he was suspended until the start of the 2015 season, the Yankees will get around 34 million dollars back if he does not win his appeal, and it doesn't look good that he will. 

    Just say that the Yankees want the hold on to A-Rod, and use him until his contract is up. What they should do is take that $34 million and spend it on a third baseman, and sign someone like Michael Young, Wilson Betemitte or Mark Reynolds to a 1 year contract. Any of those guys who are all in their 30's would sign a one year, seven million contract to play for the Yankees. Their best bet for a player is Michael Young who is 37, and he will definetly be worth a one year, seven to eight million dollar contract. Now they have around 26 million left. They then should go out and grab a new addition to the rotation, and let Phil Huges go. I think they should re-sign Pettite for another year, but not with the A-Rod money. What they should do is try to get a big ace like what they did in '09. They need to take all of the remaining A-Rod money, and some of the other money in the bank, and try to sign Tim Lincecum, James Sheilds or Dan Haren to a 3 year, 30 million contract, and sign Kuroda back. But if they chose to keep Hughes, and sign Kuroda and Pettite back, and want position players, then they need a new shortstop besides Nuñez and Nix. Obviously they sign back Jeter, unless he choses to retire. He has had his injury problems, so the Yankees need a legitament shortstop for the future. I think besides his recent suspension for steroids, I really think they should go for Jhonny Peralta. Peralta is young, and he will know not to do steroids again, because he knows the consequences for multiple steroid use, i.e. Ryan Braun and Alex Rodriguez. The Yankees will then use David Adams and Jayson Nix, or Kevin Youkillis for their third baseman if they don't want to sign Michael Young, Wilson Bettemite or Mark Reynolds.

    A bad choice would be paying the rest of his contract for him to go, because that's practically giving away 114 million. The Yankees need to keep him until 2015, then find a struggling team who is desperate for a short term third baseman and star player that is willing to pay the contract, so that the Yankees will then have some cap space to get a big name player that is young, and talented.

Nick O'Connor

2nd Half American League Predictions

What a great first "half" so to speak we had for MLB. There were great team stories like the Pittsburgh Pirates being the best team in baseball, and also individual stories like Mariano Rivera pulling off a final year for the ages, and Miguel Cabrera on his way to a second consecutive Triple Crown, something that has never been done before.

It comes that time in the season for the sports experts and enthusiasts to predict what they believe to happen in the home stretch of the season. In this article, I will break down each division, and talk about what I expect out of them, and who will make the playoffs. These are my AL Predictions, because the article will be too long with them in here.

AL EAST-

Entering the All-Star Break, the AL East had one team under .500. Ironically, it was the Blue Jays, even after they added all of that talent. So, as usual, the AL East will be a tossup. Who do I think will win it? The Boston Red Sox, with the New York Yankees ever so slightly edging out the Tampa Bay Rays for one of two wild card spots. Why do I think this? Because both of those teams each have one big flaw. For the Yankees, they have been bombarded with injuries, and players returning and getting re-injured. The loss of Texeira deprives the Yankees of a key leader, as well as a clutch bat, something Lyle Overbay can't provide. When Granderson was placed back on the DL, they lost an outfielder with both speed and power, something only a few players can give; none of them on the Yankees. When Jeter was put back on the DL, they lost one of the most clutch hitters in baseball, and one of the best hitters in baseball, as well as their leader and captain. For the Rays, they aren't spectacular away from the Trop. They exited the All-Star break with a 10 game road trip, which couldn't play out worse for the Rays, considering their 21-22 record away from home in the first half of the season. The MLB scheduling committee gave them 53 home games, and 43 road games for the first half. The Red Sox need to take advantage of this, and pull out the AL East Pennant with their outstanding offense, and pray that Bucholz returns soon so they can get a pitching presence back. The Yankees will take the Wild Card because once all of their talent comes back 100% healthy, they will once again be a threat to make a deep run into the playoffs.

AL CENTRAL-

The AL Central pennant race, to me, is one sided. There's a team with two Cy Young Candidates, a monster home run hitter, and a player for the ages who will most likely become the only player to win back-to-back triple crowns in the Tigers. And then there's the Indians. That's it. The Tigers are the new dynasty in baseball. With players like Cabrera, Fielder, Scherzer, and Verlander, there isn't a team in the AL Central that can match up against them, or that can catch them. The Indians had some spark in the beginning of the year, but that spark slowly faded away. Even though they are only 2.5 games back at the moment, you can see their performance dropping after an outstanding first two months where they sat atop the AL Central, and at one point, the entire MLB. The White Sox have potential when Chris Sale is on the mound, but their lack of big name players weighs them down, just like the 2011-2012 Philadelphia 76'ers. The Royals showed great potential with young players like Alex Gordon, Greg Holland and Salvador Perez, but they fell back because of lack of performance by Pitchers James Sheilds, Jermey Guthrie, and Ervin Santana. And then there's the Twins. If they weren't so far behind, and really rode Mauer and Morneau to the finish, and had some strong pitching, they would have a shot at the pennant. All in all, I only see the Tigers emerging into the playoffs, unless the Indians step it up and pass the Rays in the Wild Card running

AL West-

I'm just going to flat out say what I'm thinking, and what most other baseball fans are thinking. For the most part, the AL West has been a disapointment. For example, the Angels with a star stacked lineup with players like Mike Trout, Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton, Jered Weaver, C.J Wilson, Erick Aybar, and Mark Trumbo, are tied for 3rd in the standings with the Mariners with players like Felix Hernandez, Jason Bay, and Raul Ibanez. And not to take anything away from Bay and Ibanez who have had great seasons, but they are aging, and years out of their prime. I was sure with the lineup Mike Scioscia would be sending out on a regular basis would surely take the AL West title, as well as the AL Pennant, and probably the World Series. But no, the Angels have had their struggles. Since Pujols has joined the Angels, his batting average dropped from consistent .300's to .250's. He was .285 in 2012, and so far this year, he is batting .249. Not good for this year's playoff run. Hamilton is injured, and Trout has been the only consistent position player for the Angels, and the most consistent player on their roster.  But the real story of the AL West is the Oakland Athletics, who sit utop the AL West by 3 games. Why? Great all-around play by all players. Josh Donaldson leads the A's in every single offensive statistic, which sets a precedent for everyone to do better. Jed Lowrie and Coco Crisp are both having career years after a few years in the league, and young guys like Yoenis Cespedes, Nate Freiman, and John Jaso really playing well and providing key offense for their team. Then on the mound, Bartolo Colon is having a career for the ages(due to steroids but a career year none the less.) He provides a veteran presence to a young rotation. And Grant Balfour is playing great with 26 saves, in the top 7 for saves in the MLB, and top 5 in the AL for saves. To be honest, I didn't know who Grant Balfour and Josh Donaldson were before a few weeks ago when I was watching one of the A's games, and I saw these kids are legit. Trust me. The A's are here to stay. I think that the Rangers will end up snagging the second wild card spot. With Darvish coming off the DL as strong as ever, and players like Kinsler, Cruz, and Beltre, they will stick around long enough to grab the second spot.

Playoff Predictions

AL East Winner- Boston Red Sox(Second Seed)

AL Central Winner- Detroit Tigers(Top Seed)

AL West- Oakland Athletics(Third Seed)

Wild Card 1- Tampa Bay Rays

Wild Card 2- Texas Rangers

Tampa Bay over Texas in Wildcard 

ALDS-

Tigers over Rays in 5 games

Red Sox over A's in 7 games

ALCS-

Tigers ober Red Sox in 6 games

Alex Rodriguez and the Biogenesis Repory

Originally posted on SBCHive

It should be clear to everyone that Alex Rodriguez should not be allowed back on a MLB field for the rest of his life. He has denied PED and HGH use twice, while lying about the first time. He told the media it was "before he got good." He admitted to taking steroids during a three year period, while being supplied by Anthony Bosch, a miami clinic runner who has supplied drugs to around 20 other players in the MLB; most notable, Ryan Braun, but Arod's case is not as worse, considering Arod was never an MLB MVP. But, he did lie twice about taking steroids, and now he is caught. He should not be part of the 500 Home Run Club, or the 600 Home Run Club, and should not be considered one of the greatest Yankees of all time

You know, before the whole scandal on steroids, I considered Arod one of the greatest Yankees of all time. I was pumped when he hit his 500th home run. But, when he hit his 600th, I wasn't that excited because I knew he was a cheater. 

I love what MLB has done with the Biogenesis report. They are seriously cracking down on steroids here, and this should change baseball for the future. By going after the players, they are able to give them appropriate consequences to them, which should stop them from doing it again. In Arod's case, lying about steroids twice is a definite no no. Bud Selig should keep doing what he's doing. TAKE AROD OUT OF BASEBALL. No one even likes him anyway. Why? Because he's a cheater. Bud Selig, if you want people to watch baseball, and to come to your games, and pay money for merchandise and tickets, you need to find all of the steroid users in baseball, and give them the appropriate consequences. I propose a three strikes and your out kind of deal

First offense- 100 game suspension

Second offense- Full season suspension and stripping of all major awards won in the MLB, such as MVP, Silver Slugger, Gold Glove, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, and the Triple Crown for both Batting and Pitching. 

Third Offense- Life ban from the MLB.

Yes, I know this is harsh, but is the only way to stop the illegal use of steroids in the MLB. Take Manny Ramirez for example. He was suspended 50 games for illegal use of steroids. Then 100 for a second offense, because he knew the punishments weren't hard enough. That's why my proposed consequence program is perfect. You mess up 3 times, your out. Just like in the game.

Teen's Eye View on The NBA Finals

So now after two hard fought games, the 2013 NBA Finals is split 1-1, with the series heading to San Antonio for games 3, 4, and 5. Game 2 was no surprise to me. When you look back at The Heat during the Lebron era in the playoffs, you can see if the Heat lose one game, they come back strong in the next game, and usually win big. They beat the Bulls by a large margin in the Eastern Conference Semifinals after losing game one. The Heat played good team basketball yesterday, by summoning every weapon in their arsenal outside of their big 3 to pull out a 19 point victory. Ray Allen had 13 points, scoring more than both Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. Chalmers pulled out 19 points, playing more like he did last finals against the Thunder. Ray Allen scored 13, and Mike Miller as well as Chris Andersen both scored 9. This was a great victory for the Heat, but it won't be easy winning in San Antonio. Here are my keys to victory for both teams.

San Antonio Spurs- Take Lebron out. Lebron is the ignition to the flame that is the Miami Heat offense. When he gets hot, the other role players like Miller, Battier, Allen and Cole shoot 50% from beyond the arc, which generates lots of offense for the Heat. When Lebron is cold, and is being taken out of the game, the bench and role players are shooting 30% from beyond the arc. If Kawhi Leonard can play some shut down defense, and cause Lebron to take some bad shots and pass the ball more than he wants to, then the Spurs can pull out at least two wins at home.

Miami Heat- Take out Tony Parker. Parker is the key to ball movement for the Spurs offense. He is a key distributor, and makes the passes to Duncan and Splitter down low, and kicks it out to Green and Leonard on the perimeter. If you take out the source for all success for the Spurs, you are in good shape. Also, they need to limit the amount of touches Tim Duncan gets. No matter what, Greg Popovich wants the ball inside to "The Big Funamental." In this series, he has had a two rough first quarters of shooting, put they keep giving him the ball, and he will get into the zone. He may be 37, but he still has the ability to drop 20 on you with at least 10 boards. He did it in game one.

As game three approaches, it will be interesting to see how the Heat try to get after the Spurs. To win, both of these teams need to jump on a lead early, as well as rely on their bench players to succeed. That's the Teen's Eye View on the 2013 NBA Finals.

Teen's Eye View on The New York Yankees

So far this MLB Season, I have been fairly impressed with the entire league. From veterans like Mariano Rivera playing like they did when they were in their prime, to young guns like Trout, Harper and Posey who are ready to become the faces of their franchises, this has been a season to love. But to me, the New York Yankees have impressed me the most. The success the Yankees have had with the lineup they have been using came out of no where. The Yankees have been using this lineup for the most part. Brett Gardner CF, Robinson Cano 2B, Vernon Wells LF, Travis Hafner DH, Lyle Overbay 1B, Brennan Boesch or Ichiro Suzuki RF, David Adams 3B, Reid Brignac or Jayson Nix SS, and Austin Romine Catcher. When you break down this lineup, you come up with four players who were on the Yankees roster last year, with only Robinson Cano playing more than 100 games with the Yankees. Three of the players are Rookies, with the rest of the team as once big name players a few years out of their prime. But, the Yankee magic has touched all of them, and the Yankees have managed to win 30 games, and stay close to first in the AL East, arguably one of the toughest divisions to play in with the Red Sox, Blue Jays, Rays, and Orioles. To be honest, as a Yankee fan, I wasn't expecting this kind of season out of this lineup. I was expecting maybe 20 wins, and hoping for the regulars in Jeter, Texeira, Granderson and Rodriguez to heat up fast and bring the Yankees back into the pennant hunt. But it is obvious that this success wouldn't be possible without Robinson Cano, who in my mind, should win MLB MVP for the way he has carried this team. He leads the team in every single offensive statistic there is for this team, and is dancing around the .300 BA with a .292. If the Yankees keep things going the way they are, I easily predict a division title. I also predict the regulars to come back, and put up big numbers, especially Texeira. I just hope the rag tag team doesn't start to run out of gas, and lose the success that that they have created. That's the Teen's Eye View on the Yankees.