NBA

Is Jimmer Fredette the next NBA all-star? The Sacramento Kings took Fredette in the first round with their tenth pick overall in hopes of not only putting fans in the seats, but expanding their team’s talent to another level. After one of the most notable collegiate season, not only in BYU’s history but comparable to all of NCAA ball, Fredette truly made a name for himself as a player and a leader. Some people are already labeling Fredette as a star, comparing him to JJ Barea and JJ Redick. Do his talents really compare to those on a professional level? I think not! How can you compare him to JJ Barea? In my opinion there is no comparison. Fredette’s outstanding basketball play was in the NCAA not the NBA. He was in for a rude awakening at 6’ 2”. Who exactly is he going to guard? The comparison to Redick is not sound either. Redick playing on a struggling Orlando team is no one to be compared with when debating about a stardom level. Redick plays a flex position without a supporting cast a star would need in the first place. Barea is a champion and an outstanding player whose skills have acquired over time still not amounting to but maybe the fourth or at best fifth best player on the Mavericks team. Barea has a lot of skill, one that very, very few players at his height can pull off…Fredette not being one of them. In my opinion, Fredette should fee grateful to have been taken that early in the draft and was probably primarily considered to fill seats in a struggling NBA town, who almost lost their franchise at the end of this last season. 

The NBA draft kicked off last night to what was probably one of the worst drafts in a very long time. However, there were great outlooks for the University of Texas having had three former members taken in the first round, Tristan Thompson, the power forward from Texas having gone in the top five, going to the Cleveland Cavaliers who also had the overall number one pick. Kyle Irving, point guard from Duke, will hopefully provide the longing stardom left behind by LeBron James to the Cavs. The Timberwolves selected Derrick Williams, a power forward from Arizona, as the number two pick to add on big man play with Kevin Love. The Lakers first pick was Darius Mooris, point guard from Michigan, who might not have an immediate impact in the game, but should learn plenty backing up Derek Fisher. With Mike Brown being new head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, hopefully the exit of Phil Jackson will make its place in the history books for past championship and ones soon to come. Either way, we are looking at a new Lakers team with familiar faces in the upcoming season. 

MARK CUBAN AND BASEBALL?!

Should Mark Cuban own a major league baseball team? Some say the time is now, while managers across the league, as well as league executives, feel it is not such a good idea.

In my opinion, give the man a team. Mark Cuban is exactly what the sport of Major League Baseball needs. Look at how Cuban has changed the face of the Dallas Mavericks. Why should that stop at basketball?  Before Cuban, the Mavericks were the New Jersey Nets of today. When Cuban came into play, Dallas had the luxuries and benefits that the Los Angeles Lakers did. Every team member was treated like a king, and every fan could be proud of his or her team. It took a number of years, but look where they are now… the current champions of the NBA. 

     If he wasn’t revamping the locker rooms to have personal lockers for every player, then he was on the floor screaming at the referees and making his face known across the nation. Even if you have never been to Dallas or didn’t like the team, you knew of Mark Cuban. This is what Major League Baseball need. Teams like the Houston Astros, Toronto Blue Jays and New York Mets, to name a few, could really use a manager with motive, enthusiasm, and life to give the team a memorable physical appearance and face behind the scenes. Wait a minute; the Houston Astros just did that! Recently the Astros were bought by Jim Crane who has a lot of work to do, but Crane is no Cuban.

 So who to buy? The Los Angeles Dodgers sure seem like a good fit. Frank McCourt left one hell of a mess to clean up in Los Angeles. Cuban was apparently tired of “chasing” baseball teams in search of new ownership. But recently, talks of new Dodgers ownership have sparked everyone’s interest, and what could be better for baseball than Cuban’s highly energetic and over-excited personality?

PHILLIES

The Phillies bullpen is riding one hell of a roller coaster. Within the past three days, starting pitcher Cliff Lee threw his second complete game shutout of this 2011 season, both being back to back. It is the first time Cliff Lee has accomplished such a feat. Immediately following Lee's stunning performance, starting pitcher Roy Oswalt suffered a back injury that may have a severe impact on his season. Roy-O has been placed on the fifteen-day DL list and is awaiting results from his back exams. 

Are the Phillies in that much trouble? Most would think not behind Cliff Lee’s red-hot arm, Cole Hamel’s newly introduced cutter, and Roy Halladay’s reliability (being the leader for the most complete game shutouts over the past four years (10!). 

THE BEGINNING OF OFF-SEASON MOVES

 

The Philly Flyers are making some big waves within the National Hockey League. They have recently signed former Phoenix Coyote goalie Ilya Bryzgalov to a $51 million deal over the course of the next nine years. He now ranks among the top ten highest paid in the NHL. Their previous four seasons have recorded great point standings within the league, all 88 and over. Not only does it feel like there is a rise in the overall strength of the Flyers, but also they are making moves to secure a dynasty-esque team already, since their major problem in the last few playoffs has been goalie reliability.

Speaking of new deals, Devin Setoguchi signed a three-year, $9 million extension with the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks have certainly found a way to make ends meet when it comes to re-signing key players. Setoguchi says he was excited to sign the contract extension saying, “All the way from players to management, it has been one of the best situations I could have come in to. San Jose is such a great place to play. The organization is great and the team is top-notch. All the way through, it’s the best place to play in the NHL. I couldn’t be happier.”

        Including renegotiation deals within the past year, the Sharks have now locked in Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski, and Devin Setoguchi for the next three years. With help from their young players like Logan Couture and Jason Demers, the Sharks veteran players will have an elite squad to contend with in the Pacific. They will continue to be a team that grows and amazes NHL fans, and a threat to other NHL teams. 

WINNIPEG JETS? I THINK SO.

Sources reveal that the new Atlanta Thrashers who recently moved to Winnipeg will be names the Jets after their original hockey team. The official announcement is supposed to be Friday night in St. Paul, Minnesota during the NHL draft. Apparently the desire to be renamed the Jets was an overwhelming consensus from the Winnipeg fans. 

It will be interesting to find out the decision as for the logo and the team colors. Will they be original? Will they start from fresh with a new color scheme? I don't know but I am excited to find out. 

Recap of NHL Awards

Game 7 most watched in long time : Interesting article to read.


After watching the NHL awards last night I am happy to report that I am no longer upset about the Canucks loss. I can now say that I really do like Tim Thomas and he deserved his second Vezina Trophy that he received last night. What an amazing goalie, player, all around person. He has overcome so much in the last year with his surgery and he is someone to be praised and brought into the spotlight.


ESPN reported that, "Tim Thomas is the first goalie to win the Stanley Cup, Conn Smythe and Vezina trophies in the same season since Bernie Parent (of the Philly Flyers) did it in 1974 and 1975." That is something to be proud of for the rest of your life Tim Thomas. Hats off to you, and glasses raised.


For the Hart Memorial Trophy, it was a close call, but unfortunately my one and only Daniel Sedin lost by only a hair. The final vote count was 1,043 to 960 in favor of Anaheim Duck's forward Corey Perry. I applaud him for this, but it would have been a great story to tell if D. Sedin had gotten it after trying to top his twin's goal-scoring record last year. He was, after all, the one of the top scorers in the regular season, and got the Art Ross Trophy for his regular season scoring. As for Perry though, ESPN reported that he "also won the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the league's top scorer with 50 goals, was on fire down the stretch, scoring 19 goals in his last 16 games to carry the Ducks into the playoffs."


The Frank J. Selke Award went to Ryan Kesler of the Vancouver Canucks! Excuse me while I just take a minute to think back on this season and all of the Kesler highlights. He is a giant in the hockey world, a modest, fast-paced, never-give-in giant. At the awards ceremony, Kesler said, "I can't really put it into words. To win when you are going up against two of the top forwards in the league, it's pretty special." This is why we all love you Kesler... modest and clueless. You are amazing and you have the hardware to prove it finally. You don't need a Stanley Cup for that, not yest at least, it will come soon enough.


In the end, it was a great night for everyone, even the Cup runners-up. The Canucks: Mike Gillis was named GM of the year, Robert Luongo and Cory Schneider bot received the William M. Jennings Trophy for lowest goals-against average during regular season, and Danial Sedin with his Art Ross Trophy = GREAT TEAM and my FOREVER FAVORITE!

Carolina Hurricanes' Jeff Skinner (youngest player in NHL) beat San Jose's Logan Couture for the Calder Memorial Trophy.











Last but not at all least, one I cannot put into my own words.

Quoted from ESPN's Scott Burnside
A little inspiration

It's hard to find a more inspirational figure than Philadelphia Flyer Ian Laperriere, whose career was likely cut short after he blocked a shot with his face against New Jersey in the 2010 playoffs. He returned later that postseason but suffered post-concussion syndrome in the offseason and did not play at all in 2010-11.

Still, he was still honored with the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. Laperriere still holds out hope he can return to action but said he would like to stay involved in the game in some fashion if he can't play.

"Hockey is my life. That's all I know," Laperriere said. "I found something 32 years ago. I'm not going to give it up that easily."

Today's Update!

The Boston Red Sox are Red Hot as they close in on their 16th win in their last 18 games. The have 21 wins in their last 29 games with an overall team ERA of .304! Leading the way is David Ortiz who is hitting .356 with 9 homers in the last 30 days. Boston is currently 44-28 putting atop the AL East, making the miserable start to the season sure seem like a thing of the past.

Albert Pujols was injured in the Cardinals game against the Kansas City Royals on Sunday. Pujols is expected to miss 4 to 6 weeks with a fractured forearm. It happened as runner  was running to first base and Pujols' arm crossed his path, throwing his wrist unnaturally backward. John Mozeliak, Sr. Vice-President and General Manager for the St. Louis Cardinals, seems to think this is an unforunate incident and acknowleged "that you can't replace a player of his magnitude."Or can you?? Does the name Lance Berkman ring a bell? A 5-million dollar option that just happens to be a first-baseman with 5-time MVP Candidacy in the past ten years… The question isn't 'Are the Cards in trouble?' but instead, 'Will Pujols really be back in 4 to 6 weeks??'

It was an unfortunate afternoon in Omaha for Texas fans on Monday. The Longhorns suffered a slow shut-out to be eliminated from the College World Series. Only games away from the championship, the North Carolina Tar Heels won the elimination game, led by 19 year-old Emanuel to a 3-0 victory. The Tar Heels await the winner of the Florida vs. Vanderbilt game, postponed due to rain, while the Longhorns are the first to head home. 

I really liked this...

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Video-Vancouver-riot-kissing-couple-tells-their?urn=nhl-wp7563

Recovering

Yesterday was bad for me. I don't have cable in my apartment, tried to listen to the game online but my internet wasn't working. Then I went to Cain and Abel's and the guy working the remote control couldn't find the local station. (Not that hard to do.) So, I watched the score keep going up through my NHL application on my phone. It wasn't fun. Needless to say, I am SO ready for game 7! Plus, I will actually get to watch it tomorrow!

While I may be unbearably stressed about tomorrow's Stanley Cup game 7 between the Vancouver Canucks and the Boston Bruins, I am way more excited than anything else. How many times can I say I have watch a game 7 in the finals? None so far. How many times can I say I have watch MY team in the finals? None before this year. It is exciting! I am pumped and ready to go with my XXL jersey. Bruins here we come!..... We just wanted to make it more interesting for the world.