Stat of the Day

Colts TE's Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen are the first tight end teammates to have 8+ TD's in the same season. 

Top Ten First Baseman Right Now

Some people think that first baseman are players that cannot field the ball and just hit for power. This is too stereotypical. Nowadays, first base is a very diverse position. If it is so diverse, how can we rate it? This is my opinion. All stats are compiled from Baseball Reference .com.


Just Missed:

Eric Hosmer - Kansas City Royals - 25 year old, Eric Hosmer, led his team to the World Series last year. Unfortunately, he missed the list because he did not have the best regular season hitting .270 with only nine home runs. However, in the postseason he hit .351 with 12 runs batted in. This may translate into the 2015 season.



Steve Pearce - Baltimore Orioles - Steve Pearce had a breakout season in 2014. The 31 year old had never played more than 70 games in a season  and suddenly, due to injuries, played 102 this year. Also, he had 21 home runs in only 338 at bats. If you apply that to the 633 at bats Albert Pujols had he would have had 34. That would place him tied for 8th in the home run leaders for 2014 with Edwin Encarnacion.




List:


10: Matt Adams - St. Louis Cardinals - Only going into his fourth season in 2015, Adams has developed a name for himself in the MLB. In 2013 and 2014, his only two full seasons, hit over .280. This is respectable for a first baseman. Also, he hit a key home run in the NLDS, versus the Dodgers, to put the Cardinals into the NLCS.



9: Edwin Encarnacion - Toronto Blue Jays - Year after year Edwin Encarnacion is on the top of the home run list. In the past three seasons, he has hit more than 30 home runs. Also, all of the past three years he has hit more than 120 hits and a OPS above .900. This makes him in the top ten.

8: Albert Pujols - Los Angeles Angels - Five years ago, Albert Pujols was considered the best player in the game of baseball. He still has some power, at age 34, hitting 28 home runs in 2014. The reason he ranks so low is because he led the league in grounding into double plays (GIDP or GDP), with 28. The next closest is Matt Dominguez of the Houston Astros with 23. Still, over his career he averages a .317 batting average. Even with that, the baseball world does not know if he can bring the flare that we remember.


7: Justin Morneau - Colorado Rockies - The only reason why Justin Morneau is this high (and on this list) is because he won the NL Batting Title this year. In 2014, he batted .319. Weirdly, he hit .321 in 2006, his MVP year with the Minnesota Twins, and came in 7th in the batting title race. This is just another example of how the American League is more offensive based than the National League.


6: Freddie Freeman - Atlanta Braves - Freddie Freeman is a very consistent player. He has played more than 145 games the past four years. Also, he has made the NL All-star Team in 2013 and 2014. Right now, he is only 25 and you can be sure to expect more from him in the years coming.


5: Adrian Gonzalez - Los Angeles Dodgers - Adrian Gonzalez is certainly living up to his #1 overall pick expectations. This year he led the NL in batting average driving in 116 runs. Also, he came in 7th in the NL MVP race this year. Just to add to that, he won the NL Silver Slugger and Gold Glove Awards for the NL.


4: Anthony Rizzo - Chicago Cubs - Only twenty-five, Anthony Rizzo has accomplished many feats. He hit 32 home runs this year placing him second in the NL behind Giancarlo Stanton. Also, he came in third in NL with a On-Base plus Slugging Percentage of .913. Also, in the statistic offensive winning percentage, (according to Baseball Reference .com : The percentage of games a team with nine of this player batting would win. Assumes average pitching and defense.

Minimum of 1000 IP, 3000 PA, 500 games (fielding, 500 IP for Ps), 200 stolen base attempts (catchers) or 80 stolen base attempts (baserunners only since 1951) or 100 decisions for career and active leaderboards for rate statistics.) he would in third again with a .749 winning percentage. That puts him at number four.

3: Paul Goldschmidt - Arizona Diamondbacks - This year, Goldschmidt was out with injury forcing him to only play 109 games. Still, he hit .300 and was an All-Star. In 2013, Goldschmidt played the whole season and finished with 36 home runs and 125 RBIs. Those led the NL in their categories. Also, Goldschmidt that year won the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger for the NL. Hopefully, he will stay healthy in 2015.


2: Jose Abreu: Chicago White Sox - After escaping Cuba in 2014, Jose Abreu took the baseball world by storm this year. He hit .317, had 36 home runs, and 107 RBIs. He also won the Rookie of the Year Award for the AL, the first baseman Silver Slugger, and was an All-Star. That was all just in his rookie season. What is next from him?


1: Miguel Cabrera - Detroit Tigers - Miguel Cabrera could very well be the best player in baseball over the last decade. Every year that he has player over 100 games he has hit over 25 home runs and over. Nine of those eleven season he hit 30 home runs and over. Also, all of his seasons, except for his rookie year, he has hit over .290. Also, he won the Triple Crown of hitting (leading in average, home runs, and RBIs in your league, NL or AL) in 2012. He was the first to do so since Carl (Yaz) Yastrzemski in 1967. That places him as the #1 first baseman right now.

Fantasy Football 2015 Season

I was the LM of an ESPN Fantasy Football League this season. The league was very unrealistic with many teams starting backup QB's. I would like my fantasy football league to be more like real NFL football rosters. I think I have an idea of how I want the starting lineups to work but I am still unsure about the bench and scoring, I am open to all ideas as wild and crazy as they might be.

Here is the link to the league

http://games.espn.go.com/ffl/leagueoffice?leagueId=679241&seasonId=2014

Stat of the Day

Everyone of the Top 5 AL Rookie of The Year finishers was older than Mike Trout and Giancarlo Stanton.

NFL Playoff Predictions

The NFL Playoffs are upon us and these are my predictions on how it will play out.

AFC

Wild Card Weekend

4 Colts vs 5 Bengals

Colts 34-Bengals 10

Andy Dalton has made the playoffs 4 times and has not won a playoff game, I expect this to continue against the Colts as it looks like the Bengals best receiver AJ Green will miss the game as he suffered a concussion against the Steelers. When the Colts played the Bengals in the regular season, AJ Green did not play and the Colts won 27-0.

3 Steelers vs 6 Ravens

Steelers 34-Ravens 17

These teams were 1-1 against each other in the regular season, and the home team won each time by 20. The Steelers have played very well at Pittsburgh this year, and I don't see that to change against the Ravens even with Le'Veon Bell not being at 100%.

Divisional Round

1 Patriots vs 4 Colts

Patriots 42-Colts 27

As a Colts fan I have to admit that we aren't going to win if we face the Patriots in Foxborough. They have an elite secondary and their pass rushers are good enough to stop our lack of rushing game. The Patriots only weakness is their offensive line but we do not have the star pass rusher to get to Brady. The Colts have been horrible against tight ends this year and Gronkowski is one of the best tight ends in the league so we will be crushed by him. Also the Patriots have 3 good running backs in Gray, Blount, and Vereen and we have difficulty in stopping big running backs.

2 Broncos vs 3 Steelers

Steelers 36-Broncos 27

Peyton Manning is officially past his prime, defenses have finally figured him out. The Broncos made some good moves for their defense in the offseason, but their defense has not panned out and against the Steelers that will not work especially because they have one of the best QB-RB-WR combinations in the league.

Championship Round

1 Patriots vs 3 Steelers

Steelers 27-Patriots 24

The Steelers in my opinion are the only AFC team that can beat the Patriots, the Patriots defensive line is suspect and Le'Veon Bell is only supposed to miss 1 week so he should be healthy by this time. The Steelers defense is better than everyone thought it can be and Amendola, Edelman, and LaFell are not elite receivers so I think the Patriots will finally lose at home.

NFC

Wild Card Round

4 Panthers vs 5 Cardinals

Panthers 27-Cardinals 3

These 2 teams are heading in different directions, Cam Newton has returned healthy and successful from his car accident, and Jonathan Stewart has developed into one of the more reliable running backs in the NFL. Carolina's defense has also been much improved even with the loss of Greg Hardy. The Cardinals however have suffered a lot of injuries to key positions and have Kerwynn Williams and Ryan Lindley in starting roles. As much as I liked Kerwynn Williams for the Colts last season, they have Andrew Luck at QB and Arizona has Ryan Lindley. The Cardinals run defense has also declined heavily over the year.

3 Cowboys vs 6 Lions

Cowboys 36-Lions 27

The Lions have not been playing well the past few weeks and the Cowboys are red hot especially with the best QB-RB-WR combination in the league. Their defense in my opinion is suspect especially since they will probably lose Henry Melton for the playoffs. The Lions offense has not been playing as good as it could be, and their defense is also suspect and they may lose their best defender Ndamukong Suh because of his stomping of Aaron Rodgers.

Division Series

1 Seahawks vs 4 Panthers

Seahawks 10-Panthers 9

The Seahawks and Panthers are both defensive teams but I think the Seahawks will eke out a win due to playing in Seattle and the fact that Seattle's secondary is better than the Panthers wide receivers.

2 Packers vs 3 Cowboys

Packers 32-Cowboys 27

The Packers have been unbeatable at home this year while the Cowboys have been unbeatable on the road. Both offenses have been elite this year while both defenses have had moments of greatness and moments of being underpar. However, I think the Packers defense is better than the Cowboys which is why they will win the game.

Championship Series

1 Seahawks vs 2 Packers

Seahawks 17-Packers 10

The Seahawks have the best secondary in the league, and their pass rushers are pretty good. The reason they win this game is because they are known to have a hard hitting team and Rodgers is a very fragile QB so I think they will knock him out of the game and Matt Flynn will be beatable. The Packers also have not had the best success on the road.

Super Bowl

Seahawks 24-Steelers 17

The Seahawks will win the Superbowl because they have the best defense in the league and defense wins championships. The Steelers offense got them this far but their defense will let them down in the big game.

Stat of the Day

Andrew Luck lead the NFL in TD in the regular season with 40 which was 1 over Peyton Manning. 

Stat of the Day

Adam Vinatieri was 4-12 in field goal kicking his senior year of college at D2 South Dakota State. 

Stat of the Day

Draymond Green and James Harden are tied for the league lead in Defensive Win Shares with 2.0

A Second Base Option For the Yankees

The New York Yankees are going to have a competition at 2nd base during Spring Training between top prospects Rob Resfrynder and Jose Pirela and failed top prospects of organizations that they signed to minor league contracts in Nick Noonan and Cole Figueroa. I think another person should be added to the competition and that person should be Cesar Izturis. Cesar Izturis is a 12 year veteran who has played for multiple teams and is considered a good veteran presence. He took a season off in 2014 after he was cut during Spring Training with the Astros but he is playing in the Venezuelan League to jumpstart his career. He has really been tearing it up in the Venezuelan League and he is a leading candidate for Comeback Player of the Year in the league even with getting hit in the head and missing quite a bit of time. The comeback player of the year last year in the Venezuelan league was Bobby Abreu who was able to parlay his success into a minor league contract with the Mets and received some playing time with the big league club in Septemeber. Cesar would also be a better offensive option than the Yankees current utility player Brendan Ryan while providing the same quality defense. I think Cesar is a good option for the Yankees to at least sign to a minor league contract to see if he still be a major league hitter. 

In Memoriam Video

I was really touched by this video that the blog Bleacher Report created remembering some of the athletes we lost this year. Here is the link http://m.bleacherreport.com/articles/2308342-people-we-lost-in-sports-2014

Stat of the Day

Tom Seaver had the highest percentage of votes to the Baseball Hall of Fame ever with 98.84%

Stat of the Day

The Colts winning streak before the 2006 playoffs when they won the Super Bowl was W1. So they may still have a chance coming into this years playoffs

Colts In the Pro Bowl

Congratulations to Andrew Luck, TY Hilton, Vontae Davis, Pat McAfee, and Adam Vinatieri on being the 5 Colts in the Pro Bowl this year.

Stat of the Day

The Uconn Husky Men's Basketball team is now 3-0 in games in which they have lead at the half

Stat of the Day

The Dodgers have passed the Yankees in owing the most luxury tax as they owe 26.6 million dollars in luxury tax while the Yankees owe 18.3 million dollars

Stat of the Day

In their loss against Dallas on Sunday the Colts had exactly 1 rushing yard.

Stat of the Day

According to Bleacher Report the Colts lead the NFL in field position with an average starting field position of 24.4 

Tony Finau:The Next Great American Golfer?

American golf is in a disarray. European Golf with star Rory McIlroy has largely eclipsed that of America's, along with the lack of leadership on this year's Ryder Cup team, have largely shown that American golf is not on par with what it once was. Tiger and Phil are getting older and their skills are diminishing, so it's time for a new younger generation to take their place. Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler are both very very good players who will lead America for years to come. However, America will need more than that if they want to become elite again. Enter Tony Finau.




Tony Finau is the 1st Golfer of Tongan-American Samoan descent. On one side of his family he is related to Milwaukee Bucks Forward and #2 overall draft pick in 2014 Jabari Parker, and on the other side of his family he is related to Baltimore Ravens defensive lineman Haloti Ngata. In 2009 he competed in the Golf Channel show Big Break Disney with his brother Gipper and they ended up finishing 2nd. He then turned pro and started playing on mini tours such as the Gateway Tour, National Pro Tour, and PGA Tour Canada. In 2013 he finished 3rd in Q School to make the Web.Com tour and he finished 12th in the Web.Com Tour for that same season to earn his PGA tour card for 2014 capped off by his 1st career win at the Stonebrae Classic. During the Fall PGA tour season Finau was lights out he became known as a big hitter on tour routinely hitting 320+drives with ease. In his time on the PGA tour he only missed one cut in the 6 tournaments he played in the late year season with the rest of the cuts made being Top 25's including 2 Top 10's. It remains to be seen whether he can retain this success when the regular season rolls around, but I would not bet against him.

Holiday Songs with Sports

Happy holidays sports fans! This article will change the regular holiday songs into sports related themes.

Have a Holly Jolly Christmas-Have a Johnny Jolly Christmas 

Johnny Jolly-Packers Packers DT-2006-2009, 2013

Feliz Navidad-Luis Avilan

Luis Avilan-Braves RP-2012-Present

O Christmas Tree-Oh David Lee

David Lee-Rockies, Padres, Indians RP-1999-2004

Carol of the Bells-Carol of David Wells

David Wells-SP-Blue Jays, Dodgers, Yankees, Red Sox, Padres, White Sox, Reds, Orioles-1987-2007

Deck The Hall-Deck the Brawl

All the brawls in sports history

I had a Little Dreidel-I had a Little Gable

Dan Gable Gold Medal Wrestler in 1972 Olympics

Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire-Injuries Happening On A Mark Prior

Mark Prior-SP-2002-2006 Cubs

Frosty the Snowman-Frostee Rucker the Foeman

Frostee Rucker-DE-2006-Present, Bengals, Browns, Cardinals (Never on the Colts, always a foe)

Let It Snow-Block Him Joe

Joe Thomas-LT-2007-Present-Browns

Do You Hear What I Hear-Do You Hear Rob Deer Striking Out

Rob Deer-RF-1984-1996-Brewers, Tigers, Giants, Red Sox, Padres

Silent Night-Suarez's Bite

Luis Suarez-ST-2005-Present-Nacional, Groningen, Ajax, Liverpool, Barcelona

The 12 Days of Christmas-The 12 Yards of Trent Richardson

Trent Richardson-RB-2012-Present-Browns, Colts

Top 10 Catchers Right Now

I will be starting a new set of articles with the Top 10 of each position in baseball right now along with doing managers and general managers. I will be taking past performances, age, and durability into the equation but the 2014 season will have the greatest impact on the rankings. This article will be on catchers.

Just Missed

Wilin Rosario-Colorado Rockies

He is one of the better offensive catchers in the game today but unfortunately is not that durable with never having played more than 130 games in a season and is one of the worst fielding catchers in baseball with being one of the more error prone catchers and leading the league in passed balls. 

10. Russell Martin-Toronto Blue Jays-One of the best fielding catchers in the game today who came in 2nd this year with throwing out over 35% of the runners who tried to steal on him. He is known as a high power low average hitter, but he turned that around this past season when he hit .290 with only 11 homeruns, and because of that he was handsomely rewarded by the Toronto Blue Jays this past offseason.

9. Matt Wieters-Orioles- Missed most of last season with Tommy John surgery, is one of the best fielding catchers in the game when healthy was 3rd in the league in fielding percentage in 2013. Another low average high power hitter who has hit 20 homeruns in each of his last 3 full seasons, but only above .250 in one of them.

8. Yan Gomes-Indians-Won the American League Silver Slugger Award for catchers this past season while hitting 21 homeruns and .278. Had the best range factor for catchers this past season but allowed the 4th most stolen bases with 66.

7. Evan Gattis-Braves-Hit over 20 homeruns in his 1st 2 seasons and finished 4th in Range Factor for Catcher. He also can play the outfield when necessary.

6. Brian McCann-Yankees-Is a 7 time all star and has hit 20 homeruns in 8 of the last 9 seasons. His batting average plummeted to .232 this season however. He is a solid fielding catcher and has lead the league in fielding percentage for a catcher in 2 of the past 3 seasons.

5. Devin Mesoraco-Reds-He finally got the chance to get a starting job this year due to Ryan Hanigan's departure, and he ended up getting his first all star appearance and leading the league in homeruns by a catcher even with going on the DL. He was even 4th in the league in at bats per homerun, and was 2nd in the league for fielding percentage by a catcher.

4. Jonathan Lucroy-Brewers-Jonathan Lucroy has always been a solid hitter but in 2014 he put it all together when he hit 13 homeruns and hit .301. He also lead the league and doubles and offensive wins above replacement(WAR). He was an all star for the 1st time in his career and he finished 4th in the NL MVP race. He was also 3rd in the league in fielding percentage.

3. Salvador Perez-Royals-Salvador Perez is emerging as one of the top catchers in the league. He hit 17 homeruns and hit 60 RBI's. He has also been an all-star the past 2 seasons and has won Gold Gloves as well. He was also one of the key players in the Royals postseason run when he hit the walkoff single which sent them into the Division Series. He is also becoming one of the more heralded catchers in handling a pitching staff.

2. Yadier Molina-Cardinals-Yadier Molina had a slightly down season by his standards but that was just because he was injured for a chunk of the season. He still was able to hit 7 homeruns and hit .280 and was able to continue his streak of all star games with 6 and Gold Gloves with 7. He is also the best catcher in the league and handling a pitching staff and one of the best fielding catchers in the league by far.

1. Buster Posey-Giants-Buster is easily the best catcher in the game having lead his team to WS titles in 3 of the past 5 years. After a down season last year he came back hitting 22 homeruns and hitting .311 which was 4th in the league. He also finished 4th in the MVP race and won his 2nd Silver Slugger Award. He also played a 1st base sometimes which may be a position he should be moved to soon to save his legs.

Stat of the Day

The Yankees became the 1st team ever to become outscored consecutive seasons while finishing over .500 in both years. 

Stat of the Day

Vontae Davis has not allowed a TD in each of his 730 snaps this season

Stat of the Day

With one more win, Chuck Pagano can be the 2nd coach ever with 11 wins in his 1st 3 seasons. 

Stat of the Day

Since 1966, the only 2 QB's to lead their teams to 10 wins in each of their 1st 3 seasons are Russell Wilson and Andrew Luck

Stat of the Day

Since 2012 when Andrew Luck became the QB of the Colts, they have a league best 19-4 record in one possession games. 

The MLB Contract Problem

Today Brett Anderson accepted  a 1 year 10 million dollar contract (with up to 4 million in incentives) from the Los Angeles Dodgers. Brett Anderson has had success in his career but the problem is that he has not had more than 30 starts in a season since his rookie season in 2009. This is a problem! Players who are unable to complete a whole season should not be receiving 10+ million dollars a year, they should be receiving 1 year 2 million contracts with 6 or 7 million in incentives. This is not just a problem with Brett Anderson, this has been a problem throughout baseball for the past few seasons. Mediocre players are getting paid like good players, and good players are getting paid like elite players, and the GM's who are making these decisions are getting paid less than the mediocre players are. I understand the argument of that anybody could technically be a GM but it takes a special skill to throw or hit a 95 mph fastball. However I do think that the upper level GM's should be getting paid upwards of 9 or 10 million because their decisions affect the entire baseball team.

Stat of the Day

In the 1st 3 seasons of his career, Andrew Luck is 3 for 3 in making the playoffs

Indianapolis Colts-2014 AFC South Champions!

With their 17-10 win over the Houston Texans the Indianapolis Colts are AFC South Champions again and will host a home playoff game. 

Stat of the Day

Today Reggie Wayne will play his 209th career game which will be a Colts record for most games played as he passes Peyton Manning

Trade Ideas for the Colorado Rockies

According to Bleacher Report, the Rockies are last in the MLB power rankings. Here's 3 trade ideas that can shake things up. 

Rockies Trade

Justin Morneau 1B Sign and Trade

Brandon Barnes OF

Mariners Trade 

Hisashi Iwakuma P

This is a fair trade for both teams. The Rockies have been drawing interest in Justin Morneau and the Mariners need a first baseman. Also the Mariners need a outfielder and Brandon Barnes is a very good one. For the Rockies this is good because the are always in need of pitching. This could really happen.

Rockies Trade

Wilin Rosario C

Drew Stubbs OF

Padres Trade

Odrisamer Despaigne P

Tommy Medica 1B 

After the Rockies trade Justin Morneau, they are going to need a first baseman. Tommy Medica is an okay replacement. On the other hand, the Padres need a catcher after just recently trading Yasmani Grandal. Again, the Rockies need pitching and Despaigne would help them.

Rockies Trade 

Troy Tulowitzki SS

Carlos Gonzalez OF

Kyle Parker OF

Christian Friedrich P

Yankees Trade

Didi Gregorius SS

Michael Pineda P

Luis Severino P

Mason Williams OF

José Pirela 2B

Manny Banuelos P

Chris Young OF

Cash Considerations

Player to Be Named Later

As you probably heard already, Derek Jeter had retired. The Yankees acquired Didi Gregorius from the Diamondbacks but nobody knows if he is a good replacement. Troy Tulowitzki has already proven himself and could be a great replacement. Secondly, Carlos Gonzalez is a great fit for the Yankees. He could hit for power and make plays in the outfield. Kyle Parker is a prospect outfielder and Wilton Lopez is a reliable relief pitcher. On the other hand, the Rockies are receiving many great players in return. Pineda, Severino, and Banuelos are great young pitchers and Gregorius and Pirela have potential. Chris Young has experience and Mason Williams is almost ready for the Majors. I believe this trade should be immediately done.

Stat of the Day

Former Colt Kerwynn Williams rushed for 100 yards last week. No Colts player has rushed for 100 yards this season. 

Stat of the Day

In his career when Cesar Izturis hits a line drive, he has a .688 batting average. 

A Tournament Idea For Baseball

Major League Baseball used to be the most popular sport in America but with the rise of basketball and football it has dropped to a distant 3rd. The reason people dislike baseball so much is because they say that the games are too long and the season is too long which are valid points but ones I disagree with wholeheartedly. I think what baseball needs to do is institute a tournament that is kind of like the FA cup of English soccer and the NCAA tournament of college basketball. What I am proposing is a large NCAA style tournament single elimination style(Yes I love these kinds of tournaments), and like the FA cup there would be teams from all over America and a little bit of Canada in it. There would be minor league teams, major league teams, independent league teams, college teams, semi pro teams, high school teams, from all over the country in one tournament. This tournament would be be beneficial because baseball has the most parity of any sport so there could be a lot of upsets and could eventually be expanded to all over the world. I think this tournament would really benefit the game in whole and should really be considered by Rob Manfred.

Stat of the Day

With 294 passing yards on Sunday against the Browns, Andrew Luck passed Peyton Manning for most passing yards through the 1st 3 seasons. Andrew Luck already has 12,501 passing yards which is already 214 above Manning's record with 3 games left to play

Why the FIFA World Cup Should Change and What it Should be Changed to

One of the best times of year to be a sports fan is during March Madness, when the college basketball world is ablaze with upsets and heroes being made, and each team legitimately has a chance against one another because it is just for one game, and major colleges can be upset by ones nobody has heard about before (Dunk City anyone). I think this same drama should be added to the FIFA World Cup but on a much grander scale since it only does come around every 4 years. I think the tournament should be a bracketed with a single elimination tournament like what the NCAA has. This would get rid of the need for draws, and make the drama higher in extra time and in penalty kicks. Also, it would be beneficial if the field was expanded to 128 teams. that way fans can still see their favorite players even if they were not on a good team such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic of Sweden and Gareth Bale of Wales. It would also make it so only the absolute worst teams wouldn't make it and there would be the possibility of crazy upsets which could shake up the entire World Cup. This is a tournament that only comes about every 4 years and I think that if we make it how I think it should be it would make it even bigger than it has already gotten.

Stat of the Day

Since 2008 teams who have scored 2 defensive TD's in a game are 48-2. Both those losses are by the Browns (2011 Week 15, and Sunday)

Top 10 Cinderella Teams of all time (Part 2)

This is part 2 of the Top Cinderella Teams of all time ranking teams (5-1)

5. 2012 Giants

Offensively wise the Giants fit the part of a Cinderella story. They were lead by MVP Buster Posey who had 24 homeruns and 103 RBI's and hit .336, but they had only 2 other players in Melky Cabrera and Pablo Sandoval who hit more than 10 homeruns. To make matters worse Melky Cabrera was suspended for the rest of the season in August because he took PED's. Brian Sabean their GM knew that offense would be an issue so he acquired Hunter Pence and Marco Scutaro which would pay dividends later. Their pitching on the other hand was elite, they were lead by Matt Cain who would pitch a perfect game that was saved in the 8th inning by a miraculous catch by Gregor Blanco. They also had 3 other quality arms in Madison Bumgarner, Ryan Vogelsong, and a nice comeback season by Barry Zito. What made the Giants a Cinderella story was in the postseason, they won their division so they faced the Cincinnati Reds in the Division Series. They lost game's 1 and 2 and were tied 1-1 in extras in game 3. In the top of the tenth Posey and Pence singled and then utility man Joaquin Arias hit a ball to Scott Rolen who bobbled it and Posey scored which proved to be the turning point in the series. The Giants won game 4 thanks to homeruns by Angel Pagan, Gregor Blanco, and Pablo Sandoval, and finished the improbable comeback in game 5 thanks to a 6 run 4th inning. In the ALCS the Cardinals won 3 out of the 1st 4 games to take a 3-1 lead in the series. The Giants won Game 5 thanks to a masterful performance by Barry Zito who was often the punching bag of insults by Giants fans. A funny moment during the broadcast of Game 5 is that when hearing the crowd in San Francisco cheer "Barry, Barry" Joe Buck said "this crowd hasn't said that in a while" in reference to the fact that they used to cheer that for Barry Bonds when he played there, but Tim McCarver misinterpreted it because he forgot about Barry Bonds and he said "What, since the last Barry Manilow concert." The Giants won Game 6 and completed the comeback in Game 7 thanks to Hunter Pence's 2 RBI single which hit his bat twice. This is illegal but it is very difficult for umpires to tell so they often let it slide. The Giants then faced the Tigers in the World Series and in Game 1, Pablo Sandoval tied a series record by hitting 3 homeruns in a Giants win, the Giants shut out the Tigers in Game 2 and 3 and finished the sweep in game 4 thanks to an extra inning go ahead single by Marco Scutaro. 

4. 1914 Boston Braves 

The 1914 Boston Braves were not expected to be contenders. They had finished 5th place the year prior with a 69-82 record and weren't expected to improve much the next season. They spent the first part of the season in 10th place and had a record of 26-40 in early July but from then on they went on a miraculous 70-19 run and they won the National League Pennant by 10 and a half games. They were lead offensively by Joe Connolly who had a team leading 9 homeruns and .306 batting average. Pitching was the real story for this team however as they had 3 aces. Dick Rudolph and his 26-10 record and 2.35 ERA, Bill James and his 26-7 record and 1.90 ERA, and Lefty Tyler and his 16-13 record and his 2.69 ERA. In the World Series they faced Connie Mack's heavily favored Philadelphia Athletics. In Game 1 the Braves won handily by a score of 7-1. They won 1-0 in Game 2 on a 2 out RBI single in the top of the 9th inning by Les Mann. In Game 3 the Braves won in 12 innings on an error by "Bullet" Joe Bush, and they finished the sweep in Game 4. 

3. 2007 Colorado Rockies

The 2007 Colorado Rockies had a very good offense, they were lead by Matt Holliday who was 2nd in the MVP race,  who hit 36 homeruns and 137 RBI's and hit .340, Troy Tulowitzki the rookie shortstop who had 24 homeruns and 99 RBI's, Garrett Atkins and Brad Hawpe combined for 54 homeruns and 227 RBI's, and they had their captain Todd Helton who hit 17 homeruns and hit .320.  On their pitching staff they were lead by Jeff Francis and his 17 win season, however no Rockies starter had an ERA below 4. The Rockies were thought to be out of the race in September, however they won 14 of their last 15 games and their final 11 to force a 1 game playoff with the San Diego Padres. In that playoff the Rockies won a hard fought battle in which Jamey Carroll hit a sac fly in the 12th inning to score Matt Holliday. They then swept the Phillies and the Diamondbacks in the Division Series, and Championship Series. This stretch from the end of September to the Championship Series was nicknamed Rocktober due to the Rockies success in winning important games. Unfortunately, the Rockies were swept by the Red Sox in the World Series which is why they are not higher on the list. 

2. 1969 Mets

The Mets became in expansion team in 1962 and before 1969 they had never finished above .500, not only had they never finished above .500 but they never were above .500 at any point in the season after their 9th game. In 1969 the Mets started out 18-23 but they went 82-39 for the rest of the season, which included 2 streaks of 11 consecutive wins. On offense they were lead by Tommy Agee who hit 26 homeruns and Cleon Jones who hit .340. On the pitching staff they had 3 elite starters who all had ERA's under 3.50 in Gary Gentry, Tom Seaver, and Jerry Koosman. The Mets went 100 and 62 and then swept the Braves in the Championship Series and they faced the heavily favored Baltimore Orioles in the World Series. The Orioles won 109 games and had hitters Frank Robinson, Boog Powell, and Brooks Robinson and star pitchers Jim Palmer, Dave McNally, and Mike Cuellar. The Orioles won Game 1 in extra innings but the Mets miraculously swept the next 4 games to win the series, which is why this Mets team is called "The Miracle Mets". In addition Nolan Ryan was an oft used relief pitcher and occasional spot starter for this team and he won his only World Series with them. 

1. 2011 Cardinals

The 2011 Cardinals are the ultimate Cinderella team because of how they were able to overcome so much adversity. They were lead on offense by Albert Pujols who hit 37 homeruns and Lance Berkman who hit 31 and they were lead on their pitching staff by Chris Carpenter. The Cardinals suffered from many injuries to their core players such as Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina, and David Freese, and lost ace Adam Wainwright to Tommy John Surgery in the middle of Spring Training. At the beginning of August the Cardinals were 2.5 games behind the Brewers in the divisional standings, but by August 24 they were 10 games out of the division and 10.5 games back of the wild card leading Braves. Then in September things started to change, the Cardinals went 18-8 for the month while the Braves went 9-18 and the Cardinals clinched a wild card spot on the final day of the season completing the comeback. The Cardinals played the Phillies in a tight Division Series showdown that went back and forth but the Cardinals ended up winning on a complete game 3 hit shutout by Chris Carpenter over Roy Halladay. The Cardinals then beat the Brewers in 6 games in the Championship Series and had to face the Rangers in the World Series. The Cardinals and Rangers split games 1 and 2 and in Game 3 the Cardinals won on Albert Pujols 3 homeruns. However the Rangers won the next 2 games so they were up 3 games to 2 going into Game 6. In the bottom of the 9th inning in Game 6 with two outs and two strikes on David Freese, he hit a game tying 2 run triple which ended up sending the game into extras. The Rangers scored in the top of the 10th and the Cardinals scored again on Lance Berkman's RBI single after being down to their last strike again. The Cardinals won the game in the bottom of the 11th on David Freese's walkoff homerun, and they won Game 7 to clinch the series. 

Stat of the Day

On Sunday Andrew Luck completed 1000 passes for his career, he tied Marc Bulger for the quickest to do that for the start of their career with 45 games. 

Trade Idea For the Colts

This is an idea for a trade for the Colts that I have come up with that would benefit the Colts and the team they would be trading with. 

Colts Trade

Pep Hamilton Offensive Coordinator

Trent Richardson Running Back

49ers Trade

Jim Harbaugh Head Coach

2016 3rd Round Draft Pick

This trade would benefit both sides because Pep Hamilton could become the 49ers new coach and be a new voice in the locker room which the 49ers desperately need. Also, Frank Gore is getting up there in age so they could use another running back to go with Carlos Hyde, Trent Richardson could benefit from a change of scenery and a better offensive line both of which San Francisco has. For the Colts, Jim Harbaugh has a connection with Andrew Luck as he was Luck's coach at Stanford, I think that him and Rob Chudzinski could be co-offensive coordinators and Harbaugh would give a fiery voice to the team. Also, the Colts would be getting rid of Trent Richardson and it is time they separate. It's obvious that Trent is not a good NFL running back, he cannot run the ball past the 1st hit and he can't block Andrew Luck. I think a 3rd round pick in 2016 is fair value because we are also taking Harbaugh off their hands so they do not have to pay him anymore and he is causing more trouble to the 49ers than Richardson is to us, and we are already giving them a head coach as well. 

Stat of the Day

Andrew Luck has 7 comeback wins over the last 3 seasons (Including Playoffs) which is the most in the NFL

Stat of the Day

The longest punt ever is by Steve O'Neal who once punted 98 yards for the 1969 New York Jets. 

What the Yankees Should do In the Offseason

The Yankees have already made some very smart offseason moves in acquiring Didi Gregorius and signing Andrew Miller, and the resigning of Chris Young and Andrew Bailey should help too, but there are other moves that I think they should make in order to be successful for next season. 

Sign Max Scherzer

This is a very important move because there isn't much the Yankees can do with their offense, they are old and injury prone and the Yankees are probably going to have to piece together a lineup like they've done the past fee seasons. That's why it's important to sign good pitching to keep them in games, Max Scherzer is a true ace and he hasn't thrown as many pitches as other 30 year olds and I think he will be able to lead the rotation for years to come along with Tanaka. Even though he costs a draft pick it will be well worth it in the long run. 

Sign Jon Lester

Jon Lester is a true playoff performer and we all know that pitching wins in the postseason so if the Yankees want to gear up for another long postseason run they need pitching. What is even better about Jon Lester is he does not cost a draft pick so I think it would be a very smart signing for the Yankees.

Sign Kenta Maeda (if he's posted)

The Yankees have had recent success with Masahiro Tanaka and I think it would be very beneficial for them to sign Maeda because of the success he's had against major leaguers in the exhibition game in Japan. Although he isn't as dominating as Tanaka or have his signature pitch it would still be a very smart signing. 

Sign Brandon McCarthy (and Hiroki Kuroda if he decides to pitch in the states)

These pitchers are the main reasons why the Yankees rotation was able to keep the team in the playoff race for so long last year, and the Yankees don't have the best rotation and have a lot of holes so it would be good to sign players like these who have proven track records with the team and won't be that expensive and don't cost a draft pick

Sign Yoan Moncada

Didi Gregorius is the short term replacement for Jeter but Moncada has the potential to be one of the greatest players of all time in my opinion. He is only 19 but has a ton of bat speed. The Yankees have already blown away the international spending limit so they should just spend while they can anyway and who better to spend it on than Moncada. 

Sign David Robertson

If the Yankees really want to have a bullpen like the Royals did last season then they need to resign David Robertson, he is a proven closer and he has shown he is a good replacement for Mariano Rivera. He may be expensive, but in this day and age talent is expensive so the Yankees should pay for a good closer. 

Sign Ichiro Suzuki and Nori Aoki

It is important to have talent from all over the globe to attract fans, but it's also important to have talent. Suzuki is getting close to 3000 hits and he's one of the greatest players ever to play the game, although he's getting older he's still good if the Yankees need someone to play in a pinch. Also, Aoki is very good defensively and gets a lot of singles as well. 

Sign Cesar Izturis

The Yankees need some infield depth and Izturis provides that with his veteran presence and he's one of the best fielding shortstops in history, he should be a better player than Ryan and a good backup to Didi. 

Yankees trade Michael Pineda, Mason Williams, Gary Sanchez, Ian Clarkin, and Manuel Baneulos to the Dodgers for Matt Kemp and Alexander Guerrero

This is a very bold trade by the Yankees but a very necessary one. Matt Kemp provides huge outfield offense and Guerrero is a solid infielder, if they sign everyone I think they should then they can afford to trade Pineda and a few prospects. Everyone thinks that Gary Sanchez will be the Yankees next big catcher but I think JR Murphy is better than him so they can afford to give him away. Manuel Banuelos is also a top prospect but the Yankees have been waiting and waiting and waiting and they can only wait for so long before they realize that Banuelos won't ever be good. 

Stat of the Day

The person who holds the Major League record for most errors in a season is Herman Long who made 122 errors when playing shortstop and second base for the Kansas City Cowboys of the American Association. Fielding was very bad in the early days of baseball, and it was so bad that in 1898 while playing for the Boston Beaneaters Long lead the league in Defensive WAR in a season in which he made 67 errors. 

NFL Pro Bowl Ballot Predictions

The Pro Bowl balloting will be ending in a few weeks and these are who I think deserves to make it the most

QB: 6 QB's make it and the 3 elite mainstays in Aaron Rodgers of the Packers, Tom Brady of the Patriots, and Peyton Manning of the Broncos should all be locks to be in. Andrew Luck of the Colts should also make it as he is definitely the best QB this year. Drew Brees of the Saints should still be considered an elite QB but he has regressed a little but he should still make it. There were many QB's that were considered for the final spot including Matt Ryan of the Falcons, Phillip Rivers of the Chargers, Joe Flacco of the Ravens, Alex Smith of the Chiefs, Russell Wilson of the Seahawks, Colin Kaepernick of the 49ers, Matthew Stafford of the Lions, and Ben Roethlisberger of the Steelers. But I am going to choose Tony Romo of the surprise Cowboys with my 6th QB spot.

RB: 6 RB's make it and DeMarco Murray of the Cowboys, Le'Veon Bell of the Steelers, and Matt Forte of the Bears should all be locks to make it. Marshawn Lynch of the Seahawks should also make it with his solid season, and so should Jamaal Charles of the Chiefs. The final spot came down to Alfred Morris of the Redskins, Lesean McCoy of the Eagles, Andre Ellington of the Cardinals, Eddie Lacy of the Packers, and the person who I am going to go with in Arian Foster of the Texans. (Sorry Trent Richardson)

WR:  8 WR's make it and TY Hilton of the Colts, Antonio Brown of the Steelers, Dez Bryant of the Cowboys, Jordy Nelson of the Packers, and Demaryius Thomas of the Broncos should all be locks to make it. I also think that AJ Green of the Bengals, and Calvin Johnson of the Lions should make it even though they have missed a few games with injuries. The final spot came down to me to Josh Gordon of the Browns, Odell Beckham Jr. of the Giants, Emmanuel Sanders of the Broncos, but I am going to go with Julio Jones of the Falcons.

FB: 2 FB's make it and I think that Marcel Reece of the Raiders should be a lock to make it. The final spot came down to me to John Kuhn of the Packers, Jed Collins of the Lions, Erik Lorig of the Saints, Anthony Sherman of the Chiefs, and the person who I put in, in Kyle Juszczyk of the Ravens

TE: 4 TE's make it and I think that Jimmy Graham of the Saints, Rob Gronkowski of the Patriots, and Julius Thomas of the Broncos should all be locks to make it. The final spot came down to me to Coby Fleener of the Colts, Dwayne Allen of the Colts, Larry Donnell of the Giants, Delanie Walker of the Titans, Jason Witten of the Cowboys, Travis Kelce of the Chiefs, and the person who I think should make it in Greg Olsen of the Panthers.

T: 6 T's make it and I think Joe Thomas of the Browns, Tyron Smith of the Cowboys, Ryan Clady of the Broncos, and Joe Staley of the 49ers should all make it. Russell Okung of the Seahawks should also make it with his solid season. The final spot to me came down to Anthony Castonzo of the Colts, Doug Free of the Cowboys, Sebastian Vollmer of the Patriots, Seantrel Henderson of the Bills, Nate Solder of the Patriots, Louis Vasquez of the Broncos, Will Beatty of the Giants and the person who I thought should make it in Trent Williams of the Redskins.

G: 6 G's make it and I think David DeCastro of the Steelers, Andy Levitre of the Titans, and Marshall Yanda of the Ravens should all definitely make it. Joel Bitonio of the Browns and Manuel Ramirez of the Broncos are also having solid seasons as well. The final spot came down to Trai Turner of the Panthers, Gabe Jackson of the Raiders, and the person who I thought should make it in Larry Warford of the Lions

C: 4 C's make it and I think Nick Mangold of the Jets, Travis Frederick of the Cowboys, and  Stefen Wisniewski of the Raiders should all make it. Kory Lichtensteiger of the Redskins almost made it but I think Jason Kelce of the Eagles should make it.

 DE: 6 DE's make it and I think JJ Watt of the Texans, Chris Clemons of the Jaguars, Cameron Wake of the Dolphins, Mario Williams of the Bills, Robert Quinn of the Rams and Ezekiah Ansah of the Lions should all make if. These guys are all premier players at their positions and are all having solid seasons so they are all no-brainer choices to me. 

DT: 6 DT's make it and I think Jurrell Casey of the Titans, Marcell Dareus of the Bills, Sen'Derrick Marks of the Jaguars, Gerald McCoy of the Buccaneers, and Ndamukong Suh of the Lions should all make it. The final spot came down to Muhammad Wilkerson of the Jets, Cory Liuget of the Chargers, Kyle Williams of the Bills, Dontari Poe of the Chiefs, and the person who got the final spot in Sheldon Richardson of the Jets. 

ILB: 4 ILB's make it and I think Christian Borland of the 49ers, Luke Kuechly of the Panthers, and D'Qwell Jackson of the Colts should make it. The final spot to me came down to  Daryl Smith of the Ravens, Tahir Whitehead of the Lions, Rolando McClain of the Cowboys, and the person who got the spot in CJ Moseley of the Ravens.

OLB: 6 OLB's make it and I think Lavonte David of the Buccaneers, Connor Barwin of the Eagles, Justin Houston of the Chiefs, Von Miller of the Broncos, and Clay Matthews of the Packers. The final spot came down to Jelani Jenkins of the Dolphins, Anthony Barr of the Vikings, Jamie Collins of the Patriots, Trent Cole of the Eagles, Junior Galette of the Saints, Dont'a Hightower of the Patriots, Ryan Kerrigan of the Redskins, Danny Lansanah of the Buccaneers, Paul Kruger of the Browns, Deandre Levy of the Lions, Brandon Marshall of the Broncos, KJ Wright of the Seahawks, Jason Worilds and the Steelers, and the person who got my final spot in Elvis Dumervil of the Ravens. 

CB: 8 CB's make it and I think any of the corners could be considered "the best corner in the game". I think Joe Haden of the Browns, Vontae Davis of the Colts, Chris Harris of the Broncos, Richard Sherman of the Seahawks, Brent Grimes of the Dolphins, Darrelle Revis of the Patriots, and Buster Skrine of the Browns, should all be considered the premier players at their positions. The final spot came down to Jason McCourty of the Titans, Antonio Cromartie of the Cardinals, Kyle Fuller of the Bears, Jonathan Joseph of the Texans, and the final spot in my opinion should go to Perrish Cox of the 49ers.

SS: 2 SS's make it and I think that Kam Chancellor of the Seahawks is the best SS in the game so he should make it. The second spot came down to Mike Adams of the Colts, Antoine Bethea of the 49ers, James Ihedigbo of the Lions, Kemal Ishmael of the Falcons, Antrel Rolle of the Giants, and the person who came in 2nd in Devin McCourty of the Patriots.

FS: 2 FS's make it and I think Charles Woodson of the Raiders is the best FS in the game. The second one came down to Glover Quin of the Lions, Da'Norris Searcy of the Bills, Eric Weddle of the Chargers, Rashad Johnson of the Cardinals, Earl Thomas of the Seahawks and the person who I chose in Harrison Smith of the Vikings. 

K: Adam Vinatieri of the Colts and Stephen Gostkowski of the Patriots are the 2 best kickers is the game without a doubt.

RS: Devin Hester of the Falcons is one of the best return men in history so he is going to make it, and nobody else is doing extremely better than everyone else so I am going to give the 2nd spot to Josh Cribbs who is doing very well in his limited time with the team and would have better statistics if the refs didn't call the Colts for a penalty(which the NFL said was not a penalty)on his punt return touchdown.

P: The 2 best punters in the game are Pat McAfee of the Colts and Tress Way of the Redskins.

ST: The two best special teamers that are on the ballot( there are others who are not on the ballot that I think are more deserving.) are Chris Maragos of the Eagles, and Ricardo Lockette of the Seahawks.

Coaching: There is no votes for coaching on the ballot but the coaches are from the highest seed that is eliminated during the division series. My prediction is that will be the Broncos and Eagles, so the coaches would be John Fox of the Broncos and Chip Kelly of the Eagles.


Recap

QB: Andrew Luck Colts, Peyton Manning Broncos, Tom Brady Patriots, Aaron Rodgers Packers, Drew Brees Saints, Tony Romo Cowboys

RB: DeMarco Murray Cowboys, Le'Veon Bell Steelers, Matt Forte Bears, Marshawn Lynch Seahawks, Jamaal Charles of the Chiefs, Arian Foster of the Texans

WR: TY Hilton Colts, Antonio Brown Steelers, Dez Bryant Cowboys, Jordy Nelson Packers, Demaryius Thomas Broncos, AJ Green Bengals, Calvin Johnson Lions, Julio Jones Falcons

FB; Marcel Reece Raiders, Kyle Juszczyk Ravens

TE: Jimmy Graham Saints, Rob Gronkowski Patriots, Julius Thomas Broncos, Greg Olsen Panthers

T: Joe Thomas Browns, Tyron Smith Cowboys, Ryan Clady Broncos, Russell Okung Seahawks, Joe Staley 49ers, Trent Williams Redskins

G: David DeCastro Steelers, Andy Levitre Titans, Marshall Yanda Ravens, Joel Bitonio Browns, Manuel Ramirez Broncos, Larry Warford Lions

C: Nick Mangold Jets, Travis Frederick Cowboys, Stefen Wisniewski Raiders, Jason Kelce Eagles

DE: JJ Watt Texans, Chris Clemons Jaguars, Cameron Wake Dolphins, Mario Williams Bills, Robert Quinn Rams, Ezekiel Ansah Lions

DT: Jurrell Casey Titans, Marcell Dareus Bills, Sen'Derrick Marks Jaguars, Gerald McCoy Buccaneers, Ndamukong Suh Lions, Sheldon Richardson Jets

ILB: Christian Borland 49ers, Luke Kuechly Panthers, D'Qwell Jackson Colts, CJ Moseley Ravens,

OLB: Lavonte David Buccaneers, Connor Barwin Eagles, Justin Houston Chiefs, Von Miller Broncos, Clay Matthews Packers, Elvis Dumervil Ravens

CB: Joe Haden Browns, Buster Skrine Browns, Vontae Davis Colts, Patrick Peterson Cardinals, Richard Sherman Seahawks, Darrelle Revis Patriots, Perrish Cox 49ers, Chris Harris Broncos, Brent Grimes Dolphins, Perrish Cox 49ers

SS: Kam Chancellor Seahawks, Devin McCourty Patriots

FS: Charles Woodson Raiders, Harrison Smith Vikings

RS: Devin Hester Falcons, Josh Cribbs Colts

K: Adam Vinatieri Colts, Stephen Gostkowski Patriots

P Pat McAfee Colts, Tress Way Redskins

ST: Chris Maragos Eagles, Ricardo Lockette Seahawks

Team by Team Breakdown

Colts 7

Broncos 7

Patriots 6

Cowboys 5

Seahawks 5

Ravens 4

Lions 4

Browns 4

49ers 4

Packers 3

Steelers 3

Raiders 3

Eagles 3

Titans 2

Jets 2

Redskins 2

Buccaneers 2

Jaguars 2

Dolphins 2

Bills 2

Saints 2

Chiefs 2

Texans 2

Falcons 2

Panthers 2

Rams 1

Cardinals 1

Vikings 1

Bengals 1

Bears 1

Stat of the Day

The player with the most Super Bowl rings is Charles Haley with 5. He won 2 as a linebacker for the 49ers in 1988-1989 and 3 as a defensive end for the Cowboys in 1992-1993 and 1995

Colts Awards

I would like to congratulate 2 of the most deserving Colts on the awards they have received.


I would like to congratulate Andrew Luck on receiving the AFC Offensive Player of the Month award for November. He threw for 12 TD's and 2 Interceptions while throwing for 1280 yards and lead the Colts to a 3-1 record for the month. He is also the 1st QB to reach 4000 passing yards this year.                                                                        

The next person I would like to congratulate is D'Qwell Jackson for being the AFC Defensive Player of the week. He had 12 tackles, 7 of which were solo, 2 tackles for a loss, one pass defense and a fumble recovery which he returned 35 yards for his 2nd career touchdown.

Stat of the Day

Trent Richardson has rushed 135 times this year. 86 of those rushes (63.4%) have been for 3 yards or fewer. 24 rushes (17.7%) have been for 0 yards or a loss

Interesting Fact of the Day

In games in which Cesar Izturis's team has won he has hit .293 in games in which his team has lost he has hit .214

Interesting Fact of the Day

There will be a new segment on my blog in which an interesting sports fact will be presented each day.

Today's interesting fact is that Andrew Luck has a career QB rating of 137.5 on 4th down's.

The Trent Richardson Problem

When the Colts traded for Trent Richardson I don't think they expected a year after acquiring him that he would run for 12 yards on 8 carries and he would be overshadowed by Dan "Boom" Herron. The Colts coaching staff still thinks that Trent Richardson is the answer at running back and their "Rolling Ball of Butcher Knives and they still keep going back to him even after his poor performances and not Herron who has clearly shown he is the better rusher. This is very similar to last season when Richardson got the majority of carries over Donald Brown when Brown had one of the best yards per carry in the league. I think it's time for the Colts to finally give up on Trent Richardson and sit him on the bench for the rest of the season or give him the Darrius Heyward-Bey treatment and have him just play special teams so Zurlon Tipton can be the backup. Then after the season we should see what we can get for trading him and if we can't get anything then we need to cut him. Herron and Vick Ballard who will hopefully be healthy next season can form a solid RB duo that can take some pressure off Luck.

NFL Team Names

Right now, there is a debate for whether or not the Washington Redskins should keep their team name. Some people say it is discriminatory to Native Americans and some say it is showing the original culture of the United States. But what if every team name was changed?

Arizona Cacti:

This is a pretty cool name. We should replace the pylons at the stadium with cacti. Watch out!

Atlanta Peaches: 

Georgia. The state of peaches. Put the two together and you get this name.

Baltimore Blue Crabs

This name I think sound pretty cool. The last two didn't have much alliteration but this one does. The point of this one is first that the Blue Crab is Maryland's state crustacean but also Baltimore has the best crab cakes. Yum!

Buffalo Blizzards

Just check the latest news from Buffalo on this one. You'll understand.

Carolina Cars

Charlotte, North Carolina, the home of the Panthers, is also home of the Charlotte Motor Speedway. This racetrack holds the Sprint All-Star Race, the Coca-Cola 600, and the Bank of America 500. Thanks NASCAR!

Chicago Breeze

The Windy City. Get the point?

Cincinnati Heroes

Do you know you're ancient Roman mythology? Well, the city of Cincinnati is named after the ancient Roman war hero, Cincinnatus. He was once a Roman dictator, actually. He helped the Romans win many wars and was a great leader. This team has history behind it.

Cleveland Rockers

On September 1st, 1995, the Rock and Roll Hall of  Fame was opened in Cleveland. This team will not have trouble finding people to perform during halftime. Get your guitars ready!

Dallas Conveniences

Have you ever heard of 7-Eleven? Well of you have not, it is one of the most successful convenience store chains. It was founded in Dallas, too. Pretty convenient.

Denver Peaks

The Rocky Mountains and the Mile High Stadium, it is hard to resist this name.

Detroit Invincible

This must be a hard team to beat. The reason for this is from the creation of the bulletproof vest. It was created by Richard Davis, a pizza delivery man in Detroit, was delivering pizzas and three armed robbers attacked him . He luckily was okay and the idea of "invincibility" was created.

Green Bay Cheese-heads

If you have every been to or have seen a Packers game, almost all of the fans wear cheese-heads. Also, the nickname of the Packers are the Cheese-heads. Sometimes nicknames are supposed to be real names in the first place.

Houston Meteors

If you haven't noticed before, every sports team in Houston, except for the Texans, are named after something to with space or NASA. The reason is because the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center is located in Houston. For example, the Rockets, Astros, and the now nonexistent WNBA team the Comets.  It's time to change that.

Indianapolis Clowns

You are probably confused over this team name. If you known baseball history, you may understand it. The Indianapolis Clowns, a Negro League baseball team, were in existence from 1935 to 1989. One interesting fact is that Satchel Paige was once on them. He could have been the best pitcher all time if there was no segregation. Personally, I don't think the Colts team name needs to be changed, but this will do.

Jacksonville Filmers

Personally, I like the Jaguars current name but that is not the point of this article. They are now the Filmers because from the 1910's to the 1930's Jacksonville was the Hollywood before Hollywood. Who knew!?

Kansas City Barbecue

Kansas City is very famous for its barbecue and because of this it is the barbecue capital of the world with of its dozens of restaurants containing the condiment.

Miami Scuba

Miami was a popular place for pirates such as Blackbeard to bury their treasure and many caches of gold have been found on and off the island. In addition Miami Beach is known as the wreck diving capital of the world and many scuba divers like to discover the wrecks and claim what they find.

Minnesota Money

Minnesota is home to nineteen Fortune 500 companies which is the most in any state, and 15 of those are in the Minneapolis-St. Paul region which is where the Vikings are. Some of these companies are the United Health Group, Target and Best Buy. Also, the largest mall in America called The Mall of America is in Minneapolis and is 9.5 million square feet.

New England Industry

During the Revolutionary War cannons and cannonballs were manufactured in Foxborough. Today the modern industry consists of precision instruments.

New Orleans Water

The official elevation of New Orleans is 2 feet below sea level which makes it very susceptible to flooding. Also, the Superdome where the Saints play is so large that the condensation can create rainstorms within the dome.

New York Broadcasters

This will replace the Jets. East Rutherford, New Jersey is the home of Dick Vitale, a famous broadcaster. He will probably broadcast the games.


New York Crosswords 

This is the replacement of the Giants. Henry Hook, the creator of the crossword, was born in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in 1955. Free giveaway crosswords at games are coming soon.

Oakland Ports

The Port of Oakland is one of the 5 largest container ports in North America, and it is one of the Top 20 worldwide, it controls over 19 miles of shoreline and it owns the Oakland International Airport.

Philadelphia History 

Philadelphia is home to Independence Hall which is where the Constitution, and Declaration of Independence were both signed and adopted. It is also home to the first newspaper and stock exchange. It was home to the United States Congress for a few years and it was where George Washington served as President from 1790-1797. It is also home to the Liberty Bell which is an icon of American history.

Pittsburgh Bridges

Pittsburgh contains more than 445 bridges which is more than Venice and many of them cross the Ohio, Allegheny, and Monongahela rivers.

San Diego Farms

San Diego is home to 7,000 farms, the most in any city in the U.S.. Fresh fruits and vegetables for everybody!

San Francisco Candles

After the recent demolition of Candlestick Park, their previous stadium, this is a tribute to it. Maybe this should start a sponsorship with Yankee Candle.

Seattle Supersonics

The Seattle Supersonics were a team in the NBA from 1967 to 2008. Notable players were Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp, Detlef Schrempf, and Kevin Durant. There was recent rumors that the Sacramento Kings were going to move to Seattle and change their name but it did not happen. Would the Seahawks be willing to change their name?

St. Louis Caves

If you don't know, St. Louis is built on top a network of caves that were used for the underground railroad. These helped send slaves to Canada and safety. It would be cool if their stadium was shaped like a cave. St. Louis, please take this into consideration.

Tampa Bay Musicians

Tampa Bay is surprisingly home to many musicians. For example, the Adderley brothers, Aaron Carter, Nick Carter, David Sanborn, Stephen Stills, and Vic Mercer (a.k.a Celph Titled). Cleveland and Tampa Bay now have a rivalry.

Tennessee Wildlife

Nashville, where the Titans are located, contains two of the best zoos in the country. Animal Planet has recognized this. Who knows what the logo will be?

Washington Senators

There have been four now non-existent baseball teams named the Washinton Senators.  The reason is because of the capital. This name should be revived.

Should the Rockies Move From Denver

The Colorado Rockies have been in existence for 21 years, all in Colorado. During that time period they have made the playoffs 3 times and have been to 1 World Series which they lost. In the 1st season, they had 4 million fans come to their stadium, and that number has slowly dwindled down to 2.6 million this past year. The Rockies owner Dick Monfort wrote back a fan who complained about their stadium experience and said "If product and experience that bad, don't come" and also emailed back a fan who criticized the failures of the Rockies manager since they have not had a winning record since 2010 and said "By the way you talk maybe Denver doesn't deserve a franchise, maybe time to find a new home. " I do think the only way the Rockies will be successful is if they move because they will never be able to have good pitching if they stay in Colorado because of such a high altitude. The altitude has always helped their hitting because the ball has gone such a long way and that's shown by the success that the Blake Street Bombers and Todd Helton had, but the humidity also made Garrett Atkins and Brad Hawpe all-stars and those players had very limited success elsewhere. In their history they have only had 2 pitchers(min 100 IP) with ERA's below 4.00 in their career with the Rockies in Ubaldo Jimenez and Jhoulys Chacin. This is a problem that is not going to improve with time as no good ground ball pitchers will want to come to Colorado and the Rockies draft picks will not pan out. Because of this, I think it would be a good idea for the Rockies to move and these cities listed below would be good ideas in my opinion for the Rockies to move to. They would probably have to change their name as well to move to these places because Rockies probably wouldn't geographically make sense.

Las Vegas: Las Vegas is the largest city in the United States without a sports team. They do have the cash to build a stadium however but sports teams are unwilling to move there because of the heavy gambling there and if a major sports team went there then a lot of sports gambling would take place there and the leagues definitely do not want that. However, I think a move would be good for baseball because of the large market that is in Las Vegas.

Louisville: Louisville has a market which is comparable to Nashville and Jacksonville which is good enough to support a baseball team. In addition baseball has a history there with the Louisville Slugger which was the 1st baseball bat manufactured there.

Connecticut: Hartford has a large television market and it has the capital from the major insurance companies to finance a stadium. The citizens of Connecticut were spurned by Bob Kraft when it looked like he would move there but didn't and the Whalers left as well. They support Uconn highly and travel well so I'm sure it would be a good fit for them in baseball too.

Brooklyn: Baseball was very popular in the 1950's when it had 3 New York teams but it has gradually declined since the Dodgers and Giants moved to California, and football and basketball have risen in popularity. Now is a good time to revert back to the glory days and many New Yorkers would welcome another team to Brooklyn

Montreal: Fans of the Expos were very disappointed when they moved and are trying to persuade the Rays owners to move there. The Rays still want to stay in St. Petersburg however so I think it's a strong option for the Rockies should they decide to move

London: It seems like all the leagues want to move to London, and I think it would be a great idea for baseball to expand there because it would introduce a whole new market. 

Tokyo: I think this one would be a very good idea because if MLB had a team in Tokyo they might be able to persuade the Japanese to disband their league and start an international draft which I am strongly in favor of. This would truly globalize the game and make MLB the first global league. 

Cesar Izturis Injury

Cesar Izturis who is my personal favorite baseball player, has recently suffered an injury when he was playing for the Lara Cardinals of the Venezuelan Winter League. He was hit in the face with a pitch and needed 40 sutures and will be out for 7-10 days. He was hitting .340 at the time and had 18 RBI's. He hasn't played in the Venezuelan League for 2 years, so he is a leading candidate for Comeback Player of the Year in the Venezuelan League. Cesar Izturis played in the Major Leagues from 2001-2013 primarily at shortstop while playing for the Blue Jays, Dodgers, Cubs, Pirates, Cardinals, Orioles, Brewers, Nationals, and Reds. He was invited to Spring Training with the Astros in 2014 but just missed making the team. Hopefully his solid Winter League will help him get a job somewhere next Major League season. 

If I Had A Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot

I have always wanted to have a Baseball Hall of Fame ballot so hypothetically speaking if I had a ballot for the 2015 Baseball Hall of Fame Election this is who I would put in. All statistics from baseball reference.com

Golden Era (Veterans Committee) 

Gil Hodges- only person who received more than 50% of the vote at some time during his time on the ballot not in the Hall of Fame, hit 370 homeruns for the Dodger teams of the 50's and manager of the Miracle 69' Mets. He may be a little lacking compared to the more modern day Hall of Fame 1st Basemen but it's time to let him in. 

Jim Kaat- He has 283 wins and a 3.45 ERA, and he won 15 straight gold gloves from 62-77. A pitcher may never reach that high of a win total again so I think we now need to honor those that reached it in the past

Bob Howsam- There are few executives in the Hall of Fame, and I think Bob Howsam deserves to join them. Besides the fact that he founded the AFL and the Denver Broncos, he also was the GM of the Cardinals during the 60's and made some big moves acquiring Orlando Cepeda and Roger Maris. He then left the Cardinals for the Reds and was the GM during the Big Red Machine years from 1967-1977. He hired an unproven manager named Sparky Anderson and turned him into a Hall of Fame one. He developed prospects such as Don Gullett, Bobby Tolan, and Dave Concepcion and executed trades for Joe Morgan and George Foster. 

BBWAA Hall of Fame Ballot

Just Missed

Alan Trammell- shortstop for Detroit Tigers during 80's and 90's and had over 2300 hits, almost 200 homeruns and had over 1000 RBI's with a batting average of .285. He was also an elite fielder as well, in this election with a lot of good candidates he does not make it although he should be a surefire candidate for next year as it is his final year.

Carlos Delgado- one of the best power hitters of all time and hit 473 career homeruns, has the 23rd best at bats per homerun rate of all time. He was only a 2 time all star however and there are some steroid suspicions about him due to the abrupt end of his career which is why he won't make it in this election

Barry Bonds+Roger Clemens- Bonds is the has the most homeruns of all time with 762 and Clemens has 354 career wins, those statistics alone should get them into the Hall of Fame but with the steroid controversies surrounding them I don't know if they will ever get in but I know I would not put them in this year.

Mark McGwire- hit 573 homeruns but publicly admitted to taking steroids which keeps him out in my opinion for this year.

Mike Piazza- former 62nd round pick who was only drafted because he was Tommy Lasorda's nephew and became the best hitting catcher of all time with 427 homeruns and a .308 career batting average, won 10 straight gold gloves from 1992-2002. There are many steroid allegations against him which keep him out another year on my ballot.


Official Hall of Fame Ballot

Jeff Bagwell-1st Baseman for the Houston Astros during 90's and 2000's hit 449 homeruns and had a .297 career batting average. He won the Rookie of the year in 1991 and won the 1994 MVP, and was a 4 time all-star. He has a 79.6 career WAR, when the average Hall of Fame 1st baseman has a 65.9 career WAR. He has the 6th best JAWS for 1st baseman of all time, ahead of Hall of Famer's such as Willie McCovey and Frank Thomas.

Craig Biggio-Catcher, 2nd Baseman, and Left Fielder for the Houston Astros during 90's and 2000's had 291 homeruns and hit .281, he was a 7 time all star and had 3060 hits which should make him a lock for the Hall of Fame. He is 18th of all time in Times on Base, ahead of greats such as Cal Ripken Jr., and Lou Gehrig. He received 74.8% of the vote last year which should make him a lock for this year.

Randy Johnson-Won 303 games for many different teams but most notably the Diamondbacks in the 90's and 2000's. Had 4875 Strikeouts which is 2nd all time, won 5 Cy Young awards including 4 in a row from 1999-2002. Has the highest K/9 rate of all time with 10.61. He is a 10 time all-star and definitely one of the best pitchers of this generation.

Jeff Kent-Best hitting second baseman of all time who had 377 career homeruns which is the most all time for second baseman and over 1500 RBI's, solid fielder who had a .980 fielding percentage. Won the MVP in 2000 when he hit 33 homeruns and had 125 RBI's while hitting .334. Was a 4 time all-star and won 4 Silver Sluggers as well. There were whispers that he did steroids but I think he was one of the clean guys in a dirty era so that's why I would put him in.

Pedro Martinez-one of the most underrated players of all time in my opinion. Won 219 games and lost only 100 and had a 2.93 ERA while pitching in the AL East the best hitting division during one of the most offensively powered eras of all time. He is an 8 time all-star who won 3 Cy Young awards and finished in the Top 5 four other times. He has the 6th highest winning percentage, and the 5th highest WHIP of all time. He has the 3rd best K/9 rate, and the 3rd best K/BB ratio of all time.

Fred McGriff-hit 493 homeruns, if he hit 7 more homeruns he would not be mentioned in this article because he would already be in the Hall of Fame. He has 1550 career RBI's which is more than Willie Stargell or Joe DiMaggio had.  He is 47th all time in extra base hits and 50th all time in total bases and was one of the best fielding 1st baseman of his era.

Mike Mussina-won 270 games and had an era of 3.68 while pitching in the AL East his entire career. He was a 5 time all star, and won 7 Gold Gloves. He finished in the Top 6 in Cy Young award voting 9 times, and is 24th all time in WAR for pitchers. He is very highly ranked in sabermetrical statistics as he is 8th all time in Base-Out Runs Saved, he is 9th all time in Win Probability Added, he is 8th all time in Situational Wins Saved, and he is 10th all time in Base-Out Wins Saved.

Curt Schilling-one of the greatest postseason pitchers of all time with an 11-2 record in 19 starts with a 2.23 ERA and 120 strikeouts. He is a 6 time all-star who finished 2nd in the Cy Young award race 3 times. He is 15th all time in strikeouts, and he also has the 2nd best K/BB ratio of all time. He is also 9th all time in Situational wins saved. 

Lee Smith- Has the 3rd most saves of all time with 471. He is a 7 time all-star and won 3 Rolaids Relief Man awards. He has the 17th highest K/9 of all time, and has finished in the Top 5 of Cy Young voting 3 times. The reason I think that he should be in the HOF is that he held the saves record for 12 seasons, while many closers such as Bruce Sutter, and Goose Gossage didn't have as many saves as him and are in the hall. Lee Smith also had many more 2 and 3 inning saves than Hoffman and Rivera did. 

John Smoltz-Only person in history with more than 150 saves and 150 wins. Won Cy Young award in 1996, and finished in the Top 5 two other times. He is 16th all time in strikeouts and is a 8 time all-star. He is one of the greatest postseason pitchers of all time, as he is 15-4 with 199 strikeouts in 209 innings with 4 saves as well. He is 39th all time in WAR for pitchers ahead of Hall of Famers Bob Feller, Don Drysdale and Juan Marichal. 

Top 10 Cinderella MLB Teams of All Time (Part 1 10-6)

There have been many Cinderella teams in the history of Major League Baseball who have overcame long odds and have advanced deep into the playoffs and these are in my opinion the top 10-6. All stats come from baseball reference.com

Just Missed The Cut 1978 Yankees, 2013 Red Sox, 2001 Yankees, 2003 Marlins, 2002 Angels



10. 1991 Minnesota Twins

The 1990 Twins finished 74-88 and one thing that they were lacking that season was a go to ace, so they went out and signed 36 year old Jack Morris to be their ace. All he did was go 18-12 with a 3.43 ERA in 1991 while Kevin Tapani and Scott Erickson were solid 2 and 3 starters, and Rick Aguilera was a lock-down closer who had 42 saves in the pen. On the offensive side of the ball, they were lead by Chili Davis and Kent Hrbek who had 29 and 20 homeruns and fan favorite Kirby Puckett. The 1991 Twins finished 95-67 and came in 1st in the AL West, and they faced the Blue Jays in the AL Championship series and they swept them 4 games to 1. The Twins earn their underdog status because of the World Series against the Braves. The first 4 games were tough hard fought battles, but in Game 5 the Braves won 14-5 at Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta, so they took a 3-2 lead in the series. Game 6 was a back and forth affair and it was tied 3-3 going into the bottom of the 11th when Kirby Puckett hit a walkoff homerun off of Charlie Leibrandt to force a Game 7. This is the moment where Jack Buck said his famous quote "And we'll see you tomorrow night." Game 7 is widely considered one of the greatest games in MLB history it was a pitchers duel between the Twins Jack Morris and the Braves John Smoltz. The game was scoreless for the 1st 9 innings and Jack Morris surprisingly went out there to pitch the 10th and was able to get out it without allowing a run, Alejandro Pena pitched the 10th inning for the Braves and the Twins were able to get the bases loaded and Gene Larkin hit a series winning walkoff single over the shallow playing outfield. 

9. 2014 Kansas City Royals

The 2014 Kansas City Royals were this years Cinderella story. At the beginning of the season they were people's bold team which would make the playoffs, and they did grab a wild card spot on the last day of the season. The Royals did not have a hitter who hit more than 20 homeruns and only had one who hit over .300 in Lorenzo Cain, but what they did have is pitching, pitching and more pitching. All 5 of their starters had more than 9 wins, but what was the most dominant was their bullpen. If you played the Royals you had to get the lead in the first 6 innings otherwise the game was over, in the 7th inning you faced Kelvin Herrera and his 1.41 ERA, in the 8th inning you faced Wade Davis and his 1.00 ERA and his 109 strikeouts in only 72 innings pitched, and in the 9th inning you faced Greg Holland and his 1.44 ERA. When they got to the playoffs, the Royals came back from a 4 run deficit in the last 2 innings in the Wild Card game against the A's and came back to win it in extras on Salvador Perez's walkoff single.  Then it was smooth sailing where they swept the Angels and the Orioles but lost in a hard fought 7 game series to the Giants in the World Series. The Royals were underdogs because they showed that just because they had a young inexperienced playoff team like they did, doesn't mean they aren't capable of success.

 8. 1997 Florida Marlins

The 1997 Marlins were only 4 years into existence, and yet they were able to become one of the most surprising Cinderella teams of all time. In the offseason prior they signed Bobby Bonilla to boost their offense and him, Moises Alou, and the often outspoken Gary Sheffield combined to form one of the more potent offenses in the national league. Their pitching was very good as well with Kevin Brown and his 205 strikeout season and Alex Fernandez lead the way. They also received help in the stretch run from Cuban important Livan Hernandez who went 9-3. In the bullpen they were lead by Robb Nen who had 35 saves. The Marlins ended up winning the wild card and surprisingly swept the #1 seed San Francisco Giants in the Division Series, and then won the the Championship Series over the Atlanta Braves. The Marlins became the 1st wildcard team ever to reach the World Series and they faced the Cleveland Indians. The Indians were heavy favorites because they had stars Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome, and Omar Vizquel but the series ended up going to the 7th and final game. The Indians took a 2-0 lead heading into the 7th inning when Bobby Bonilla hit a homerun to cut the lead to 1. In the bottom of the 9th inning with the Indians leading 2-1, Craig Counsell hit a long fly ball that was caught for a sac fly and that sent the game into extras. In the bottom of the 11th inning with bases loaded and two outs rookie Edgar Renteria hit a walkoff single to give the Marlins the World Series and make them one of the greatest Cinderella stories ever.

7. 2004 Boston Red Sox

The 2003 Red Sox season ended dramatically as Aaron Boone hit a walkoff homerun to send the Yankees into the World Series. That play cost the Red Sox manager Grady Little his job and hopes' were high in Boston that new manager Terry Francona and new signings Curt Schilling and Keith Foulke would be able to reverse "The Curse of the Bambino" and give the Red Sox their first World Series since 1918. In the regular season the Red Sox were anything but underdogs as they were lead by their 2 sluggers David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez who hit 41 and 43 homeruns respectfully. Their pitching staff was lead by Curt Schilling and Pedro Martinez who combined for 47 wins and 430 strikeouts. Their bullpen was lead by Keith Foulke who had 32 saves with a 2.17 ERA. The Red Sox won 98 games but they still only managed to get the AL Wild Card. In the ALDS they swept the Los Angeles Angels with help by David Ortiz and his series clinching walkoff homerun off of Francisco Rodriguez. The Red Sox then had to face their rival Yankees in the ALCS. The Yankees took a 3-0 series lead capped off by a 19-8 drubbing of the Red Sox at Fenway. In the bottom of the 9th inning of Game 4, the Yankees had a 4-3 lead and had the greatest closer of all time in Mariano Rivera on the mound. The Red Sox were able to tie it on a Bill Mueller single and won the game on David Ortiz's walkoff homerun in the 12th inning. In Game 5 the Red Sox came back and won in the 14th inning on David Ortiz's walkoff single. In Game 6 the Red Sox won 4-2 with Curt Schilling's masterful pitching and this game is known as "The Bloody Sock Game" due to the blood showing on Schilling's sock from a tendon injury he had suffered before. The Red Sox won Game 7 and advanced to the World Series and became the 1st team to win a playoff series after being down 3-0. They ended up sweeping the Cardinals in the World Series and won their 1st World Series in 86 years.

6.  1960 Pittsburgh Pirates

The 1960 Pirates won 95 games and won the NL Pennant. Their offense was lead by Dick Stuart and Roberto Clemente, they had 4 pitchers who won at least 11 games and all of them had ERA's under 4. They were lead in the bullpen by one of the 1st modern day closers in Roy Face. They had all of these characteristics that most teams could only dream of having, and yet they were still considered huge underdogs in the World Series against the heavily favored New York Yankees who had 2 players in Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris who had more than 30 homeruns while the Pirates had none. The Pirates won Game 1 but then lost the next 2 games by a combined score of 26-3. Then they won Games 4 and 5 which were tightly contested battles but got crushed again in Game 6. This would lead to one of the greatest Game 7's in the history of sports. The Pirates jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the early innings thanks to some timely hitting by Bill Virdon, but the Yankees took the lead in the 6th inning because of a Yogi Berra homerun. The Yankees scored 2 more runs in the 8th to make it 7-4, but then the bottom of the 8th happened. The Pirates got a pinch hit single and then Bill Virdon hit what should have been an easy double play ball to Tony Kubek at shortstop, but the ball bounced up and hit him in the throat. After another single in the inning which scored a run, and a sacrifice bunt and a long fly out to Roger Maris in right, the Yankees were one strike away from getting out of the inning when they had 2 strikes to Roberto Clemente and he hit a Baltimore Chop to the 1st baseman and the pitcher was unable to cover so Clemente reached safely and Virdon was able to score. Hal Smith then hit a 3 run homerun to  make it 9-7 but the Yankees tacked on 2 more in the top of the 9th to make it 9-9. In the bottom of the 9th inning, Ralph Terry was on the mound for the Yankees and the 1st batter he faced was the second baseman Bill Mazeroski who hit a homerun which won the World Series for the Pirates. An interesting note about this game is that television stations were not known to preserve their telecasts of sporting events so the record of Game 7 was thought to have been lost forever. However, a recording of the game was recently found in Bing Crosby's wine cellar (who was the owner of the Pirates at the time) as he was too nervous to watch the game so he listened to it on the radio in Paris and he had someone record it for him so he could watch the televised game later if the Pirates won.