Money Cash Hoes

After my significant hiatus, I am returning to S2BU with a new approach. Truly, the legality may be borderline, but the new approach on S2BU is a focus on gambling. With roots that stem as far back as ancient China, where games like craps, roulette, blackjack, and keno originated, gambling is the most popular and most scrutinized form of sport in the world.
Under Federal United States law, gambling is technically legal since Nevada became the first state to implement legal wagering in 1931. Forty-five years later, Atlantic City piggybacked off Nevada's legislation, realizing the strong economic influence the sport provided. Today, almost every state has a legalized form of gambling, from casinos to state-run lotteries that provide millions of dollars in tax revenue.

The popularity of poker took off in 2005 when Harrah's began sponsoring the World Series of Poker, held annually in Las Vegas and featuring 58 different events. Because poker can be played and potentially mastered by anyone, regardless of age or sex, it has enticed millions of people to attempt poker-playing as a career. The WSOP Main Event, which has featured a grand prize of no less than $7.5 million since Harrah's took over, has been won by a player under 24 years old the last four consecutive years. That fact alone has inspired many to try their hand at becoming a sunglasses-wearing master of the deck.

Although illegal in the majority of US states, sports betting has become the most popular and participated-in form of gambling. What is regarded as a service industry in over 100 nations across the globe, Americans can utilize "bookies" anywhere from casinos to the internet to wager on professional and college sports. Most popular is the NCAA March Madness Basketball tournament, as well as Super Bowl and horse race betting. In February 2012, over $10 billion was wagered on the Super Bowl ALONE across the globe.

Even the most participatory gamblers fail to realize the most important fact pertaining to coming out on top when it comes to wagering. The most-winnable type of bet (best odds) is a straight wager. Regardless of the spread, a straight wager ultimately provides a 50% chance of winning. The side you pick either covers the spread, or they don't. There are no obscure scenarios that causes a lose-lose situation, and a push (tie) just earns the wagerer a wash. Gamblers are enticed by prop bets and parlays that pay out absurd amounts, but in truth the odds of winning those bet-types are even worse then the odds that are given.

Take a look at the example of a basic 3-team NCAA basketball parlay. Assuming the bet is juiced at a standard 10%, the bettor would wager $110 in a straight wager to win $100. However, if the bettor were to wager $110 on a 3-team parlay, the payout is $550 if all 3 teams hit. But in actuality, the odds are severely FOR the house. Using a real example:

3-Team Parlay

1. San Jose State +5.5 (-110) @ San Diego State (-110)
   
2. Portland State -2.5 (-110) @ Sacramento State (-110)
3. Wisconsin -1 (-110) @ Iowa (-110)

Regardless of which side is selected in each match-up and applying basic mathematical principles, the real chance of winning the parlay is 12.5%. This is based off of the calculation that the chance of winning each match-up is 50%, so 50%x50%x50% = 12.5%. Converted to basic odds, the chance of winning the parlay is 8 to 1. A $110 bet at 8 to 1 odds should pay out $880, but instead the bettor is forfeiting $330, or 37.5% of their winnings, for a bet that offers worse than even odds. The catch that hooks bettors into parlays is the potential to win a lot by putting up little, but the bettor is actually harming their chances.

The "easiest" way to end up with a positive net is to NOT "gamble against yourself". This means that the bettor should only place straight wagers, and wager the exact same amount on each bet. Because of the juice, a bettor will end up losing 10% of their initial balance if he wins half of his bets. But by wagering the same amount on every straight wager, the bettor has to win just 51% of their bets to become profitable. Seems easy in theory, but because of the roll that passion plays in gambling, ending up with a $10 profit by playing it safe is hardly enticing to true sports bettors.

Even with those statistics in mind, I myself do not follow the "winning" guidelines, nor do I ever have the intent to. The odds have put a halt on me placing parlay bets, but my wager amounts tend to fluctuate based on gut-feeling and statistical support. Thus begins my latest ill-advised project, the "Gambling Gauntlet". I will post my wagers, results, and justification for each bet I make over the course of the next few weeks. Feel free to hop on board during hot streaks, and of course criticize the losses. But ultimately, if you think you could do better, then put up or shut up. Enjoy.

* None of the money used in wagers comes from what I allot for bills and life-necessities. All capital gains are recycled, and losses applied against recreational self-allotted cash.

Hiatus

Sox To Be You will be taking a hiatus from posting, as the author has moved on to bigger and better things as a contributor at Bleacher Report. Articles can be found below that have been posted on the site thus far, please read and enjoy them!

Any Fantasy Football-related posts can still be found on the KPAFFL webpage, simply by clicking on the link listed under associated sites. Thanks to all that have driven traffic for S2BU, and fret not, as there will always be more to come.

• Tyler Palioca Bleacher Report #1 - MLB #1 Draft Picks of the 2000's Decade
• Tyler Palioca Bleacher Report #2 - The 2011 NFL Season: 10 Bold Predictions
• Tyler Palioca Bleacher Report #3 - New England Patriots 2011: 7 Offensive Rookies
• Tyler Palioca Bleacher Report #4 - All 32 NFL Teams: 1 Key Player Not Returning
• Tyler Palioca Bleacher Report #5 - Defending SB Champs: How They Fared
• Tyler Palioca Bleacher Report #6 - 5 Things About NE in Their Huge MNF Win

FFF v2 - The AFC East

Welcome to FFF version 2.0. Today we will be looking at the schedules of our beloved AFC East, home of YOUR NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS. Unlike Rex Ryan, I will try not to be overly-bias and make outlandish proclamations about MY team....

• Buffalo Bills - The Bills schedule is about as exciting as the Bills' team. They have just six games against 2010 playoff teams, four of which are versus the Pats and Jets. Unfortunately for them, they face plenty of teams that are currently getting stronger, including the completely revamped NFC East. They begin the season on the road in Kansas City, one of the toughest stadiums to play in as a visitor in the league. Their home opener comes in week 2 against a sporadic Raiders team, a game that Buffalo can probably steal if they can keep Darren McFadden and Michael Bush at bay. In week 3 they face off against the Patriots at home, and unless Bruce Smith pulls a Benjamin Button, they have no chance of winning. Next up are the Bengals on the road, which will either be their first win or get them to .500. Before their week 7 bye, Philly comes to Buffalo followed by a trip to Giants Stadium. The Bills don't have a prayer in either of those matchups. Following the bye are the Redskins and Jets at home. The Redskins will probably struggle under John Beck this season, giving the Bills hope for their third win, but they will surely lose their first matchup with the Jets. The team then hits the road for three straight games against Dallas, Miami, and ending with the Jets again. They will be lucky to win one of those contests, and if they do it will be the Dolphins who they take down. Their next opponent is the Titans, who will be one of the more intriguing teams to watch this year. Led by Matt Hasselbeck, they could be a lot better then last year's 4-12 team, hosting a more balanced run-pass attack then years past. It is easy to imagine Chris Johnson rushing for 200 yards against the porous Bills run defense. Next is a road trip to San Diego, which can be chalked-up as another loss. They finish the season off with home games against Miami and Denver, and finally a road trip to New England. Best case scenario, they win two of the three, either taking down the Dolphins and Broncos, or splitting the two games and stealing one from the Pats (although unlikely as New England will be looking to preserve their 15-0 record). In the end, Buffalo will spend the season battling for the basement with Miami. My prediction: 5-11 at season end.
  
• Miami Dolphins - Although Miami added Reggie Bush and Daniel Thomas to their offensive backfield, they still have the weakest overall offense in the East, mainly because of Chad Henne. Henne has already been booed by Dolphin fans in preseason practices, foreshadowing another tumultuous season. I'm not going to bother going through their schedule, because I don't think they will win more than four games. Cleveland, Washington, Buffalo, and Oakland are the only teams they have a remote shot at beating. The team looks a lot like the 2007 Dolphins, who went 1-15. The only positive is that their home games are against weaker opponents, giving them a slight edge in a few contests, but ultimately they probably sneak just two or three wins out of the season in boring, low scoring, mistake-filled games. They will beat the Browns, Redskins, and split with Buffalo, leading them to a 3-13 record. The season will be a reminder that they still need a quarterback, but should be in good position to win the Andrew Luck sweepstakes with one of the worst records in football.
• New York Jets - The Jets are a tricky team to predict. Aside from the fact that I hate them and would love nothing more then for them to go 7-9, they also are prone to meltdowns in certain games, losing when they should win and vice-versa. In terms of personnel, not a whole lot has changed on the offensive side of the ball. They replace drop-happy Braylon Edwards at WR with Plaxico Burress, who is fresh off of a 2 year prison sentence. Plax is about to turn 34, but as a big, possession receiver, age shouldn't hinder his ability as much as a WR that relies on speed. Once he develops a rhythm with Mark Sanchez, the two could be very threatening. On the defensive side of the ball, they have a retooled defensive line, but are virtually the same elsewhere. The reason they lost five games in 2010 was because their offense became anemic against top defenses. Without taking their game against Chicago into account, they scored a combined 18 points in their first four losses. In a league where shutouts are a rarity, the Jets were one of just four teams to be blanked last year, proving their lack of offensive prowess at times. With matchups against Baltimore, Kansas City, Philly, the Giants, and the Patriots, they face a few tough defenses in 2011, but also face plenty of softies as well. Unfortunately for the Jets, losers of two straight AFC Championships, they did little to improve their weaknesses in the off-season. Sanchez has gotten better, but he will never be a top-5 statistical QB, and their receiving depth is glaring weakness after losing Edwards, Jerricho Cotchery, and Brad Smith. Disregarding Dustin Keller's presence, they will be forced to use Patrick Turner or rookie Jeremy Kerley in three WR sets. Without an established passing attack, they will struggle against big offensive lines, especially New England's and Kansas City's. They will lose at least one matchup against the Pats, and will lose to Baltimore, KC, and Philly as well. In the end, they will finish 11-5 and make the playoffs as the wild card again. But they are a first-round playoff casualty this year, as other AFC teams have done much more to improve themselves.
• New England Patriots - They didn't address their horrendous pass-rush the way most would've thought, but Albert Haynesworth is the key to the Patriots' season. If he forms a dynamic duo with Vince Wilfork, this team has Super Bowl written all over it. For what it's worth, the Patriots have a perfect blend of youth and veterans on both sides of the ball. On defense, they may be exposed in the secondary at times, but up front they are as big and physical as any team in the league. With a defensive front of Fat Albert, Wilfork, Mike Wright, Brandon Spikes, Jerrod Mayo, and Jermaine Cunningham, teams will have an extremely difficult time running the ball. As they have in the past few seasons, they will man-handle Miami and Buffalo, as well as weaker opponents like Washington, Denver, and the regressing Chargers. They get the Colts at home, but go into Pittsburgh in late October and Philly in November. Those will be their most challenging non-division games, but if they can avoid the injury bug and play Patriot football, they can handle anything thrown their way. They are helped by facing Pitt coming off a bye, but are forced to face Super Bowl contenders with their matchup against the NFC East. Just as there are many uncertain scenarios league-wide, the Patriots season will be determined by the success of their newcomers. But the Pats still have the makeup of a 13+ win team, and should win the division for a third straight time. The Patriots will go 13-3, and have home field advantage throughout the playoffs, which will lead to their first Super Bowl berth since 2007.
  

J E T S SUCK SUCK SUCK

Yup. Suck it NY.

Fun Fact Friday

Welcome to Fun Fact Friday. The FFF image is a comparison of the last 2 Red Sox records in years they won the World Series to now. As you can see, they are 2 wins better than their '07 squad, but only 2 games up on NY instead of 7.5. This can be attributed to just how elite the AL East is now, especially compared to divisions like the NL and AL Central ones.

Did you know?

• In 2010, former Red Sox first-round pick Matt Murton set the single season record for most hits in Japan's Nipon Professional Baseball League with 214. Murton, who plays in the outfield, was drafted by the Sox in 2003, and played in 155 games for Lowell and Sarasota. He was then included in the trade that sent Nomar to the Cubs and brought Orlando Cabrera and Doug Mientkiewicz to the Sox, helping lead them to their first World Series victory in 86 years. Murton played in 346 games with the Cubs, A's, and Rockies from 2005-2009, hitting .286 with 29 HR and 112 RBI. His 214 hits in 2010 broke Ichiro Suzuki's record of 210, set in 1994, six years before he would come to the US and play for the Mariners.
• Carl Crawford is the MLB's active leader in career triples, with 109. The all-time career record is 309, held by Sam Crawford, who played from 1899 to 1917 with Cincinnati and Detroit. The record will likely never be broken, as Curtis Granderson, Jimmy Rollins, and Christian Guzman are the only players to hit 20 or more triples in a season in the last 15 years.
• Since 2000, Cincinnati Bengals have had 35 arrests, leading the NFL with 2 more than the Minnesota Vikings. In the same time frame, Detroit and St. Louis are at the bottom of the league, with seven arrests each. Click here to see the list of Bengals arrested in the last 11 seasons. It includes all but the three most recent arrests of Adam Jones, Cedric Benson, and Marvin White.
• Recently retired Mark Recchi of the Boston Bruins is the second to last player who appeared in the NHL in the 1980's to retire. Mike Modano of the Red Wings is the only remaining player. Recchi, who scored his first NHL goal 4 YEARS before Tyler Seguin was born, began his career when the NHL had just 21 teams. Four of those teams have since moved or folded, and nine others have been added. Recchi became the oldest player to score a goal in the Stanley Cup Finals this year, at 43 years and 126 days old.
• Mark Reynolds of the Baltimore Orioles in on pace to have his first season since 2007 of NOT ECLIPSING 200 strikeouts at the plate. In 2008, Reynolds set the MLB single-season record with 204, only to break it again in 2009 with 223. In 2010, he rebounded with 211, which is still second all-time. He is the only player to ever strike out 200 times in a season, and he done it three times! The past seven years have had it's fair share of strikeouts, as the top 9 single-season strikeout totals have all occurred in the past seven seasons, by Reynolds, Ryan Howard, Adam Dunn, and Jack Cust.
• The 2010 NFL leading rusher was Houston's Arian Foster, who was an undrafted free agent out of Tennessee in 2009. Jamaal Charles of the Chiefs was the second leading rusher, and he was a 2008 third-round pick out of Texas. Third was Michael Turner of Atlanta, who was San Diego's fifth-round pick out of Northern Illinois in 2004. See the trend here? In fact, of the top-ten running backs in 2010, only four were first round picks. Compare this to the top-ten QB's, in which six were first rounders.
• Breakout running back Peyton Hillis of the Browns rushed for 1177 yards in 2010. It was the first time since 1984 that a white running back eclipsed the 1000 yard mark in a season. The last non-Patriot was John Riggins of the Redskins, who ran for 1239 yards and 14 touchdowns at age 35.
• Felix Hernandez pitches against the Sox at Fenway tonight, and he was also on the mound the last time Seattle won a game, which was July 5th. They are riding a 12-game losing streak and challenging the likes of Baltimore and Oakland for the worst record in the AL. Of the players in the Sox lineup, JD Drew actually has the best career numbers against Hernandez, as he has batted .360 (9 for 25) with 2 HR's against him. The last time Felix faced the Sox, he pitched 7 innings, giving up 6 hits and 2 runs, but Carl Crawford hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth to give the Sox a 3-2 victory. The Mariners are 5-3 against the Sox in King Felix's starts in the past five seasons.
  

Your 2011 New England Patriots Offense

As of today, the NFL lockout is rumored to be ending within the next few days. The timing couldn't be more perfect, because if the NFL and the Players Association can come to agreement this week, free agency would be set to begin around July 28th (the same few days of the MLB trade deadline). The beginning of free agency will be a lot like opening a dam that is literally spewing over the top, meaning the first hour will be absolute insanity. There is sure to be a scurry of trades, releases, signings, and any type of player movement imaginable. Pro Bowl-caliber players such as DeAngelo Williams, Sidney Rice, Vincent Jackson, Matt Hasselbeck, Logan Mankins, Ray Edwards, Cullen Jenkins, Manny Lawson, Stephen Tulloch, Nnamdi Asmougha, and Michael Huff could all change uniforms at the strike of midnight. The NFL QB-carousel will also be in full swing, with names like Kevin Kolb, Marc Bulger, Kyle Orton, Donovan McNabb, Rex Grossman, Tavaris Jackson, and Vince Young, to name a few, all finding new homes and potential starting gigs. But in the end, New Englanders really only care about two aspects of free agency: who the Patriots will sign, and who the Jets WON'T sign. Let's take a look at possible Patriot targets, broken down by position. The defensive segment will follow in the coming days.

1. QB - The Patriots have the least to worry about at quarterback of any team in the NFL. A healthy Tom Brady is as solid as the position gets. Behind him, they have a future star (my personal opinion) in Ryan Mallett, and Brian Hoyer is a decent third option with a few seasons under his belt. The Pats aren't likely to sign a QB, but could bring one or two into camp to compete with Hoyer for third-string. Belichick loves to have youth infused into the depth chart, so bringing in former UDel QB Pat Devlin for the practice squad or Drew Stanton to compete with Hoyer isn't out of the question. With the Patriots to be a projected 10-12 million dollars under the cap, look for them to only bring a QB in at the league minimum and nothing more.
   
2. RB - Fred Taylor won't be back, as his contract has run out and he will in all likelihood hang up his cleats. BenJarvus Green-Ellis, who eclipsed 1000 yards last season, was tendered with a second round pick as a restricted free agent, and will likely be part of the starting backfield. Danny Woodhead was locked up with a two year contract through 2012, and will again be utilized by the Patriots with his unique skill set. Sammy Morris's latest contract has run out, but he is a key contributor on special teams and on the goal line, and may return on a low-cost, one year deal. Kevin Faulk no longer has a place on the Patriots, with Woodhead as the main pass-catching threat out of the backfield, and will either retire or try to catch on elsewhere. Finally, the Patriots drafted big Shane Vereen out of Cal, who projects to be a large change of pace-type back, and Stevan Ridley, who could be the Patriots version of a fullback with his enormous size and downhill run style. All-in-all, they are looking at a Green-Ellis/Woodhead/Morris/Vereen/Ridley offensive backfield, which is overcrowded to say the least. Look for them to bring in a low-cost speedster in free agency, such as undrafted free agent Noel Devine from West Virginia, or Derrick Locke from Kentucky. They have no need to spend big on the running game, since they are a pass-first offense. They surely will not even make an offer to any of the top-tier free agent backs, as is accustomed to their usual free agency approach.
3. WR - Wes Welker and Deion Branch will both see plenty of targets this season, and Brandon Tate will fill out the depth chart. What the Patriots lack is a true #2 WR option after Welker, because Branch and Welker are both slot receivers. They felt the impact of trading Randy Moss, as hard as it is to admit, and will either await Chad Johnson's release from the Bengals, or uncharacteristically target one of the top free agents. Sidney Rice would be an amazing addition to an already potent offense, but he is likely to command one of the larger contracts handed out, and may be priced out of the Patriots range. Malcolm Floyd and Mike Sims-Walker would be excellent alternative options, as both are coming off down years and may be cheaper options then Rice. Nate Burleson and the Panther's Steve Smith are both trade/release candidates, and it isn't far-fetched to see either end up here. In the end, it seems "Ochocinco" is destined to end up in New England at some point in his career, and the time may be now. I predict he is the most likely to end up a Patriot in 2011, followed by Malcolm Floyd and Steve Smith. Sidney Rice has an outside chance if the Patriots decide to spend their remaining cap space on the offensive side of the ball, but their defensive needs are more dire and thus they are more likely to spend on pass-rushers.
4. TE - The Patriots have two of the best young tight ends in the game with Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. Both had huge rookie seasons, and filled the Patriots void in their WR depth. Alge Crumpler enters his final year of his contract with the Pats, and will remain their blocking tight end. The team has no need for another tight end, and will fill out their training camp depth with newly drafted Lee Smith from Marshall.
5. OT - Sebastian Vollmer is a lock at starting tackle, and newly drafted Nate Solder could potentially step in and start immediately if the Patriots are willing to rely on a rookie tackle. Matt Light, who has spent his career in NE, is a free agent and all signs point to the Patriots opting to not re-sign him. Gigantic Marcus Cannon, the Pats 5th-round pick out of TCU, was a projected first round pick before it was discovered he has non-Hodgkin's lymphoma at the combine. The good news is Cannon could completely recover and even play in 2011, and because of his 6'5, 350-pound frame, he can play anywhere on the OL but center. He certainly has a future as a starting NFL offensive lineman, and the Patriots truly got a steal by taking him so late in the draft. But they will approach the season with the notion that he may not be available until week 6 at the earliest. The Patriots asked Nick Kaczur to take a pay-cut from his $3.4 million salary prior to the 2011 season, and they are now fully expected to release him after he declined. Little known Quinn Ojinnaka is a free agent, leaving the Patriots with just Mark LeVoir and Steve Maneri behind Vollmer and Solder. To keep Brady injury-free, the Patriots will need solid play from their tackles, and it is safe to say Solder and Vollmer will need help at some point in the season. The Patriots will either need to sign Matt Light, or bring in a free agent tackle that excels in pass-protection, such as former Seahawk Sean Locklear or often injured former Bronco Ryan Harris.
6. OG - Nine-year inspirational Stephen Neal has retired, Logan Mankins is demanding $10 million or to be granted free agency, and Dan Connolly is left as the only experienced guard on the team. The Patriots have Rich Ohrnberger, Thomas Austin, and Ryan Wendell to fill out their depth, but they are in dire need of starting-caliber guards. If they can convince Mankins to return, their offensive line outlook is much more positive, but Mankins gives the perception that he is all about the money, which is a far-cry from the Patriot mantra. There are a few solid, veteran guards on the market, including Justin Blalock, Derrick Dockery, David Baas, and Robert Gallery, but the Patriots tend to promote from within when it comes to the middle of the OL. They will likely start Connolly and attempt to lock up Mankins, but if Mankins refuses to accept the franchise tag salary or accept a multi-year deal, the Patriots will be forced to move on without him and sign a veteran guard. Belichick surely has a plan in place already for the position, and it is anyone's guess whom he is targeting.
7. C - Dan Koppen will remain the Patriots reliable center. Guard Ryan Wendell is their backup center, and the team has no need to bring in a free agent at the position. Center is seemingly the only position on the Patriots' OL that there is no need to worry about.

Life Without Tiger

On Thursday, September 29th, over 100 professional golfers from the PGA tour will tee-off for the first round of the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. The tournament is held at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas, and up until 2004 was a 5-round affair. The past three winners were Johnathan Byrd, Martin Laird, and Marc Turnesa, all of whom are little-known current or former PGA members. The purse, at $4.4 million, is the fifth-lowest of the 46 PGA events in 2011, and is often won by lesser-known players because of the lack of top-golfer attendance, despite the charitable cause.
What is so significant about this event? Back in 1996, it was the first PGA tournament won by Rookie of the Year Tiger Woods. Tiger may be remembered for bursting onto the scene with his 1997 Masters victory, but 1996 was his actual rookie season on the PGA tour, when he finished 22nd as an amateur at the British Open, but eventually would win 2 PGA events, the Las Vegas Invitational (as it was called at the time), and the Walt Disney World/Oldsmobile Classic. The LV Invitational was the first of Tiger's now 71-PGA wins, ranking third all-time, but his accomplishments are not the focus of this piece. The 10-time PGA Player of the Year and winner of 14 PGA Majors hasn't won a PGA event since 2009, nor has he won a Major since the 2008 US Open. Amid his marriage scandals, injuries, and becoming trashed in the court of public opinion, the once-heralded Tiger has been through the wringer, and the void of his presence has opened the PGA up for a multitude of lesser-known golfers to step into the spotlight.
Since Padraig Harrington won back-to-back Majors at the end of 2008, no PGA member has more than one Major win. Twelve different golfers have won the last 12 Majors, including 9 first-time Major winners. Many fans of professional golf would argue that Tiger's lack of participation has drastically hurt the sport, as TV ratings have dipped, and the competition has been "diluted". But I believe the Tiger-free hiatus has been good for the game, as well as the plethora of golfers that have won in Tiger's absence.
Take this weekend's British Open into account. 42-year old Darren Clarke, who turned pro in 1990 when Tiger was just 14 years of age, won his first Major in 54 career appearances. Clarke almost skipped the event when ESPN offered him a gig as an on-air commentator, but opted to give the event one more shot. He had finished 44th, 52nd, and was cut in his previous three British Open appearances, yet the Northern-Irish father of two held steady through the final round, and staved off a charging Phil Mickelson to take home his first Major victory. It was an inspirational win for not only Clarke, who lost his wife of 10 years to breast cancer in 2006, but to all golfers on the tour without a Major victory. Clarke put his name in the books on his 20th British Open try, and effectively raised his world ranking from 111th to 30th thanks to his -5 victory at Royal St. George's.

The NFL Supplemental Draft

Since 1977, the NFL has held an annual supplemental draft, which falls between the regular draft and opening of training camp. For those that don't understand the way it works, it is very simple. Any player that did not declare for the regular draft by the deadline, but is either deemed ineligible for the upcoming college season, kicked off the team, or has any other extenuating circumstance, can enter the supplemental draft. The draft order is the same as it was for the regular draft, with a slight hitch. Teams can opt to skip their pick until they feel justified in giving up the next year's pick in the same round. For example, if there is one player in the supplemental draft, and no team deems him worthy to be taken in the first round, every team will pass on the player. In the second round, if a team was to take the player, they would forfeit their regular second round draft pick the next year. When it comes down to it, taking a player with any pick in the top four rounds is essentially a high-risk, low-reward gamble, as history would argue.
In the 34 years of the supplemental draft's existence, only eight players have been taken with a first round pick. To see the complete list, click here. There are quite a few years where no players were taken, whether it was due to no one entering, or no one worth taking in the opinion of the NFL teams. There have been a few players that turned into NFL regulars, a scattering of Super Bowl Champions (Bernie Kosar), and a probable future Hall of Famer in WR Cris Carter. But not since the Packers took Mike Wahle in 1998 has there been a supplemental draft pick that made a Pro Bowl. In fact, between the 40 total players taken in the history of the draft, they have a combined 16 Pro Bowl appearances, 8 of which from Cris Carter and 3 from Jamaal Williams of the Chargers.
Most of the time, supplemental draft prospects go unnoticed, except when they are in the headlines for getting booted from school for shooting a hooker or failing. But its not often a player with the noteriaty of former Ohio State QB Terrelle Pryor's caliber finds themselves in the supplemental draft. Pryor was recruited by tons of major Division I football programs coming out of high school, and opted to attend Ohio State. In three years as the starting QB, Pryor was electric, throwing for 6177 yards and 57 touchdowns, while gaining 2164 yards and 17 touchdowns on the ground. He won plenty of awards, including the 2010 MVP of the Rose Bowl, and promptly declared to play his senior season, even with a 6 game suspension stemming from receiving illegal benefits. But after Jim Tressel resigned, Pryor was quick to change his mind, and would enter the supplemental draft. Pryor, along with his teammates, took cars, money, tattoos, and other goods illegally according to NCAA regulations, and cast a dark cloud over a once proud OSU football program, and the highly regarded Tressel's career. Pryor led the way, allegedly collecting over $40,000 for signing autographs.
Pryor's attitude and demeanor can be summed up by a statement made by ESPN analyst Chris Spielman, before Pryor opted to fore-go his senior season;

"I think he’s played his last game … I don’t know if you guys have heard this. I’ve heard through players, former players, that TP (Terrelle Pryor) operated and was allowed to operate by his own set of rules. Being late to meetings. Being late to practice. Not showing up for workouts. I don’t know if that’s true or not true. If it is I’m so disappointed in the leaders of the team that allowed that to go on, that allowed a player, not to show up without either confrontation, physical or verbal first, physical if necessary.
If the coach or coaches would not back you up in allowing this behavior to go on and him operating by his own set of rules then that is the coaches responsibility, so if he is allowed to continue and if I made that decision that yes he should be allowed to come back after five games it would be under a zero tolerance policy. That would mean if he was two seconds late for a meeting bye, bye. That’s how I would operate.”

There is no doubt Pryor is a freakish athlete. At 6'6, 230+ pounds, he has excellent QB size, and runs a Mike Vick-like 4.33 40-yard dash. He also has excellent arm strength, but the rest of his QB intangibles are borderline. He has turned into a Pat White-type projection, with some teams considering using him as a WR or specialty type back. In the end, a team will take a chance on him in the second or third round, and he will spend the season on the bench as the "QB of the future". There are plenty of teams with QB needs, such as Seattle, Oakland, Cincinnati, and Minnesota, and one of them will add Pryor to their collection of sub-par talent. His college stats and skill set compares to former D1 superstars like Nebraska's Jamaal Lord and Eric Crouch, Texas' Vince Young, Florida State's Charlie Ward, and LSU's Jamarcus Russell. The most common trait among those QB's? Zero NFL success. If I were an NFL owner, GM, head coach, or anyone in a position of power, I would forbid my team from taking a chance on Pryor. He helped destroy one of the proudest football traditions in the country, and obviously puts his own leisure ahead of the conformity of the team. He will surely become the most hated newcomer on the team that selects him, by veterans and opposition alike. Pryor will be an interception machine in the NFL, and will have to settle for a career in the CFL or UFL within the next few years. The only fan of Pryor (aside from himself) is Cam Newton, because Pryor actually makes Newton look like a good guy.

BRUINS WILL TAKE GAME 7

GAME 7 PREDICTIONS:

• SCOTT BURNSIDE, ESPN - BRUINS
• SPORTSNATION POLL, ESPN - BRUINS
• BARRY MELROSE - CANUCKS
• BANGTHEBOOK.COM - BRUINS (+125)
• THEFASTERTIMES.COM - BRUINS
• JEREMY ROENICK - BRUINS
• DANIEL SEDIN - CANUCKS
• DAVID KREJCI - WE'RE GOING TO PLAY THE GAME AS HARD AS WE CAN
• DARREN ELIOT, SI - CANUCKS
• ADRIAN DATER, SI - CANUCKS
• SARAH KWAK, SI - CANUCKS
• BRIAN CAZENEUVE, SI - CANUCKS
• BOB CONDOR, NHL.COM - CANUCKS
• DAVE LOZO, NHL.COM - CANUCKS
• COREY MASISAK, NHL.COM - CANUCKS
• SHAWN ROARKE, NHL.COM - BRUINS
• DAN ROSEN, NHL.COM - BRUINS
• WAYNE GRETZKY - CANUCKS
• SOXTOBEYOU.COM - BRUINS
• JD DREW, BOSTON RED SOX - Doesn't care?

Fuck the "experts". Bruins will take Game 7 early, putting in an empty netter to seal the win 5-2.

Sox 2011 vs. Sox 2010

As the saying goes, the numbers don't lie. 65 games through the 2010 season, the Red Sox sat at 37-28, putting them third in the AL East, four games back of the Yankees. 65 games through this season, the Red Sox have the best record in the AL, and a two game lead over NY for first in the division. As we saw last year, Theo's "pitching and defense" strategy was anything but. The Red Sox struggled through the latter part of 2010 because of injuries, but also due to porous defense and struggles from the pen and starters. Their offense, however, was as potent as ever, thanks to a resurgence from Adrian Beltre. This season, baseball's best are firing on all cylinders, as both the offense and defense rank near the top of the league in all major statistical categories. The team overhaul that brought in Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez, and Jarrod Saltalammachia has panned out thus far, and more importantly has boosted the performance of the likes of Jacoby, Ortiz, and the starting pitching. Take a look at Gonzo's, Ortiz's, and Jacoby's stats through 65 games in 2010 in comparison to this year, and you can easily see the difference in offensive production that this lineup has brought to the team. Also, the starting pitching has been much more consistent, led by Josh Beckett who was coming off three straight sub-par, injury plagued years. If the pitching and offense can continue on this path, this team could match or better the 2004 Red Sox, who won 98 games en route to their first World Series victory since 1918. All bets aside, this team is showing the collusion required to bring Boston its' third World Series title in eight years.

This Decade's MLB Top Picks

This is easily the longest post I have ever put up, but it also is one of the most interesting. Analyzing each of the past ten first-overall picks of the MLB First Year Player Draft's, it is amazing to see the hits and misses that teams have had with their talent evaluation. Each player's career, from high school up until currently, is highlighted through their statistics, background, and overall player profile. This comes the day after the 2011 draft began, where the Pirates selected Gerrit Cole out of UCLA as the first overall pick. Obviously it would take a long time to read this entire post, but at least skim it if you have a chance....

• Adrian Gonzalez (2000)

  • Gonzalez was drafted out of Eastlake High School in Chula Vista, California. The Marlins gave him a $3 million signing bonus, and he spent 2002 and 2003 playing for five different minor league teams. A mid-season wrist injury caused the Marlins to trade him to the Rangers, along with 2 other minor leaguers, for Ugueth Urbina. He appeared in 59 games for the Rangers in the 2004 and 2005 seasons. Following the 2005 season, he was shipped to the Padres with pitcher Chris Young and OF Terrmel Sledge for pitchers Adam Eaton and Akinori Otsuka. He proceeded to replace Ryan Klesko as the Padres full-time first baseman.

  • After posting a .304 average with 24 home runs in 2006, Gonzalez signed a four-year, $9.5 million deal with a $5.5 million option for 2011. He would be selected to 3 All-Star games, won 2 Gold Gloves, and hit .288 with 161 HR and 501 RBI in 5 full seasons with the Padres. Because of the Padres limited payroll, they were forced to trade him to the Red Sox after the 2010 season for minor leaguers Casey Kelly, Anthony Rizzo, Reymond Fuentes, and Eric Patterson. The two sides agreed on a seven-year, $154 million extension on April 15^th, 2011, which will make him a Red Sox through 2018.

  • Gonzalez has completely lived up to his number one selection status. Although the majority of his success came with the Padres, he was a key cog in three separate trades that netted both major league talent for contenders, as well as top minor league prospects. To date, his career average is .287, while hitting 177 HR and driving in 569 runs. His average major league season posts a .287 – 22 HR – 71 RBI line, as well as being one of the best defensive first baseman in the game. At his current pace, he is a likely Hall of Famer.

• Joe Mauer (2001)

  • Mauer was a three-sport star in high school for St. Paul's Cretin-Derham High School in St. Paul, Minnesota. He hit .605 in his senior season, and struck out only once in four full seasons. He was a two-time All-State point guard in basketball, averaging 20 points per game. Mauer was also a star quarterback, passing for 73 touchdowns and twice leading his school to the State Championship, winning one title. He was the 2001 Gatorade National Player of the Year for both football and baseball, and was offered a full football scholarship from Florida State, which he turned down. The Twins drafted him in 2001, and he was promoted to the Major League roster in 2004, replacing AJ Pierzynski as the starting catcher.

  • Mauer suffered an early season-ending knee injury in 2004, but returned in 2005 in full force, playing in 131 games while batting .294 with 9 HR and 55 ribbies. In 2006, Mauer completely broke out, becoming the first catcher to ever lead the majors in batting average at .347. He went on to receive four All-Star selections, the 2009 AL MVP award, won 3 batting titles, 3 Gold Gloves, and 4 Silver Sluggers. Before the start of the 2010 season, Mauer signed an eight year, $184 million extension to remain with the Twins through 2018. The home-town hero will more than likely be a Twin for life.

  • After much deliberation on whether Mark Prior was the more worthy first pick in 2001, Mauer silenced any critics with his 7+ stellar seasons for the Twins. He owns a .326 career average, along with 81 home runs and 476 RBI. He is not only the best hitting catcher in the game, but one of the best overall players in the league. He is a future Hall of Famer, and was an excellent selection by the Twins. And as a side note, Prior hasn't pitched in the Majors since 2007.

• Bryan Bullington (2002)

  • Bullington wasn't highly recruited out of high school, and only made a name for himself his senior season, going 15-0 and leading his team to a State Finals victory with a one-hitter. He was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 37^th round of the 1999 draft, but opted to instead attend college. He wound up at Ball State University, which was his father's alma matter. Larry Bullington, who is in the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame, scored 1747 points at Ball State, and was the team MVP his final two seasons (1973 & 1974). Bryan ended up spending three years at the University, and went 11-3 with a 2.86 ERA and 139 strikeouts in his final season. At 6'5, 225 pounds, Baseball America ranked him as the pitcher with “the best breaking ball and best command among all college pitchers”, leading to his first overall selection by the Pirates. He finished his college career with a 29-11 record, including 13 complete games and a 3.36 ERA. He remains the school's all-time strikeout leader with 357, and pitched as a member of the USA National team in 2001.

  • Bullington spent the 2003 season split between Hickory and Lynchburg, two of the Pirates' Class A ball teams. He pitched very well, going a combined 13-5 with a 2.52 ERA in 25 games. However, aside from a decent 2010 season with the Omaha Royals (KC's AAA team), that would be his peak of success. He spent 2004 through 2010 with five different minor league teams as a part of four major league franchises. The Indians picked up Bullington off waivers from Pittsburgh, and a month later he was waived again. He spent the 2009 season in Toronto's farm system, making 4 major league appearances and pitching a total of six major league innings. He was granted free agency after the 2009 season, and signed with Kansas City, the team that had originally drafted him. He rotated between Omaha and Kansas City all of 2010, but managed to pick up his first (and only) major league win in an 8-inning gem against the Yankees on August 15^th. However, the Royals released Bullington after the season, and he signed with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of the Japan Central League for the 2011 season. With his Major League career most likely over, he finished his career with a record of 1-9 and an ERA of 5.62.

  • Bullington seemed like a decent first pick at the time, especially with his pitcher's build and stifling command. But in hindsight, he was selected over a plethora of better talent, which is even more crippling to the worst franchise in all of sports. A few notable names taken after Bullington are: BJ Upton, Zack Greinke, Prince Fielder, Nick Swisher, Cole Hamels, Joey Votto, Matt Cain, Jon Lester, Jonathan Broxton, Brian McCann, and Curtis Granderson. Drafting Bullington was just another crippling blow to the lowly Pirates organization.

• Delmon Young (2003)

  • Young is the hot-headed younger brother of retired first baseman Dmitri Young, who spent 13 seasons in the Majors with four different teams, batting .292 with 171 home runs and 683 RBI. Dmitri was a two-time All-Star, and the 2007 NL Comeback Player of the year with the Nationals. Dmitri was also a first round pick in the 1991 draft, taken fourth overall by the Cardinals. Delmon, out of Adolfo Camarillo High School in California, was highly touted due to his strong outfield arm, as well as power-hitting presence at the plate. Unlike his older brother, he also possessed unnatural speed for his 6'3, 200 pound frame. Delmon cranked through the minors in Tampa's system, spending 2004 through 2006 with three different teams, batting a combined .318 with 59 home runs and 273 RBI. He also had 75 steals and 29 outfield assists, and was named Baseball America's 2005 Minor League Player of the Year. However, early in the 2006 season, Young threw his bat at the umpire after striking out, hitting him in the chest. He was suspended for 50 games without pay, mainly because it wasn't his first documented incident of umpire contact.

  • Young was called up at the end of the 2006 season to the Majors, and was both hit by a pitch and hit a 412-foot home run in his first game. He has since spent his career in the Majors, playing two seasons with Tampa, and the rest with the Twins after being traded during the 2007 off-season. Young finished his rookie season with a .288 – 13 HR – 93 RBI line, coming in second in the ROY voting to Boston's Dustin Pedroia. After the season, he was part of a multi-player trade which sent himself, Brendan Harris, and Jason Pridie to the Twins for Matt Garza and Eduardo Morlan. Young has played 447 games for the Twins to date, posting a career average of .288 with 60 home runs and 355 ribbies. His 2010 season has been his most impressive, as he finished 10^th in the AL MVP voting while batting .298 with 21 home runs and 112 RBI. He has split his time between left field and DHing for the Twins.

  • Young is currently the starting left fielder for the Twins, and shed 35 pounds during the 2010 off-season to improve his outfield speed. At only 25-years old, he still has time to improve his overall game, but has put up underwhelming numbers for a first-overall pick. He is a very good fielder, but his hitting is extremely volatile, and he has started off 2011 batting just .213 in 34 games. His most notable accomplishment after his impressive 2010 season was being the key part of the trade that sent Matt Garza to Tampa, who helped them reach their first World Series in team history. Since he is still only 25, the jury remains out on Young, but players such as Nick Markakis, Rickie Weeks, Aaron Hill, Carlos Quentin, Adam Jones, and Andre Ethier, who were all drafted after Young, have had much more significant Major League impact for their ball clubs. Although Young has solidified himself as a ML starter, he has yet to justify his first-overall selection.

• Matt Bush (2004)

  • Because of San Diego's “cheap” ownership, the team took local product Matt Bush out of Mission Bay High School first overall in 2004, giving him a $3.15 million signing bonus. Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus recently noted Bush's selection as the worst top-10 pick in baseball in the last ten years. He stated “Now that Bush is trying to remake himself as a relief pitcher with the Rays, he's destined to become the first position player drafted No. 1 overall not to reach the big leagues as a position player since the Mets selected catcher Steve Chilcott with the top pick in 1966 instead of Reggie Jackson. Don't blame the Padres' baseball people at the time. Kevin Towers and his scouting department had their eyes on Florida State shortstop Stephen Drew, as well as the top two college pitchers on the board, Justin Verlander of Old Dominion and Jered Weaver of Long Beach State. Ownership didn't want to pay big bucks, and when Bush, a local product, stepped in and said he would sign quickly, the wrong decision was made. Things went south quickly when he was arrested for his role in a fight outside a bar in Arizona before he even played a game. He hit just .219/.294/.276 in 223 injury-plagued games before moving to the mound, and scouts are not convinced that his plus-plus velocity will get him to the big leagues until he finds a second pitch and throws more strikes.” Bush had an impressive senior season in high school, batting .447 with 11 HR's and 33 RBI. He also was a starting pitcher, going 9-1 with a miniscule 0.53 ERA. Bush was named to USA Today's All-USA high school team, joined by current Major Leaguer's Justin Upton, Dexter Fowler, and Homer Bailey to name a few.

  • Bush remained at shortstop in the Padres' minor league system from 2004 though 2007, batting just .219 with 3 HR and 70 RBI. Even worse, he slugged only .276 with a .586 OBP, while making 76 errors in 236 games. The Padres quickly got fed up with Bush's lack-luster play and attitude, and moved him to the bullpen for their Arizona Rookie League team in 2007. He made 7 appearances out of the pen, pitching 7.2 innings and allowing just one earned run. Bush then tore an elbow ligament and didn't pitch in 2008, and before the 2009 season he was quickly traded to the Blue Jays after his arrest for a drunken assault on a high school campus in February. The Blue Jays released Bush less than two months later, citing an unknown violation of the team's zero tolerance behavioral policy. Bush signed a minor league contract with Tampa in January of 2010, and pitched decently in ten appearances with two minor league teams. He is currently pitching for Tampa's AA affiliate Montgomery, and has made 14 appearances in 2011, posting a 7.58 ERA with 11 walks in 19 innings. He is certainly destined for another release.

  • Bush is the definition of a “bust”. He has done nothing to justify being drafted by a Major League club at all, let alone first-overall. His diva-like attitude and immaturity have contributed to his lack of success, as predicted by former Padre GM Kevin Towers heading into the 2004 draft. Fortunately, the Padres learned from their mistake in future drafts, but Padres fans probably still lament over the players taken after Bush who have become excellent ML ballplayers. That list includes Justin Verlander, Jeff Niemann, Neil Walker, Jered Weaver, Billy Butler, Stephen Drew, Phil Hughes, Huston Street, Yovani Gallardo, Hunter Pence, Dustin Pedroia, Kurt Suzuki, Adam Lind, Ian Desmond, JJ Happ, and Chris Iannetta, all missed out on by the Padres' stingy ownership.

• Justin Upton (2005)

  • Just three years after his older brother BJ was taken number two overall in the 2002 MLB Draft, Justin was selected first-overall out of Great Bridge High School in Chesapeake, Virginia, at just 17 years old. Upton was USA Today's consensus number one prospect coming into the draft, and he signed with North Carolina State before electing to skip college for the MLB. In his senior season, Upton batted .508 with 12 HR and 95 RBI, finishing his high school career with a .498 – 27 HR – 95 RBI line. Upton wore number 9 in high school because Michael Cuddyer, the Twins utility man drafted ninth overall in 1997, also attended Great Bridge and wore 9.

  • Upton spent the entire 2006 season with Arizona's Class-A affiliate, the South Bend Silver Hawks. He played in 113 games, batting .263 with 12 HR and 66 RBI. He also fielded well, committing only six errors in center field the entire season. Upton was promoted to the Class-A advanced Visalia Oaks team to start the 2007 season, but after batting .341 with 5 HR and 17 RBI in just 32 games, the D'Backs bumped him up to AA Mobile for the remainder of the minor league season. Then, on August 2^nd, at only 19 years old, Upton was brought up to the majors to replace the injured Carlos Quentin. Upton helped lead the Diamondbacks to a three-game sweep of the Cubs in the 2007 NL Wild Card playoffs. As the team eventually was defeated in the NLCS by the Rockies, Upton batted .357 in the playoffs, while slugging a robust .571. He would be named the 2007 USA Today Minor League player of the year, and won the starting right field job in training camp the following season for Arizona.

  • Upton has yet to live up to expectations, but is still just 23 years old. He has hit .272 to-date in his Major League career, to go with 71 HR, 238 RBI, 52 SB, and a respectable .826 OPS. He earned his first All Star bid in 2009, but has performed poorly in the OF, leading the NL in errors by an outfielder in 2008, 2009, and currently in 2011. Upton is often speculated as a trade candidate, due to his poor fielding, and hasn't lived up to the “next Ken Griffey Jr.” tag that scouts put on him early in his career. He is too young to be considered a bust just yet, but when compared to the other talent taken in the first round of 2005, things are starting to look that way. Other notable first-round selections taken after Upton are Alex Gordon, Ryan Zimmerman, Ryan Braun, Ricky Romero, Troy Tulowitzki, Cameron Maybin, Andrew McCutchen, Jay Bruce, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Matt Garza, all of whom have contributed more on a Major League level to date. Upton certainly seemed like the easy choice at the time, but chances are if Arizona could go back in time, they would more than likely take Tulo or Braun over Upton.

• Luke Hochevar (2006)

  • Hochevar wasn't a huge prospect as a senior at Fowler High School in Fowler, Colorado. He was named the 2002 Colorado Division 2A Player of the Year, but opted to attend the University of Tennessee instead of signing with the Dodgers, who took him in the 39^th round of the 2002 draft, at 1,191 overall. Hochevar was stellar in his junior season, going 15-3 with a 2.26 ERA and striking out a school record 154 batters. After being named the SEC Pitcher of the Year, the Dodgers again selected Hochevar, but this time in the first round at 40^th overall. He would surround himself with controversy following the draft, switching agents twice in two days and renegging on an agreed $2.98 million signing bonus. Hochevar would spend the beginning of 2006 pitching for the Fort Worth Cats of the American Association independent league, but after just 4 starts, was selected by the Royals in the 2006 draft first-overall. This time, he was able to come to an agreement with his drafting team, signing a 4-year, $5.3 million contract to go with a $3.5 million signing bonus.

  • The 6'5 righty started four games for Class A Burlington in 2006, going 0-1 but with a 1.17 ERA and 16 K's in 15.1 innings. He would spend the 2007 season split between AA Wichita and AAA Omaha, making 26 starts and going 4-9 with a 4.86 ERA. His numbers were far from impressive, yet he made his ML debut against the Yankees in September, lasting just 3 innings while allowing 4 baserunners and no runs. He would make 22 starts for the Royals in 2008, but went 6-12 with a 5.51 ERA with an awful 47:72 walk-to-strikeout ratio. He was sent back down to Omaha to work on his control in the beginning of the 2009 season, but was quickly recalled and made 25 starts. His career continued on a pattern of complete inconsistancy. In his first game back, he lasted just two innings, but then threw an 80-pitch complete game against the Reds during interleague play. He finished 2009 at 7-13, but had the highest ERA of all starting pitchers in baseball at 6.55. He would miss the second half of the 2010 season with a strained right elbow, but managed to go 6-6 with a 4.81 ERA to begin the year. Hochevar was the 2011 Royals' opening day starter, but has gone 3-6 with a 5.25 ERA in 13 starts, and is currently second in baseball with 49 earned runs allowed.

  • After all the headaches he caused the Dodgers, one would've thought the Royals would see red flags surrounding Hochevar. But instead, they have wasted millions of dollars on a complete bust of a starting pitcher, who boasts a career 5.53 ERA and a 22-38 record. He is plagued by lack of control, often leading to starts where he lasts just four innings or less, and has lasted 8+ innings just six times in 78 career starts. To make matters worse, he was taken ahead of Evan Longoria, Clayton Kershaw, Drew Stubbs, Tim Lincecum, Ian Kennedy, and Daniel Bard, just to name a few. He can already be tabbed as a bust, and the Dodgers should consider themselves lucky they never managed to sign the wild-armed pitcher.

• David Price (2007)

  • There isn't really a case to be made against the Rays selecting Price first overall. Of all the players taken in the 2007 draft, Price has easily been the most successful, and has established himself as a front-of-the-rotation pitcher just three years into his career. The Rays have handled the 6'6, 225-pound lefty with the utmost of care, watching both his pitch count and overall innings. Price has been a star since his high school days at Blackman High in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, where he compiled a 0.43 ERA and 151 strikeouts over his four years on the team. After being named to the 2004 High School All-American Game, he elected to not sign with the Dodgers (drafted 568^th overall), but instead attended Vanderbilt on a full-academic scholarship.

  • Price pitched at Vandy for three seasons, finishing his college career as the 2007 Golden Spikes award winner. He went 22-10 in three seasons, with 441 strikeouts and setting every school and SEC pitching record imaginable. He left Vandy with the Dick Howser trophy, as a First-Team All-American, Brooks Wallace award, SEC Male Athlete of the Year award, and Collegiate Baseball's Co-National Player of the Year recognition. There was never any question that once he entered the draft, he would go number one overall.

  • Price has completely lived up to expectations thus far in his young MLB career. He has started 68 games to date, going 36-18 with a 3.32 ERA and twice helping lead the young Rays franchise to the playoffs. He earned his first All-Star selection in 2010, and was named the starting pitcher for the American League. He finished a close second to Felix Hernandez in the 2010 AL Cy Young voting, as he was second in the league with 19 wins and third in ERA. He currently leads the AL in wins in 2011, and boasts a league leading 5.9 K:BB ratio. A few notable names that followed him in the 2007 draft are Matt Wieters, Jason Heyward, JP Arencibia, Rick Porcello, Jordan Zimmerman, Mike Stanton, and Darwin Barney, but none have come close to making a major impact like Price has.

• Tim Beckham (2008)

  • Beckham was ranked by Baseball America as the top high school prospect in the country the year he was drafted one overall, and is a potential five tool player at the Major League level. Beckham played on the Griffin, Georgia high school JV team as an eighth grader, and never looked back. In his sophomore season, he batted .405 with five HR and 22 RBI to go with his 15 stolen bases, entering scouts' radar at only 16 years old. His junior season produced even more impressive results, as he batted .512 with 6 HR and 39 RBI, along with 20 steals and 6 triples. Beckham committed to the University of Southern California his senior year, but opted to enter the MLB when he was taken first-overall. He batted .500 his senior year, while hitting 5 HR, driving in 31 runs, and swiping 16 bags.

  • Beckham has already played for five different minor league teams in the Rays system, batting a combined .268 over 350 games. He has hit 16 HR and 168 RBI, and swiped 45 bags in his time between Class A and AA. His best season so far was in 2009 with Single A Bowling Green, where he hit .275 in 125 games, with 5 HR, 63 RBI, and 13 SB with a .717 OPS. However, Beckham was plagued by errors at shortstop, committing 43 in 117 games, which is an almost unheard of number at any level. His .937 fielding percentage in the minors has deterred any talk of his call up to the majors, and until he can solidify his defense, he will remain in the minor league system for the Rays.

  • Beckham has yet to appear in the majors, nor has he risen above AA, so the jury is still out. However, there is a significant list of players that were drafted after him that have made significant MLB impact for their clubs, including the likes of Brian Matusz, Buster Posey, Gordon Beckham, Ike Davis, and Danny Espinosa. Beckham could still develop into a certified MLB starting SS, but thus far, Buster Posey takes the cake as the best MLB player in the draft. Catching is at a premium in baseball, and the Rays surely could have used Posey over the likes of John Jaso and Kelly Shoppach. Beckham seems to have hit a snag in his development, and if he cannot overcome his fielding issues, he may never pan out as first pick worthy.

• Stephen Strasburg (2009)

  • In a draft where 15 pitchers were taken in the top 22 picks, everyone knew Strasburg would be the number one selection. ESPN called him the “most-hyped pick in draft history”, and he signed a record setting $15.1 million contract just 77 seconds before the deadline on August 17^th, 2009. Strasburg went 21-4 in two seasons at San Diego State, with a sub 1.50 ERA and an unbelievable 329 K's in 207.1 innings. He threw a no-hitter against Air Force in his final home start, striking out 17 batters in the effort. His only loss came in the NCAA Regional playoffs to Virginia, where he managed to strikeout 15 batters in just 7 innings, but received no run support. Strasburg was the only college player on the 2008 Olympic team, going 1-1 with a 1.67 ERA while leading the US to a Bronze medal finish.

  • Strasburg started the 2010 season at AA Harrisburg for the Nationals, but only needed 5 starts to prove he belonged in AAA. He went 7-2 in 11 minor league starts, with a miniscule 1.30 ERA and 65 K's in 55.1 innings. Strasburg was good enough to get his call to the Majors on June 8^th, 2010, in just his first professional season, and the result was dazzling. In his first start, he struck out 14 Pirates over 7 innings, while allowing just 4 hits, walking none, and giving up 2 runs in the win. His 14 strikeouts set a team record, and his summer continued in equally impressive fashion. Before being shut down for surgery in late August, Strasburg went 5-3 in 12 starts, posting a 2.27 ERA and 92 strikeouts over 68 IP.

  • It remains to be seen how Strasburg returns from Tommy John surgery in 2012, but expectations will still be sky high. There was and never will be any question that he deserved to be the number one pick in 2009, and even if he is hampered by injuries the rest of his career, no team would regret making him the first-overall pick. He has the size, talent, and poise to be a Cy Young pitcher in the Majors, and hopefully he will return from surgery with the same, if not better, pitching skills that made him the top pick in the draft.

• Bryce Harper (2010)

  • No one thought the hype over Strasburg could be topped, until it came to Bryce Harper. The Nationals hit the lottery by selecting the two in back-to-back years, as both are once in a decade talents. Harper may become one of the best players in baseball as soon as 2014. The kid was just 16 years old but throwing in the mid-90's, hitting 500+ foot HR's, and had first pick written all over him. He got his GED in his sophomore year of high school so he could play college ball in 2010. He played for the College of Southern Nevada, close to his hometown of Las Vegas, and was able to win the Golden Spikes award at a JUNIOR COLLEGE. He hit .443 in 66 games, driving in 98 runs with his 31 HR's, which broke the previous school record of 12. In the second game of the NJCAA College World Series, he went 6 for 6 with 4 HR's, a triple, and a double. However, he was ejected from the next game for arguing a called third strike, although replays showed the pitch was about a foot off of the plate. He would be suspended for the next game, which his team lost and resulted in their elimination from the tournament.

  • After his move from catcher to the outfield by the Nationals, Harper struggled in early 2011 at the plate. He eventually got contact lenses, and proceeded to hit .480 with 7 HR and 23 RBI in the next 20 games. As of June 7^th, Harper is hitting .342 with 14 HR and 42 RBI at Class A Hagerstown, and has made just 2 errors in the field. At just 18 years old, the Nationals are in no rush to promote him to the Majors, but they can only keep him in the minors for so long before everyone will be calling for his debut.

  • Harper is literally a once-in-a-lifetime talent. At 16 years old, he set the Tropicana Field record for the farthest home run, hitting a 502 foot bomb at a high school showcase event. He has already been named to an All-World Team in 2008, was named the 2009 Baseball America High School Player of the Year, and won the 2010 Golden Spikes award. He has dominated the competition at every level, and shown no signs of slowing down. His only fault can be his sometimes “showboat-like” attitude, but at 18 years young, not a whole lot more can be expected of the kid. It is impossible to predict what Harper's career will turn out like, but it is safe to say it is pretty damn exciting to see what he will do once he gets called up the The Show. ETA: September 2012

Shaquille O'Neal

It is impossible to sum up the illustrious career of Shaq in one article, but the numbers speak for themselves. His career faded as all great players' do, and in selfless fashion, he knew the right time to step away from the game. His 19 seasons are filled with league-leading stats, the highest of accolades, and four NBA Championships. O'Neal also won the 1992-1993 NBA Rookie of the Year, 1999-2000 NBA MVP, three consecutive NBA Finals MVP's, and seven All-NBA First Team awards. He won a gold medal in the 1994 Basketball World Championship for the US, to go along with a gold at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. He averaged almost 24 points and 11 rebounds per game over his career, and guided his team to the playoffs 17 times. He will forever be regarded as one of the best big-men in the history of the game, and the most dominant of his time. Shaq also was a voluntary police officer, released five rap albums, and made over a dozen movie and TV show appearances. He made just under $300 million in salary in his career, and walks away as a forever-remembered household name. His most serious and shortest press conference of his career was his retirement announcement, and just as he played the game for 19 seasons, he walks away as an honorable, respected, and fun-loving giant of a man.

Bruins - Canucks Roundup

There have been 19 NHL seasons since the last time the Bruins were in the Stanley Cup Finals. Eleven different teams have taken the Cup home, led by Detroit with four. The Bruins haven't brought a championship to Boston since the 1972 season, when they beat the Rangers in 6 games. In fact, the NHL has more than doubled in size since the last Bruins' championship, expanding from 14 to 30 teams. Two of the 14 happened to be in this year's match-up, being Vancouver and Boston. Although the Bruins are trying to end a 39 year title-drought, Vancouver has never won a Stanley Cup, and are making only their third appearance in the Finals since their founding in 1945. Their last appearance was in 1994, when the Pavel Bure-led Canucks were ousted by Brian Leetch and the New York Rangers in seven games. To put the time frame into perspective, Boston's Milan Lucic, who is a Vancouver native and former Canuck-faithful, was five years old the last time the time played for the Cup. Now, the 22 year old (who turns 23 on June 7th) will face off against his former home-town team as the Bruins seek their 6th ever Stanley Cup.
The Bruins and Canucks faced off only once in the 2010-2011 season, as the Bruins skated away with a 3-1 victory on the road. Manny Molhotra, who will return for the Finals after missing the second half of the season with an eye injury, netted Vancouver's only goal in the first period. Horton tied it up in the second, and Lucic scored the eventual winner, followed up by Bergeron's empty-netter late in the third. Lucic finished with 3 points, and Thomas stopped 27 of 28 shots, bettering Roberto Luongo's 22 stops. The teams are about as unfamiliar with each other as they could be, as they have faced off just four times in the past five seasons. The Bruins won three of the four, losing the 2009-2010 matchup in a shootout loss. Thomas, who didn't break into the NHL until he was 28 years old, has been stellar in his career against the Canucks. He has faced them three times, all of which were 2006 until the present, winning all three contests and stopping 97 of 98 shots (including two shutouts). The Michigan-native will most likely take home his second Vezina Trophy in the past three seasons, which is more than impressive because of the fact his first came at the age of 35.
The Canucks are led by the Sedin twins, Henrik and Daniel, who were drafted number two and three overall in 1999, and have never not played on the same hockey team. Daniel led the NHL with 104 points this past season, with Henrik following at fourth with 94 points. On the flip side, Henrick led the NHL with 112 points during the 2009-2010 season, and Daniel finished tied for eleventh with 85. The twins will face the Bruins as two thirds of the first line, along with winger Alexandre Burrows. The third scoring option on the Canucks is Ryan Kesler, who scored a league fifth-best 41 goals this season as the second line center. The team also features 50-point scorers in Mikael Samuelsson and Christian Ehroff. Ehroff anchors the second line's defense, but missed games four and five of the second round with a shoulder injury and is still listed as day-to-day. Samuelsson was lost for the season in the second round of the playoffs, requiring sports hernia surgery, and will be replaced by trade-deadline acquisitions Chris Higgins at LW on the second line. The offensive prowess displayed by Vancouver this season shows just how talented their forwards are, and they will be quite the challenge for the inconsistent Bruins defense. Although both teams feature goaltenders who have played excellent this season, expect a high-scoring series that could go either way in seven games. In the end, hopefully the Bruins will end their Cup drought and bring Boston it's seventh professional title since 2001.

Sean vs. Tyler Update

Updated through May 31, 2011. Without delving into the details, I am somewhat screwed.

Sexy They Are Not

Every year, rumors swirl around the Patriots regarding their usually low first-round draft pick, and what player they could take. In classic Belichick form, they always seem to pass on the "sexy" picks, the ones that had become household college football names. Does it pan out? Yes. For Pats fans, is the draft boring? Yes. But prior to 2011's draft, four of the Patriots' last six top picks are Pro Bowlers. The only true failure since 2005 is Laurence Maroney, and the jury is still out on Patrick Chung. Logan Mankins, Brandon Meriweather, Jerod Mayo, and Devin McCourty have all contributed in major ways to the success of the team (and yes, it is weird that five of the last six top picks have a last name beginning in M).
Enter draft 2k11. With three picks in the top 33, anyone with half a brain is predicting the Pats draft AT LEAST one legitimate pass-rusher, which was their key weakness last season. But just as they have done so many times, they make one surprising pick or move after another. The details are as followed:

Pick 1 - Round 1 / Pk 17 - Nate Solder, OT, Colorado

• Solder was one of four OT's taken in the first round, second to only Tyron Smith who went to the Cowboys at #9. Although Scouts Inc. ranked Solder as the third-ranked OT, he is easily the largest, and possibly most athletic offense lineman in the draft. At 6'8, 319 pounds, he is 3 inches taller and 15 pounds heavier than the average left tackle in the NFL, and his sub-5.0 forty-yard dash time is highly uncommon. Solder didn't miss a single game in college, and is known for living and breathing football. He was recruited out of Buena Vista High School in Colorado as a first-team all state tight end and defensive end, and ranked as the number eight high school prospect in the state. After moving to tackle the spring before his redshirt-sophomore season, Solder made 36 straight starts, and finished his illustrious college career as a top-3 finalist for the Outland Trophy.
• What does Solder's selection by New England foreshadow for the 2011 team? Unfortunately, it almost certainly spells the end to the Matt Light-era. At 32 years old, Light will likely be a well sought-after commodity on the free agent market, and with a future stud LT in hand, the Pats won't match any high contract offers by other teams. Solder virtually completes the Patriots' offensive line overhaul, which includes Sebastian Vollmer; and if they can get him on-board, Logan Mankins as well. Look for Solder to be an immediate starter, with Pro Bowl written all over him.

Pick 2 - Rd 2 / Pk 33 - Ras-I Dowling, CB, Virginia

• The only reason Dowling wasn't selected in the mid-first round was because he missed all but five games his senior year with knee and hamstring issues, and then broke his ankle. Aside from that, he missed one game in his first three seasons, and at almost 6'2, 200 pounds, is an ideal physical coverage cornerback. He possesses the size to cover Anquan Boldin/Brandon Marshall types, and the strength to blow up outside run plays that have killed the Patriots by the likes of CJ Spiller and LT. Scouts Inc. ranked Dowling as the #5 CB in the draft, but after the obvious consensus number one (Patrick Peterson), the jury is out on who the most successful in the group of Jimmy Smith (Ravens), Brandon Harris (Texans), Prince Amukamara (Giants), and Dowling will be. Known as an extremely hard worker and team leader, Dowling spent a year at Hargrave Military Academy after high school, playing DB and WR, as well as basketball and track. He is an overall outstanding athlete, and scouts compare him to Ike Taylor of the Steelers
• The Patriots will enter 2011 with Leigh Bodden and Devin McCourty as the solidified starters, but Dowling is an excellent candidate to take over the nickel-back role. Darius Butler and Kyle Arrington have been anything but reliable, and if Dowling can improve on his explosiveness, he will be a huge addition to a defense that lacks effective outside linebackers. His outside presence will allow the Patriots to overload one side of the offensive line in blitz schemes, instead of relying on OLB's for flat coverage. Dowling also provides much-needed injury depth to a team that has used Troy Brown, Jonathan Wilhite, Terrence Wheatley, Shawn Springs, Mike Richardson, and Lewis Sanders as cornerbacks in the past few years. Barring any injuries to Dowling or the two starters, he should be good for 40+ tackles, as well as a good amount of pass break-ups.

Pick 3 - Rd 2 / Pk 56 - Shane Vereen, RB, California

• This pick is a head-scratcher. Vereen is a quick, non-overpowering tailback with excellent pass-catching ability, much like Kevin Faulk and Danny Woodhead. He has a terrific head on his shoulders, fitting the Patriot pedigree, and has a nose for the end zone, scoring 18 touchdowns in his senior campaign. Scouts Inc. ranked him as the #9 running back in the draft, with his biggest weaknesses being lack of strength and agility. He has weak acceleration, but very fast top-end speed, running the 40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds at the combine. His skill set certainly fits the Patriots' usual game-plan, but doesn't exactly fit the team's needs as much as other available backs. The Patriots could have drafted every running back in the draft, as none had been taken when they traded the 28th overall pick to the Saints who took Mark Ingram. The Patriots either know something that no one else does about this kid, or they made an uncharacteristic reach for a player that probably would've been available in the third round.
• As hard as it is to imagine, Shane Vereen could very well be Kevin Faulk's replacement. They are almost identical in size and skill sets. Faulk is coming off a season lost to a torn ACL, and may have to fight for a contract in training camp. But with the roster as it stands now, Green-Ellis/Woodhead/Vereen look like they will play along the lines of a 40/40/20 percentage split. The Patriots like to have different personal to utilize depending on the defenses they are facing, and have no problem giving one of their backs the bulk of plays one week, and not using him at all the next week. They have featured four different leading rushers in the last five seasons, and their running back depth chart is as unpredictable as they come. Only Belichick really knows how much Vereen will see the field.

Pick 4 - Rd 3 / Pk 73 - Stevan Ridley, RB, LSU

• Although most "experts" may disagree, Ridley makes more sense than Vereen. He is a bruiser that measures just under six feet, and weighs 225 pounds. He ran a 4.66 at the combine, and is the epitome of a downhill, up the middle runner. Although he is on the slower end and does not possess any pass-catching talent, he can be nearly impossible to bring down, much like Brandon Jacobs. His size offers the potential of being a good pass blocker, but he has a lot to work on in that aspect of the game. Much like the parallel between Vereen and Faulk, Ridley looks a lot like Sammy Morris in terms of size and skill set. Ridley is a goal line beast, and will see his fair share of short yardage carries in 2011.
• Even for a team that takes the ultimate running back by committee approach, drafting two backs results in an extremely overcrowded Patriot backfield. Fred Taylor, Morris, and Faulk are all aging free agents, and it would be a surprise if more than one (if any) of the three are brought back. Ridley will play the bruiser/fullback role for the Patriots, and should be heavily utilized on special teams. Although Ridley graded out as a much later draft selection, he definitely fits the Patriots' needs.

Pick 5 - Rd 3 / Pk 74 - Ryan Mallett, QB, Arkansas

• Apparently, not many teams were high on Mallett. Scouts Inc.'s #6 ranked QB fell from an early first-round grade all the way to the third-round. The knock on Mallett is his off-field issues, and an extreme lack of speed. Teams were obviously concerned about his lack of mobility and decision making, resulting in the likes of Andy Dalton, Colin Kaepernick, and Christian Ponder coming off the board before him. However, it is impossible for me to not be bias about Mallett. He was hands down my favorite college football player over the last few seasons, and is a proven winner. There is no doubt that his personal issues will "disappear" under the tutelage of Brady and Belichick. His speed is of zero concern, especially in an offense that heavily relies on the pass. Belichick knows EXACTLY how to make late round QB steals, and this pick epitomizes that concept. Mallett has experienced pro-style offenses at both Michigan and Arkansas, and has an absolute cannon of an arm. He has the vision and intangibles to be a very successful NFL QB, and if the plan is to groom him under Brady, Patriots fans should feel very comfortable about the post-Brady future that looms.
• Mallett hopefully won't see the field this season unless it is in a blowout, because otherwise that would mean Brady is out. Mallett's career will head one of two ways. He will either be showcased in the preseason, and eventually spun for draft picks to a needy team, or will take the reigns from Brady in 2015. Brady stated last year he would like to play another ten years, but in today's NFL that is unrealistic and is much more likely he will retire prior to an immense drop off (Brett Favre style). Either way, Big Tex IS GOING TO BE a solid NFL QB in the future.

Pick 6 - Rd 5 / Pk 138 - Marcus Cannon, OL, TCU

• Cannon fell to the fifth round for just one reason: he has non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Fortunately, it is an extremely treatable form of cancer, with a better than 90% success rate in recovery. This wasn't discovered until his combine physical, and prior to the diagnosis would've easily been a Day 1 OT pick. Cannon is gigantic and quick for his 6'5, 358 pound frame. He has kept his nose clean and with work could become a consistent NFL starter. With his conditioning kept in-check and work on his awareness, Cannon could become a Pro Bowl-caliber tackle because of his size and athleticism.
• Marcus Cannon is much like the Patriots' selection of Sebastian Vollmer two years ago. Both possess monstrous size, and underdeveloped, raw talent. Dante Scarnecchia is one of the best at progressing and developing offensive lineman, and it is exciting to think of what he could make the likes of Solder and Cannon into. As Stephan Neal has retired, and questions surround Mankins' contract and Nick Kaczur's injuries, the Patriots are doing all they can to fill their OL depth. They now have 11 offensive lineman 28 years old or under heading into 2011, and their continued success relies heavily on the protection of Brady. Once Cannon is cancer-free, which should be prior to the start of the season, he will look to show the rest of the league just how much they underestimated his abilities.

Pick 7 - Rd 5 / Pk 159 - Lee Smith, TE, Marshall

• Lee Smith and Marshall were a perfect fit for each other. Smith was dismissed from Tennessee his freshman year after an arrest for a DUI, only to thrive as a student athlete at Marshall. He was a team leader and captain, and as relentless and tough on the field as they come. He will be utilized by the Patriots exactly as he was at Marshall, getting very few looks in the passing game, but a key cog as a blocker. The Patriots are all set as far as pass-catching tight ends go, so Lee fits in with the team well as the heir-apparent to Alge Crumpler in the TE3 role.
  

Pick 8 - Rd 6 / Pk 194 - Markell Carter, LB, Central Arkansas

• Carter has good size at 6-4, 248 pounds, and will work to play OLB for the Patriots. He was a defensive end in college, and tied for third on the team with 52 tackles his senior year. What impressed scouts, and the reason the Patriots took him, was his 19 tackles for a loss in the 2010 season. He also had 5.5 sacks and two forced fumbles, one of which he brought back for a TD. The Patriots will do their best to groom him into a pass-rushing specialist, and he will surely see the field on special teams somewhere down the road.
  

Pick 9 - Rd 7 / Pk 219 - Malcolm Williams, DB, TCU

• Williams was taken strictly for special teams depth, and may or may not make the roster. He played two seasons at TCU, recording 22 total tackles, 16 of which came on special teams. He will either shine on kickoffs and punts during the preseason, or will be an early roster casualty.