Cesar Valverde's New York Yankees friend's fan blogs

 I still can't believe Sheamus is the new WWE Champion. Mark my words when I tell Sheamus is nothing but a transitional champion. He will probably be champion for about a month and drop it back to John Cena or somebody else. The WWE won't have Sheamus as champion to much longer with Wrestlemania 26 around the corner. Not many people will buy Wrestlemania 26 for 55 or 60 bucks with a relatively unknown guy holding the WWE title. So if you're a Sheamus fan enjoy his title run now, because it'll be over before you know it.

Continue reading "Sheamus is a transitional champion!"

You never want to be the man that follows The Man. It's a much safer situation to be the man that follows the man that followed The Man. To follow a legend, almost always leads to a predictable demise. That legend, whether a player, coach, or general manager, has obviously set such a high level of expectation, that his successor really has no choice but to fail. This was the thinking for Atlanta Braves fans when John Schuerholz left his position of General Manager and put Frank Wren in his former place.

You see, over the run of 14 consecutive division titles, Schuerholz became as much of a respected icon as the Braves manager, Bobby Cox, himself. From the worst-to-first season in 1991 to the "Baby Braves" divisional title in 2005, seemingly every move Schuerholz had a hand in turned to gold for Atlanta. So when Frank Wren was named the new General Manager of the Braves in October of 2007, skepticism flooded through the Atlanta faithful. Now that it is coming up on the completion of his second full season as General Manager, let's take a look at what he has been able to accomplish.

Continue reading "Wren's Not So Bad After All"

Why aren't the Knicks doing something to better themselves this offseason?

Seriously.

The organization is so far up their butts looking into the 2010 season that they seem to care less about what is going on this year. Sure, they might be making all the right moves to give LeBron James the most money that is available to a player, but regardless of money, why would James leave when he won't have very many options around him.

He wants money, but more than anything, he wants a ring. And if he wins the 2009 NBA Championship, you better believe that he will not be leaving Cleveland.

Then what? Project LeBron becomes a failure. Tracy McGrady? I'm sure he would love to play in New York, but at the stage of his career, he wants a ring. Plus, didn't he flirt with the idea that he may retire once his contract is up?

Continue reading "What are the Knicks doing?!?!"

Try not to think about what might have been, cause that was then. And we have taken different roads. Those are lyrics from the song What Might Have Been, by the country band Little Texas. Please excuse me, as I have listened to this piece of music several times since I heard news of the Atlanta Braves trade of Jeff Francoeur.

Several weeks ago, I actually wrote an article claiming that it was time for the Braves and Francoeur to go their seperate ways, in hope that each party could find true happiness and success apart. That was my head talking. The part of me that wants what is best for the Atlanta Braves and their playoff chances. I never thought about the bond that had been formed between Frenchy and the Atlanta area.

Francoeur had lofty expectations placed upon his shoulders when he debuted for his hometown team in the summer of 2005. That season was supposed to be the year that the Atlanta Braves string of division titles came to an end. It was a transition year of sorts, with Atlanta integrating several rookies into prominent roles with their club. However, with instant contributions from the likes of Brian McCann, Kelly Johnson, Ryan Langerhans, Wilson Betemit, Pete Orr, Kyle Davies, and Francoeur, the team took the National League East crown for the 14th consecutive year. The group of youngsters were labeled the

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Steve McNair's untimely death has struck the hearts of Tennessean's and football fans all over.

Toughness. It's a quality that is not only wanted, but is of the utmost importance in the National Football League. Not many players had more of it than Steve McNair. He played with terrible knees, worn out legs, and even a ruptured sternum. Titans fans became spoiled being able to have a quarterback with such a high tolerance for pain. He was the Superman of the Tennessee Titans franchise.

Living in Tennessee for the past nine years, I have seen and read quite a bit about McNair, from his play on Sunday's to some off his off the field run ins with the law(mainly D.U.I's). I consider myself a fair-weather Titan fan, and for whatever reason, McNair was a very likeable figure in this state. Playing through injuries is always a great way to earn fans' respect, but there was something more to "Air McNair." Behind his facemask, there was a certain twinkle in his eye. He could often be found wearing a big smile and was always considered a consumate teammate during his tenure with the Titans. Even with the aforementioned D.U.I's, his reputation never took a hit in Nashville. Additionially, none of his problems with the law were ever related to violence, which makes the circumstances surrounding his death even more shocking.

Continue reading "A Fallen Titan"

With Atlanta's three game sweep of the division leading Philadelphia Phillies, the Braves find themselves only two games out of first place in the National League East.

I just got back home from Turner Field, and was fortunate enough to see the Braves break out the brooms against the first place Phills. To say Atlanta needed those three games, would be a huge understatement. After losing 6 out of 9 against the Yankees and Red Sox, the Braves were desperate to turn things around and at least give themselves a shot in the race for the N.L. East. There was no better time to get three wins than against a Philly ball club that beat them every time the two teams met at Turner Field in 2008.

Incredibly, the offense that has been so miserable all season, figured it out. Who knows, maybe it will be their most potent output of the year, and the bats will come back down to earth. Make that below the earth, because they have not been good enough to be called mediocre until this Phillies series. Martin Prado became a catalyst for a club that has had only three solid hitters this year( Chipper Jones, Brian McCann, Yunel Escobar). Prado nearly won the first game of the series by himself. He went 4-5 and drove in four runs, including the game-tying and game-winning RBI's.

Continue reading "The Braves are Back..... Maybe."

The Braves rookie has become the team's "stopper."

When Atlanta called Hanson up to make his Major League debut against the Milwaukee Brewers on June 7th, expectations were sky high from people all over the league. The heralded righty turned in a rather sub par performance that day, but since then has been very R.O.Y.-esque.

His next start against Baltimore he allowed 2 earned runs, and those would be the last two he has given up to date. His consecutive scoreless inning streak is up to 21, which is no small feat for any pitcher, much less a rookie. Those 21 innings have come against some pretty solid offenses such as the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. Ever heard of those teams?

What most people have already forgotten, is that Hanson is the main reason that Tom Glavine was cut. Some blamed it on those tight wads at Liberty Mutual, and the one million dollars that would have been owed Glavine had he been placed on the active roster. The real story was, Atlanta needed a fifth starter. Jo-Jo Reyes had been getting drummed every outing and Kris Medlen was a stopgap until the decision was made between the two Tommy's. Braves management deemed Hanson the most suited to fill out the rotation, and so far, he has made them look pretty smart.

Continue reading "Tommy Hanson Continues to Impress"

The Bronx Bombers unleashed their fury in Atlanta, Georgia for two nights this week.

As an avid Braves fan, I should have known it was far too good to be true. The first game and a half of a three game set went as perfect as a game and a half could go for Atlanta. They shut out a 200 million dollar lineup for 14 straight innings. Hell, Kenshin Kawakami and Kris Medlen had combined for a perfect game for the first five innings of the second game. Then, the law of averages caught up with the Braves.

You see, winning those 14 consecutive division titles from 1991 to 2005 really has us screwed now. Having Cy Young Award winners filling the rotation for all those years has simply caught up to the Braves. And now, Atlanta cannot get the ball to take a single bounce their way. And in a game of inches, one bounce means a lot.

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Cleveland, don't start planning the first Cavaliers victory parade in franchise history for 2010 just yet. Shaquille O'Neal is far from the answer.

One of the first things I heard when O'Neal was dealt, is that Cleveland now has a low post scoring option. I cannot argue with that. Shaq can still be a valuable contributor when he is on the floor. There is no doubt, if he can stay healthy over an entire year, a 20 and 10 campaign is certainly not out of the question. He put up a very solid 17.8 points per game along with 8.4 rebounds per game last season. He is entering a contract year,  and perhaps that motivation can provide a little improvement in both areas.

Motivation can only go so far though. Contract year motivation cannot do anything if Shaq is in a snazzy suit on the sideline. Before last season, in which he played in 75 games, O,Neal was on a definite downward spiral. In 2006-07 he played in 40 games, followed by a 33 game year, and then in 07-08 he played a measly 28 games. In fact, O'Neal's 75 game year this past season, was the most games he had appeared in since the 1999-2000 campaign. Not to be pessimistic, but as a guy that believes in the law of averages, Shaq is due to miss some serious time next year. He is a 37 year old, 325(generous) pound man that has carried and thrown that weight around more last year than he has in any of his previous 10 years. It will be defying the odds if Shaq plays in more than 50 games next year. Bottom line.

Continue reading "Why Shaq Is No Final's Ticket for Cleveland"

The Colorado Rockies, a team that went from the N.L. West cellar to just a half a game out of the wildcard spot, have won nine of their last 10 games. They have gone from hosting an 18-28 record to currently standing strong at 37-33.

Better yet, they have won 17 of 18 games, very much similar to the run to the World Series just two years ago. Colorado is 19-5 under head coach Jim Tracy and is 8-2 in interleague play, the best in the majors by percentage points. They have also won nine games in a row on the road, which is unheard of based on previous history.

Surprised? Well, you shouldn’t be. This is what should be expected, even with the off-season departure of Matt Holiday.

Ladies and Gentlemen, this is no fluke. No one ever seems to take the Rockies seriously, which in 2007, and now, has provided an advantage, which has led to six-straight series wins. Also, a lot of the great play has been catered to Tracy. Since he has taken over, the team seems to be playing much looser, and are smiling more, which is evidence that they are having fun on the diamond.

Continue reading "Surprised with the Rockies? Well, you shouldn't be!"