661

History was made last night. Alex Rodriguez hit home run number 661, moving him past Willie Mays and into sole possession of 4th place all time. 

It's been a bumpy ride of late for Rodriguez, serving his year long suspension last year for a positive steroid test. Then with the Yankees vowing not to pay him his bonuses for when he hit 660 & 661. For an athlete that could never stay out of the medias eye, he has done a remarkable job keeping calm and contributing at the ripe age of "almost 40." 

As a diehard Yankees fan, I've always loved A-Rod, the numbers he put up with the team, leading them to the World Series in 2009, and always being a great teammate. I grew up with he and Jeter on that side of the infield. The steroids hit me pretty hard, I guess you could say he was something of an idol to me prior to that. 

I still like A-Rod and think he's still got it, for the first time in years he has something to prove, he wants to show everyone age doesn't matter yet, and that he doesn't need performance enhancers. Regardless, Rodriguez was the single most gifted and talented baseball player in the modern era. Steroids don't make you hit home runs, you still have to have the ability to time a 96 mph fastball and hit it. Steroids just improve your focus and increase your muscle tone. 

 

There will never be another A-Rod, for better or worse, he changed the game. 

But as a Yankee fan, and a fan or baseball. Keep hitting Alex, keep hitting 

Money Mayweather

I had to wait to write this post until I knew for sure 48-0 was an actuality. It is, and it happened in dominant fashion. Floyd Mayweather completely dominated his opponent, Manny Pacquiao for just about the entire fight. 

Leading up to the fight last night, i noticed some things and brought them to my friends attention. The media coverage prior to the fight was so lopsided to paint the good guy, bad guy fight that was obvious. When showing pre fight clips, they would show Floyd throwing money around and talking about his cars. Then, they would show Manny holding a baby or walking around the Phillipines. The media needs that good versus bad to have a good storyline. 

Now let's get back to the fight, I never quite understood why anyone thought this would be an enjoyable fight. It pitted a defensive fighter against the "best puncher of this era," something had to give. Plus, the majority of Floyds fights have been defensive, so when at the end of the night Floyd doubled the punches landed and Manny was frustrated because he couldn't hit him, I knew what had happened. Floyd had discombobulated the best puncher of the era by not letting him get punched. It was a systematical dismantling of a great fighter. It was such a showing that people didn't know what to think, until the stats came out that showed Floyd dominated the entire fight. 

In the end, did this fight prove Mayweather is the best ever? No, but it proved that no one can touch him in this era, and it's not even close 

History on the line

The time is almost here. The most anticipated boxing fight of my entire life. Undefeated Floyd Mayweather goes up against Manny Pacquiao, the two best fighters of this generation are finally facing off after years of dodging each for numerous reasons. 

Mayweather comes in undefeated, but also having one of his tougher fights last time in the ring against Marcos Maidana. Manny has lost his last two fights and hasn't fought in almost two years. It's a classic battle of offense versus defense. 

Another aspect of this fight that absolutely blows my mind, is the revenue and pay outs. This fight only had 500 public tickets for sale, and they sold out in less than 60 seconds. The revenue from Showtime is going to be near 350 million to split between the two fighters. That's not including both of their endorsements. Mayweather will break his own record and bring home near or more than 100 million in pure profit for stepping in the ring. 

The media is having a field day with this fight, they've been waiting for 10 plus years for it to happen so now they are taking it and running. Stories are flying out everywhere, and every little thing each fighter says is reported. Both have been on Sportscenter 4 times in the last week and a half alone. When May 2nd rolls around it will all come to a head and we'll see who comes out on top. 

As an avid sports enthusiast, I'm rooting for history, i want to see Floyd go 47-0 and beat his toughest opponent yet. I love how he's approaching the fight, and how he's approached all of his fight, with the simple "I'm better than you" mantra. He knows he's the best and that Manny is the challenger. 

Come Saturday May 2nd, look for Money Mayweather to have his hand raised for the 47th straight time. 

The Masters

I waited until the final round had commenced at Augusta today to make sure history actually was made. 

21 year old Jordan Spieth ran the table, from the first hole on Thursday until the last hole today, he had the lead. He dominated the course, and in turn dominated his opponents. There hasn't been this dominant of a major tournament since the hey day of Tiger Woods. 

When Spieth was only 14 years old, he told a local reporter that one day he would win The Masters, and just 7 years later he accomplished that feat in the most dominant way possible. 

Golf hasn't been the same since Woods ran into his trouble a few years back, it's been floundering and searching for its cover boy. I think they just may have found that in Spieth, not many men can say they accomplished what he accomplished, and he's only 21 years old. 

This Masters tournament can be a huge day for modern day golf, dominance and history isn't performed easily. This very tournament can mark the new ear. 

The Jordan Spieth era. 

Opening Day

My entire life has been consumed by baseball. I played it since I was of age, and all through school. It was what i enjoyed the most, my favorite sport by far. 

Growing up, my dad and I would sit down after dinner and turn on the Yankees game. That was just what we always did. Now that I'm older and out of the house at college, opening day of baseball is my favorite time of the year. Seeing all of the fresh faces on new teams, and the rookies getting their first taste of the bigs is a great thing to see.

Baseball has played such a big part in my life, and will always continue to be part of my life. 

I've been a Yankees fan since I could talk, I eat, breathe and sleep Yankee baseball. With them not making the playoffs two consecutive years,(first time that's happened in my life) they made some moves in the offseason to try and end that drought. 

They acquired some new players at positions of weakness for the team, and I am excited to see how they contribute. 

The Yankees open Monday versus the Jays, and I will be glued to the television at 1:05. 

Baseball is back folks. 

Is Russell Westbrook Really the MVP?

The NBA is a game based upon the motto, "what have you done for me lately." The viewers and fans are all about the here and now, a player can have an outstanding run of games and all of a sudden they are on the front page of every paper, and the timelines and feeds off every fan around the country. Fans seem to discredit longevity, a player who can uphold a superb stat line for an entire year or more.
Recently, Oklahoma City Thunder Point Guard Russell Westbrook has been on an absolute tear lately, gashing defenses for 40 plus points and triple doubles left and right. He has single-handedly brought his below average Thunder team to a playoff seed without last years MVP Kevin Durant. However, with his recent run and domination, has he catapulted himself to the forefront of the MVP race? More so, has the media catapulted him to the forefront. It's all about what the media sees at the moment, and the very media that votes for MVP, is the same media that suffers from voter fatigue. Just like back in the Jordan days, voters got sick of voting for the same player year in and year out, so they began voting for other players. Jordan was always the best. So, is Westbrook really the best player right now?
A strong month, or string of games shouldn't set a player head over heels above the competition. A player who has performed at a high level the entire year, or for a few years should always be leading the pack. LeBron has been the best player on the planet for years now, and he is again this year, but he faces the same thing Jordan faced. Voter fatigue.
Stephen Curry, point guard of the Western Conference leading Golden State Warriors. James Harden, shooting guard of the Houston Rockets. LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers; winners of 18 of their last 21. Then there's Russell Westbrook, a player who has been tearing up defenses and posting insane stat lines, but his team is the 8 seed, barely in the playoffs.
So again it begs the question, is Westbrook really the MVP? Is he the MVP in the eyes of the media? Does the media's coverage of a certain player repeatedly alter the fans opinions on the MVP?
To me, MVP should never be "what have you done for me lately." A player should never lose because of voter fatigue. The system is flawed, and the media is at the forefront of it. If a player is the best player in the league, on one of the best teams, he should always be MVP, I don't care if he's won 10 straight. The best is the best.
They should be rewarded as such.
P.S. LeBron James should be the MVP...

The Combine

Year in and year out, the best college football players in the country take their talents to the NFL combine to showcase those talents for the scouts. This year, the talent is as good as ever, with players like Jameis Winston, Heisman winner Marcus Mariota, and Kevin White. However, this year is different, before the best players didn't always do the drills, the best quarterbacks didn't throw, the best running backs didn't run. But this year is different, the best players at each position all showed up, and all performed. 

I never really tuned in to watch the combine in years past because before it even started, the best players committed to not participating. What fun is that. This year I have been tuning in, and it's been great to watch. To see the best 19 and 20 year old football players in the country all perform together and run drills together. To see the throws the best quarterbacks were making, the greatest throws by Winston and Mariota. It's great for the game, with these players participating. 

In previous years, with the "best" players not participating, teams would draft based solely on college stats, and they would suffer the consequences by selectin a player who wasn't ready to play at the next level. 

The combine is a vital piece of the NFL, and this year hopefully is a stepping stone for years to come. The best players need to showcase their talents, and it's the best stage to do so. The talent would increase in the NFL, and their wouldn't be as many busts. The combine is as important as the draft itself. Come April,c we'll see where everyone goes. Stay tuned.