1. With the NBA Finals over attention now turns to the draft, which is this Thursday, June 26. Obviously the Cavaliers have the first pick but with Joel Embiid getting foot surgery last week there is a lot of speculation on what Cleveland will do with the first pick...what do you think they will do, and what do you think the should do?
Spencer-
I think that Cleveland will end up using the pick in some kind of trade, but they should take Andrew Wiggins. Obviously the Cavaliers favored Embiid over everyone after his work out with the team and I respect that. Unfortunately though taking him at number one now would be just a Cleveland move. I don't think they are going to do that, but I've heard so many rumors about them trading down so they can take him at four or five, which fuels my speculation that they trade the pick. I've said all along though Wiggins, in my mind, is going to be a great player. He was ready for the pros out of high school in my opinion and had he been able to come out then, he would have. I just think you don't want to be the team that passes on Wiggins, so in my mind you have to take him.
Ty-
Joel Embiid's injury is just untimely for him and it also sucks for the Cavs. I still believe that Joel Embiid can be a difference maker in the NBA but now it ruins a lot of things. Honestly what they probably should do is either trade the pick and draft Embiid later or draft Andrew Wiggins and trade Dion Waitors. I think there is a good chance that the Cavs do the second option and draft Wiggins but i don't know if they trade Waitors. I saw a few mock drafts that had them picking Jabari Parker and that wouldn't be bad if he plays small forward but if Parker is more like a power forward than they don't need another young guy to add to the roster in that spot.
2. The U.S. has soccer mania right now with the World Cup well underway from Brazil. With the heartbreaking draw with Portugal yesterday, do you see the United States advancing out of their group and into the elimination round of 16?
Ty-
That was a pretty frustrating ending to a brilliant game but we should still feel great about that draw. Yes I know that this is America and here in America a draw is like kissing your sister. But in Soccer it can actually be a good thing. USA is still in a good position to advance to the round of 16. It just would have been almost assured if they won yesterday. But still the U.S. can get in if they win, draw or if they lose by anything less than 4 and Portugal. It's a little more complicated than that but they could also get in if Ghana wins by only 1 and they only lose by one as well. So I think they will probably advance to the next round. It is just a matter of how. Honestly I think that U.S. and Germany will tie and both advance.
Spencer-
I'll be the first one to say I was stunned yesterday. I get real into these games for the U.S. and to see Portugal score that goal, side note it was a dirty goal, in the closing seconds was painful. I thought we had it man. Regardless I do think the U.S. will be okay, and advance out of the group but they do need some help. Obviously if the U.S. ties or wins against Germany then they are into the next round easily. But if they do lose they can still advance based on the goal differential with Portugal and Ghana. Obviously the U.S. holds the head to head win over Ghana as well so that helps their cause as well as long as Ghana doesn't win by 2 or more goals and the U.S. doesn't lose by 2 or more goals. For Portugal to advance, they need the U.S. to lose by a pretty large margin to Germany and they need to win by a large margin. Basically a close loss to Germany still has a high chance to put them through to the next round. Both games are at noon on Thursday so it should be an emotional couple hours there of flipping between games to see what is happening. Bottom line I still like the United States' chances, even though they probably should be in already....Let's not talk about it.
3. Last week Clayton Kershaw through his first career no-hitter in dominant fashion. Was his performance the best no-hitter of all time, and is there a better pitcher in the game right now?
Spencer-
This is a tough debate because obviously Nolan Ryan had some of the best no-hitters ever recorded and is the only other pitcher to have 15 or more strikeouts in a no-hitter. The most intriguing stats of Kershaw's no-hitter is that he didn't walk a SINGLE batter, making him the ONLY pitcher to ever earn 15 strikeouts and no walks in a no hitter. Now we may be having a much different discussion if Hanley Ramirez didn't commit that errors cause then we'd be talking the best perfect games of all time, but because of the no walks I think you have to put this up there as the greatest no-hitter of all time. In Ryan's three no-hitters with 15 or more K's he had walks of four, eight and two. No walks was impressive, but what was even more impressive to me was the fact that Kershaw recorded only THREE fly ball outs. That means only three balls were even hit to the outfield the whole game. Talk about a boring night for those guys haha. Regardless I have no doubt that this is arguably the best no-hitter of all time, mostly because it probably should of been a perfect game. Nonetheless, Kershaw is definitely the best pitcher in the MLB today and I'm excited to see him pitch for years to come.
Ty-
I think it might be the best pitching performance ever but it can't be the best no-hitter ever just out of principle. It's not his fault and i'm not holding it against him but it wasn't a perfect game. Hanley Ramirez ruined it for him so I can't give him that label. But individual pitching performance it is absolutely up there because of how many batters he struck out and somehow not walking a single batter.
5. What We Learned
Spencer: It's okay to be a casual soccer fan and still get into the World Cup
I am exactly that and am proud to admit it. Outside of the Olympics and World Cup do I find myself watching a lot of soccer...no. Hardcore soccer fans can judge me if they must, but even as a casual soccer fan otherwise, I love watching the world cup. Yesterday's United States vs. Portugal game was everything that is great about soccer. It saw a mistake leading to a costly goal. Great goaltending. An epic comeback. And a heartbreaking equalizer to shake things up a bit in group G. Although I was let down, I loved watching every second of the game. I hope that even the loyal soccer fans do appreciate everyone else borrowing their sport during this time of year because in reality I think it does make the rest of us appreciate it more as they do. Not only that but I think these events give our nation something to stand united around. Our nation is full of a number of professional sports, and even more teams in those sports, but in the world cup, we can all cheer for the same team. We can all wear the same colors. We can all share in the ups and downs of an emotional game like yesterday's was. It is just awesome. It is literally one nation coming together and one team carrying the hopes and dreams of so many back home on their shoulders.
Even more than that though it is easy to watch the other games as well. It is soccer at its highest level. The best players in the world playing for their home countries. It's great soccer and you can feel what each goal means to each nation individually. Maybe soccer isn't the most important sport in our country or the most popular, but bringing home the world cup would not only be celebrated here, but would even help with soccer's growth.
So thank you dedicated soccer fans everywhere for letting us jump on board with you, and hopefully the U.S. will shock the world. I BELIEVE...
Ty- Carmelo Deserves Chance To Explore Options
Many Knicks fans are felling some type of way after Carmelo not so surprisingly opted out of his contract. I saw mixed criticism on Twitter that ranged from people saying good riddance to people mad that he wasn't being loyal to the New York Knickerbockers. I know fans are angry but they should probably understand.
First we all knew Carmelo was going to be a free agent. He kind of said it at the beginning of the year that he was excited to be a free agent this year. Also the Knicks were bad and probably wont get better next year. Melo had no talent around him, and the ones he did have were hurt. The last thing is that this may benefit both parties. Most fans probably want Carmelo to stay but whats the point of having a max contract player on a bad team? Also for Carmelo it is going into his 11th year in the league and he can't really afford to be on a bad team at this point of his career.
This could help the Knicks because it could have the bad year it was going to have regardless of Carmelo being there and get a high draft pick. The Knicks would then get a high draft pick and then have money free to add at least 2 max players. Melo would obviously be better served on the Chicago Bulls or a different team with more set pieces in place.
That does all seem simple and it is in a way but it could always go in a different direction. The Knicks could get a raw deal if no free agent wants to play for them because they don't have an established star. Phil Jackson should be able to bring prestige with his proven winning ability.
My point is that Carmelo has been in the league for 11 years and this is the first time he's been a free agent so he deserves to be courted. He deserves to think about his future and make a decision for himself. Who knows? Maybe he will re-ign with the Knicks or maybe he'll sign with the Bulls and aim for a championship.
Spencer-
Ty-
Joel Embiid's injury is just untimely for him and it also sucks for the Cavs. I still believe that Joel Embiid can be a difference maker in the NBA but now it ruins a lot of things. Honestly what they probably should do is either trade the pick and draft Embiid later or draft Andrew Wiggins and trade Dion Waitors. I think there is a good chance that the Cavs do the second option and draft Wiggins but i don't know if they trade Waitors. I saw a few mock drafts that had them picking Jabari Parker and that wouldn't be bad if he plays small forward but if Parker is more like a power forward than they don't need another young guy to add to the roster in that spot.
2. The U.S. has soccer mania right now with the World Cup well underway from Brazil. With the heartbreaking draw with Portugal yesterday, do you see the United States advancing out of their group and into the elimination round of 16?
Ty-
That was a pretty frustrating ending to a brilliant game but we should still feel great about that draw. Yes I know that this is America and here in America a draw is like kissing your sister. But in Soccer it can actually be a good thing. USA is still in a good position to advance to the round of 16. It just would have been almost assured if they won yesterday. But still the U.S. can get in if they win, draw or if they lose by anything less than 4 and Portugal. It's a little more complicated than that but they could also get in if Ghana wins by only 1 and they only lose by one as well. So I think they will probably advance to the next round. It is just a matter of how. Honestly I think that U.S. and Germany will tie and both advance.
Spencer-
I'll be the first one to say I was stunned yesterday. I get real into these games for the U.S. and to see Portugal score that goal, side note it was a dirty goal, in the closing seconds was painful. I thought we had it man. Regardless I do think the U.S. will be okay, and advance out of the group but they do need some help. Obviously if the U.S. ties or wins against Germany then they are into the next round easily. But if they do lose they can still advance based on the goal differential with Portugal and Ghana. Obviously the U.S. holds the head to head win over Ghana as well so that helps their cause as well as long as Ghana doesn't win by 2 or more goals and the U.S. doesn't lose by 2 or more goals. For Portugal to advance, they need the U.S. to lose by a pretty large margin to Germany and they need to win by a large margin. Basically a close loss to Germany still has a high chance to put them through to the next round. Both games are at noon on Thursday so it should be an emotional couple hours there of flipping between games to see what is happening. Bottom line I still like the United States' chances, even though they probably should be in already....Let's not talk about it.
Spencer-
This is a tough debate because obviously Nolan Ryan had some of the best no-hitters ever recorded and is the only other pitcher to have 15 or more strikeouts in a no-hitter. The most intriguing stats of Kershaw's no-hitter is that he didn't walk a SINGLE batter, making him the ONLY pitcher to ever earn 15 strikeouts and no walks in a no hitter. Now we may be having a much different discussion if Hanley Ramirez didn't commit that errors cause then we'd be talking the best perfect games of all time, but because of the no walks I think you have to put this up there as the greatest no-hitter of all time. In Ryan's three no-hitters with 15 or more K's he had walks of four, eight and two. No walks was impressive, but what was even more impressive to me was the fact that Kershaw recorded only THREE fly ball outs. That means only three balls were even hit to the outfield the whole game. Talk about a boring night for those guys haha. Regardless I have no doubt that this is arguably the best no-hitter of all time, mostly because it probably should of been a perfect game. Nonetheless, Kershaw is definitely the best pitcher in the MLB today and I'm excited to see him pitch for years to come.
Ty-
I think it might be the best pitching performance ever but it can't be the best no-hitter ever just out of principle. It's not his fault and i'm not holding it against him but it wasn't a perfect game. Hanley Ramirez ruined it for him so I can't give him that label. But individual pitching performance it is absolutely up there because of how many batters he struck out and somehow not walking a single batter.
5. What We Learned
Spencer: It's okay to be a casual soccer fan and still get into the World Cup
I am exactly that and am proud to admit it. Outside of the Olympics and World Cup do I find myself watching a lot of soccer...no. Hardcore soccer fans can judge me if they must, but even as a casual soccer fan otherwise, I love watching the world cup. Yesterday's United States vs. Portugal game was everything that is great about soccer. It saw a mistake leading to a costly goal. Great goaltending. An epic comeback. And a heartbreaking equalizer to shake things up a bit in group G. Although I was let down, I loved watching every second of the game. I hope that even the loyal soccer fans do appreciate everyone else borrowing their sport during this time of year because in reality I think it does make the rest of us appreciate it more as they do. Not only that but I think these events give our nation something to stand united around. Our nation is full of a number of professional sports, and even more teams in those sports, but in the world cup, we can all cheer for the same team. We can all wear the same colors. We can all share in the ups and downs of an emotional game like yesterday's was. It is just awesome. It is literally one nation coming together and one team carrying the hopes and dreams of so many back home on their shoulders. Even more than that though it is easy to watch the other games as well. It is soccer at its highest level. The best players in the world playing for their home countries. It's great soccer and you can feel what each goal means to each nation individually. Maybe soccer isn't the most important sport in our country or the most popular, but bringing home the world cup would not only be celebrated here, but would even help with soccer's growth. So thank you dedicated soccer fans everywhere for letting us jump on board with you, and hopefully the U.S. will shock the world. I BELIEVE...
Many Knicks fans are felling some type of way after Carmelo not so surprisingly opted out of his contract. I saw mixed criticism on Twitter that ranged from people saying good riddance to people mad that he wasn't being loyal to the New York Knickerbockers. I know fans are angry but they should probably understand.
First we all knew Carmelo was going to be a free agent. He kind of said it at the beginning of the year that he was excited to be a free agent this year. Also the Knicks were bad and probably wont get better next year. Melo had no talent around him, and the ones he did have were hurt. The last thing is that this may benefit both parties. Most fans probably want Carmelo to stay but whats the point of having a max contract player on a bad team? Also for Carmelo it is going into his 11th year in the league and he can't really afford to be on a bad team at this point of his career.
This could help the Knicks because it could have the bad year it was going to have regardless of Carmelo being there and get a high draft pick. The Knicks would then get a high draft pick and then have money free to add at least 2 max players. Melo would obviously be better served on the Chicago Bulls or a different team with more set pieces in place.
That does all seem simple and it is in a way but it could always go in a different direction. The Knicks could get a raw deal if no free agent wants to play for them because they don't have an established star. Phil Jackson should be able to bring prestige with his proven winning ability.
My point is that Carmelo has been in the league for 11 years and this is the first time he's been a free agent so he deserves to be courted. He deserves to think about his future and make a decision for himself. Who knows? Maybe he will re-ign with the Knicks or maybe he'll sign with the Bulls and aim for a championship.
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