2013 Hall of Fame Inductees

No one on the BBVAA Ballot Will Be Included In This
Years Plaque Section In Induction Row
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For only the time eighth ever and first since 1996, there was not one player elected by the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) to become a Baseball Hall of Famer. 3000 Hit Club Member Craig Biggio was the leading vote-getter in his first year of eligibility with 68.2%. Steroid allegations affected players in their first year on the ballot. Those include Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Sammy Sosa, who all received 36.2%, 37.6%, and 12.5% respectively. Their will be players inducted into the Hall of Fame who were voted in by Veteran Committee a few weeks ago (Who we will talk about later). There are many players who are on the cusp or are not getting the support they deserve. Here are some of the more notable and interesting players who will be on the ballot next year.

Craig Biggio

If I am Craig Biggio, I would not be worried, unlike second place vote Jack Morris. He only needs 39 more votes to become a Hall of Famer and has 14 years to get it. That is more than enough time for Biggio. 

Jack Morris

Jack Morris is another story. Morris only three votes less then Biggio, however, he is in his 14th year of eligibility. He has one more year to make and I am not sure if he can. I am unsure if I would vote for him, considering there are other players who are more deserving.

Tim Raines

Tim Raines
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I believe that Tim Raines is a definite Hall of Famer. He has had a steady rise after getting only 24.3% in 2008 and 22.6% in 2009. It started with Raines getting 30.4% in 2010 then 37.5% in 2011 followed by 48.7% in 2012 and finally 52.2% in 2013. He has a career WAR of 66.2, 2605 hits, .294 batting average, .385 on-base percentage, 1571 runs, 808 stolen bases, and 1330 walks. Those are Hall of Fame numbers, especially the steals. One of the best base stealers of all time should have already made it into the Hall. Since he has not, it should not be soon before he is standing at the podium giving his acceptance speech.

Lee Smith

Only a select group of closers make it to Cooperstown, and Lee Smith should be one of them. He was once the career leader in saves with 478 before Trevor Hoffman and Mariano Rivera. He has 178 more saves then Bruce Sutter and 168 more then Goose Gossage. He also had 1251 strikeouts, 3.03 ERA, and 1.256 WHIP during his 18 year career. Lee Smith was a consistent and dominant closer who put fear into the hitter's when he went to the mound.

Inductees Inducted By The Veteran Committee: Hank O'Day, Jacob Ruppert, and Deacon White

Hank O'Day
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Hank O'Day was elected in as an umpire, but was also a pitcher for seven years before umping and also managed for two years. O'Day is known as one of the greatest umpires of all-time and is finally getting his recognition. He was an umpire for 35 seasons, second only to fellow Hall of Famer Bill Klem, and was an umpire in ten World Series, tied for first with Klem. He received fifteen of the sixteen votes possible.

Jacob Ruppert was the co-owner of the New York Yankees from 1915-1922 and then owner of the team from 1922-1939. During his tenure, the Yankees went from a middle of the pack  to a successful franchise. The team went from zero World Series appearances and World Series championships to ten World Series appearances and seven World Series titles (Note: Ruppert passed away before the 1939 season, in which the Yankees won the World Series). His biggest accomplishments include signing Babe Ruth in 1920 and the building of Yankee Stadium. Ruppert also received fifteen of the sixteen possible votes.

Deacon White played in the majors for twenty years from 1871-1890. White caught more then 400 games without a glove and the luxury equipment we have today. White had the first ever hit in a major league, in the first ever game of National Association in 1871. He has a career batting average of .312 and 2067. He had a great season in 1877, leading the league in batting average (.387), slugging percentage (.545), OPS (.950), hits (103), RBIs (49), triples (11), and total bases (145). White won SABR's 2010 Overlooked 19th Century Baseball Legend. White received fourteen of the sixteen votes possible.

Barry Bonds

Barry Bonds's Difference In Body Size
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Barry Bonds is a first ballot Hall of Famer, without a doubt...if there are no steroid allegations. Since there are and he admitted to unknowingly using steroids. That turns me away from voting for Bonds for the Hall. However, he didn't use steroids for all of his career. According to a a book, Game of Thrones, by Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams, he started using steroids after the 1998 season. When you look at his stats from 1986 to 1998, he had 411 homers, 1216 ribbies, 445 steals, a .290 batting average, .411 on-base percentage, and .556 slugging percentage. He had 3 MVP's in 1990, '92, and '93. Those are define Hall of Fame numbers. Barry Bonds was a Hall of Famer before the steroids and should be rewarded for that.

2012 NFL Awards Winners

MVP: Adrian Peterson, Halfback, Minnesota Vikings

Adrian Peterson

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Peterson has had a career year that is defiantly worthy of the MVP. He had over 2000 yards on the season, only the seventh player ever to reach this plateau. He came within nine yards of owning the record for most rushing yards in a season. This happening after tearing his ACL and MCL last December. Without Peterson, there is a very little chance that the Vikings would have made the playoffs and it is doubtful they would even have a winning record. Not only do his stats add up so does his on-field play. He was a dominating force all year, leaving many tacklers asking "What happened?" and astonishing everyone with 80+ yard runs. Peterson's performance this year is worthy of the MVP, much more then any other candidate.

Offensive Player of the Year: Adrian Peterson, Halfback, Minnesota Vikings

I don't think anyone else had the season like Peterson.  I could go with any of the elite quarterbacks, but Peterson's season stood out more then anyone else, except Lions' wide receiver Calvin Johnson, who if his team performed better, he would have gotten the award. 

Defensive Player of the Year: JJ Watt, Defensive End, Houston Texans

Watt has been a monster on the defensive line, wreaking havoc on opposing offensive lineman and quarterbacks. He is the league leader in sacks with 20.5.  This is two sacks behind the single season record held by Michael Strahan. His sack yards of 139, is second only to the 49ers' Aldon Smith's 145. When he was not getting to the quarterback, he was still affecting passes, deflecting sixteen thrown passes. That is the most for any non-defensive back. Watt also had four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and 81 combined tackles. He had an outstanding year and should be rewarded for it.

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Andrew Luck, Quarterback, Indianapolis Colts

Robert Griffin III, Andrew Luck, and Russell Wilson

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This is no doubt this is the hardest award to decide. There are three great rookie quarterbacks that stand a head above the rest (Shout out to Redskins' RB Alfred Morris, second in the league in rushing, who in any other year would be a top candidate) They are Andrew Luck of Indianapolis, Robert Griffin III of Washington, and Russell Wilson of Seattle. All three led teams that were not in  the playoffs in 2011 to playoff spots in 2012. Each has been a prime performers at big spots in big games. Luck had the bigger shoes to fulfill then RGIII.  Wilson and his team had a drastic change from 2011 to 2012. The Colts won nine more games with Luck, while the Redskins won five more games with Griffin III, and the Seahawks won four more games with Wilson. Luck also had the worst running game of the three and had to pass the ball more. RGIII and Wilson both had 393 pass attempts, while Luck had 627 attempts. Luck had to do more and did it in a much more complex system then RGIII and Wilson. What might hurt Luck in the end is his turnovers of eighteen picks and ten fumbles. This year, I would be surprised to see co-Offensive Rookies of the Year. It happened in 1980 when two players won the Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Luke Kuechly, Linebacker, Carolina Panthers

Kuechly was a tackling machine in college and he hasn't missed a beat in the NFL. The Panthers Middle Linebacker was the league leader in combined tackles with 164 tackles. That is fifteen more tackles then the runner-up, San Francisco's NaVorro Bowman. He is seventh in the league in total tackles with 103 and is tied for first place in assisted tackles with 61 with Washington's London Fletcher. Kuechly also had two interceptions and three fumble recoveries. Kuechly is a star and in a few years will be the best linebacker in the game.

Coach of the Year: Bruce Arians, Indianapolis Colts

Bruce Arians

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Arians was not the coach at the start of the season, nor at the end, but he is the only guy I can think of who deserves this award. When head coach Chuck Pagano was diagnosed with leukemia after the week three game against Jacksonville, Arians took the rians while Pagano went into treatment. In his first game as coach, the Colts stunned Green Bay Packers 30-27. That was the start of a 9-3 run as head coach. Pagano came back for the last game of the season. Not only did Arians lead the team through tough times, he was a main reason last year’s worst team in the league is in the playoffs. He should get consideration for any of the head coaching jobs that open up in the off-season. I do not know if he will accept any offers, though. 

Comeback Player of the Year: Peyton Manning, Quarterback, Denver Broncos 

Is this even a question? After missing the whole 2011 NFL Season due to neck surgery, Manning has come back on a new team and has led them to the number one seed in the playoffs. Peterson only missed one game last season, while Manning missed all sixteen. He has made the whole team better. Not only that, he is having a great season. He has 4659 passing yards, 37 touchdowns, a 68.% completion percentage, a 84.1 QBR, and a 105.8 passer rating. Many were unsure if he could return to his elite level of play. He defiantly has returned to that level.

Top 5 Players In College Basketball So Far

After a great weekend in college basketball, the season looks to be heading into the in conference season. No more one-sided affairs between top teams and the bottom of the pack mid-majors. It is time for even match-ups between rivals with the best teams and players.  I have decided to ranked the top five players in college basketball so far. So, here are my top five players.

Jeff Withey
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Jeff Withey

Kansas' Withey made a name for himself in last year's NCAA Tournament. In last year's Elite Eight game against UNC, he had 15 points and 8 blocks. That was one of his four games in the Tournament with 7+ blocks. This year he is proving his tournament performance was not fluke. This year, he is averaging 14.1 points per game, 8.3 rebounds per game, and 5 blocks per game (Second in the country). He is team leader in rebounds and blocks and is second in points. He is a block shot machine. In their most recent game against then ranked #7 Ohio State Buckeyes, he led the Jayhawks to a victory with 14 points and 10 boards. Withey is a player I would love to build a college team around. He is a defensive force in the paint who can score and rebound the ball, too.

Michael Carter-Williams

Carter-Williams is the top true point guard in nation. He has had only four game where he has had less then 10 assists. He averages 12.4 points per game and 10.3 assists per game. He is the only player that currently averages 10+ assists. They need him to play well to win, evident by their most recent game, a loss to Temple. He did have 13 points, but was a dreadful 3-17 from the field and 7-15 from the line. He also only had four assists. Carter-Williams is the key to Syracuse's success this season.

Mason Plumlee
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Mason Plumlee

Plumlee is the best player on the nation's #1 ranked team, Duke. Without Plumlee, they would not have started off so well. He is averaging a double-double, with an average of 19.3 points per game and 11.5 rebounds per game. He is also shooting an excellent percentage at .641%. Against the #2 ranked  Louisville, he had 17 points and 7 boards and when facing then #4 ranked Ohio State, he had 21 points and 17 rebounds, five of them offensive rebounds. He is a very good player who should be a great leader for the Blue Devils this season.


Doug McDermott

The 2012 First Team All-American returned to Creighton for his junior season and is currently lighting up the court. He is averaging 23.1 points per game (Third in the nation), 6.8 rebounds, and is shooting very efficiently. He is shooting .549 from the field, .509 from behind the arc and .873 from the charity stripe.  Facing Wisconsin, he had 30 points and 8 rebounds and when facing Cal, he had 34 points and 9 rebounds. McDermott should continue to be a top player in the country.

Cody Zeller
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Cody Zeller

Zeller is the best player on the highly ranked Indiana Hoosiers team. He currently averages 16.4 points per game and 8.1 rebounds per game. He shooting percentage from the field is .626 and from the free throw line is .708. When Indiana beat Georgetown, the 7'0'' Zeller had 17 points and 8 rebounds and against UNC, he had 20 pints and 8 rebounds in the victory. Unlike the other players in this group, I believe Zeller has underperformed this season. He should have had more performances like he had against Central Connecticut State, when he 19 points and 19 rebounds. Now that he will be facing Big Ten competition game in and game out, he needs to be a real leader. I expect him to become an even better player as the season goes on. He should end the season averaging a double-double.

Bowl Predictions For 2012-13

Top 5 Bowls Games This Year

Eddie Lacy
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1. The BCS Championship is always a good game. This year it is bound to be a slugfest between two defensive minded teams, the defending national champions, the Alabama Crimson Tide and the undefeated Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Both teams have top defenses that will keep each opposing team's point totals very low. The difference makers will have to be on offense. Alabama's QB AJ McCarron has been in this situation before and will be outstanding in the game. The two-headed running attack of Eddie Lacy and TJ Yeldon have a combined 27 touchdowns this season. Alabama's top offensive players don't even touch the ball. They have the best offensive line in the nation. The Notre Dame offense doesn't have real stars, except for maybe Theo Riddick. When Riddick is going, the team is going to be more efficient. The game will be decided by who can break through the opponent's defense.

2. The Fiesta Bowl is the best BCS Bowl excluding the championship. It features two teams that less then a month ago were pitted to play in the National Championship. They are the Oregon Ducks and the Kansas State Wildcats. Both teams offensive's start with the run game. Oregon has two of the top runners in the nation, Kenjon Barner and DeAnthony Thomas. Kansas State's Collin Klein is a great dual-threat QB. This game will be decided by whose defense can keep the opposing offense in check. If either defense let's the QB make plays, there will be a lot of quick scores. 

Johnny Manziel
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3. In my mind, the Cotton Bowl Classic is a BCS Bowl, without the BCS label. Last season, the teams in the Cotton Bowl had higher BCS rankings then the teams in both the Sugar and Orange Bowl. In 2011, it had two top 17 teams. This year is no different. It has two high profile schools, with high-profile QBs. Landry Jones and the Oklahoma Sooners against Heisman winner Johnny Manziel and the Texas A&M Aggies. This match-up is a main event anywhere. What adds to the game is that Texas A&M left Oklahoma and the Big 12 to go to the SEC before the season. Oklahoma is not just representing themselves, they are representing the whole Big 12. The game is bound to be a thrilling shootout. We will see who will come out on top, the Faboulous Fresman Johnny Football or the Stout Senior Landry Jones. 

4. The Capital One Bowl always has a good match-up and this year is not an exception. On New Year's Day, the Georgia Bulldogs and the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Both lost in their conference title games, with Georgia losing a heartbreaker and Nebraska getting blown out of the stadium. Both teams have very good QB's who have very different styles. Georgia's Aaron Murray is a skilled pocket-passer who has a very good arm. Taylor Martinez of Nebraska is a top dual-threat QB in the nation. The difference in the game will be Georgia's great defense led by LB's Jarvis Jones and Alec Ogletree. Both are in my top three LB's in the nation. They will decide the game.

Kolton Browning
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5. Independence Bowl has two very good mid-majors teams, the Ohio Bobcats and the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks, pitted against each other. Louisana-Monroe shocked the nation by defeating Arkansas early in the season. Ohio started the season 7-0, but lost four of their last five games. This would be a good game to end that slump. Ohio's offense starts with RB Beau Blankenship. The junior HB has exactly 1500 yards on the season and averages 5.1 yards per carry on the season. Louisiana-Monroe's QB Kolton Browning leads the offense in both passing and rushing yards, with 2830 and 441 respectively. To win, the ULM QB needs to get the ball to his top receiver, Brent Leonard, who has over 1000 yards receiving on the season with 10 TDs. The winner of this game will need to take an early lead and count of their defense to stop the other team, while they score.

Bowl Predictions

Gildan New Mexico Bowl: Nevada def Arizona

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl: Utah State def Toledo

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl: San Diego State def BYU

Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl: UCF def Ball State

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: East Carolina def Louisiana-Lafayette 

MAACO Las Vega Bowl: Boise State def Washington

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl: Fresno State def SMU

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl: Western Kentucky University def Central Michigan

Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman: San Jose State def Bowling Green

Belk Bowl: Cincinnati def Duke

Bridgeport Education Holiday Bowl: UCLA def Baylor

Advocare V100 Independence Bowl: Ohio def Louisiana-Monroe

Russell Athletic Bowl: Rutgers def Virginia Tech

Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas: Texas Tech def Minnesota

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl: Air Force def Rice

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl: Navy def Arizona State

New Era Pinstripe Bowl: West Virginia def Syracuse

Valero Alamo Bowl: Texas def Oregon State

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl: TCU def Michigan State

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl: NC State def Vanderbilt 

Hyundai Sun Bowl: USC def Georgia Tech

Autozone Liberty Bowl: Tulsa def Iowa State

Chick-fil-A Bowl: LSU def Clemson

TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl: Mississippi State def Northwestern

Heart of Dallas Bowl: Oklahoma State def Purdue

Capital One Bowl: Georgia def Nebraska

Outback Bowl: South Carolina def Michigan

Rose Bowl presented by Visio (BCS): Wisconsin def Stanford

Discover Orange Bowl (BCS): Florida State def Northern Illinois 

Allstate Sugar Bowl (BCS): Florida def Louisville

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl (BCS): Oregon def Kansas State

AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic: Texas A&M def Oklahoma 

BBVA Compass Bowl: Pittsburgh def Ole Miss

GoDaddy.com Bowl: Kent State def Arkansas State

Discover BCS National Championship (BCS): Alabama def Notre Dame 

The Cleveland Cavaliers Woes So Far

The Cleveland Cavaliers have only four wins compared to seventeen losses. The team has a record worse then the Detroit Pistons, the Orlando Magic, and the Charlotte Bobcats. After a  looking promising last year, Cleveland looked ready to at least compete for a playoff spot. They have taken a turn for the worse. I am very surprised by their downfall especially with the play of  certain players.

Anderson Varejao
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The team is getting very good production from it's best players. C Anderson Varejao is having a breakout season, averaging about 14 ppg and a league-leading 15.2 rpg. Of his 15.2 rpg, 6.1 of them are offensive boards. He is a candidate for NBA MVP and Most Improved Player. SG Dion Waiters, the fourth overall pick in the 2012 Draft, is averaging about 15 points a game. PG Kyrie Irving, last season NBA Rookie of the Year, is the team leader in points and assists per game with about 22 and 5 respectively. PF Tristin Thompson is also averaging about eight points and seven points per game.

Kyrie Irving broke his left index finger ten games into the season. Since then they have gone 2-10. They have beaten the Atlanta Hawks and the Philadelphia 76ers, both playoff teams, during this stretch. But, without Irving, they have lost to the 8-12 Portland Trailblazers the 7-12 Orlando Magic, the 7-14 Phoenix Suns, the 7-15 Detroit Pistons twice. You can't lose all five games against these teams. That is asking for trouble.

Cleveland's offensive has been OK, nothing spectacular, but not horrible. The defensive has not been very good. They are last in the league in opponent's field goal percentage with almost .490 percent. The reason is that  they do not have a shut-down defensive player. They really need someone with length on the outside to guard a team's best wing player. They gave up 26 points to Kevin Durant, 25 to Joe Johnson, 30 to LeBron James, and 25 to Josh Smith. 

Kyrie Irving
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Cleveland does have some good news, Irving should return soon from his injury. His return should spark the team to perform better. He will create more shots for his teammates and will not be afraid to take a jumper. Even when Irving returns, the Cavs have got to play very aggressive and with an edge.  Waiters must be a more efficient scorer. He can't have an average field goal percentage of .363. Jeremy Pargo will also need to continue his good production (11.9 ppg) as Irving's back-up. He needs to shot better. If they can't turn the season around, especially if they can't make a good run and end up around the 10th-11th seed, expect a high lottery pick for Cleveland.

The 100th Grey Cup

Grey Cup Logo
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The Grey Cup is one of the most prestigious trophies in sports. It means a lot to Canadian football, it's players, and especially it's fans. This year was a big year for the Cup. It is the 100th time the Grey Cup trophy will be awarded to the best team in Canadian football. This year's game was played in Toronto, home of the first Grey Cup. Not only did Toronto host the first Grey Cup, it has hosted more then 45 Cups, making it the perfect spot for the centennial. 

The two teams that made the Cup this year were the Calgary Stampede and the hometown Toronto Argonauts. Calgary had played in twelve Grey Cups before this year's and won it six times. The Argonauts have a history of success in the Grey Cup, winning fifteen Cups in 21 previous appearances. 

Toronto's best player this season has been Slotback Chad Owens. In his fourth year in the league, he led the league in both receiving yards and combined return yards with 1,328 and 2,510 respectively. Owens is the East Divison's Most Outstanding Play and the CFL's Most Outstanding Player. 

While Toronto's top player was a passing threat, Calgary's best performer was their running back, Jon Cornish. Cornish led the league in rushing yards with 1,457, rushing attempts with 256, and tied for the lead in TDs with 11. He won the CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Player. 

Pacino Horne
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The game's first score was when at the five yard line, Owens caught a screen pass from QB Ricky Ray and ran it in. The drive started when a fumbled handoff between Cornish and QB Kevin Glenn was recovered by Toronto. Calgary scored a field goal to make it 7-3.

The second quarter started with a bang. At their own ten yard line, Glenn dropped back to pass. He threw a low ball not close to any Calgary receivers. However, Pacino Horne was in the area and made a shoestring catch to get the interception at the 25 yard line. The rookie defensive back got up and finished the play by running into the endzone for a touchdown. This extended the Argonauts lead to 14-3. 

The Stampede missed a big opportunity. Down 17-3, Calgary had a 1st and goal at Toronto's eight yard line. On first and goal, they ran it up the middle with Cornish for five yards. On second and goal, they ran a sweep for Romby Bryant. Bryant had a loss of eight yards. Since in canadian football there are only three downs, they kicked a field goal. That made the score 17-6. Toronto very quickly countered by scoring on a play-action pass from to Dontrelle Inman from one yard out. That made the score 24-6 at the half.

Chad Kackert
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In the third quarter, both teams traded field goals. Calgary added another field goal early in the fourth. Toronto put the game out of reach when Andre Durie scored on a eight-yard touchdown pass. Calgary added a touchdown at the end, but it didn't matter as Toronto took the Grey Cup 35-22. It is their 16th Grey Cup title.

The winner of the game's MVP was Chad Kackert. He had 133 rushing yards on 20 carries. He also caught eight balls for 62 yards for is a game total of 195 yards. The Most Valuable Canadian of the games was Toronto's DE Ricky Foley. He had four tackles and one sacks.

3 Things To Remember About The 2012 Futsal World Cup

The FIFA Futsal World Cup ended earlier today in Thailand. After two and a half weeks of intense match-ups, a champion was declared yesterday. Futsal is soccer with some differences. Futsal is played indoors on a smaller, wood pitch with two twenty-minute halfs while utilizing a smaller ball.  Each team has only four players and a goalie on the floor at the same time along with free subs. This is the seventh ever FIFA Futsal World Cup.  The Full Count presents the three biggest storylines that you need to remember about the tournament.

1. An Amazing Final

The final featured Brazil and Spain. The two teams have combined to win all the Futsal World Cups, Brazil with five and Spain with two wins. Since 1996, the two have met four out of the five times in the final. The 2008 final between Brazil and Spain went to penalty kicks, where Brazil pulled out the victory. This final turned out to have the same amount of drama.

Brazil celebrating the victory
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The first half had no one score. The first goal of the match came about five minutes into the second half. Neto blasted a shot off a corner kick into the back of the net from far out. Five minutes later, Torras scored off a defliction off of Brazil's keeper, Tiago. A minute later, Spain broke the tie as the shot went off Tiago. With less then four minutes left, Falcao scored the equalizer with a line drive that was an upper 90°. With about one minute and thirty seconds left in the half, Spain picked up their sixth foul. The meant Brazil would get a PK. However, Rodrigo missed the shot. With about twenty five seconds left, Neto got the ball on the left side of the pitch. He got past the defender and shot a low line drive that went into the net.

2. Award Winners

The Golden Ball Award went to Neto. Neto had seven goals throughout the whole tournament. Eder Lima of Russia won the Golden Boot Award for scoring the most goals in the tournament with nine. However, seven of them came in a 16-0 annihilation of the Solomon Islands (It was actually closer this time then their match in the 2008 Cup, where Russia won 31-2). Italy's Stefano Mammarella won the Golden Glove Award for being the best keeper of the tourney. Argentina won the Fair Play Award.

3. Colombia's 1st Tournament

Miguel Sierra and Angellott Caro, who scored three goals
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Colombia qualified for their first ever Futsal World Cup in the spring by coming in fourth in the CONMEBOL Qualification. They were in Group F with Guatemala, Russia, and the Solomon Islands. In their first match, they were defeated by Guatemala, 5-2. Their next opponent was the Solomon Islands, who they beat easily, 11-3. Their last game of group play pitted them against Russia. Russia won 2-0. With group play over, Colombia was tied with Guatemala and the Solomon Islands for second place and an opportunity to make it to the knockout stage. Colombia advanced due to having the best goal differential. In the Round of 16, they defeated Iran 2-1. In the quarters, they won against Ukraine, 3-1. Next was the semifinals, where they were up against Brazil. After the first half the score was tied up at one. But, Brazil scored a goal at seven minutes into the half and then Colombia had an own goal. The score was then 3-1 Brazil and that is how it ended. They still  played in the third-place game, which they lost. Still, the tournament was a success for the team from South America.

2012 Asia Series

Asia Series Logo
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In Asia, the baseball season has just ended. Five of the top leagues in Asia have a postseason tournament, called the Asia Series, where the league champions and a host team vie to become the Asia Series Champions. The five leagues are Nippon Professional Baseball (Japan), Korea Baseball Organization, Chinese Professional Baseball League (Taiwan), China Baseball League, and the Australian Baseball League. This year's tournament is the sixth overall and first with six teams. After a few years without a tournament, the Asia Series returned last year. In previous year's there were only four teams in the tournament. 

The host of this year's Asia Series is the Lotte Giants of the KBO. They have won two KBO championships, but none since 1992. The team is one of the most popular teams in Korea, they had over 1,350,000 fans come to the 66 home games this year. 

The KBO's champion are the Samsung Lions. The Lions are returning to the Asia Series for the second straight year. Last year, they won the Korean Baseball "Triple Crown" by winning KBO regular season title, the Korea Series title, and the Asia Series title last year. 

The Giants celebrating winning the Japan Series title
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The winner of the NPB's playoff system, called the Climax Series, was the Yomiuri Giants. The Giants got a bye in the first round of the Central League's Climax Series. The next round had the Giants pitted against the Chunichi Dragons. Being the higher seed, the Giants get a one-win advantage in a first to four wins to win the series. That did not effect the Dragons as they won the first three games. The Giants  won the next three games to win the series and the Central League Climax Series Championship. In the Japan Series, the Giants beat the Pacific League champs Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters four games to two to win the title and the honor to represent the NPB in the Asia Series. Yomiuri has 22 Japan Championships and 34 Central League titles. 

The Lamigo Monkeys are representing CPBL in this year's tournament. Their last series appearance was in the Series in 2006, when they were the runner up's.

The CBL's representative is an All-Star team of league's best players. The team is called the China Stars. 

The ABL is sending the Perth Heat to the tournament, as they were the winners of their last season. However, the ABL's season for 2012, ended in February. 

Hung-Yu Lin of the Lamigo Monkeys
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The tournament has two groupings of three teams each. Pool A had the China Stars, the Lamigo Monkeys, and the Samsung Lions, while Pool B had the Lotte Giants, the Perth Heat, and the Yomiuri Giants. The first match of Pool A had the Monkeys against the China Stars. The Monkeys won 14-1. The next match was between Samsung and Lamigo. Lamigo took a one run lead in the fourth, and then another two in the seventh. Samsung couldn't equalize the score as Lamigo won 3-0. The win clinched first place in Pool A and a spot in the championship game. Samsung still had to face China in the last game. The Lions shutout the Stars 9-0. 

Pool B's first game was between the Lotte Giants and the Perth Heat. Lotte took the lead early and never gave it up, winning 6-1. The next match pitted the Heat against Yomiuri Giants. The game was all goose eggs through five innings. Both teams then scored one in the sixth. The Giants then broke the game open with three in the seventh and eighth. The Heat couldn't catch-up and the Giants won 7-1. The final match was the battle of the "Giants", Yomiuri and Lotte, for a trip to the championship game. Yomiuri struck first with one in the first inning. They never gave up the leave again, scoring one run in third, fourth, sixth, and ninth. They won 5-0. Yomiuri had six stolen bases during the game. The win set the finals as Lamigo vs. Yomiuri.

Lamigo had very clutch performers during the Series. DH Hung-Yu Lin was the star hitter for the Monkeys. He had two hits in both of the pool games, including three runs, one homer, and two RBIs. They also got a great pitching performance from  Michael Jonathan Loree Jr against Samsung. Loree Jr. threw a complete game shutout with only three hits and eleven strikeouts.

Yomuiri are also a very skilled team. OF Tetsuya Matsumoto had a great game vs. Perth. He had three hits, two RBIs, and a sacrifice. In pool play, SS Hayato Sakamoto had four hits, three RBIs, two runs. In the regular season, Sakamoto had 173 hits, a .311 batting average, .359 OBP, .456 slugging percentage, and 87 runs.

Hayoto Sakamoto
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The finals pitching match-up featured Paul Williams Phillips for Lamigo against Ryosuke Miyaguni for Yomiuri. No one had runners cross home in the first. In the top of the second, Yomiuri put up a four spot. The ran Phillips out of the game in that inning. The Monkeys got across a run in the fourth. The Giants greaten the lead by having a runner cross the plate once in the sixth and seventh inning. Miyaguni left the game after six innings, giving up only four hits and the one run. With the 6-1 lead in the ninth, the Giants brought in closer Kentaro Nishimura. Nishimura had 32 saves and 12 holds in 69 games the NPB regular season. The Monkeys were not dead though. They had two runners score in the inning before Nishimura got the third out. The Giants won the game 6-3.

Sakamoto won the Asia Series MVP Award. In the tournament, he had four hits, two runs, five RBIs, a .308 batting average, and five total bases. This is the fifth title for a NPB team in the Asia Series and the third time a team from the CPBL was the runner-up. All three times they lost to NPB teams. This is the Monkeys second time being runners-up. This is is the first Asia Series title for the storied Yomiuri Giants.

The 2012 New York Jets QB Election

The New York Jets have a bye week this weekend. The team is at a crossroads. Mark Sanchez  is the current quarterback, but is struggling. His backup is none other than Tim Tebow, who took a team that was 1-4 last year to the playoffs. There have been calls to have Sanchez removed from the position for Tebow. However, third stringer Greg McElroy could still be the best. All this comes during the presidential election, which is why I have deem the situation, the 2012 New York Jets QB Election.

Mark Sanchez
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Why Mark Sanchez Should Be The QB?

He has brought the team to two consecutive AFC Championship Games. In the playoffs he has beaten the Bengals, the Chargers, the Colts with Peyton Manning, and the arch-rival Patroits. He beat three of the best QB's at the time (Tom Brady, Manning, and Phillip Rivers). Tebow has not had the experience, in the playoffs and with the system than Sanchez.

Why Mark Sanchez Should Not Be The QB?

He has had his opportunity to succeed and win with this team. He has failed. The team lost to Miami. In the win vs Indy, he only threw for 82 yards. They were very lucky that the running game was on fire. He can't throw consistently to his receivers.

Tim Tebow
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Why Tim Tebow Should Be The QB?

TEBOWMANIA is back! He has lead teams left for dead to the playoffs and won in the playoffs against a top defense. His playoff win was against Pittsburgh, who beat Sanchez in the playoffs. Tebow is also a much better leader. Just listen to his speech "The Promise", which he gave at Flroida after a loss to Ole Miss.

Why Tim Tebow Should Not Be The QB?

In Denver, Tebow was effective with a heavy run system. The Jets don't have the running backs to be effective in that system. Shonn Green is very, very sketchy. Bilal Powell is just a rookie and might take long learning the new system. Joe McKnight might be the best fit, but he is not very good inside the tackles. They need an all-around HB to be effective. They don't have that. 

Greg McElroy
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Why Greg McElroy Should Be The QB?

What do you have to lose. Besides, he, like Tebow, has a BCS Championship win in his colligate career. In the preseason, he got the team's first touchdown of the preseason, a six yard TD pass to Terrence Ganaway. He led the team in completion percentage (69.8%), yards per attempt (6.0), and passer rating (99.7). I know the preseason doesn't mean much, but if he can perform like how he did in the preseason, McElroy would be an upgrade over both Sanchez and Tebow.

Why Greg McElroy Should Not Be The QB?

He has never played in a regular season game in the NFL. Why should he start now?

The Result

The decision of who will be the QB will be decided by Head Coach Rex Ryan, GM Mike Tannenbaum, Owner Woody Johnson, and probably a few other key front office personal. Unlike the Eagles, the Jets have been supportive of Sanchez. They have always said that Mark is their man. But, they can change that faster then a snap of the fingers. I would think that Tebow would be starting next week, if they had a better running game. In Denver, he had three very good running backs. He doesn't have any here. McElroy is like an independent in the election. In the race, but has a very little of winning. Sanchez looks like he will be the starter, but he is very lucky. If the Jets had a good running back, Sanchez would have the headset on while Tebow is out on the field.