2011 Rugby World Cup Final: End of a Great Tournament

2011 Rugby World Cup logo
http://rugbyfix.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Rugby-World-
Cup-2011-1024x384.jpg

The Rugby World Cup has been held since 1987. The 7th annual Rugby World Cup recently played it's last game of the tournament. There are two main different types of rugby, rugby union and rugby league. The Rugby World Cup is the world cup for rugby. It was played in New Zealand and 20 teams participated. Those teams are Argentina, Australia, Canada, England, France, Fiji, Georgia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Namibia, New Zealand, Romania , Russia, Samoa, Scotland, South Africa, Tonga, United States of America, and Wales.


Here are 3 main points to remember about the tournament, from 3rd to 1st.


3. Performance of Teams

Tonga came within 2 points of making the knockout round
http://www.rugbyworldcup.com/home/teams/team=47/photo/index.html

There were 4 pools of 5 teams. Top 2 teams in each pool make the Knockout Stage. In Pool A, New Zealand went undefeated. Both France and Tonga went 2-2-0 (Wins-Losses-Draw), but France made the Knockout Stage due to having more points. Canada went 1-2-1 and Japan went 0-3-1. In Pool B, England never lost and Romania never won. Argentina went 3-1-0, Scotland went 2-2-0, and Georgia went 1-3-0. Pool C saw Ireland go without a blemish and Russia go without a victory. Australia went 3-1-0, Italy 2-2-0, and the US went 1-3-0. South Africa led Pool D with a perfect record, followed by Wales with a 3-1-0, Samoa 2-2-0, Fiji 1-3-0, and Namibia 0-4-0.


In the quarter-finals, Wales def. Ireland 22-10, France def. England 19-12, Australia def defending champs South Africa 11-9 and New Zealand def. Australia 33-10. That made the semi-final match-ups, France-Wales and New Zealand-Australia.

Morne Styen
http://www.rugbyworldcup.com/home/team
s/team=39/player=26292/index.html

2. Stat Leaders Are Led By South Africa's Morne Styen and New Zealand's Colin Slade 


South Africa's Morne Styen was the top scorer of the tournament with 62 points, 10 more then the runner-up. He also tied for  1st in conversions with New Zealand's Colin Slade. France's Vincent Clerc and England's Chris Ashton had the most tries with 7. Slade and France's Morgan Parra had the most points in 1 game this tournament with 23 points. Fiji's Vereniki Goneva had 4 tries in 1 game, this year's tournament record. New Zealand had the most overall points with 301 points. The biggest score differential of 1 game was a 87-0 win by South Africa against Namibia. 


1. The Finals


In the semi's New Zealand beat Australia and France beat Wales. That made the final New Zealand (All Blacks) and France. Both of these teams  faced each other in the final in 1987. The Australian Wallabies and Wales faced off in the bronze medal game, the same as 1987, too. The end result was different, though. In 1987 Wales won. Australia won this time 21-18.

New Zealand vs France
http://www.rugbyworldcup.com/home/matches/match=11235/photo.html

Both New Zealand and France started the tournament in Pool A. In their earlier meeting, New Zealand won easily 37-17. The Final wasn't as one sided. New Zealand started off strong with Tony Woodcock scoring a try (5 points) but the conversion was missed. Then, in the second half, Stephen Douglas of New Zealand kicked a penalty to make it 8-0. France responded quick with a try scored by Thierry Dusautoir and Francios Trinh-Duc converted the conversion. That made the score 8-7. That's the way it ended with New Zealand winning it's 2nd championship, it's first since 1987.

2011 Baseball World Cup: Surprise after Surprise

2011 Baseball World Cup
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Every year there are many world cup's that happen that get little to no attention. The Baseball World Cup is one of them because there are no MLB players and it is not sponsored. The World Baseball Classic gets attention because it is based on Major League Baseball. This year Baseball World Cup, held in Panama was full of surprises.

When you think of international baseball you think of the US, Japan, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Cuba. Only Cuba and the US made it to the knockout stage. In Pool 1 there were Canada, Chinese Taipei, Greece, Japan, Netherlands, Panama, Puerto Rico, and USA. Australia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Germany, Italy, Nicaragua, South Korea, and Venezuela were the countries in Pool 2. The top 4 teams from each pool make the next round


In a packed Pool 1, Germany didn't win 1 game. The top teams were Canada and the Netherlands, both with a record of 6-1. Japan, which usually doesn't play it's best baseball in the World Cup, underperformed with a record of 2-5. Chinese Taipei also didn't play it's best with a 2-5 record to show for it. The US, Panama, and Puerto Rico had to fight for the last 2 spots in Pool A. Panama and the USA got it with a 5-2 and a 4-3 record respectively. 


Pool 2 was head by IBAF's (International Baseball Federation) number 1 ranked team, Cuba. Cuba posted a spotless 7-0 record. Germany was the exact opposite of Cuba, going a winless 0-7. Nicaragua didn't do much better, going 1-6 with it's only win against Germany. Venezuela and South Korea clinched their spot in the next round by both going 5-2. The Dominican Republic, Italy, and Australia all were fighting for the final spot. Australia ended up beating out the other two for the spot.


Round 2 placed all 8 teams that made it to the next round, Australia, Canada, Cuba, Netherlands, Panama, South Korea, USA, and Venezuela, were placed in 1 group. Each team places each other once. Top 2 teams make the finals, next 2 make the 3rd Place Game, and so on. Gaining way into the championship game were Cuba and Netherlands who both had 6-1. At 4-3, both Canada and USA got entry to the 3rd place game. Australia and South Korea won their way into the 5th place game. The 7th place game ended up being a between Venezuela and Panama


In the 7th place match, Venezuela beat Panama 8-3. In the 5th place match, Australia defeated South Korea 3-2. The 3rd place game between neighboring countries, the US and Canada, was cancelled due to rain.

Netherlands celebrates after winning the championship
Ratti/IBAF

The final was an intense match-up. The number #1 team in Cuba, who has won 3 Gold Olympic  Medals, 2 Silver Olympic Medals, 25 World Cup Titles, and 11 International Cup titles vs. the 6th ranked team in Netherlands, which has come in 2nd for the International Cup twice. The two met in the 2010 International Cup finals with Cuba winning 4-1. The first runner to cross the plate was Cuba's Frederich Cepeda on a sac fly in the top of the 4th. Netherlands quickly struck back in the bottom of the 4th, with two RBI singles by Bryan Englehardt and Jonathan Schoop, to make it 2-1. It stayed like that for 4 more innings. Then, in the top of the 9th, Cuba started to rally and got runners on 1st and 2nd with two outs. They couldn't score and the Netherlands won their first Baseball World Cup. They were led by INF Curt Smith, who won the World Cup's MVP award. Smith played the 2011 season for the Lincoln Saltdogs of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball. 

NHL Premiere in Europe

NHL Premiere Logo
http://3.cdn.nhle.com/kings/images/upload/2011/04/NHLPREMIERE_LOGO.jpg

For the last 4 years the National Hockey League has played some of it's preseason and early season games in Europe. This year was no different. There were 7 preseason games and 4 regular season games played this year.  4 teams made the trip, the Anaheim Duck, Buffalo Sabres, Los Angeles Kings, and New York Rangers. The games were played in Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Slovakia, Sweden, and Switzerland. For the preseason games, the NHL teams faced a local pro team. For the regular season, the NHL teams faced another NHL member.


The preseason games were called the NHL Premiere Challenge. The Rangers played the first 4 games. The first game was in Prague, Czech Republic between New York and HC Sparka Praha. The Rangers won 2-0. New York played in the next game in Gothenburg, Sweden, defeating the Frolunda Indians 4-2. In Bratislava, Slovakia, New York faced and beat HC Slovan Bratislava 4-1. For their final game, New York was dominated by EV Zug, 8-4 in Zug, Switzerland.


Anahiem played their only European preseason games in Helsiniki, Finland vs. Jokerit. They won in overtime 4-3. The Kings then played in Hamburg, Germany and beat the Hamburg Freezers 5-4. The last preseason game in Europe was played between Buffalo and the Adler Mannheim in Mannheim, Germany. The Sabres won in a blowout, 8-3. The NHL went 6-1 in the preseason games.


The first regular season games was between Anaheim and Buffalo from Hartwell Areena in Finland. The Sabres dominated from the get-go, with Thomas Vanek scoring on a power play within 5 minutes and then a goal a little later by Ville Leino. In the 2nd period, the Ducks started to rally when Nate Guenin scored. However, Buffalo countered the game with a Jason Pomiville goal and a Thomas Vanek PP goal.

A Fight for the Puck in Stockholm
AP Photo/Niklas Larsson

In the other game, the New York Rangers faced the Los Angeles Kings in Stockholm, Sweden was an overtime thriller. The first goal of the game was scored by LA's Anze Kopitar in the first period. The Rangers countered quickly with a goal, 5 minutes later, by Ryan Callahan. After a scoreless 2nd period, New York's Marian Gaborik broke the tie with 10 minutes left in the 3rd period. Then the Kings' Mike Richards scored the equalizer to put the game into OT. With less then 1 minute left in OT, Jack Johnson of Los Angeles scored the game-winning goal.


One night passed and then Anaheim and the Rangers faced off in Stockholm. Anaheim started off hot when Andrew Cogliano scored at the 9 minutes mark. But then no one could score for more than 2 periods. New York tied it up with less then 3 minutes left in the 3rd period with a Brad Richards goal. With everyone going cold again, it went into a penalty shootout, where again, scoring was scarce. After each team missed their first 3 goals, the Ducks' Bobby Ryan beat New York's goalie, Henrik Lundqvist to take the lead. New York couldn't tie it back up and Anaheim won 2-1.

Berlin's 02 World
Stuart Franklin/Bongarts/Getty Images

For the final game in Europe, Buffalo and Los Angeles played at the 02 World in Berlin, Germany. Both teams didn't score in the 1st period. Early in the second, Buffalo's Luke Adam scored to make it 1-0 and then scored again 3 minutes later to make it 2-0. Sabres' Paul Gaustad scored later in the 2nd. Los Angeles finally got on the board with 2 minutes left in the 2nd period with an Anze Kopitar goal. Drew Stafford of Buffalo put the game out of reach with an early 3rd period goal. Kopitar scored late in 3rd but it didn't matter. Buffalo won 4-2.

And You Thought College Football Realignment Was Crazy?

One of the top stories of the sports world of the last year has been NCAA conference realignment, which is mostly about going to the best football conference. It all started when the University of South Dakota Coyotes moved from the Great West Conference to the Summit Conference. Then it heated up when the University of Colorado Buffalos and the University of Utah Utes moved to the PAC-12. Next came total chaos. There were so many rumors and moves that many people couldn't keep up. All this did not affect colllege hockey because colllege hockey has it's own conferences. However, college hockey had it's own conference shake up that in some places is crazier then the college football realignment.

Michigan, the college with the most NCAA men's hockey
titles, is leaving the WHCA for the Big Ten
http://cdn2.sbnation.com/entry_photo_images/978231/gyi0062782382.jpg

Before the realignment, there were 5 conferences and 1 independent team. The conferences were the Atlantic Hockey Association, Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA), ECAC Hockey, Hockey East Association, and the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA).  The madness of realignment started on March 21st when the Big Ten announced they were going to sponsor hockey, starting for the 2013-2014 season. Ohio State, Michigan, and Michigan State left the CCHA to go to the Big Ten. Minnesota and Wisconsin went to the Big Ten from the WHCA. Penn State, who is adding a hockey team which will start play in 2012-13, will also join the Big Ten.


Then about 4 months later rumors popped up about a new conference that would take teams from the WHCA and the CCHA. On July 13th, the rumors were rumors no more. The National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) was officially formed with 6 charter members, Colorado College, Denver, Miami-Ohio, Minnesota-Duluth, Nebraska-Omaha and North Dakota that would start play in the 2013-14 season. They all came from the WHCA. In September, St. Cloud State and Western Michigan announced that they will join the NCHA, leaving the CCHA.

Will the CCHA just become a memory of the past?
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0e/CCHAlogo.png

Due to the realignment, the WCHA took 4 teams, Alaska-Fairbanks (known as just Alaska), Ferris State, Lake Superior State, and Northern Michigan from the CCHA. This has put the CCHA in a tough situation. As of October 4th, they have only 2 teams, Notre Dame and Bowling Green. Bowling Green is has been offered a spot in the WCHA and Notre Dame is weighing it's options. However, this doesn't mean the end of the CCHA. Independent Alabama-Huntsville could join the league. Minnesota State-Moorhead is trying to launch a team to play Division 1. They could also get some Division 3 teams.


Here are what the conferences will look like in 2013-14 as of today.
Atlantic Hockey [No Moves]: Air Force, American International, Army, Bentley, Canisius, Holy Cross, Mercyhurst, Niagara, RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology), Sacred Heart, UCONN (Connecticut)
Big Ten [New Conference, Gets 6 Teams]: Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Penn State, Wisconsin
CCHA [Loses 9 Teams]: Bowling Green, Notre Dame
ECHA [No Moves]: Brown, Clarkson, Colgate, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, Quinnipiac, Rensselaer, St. Lawerence, Union, Yale
Hockey East [No Moves]: Boston College, Boston University, Maine, UMASS (Massachusetts), Massachusetts-Lowell, Merrimack, New Hampshire, Northeastern, Providence ,Vermont
NCHC [New Conference]: Colorado State, Denver, Miami-Ohio, Nebraska-Omaha, North Dakota, St. Cloud State, Western Michigan
WCHA [Gains 4, Loses 8]: Alaska, Alaska-Anchorage, Bemidji State, Ferris State, Lake Superior State, Michigan Tech, Minnesota State, Northern Michigan
Independents: Alabama-Huntsville 
Note: New teams are in italics


With questions that still haven't found their answers, college hockey is in for one wild ride.

MLB Awards Preview

AL MVP

Winner: Jacoby Ellsbury, Outfielder, Boston Red Sox

Jacoby Ellsbury
http://www.iayork.com/Images/2009/12-17-09/EllsburyDive.png

After a year lost to injuries, the Red Sox wanted Jacoby Ellsbury to be healthy and to play well. Boston got much more then that. Not only did Ellsbury play in 158 games, he is my prediction for MVP. Ellsbury is batting .321, 32 homers, 105 RBIs, 39 steals, 46 doubles, 212 hits, 134.2 runs created and .552 Slugging percentage. He is in the top 10 in all those categories. His defense was outstanding, too. He had a perfect fielding percentage of 1.000, which means he had no errors, and 6 assists. Ellsbury has a lot of competition for the award, however. There is his teammate 1B Adrian Gonzalez, Yankees OF Curtis Granderson, Blue Jays OF Jose Bautista, and his main competitor, Tigers P Justin Verlander. The reason I believe Ellsbury beats Verlander is because the voters won't believe a pitcher can't beat out an every day player.


Close 2nds: Curtis Granderson, Outfielder, New York Yankees; Adrian Gonzalez, 1st Base, Boston Red Sox; Justin Verlander, Pitcher, Detroit Tigers; Jose Bautista, Outfielder, Toronto Blue Jays.


NL MVP

Ryan Braun
http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/slides/photos/000/203/017/ryan-
braun_display_image.jpg?1271674339

Winner: Ryan Braun, Outfielder, Milwaukee Brewers


While the Brewers were rolling this year, no one payed much attention to Ryan Braun. Well, he has been having one of the best seasons in a while. He has a .332 average, 33 HRs, 111 RBIs, 33 SBs, .397 OBP, .597 Slugging, .994 OPS, 187 hits, 109 runs, and 38 doubles. He is in the top 10 in all of those categories. Braun also has a 8.92 Runs Created per 27 outs. Hitting isn't Braun's only case. He has a fielding percentage of .996. Braun's only compition is Dodgers Matt Kemp who is having a similar type season. However, the Los Angeles Dodgers are 82-79 and were never in playoff contention. Braun, however, led the Brewers to the playoffs with 96 wins.


Close 2nds: Matt Kemp, Outfielder, Los Angeles Dodgers

AL Cy Young


Winner: Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers


When you win 24 games and only 5 losses, it is hard not to win the Cy Young Award, but stats aren't every thing for Verlander. He has not pitched less then 6 innings all year, the highest amount of runs he has given up is 6, and the highest batting average for one of the games is .200. His stats just back up his record. A 2.40 ERA (1st in AL), 250 strikeouts (1st in AL), and 0.92 WHIP (1st in AL). Sabermetrics back Verlander up too. He has a 8.96 Strikeouts per 9 innings, 7.0 Wins Above Replacement Player, 62.6 Value Over Replacement Players, and 3.03 Fielding Independent Pitching. 


NL Cy Young


Winner: Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers


There are 5 viable options for the NL Cy Young. The player who I think will win is the only one of the five who isn't in the playoffs. Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers has played like his team was in the playoffs every game. He led the NL with 21 wins, 2.28 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and 248 strikeouts. Sabermetrics also helps Kershaw's case. He has a 2.01 component ERA, 9.57 Strikeouts per 9 innings, and a .260 batting average on balls in play. His 2.63 defensive independent ERA proves he has the defense factor on his side. 


AL Rookie of the Year


Winner: Jeremy Hellickson, Pitcher, Tampa Bay Rays


This is one of the toughest choices of the award season. There are two players I believe can win the award, Tampa Bay Rays Pitcher Jeremy Hellickson and New York Yankees Pitcher Ivan Nova. After looking more in depth at both players stats and performances, I picked Hellickson to win it. He is 13-10 with a 2.95 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 2 complete games and 117 strikeouts. Hellickson also has a .217 ERA on balls in play, 5.57 strikeouts per 9 innings, and a 2.95 component ERA.

Craig Kimbrel
http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/4Bglz5b2z64/F
lorida+Marlins+v+Atlanta+Braves/GipGMAV
9Zz2/Crag+Kimbrel

NL Rookie of the Year



Winner: Craig Kimbrel, Pitcher, Atlanta Braves


After losing Billy Wagner to retirement, the Atlanta Braves needed to find their next closer. Craig Kimbrel was chosen to take the 9th inning role. Then, from day 1, Kinbrel showed he was the man for the job. He set records as a rookie in saves with 46, breaking Neftali Feliz's record set last year. The 46 saves is also tied for the league lead.  He also has 126 strikeouts in 79 games. Even though he floundered in the last game of the season, there is no one else who comes close to him.

Joe Maddon
http://angels.ocregister.com/files/2008/11/joemaddon.jpg

AL Manager of the Year


Winner: Joe Maddon, 6th Full Season as Tampa Bay Rays Manager


Only one manager today could convince a team in September they can make the playoffs after being down by 9 games in the Wild Card. Only one manager today can convince his team that even though they are down by 7 in the 8th inning of the last game where they need to win to make the playoffs there is hope. That man, Joe Maddon, did all that this year. I can't think off anyone else who can win this award.


NL Manager of the Year


Winner: Kirk Gibson, 1st Full Season as Arizona Diamondbacks Manager


The Arizona Diamondbacks were expected to win less then 70 games this year. Flash-forward to August, they are in the playoff hunt. Now look at them today. NL West Champions with a 94-68 and 8 games ahead of defending NL west and World Series champs, the Giants. There is no other team that had the turn around the Arizona Diamondbacks this year.

Vogelsong in Japan
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Ryan-Vogelsong.jpg

MLB Comeback Player of the Year


Winner: Ryan Volgelsong, Pitcher, San Francisco


After not playing in the majors for 4 years, no one thought Ryan Vogelsong at age 34 would amount to any thing this year. However, he shined in one of the best rotations in baseball. It all started on April 28th when Barry Zito was scratched from his start. San Fransisco manager Bruce Bochy decided to give Vogelsong the start. He pitched 5 and 2/3s and gave up only 2 runs. After that he never looked back. He finished the year 13-7 with a 2.71 ERA and was an NL All-Star. He never had more the 6 wins a season before this. There is no one else who comes close to Vogelsong in this category.

MiLB Championships from Triple A to Class A

Logo
http://www.triple-abaseball.com/PostSeason.jsp

CLASS AAA: Triple A Baseball National Championship


Columbus Clippers (International League) def Omaha Storm Chatters (Pacific Coast League) 
Recap: After winning 88 games in the regular season, the International League's Columbus Clippers started their postseason against the Durham Bulls. Columbus had no trouble with Durham, winning all 3 games. In the IL finals, their opponent was the Leigh Valley IronPigs. The IronPigs defeated the Pawtucket Red Sox 3 games to 1. After losing in Game 1, Columbus won the next 3 games to win their 2nd consecutive IL championship.

The Omaha Storm Chasers won 79 games in the regular season to win the Pacific Coast League's American Northern Division. Their 1st Round opponent in the playoffs was the Round Rock Express. They won the series 3 games to 1. Their opponent for the PCL championship was the Sacramento River Cats. The River Cats went down 2 to 0 against the Reno Aces. In the finals, the Storm Chasers swept Sacramento to win their first ever PCL title.


The Triple A National Championship had Omaha as the away team and Columbus as home. Omaha started the game off well, scoring 3 runs in the first. But, that was all they could manage to score. Columbus had back to back 3 run innings in the 2nd and 3rd, scored another run in the 4th to make it 7-3, and then scoring one last run in the 8th to make it 8-3. Columbus had the championship in their hands. The Clippers were led by the game's MVP, pitcher Joe Martinez. Martinez pitched 6 spotless innings after the 3 run first.


CLASS AA


Eastern League: New Hampshire Fisher Cats def Richmond Flying Squirrels 3 games to 1

New Hampshire starts the celebration
http://eastern.league.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110917&content
_id=24854858&vkey=news_l113&fext=.jsp&sid=l113

Recap: New Hampshire was the ultimate nail-bitter team in the postseason. Every game they won in the playoffs, the difference in runs was no more than 2. The Fisher Cats started the postseason against the Reading Phillies. They lost the first game but won the next 3 to make the championship. In the finals, they were set to face the Richmond Flying Squirrels. Richmond beat the Harrisburg Senators 3 games to 0 in their semi. In the finals, New Hampshire lost the first game by 1. The Fisher Cats were, however, not fazed. They won the next 3 to become the champs. This is the Fisher Cats first championship since 2004. 2004 was their first season in New Hampshire after moving from Connecticut.


Southern League: Mobile BayBears def Tennessee Smokies 3 games to 1
Recap: Mobile had a tough time getting to the championship but when in it , cursed to the title. In the semi's, they had defeated the Birmingham Barons 3 games to 2. What gave Mobile problems was when they lost, they lost by a lot. In the championship series they rolled, only losing one game to Tennessee. Tennessee swept their semi-final against the Chattanogga Lookouts. This is the BayBears first championship since they were co-champs with the Smokies in 2004.


Texas League: San Antonio Missions def Arkansas Travelers 3 games to 0
Recap: San Antonio Missions won their 100th game of the year and a championship on the same day. For San Antonio their playoffs started against the Frisco RoughRiders. They beat them 3 games to 1. The Missions opponent in the finals was the Arkansas Travelers, who beat state rivals Northwest Arkansas Naturals 3 games to 0 in the semi-finals. In Game 1 of the finals they won 5-4 by scoring 4 runs in the bottom of the 9th. Game 2 went 20 innings but San Antonio won by the same score as Game 1. In the 3rd game, San Antonio won 10-6 to clinch the championship. This is the Missions 12th Texas Championship and first since 2007. 


CLASS Advanced A


California League: Lake Elsinorm Storm def Stockton Ports 3 games to 1
Recap: The California League is one of the few minor leagues that has 3 round of playoffs. In the 1st round the Lake Elsinorm Storm beat the Inland Empire 66ers 2 games to 1 and the Stockton Ports defeated the Modesto Nuts 2 games to 1. In the 2nd Round, the Storm defeated the Rancho Cucamongo Quakes 3 games to 1 while the Ports beat the San Jose Giants 3 games to 1. In the finals, Lake Elsinorm won the first to game. Then, in Game 3 Stockton blew the Storm out. But it didn't affect Lake Elsinorm as they won the next game which game them the championship. This is the Storms first championship since 2001 when they were co-champs with San Jose. 


Carolina League: Kendrick Keys def Kinston Indians 3 games to 1
Recap: The Kendrick Keys had the keys to success this year, winning 80 games in the regular season and then winning 6 more to become Carolina league champions. They started off against the Potomac Nationals in the 1st Round. It was a close series but prevailed in Game 5 to win the series 3 games to 2. The Kinston Indians beat the Myrtle Beach Pelicans  3 games to 1. In the championship series, Fredrick beat Kinston 3 games to 1 to win the championship. This is the Keys first championship since 2007.


Florida State League: Daytona Cubs def St. Lucie Mets 3 games to 0

The Daytona Cubs, 2011 FSL Champs
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110912&
content_id=24582308&vkey=news_t450&fext=.jsp&sid=t450

Recap: When teams lose their first game in the playoffs it usually is a sign of what is to come. For Daytona it was the complete opposite. In the semi-finals they lost their first game to Dunedin Blue Jays. The Cubs then won their next to game to make the championship. They were set to face the St. Lucie Mets. The Mets beat the Bradenton Marauders 2 games to 1 in the semi. In the finals, Daytona continued the winning streak by winning all 3 games. In doing that they won the championship. This is the Cubs first championship since 2008.

Quad City After the Game
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.jsp
?ymd=20110917&content_id=24861852&vkey=news_
t565&fext=.jsp&sid=t565

CLASS A


Midwest League: Quad Cities River Bandits def Lansing Lugnuts 3 games to 0
Recap: Quad Cities played one of the best postseasons in minor league history. They went undefeated in the quarter-finals (beat Clinton LumberKings 2 games-0), the semi-finals (beat Kane County Cougers 2 games-0), and in the finals. The star of the team was INF Jonathan Rodriguez, who batted .381 and drove in 11 RBI's in the playoffs. This is the River Bandits first championship since 1990.


South Atlantic League: Greensboro Grasshoppers def Savannah Sand Gnats 3 games to 2
Recap: The South American League had it self a great championship series. To make the championship game Greensboro beat Hickory Crawdads 2-0 and Savannah beat the Augusta GreenJackets 2 games-1. In the the last game of the championship, the Grasshoppers finally took an advantage in the series and won. This was the Grasshoppers first championship since 1982. In 1982 they won their 3rd straight championship. 

Top Storylines of EuroBasket 2011

EuroBasket 2011 Logo
Wikipedia

EuroBasket 2011 ended yesterday in Luthuania, the 37th ever tournament. The UEFA Euro Tournament of basketball places the top european nations against each other. Many people I bet didn't even know there was such a thing, let alone happening right now. Why, because it was not broadcasted on any major network, just ESPN3. You would think that NBA TV would broadcast it. Some of the NBA's best players were competing for gold. Anyway, EuroBasket 2011 was a great tournament. Here are the top storylines looking back at the tournament.


Spain Wins Second Championship in a Row

MVP Juan Carlos Navarro
FIBA Europe/Castoria/Matthaois

Spain came in to the tournament as a favorite to win. They had recent success in tournaments, such as the being the runner-up in the 2008 Olympics and 2010 FIBA World Championship (both times to USA) and winning the last EuroBasket in 2009. This year they had a team that looked like a champion. NBA players on the team included Pau and Marc Gasol, Rudy Fernadez, Jose Calderon, and Serge Ibaka. Jose Carlos Navarro is a former NBA player and Ricky Rubio is going to play for the T-Wolves if we have a NBA season. Spain rolled to the championship game with only one loss, a first round loss to Turkey. In the final Spain beat France convincingly 95-83. Navarro won the EuroBasket MVP with an average of 18.7 ppg, 3.0 apg, and a 46.2 shooting percentage. 


Macedonia's Surprise Run

Bo McCalebb
FIBA Europe/Castoria/Matthaoi

When you think of european basketball you think of Spain, Russia, France, Yugoslavia, Turkey, Greece, and Serbia. Who would ever think that Macedonia, a small Eastern European country with about 2 million people living in, could have a chance to win a medal? G Bo McCalebb and F/C Pero Antic led Macedonia's squad which featured no NBA players. They breezed through the first round going 4-1, only losing to Montenegro (Montenegro's only win). In the second round they only lost to Russia, coming in second in the group. That meant they had made the knockout round. In the first knockout round game they beat Lithuania by 2. Then they faced Spain in the Semi-Finals and lost by 12. However, they still had the Bronze Medal game vs. Russia. Sadly, they lost by 4. Their performance showed how well they can play and that they are ready for the future.

+NBA Players in the Tournaments

Many NBA players participated in EuroBasket 2011. Tony Parker (San Antonio) played for France and led the tournament in scoring with 22.1. Joakim Noah, Nichalos Batum, Boris Diaw, and Kevin Seraphin also played on France. Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas) represented his home country of Germany and had 19.5 ppg and 6.6 rpg. Chris Kamen also played on Germany. Hedo Turkoglu (Orlando), Enes Kanter (Utah), and Omar Asik (Chicago) played on Turkey. NBA players on Italy were Danilo Gallinari (Denver), Andrea Bargnani (Toronto), and Marco Belinelli (New Orleans). Luol Dang (Chicago) played on Great Britain. Andrei Kirilenko (Utah) played for Russia.  ZaZa Pachulia (Atlanta) played on Georgia. Goran Drajic (Houston) played on Slovenia. DJ Mbenga (New Orleans) played with Belgium. Kosta Koufos (Denver) played on Greece. Kyrylo Feresno (Utah) played on Ukraine. Also, check the Spain storyline for NBA players on Spain.


Other Notes


5th Place: Lithuania 
6th Place: Greece
7th Place: Slovenia 
8th Place: Serbia

UFL Week 1: Still Hope To Succeed

That start-up football league that would supply homes for football players is still around. The UFL just started it's third season with 4 teams located in Las Vegas, Omaha, Sacramento, and Virginia. The UFL is behind it's planned schedule. They wanted to have 6 teams this season and have a major network deal. They have neither. (One team, the Hartford Colonials, suspended operations) The League may not be where they want to be, but to me Week 1 is a sign of hope that success could happen.


The first reason is the attendance of the 2 games of Week 1. The first game was the Omaha Nighthawks at the Virginia Destroyers where 15,836 fans showed up to watch a Virginia win. The 2nd game, Las Vegas Locomotives at Sacramento Mountain Lions, had 19,938 fans in Hornet Stadium's seats. The overall attendance, 35,774, is a new record  for Week 1, topping the previous record by more then 10 thousand.


The second reason is the teams have great players on every team. The Las Vegas Locos, the 2009 and 2010 Champs, are an example of that. Their quarterback is Rice alum Chase Clement, 2010 UFL Championship Game MVP. DeDe Dorsey is an explosive running back who is used to winning (Won Super Bowl XLI w/ Colts and won 2 UFL Championships w/ Locos) Also on the team is 2-Time NCAA All-American LB Teddy Lehman. WR Eddie Drummond, 2004 NFL All-Pro KR.


The Omaha Nighthawks have more stars. At QB they have Heisman Winners Eric Crouch (2001) and Troy Smith (2006). Jeremiah Masoli (known for getting kicked out of Oregon) is another QB on the roster. Maurice Clarett is a running back on the team and is staying out of trouble. DE Jay Moore is a fan favorite. 

Sacramento Mountain Lion are built around Cory Ross. Ross has been on Sacramento since the 1st season in 2009. He is the UFL's all-time leading rusher and receiver and was last year's Offensive Player of the Year. QB Ryan Colburn is a rookie out of Fresno State. SS Jermaine Phillips has won a Super Bowl. LB Maurice Crum is a top tackler.


The new team in the league is the Virginia Destroyers. Chris Greisen is the starting QB. RB Dominic Rhodes is a Super Bowl winner and has the experience to lead this team. RB/KR Clifton Smith is a former 2nd Team NFL All-Pro. Keiwan Ratliff, who is also on the team, is a former All-American corner.


All in all, the UFL still has hope even with its financial issues.

16 Team Conferences: A Propostition on How To Make The Super Conferences Right

There have been many rumors about 16 Team Super Conferences. I am not a big fan of them. I like how most of the conferences are now. However, I don't agree with the idea of moving out of a college's geographical area. For example, TCU moving to the Big East for football where the closest college is 754 miles (Louisville) and the farthest college is 1509 miles (UCONN). Here is my proposition for how they should split it up (for football only) by success and geographical area.

SEC
Teams from FL: Florida, Florida State, Miami, South Florida
Teams from GA: Georgia, Georgia State
Teams from AL: Alabama, Auburn
Teams from MS: Ole Miss, Mississippi State
Teams from SC: South Carolina, Clemson
Teams from TN: Tennessee, Vanderbilt
Teams from KY: Kentucky, Louisville 


Why?: The SEC has to have top programs. Yes, they lose LSU and Arkansas but they gain Florida State, Miami, Clemson, and South Florida. The SEC is still the top conference.

PAC-16
Teams from CA: USC, UCLA, Stanford, Cal, Fresno State
Teams from OR: Oregon, Oregon State
Teams from WA: Washington, Washington State
Teams from AZ: Arizona, Arizona State
Teams from UT: Utah, BYU
Teams from CO: Colorado
Teams from ID: Boise State
Teams from NV: Nevada


Why?: The top teams from the West should make their way into the Pacific Athletic Conference. Even if teams now in non-BCS schools, like Nevada, Boise State, and Fresno State, might not have the history, they have played like BCS schools.


Big 16 (Now the Big 12)
Teams from TX: Texas, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Baylor, TCU, SMU, Rice, Houston
Teams from OK: Oklahoma, Oklahoma State
Teams from KS: Kansas, Kansas State
Teams from NE: Nebraska
Teams from AR: Arkansas
Teams from MO: Missouri
Teams from LA: LSU


Why?: To be in this Big 16 you need be located in the Great Plains or a little right of it. I felt the need to keep the rivalries of the Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Missouri teams have against each other.


"Other" Big 16 (Now the Big 10)
Teams from OH: Ohio State, Cincinnati
Teams from MI: Michigan, Michigan State
Teams from IN: Indiana, Purdue, Notre Dame
Teams from IL: Illinois, Northwestern
Teams from WI: Wisconsin
Teams from MN: Minnesota
Teams from IA: Iowa, Iowa State
Teams from NY: Army
Teams from MD: Navy
Teams from WV: Marshall 


Why?: Every team in the "Other" Big 16 has had a lot of history. Fittingly, the division's names are called Leaders and Legends. 


Big East
Teams from MA: Boston College
Teams from CT: UCONN
Teams from NY: Syracuse
Teams from NJ: Rutgers
Teams from PA: Penn State, Pittsburgh, Temple
Teams from MD: Maryland
Teams from WV: West Virginia
Teams from VA: Virginia, Virginia Tech
Teams from NC: North Carolina, Duke, NC State, Wake Forest


Why?: The Big East is not known as a football school. If my proposition becomes true that reputation many change. They will gain Penn State, Virginia, Virginia Tech, UNC, Duke, NC State, Wake Forest, and Boston College. Even though Duke and Wake Forest are not the best, the league gets much more competitive.


Other Info: In my proposition there is no ACC. There is no ACC because it is too spread out.This would mean there would be 5 automatic births to the 5 BCS Bowl Games and 5 invites. Army and Navy join the Other Big 16 because it did not fit in the Big East. Marshall made the "Other" Big 16 to fit 16.

NFL Preview

AFC East
1. New England Patriots 12-4: Strong Offense will lead an average defense
2. New York Jets 11-5: A great defense will star again, while Mark Sanchez struggles in the clutch
3. Miami Dolphins 5-11: Chad Henne will play better then last year but...
4. Buffalo Bills 3-13: With Ryan Fitzpatrick as starting QB they aren't going anywhere


AFC Central
1. Pittsburgh Steelers 11-5: All-around good team will play well as usual
2. Baltimore Ravens 10-6: Won't skip a beat from last year
3. Cleveland Browns 8-8: I like Colt McCoy at QB and their defense
4. Cincinnati Bengals 2-14: The only bright spot is they have two good rookie players


AFC South
1. Houston Texans 9-7: Better defense will leap frog them into 1st place
2. Indianapolis Colts 7-9: No Manning, huge problems
3. Tennessee Titans 6-10: A rebuilding team with an old QB, just hand it off to Chris Johnson
4. Jacksonville Jaguars 4-12: Not enough skill players to contend


AFC West
1. Kansas City Chiefs 10-6: The Matt Cassel-Jamaal Charles combo is one I really like
2. San Diego Chargers 9-7: Phillip Rivers will play great, but the D will not
3. Oakland Raiders 5-11: Darren McFadden will run for at least 1000 yards but everyone else will play poorly
4. Denver Broncos 4-12: New coach John Fox will have a difficult job


NFC East
1. Philadelphia Eagles 13-3: The "Dream Team" will play well
2. New York Giants 8-8: Injuries in the secondary will keep the G-Men from the playoffs
3. Dallas Cowboys 8-8: Felix Jones will have a breakout year, but I don't have confidence in Tony Romo
4. Washington Redskins 3-13: Rex Grossman is not going to play well, actually no one will


NFC Central 
1. Green Bay Packers 12-4: With players returning from injury, they are even better then last year
2. Detroit Lions 8-8: Matt Stafford will be healthy but it won't be enough
3. Chicago Bears 8-8: Jay Cutler will not play well and it will show as the Bears struggle
4. Minnesota VIkings 4-12: Donavan McNabb will try to do well, but Adrian Peterson will be the only one who will move the offense


NFC South
1. New Orleans Saints 11-5: Pierre Thomas, Mark Ingram, and Darren Sproles will run the ball well
2. Atlanta Falcons 10-6: Matt Ryan has a good WR core and HB's, expect a good year
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-7: I believe that Josh Freeman will be even better then last year
4. Carolina Panthers 3-13: They have a good running game and thats about it


NFC West
1. St. Louis Rams 9-7: Sam Bradford almost brought the team to the playoffs last year, this year he will
2. Arizona Cardinals 7-9: I don't believe Kein Kolb will make a big impact in his first year
3. San Francisco 49ers 5-11: Alex Smith is holding back the franchise and he will again this year
4. Seattle Seahawks 3-13: A weak defense and unstable QB, it isn't looking good in Seattle


Awards
MVP: Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers, QB
Offensive Player of the Year: Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles, QB
Defensive Player of the Year: Ndamukong Suh, Detroit Lions, DT
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Mark Ingram, New Orleans Saints, RB
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Von Miller, Denver Broncos, LB
Coach of the Year: Jim Schwartz, Detroit Lions


Playoffs
AFC: 1. New England, 2. Pittsburgh, 3. Kansas City, 4. Houston, WC1 NY Jets, WC2 Baltimore
NFC: 1. Philadelphia, 2. Green Bay, 3. New Orleans, 4. St. Louis, WC1 Atlanta, WC2 Tampa Bay


Wild Card Round
AFC: Kansas City def Baltimore 21-17 and NY Jets def Houston 27-17
NFC: New Orleans def Tampa Bay 21-20 and St. Louis def Atlanta 14-13


Conference Semi-Finals
AFC: New England def NY Jets 14-10 and Pittsburgh def Kansas City 31-20
NFC: Philadelphia def St. Louis 31-27 and Green Bay def New Orleans 24-21


Conference Finals
AFC: New England def Pittsburgh 27-24
NFC: Green Bay def Philadelphia 30-27 in OT


Super Bowl XLVI
Green Bay def New England 35-31