Major League Baseball players make a lot of money, that is obvious, and each year salaries seem to increase, at least for some of the top players in the league. I decided to take a look at the Top 5 salaries from each season, starting in 1996 and going all the way to last season, 2015.

Obviously we're only 2 weeks in to the season so these rankings will probably change drastically, but as of now here are my power rankings going in to week 3.

While we're still a few months from the college football season, I found myself thinking about the playoff this morning.  While the 4 team playoff they implemented 2 seasons ago is a start, I think it still needs to expand more and I think the magic number is 16.  A 16 team playoff to me just makes sense.  Currently there are 10 conferences in the football bowl subdivision: American Athletic Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten Conference, Big 12 Conference, Conference USA, Mid-American Conference, Mountain West Conference, Pac-12 Conference, Southeastern Conference, and Sun Belt Conference.  There are also 3 Independent school who currently have no conference affiliation, and those are Army, Notre Dame, and BYU.  To level the playing field I think these teams will need to join a conference to be eligible for the playoff.

It was a night to remember for the NBA last night.  Kobe Bryant scored 60 points in his final game as the Los Angeles Lakers upset the Utah Jazz 101-96 effectively eliminating them from playoff contention.   On the same night one of the greatest ever hung them up, the Golden State Warriors capped off the greatest (record wise) regular season in NBA history beating the Memphis Grizzlies 125-104, to finish the season 73-9.  Regardless of whether you a fan of Kobe and the Lakers, or Steph Curry and the Warriors, it was still an exciting night for the NBA, and should lead to an even more exciting postseason.  While the Warriors have shown that they are extremely tough to beat, I think anything is possible and I wouldn't be surprised if they don't even make the finals, as well as the favorite in the east, the Cavaliers.  I expect to see a Warriors-Cavs final, but as what usually happens in sports, you can almost always expect the unexpected.  So while I think it will be the favorites matching up, I won't be surprised if we see Raptors-Thunder.  Regardless it should be fun to watch.

The NBA regular season has come to an end and with that brings a postseason where the Golden State Warriors will try to cap off their record breaking season, and LeBron James again trying to bring a championship back to the city of Cleveland.  Here are the matchups for this year's NBA playoffs.

Kobe Bryant will take the court for the final time tonight at 10:30 PM against the Utah Jazz.  This has been a season to forget for Bryant and the Lakers as they are one of the worst teams in basketball.  Kobe has been resting more recently in anticipation of this final game and is expected to play considerable minutes.  I think being the competitor he is, he will want to go out with a great game so I wouldn't be surprised if he tries to score 40 points.  Also of note in this game, the Jazz actually have something to play for.  If they win tonight and the Rockets lose, the Jazz will make the playoffs.  So I think you can add that to Kobe's motivation as well.  It may not be much but he can go out by eliminating a team from playoff contention.  It would be a positive send off for Bryant and the Lakers, seeing as how the team has struggled tremendously this season.  All that being said, I think the Jazz will come out and not let Kobe and company spoil their playoff hopes.  My prediction is that the Rockets will lose to the Kings, setting the Jazz up for a win-and-in scenario, and I think they win this game tonight by 10 plus points. 


How do you guys think Kobe will play tonight?  Can the Lakers pull the upset?

It was a night to remember, or maybe one to forget.  Kobe Bryant's final season hasn't been a memorable one, considering the Lakers currently have a terrible record of 16-65, with one game remaining against the Utah Jazz.  Last night was no different, as the Lakers fell to the Thunder by 33 points, 112-79.  Bryant finished with 13 points on 4 of 12 shooting, only playing 19 minutes.

Should EA Sports start making NCAA Football again?  Could they make it without any legal hurdles?  I think they have to make it again.  It's an iconic video game that many people look forward to playing year after year.  Production of the game was halted in 2013 due to legal issues (last game made was NCAA Football 2014), and the use of college football players likeness in the game which is not allowed by the NCAA because of a student-athlete's amateur status.  Former college players are now starting to get their share of the $60 million settlement reached between the NCAA and EA Sports.

With that out of the way I hope they can finally start making the game again.  At least to the extent where users can make their own roster edits.



What do you guys think about EA Sports bringing back NCAA Football?

The Golden State Warriors tied the NBA record for wins in a season set by the 1995-95 Chicago Bulls last night with a 92-86 victory in San Antonio.  That makes 3 times that the Warriors defeated the Spurs this regular season.  In typical Spurs fashion however, they are lamenting on this loss and are looking ahead to the playoffs, still believeing that they have a team that can make a run and beat the Warriors.  To break the record the Warriors will have to win in their final game against the Memphis Grizzlies.   David West, of the Spurs, was asked if he thinks the Warriors hold the advantage, "It's a whole different ball game in the playoffs".  LaMarcus Aldridge when talking about the Spurs play, "We definitely had some easy looks we didn't make.  We had some breakdowns defensively.  It's just about being sharp the whole game". 

San Antonio definitely did not shoot the ball well against the Warriors, shooting only 37.8%.  While the Warriors shot 44.2% and Steph Curry contributed 37 points with 4 threes.  If these two teams matchup in the playoffs, which I think they will,  the Spurs are going to have to play great defense for the entire series as well as shoot much better than they did last night if they want to have a chance to beat the Warriors.  Otherwise the Warriors will be in the NBA Finals again this season.  With that being said I think that these two teams will matchup in the Western Conference Finals and I think the Spurs will pull off the upset in 7 games. 

With just 2 games remaining in the regular season, the Golden State Warriors are just 1 win away from tying the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls record of 72-10.  If the Warriors want to break the record they're going to have to win both games, which isn't going to be easy.  The first of the 2 remaining games will be tonight at the San Antonio Spurs.  This one won't be easy, but I think the Warriors will get the win tonight to tie the record of 72 wins.  
This will set up the chance for the Warriors to break the record Wednesday night at home against the Grizzlies.  In this game I think the Grizzlies will actually pull the upset and leave the Warriors only tying the record for wins in a season at 72.  
With all that being said I think the Warriors will actually lose to the Spurs in the playoffs which will lead some to think of this season as a failure, probably even the Warriors themselves.

Here are my predicitons for the 2016 MLB Playoffs.  I think this is the year the Cubs finally win the World Series.  I think the Astros will get it done in the American League with their good, young talent.  My #3 seed in the NL is somewhat of a surprise and I'm still not sure why I chose them, but I think the Colorado Rockies will win the NL West and will face the Mets in the Divisional Round. 
I have the Dodgers winning the Wild Card Game against the Cardinals and the White Sox winning against the Red Sox.  In the divisional round, I have the Cubs over the Dodgers 3-1, the Mets over the Rockies 3-1, the Astros over the White Sox 3-2, and the Blue Jays over the Royals 3-2.  In the NL championship series I have the Cubs over the Mets 4-3, and in the AL I have the Astros over the Blue Jays 4-1.  And finally, in the World Series, my predicition is that the Cubs will defeat the Astros 4-2 and Steve Bartman, along with the rest of Cubs fans everywhere, will breathe a sigh of relief.
What do you guys think?  Will the Cubs actually win in this year or is there a team I didnt even have in the playoffs that you think will win it? Let me know in the comments.

The Tennessee Titans have the first pick in the 2016 NFL Draft after finishing last season with a record of 3-13.  With the exception of the quarterback position and now the running back position with the acquisition of DeMarco Murray, the they could use an upgrade in nearly every position on offense and defense.  Their offense started with Marcus Mariotta and basically ended there last season.  DeMarco Murray, although he struggled in Philadelphia, should take some of the load off of Mariotta this season.  The only problem is their offensive line is terrible, so that still might not be enough to make a difference.  They do have some talent upfront but with an average age of 24.4 on the offensive line there just isn't a lot of experience.  Which could be what contributed to the 38 sacks of Mariotta, which put him 9th in the NFL last season in that category.

1.  New York Mets (92-70)

• With their pitching staff (which I think is the best in baseball),  and a very good lineup featuring Curtis Granderson at the top, and David Wright and Yoenis Cespedes in the middle,  I don't see how the Mets will not win this division which I think is somewhat weak regardless of how good the Mets are.  They basically have 3 guys on their staff who could be aces on any other team.  If they don't win the division I think it will be a majorly dissappointing season for them.
  

1.  Chicago Cubs (100-62)

• The Cubs have had good teams in the past, but there's something different about this team.  They are very loose and are having fun so far in Spring Training and I think that is definitely a reflection of their manager Joe Maddon.  Maddon has experience with young and talented teams with his days in Tampa, of which he almost won a World Series with.  And nothing against those Rays teams but I think this Cubs teams is worlds better.  They have young, immense talent at basically every position and they have a veteran like David Ross that can work with the young players and pitchers.  They also signed former # overall prospects Jason Heyward in the offseason.  Heyward hasn't quite lived up to the expectations he had his rookie year, but with this lineup he won't have to.  Jon Lester, another new acquisition, is still a top of the rotation pitcher and he should also work well with a guy like David Ross, whom he played with in Boston.  I know Cubs fans favorite saying is "next year", but they should start saying "this year".
  

1. Toronto Blue Jays  (91-71)

• The Red Sox added ace David Price, and also acquired All Star closer Craig Kimbrel from the Padres and look to bounce back and take control of the East once again, right?  A lot of people seem to think Boston is going to be back on top, but I think the Blue Jays will win the division by a few games.  The Jays still have MVP Josh Donaldson and slugger Jose Bautista, two guys that would make any lineup for formidable one.   And if not for losing to the Royals in the ALCS last season, I think the Blue Jays would've went on to win the World Series.  They did lose David Price to Boston but I think they still have a decent rotation that can be carried by their lineup. 

1.  Colorado Rockies  (90-72)

• OK, so some of my predicitions are probably far off and maybe even a little crazy, but this is where I fall completely off of the cliff, or the (Rocky) mountain so to speak.  For the most part the Rockies have been terrible since joining the league in 1993 with the exception of a World Series run in 2007 in which they fell short of taking home the trophy.   Even last year they lost 94 games and finished in last in the NL West.  As I typed that I almost thought to myself "what are you thinking?".  I'm not even sure why I think they might win.  On paper theire roster looks like a bottom of the league team, and they very well could be, but for some reason I think they win the West.  I'll let you know why I think that when I figure it out. 
  

1. Kansas City Royals (93-69)

• Even though they are the defeding champs, and have been to the World Series two years in a row, the Royals seem to have quite a few doubters coming in to the 2016 season.  Sure, they are a small market team, and they may be lacking some depth this season, but they resigned Alex Gordon, as well as World Series MVP Salvador Perez, who are both important pieces in the lineup.  They did lose Ben Zobrist who I feel is a great player who can do most things, but with most of the core team still intact I can't go against them.  By the end of the season though we could be looking at the Royals anywhere between 1st and 4th, thats how tough this division could be this year.  I think winning the division is as far as the Royals might advance this season though.
  

While talks of the designated hitter coming to the National League have been flirted with in the past, no such change has ever come to Major League Baseball.  This is due to many reasons, mostly because it's a tradition, and new commissioner Rob Manfred himself has said "its the single most important feature that defines the diferences between the two leagues".  Baseball has always been about tradition, and I think in part that is why less and less people are watching it each year.  It is still and will probably always be my favorite sport, but some changes may have to take place to get new generations to keep watching.

Is bringing the DH to the National League a good idea.  Here are just a few numbers from last season that may show how much, or how little a difference it could make in gameplay.

This years NFL Combine begins today in Indianapolis with kickers, special teams players, offensive lineman and tight ends arriving at Lucas Oil Stadium.  Over 300 prospects will participate in this years combine with the rest of the positions arriving February 18th thru the 20th, with all events wrapping up on Monday February 23rd.

Players participating in the combine will go through numerous activities; including physical exams, team interviews, media interviews, a meeting with the NFLPA, psychological testing, bench presses, as well as on field workouts (40 yard dash, etc.).  Depending on how a player performs on the field as well as in an interview, his draft stock could be impacted dramatically both positively and negatively.

Now that the football season has officially come to an end, the 2015 Major League Baseball season is on the
horizon. Opening night is just over two months away, with the showdown between the Chicago Cubs and the St Louis Cardnials on April 5th.  Most teams will report to camp within the next two and a half weeks, with the earliest being the pitchers and catchers for the Phillies, Pirates, Reds, Indians and the defending World Series Champion San Francisco Giants.  All of which will be reporting on February 18th.

Super Bowl XLIX is a mere 2 days away.  It will feature the #1 seed from the AFC the New England Patriots, as well as the #1 seed from the NFC the Seattle Seahawks.  Suprisingly enough, number 1 seeds have only faced off in the Super Bowl 10 times since conference seeding began in 1975.  Even more surprising however may be the number 20.9, which happens to be the average margin of victory between #1 seeds when matched up in the Super Bowl.  Most recently the Seahawks beat their fellow #1 seed in the Denver Broncos, 43-8 in last years Super Bowl in New Jersey.  While the 35 point victory by Seattle is lopsided, it comes in second behind the margin of victory in Super Bowl XXIV, which coincidentally, featured the Denver Broncos getting beat by 45 points, losing to the San Francisco 49ers 55-10.