It is amazing how one player can make such a difference in the game of basketball, but that is just the nature of the game. This can be a positive aspect, such as adding LeBron James to the Miami Heat, totally changing the look of their franchise. Or it can be a negative aspect because a franchise is relying so heavily on one player, that if he goes down, that team has nowhere to turn.

This is the case with the Chicago Bulls this season as their superstar, Derrick Rose, will miss yet another season most likely with a torn medial meniscus in his right knee. Rose has stated that if he is feeling well, and the situation is right, that he will come back for the postseason, but do not count on it. The Eastern Conference is dominated by a couple of teams this season, the Miami Heat and the Indiana Pacers, with every other team far back in the distance. So do not expect Rose to be coming back this season to compete for an NBA Championship.

Has everyone seen the best of the former MVP? Some think so, which is troubling for such a superb talent at such a young age. The way the man plays the game is almost asking for an injury here and there. With a game based off of sharp cuts, as well as basically launching himself into the air to challenge much larger players at the rim, he is only a single play away from an injury as serious as this one every moment that he is on a basketball court.

He has been labeled injury-prone as well because of the way that he has suffered his injuries. True, he does have that troublesome playing style like previously mentioned, but the way that he was injured this most recent occasion was a play that a basketball player does without even thinking about it. He was simply turning up the court. Nobody was around him. He was simply trying to change directions. That is one of the most troubling aspects.

So now the Chicago Bulls have to turn a new leaf of sorts. When Rose does come back, most likely next season, look for a new supporting cast for the former MVP. One of the centerpieces of this roster, Luol Deng, has an expiring contract so look for him to be wearing a different uniform come next season. Carlos Boozer, yet another centerpiece, also has an expiring contract, and is also getting up there in age. Look for him to be playing elsewhere as well.

The front office has stated that everyone on this team is tradable, which is puzzling to some fans, but it is the right move. The window is pretty much shut on this current unit, so moves have to be made, and look for many changes to come. The team is going to still build around Rose, but with a supporting cast closer to his age. This could be through the draft, trades, or free agency. But the team will look to get younger, sooner rather than later.

Rose will be able to come back from this latest injury. Will he be an MVP candidate? There is a good chance that he will not. But either way, he is still one of the best players in the NBA. If he gets a solid supporting cast around him, he has the ability to be successful, and be the leader of this team. But, it is not going to happen instantly. It will take a few seasons. People do not want to hear it, but this will be a process. Patience is the key here, and Rose, as well as the entire Chicago Bulls franchise, are aware of that.

The post Where the Chicago Bulls go from here appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The past two seasons were misery for the Boston Red Sox. The last season of a brilliant run as manager of the club ended horribly for Terry Francona as the team failed to make the postseason losing to the Baltimore Orioles in devastating fashion. Then the rumors of beer and chicken in the clubhouse started to swirl, leaving the Red Sox as a punch line for many jokes to come.

The team was looking for a new identity, and Bobby Valentine was hired as the new manager. It was a controversial hire to begin with, and the marriage was off to a rocky start right from spring training as Valentine’s personality and coaching style were too different than what the team had been used to with Francona at the helm. Valentine made controversial comments about his club and the relationship was damaged with no hope for repair.

So the team brought in a man who new the “Red Sox way” because he had been a coach there for many seasons. John Farrell left the Toronto Blue Jays and was put to test to try to rebuild this Red Sox team that was predicted to finish last in their division.

The team also added some key pieces to their core players who were David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, Jon Lester, and Clay Buchholz.

Outfielder Shane Victorino was added in a somewhat controversial signing because many people thought that he was on the decline and could not hit like he did during the prime of his career when he was with the Philadelphia Phillies. The team was looking for speed as well as an outfielder that was capable of playing multiple positions, and that could cover a lot of ground. Victorino proved his critics wrong and contributed with the bat throughout the regular season as well as coming up with clutch hit after clutch hit throughout the team’s postseason run.

Another piece that was added was utility man Jonny Gomes. Gomes never blows you away with his talent, and has been somewhat of a journey man throughout his career, but there is one key element that all the teams that he has been on possesses. This is that they all were factors come the postseason. So here you bring in a veteran who has been to the postseason on numerous occasions before, and know what it feels like to win. Gomes also contributed with his bat as he shifted the momentum of the series towards the Red Sox’s favor with a clutch home run in Game #4.

Another piece that was added was first baseman Mike Napoli who had also tasted postseason success as he led the Texas Rangers to the World Series two seasons prior. Napoli has always been known for his bat, and the question was if he would be comfortable with the move from catcher to first base. Napoli proved his versatility as he was reliable at the first base position and contributed with key hits throughout the postseason.

But the biggest piece that was added was the man who shut the door on so many Red Sox victories, and that man is closer Koji Uehara. Uehara really came out of nowhere for this team who definitely did not expect him to be the closer during a World Series run. The closer job was one of the key question marks for this team as they struggled last season closing out games, and nobody was able to step up and secure that job.

Throughout the regular season it was clear that the atmosphere had changed around this club and that they had completely bought in to Farrell and his coaching style. The team was consistent on he field, but some of the real stories came off of the field.

The Boston Marathon bombings took place at the start of the season, and the Red Sox dedicated their season to the victims. Player after player stated that the city was inspiration for them and that they would stay “Boston Strong” throughout the whole season.

The team’s personalities were also very prevalent as they became the Band of Bearded Brothers as Jonny Gomes started a form of unity when he decided not to shave during Spring Training.

So there you have it. All of the perfect pieces were set for this team to make such a drastic run to win the World Series. The core players proved that they were still capable to be leaders of this team and contribute at a high level on the field. All of the players that they added in the offseason meshed perfectly. The team had an incredible source of inspiration as the city stayed strong throughout the horrific events that took place at the Boston Marathon. Also, the brotherhood was formed with the theme of the beards as the team was really a close-knit group throughout the duration of the season.

So is it really impossible to go from worst to first in the matter of a single season? The Boston Red Sox proved that it is not as they showed everyone what a World Series champion looked like winning one of the more entertaining and unique World Series that the league has ever witnessed.

The post Team of Destiny: The 2013 Boston Red Sox appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Just as it seemed like the Heat were wrapping up their championship parade, NBA Training Camp begins the first day of October. Of course, as one can imagine, all eyes are on the most scrutinized team in sports, and for good reason. The Heat are seeking their 4th straight NBA Finals appearance, and their 3rd straight NBA Championship. This is bad news for the rest of the NBA as the Heat are not still celebrating last season’s Championship, however, they are hungrier for another one.

It was obvious to tell this by how the players talked and acted during media day. After dismissing all the questions about them breaking up after this season, they talked and acted like they belong at the top of the NBA, which they are by an overwhelming margin. This is not to say that they were being cocky, however, they were confident and all business at the podium.

In the opinions of many NBA experts, this is the Heat’s Championship to lose. Let’s start with the fact that they have the best basketball player in the world, who just happens to be in the prime of his career. There is no denying that James can do absolutely everything that a basketball player could possibly do on the floor. He has always been a tremendous talent, but now he has worked on his game and listened to the advice of others to add to the parts of his game that were lacking. These parts are his shot, and his post moves.

James was always known as more of an athlete than a jump shooter, but over his career, his shot has gotten a significant amount better. James has added a solid jump shot off the dribble, as well as the 3-pointer. This now forces defenders to crowd him at all times, giving him the opportunity to blow by them and take it to the cup if he pleases. On top of that, his free throw percentage has gone up the past few seasons, making it a very difficult scenario during the final seconds of the game for defenders when he is driving full force at them.

James has also taken the advice of many former big men in the game, worked with them, and developed a solid post game. The man is an absolute tank. Combining his size with post moves makes him an animal down low. It is going to be scary to see what this man will do this season with all these tools.

Let’s go to the next member of the “Big 3”, and that is Dwayne Wade. What did Wade do to improve this offseason? He did the thing that he needed absolutely most, and that is to rest. Wade is still a superstar, and one of the top players in the NBA. His problem was his knees, and they never really seemed to be even close to 100% last season. So he took a couple months off and recently returned to the gym and he said that he is feeling great.

Now to the almost forgotten member of the “Big 3”, Chris Bosh. Bosh has been heavily scrutinized while a member of the Miami Heat, and he is out there with something to prove this season. Bosh has struggled scoring at times, and that is what most people judge him on, which is not exactly fair. The man is a great rebounder and as everyone saw in the postseason, he can block shots as well. Bosh said that he worked on his post moves and his shot this offseason, and feels like he is due for a career season.

Not to mention players like Ray Allen and Mario Chalmers, this team is locked and loaded for another NBA Championship. Now it is up to them to prove that they can actually be what they set out to be, and that is a dynasty. There are no real excuses here. For the most part, every player should be 100% healthy to start the season. Erik Spoelstra just signed a contract extension, so he is locked up for seasons to come. But for the most part, they have the best basketball player in the world, and he has pieces around him. There are absolutely no excuses, and it is up to the Heat to get the job done once again.

The post The Possibility of a Dynasty Lies in the Hands of the Miami Heat appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Then one pitch goes terribly wrong and he tears a ligament in his arm and is on the shelf for more than a year. Where have we heard this story before? It seems that this has been a theme the past couple of years in the MLB.

We can go all the way back to the Chicago Cubs when they had a couple of young aces at the top of their staff in Kerry Wood and Mark Prior. Both were said to have stellar mechanics and electric arms.

We can go back to one of the top pitching prospects we have ever seen in Stephen Strasburg who was lighting up the Majors before he was required to have Tommy John surgery, which those are the most dreaded words that a pitcher ever wants to hear.

Then even this season. National League All-Star starting pitcher Matt Harvey felt tightness in his forearm and thought that it was just something minor. Harvey tore his UCL, which is most likely going to result in Tommy John surgery as well. Harvey was having an excellent season and was in contention with Clayton Kershaw for the National League Cy Young award.

The question is, how does management and the coaching staff handle brining a young pitcher up the correct way to avoid a scenario such as these?

Many people can say that they should simply limit the amount of pitches that the pitcher throws per game, and limit the overall innings he pitches per season. But this is hard to do especially if your team is in contention down the stretch such as the Nationals were last season when they shut Strasburg down.

Curt Schilling is now an analyst at ESPN and he had an interesting opinion on this. He stated the obvious: that throwing a baseball is simply not a natural movement, and injuries are going to happen either way. But then he said that throwing a slider is an even more violent motion, and that teams should limit the amount of sliders a young pitcher throws throughout his first few seasons in the Majors.

This is a brilliant idea and teams should start watching how many sliders their young pitchers throw from the point when they draft them.

All of the pitchers that were just named have one thing in common amongst others. They relied on their sliders heavily to get batters out late in the count. Pitchers do this because it comes off their hand looking as if it is a fast ball, then it completely fools the hitter. It is a highly effective pitch, but it has proved to be very costly to young arms.

So, teams should have the pitcher learn to be able to locate their fastballs first and move in a solid change-up as well. A change-up can be as effective as a slider if the pitcher works on it because once again, it will fool the batter late in the count. On top of this, the pitchers can utilize a curveball as well which is less stressful on the arm than a slider.

Those are all solid pitches that a young arm can be successful with in the MLB without having to go to the slider. Then after a few years, the pitcher can develop a slider once his arm has matured.

Listen, injuries are going to always happen in sports, especially to pitchers in baseball. But this is a way that teams can keep their pitchers on the field without having to shut them down prematurely. Teams might be sacrificing a pitch that is considered the hardest to hit amongst many in the game, but they would rather sacrifice that than the ace of their staff for the future.

The post How to Handle a Young Pitcher in the MLB appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Those were the words of rap icon Jay-Z recently when asked about all his adventures outside of the recording studio. As we all know, Jay-Z has been one of the most popular rappers in music over the past decade or so. Recently he has been in the news, not for music, but for his role in the sports world.

Jay-Z only owned 1/15 of a percent of the Nets, but his influence was felt from top to bottom of that organization. He played a big role in moving the Nets from New Jersey to Brooklyn, and also played a role in the re-signing of superstar free agent Deron Williams.

But Jay-Z is now giving up his share of the Nets to focus on his latest venture: the sports agency Roc Nation Sports.

From an outside perspective, one would think “What could Jay-Z possibly know about the business of sports, and all the negotiations that go into a player signing a contract?” The answer is probably not a whole lot.

Jay-Z is a name, a brand, and an icon. Players want to associate themselves with people who have power, and are high up in society, and Jay-Z is just that. Jay-Z will not be doing any negotiating with teams, he will leave that to people in Roc Nation Sports that have an expertise in that.

A lot of people are questioning this move by Jay-Z but I think it is a brilliant idea for him to start Roc Nation Sports.

Well-known rapper Drake once rapped, “I swear music and sports are so synonymous/ ‘Cause we want to be them, and they want to be us.”

This is such a true statement, and Jay-Z is going to take full advantage of this oportunity to be able to blend the music world, and the sports world together. Whenever there is a music star sitting courtside at a game, it is almost a given that a star player will give him or her a handshake or a hug when the game is over. A lot of these celebrities are friends with athletes already, so the blending of music and sports has already begun.

If an athlete signs with Roc Nation Sports, this will also present them with career oportuities when their playing days are over. Athletes are only playing professional sports for a small period of time in the span of their lives if you think about it. They need a solid plan for what to do when they cannot play any more, and if they are in business with Jay-Z, the more opportunities they are going to be presented with when they are in fact retired.

Jay-Z has already made a big splash at Roc Nation Sports, and other sports agencies across the country are feeling his presence already. The agency signed All-Star second baseman Robinson Cano, who left one of the most well-known agents in sports, Scott Boras.

A very key connection here is the city of New York. As we all know, Jay-Z is from New York and that is where he does most of his work. The man is one of the most popular figures in the largest city in the US, and he is going to take full advantage of that with his new agency. Jay-Z has also signed New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz, and is reportedly in talks with more New York athletes.

Roc Nation Sports is very new to the sports agency landscape. But they have already made quite a mark by signing two of the most well-known athletes in the biggest city in our country. By blending the sports world and music world, Jay-Z is trying to draw a lot of big names into his agency, and it seems like a brilliant concept. All I know is that other sports agencies in the country should be uneasy because Roc Nation Sports is coming.

The post Roc Nation Sports- Blending Sports and Music appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Let’s start with the facts from this school that has a campus that looks a lot like paradise. This school was founded in 1991. Yes, I said 1991, so it has only been around for twenty one years.  Only 3,675 students reside in the on-campus housing at the university and it is located in South Fort Myers, Florida, which is probably one of the best locations in the county for a college campus. Moving on to the athletics; they moved to Division 1 so recently that this is only their second year of postseason eligibility, which makes it such a great story.

Every year there is a cinderella story, or even a few, but this is the definition of a cinderella story. They are a fifteen seed in the NCAA tournament, which means they were matched up against a two seed to begin with. Unfortunately for one of the best teams in the Big East, that happened to be Georgetown.

Usually when these underdogs get off to a good start against a top team, the top team will pull away because overall talent ultimately takes over. But this was not the case here. It almost seemed as if the more talented team was the fifteen seed, and they looked that way from start to finish. They played with complete confidence against the Hoyas, and were not scared at all of the basketball power. With an alley-oop on seemingly every other posession, this team was very confident and that is what propelled them to the first round victory.

They squared off with San Diego State in the next game, who is a lot less talented than Georgetown. This game was close throughout until the latter part of the second half when the Eagles pulled away with more alley-oops and dunks. They were playing with ultimate confidence and nothing was going to stand in their way of winning that game.

But as I stated earlier, what is odd about both these upsets is that the Eagles looked like the superior team in both games. They have athletes all over the floor at every position. Their two star players are Sherwood Brown and Brett Comer. These are two very likable players for their own reasons.

Sherwood Brown has two children that he takes to every game and says that they are the most important thing in the world to him.

Brett Comer’s father passed a few years ago, and Comer has been dedicating this miraculous tournament run to him.

America has simply fallen in love with this team and if your team is out of the tournament, there is a very good chance that you are cheering for the Eagles to advance. They are a very fun team to watch and there is almost nothing not to like about them.

Another thing about this team, is they have fun playing the game of basketball. They are all dancing, cheering for one another, and celebrating together when they make a good play. This team is playing with no pressure, and that is showing by how loose they are playing.

Florida Gulf Coast will play Florida in the Sweet 16, and I am sure everybody outside of Gainesville will be rooting for the Eagles.

The post Florida Gulf Coast, America’s New Team appeared first on KRUI Radio.

You have to look at the number one seeds, the cinderellas, and the team that got hot during the conference tournament to win it. Everybody’s inner-bracketologist knows all the factors that go into selecting the perfect bracket.

But this year has been a year unlike any in college basketball. With countless upsets, buzzer beaters, and a court storm virtually every day, even true bracketologists like ESPN’s Joe Lunardi have no idea what is going to happen this tournament. So good luck to the rest of us?

There are many factors that go into the notion that this will be the hardest bracket to fill out in recent memory. I am going to dive into the two that I think are the most important.

The main reason why this bracket is going to be virtually impossible to fill out is because of the fact that there are no really dependable teams in college basketball this year. By this I am stating the fact that there is no great team out there that you can look at week in and week out and say that they are going to win, or maybe play well and come up just short against a tough opponent on the road.

There is one thing that all these teams lack: Consistency. The top teams in the country this year will look great one weekend, then play a sub-par team on the road and simply not show up. Kansas perfected this when they traveled to TCU and decided they did not feel like playing that day, and promptly got blown out of the gym by one of the worst teams in major college basketball. Michigan one-upped them when they went to Happy Valley and basically handed Penn State their first Big Ten win.

The two most consistent teams this year have been Duke and Indiana. Duke has been without one of their top players all year, but even with Ryan Kelly back in the lineup, you cannot say that you fully stand behind them to win a tough game in a hostile environment. Likewise with Indiana. They have looked like the best team in the country at times, and at other times they are giving wide open layups to win the game at the buzzer to Tyler Griffey of Illinois.

Moving on, the mid major team is not a walk in the park anymore for the big boys of college basketball. You know who is looking down at everyone from the top of the standings right now? Gonzaga. This is not Duke, North Carolina, Florida, or Kansas. This is a team from the West Coast Conference who has destroyed just about everyone in its path.

Everyone knows about Gonzaga, but I am going to mention a few mid majors that no big school wants to play come the tournament.

Just ask Miami about Florida Gulf Coast. The Eagles beat the Hurricanes 63-51 in the beginning of the season, and were in control of the game throughout.

Does any team want to play Doug McDermott and the Creighton Bluejays? McDermott is a national player of the year candidate, and is capable any game of having an outing where he puts up thirty points with ten boards.

What about Saint Mary’s? This team often gets overlooked because of the dominance by Gonzaga year in and year out, but this is a team that has quietly put together a great season as well led by senior Mathew Dellavedova.

Finally this begs the question; is this the year that a sixteen seed finally beats a number one? I am just going to say this, it is highly unlikely given the talent difference and the past history, but if there was going to be a year where this happened, it will be this year.

This seems like it is going to be the hardest bracket I have ever filled out, along with many other people. My gut feeling is that a team is going to get hot during their conference tournament such as Connecticut did a couple years ago, and win the whole thing. But nobody has any really good answer. All I can say is good luck to everyone, because you are going to need it.

The post Filling out a Bracket this March? Good Luck appeared first on KRUI Radio.

There are going to be three main points to my reasoning why the “One and Done” rule is ineffective for everyone involved. My first point is the reason why I put the phrase student-athlete in quotation marks in the first paragraph. Who is the NCAA trying to kid in this situation? We all know that even the four-year college basketball player is more of an athlete-student rather than a student-athlete, so what does that make the player that could have been a lottery pick straight out of high school?

That player is only there for one reason: because he has to be there. Education is barely going to even cross the kid’s mind because he knows, the coach knows, and most importantly the school knows that he is going to the NBA the next year. The one and done rule makes a mockery of the phrase “student-athlete” because these players are all majoring in the same subject: Basketball.

Furthermore, let’s address the college basketball product with this rule. The supporters will say that everyone gets to see the best players in the country play in college for a year, but is that really good for the game? What ever happened to longevity in sports? These 5 star recruits are here for a year, then they are bolting to the NBA. That seems like it is very good for team chemistry to have a new star player every year, and not being able to build comradery whatsoever.

Basketball is a team sport, but there is a high individual aspect to it. These one and done players are not thinking about the team as much as they are thinking about their draft stock. An example of this is Shabazz Muhammad who should be in the NBA right now. Muhammad did not get the ball on the final posession of the game, but his team won anyways. Muhammad did not even look at the dog pile and the celebration, because he wanted to be the star of the game.

The NCAA should let these players go straight to the NBA out of high school if they want to. But if they choose to go to college, make them stay for two, maybe three years to actually get the team aspect back in the sport.

Next, let’s move on to the actual player who is being robbed of the chance to have a career and make money when he is fully capable of doing so. I think everyone knows where I am going with this point; that is the injury factor. Lately we are seeing ACL’s torn in sports as much as there are steroid allegations in the MLB. It seems that every week there is a major sports star sidelined for a year by a torn ACL. Unless you are not a human being such as Adrian Peterson, who had an all-time great year the year after tearing his ACL, there is a good chance that you will never be the same player again. Automatically your NBA stock has dropped and you are seen as a risk to NBA teams.

Names such as Sam Bowie come to mind. A lot of people are thinking who is this person, and that is exactly my point. He was the player drafted ahead of Michael Jordan, and he was drafted 2nd overall for a reason. He was 7’1″ with all the talent in the world but had a devastating leg injury in college that kept coming back and lingering in the NBA. Bowie never reached his potential because of that first injury he suffered in college.

Now I do not want to assume anything, but another talented Kentucky big man recently came down with a torn ACL in college, his name is Nerlens Noel. He was a lock for the number one pick in the upcoming draft but he has already fallen to number three and could fall even farther. But what if this injury lingers and plagues him throughout his NBA career? That will be a shame for everyone involved. It is one thing for Derrick Rose to tear his ACL because he already has an NBA contract and an MVP, but Noel has not made a dime yet through basketball or a statement in the league.

College basketball is an excellent sport. March madness is one of the best sporting spectacles there is in our country. But the game is changing, and not for the better. The “One and Done” rule is hurting the game, and it is hurting the players that are forced to play in college for a year. How many top players are going to have to tear their ACL’s before this rule is gone?

The post The “One and Done” Rule Needs to be Done appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Lets start with the Baltimore Orioles who finished the 2012 season with 93 wins and earned a wild card birth. This ball club has seen vast improvements since Buck Showalter took over the helm during the middle of the 2010 season, and they exceeded expectations last season. The Orioles are a young squad that is loaded with talent like young third baseman Manny Machado, their center fielder Adam Jones, and catcher Matt Wieters. All of these players are age 27, or under, and could be the corner stones for the Blatimore Orioles franchise for years to come. But what do young players need to get them through the grueling MLB season? The answer is a solid group of veterans which the Orioles have in outfielders Nick Markakis and Nate McLouth, as well as short stop JJ Hardy. The biggest question mark with this club is going to be starting pitching with the lack of big name pitchers that they have on their roster.

Next, lets move to the team up north which had one of the greatest offseasons in recent years, the Toronto Blue Jays. This franchise has been the bottom feeders of this division for many years, but it is amazing what one offseason can do for a club. The Miami Marlins executed their patented fire sale to perfection in November by sending every one of their notable players besides Giancarlo Stanton to the Blue Jays. The Blue Jays received All-Star shortstop Jose Reyes, Miami’s two best pitchers in Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle, as well as catcher John Buck and outfielder Emilio Bonifacio. Maybe moving this group of players to Canada will help them play to their potential because it did not work out in Miami. The Blue Jays were not done yet however. They aquired 2012 Cy Young award winner R.A. Dickey to be the ace of their rotation. Do not forget about Brandon Morrow whos numbers would have matched up against any other top AL pitcher last season if it was not for injuries. Lets take a step back and look at this project starting rotation. R.A. Dickey leads it off, followed by Brandon Morrow, Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, then Ricky Romero who has a lot of talent. This starting rotation is as good as any other in the bigs and I think it will carry Toronto this season.

Finally, lets move to the Tampa Bay Rays who finished the 2012 campaign with an impressive 90 wins. Usually if a team wins 90 games their headed to the playoffs, but not in the grueling AL East. The Rays were on the outside looking in at the playoff picture with the inability to win key games down the stretch. A lot of teams got better in the offseason, but the Rays were not one of them. They lost key players in reliable starter James Shields via a trade with the Kansas City Royals as well as their starting center fielder BJ Upton to free agency. With that being said, they still have a decent starting rotation and the main reason for that being year in and year out Cy Young candidate David Price. He is their big game pitcher and the one they turn to in a must-win ball game. But do not overlook the rest of their rotation. Although they might not have any other aces on the staff, pitchers like Jeremy Hellickson and Matt Moore have proven they can be successful in the bigs. The question with the Rays is going to be if they can produce enough runs to stay in contention. They have All-Star third baseman Evan Longoria who will produce, but outside of that they are going to need help. Players like Desmond Jennings, Yunel Escobar, and Ben Zobrist will need to step up.

So here it is, the 2013 AL East and I have not even talked about the New York Yankees or the Boston Red Sox. The Sox were down last year and finished in last place of the division, but I expect them to play better this season while still finishing in last place. The Yankees are the Yankees, and they will do whatever it takes to be a  World Series contender in the 2013 campaign, which probably means throwing around millions of dollars which they are not afraid to do. New York, Baltimore, Toronto, and Tampa Bay all have legitimate chances to win this division, and it will be very interesting as to who comes out on top.

The post 2013 AL East Could be Among Toughest Divisions in MLB History appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Lets start with the NFL. As previously stated, Ray Lewis leads this draft class as he was selected 26th overall in the first round of the draft. Lewis has put up staggering numbers as well as taking home countless honors such as NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2000 and 2003, and being selected to 13 Pro Bowls. Lewis also led his Ravens to a Super Bowl victory in 2000.

But this draft could very well be known for the wide receivers that were selected. The notable wide receivers that were picked were Keyshawn Johnson, Marvin Harrison, Terrell Owens, Muhsin Muhammed, Amani Toomer, and Joe Horn. All of these wide receivers were Pro Bowl selections and the majority of them will be headed to the Hall of Fame. Also, lets throw the best kicker of all-time in the mix with the undrafted Adam Vinatieri.

Moving forward to the NBA where the ’96 draft room was buzzing with all the talent available. The headliner here is the “Black Mamba” or as most know him, Kobe Bryant. Bryant was selected 13th overall by the Charlotte Hornets then traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. Bryant is a 14-time All-Star, as well as being a 14-time member of the All-NBA team. He is the youngest player to reach 30,000 points, and he is the all-time leading scorer of the Los Angeles Lakers. He has led the Lakers to 5 NBA Championships, and will likely go down as a top-5 player all-time.

The ’96 draft class will be forever known as the draft of the guard. Other notable guards to be selected along with Bryant were Allen Iverson, Steve Nash, Ray Allen, and Stephon Marbury. These players were all multiple-time All-Stars and were consistantly the most recognizable players in the league for a number of years.

There is no doubt who headlines the list of MLB rookies in 1996, and that is Derek Jeter. Jeter started off with a bang as he won the Rookie of the Year in ’96. Throughout the years Jeter has 13 All-Star selections, 5 Gold Gloves, and 5 Silver Slugger Awards. He is the Yankees’ all-time career leader in hits,  games played, stolen bases, and at-bats. Jeter is known as one of the main reasons for the Yankees’ success in the late 1990’s and 2000’s in which the team has 5 World Series victories.

There were many other notable rookies in the ’96 season. Andruw Jones, Vladimir Guerrero, Edgar Renteria, Bobby Abreu, and Scott Rolen all appeared for the National League. Along with Jeter on the American League side were Nomar Garciaparra, Tony Batista, Scott Spiezio, and Raul Ibanez. While all of these players might not be Hall of Famers, they were very productive and consistant for many years in the MLB, which is hard to do.

But the most famous athlete to start off theier stellar career in 1996 has to be Tiger Woods. Woods turned pro in ’96 and shook up the golf world forever. Woods has been named PGA Golfer of the Year a record 10 times, as well as setting the record for the most consecutive weeks ranked as the World’s number one golfer. Woods is also 2nd all-time on the majors list with 14 career major victories. When it is all said and done, Woods could go down as the greatest golfer of all-time.

Lets take a moment and just take in all of the great athletes that started their stellar careers in 1996. In my opinion, it is the greatest sports class of all-time with the headliners such as Ray Lewis, Kobe Bryant, Derek Jeter, and Tiger Woods. But also the depth of each class and the amount of players that made key impacts in their respective leagues. With most of these players nearing the end of their careers, just sit back and take a moment to comprehend what this class has done for the world of sports.

The post Sports Class of 1996, Best Ever? appeared first on KRUI Radio.