Tim Tebow is one of the most celebrated college football players ever. His quick wit, professionalism, and incredible college career have drawn praise from multiple outlets ever since his freshman campaign in 2006 at Florida University. He also has a SMOKING hot girlfriend in Lucy Pinder.
Despite this, Tebow is often criticized as being a great college player without experience in running a pro-style offense.
Will Tebow succeed at the next level?
The Good: Tebow certainly has a lot going for him. He’s extraordinarily mature for a kid his age, a hard-working player, and has a never say die attitude that has earned him respect. He’s certainly got all the physical, mental and professional tools to succeed at the next level, and no one can ever say that he played in a weak conference or for a bad team. Tebow certainly didn’t do everything by himself, but he also took things into his own hands more than once. He can win you games. If for no other reason, you have to root for him because of Lucy.
The Ugly: Nothing really. Especially not Lucy Pinder.
Prediction: Bust. No, I’m not referring to Lucy Pinder here. I actually think Tebow is going to bust. Not because he doesn’t have the tools, but come on… would you rather play football or spend time with a girlfriend who looks like Pinder? In all seriousness, if Elway doesn’t give Tebow his chance in Denver, he’ll either be traded or ride the bench. The longer Tebow rides the bench, the more likely he is to bust.
BONUS PIC:
Wow. Just... wow. And there are better pics too; none of which are appropriate to post here. (Photobucket Photo)
If you haven’t heard of the Power Showcase,you haven’t seen the best young power hitters in baseball.
These kids are more than a little legit at the plate; many of them hit home runs exceeding 500 feet.
The video below includes a demonstration from Virginia native and current George Mason University baseball player Zack Helgeson. Definitely worth a look, as even if you aren’t a big fan of baseball, these guys are at the pinnacle of their game in their youth. Check it out:
What did you accomplish before you were 18? Whatever it was, you probably were no Bryce Harper.
He’s already been called baseball’s “Chosen One” by Sports Illustrated. He’s drawn comparisons to some of the best players that Major League Baseball has ever seen. He’s already signed a multi-million dollar professional contract.
Harper’s talent has been talked about since his sophomore year of high school, when Sports Illustrated revealed that Harper had hit a 570-foot home run (if you can, read that link. A LOT of good info about the home run is in there) as a fifteen year old. If true, metal bat or not, high school baseball or not, 570 feet is 570 feet. Let’s take a look at Harper’s “qualifications”:
The Good: As a baseball prospect, Harper is rock-solid on paper. After getting his high school GED at age 16, Harper spent most of his seventeenth year on Earth playing college baseball at the College of Southern Nevada, where he hit .443 with 31 bombs and 98 RBI. Oh, and a meager OPS (On Base Plus Slugging) of 1.513 (.800 is considered good). His swing is lightning quick, his arm strength is incredible and his defensive strength is improving every day.
The Bad: Almost nothing. The only possible knock against him MIGHT be that he’s too big already. Where do you have to go when you’re already 6’3″ and 225 at 18?
The Ugly: Arrogance. Harper has been often criticized for his cockiness, which is actually not an overwhelmingly bad quality as a ballplayer. As an interview candidate, however, this can be a public nuisance to the team. Just ask the Giants and Barry Bonds.
Prediction: Big boom. Unlike Stephen Strasburg, Harper is a position player. Moving Harper from catcher to the outfield will likely extend his career, and will almost certainly allow him to keep healthy for a decent number of years. I may be biased, wanting to have “baseball’s answer to LeBron James” come to fruition, but Harper’s already being praised by professionals and amateurs alike, and there’s nothing in his past to suggest he can’t succeed.
History: Major League Baseball was the last of the four major sports in the United States to adopt any form of instant replay. While the current system was implemented in 2008, the first use of replay actually predates the new millennium. In 1999, a game between the Florida Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals was played where Marlin outfielder Cliff Floyd hit a ball off the top of the left field scoreboard at Pro Player Stadium. Umpire Frank Pulli consulted a monitor in the Marlins’ dugout and ruled that Floyd had to return to second base.
The first official use of replay occurred on Sept. 3, 2008 in a game between the visiting New York Yankees and division rival Tampa Bay Rays. Yankee third baseman Alex Rodriguez hit a ball down the left field line that was ruled a home run by third base umpire Bryce DePuy. Joe Maddon, the manager of the Rays, demanded the umpires take a look. The umpires obliged, but returned with the same decision as before. Thus, the current system of instant replay was born.
Arguments For: There are a couple main arguments for replay:
* The technology exists
* Could speed up the game
* Get the call right is the most important thing.
Arguments Against: There are also a couple main arguments against replay:
* Human element should not be compromised
* Could lengthen the game
* How extensive would it get?
One way it could be done: There is a very simple way of implementing a quick form of replay:
* A fifth umpire could be put into the press box.
*If a play comes into question, this umpire could have reviewed the play numerous times already by the time the officiating crew decides to ask for his help.
* The home plate umpire could then make a call from a phone placed in the tunnel behind the plate.
* The decision could be rendered from this official, and time would actually be cut from the game where the manager would otherwise be arguing his case.
The only argument from the critics that now still stands is the view that “the human element is important to the game”. The issue with this logic is that the human element can still be kept in tact by limiting the number of challenges a team can have per game, while also limiting what can be challenged. It is done this way in every other sport, so why would baseball fans be worried about that? It seems like a desperate attempt at being right.
Replay is not the end of baseball; it is the beginning of returning integrity to the game.
Ryan Mallett's Draft Stock has fallen for some off-the-field issues (AP Photo)
Arkansas’ Ryan Mallett has very little left to prove on a college football field. The Razorbacks‘ starting quarterback for the last three years, Mallett completed 63.6% of his passes last season. This is considered to be an elite completion percentage, and his other numbers are right along those lines across the board.
But are his off-the-field issues enough to curtail his draft stock?
The Good: There’s very little not to like about Mallett the quarterback. His size (6’6″, 238), arm strength (after a great Combine) and accuracy have drawn almost universal from NFL scouts. The physical tools are there for Mallett to have an extremely successful career at the professional level, and he’s also drawn comparisons to Joe Flacco for his command of an offense and big-time arm.
The Bad: The only real knock against Mallett’s playing abilities would be his questionable footwork. Scouts have pointed to his lack of mobility, which caused a lot of issues during the Razorbacks’ 2009 campaign. No one seems to be overly concerned about this, however, because footwork is a teachable fundamental.
The Ugly: This is where Mallett’s draft stock has taken an enormous hit. Widespread reports of Mallet’s drug use have cause several teams to be turned off by the young star. Even worse was his NFL Combine interview. Mallett frequently offered a “no comment” response, and hardly appeared professional in an interview setting. This has caused a number of teams to be fearful of potential baggage that Mallett will bring in the event that he is drafted.
DRAFT PREDICTION: Late first/Early second round. Mallett is almost certainly not going to fall further than the fourth overall pick in the second round to the Cincinnati Bengals, who have to find a new quarterback with Carson Palmer getting serious about his retirement threat. That being said, Mallett’s tools and potential could make him an enormous steal at this spot. My guess is he’ll find his way onto a team that trades up into the latter part of the first round to grab him.
PREDICTION: Boom. This kid is no joke. No matter what his off-the-field issues are, they typically can get corrected by the right people and the right situation. My feeling on this is that if a team is going to invest a tremendous amount of money in Mallett, they’re going to do their part to make sure Mallett doesn’t screw up their commitment.
How much longer are the Lakers going to be the dominant Los Angeles team?
The Lakers’ average age is now sitting a nice and neat 30.0, making them the NBA’s oldest team by 1.6 years over the Boston Celtics.
They also have nine players currently on their roster that are over the age of 30, including four of their starting five (Andrew Bynum being the lone exception).
It’s tough to predict something like this, but with the Clippers’ rising star sitting at age 21 (at least until March 16th) and the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant slowly but surely aging, the question is certainly out there.
Griffin is averaging 22.7 PPG, and 12.5 RPG through games beginning March 7th, while Bryant is sitting right around his career averages in both categories (roughly 25 PPG and 5 RPG), very slightly down from last year’s 27 PPG and 5.5 RPG.
With help coming in the form of a top college player in this year’s NBA draft, Griffin and the Clippers may one day soon finally be NBA relevant.
Colt McCoy fell all the way to the third round in the 2010 NFL Draft (AP photo)
He’s been compared to Drew Brees. He was a winner in the Texas Longhorns’ football program. Yet many scouts said that the Cleveland Browns’ newest quarterback installment, Colt McCoy, would never succeed at the NFL level.
Why?
The comparison to Drew Brees is almost laughable. Scouts said that McCoy, much like Brees, is too small to play the quarterback position effectively at the next level. For those who have lived under a rock for the last year in the world of sports, Brees is the 5’9″ quarterback who is unanimously hailed as the main reason for the New Orleans Saints‘2010 Super Bowl win. If the biggest knock against Colt McCoy is that he’s a similar player to Brees, then I’m failing to see how he’s not going to be effective in the NFL.
And since when is being a winner in college football in Texas a bad thing? Last time I checked, Texas was one of the most popular states for college football in the United States. In reality, HIGH SCHOOL football is probably more popular in Texas than college football is in some states. Considering McCoy’s success there, I’m once again failing to see how he’s ultimately going to fail int he NFL.
The scouts who said these things about McCoy should be fired.
Congratulations Mike Holmgren, you’re building another winner.
Mason’s 6’4″ Shooting Guard leads the nationally ranked Patriots in minutes, field goals, points, points per game, while providing the team with the senior leadership they lacked on last season’s 17-15 team. Despite this, Long is currently projected to be drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies in the second round, with the 48th overall pick by the respected web site NBA Draft Net.
Are there really 47 players better than Long right now?
NBA Draft Net doesn’t even think so.
They have Long rated even lower, as the 70th overall talent in college basketball. One of the biggest knocks against Long and his 87 (out of 120) overall rating is his size, which seems rather unfair considering the level of talent the NBA has seen over the years from “undersized” players. Don’t believe me? Ask Allen Iverson, Muggsy Bogues and Charles Barkley if their size mattered to their illustrious careers. It seems interesting that a player gets knocked for their height, when they are clearly a consistent performer on the basketball court.
Long’s potential is also rated as a 6 out of an overall 10 possible points. I’m curious as to how this number is reached, considering that the general majority of players that head to the NBA tend to improve their game.
Long is the type of player who wins games for teams. Not just in the NBA, but in every sport. The solid, does his job day in and day out, consistent performer that doesn’t complain?
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