Hey everyone,
after about a week's hiatus due to crazy times with New Student Orientation, the Sports Take has returned and will keep you up to date on pretty much everything happening in the world of sports. With the start of the college football season less than a week away, look out for my College Football Preview complete with BCS picks and overviews on the major conferences.
As always, feel free to submit any question to me you see fit or if you would like me to blog about a particular topic, just email me at sasph1913@gmail.com
Monday, August 29, 2011
Sunday, August 14, 2011
2011 Fantasy Football Mock Draft Results
It's almost time for the 2011 NFL season to get started. That being said, I decided to take part in a mock draft on ESPN. This year I am the LM for two leagues: a keeper and a normal league. I am very excited to get my actual drafts going but for now, the mock draft is suffice for me.
Here's my results with the player I drafted each round and my logic behind each pick.
Round 1: Aaron Rodgers, QB Green Bay Packers-Rodgers is hands-down one of the best in the league and I believe in taking the top QB if you can early on.
Round 2: Roddy White, WR Atlanta Falcons-Rowdy, Roddy White was a beast last year and he should only get better this year with Matt Ryan throwing the deep ball and a slot threat in Julio Jones beside him
Round 3: Desean Jackson, WR Philadelphia Eagles-Jackson is the ultimate weapon on the field and I would love to have the chance to have him for real. Hopefully, my wish will come true in my actual draft
Round 4: De'Angelo Williams, RB Carolina Panthers-he got the big contract and now it's time for De'Angelo to show up big for Carolina. I expect plenty of TD's and 1,000 yards this season.
Round 5: Knowshon Moreno, RB Denver Broncos-John Fox needs Moreno to have a big year and I believe the back will step it up and emerge as the second-best behind Jamaal Charles in the AFC West.
Round 6: Dallas Clark, TE Indianapolis Colts-He should bounce back from last years injuries and be Peyton's number-one target again. The Colts need him and so do many other fantasy owners.
Round 7: Cedric Benson, RB Cincinnati Bengals-Benson should rush over 1,000 yards again and help young Andy Dalton to acclimate to the NFL and take pressure off him. Solid pick at Round 7.
Round 8: Wes Welker, WR New England Patriots-What more can one say about Welker except that he does everything-catches, yards, TD's. Tom Brady will look his way plenty and Wes should have another big season.
Round 9: Packers D/ST-Dom Capers 3-4 scheme will be all over the quarterback again and the ball-hawking secondary should easily lead the league in turnovers again. Not to mention, defensive TD's.
Round 10: Matt Ryan, QB Atlanta Falcons-Matty Ice is not a top fantasy QB this year but is still a solid back-up who has some weapons to throw to.
Round 11: Johnny Knox, WR Chicago Bears-Knox is the deep-threat that Jay Cutler covets and Mike Martz will draw up plenty of plays for him this year. I expect a career year for Knox.
Round 12: Ryan Williams, RB Arizona Cardinals-he might be a rookie who will back-up Beanie Wells, but Williams might surprise and pull off some big games with Kevin Kolb airing it out in Zona.
Round 13: Stephen Gostowski, K New England Patriots-Tom Brady will score TD's and the Pats will score a lot again. Therefore, I believe Gostowski will be one of the top fantasy kickers without a doubt.
Round 14: Eagles D/ST-They may or may not be the dream-team, but with Nhamdi and Samuel the Eagles will force turns and pressure the QB with Babin, Jenkins and Cole.
Round 15: Rob Gronkowski, TE New England Patriots-He turned into a favorite of Tom Brady last year and is a great back-up for Dallas Clark in case the injury bug bites my starting TE again.
Round 16: Danny Woodhead, RB New England Patriots-I love this guy! He was on my team last year and all he did was score points and be clutch. Plus, Brady and Belichick love him too.
That's my draft results. Good luck everyone with your drafts this year and let us all rejoice that football is back and three weeks from Thursday, the regular season begins in Titletown with the Packers hosting the Saints.
Are you ready for some football??
Here's my results with the player I drafted each round and my logic behind each pick.
Round 1: Aaron Rodgers, QB Green Bay Packers-Rodgers is hands-down one of the best in the league and I believe in taking the top QB if you can early on.
Round 2: Roddy White, WR Atlanta Falcons-Rowdy, Roddy White was a beast last year and he should only get better this year with Matt Ryan throwing the deep ball and a slot threat in Julio Jones beside him
Round 3: Desean Jackson, WR Philadelphia Eagles-Jackson is the ultimate weapon on the field and I would love to have the chance to have him for real. Hopefully, my wish will come true in my actual draft
Round 4: De'Angelo Williams, RB Carolina Panthers-he got the big contract and now it's time for De'Angelo to show up big for Carolina. I expect plenty of TD's and 1,000 yards this season.
Round 5: Knowshon Moreno, RB Denver Broncos-John Fox needs Moreno to have a big year and I believe the back will step it up and emerge as the second-best behind Jamaal Charles in the AFC West.
Round 6: Dallas Clark, TE Indianapolis Colts-He should bounce back from last years injuries and be Peyton's number-one target again. The Colts need him and so do many other fantasy owners.
Round 7: Cedric Benson, RB Cincinnati Bengals-Benson should rush over 1,000 yards again and help young Andy Dalton to acclimate to the NFL and take pressure off him. Solid pick at Round 7.
Round 8: Wes Welker, WR New England Patriots-What more can one say about Welker except that he does everything-catches, yards, TD's. Tom Brady will look his way plenty and Wes should have another big season.
Round 9: Packers D/ST-Dom Capers 3-4 scheme will be all over the quarterback again and the ball-hawking secondary should easily lead the league in turnovers again. Not to mention, defensive TD's.
Round 10: Matt Ryan, QB Atlanta Falcons-Matty Ice is not a top fantasy QB this year but is still a solid back-up who has some weapons to throw to.
Round 11: Johnny Knox, WR Chicago Bears-Knox is the deep-threat that Jay Cutler covets and Mike Martz will draw up plenty of plays for him this year. I expect a career year for Knox.
Round 12: Ryan Williams, RB Arizona Cardinals-he might be a rookie who will back-up Beanie Wells, but Williams might surprise and pull off some big games with Kevin Kolb airing it out in Zona.
Round 13: Stephen Gostowski, K New England Patriots-Tom Brady will score TD's and the Pats will score a lot again. Therefore, I believe Gostowski will be one of the top fantasy kickers without a doubt.
Round 14: Eagles D/ST-They may or may not be the dream-team, but with Nhamdi and Samuel the Eagles will force turns and pressure the QB with Babin, Jenkins and Cole.
Round 15: Rob Gronkowski, TE New England Patriots-He turned into a favorite of Tom Brady last year and is a great back-up for Dallas Clark in case the injury bug bites my starting TE again.
Round 16: Danny Woodhead, RB New England Patriots-I love this guy! He was on my team last year and all he did was score points and be clutch. Plus, Brady and Belichick love him too.
That's my draft results. Good luck everyone with your drafts this year and let us all rejoice that football is back and three weeks from Thursday, the regular season begins in Titletown with the Packers hosting the Saints.
Are you ready for some football??
Saturday, August 13, 2011
From ace to sad low-life right-hander: The downfall of Carlos Zambrano
Let's take a walk down memory lane for Carlos Zambrano. He was a top-notch right-handed pitching prospect for the Chicago Cubs, fireballer and tough competitor that battled for 27 outs a night. Yes, that was Carlos Zambrano back in the day. To further explain how good Zambrano was, take a look at these stats '04-06.
2004: 16-8, 2.75 ERA, 188 K, 81 BB
2005: 14-6, 3.26 ERA, 202 K, 86 BB
2006: 16-7, 3.41 ERA, 210 K, 115BB
Carlos was also an all-star in 2004, 2006 and 2008. He was dominant on the mound with a fastball of upwards to 95-98, a devastating slider and a pretty good change-up.Hitters feared him, his teammates believed in him and he was the talk of the town on the north side. To cap off his great career, Zambrano threw a no-hitter against the Houston Astros on September 15, 2008. He had come back after an eleven day lay-off due to shoulder soreness. However, Big Z was as dominant as ever that day and shut down a red-hot Astros lineup.
That was then though. Since that time, Big Z has had episode after episode of anger problems, throwing teammates and managers under the bus and absolute childishness on the mound. Big Z has not looked like an ace in a long time and his recent actions show he should not even be playing big league baseball. Really, who takes off their jersey and cleans out their locker after giving up 5 long-balls and throwing at Chipper Jones? It is just downright wrong. As Tim McCarver put it today on Fox Saturday Baseball, "Zambrano has been given chance after chance and still has not learned".
The Cubs move to place the righty on the the disqualified list without pay for the next 30 days is long overdue. He has acted like a child on the mound and should have been let go long before now. Hopefully, they are done with giving him more chances and his time in the Windy City might be up by now. One thing has been constant in the midst of the Zambrano saga, more Cubs loses and the continuation of the longest World Series drought in baseball.
Baseball has had it's share of hot heads in the past (John Rocker, Lloyd McClendon, Lou Pinella, Bobby Cox), but none recently have been as bad as Zambrano. His actions are uncalled for and until he gets his act together, baseball is better off without him. His downfall might be tragic but he has himself to blame for it. Every time he takes the mound at Wrigley, it is more of a drama show than a baseball game. The fans don't deserve it, the Cubs don't and neither does baseball. For now, it is best if Big Z uses the next 30 days not to fight the Cubs on their decision but to figure out what kind of man he wants to be. Forget baseball player, right now Big Z is a coward and a disgrace to all who strive to succeed at baseball.
*Stats provided by Baseball America
2004: 16-8, 2.75 ERA, 188 K, 81 BB
2005: 14-6, 3.26 ERA, 202 K, 86 BB
2006: 16-7, 3.41 ERA, 210 K, 115BB
Carlos was also an all-star in 2004, 2006 and 2008. He was dominant on the mound with a fastball of upwards to 95-98, a devastating slider and a pretty good change-up.Hitters feared him, his teammates believed in him and he was the talk of the town on the north side. To cap off his great career, Zambrano threw a no-hitter against the Houston Astros on September 15, 2008. He had come back after an eleven day lay-off due to shoulder soreness. However, Big Z was as dominant as ever that day and shut down a red-hot Astros lineup.
That was then though. Since that time, Big Z has had episode after episode of anger problems, throwing teammates and managers under the bus and absolute childishness on the mound. Big Z has not looked like an ace in a long time and his recent actions show he should not even be playing big league baseball. Really, who takes off their jersey and cleans out their locker after giving up 5 long-balls and throwing at Chipper Jones? It is just downright wrong. As Tim McCarver put it today on Fox Saturday Baseball, "Zambrano has been given chance after chance and still has not learned".
The Cubs move to place the righty on the the disqualified list without pay for the next 30 days is long overdue. He has acted like a child on the mound and should have been let go long before now. Hopefully, they are done with giving him more chances and his time in the Windy City might be up by now. One thing has been constant in the midst of the Zambrano saga, more Cubs loses and the continuation of the longest World Series drought in baseball.
Baseball has had it's share of hot heads in the past (John Rocker, Lloyd McClendon, Lou Pinella, Bobby Cox), but none recently have been as bad as Zambrano. His actions are uncalled for and until he gets his act together, baseball is better off without him. His downfall might be tragic but he has himself to blame for it. Every time he takes the mound at Wrigley, it is more of a drama show than a baseball game. The fans don't deserve it, the Cubs don't and neither does baseball. For now, it is best if Big Z uses the next 30 days not to fight the Cubs on their decision but to figure out what kind of man he wants to be. Forget baseball player, right now Big Z is a coward and a disgrace to all who strive to succeed at baseball.
*Stats provided by Baseball America
First Sports Take
Hello all,
this is the first of many sports takes to come from yours truly, Sean Snyder. I am a huge sports fan, mostly of philly sports teams but follow the NBA, NFL, MLB, NCAA Basketball and Football heavily. I look forward to sharing my sports opinions on this blog and as well as interacting with other great fans alike.
Expect some of my sports takes to be blunt and I will always be honest. I hope you enjoy my opinions and feel free to comment any time you see fit.
Sincerely,
Sean A. Snyder
this is the first of many sports takes to come from yours truly, Sean Snyder. I am a huge sports fan, mostly of philly sports teams but follow the NBA, NFL, MLB, NCAA Basketball and Football heavily. I look forward to sharing my sports opinions on this blog and as well as interacting with other great fans alike.
Expect some of my sports takes to be blunt and I will always be honest. I hope you enjoy my opinions and feel free to comment any time you see fit.
Sincerely,
Sean A. Snyder
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