On Monday, the Home Run Derby showcased some of the best sluggers in the MLB hitting homers out of the Reds hitter friendly ballpark.
Ken Griffey Jr threw out the first pitch, getting a nice reception from the fans as he returned to the Reds ballpark for the first time in a while.
Them, the competition began with the 8 competitors competing in the newly made bracket system. The competitors also competed with the five minute clock for the first time ever.
These 2 rule changes by new commish Manfred received outstanding reviews from critics and fans.
To start off the contest, Donaldson out homered Rizzo enabling him to move on to the semifinals.
In the next pairing, Frazier , who was helped out by the fans, beat 2 time derby champ Prince Fielder in an epic matchup. With the win, Frazier advanced to the semi- finals where he faced Donaldson in a matchup of powerful third basemen.
On the other side of the bracket , NL rookie phenom Pederson knocked out Machado to advance to the next round where he awaited the winner of Pujols vs. Bryant (another NL rookie sensation).
Albert Pujols in his return to the national stage defeated Kris Bryant to lock up the last semi-final spot.
In the semi- finals,the rookie Pederson knocked out the aging veteran Pujols to advance to the final in his first ever MlB Home Run Derby.
Then, the host team's favorite Todd Frazier out homered Josh Donaldson to advance to the final of this contest for the second straight year.
In the epic final, Todd Frazier needed 30 seconds of bonus time to upstage Pederson and take his first Home Run Derby title in front of his own team's fans and in his team's ballpark.
Now that's a pretty cool feat and now I hope that Frazier's swing won't be messed up because of all the homers that he hit.
With his enormous power, I am pretty sure that Pederson will be back in this competition in the upcoming years, looking for the win that just eluded him this year.
I loved watching the Derby and I love the new rules that made it way more exciting for both the players and the fans.
The All Star Game took place on Tuesday. In this game, the best players from the NL were matched up against the best players from the AL and the winning league gets home field advantage in the fall classic.
Before the game MLB honored the best four players from every MLB franchise. These super stars were selected by the fans online and I tjout that baseball fans everywhere made good choices with who they voted for.
Then, MLB honored the four greatest living pl. ayers. They are Wille Mays, Sandy Koufax, Johnny Bench, and Hank Aaron. These four legends were the faces of baseball during their time on the diamond and all four elderly all time greats will be recognized when they eventually die.
Then the baseball game began with Dallas Keuchal staring for the ALand Zach Greinke starting for
the NL.
Throughout the game both squads used a ton of pitchers and position players as.it's an All Star Game so both Bochy and Yost wanted to get every player their All Star spotlight and reward them for the terrific first half they put together,
The AL struck first on a lead off home run by Mike Trout off Greinke who ran up the best ERA in the MLB in the first half.
Trout would help the AL strike in the 5th inning off Kershaw and then the AL would add on in the
later innings off 2 NL All Star relievers
The final score of the game ended up being 6-3 with the AL coming out victorious and securing home field advantage for its representative in the World Series.
Mike Trout made history by taking home All Star Game MVP for the second straight year. This feat just shows you how good this 23 year old is and how he is growing into the new face of the MLB
It was an exciting 2 days in the Queen City and now I'm looking forward to the regular season starting back up. I'm really curious to see which big name players will get moved at the trade deadline and which clubs will survive the stretch run and make it into the playoffs especially the fates of Houston and Minnesota who are exceeding expectations so far this season.
See you next time
Nlds 2011
Thursday, July 16, 2015
Thursday, July 9, 2015
MLB All Star game 2015
On Tuesday July 14, the 2015 MLB All Star game will be played at the home of the Cincianti Reds.
The best players from the National League will face off against the best players from the Al in what I think is going to be an exciting game based on the star power that both squads have and that Great American ballpark is really hitter friendly.
Since the Giants and Royals played in last year's fall classic, Ned Yost will manage the Al team and Bochy will be in charge of the NL squad.
The league that wins will get home field advantage for the World Series. This is a good idea because it gives the players something to play for and a reason to play their best.
Over the past couple of days, the players for the All Star game got announced. The starters were announced on Monday and then the pitchers and reserve hitters were announced the following day.
Here is who's starting the game position by position. The starters are decided by fan vote.
Catcher
NL:Buster Posey-SFGiants
AL- Salvador Perez-Royals
First Base
NL. Paul Goldschmidt- Diamondbacks
AL- Miggy but he's injured so Pujols is starting in place of him.
Second Base
NL Dee Gorden from the Marlins
AL- Jose Altuve from the surprising Astros.
Shortstop
NL Johnny Peralta from the Cards
Al Alcides Escobar from the Royals
Third Base
AL Josh Donaldson from the Jays
NL Todd Frazier from the Reds who happen to be hosting the festivities
Outfield
NLBryce Harper, Andrew Mccutchin in for Stanton, and Matt Holliday.
AL Mike Trout, Lorenzo Cain from KC and Alex Gorden from KC who unfortunately strained his groin yesterday and might be out for a while.
Nelson Cruz will DH for the AL squad
Sonny Gray made it for the A's as so far he's put up a 9-3 record with a 2.20 ERA. Those are excellent numbers and he's being looked at to start but he can't pitch in the game because as of now Grey 's supposed to pitch on the last day before the All Star Break.
A's Catcher Stephen Vogt also got selected as a reserve which means that he will be joining his battery mate in Cincinnati
The Giants double play tandem of Crawford and Panik both made it as reserves. Madbum made it as well and he will be one of the best arms on a loaded NL pitching staff.
These are only the starters and the Bay Area reps and there are many more good all star reserves that I didn't bring up in this entry.
I will be watching on July 14 and seeing which players shine the brightest on the big stage.
I predict that the NL will win because their pitching staff is loaded, but I expect the game to be close for all 9 innings.
The best players from the National League will face off against the best players from the Al in what I think is going to be an exciting game based on the star power that both squads have and that Great American ballpark is really hitter friendly.
Since the Giants and Royals played in last year's fall classic, Ned Yost will manage the Al team and Bochy will be in charge of the NL squad.
The league that wins will get home field advantage for the World Series. This is a good idea because it gives the players something to play for and a reason to play their best.
Over the past couple of days, the players for the All Star game got announced. The starters were announced on Monday and then the pitchers and reserve hitters were announced the following day.
Here is who's starting the game position by position. The starters are decided by fan vote.
Catcher
NL:Buster Posey-SFGiants
AL- Salvador Perez-Royals
First Base
NL. Paul Goldschmidt- Diamondbacks
AL- Miggy but he's injured so Pujols is starting in place of him.
Second Base
NL Dee Gorden from the Marlins
AL- Jose Altuve from the surprising Astros.
Shortstop
NL Johnny Peralta from the Cards
Al Alcides Escobar from the Royals
Third Base
AL Josh Donaldson from the Jays
NL Todd Frazier from the Reds who happen to be hosting the festivities
Outfield
NLBryce Harper, Andrew Mccutchin in for Stanton, and Matt Holliday.
AL Mike Trout, Lorenzo Cain from KC and Alex Gorden from KC who unfortunately strained his groin yesterday and might be out for a while.
Nelson Cruz will DH for the AL squad
Sonny Gray made it for the A's as so far he's put up a 9-3 record with a 2.20 ERA. Those are excellent numbers and he's being looked at to start but he can't pitch in the game because as of now Grey 's supposed to pitch on the last day before the All Star Break.
A's Catcher Stephen Vogt also got selected as a reserve which means that he will be joining his battery mate in Cincinnati
The Giants double play tandem of Crawford and Panik both made it as reserves. Madbum made it as well and he will be one of the best arms on a loaded NL pitching staff.
These are only the starters and the Bay Area reps and there are many more good all star reserves that I didn't bring up in this entry.
I will be watching on July 14 and seeing which players shine the brightest on the big stage.
I predict that the NL will win because their pitching staff is loaded, but I expect the game to be close for all 9 innings.
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
Women's World Cup final 2015
On July 5, the US Women's soccer national team faced off against Japan in the final of the Women's world cup at BC Place in Vancouver Canada.
This matchup was the third straight time that these two nations have met in the final game of a major tournament, following matchups in the 2011 World Cup final and the 2012 Summer Olympics final. Japan won the last world cup while the U.S took gold in London.
The Japanese squad came in to the final hoping to win their second straight World cup while the U.S squad wants to win their third World cup and bring home the trophy for the first time since 1999 when Mia Hamm and Brianna Scurry led that team to the title at the Rose Bowl in LA. The U.S players also wanted to avenge a loss to Japan in the last World Cup final.
Throughout the group rounds and first 2 knockout rounds, goalie Hope Solo and the defense in front of her played exceptional while the offense struggled to generate any consistent attack, leading to demands that Jill Ellis change the formation of her squad on the field.
Jill Ellis listened to her critics by changing the formation. She took Abby Wambach out of the starting lineup therefore leaving Alex Morgan as the only true forward. Then in her most genius move of the World Cup, she moved Carli Lloyd up to attacking midfield. Jill also put Tobin Heath in as a wing midfielder and Morgan Brian as the holding midfielder.
This freed up Carli Lloyd to mainly focus on offense and she came through in a big way. The 32 year old midfielder from Jersey scored the only goal of the match against China, then scored the game winning goal against Germany on a PK after Germany's best player Sasic completely missed her pk attempt.
Then in the final against the Japanese who are the queens of Asian women's soccer, captain Carli Lloyd put together a spectacular performance carrying her team to a 5-2 victory and the Women's world cup 2015 trophy.
She put together a hattrick by the 16th minute against an extremely talented and well coached Japanese squad. Her first two goals were off of set pieces. The first one was off a corner kick from Rapinoe and she scored by charging in late, beating her defender, and volleying the ball into the back of the net.
The second goal was off a free kick from Holliday. Holliday kicked it in to Johnson in the box and Johnsen back-kicked it to Carli who knocked it past the Japanese goalkeeper.
These two goals were good, but her third goal was epic. Lloyd had the ball at midfield and the Japanese goalie was really far out of the goal because people don't normally take shots from midfield.
Lloyd bucked that trend, taking an audacious powerful shot from the center line. This booming kick sailed all the way to the goal and over the Japanese goalie's head. The poor Japanese Goalie got a hand on the ball, but unfortunately tapped it backwards and right into the open goal. The announcer called it one of the best goals she had ever seen in her life. (Kelly Smith)
Holliday and Heath added goals for the United States while the defense allowed two goals which isn't that good, but they did stifle a lot of Japanese scoring chances so that's good.
In the last ten minutes there were some touching moments as Wambach came on the turf and recieved the captain's band from Lloyd and then Rapinoe who somehow at 40 and still playing at a high level also came on the field.
Once the final whistle blew the U.S players exulted with joy knowing that they've just won the World Cup. It was especially sweet for Rampone who gets to start her career in 99 with a World Cup win and end it this year with a second World Cup title and Wambach, one of the greatest US women's soccer players ever, who finally gets her World Cup title in her last World Cup.
Carli Lloyd won the golden ball as the best player in the tournament and Hope Solo won the golden glove as the best goalie in the tournament. These awards were both well deserved as both of these women were phenomenal throughout the tournament.
I also applaud Jill Ellis and her assistant coaches for the job they did in their first World Cup.
This game got the highest rating ever and this World Cup raised Women's soccer in the U.S to a whole new level.
I am looking forward to seeing what happens with this roster before the olympics in Rio next year and I am looking forward to seeing if the U.S women's soccer team can continue their success at the summer Olympics next summer.
This matchup was the third straight time that these two nations have met in the final game of a major tournament, following matchups in the 2011 World Cup final and the 2012 Summer Olympics final. Japan won the last world cup while the U.S took gold in London.
The Japanese squad came in to the final hoping to win their second straight World cup while the U.S squad wants to win their third World cup and bring home the trophy for the first time since 1999 when Mia Hamm and Brianna Scurry led that team to the title at the Rose Bowl in LA. The U.S players also wanted to avenge a loss to Japan in the last World Cup final.
Throughout the group rounds and first 2 knockout rounds, goalie Hope Solo and the defense in front of her played exceptional while the offense struggled to generate any consistent attack, leading to demands that Jill Ellis change the formation of her squad on the field.
Jill Ellis listened to her critics by changing the formation. She took Abby Wambach out of the starting lineup therefore leaving Alex Morgan as the only true forward. Then in her most genius move of the World Cup, she moved Carli Lloyd up to attacking midfield. Jill also put Tobin Heath in as a wing midfielder and Morgan Brian as the holding midfielder.
This freed up Carli Lloyd to mainly focus on offense and she came through in a big way. The 32 year old midfielder from Jersey scored the only goal of the match against China, then scored the game winning goal against Germany on a PK after Germany's best player Sasic completely missed her pk attempt.
Then in the final against the Japanese who are the queens of Asian women's soccer, captain Carli Lloyd put together a spectacular performance carrying her team to a 5-2 victory and the Women's world cup 2015 trophy.
She put together a hattrick by the 16th minute against an extremely talented and well coached Japanese squad. Her first two goals were off of set pieces. The first one was off a corner kick from Rapinoe and she scored by charging in late, beating her defender, and volleying the ball into the back of the net.
The second goal was off a free kick from Holliday. Holliday kicked it in to Johnson in the box and Johnsen back-kicked it to Carli who knocked it past the Japanese goalkeeper.
These two goals were good, but her third goal was epic. Lloyd had the ball at midfield and the Japanese goalie was really far out of the goal because people don't normally take shots from midfield.
Lloyd bucked that trend, taking an audacious powerful shot from the center line. This booming kick sailed all the way to the goal and over the Japanese goalie's head. The poor Japanese Goalie got a hand on the ball, but unfortunately tapped it backwards and right into the open goal. The announcer called it one of the best goals she had ever seen in her life. (Kelly Smith)
Holliday and Heath added goals for the United States while the defense allowed two goals which isn't that good, but they did stifle a lot of Japanese scoring chances so that's good.
In the last ten minutes there were some touching moments as Wambach came on the turf and recieved the captain's band from Lloyd and then Rapinoe who somehow at 40 and still playing at a high level also came on the field.
Once the final whistle blew the U.S players exulted with joy knowing that they've just won the World Cup. It was especially sweet for Rampone who gets to start her career in 99 with a World Cup win and end it this year with a second World Cup title and Wambach, one of the greatest US women's soccer players ever, who finally gets her World Cup title in her last World Cup.
Carli Lloyd won the golden ball as the best player in the tournament and Hope Solo won the golden glove as the best goalie in the tournament. These awards were both well deserved as both of these women were phenomenal throughout the tournament.
I also applaud Jill Ellis and her assistant coaches for the job they did in their first World Cup.
This game got the highest rating ever and this World Cup raised Women's soccer in the U.S to a whole new level.
I am looking forward to seeing what happens with this roster before the olympics in Rio next year and I am looking forward to seeing if the U.S women's soccer team can continue their success at the summer Olympics next summer.
Thursday, July 2, 2015
Early Information from NBA free Agency
NBA free agency started yesterday. It was a hectic day full of players signing big contract extensions, resigning with the team they last played on, or signing with a different team.
Overall
Anthony Davis signed a max contract extension with the Pelicans at 5 years and 145 million. This is a really good move as the Pelicans are locking up their young superstar so that he can't leave anytime soon.
Trailblazers' point guard and best player Damien Lillard is close to signing a max 5 year, 130 million contract extension which will allow him to continue shining in rip city.
The Cavs sept big keeping their core team together from last year. They signed Kevin Love to a 5 year 110 million deal. They also signed Tristian Thompson to a 5 year 80 million deal. Thompson and Love play contrasting styles so it's good that they both resigned, but Lebron likes Thompson more so we'll see who plays more this upcoming year.
Cleveland also signed Iman Shumpert to a four year 40 million deal which keeps the more defensive minded guard in Northeast Ohio.
The Spurs signed Kawhi Leanord to a 5 year, 90 million deal, keeping the future face of the franchise as well as the reigning defensive player of the year in the Alamo.
Danny Green also is staying in San Antonio. The top 3 and d wing on the market signed a 4 year 45 million contract which could end up being a bargain deal for the Spurs.
The Warriors locked up Draymond Green for 5 years, 82 million, ensuring that the heart and soul of their team and their top defensive starter will stay in the Bay Area for a while.
Bulls stud guard Jimmy Butler is staying in Chicago on a max contract of 5 years and 95 million.
Paul Milsap is staying in Atlanta for 3 years and the contract adds up to 59 million dollars.
Some other notable re signees with their former club were Goran Dragic, Knight, Middleton, and Brook Lopez.
Tyson Chandler is going to play in the Desert, and Demare Carroll is going to play in Toronto.
Paul Pierce is going to play for the Clippars where he will be reunited with his former coach Doc Rivers.
The Kings cleared cap space so that they can go after Rondo, Matthews, and Monta Ellis. These three players are really good guards and they will drastically improve the Kings if eh decide to come to Sacramento.
There are plenty of rumors about unsigned players and where they will go, but the offseason just started and there's still a long while until next season starts.
It will be interesting to see where the unsigned big name free agents end up and how the respective rosters look for next year.
I will keep track of who goes where as the summer continues.
Bleacherreport.com
Overall
Anthony Davis signed a max contract extension with the Pelicans at 5 years and 145 million. This is a really good move as the Pelicans are locking up their young superstar so that he can't leave anytime soon.
Trailblazers' point guard and best player Damien Lillard is close to signing a max 5 year, 130 million contract extension which will allow him to continue shining in rip city.
The Cavs sept big keeping their core team together from last year. They signed Kevin Love to a 5 year 110 million deal. They also signed Tristian Thompson to a 5 year 80 million deal. Thompson and Love play contrasting styles so it's good that they both resigned, but Lebron likes Thompson more so we'll see who plays more this upcoming year.
Cleveland also signed Iman Shumpert to a four year 40 million deal which keeps the more defensive minded guard in Northeast Ohio.
The Spurs signed Kawhi Leanord to a 5 year, 90 million deal, keeping the future face of the franchise as well as the reigning defensive player of the year in the Alamo.
Danny Green also is staying in San Antonio. The top 3 and d wing on the market signed a 4 year 45 million contract which could end up being a bargain deal for the Spurs.
The Warriors locked up Draymond Green for 5 years, 82 million, ensuring that the heart and soul of their team and their top defensive starter will stay in the Bay Area for a while.
Bulls stud guard Jimmy Butler is staying in Chicago on a max contract of 5 years and 95 million.
Paul Milsap is staying in Atlanta for 3 years and the contract adds up to 59 million dollars.
Some other notable re signees with their former club were Goran Dragic, Knight, Middleton, and Brook Lopez.
Tyson Chandler is going to play in the Desert, and Demare Carroll is going to play in Toronto.
Paul Pierce is going to play for the Clippars where he will be reunited with his former coach Doc Rivers.
The Kings cleared cap space so that they can go after Rondo, Matthews, and Monta Ellis. These three players are really good guards and they will drastically improve the Kings if eh decide to come to Sacramento.
There are plenty of rumors about unsigned players and where they will go, but the offseason just started and there's still a long while until next season starts.
It will be interesting to see where the unsigned big name free agents end up and how the respective rosters look for next year.
I will keep track of who goes where as the summer continues.
Bleacherreport.com
Monday, June 29, 2015
Home Run Derby 2015
This year the All Star game festivities will be taking place in Cincinatti at Great American Ballpark (home of the Reds).
The Home Run Derby happens a day before the All Star game. In this event, the most powerful hitters in baseball step up to the plate and try to hit homeruns. The sluggers usually have a coach or someone related to them toss baseballs at them.
In the past years, the slugger that hit the most homers over the course of the competition would take the trophy.
This year, the rules are changing a bit.
The participating hitters will be competing in a single elimination tournament and the number of participants are going down from 10 people to 8 people.
The players will be seeded based on their home run total accumulated by June 7.
Instead of 10 outs, competitors will see how many bombs they can hit in 5 minutes and any that they hit in the last minute will get them bonus time.
I like this time change because the Derby will take less time and be more exciting.
Plus, it's at the Reds park which is really hitter friendly.
I'm looking forward to wAtching the sluggers compete, but I'm upset that Stanton and
Harper can't participate because they're fun to watch.
Overall, it's going to be a fun and exciting night of homeruns. Now, I can't predict who will win since I don't know who's participating, but when I know, I will predict the winner.
Hope you all tune in to the Derby because it will be an exciting event filled with fun and long homers.
Bleacher report.com
The Home Run Derby happens a day before the All Star game. In this event, the most powerful hitters in baseball step up to the plate and try to hit homeruns. The sluggers usually have a coach or someone related to them toss baseballs at them.
In the past years, the slugger that hit the most homers over the course of the competition would take the trophy.
This year, the rules are changing a bit.
The participating hitters will be competing in a single elimination tournament and the number of participants are going down from 10 people to 8 people.
The players will be seeded based on their home run total accumulated by June 7.
Instead of 10 outs, competitors will see how many bombs they can hit in 5 minutes and any that they hit in the last minute will get them bonus time.
I like this time change because the Derby will take less time and be more exciting.
Plus, it's at the Reds park which is really hitter friendly.
I'm looking forward to wAtching the sluggers compete, but I'm upset that Stanton and
Harper can't participate because they're fun to watch.
Overall, it's going to be a fun and exciting night of homeruns. Now, I can't predict who will win since I don't know who's participating, but when I know, I will predict the winner.
Hope you all tune in to the Derby because it will be an exciting event filled with fun and long homers.
Bleacher report.com
Friday, June 26, 2015
NBA Draft 2015
Yesterday, the 2015 NBA draft took place at Barclays Center in New. York (home of the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Islanders).
The 30 NBA franchises went to work picking the new members of their franchises.
A few of these new players will become superstars in the Association, most will turn out to be league average starters or helpful players off the bench, and a few will be busts and never pan out like they hoped to.
The T Wolves had the 1st selection and they went with Karl Anthony Towns, the player whom many people thought would go 1st. Karl Anthony Towns is a pf/c out of Kentucky who has the upside to grow into a superstar on both ends of the court. He can grow into a.scoring machine on offense, and a rim protector on defense. Plus he has already played for the Dominican Republic national basketball team.
The Lakers had the 2nd pick which is really rare because they're usually in the postseason and last year was the 1st time in a while that they were really bad. With their selection,they picked Deangelo Russell, a combo guard out of Ohio State. He has the passing ability, basketball IQ and leadership to be a point guard while he also has the shooting stroke to play shooting guard.
I love this pick because Russell can play alongside the black mamba in year 1 and get used to playing in the NBA. Then in year 2 , he can take off and become the next star to play for the Lakers as Kobe Bryant is retiring after this upcoming season.
The Sixers had another pick in the top 5, this one was 3rd overall and they took Jahlil Okafor, cousin of Emeka Okafor, who went to college at Duke where he won a championship. Jahlil Okafor was the top high school player in his class, and he arrives in the NBA with the most polished offensive post game since Tim Duncan. The problem with him going to Philadelphia is that they also have Nerleans Noel and Joel Embid, but I can see how the pick makes sense since Embid has foot problems and might miss a second straight season.
The Knicks took 7-1 Latvian Kristaps Porzings at 4. He's the sweetest shooting big man in the draft, but he's only 19 and his body hasn't filled out all the way so he will probably need a few years of seasoning.
Croatian Mario Hezonja went to the Magic where he will give them much needed shooting
Wille Cualey Stein went to the Kings. In Sacramento he will give the Kings much needed rim defense
Emanuel Mudiay, a play making point guard, went to Denver. This likely marks the end of Ty Lawson playing in Denver.
The Warriors picked Kevon Looney, a power forward out of UCLA. The dubs didn't have any needs going into the draft, but Looney does give them more size since Green is only 6-7 and now they can match up to bigs better
There were also a lot of draft day trades throughout the night which means that a lot of players will be moving teams.
Overall, the 2 round 60 pick draft was an exciting event and I can't wait to see how the players picked fare in the Association.
The 30 NBA franchises went to work picking the new members of their franchises.
A few of these new players will become superstars in the Association, most will turn out to be league average starters or helpful players off the bench, and a few will be busts and never pan out like they hoped to.
The T Wolves had the 1st selection and they went with Karl Anthony Towns, the player whom many people thought would go 1st. Karl Anthony Towns is a pf/c out of Kentucky who has the upside to grow into a superstar on both ends of the court. He can grow into a.scoring machine on offense, and a rim protector on defense. Plus he has already played for the Dominican Republic national basketball team.
The Lakers had the 2nd pick which is really rare because they're usually in the postseason and last year was the 1st time in a while that they were really bad. With their selection,they picked Deangelo Russell, a combo guard out of Ohio State. He has the passing ability, basketball IQ and leadership to be a point guard while he also has the shooting stroke to play shooting guard.
I love this pick because Russell can play alongside the black mamba in year 1 and get used to playing in the NBA. Then in year 2 , he can take off and become the next star to play for the Lakers as Kobe Bryant is retiring after this upcoming season.
The Sixers had another pick in the top 5, this one was 3rd overall and they took Jahlil Okafor, cousin of Emeka Okafor, who went to college at Duke where he won a championship. Jahlil Okafor was the top high school player in his class, and he arrives in the NBA with the most polished offensive post game since Tim Duncan. The problem with him going to Philadelphia is that they also have Nerleans Noel and Joel Embid, but I can see how the pick makes sense since Embid has foot problems and might miss a second straight season.
The Knicks took 7-1 Latvian Kristaps Porzings at 4. He's the sweetest shooting big man in the draft, but he's only 19 and his body hasn't filled out all the way so he will probably need a few years of seasoning.
Croatian Mario Hezonja went to the Magic where he will give them much needed shooting
Wille Cualey Stein went to the Kings. In Sacramento he will give the Kings much needed rim defense
Emanuel Mudiay, a play making point guard, went to Denver. This likely marks the end of Ty Lawson playing in Denver.
The Warriors picked Kevon Looney, a power forward out of UCLA. The dubs didn't have any needs going into the draft, but Looney does give them more size since Green is only 6-7 and now they can match up to bigs better
There were also a lot of draft day trades throughout the night which means that a lot of players will be moving teams.
Overall, the 2 round 60 pick draft was an exciting event and I can't wait to see how the players picked fare in the Association.
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Church Massacre in South Carolina
Today I will be writing about something other then sports.
On June 17, 2015, a 21 year old named Dylann Roof opened fire at a historical black church in South Carolina.
He killed nine people, one of whom was the pastor of the church and a state senator of South Carolina.
This crime was a racial hate crime as the mentally ill shooter killed black people and wanted South Carolina to go back to being a Confederate State.
The shooter tried to kill himself after he committed the hate crime, but his gun that he somehow acquired, ran out of bullets.
So Dylann knowing that police would be on his tail took off in a car and sped away.
The police eventually found and caught Dylann and then they brought him in for interrogation.
I do not get why people with crazy thoughts keep getting guns and causing harm to innocent humans.
Someone needs to do something about gun control now!
Because of this, the South Carolina government decided to remove the Confederate flag from the capital building.
I think this is a good idea, but it should have happened earlier because the Confederacy folded over 100 years ago.
This horrible event has implications, not just in South Carolina, but in the whole nation as it's another act of racial terrorism and slaughtering of innocent people.
This follows up the white policemen killing black men in Ferguson Missouri, New York, and many other places around America. That was bad enough, but this South Carolina incident is worse.
Dylann actually had racial hatred as he wanted to reestablish the Confederacy and bring harm to the African Americans.
That is horrible and I am sure that he will be in jail for life after he goes through a trial.
I hope that America can get a hand on this racial terrorism issue soon before it escalates more then it has been. African Americans have already started rioting after the Ferguson debacle and I don't want more racial terrorism to happen because it could eventually lead to a civil war or a different way of revolt/violence from the black people of our nation.
This was a break from sports because I didn't have a good idea of what to write about.
When you hear from me next, I will be back to sports.
On June 17, 2015, a 21 year old named Dylann Roof opened fire at a historical black church in South Carolina.
He killed nine people, one of whom was the pastor of the church and a state senator of South Carolina.
This crime was a racial hate crime as the mentally ill shooter killed black people and wanted South Carolina to go back to being a Confederate State.
The shooter tried to kill himself after he committed the hate crime, but his gun that he somehow acquired, ran out of bullets.
So Dylann knowing that police would be on his tail took off in a car and sped away.
The police eventually found and caught Dylann and then they brought him in for interrogation.
I do not get why people with crazy thoughts keep getting guns and causing harm to innocent humans.
Someone needs to do something about gun control now!
Because of this, the South Carolina government decided to remove the Confederate flag from the capital building.
I think this is a good idea, but it should have happened earlier because the Confederacy folded over 100 years ago.
This horrible event has implications, not just in South Carolina, but in the whole nation as it's another act of racial terrorism and slaughtering of innocent people.
This follows up the white policemen killing black men in Ferguson Missouri, New York, and many other places around America. That was bad enough, but this South Carolina incident is worse.
Dylann actually had racial hatred as he wanted to reestablish the Confederacy and bring harm to the African Americans.
That is horrible and I am sure that he will be in jail for life after he goes through a trial.
I hope that America can get a hand on this racial terrorism issue soon before it escalates more then it has been. African Americans have already started rioting after the Ferguson debacle and I don't want more racial terrorism to happen because it could eventually lead to a civil war or a different way of revolt/violence from the black people of our nation.
This was a break from sports because I didn't have a good idea of what to write about.
When you hear from me next, I will be back to sports.
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