Can you smell the fresh cut grass? Can you hear the crack of the bat?

While Spring Training is winding down, that means Opening Day is right around the corner. It’s the day when every team has a chance, when expectations are high and when October is seemingly an eternity away. There will certainly be injuries, under-performers and disappointment, but there is nothing like Opening Day.

X= Division Winner
Y= Wild Card Winner

Keiran Bleich
American League
East
1. Toronto Blue Jays (96-66) (X)
2. Tampa Bay Rays (Y)
3. New York Yankees
4. Baltimore Orioles
5. Boston Red Sox

WHY? The division that has mostly lacked parity over the past ten years seems primed to be full of it this year. While the Yankees stayed atop the division last season, the Orioles were improved enough to make the playoffs. This off season was huge for the Toronto Blue Jays who are in win-now mode. They brought in Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, Josh Johnson and Emilio Bonifacio from the Marlins for essentially nothing important in return. They also traded highly regarded prospect Travis d’Arnaud for reigning Cy Young winner and surprise of the century, R.A. Dickey. Combine these players with a healthy Jose Bautista you have a recipe for a division winner. If the Rays can keep Evan Longoria healthy and his batting average over .240, they can take the Wild Card. Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriquez; this sounds like the Yankees’ 2-5 hitters, but in fact this is their opening day DL list. Their age has finally caught up with them and I do not believe they can compete with just Robinson Cano, even if he is one of the best baseball players in the world. The Orioles got lucky last year, historically lucky. Their luck will run out this year. What a fall for the Red Sox, the health of Jacoby Ellsbury and bounce-back years from Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz will be key for the Sox if they want to stay out of the division cellar.

Central
1. Detroit Tigers (X)
2. Kansas City Royals
3. Cleveland Indians
4. Chicago White Sox
5. Minnesota Twins

WHY? The AL Central is still, in my opinion, the worst division in the American League and maybe all of baseball. However, they do have a talented team in the Detroit Tigers with two unbelievable hitters and a lights out pitcher. I keep predicting the Royals to be in contention in this division and year-after-year they make me look like an idiot. I am sure they will do it again this year, but they have the young talent and have actually made moves to improve their pitching so there might be a chance — maybe. The biggest improvement that the Cleveland Indians made this off season was hiring Terry Francona. They also made huge free agent splashes by signing Michael Bourne and Nick Swisher. The Indians will be able to hit, but their pitching may be their downfall. The White Sox withered under the pressure of a playoff race last year and this year will be rough from the outset. Ugh, the Twins have fallen hard in the last three years, a new stadium has not yielded much success and this year’s squad is not built to compete anytime in the near future.

West
1. Los Angeles Angels (X)
2. Oakland Athletics (Y)
3. Texas Rangers
4. Seattle Mariners
5. Houston Astros

WHY? Last year the Angels had two of the best players in baseball in Albert Pujols and Mike Trout yet they were still left out of the playoffs. This year their team looks quite a bit different, but still has amazing amounts of talent. Perrenial rental pitcher, Zack Greinke bolted for the same town rival Dodgers, Torii Hunter went to Detroit, and Dan Haren landed in DC. The Angels also brought in one of the biggest names on the free agent market in Josh Hamilton and also traded for Tommy Hanson (the pitcher, not the porn star). There is no doubt their offense is going to be unstoppable, their pitching is the key. Can C.J. Wilson get back to the elite level he was at with the Rangers? Can Tommy Hanson finally pitch up to his potential? Can Ernesto Frieri be lights out like he was in the first half of last year or will he blow up like he did in the second half? The Oakland Athletics are a mystery to me. Who do they have? No one. Do they find a way to win? Absolutely. I predict this team will be 9 games back of the Wild Card in mid August and end up getting it. The Rangers are now a team in limbo; their best hitter bolted to a division rival, their experiment to turn Neftali Feliz into a starter has completely failed, and Nelson Cruz has not looked impressive recently. That being said there are some bright spots for the Rangers — Yu Darvish did about all you could have asked of him last year, Ian Kinsler is still a solid player, and they have one of the best hitting prospects in the game ready to come up (once they make room for him) in Jurickson Profar. The Mariners did quite a bit to improve their hitting this offseason by acquiring Michael Morse from The Nationals and Kendrys Morales from the Angels. They also have a number of top-100 prospects waiting to make an impact. All these things considered, this team is still at least a year away from the playoffs. Boy, I bet this entire division was happy with the new realignment, having by far the worst team join your division help you look better by comparison. The Astros’ highest paid player, Wandy Rodriquez, doesn’t even play for the team anymore; they could lose 120 games…

AL MVP – Jose Bautista, OF Blue Jays
AL Rookie of The Year – Trevor Bauer, SP Indians
AL Cy Young – Justin Verlander, SP Tigers

National League
East
1. Washington Nationals (X)
2. Atlanta Braves (Y)
3. Philadelphia Phillies
4. New York Mets
5. Miami Marlins

WHY? This might be the toughest division in baseball with three legitimate division contenders and two pennant contenders. The defending NL East champ Nationals remain mostly in tact with the additions of Rafael Soriano and Denard Span. They will have a full season from phemons Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg, but the X-Factor will be their bullpen, Tyler Clippard faded hard at the end of the season and Drew Storen blew up in Brad Lidge fashion in the playoffs. The Nats brought in Rafael Soriano to close but still lack lefty relief. The Braves brought in Upton-squared this offseason, but lost Chipper Jones to retirement. If they get Brandon Beachy back from Tommy John surgery halfway through the year at the level he pitched at last season this team will be an absolute force. The Phillies are old, this isn’t 2008. Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Roy Halladay are not the players they once were. If those key guys can find the fountain of youth, this team COULD steal a Wild Card berth. The Mets have no pitching but the addition of Shaun Marcum is a step in the right direction. Maybe next year Mets Fans. The Miami Marlins may be the most hated sports franchise at this point in time. I wonder if Jeffery Loria gets his food spat in when he goes out to eat?

Central
1. Cincinnati Reds (X)
2. St. Louis Cardinals
3. Pittsburgh Pirates
4. Milwaukee Brewers
5. Chicago Cubs

WHY? Reds added a good all around outfielder in Shin-Soo Choo and are getting Joey Votto back for what they hope will be an injury-free year. To ensure they are just as good if not better than last year, they need to figure out their closer/fifth starter nonsense. No matter what happens, in baseball or just on the team, the Cardinals always compete. They end up slipping into the playoffs and knock out at least one team or win the whole damn World Series. The Cards are constantly changing and adapting and this season, they are ready to reload with 3 top prospects. I have no doubt the Pirates will be in contention at some point this season; I also have no doubt that they will blow it horribly. Pirates fans can enjoy a World Series Victory . The signing of Kyle Lohse was needed for the Brewers who lost Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum in the past year. They should pray to whatever God they worship in Wisconsin that Ryan Braun does not get suspended. Keep on waiting Cubs fans, sorry.

West
1. San Francisco Giants (X)
2. Los Angeles Dodgers (Y)
3. San Diego Padres
4. Arizona Diamondbacks
5. Colorado Rockies

WHY? The defending champ Giants will once again lead the way in this division, make no mistake about that. They have the pitching, the hitting, and one of the best managers in the game. The Dodgers brought in a lot of foreign talent this offseason. They have a lot of money tied up in  Hyun-jin Ryu and Yasiel Puig for quite a few years to come. With all the money the new owners are spending, they are expecting some significant results. The Padres have some great up and coming hitters in Chase Headley and Jedd Gyorko but they are still several years of building a competent pitching staff away from competing in a division with the defending champs and a bigger than big market team. For some reason, the D-Backs felt the need to shed their best player this offseason and get Martin Prado in return. They will be back in the division basement for the foreseeable future. Pitching staffs are never the Rockies’ strongpoint, however, last year they had a staff of epicly bad proportions. A full season from Tulo will help, but not that much…

NL MVP – Justin Upton, OF Braves
NL Rookie of The Year – Yasiel Puig, OF Dodgers
NL Cy Young – Matt Cain, SP Giants

World Series: Nationals over Blue Jays in 6

Brady Fredericksen
American League
East
1. Toronto Blue Jays (X)
2. Tampa Bay Rays (Y)
3. Baltimore Orioles
4. New York Yankees
5. Boston Red Sox

WHY? The Jays made all the noise this winter by trading for Miami’s entire roster — and much like those Marlins last year, this team could totally flop. Tampa Bay is going to be right there if they do, mostly because they’re just full of solid guys. If Matt Moore takes a step forward and Evan Longoria plays 150-plus games, this’ll be a tight race. The Orioles were such a great story last year, but they were so lucky. They went 29-9 in one-run games — not only is that insanity, but it’s historically impossible to repeat. Boston has lived and died on reloading through free agency, but guys like Ryan Dempster and Mike Napoli aren’t going to get you back from the doldrums. I want to put the Yankees in last, but they’re the flippin’ Yankees, they can’t be that bad, can they? Seeing Boston and New York sharing the cellar is good enough.

Central
1. Detroit Tigers (X)
2. Kansas City Royals
3. Chicago White Sox (79-83)
4. Cleveland Indians
5. Minnesota Twins

WHY? Detroit is so much better than everyone else in this division, and if they don’t win it by 10-plus games this time around, then they’re in trouble. Torii Hunter is going to be the perfect calming veteran this team needed last year when things got tough in the World Series. Kansas City made moves, but unless all of their cute little prospects (the ones they have left) bust out, they’re not catching the Tigers. Chicago has some building block guys, but they’re in a completely nonsensical area of trying to win now and rebuild — chill, Kenny Williams’ got this. Cleveland’s No. 5 starter is Scott Kazmir. No matter how many off season moves you make, you need to pitch to win — Cleveland ain’t gonna beat you from the mound. Minnesota has Joe Mauer! There’s that! He’s an American hero! The hometown kid! It’s too bad he can’t pitch and catch.

West
1. Los Angeles Angels (X)
2. Oakland Athletics (Y)
3. Texas Rangers
4. Seattle Mariners
5. Houston Astros

WHY? Josh Hamilton and his on-again, off-again addiction to being a streaky hitter have taken the money and joined Mike Trout and Albert Pujols in LA. If the bullpen doesn’t crap away every lead, the Angels may be on to something. I don’t know what it is about Oakland, but they’ve just got a scrapper feel to them. They shouldn’t have pushed the Tigers as hard last year as they did, but money ball was actually money. Texas still has the old guard, but they’ll need Mike Olt and Jurickson Profar to be awesome to really challenge — that’s unlikely, especially considering neither will start the season in the bigs. Seattle could very well be Oakland last year, this year. But Houston, I’m so sorry, but it ain’t gettin’ any better in the AL. I hope to see the 2003 Tigers’ futility repeated again, but the Astros will have to be so bad to do that. Like, SO BAD.

Awards
AL MVP – Mike Trout, OF Angels
AL Rookie of the Year – Wil Myers, OF Rays
AL Cy Young – Justin Verlander, SP Tigers

National League
East
1. Washington Nationals (X)
2. Atlanta Braves (Y)
3. Philadelphia Phillies
4. New York Mets
5. Miami Marlins

WHY? Yes, what happened to the Nats in last year’s divisional series was almost as bad as Brad Lidge watching his career fly off the bat of Albert Pujols, but as long as you’ve got guys like Stephen Strasburg, Bryce Harper and a grumpy old-man manager like Davey Johnson, you’re in good shape. The Phillies are old, the Mets are constantly sidelined by injury or terrible-ness and the Marlins are a train-wreck. Atlanta, however, is no joke, boasting one of the league’s top pitching staffs and baseball’s best brother-duo in Justin and B.J. Upton. If you’re looking for a division race that’ll rival what the Yankees and Red Sox used to do, this could be it.

Central
1. Cincinnati Reds (X)
2. St. Louis Cardinals
3. Pittsburgh Pirates
4. Milwaukee Brewers
5. Chicago Cubs

WHY? The egg laid by Washington may have been more painful, but the early exit by the Reds last season was also bad; even if it was to the eventual champs. Cincy chose to keep dynamic arm Aroldis Chapman in the bullpen, perhaps seeing how hard Neftali Feliz bombed transitioning to starter in Texas. St. Louis is chalk full of young talent, but are the kids that good and is Carlos Beltran really not made of glass anymore? Milwaukee is in such an awkward position — they have talent, but not enough to go for the division title nor little enough to blow it up. The Cubs are getting better, slowly, but with the Astros off the be slaughtered in the AL, the basement now belongs to them in the NL Central.

West
1. San Francisco Giants (Y)
2. Los Angeles Dodgers (X)
3. San Diego Padres
4. Arizona Diamondbacks
5. Colorado Rockies

WHY? The Giants team that pounded the Tigers in the World Series is almost entirely returning to defend its crown this season. That’s a gamble, but say Tim Lincecum returns from his pot-induced coma or a guy like Brandon Belt finally lives up to his potential? It’s tough to buy the Dodgers’ and their team of potential All-Stars or potential underachievers. There’s just so much going on, but hey, THEY’VE GOT MAGIC! The Padres were sneaky good in the second half last season and rookie Jed Gyorko has the greatest last name in the NL. Arizona is depressing, especially now that rookie Adam Eaton is out, but if Paul Goldschmidt lives up to his new deal and they get strong returns from their young staff, who knows? It’s sad, Colorado has two of baseball’s best hitters, but still are so bad. I guess that’s what happens when you have a pitching staff of zombies — not a good combo.

Awards
NL MVP – Bryce Harper, OF Nationals
NL Rookie of the Year – Travis D’Arnaud, C Mets
NL Cy Young – Kris Medlen, SP Braves

World Series: Angles over Nationals in 6

Pete Barrows
American League
East
1. Baltimore Orioles (X)
2. Tampa Bay Rays (Y)
3. Toronto Blue Jays
4. Boston Red Sox
5. New York Yankees

WHY? The AL east is once again the toughest division in baseball and it won’t surprise me however the five teams are arranged at the end of the year. If  20-year old phenom Dylan Bundy, the undisputed top pitching prospect in baseball and my pick for ROY throws as advertised, I like the O’s to finish the deal in 2013. After I supplanted the aging Yankees from first-place to the bottom of the stack, I bumped everyone else up a spot from their 2012 finish.

Central
1. Detroit Tigers (X)
2. Cleveland Indians
3. Kansas City Royals
4. Chicago White Sox
5. Minnesota Twins

WHY? The AL central is once again arguably the weakest division is baseball, but that might not be the case for much longer. Kansas City has one of the best young lineups in the game, especially if rookie outfielder Wil Meyers, the best offensive prospect in the American League, gets called up and 24-year old third baseman Mike Moustakas, already one of the stoutest corner defenders in the league, breaks out with an all-star season. In 2013, they’ll have a pitching staff to go with it. James Shields, Ervin Santana and Wade Davis are all quality starters and Bruce Chen, the Royal’s number one in 2012, will now be pitching fifth. The Indians might be the most fascinating team in baseball with their Major League concoction of talent and personality which includes manager Terry Francona, prankster Nick Swisher, speedster Michael Bourne, flame-thrower Trevor Bauer and professional old-man Jason Giambi, but I’m not sure who mixes that drink.  The Tigers are soft in the middle, but the division title is there’s to lose.

West
1. Anaheim Angels (X)
2. Oakland Athletics (Y)
3. Texas Rangers
4. Seattle Mariners
5. Houston Astros

WHY? The Angels missed the playoffs last season after signing a future HOF first baseman and defending world series MVP, experiencing an unexpected yet transcendent rookie season the like of which hasn’t been seen since Mantle and Mays in ’51 and marching out a five-member pitching staff that would have been good for at least a full house in poker. That staff won’t be the same in 2013 without the services of Dan Haren, Zack Greinke and Ervin Santana and it will be difficult for Trout to duplicate his homer count and batting average without cutting down on the strike outs (he fanned 139 times in 2012), but even if Josh Hamilton is a push replacing Torri Hunter, you can bet the Halo’s won’t let it happen again. The A’s carry with them a lot of potential downside in 2013, but they also posses the best collection of under 26 pitchers in the league and a strong defensive outfield made up of Coco Crisp, Josh Reddick and Yoenis Cespedes. I like them to edge out the Hamilton-less Rangers in September.

Awards
AL MVP – Albert Pujols, 1B Angels
AL Rookie of the Year – Dylan Bundy, P Orioles
AL Cy Young – Justin Verlander, P Tigers

National League
East
1. Washington Nationals(X)
2. Atlanta Braves
3. Philadelphia Philllies
4. Miami Marlins
5. New York Mets

WHY? Bryce Harper was good in 2012 as he unveiled maybe the finest season by a teenage rookie in MLB history. Mike Trout, who perhaps had the greatest all-around rookie season in history, was better and the rest of the stellar 2012 crop overshadowed Harper’s impact on the season. Take out a 3-for-32 stretch in an early August road-trip and a two month stretch in midsummer where he hit .204 and it wouldn’t be a clown question to wonder if Harper might have finished in the top-10 of the NL MVP voting. It took Barry Bonds five seasons to win his first of seven MVP’s, but I expect Harper to put up comparable numbers to Bond’s 1990 season in 2013 and win his first MVP in two. The Nationals win 104-games, one short of Harper’s spring prediction, and the division, leaving everybody but the Braves in the dust. The one consolation for the much maligned Marlins? Giancarlo Stanton, who blasted 37-roundtrippers in 137 games in 2012, will lead the league in home runs.

Central
1. Cincinnati Reds (X)
2. Pittsburgh Pirates (Y)
3. St. Louis Cardinals
4. Milwaukee Brewers
5. Chicago Cubs

WHY? Last year the Reds won 97 games, ranked in the top 10 in runs scored, ERA and UZR and fell just short of the eventual World Series Champion San Francisco baseball Giants in the NLDS. A well-rounded club that returns virtually all of it’s starters, replaces Drew Stubbs with Shin-Soo Choo, adds human howitzer Arolides Chapman into the starting mix and returns a healthy Joey Votto, Cincy should only improve in 2013. The Cardinals dealt with heavy attrition expertly in 2012 and the club returns a veteran laden roster. Unfortunately for the Cards, that veteran core, barring injury will prevent their most talented asset Oscar Taveras, a 20-year old left-handed power hitter, from seeing the field much. The Brewers are paying for their overpriced roster of recent years and the Cubs are still bad, although 23-year old sophomore first baseman Anthony Rizzo should become an all-star. The Pirates have become a trendy pick the last couple of seasons, but collapsed down the stretch last year. This time, Pittsburgh makes the cut.

West
1. Los Angeles Dodgers (X)
2. San Francisco Giants (Y)
3. Arizona Diamondbacks
4. Colorado Rockies
5. San Diego Padres

WHY? Arizona seems to be a popular pick in the west this year and with a  pitching rotation that should only improve with the incorporation of rookie left-hander Tyler Skaggs (and should have added Trevor Bauer, too), it’s not hard to see why. Good for the Diamondbacks, but the winner of this division is coming out of California – the only question is who’s it going to be (hint: it’s not the Padres)? The Giants are the defending champs, return the reigning NL MVP Buster Possey, a revived Tim Lincecum and a small-ball style and stinginess that will keep them in most games. The ‘no sleep ’til Brooklyn’ Dodgers were my pick to represent the NL in the world series last year, but I’m thinking I jumped the gun a season. I’ll take Matt Cain, the 28-year-old who went 16-5 with a 2.79 ERA in 219.1 innings pitched in 2012 and has compiled 200-plus innings in all six of his seasons with San Francisco, to steal a Cy Young from Clayton Kershaw in the prime of his career. Give me the Dodgers to win the division.

Awards
NL MVP – Bryce Harper, Nationals
NL Rookie of the Year – Colten Wong, 2B Cardinals
NL Cy Young – Matt Cain, RHP Giants

World Series:  Tigers over Reds in 7

Greg Monahan
American League
East: Tampa Bay
Central: Detroit
West: Los Angeles
Wild Cards: Toronto, Texas

MVP – Miguel Cabrera, 3B Tigers
Rookie of the Year – Jurickson Profar, 2B Rangers
Cy Young – Felix Hernandez, P Mariners

National League
East: Philadelphia
Central: Cincinnati
West: Los Angeles
Wild Cards: Washington, San Francisco

MVP – Joey Votto, 1B Reds
Rookie of the Year – Oscar Tavares, OF Cardinals
Cy Young – Clayton Kershaw, P Dodgers

World Series: Dodgers over Tigers in 7

Cody Eding
American League
East: Tampa Bay
Central: Detroit
West: Los Angeles
Wild Cards: Toronto, Boston

MVP – Mike Trout, OF Angels
Rookie of the Year – Wil Myers, OF Rays
Cy Young – Max Scherzer, P Tigers

National League
East: Washington
Central: Cincinnati
West: Arizona
Wild Cards: San Francisco, Atlanta

MVP – Justin Upton, OF Braves
Rookie of the Year – Gerrit Cole, P Pirates
Cy Young – Johnny Cueto, P Reds

World Series: Detroit over ALL OF THE TEAMS

The post The Box Scorn GIGANTIC MLB Preview: 2013 Edition appeared first on Box Scorn.

So what does this mean?

It means that’s where the money is! Producers and directors know that if they make a sequel, they’re more likely to do well at the box office. Therefore, I’ve decided to hop on the bandwagon and pitch my own ideas for some movie sequels that I know all of you have been dying to see.

Warning: I will not be giving away any of the endings, just in case I somehow become famous and am allowed to make these movies.

The Sandlot 3: The Little Bambino
The camera zooms in from the sky onto an old, beat up ball field, where a group of friends are playing some backyard baseball. They’re all having a wonderful time, when all of a sudden one of the kids (we’ll call him TJ) steps onto the foul line. All the other kids freeze and gasp when BAM! they are all transported back in time.

They find themselves on the same exact field they were on before, except that this version of the field is brand new and really awesome looking. The kids get a hold of themselves and start yelling at TJ in typical kid fashion (ex: “WHAT DID YOU DO?!” “WE TOLD YOU NOT TO STEP ON THE LINE!” “MOM IS NOT GOING TO BE HAPPY!”). Then, another team makes their way onto the field. Both teams line-up, eye to eye. Ricky, the leader of the team from the present day, steps up to the unknown team.

RICKY: “Hey, what’s going on here?”

UNKNOWN TEAM LEADER: “We’re here to play some ball. Who are you?”

RICKY: “I’m Ricky, who are you?”

UNKNOWN TEAM LEADER: “My name’s George, but you can call me Babe.”

WHOA! BAM! PLOT TWIST! The kids go back in time and have to play a ball game against a teenage Babe Ruth! And the only way they can get back to the present, is by beating Babe and his ‘Field of Dreams‘ teammates.

Hoosiers 2: Back to Basics
Coach Dale and Shooter are both sitting on a porch, watching the sunset. After a very successful career as basketball coaches, they’re now a few years into a peaceful retirement as best friends. However, a young high schooler comes running up Coach Dale’s driveway. He approaches Coach Dale and Shooter, exhausted and says:

KID: “Coach Dale, Coach Shooter, you gotta help us!”

COACH DALE: “Slow down kid, what’s wrong?”

KID: “Coach, they’re going to cut the basketball program!

COACH SHOOTER: “They can’t do that!”

KID: “They can, and they will. The only way we could get them to not cancel is if you guys come back to coach!”

COACH SHOOTER looks at COACH DALE. After a few moments pause…

COACH DALE: “Alright, we’ll do it. Go on now and tell them we’ll do it.”

The kid runs off and tells the school board. The basketball team is getting ready for the first practice with the legendary coaches, when the principle walks into the gymnasium. He informs the team that Coach Dale and Coach Shooter both died in their sleep last night.

WHOA! BAM! PLOT TWIST! Heartbroken, the team attends Coach Dale’s and Coach Shooter’s funeral. At the funeral, Coach Dale’s wife approaches the kid and hands him Coach Dale’s playbook. She says that Coach wanted him to have it. The team decides that they are going to coach themselves! After a montage which consists of some “old school” practicing and then having those “old school” drills pay off during games, the team finds themselves on their way to a state championship

Warrior 2: Thicker than Water
First and foremost, since this is a newer movie, I urge those of you who may not have seen this to literally get up and go watch it. For those of you who have, let us revisit what I think is the seriously most awesome dramatic ending for guys to not feel bad about getting emotional over. I mean it too. Zero kidding here, I freaking love Warrior. If possible, I would write my college thesis on how awesome I think Warrior is. But, onto the sequel.

After Tommy pays his dues after going AWOL, he joins back up in the Marines, but finds himself captured by a terrorist organization and held as a POW. Tommy’s older brother, Brendan, enlists to try and help get his little brother back after the terrorists invade America, Red Dawn-style, only to be caught as a POW as well. Brendan finds Tommy bloody and beaten from days of torture, but still alive. In a last ditch effort, Brendan challenges the leader of the terrorist organization to an MMA fight:

BRENDAN: “Hey, look, you want us? You can have us, but let us fight for it.

TERRORIST CAPTAIN: “What do you mean? I already have you.

BRENDAN: “No, we’re captured, but you don’t have us. You’ll never have us. C’mon, what do you have to lose? You say you are a fighter. Prove it.”

TERRORIST CAPTAIN: “I don’t need to prove anything to you. You are already captured. You are already mine.”

BRENDAN: “I know you don’t need to prove anything to me, but need to prove it to yourself. You know you can beat me, but I’m challenging you. And I’m not yours. I’ll never be yours. Not while I’m alive.”

TERRORIST CAPTAIN: *deep thought* “Fine. It is your death. One match… to the death.”

Brendan and the Terrorist Captain then partake in a street MMA match. The Captain uses dirty tactics to try and beat Brendan, but Brendan has an unbreakable will and the drive to save himself and his brother.

WHOA! BAM! PLOT TWIST! Just kidding. There’s no plot twist in this movie. I mean, the Terrorist Captain does work out that Brendan is Tommy’s older brother and attempts to use that in his fight, but the audience already knows that, but this is just a straight up, good ol’ fashioned, dirty MMA fight between Brendan and a Terrorist.

Miracle 2: All or Nothing
As the recently gold medal-awarded USA hockey team is leaving the arena after beating Finland, the Soviet Union team meets them in the parking lot. After a rather tense exchange and a flat congrats from the Soviets to the Americans, the Soviets challenge the Americans to one last game, seeing as the Soviets played the Americans twice, and the overall score is 1-1. The Americans are somewhat reluctant to do so, as they have the gold medals, but just before the Americans can outright refuse…

BORIS MIKHAILOV: “So, you are going to refuse? That’s too bad. I had hoped this could mend relations with our nations.”

BUZZ SCHNEIDER: “What? What do you mean, ‘mend relations with our nations’?”

BORIS: “Just what I said. We play one more game. Winner take all. You win, Cold War ends in your favor. We win, Cold War ends in our favor.”

BUZZ: “Are you threatening us? Are you threatening America?”

BORIS: “No. No threat. Promise.”

WHOA! BAM! PLOT TWIST! And just like that, the Americans are facing the Soviets, one more time. This time, the Cold War is literally on the line in what turns out to be a much more violent and aggressive game held at a local ice rink.

Space Jam 2: The Return of Murray
As Bill Murray is out strolling through Miami, minding his own business, he can’t help but notice a couple of shady characters outside of American Airlines Arena, home court of the Miami Heat. He thinks nothing of it and continues on his way. However, later in the day as he sits at a restaurant, sipping on a cold glass of water, the news catches his ear.

REPORTER: “In an odd twist of events, LeBron James has retired from basketball due to no longer being able to play basketball at as high of a level as he used to. Here’s some captured footage of LeBron earlier today at practice.”
*Clip of LeBron not being able to jump high enough to dunk and missing an uncontested lay-up*

REPORTER: “LeBron took to twitter just a few moments ago and said – ‘Sorry fans, I just don’t have it anymore. It’s like I woke up this morning, and all my talent mysteriously disappeared.’ – More coming up later.”

Bill runs out of the restaurant and hurries to his home. There, he enters a secret room which only has one thing in it, a telephone. He picks up the phone and says:

BILL MURRAY: “Hello Operator? Yes. I need Mr. Bunny, NOW!”

WHOA! BAM! PLOT TWIST! The evil aliens are at it again. Thinking Michael Jordan is definitely now way too old to play basketball and beat them in a game, they try their same shenanigans. This time, Bill and Bugs are way ahead of them. They recruit MJ to help coach their team, and recruit a few of today’s up-and-comers to help them defeat the evil aliens.

Well, that’s all folks. We’ll most likely be on ’4′s’ and ’5′s’ by then, but hopefully sometime in the next 50 years, these movies will be coming soon to a theatre near you.

The post Not Another Sports Movie appeared first on Box Scorn.

Sophomore quarterback Everett Golson is not.

Instead Golson is a classic case of the whole being greater than the sum of it’s parts.  He’s slight in size (6-0, 185 pounds), has only a season worth of Division 1 game experience and required half the year to distinguish himself from co-starter Tommy Rees as the go-to signal caller in Brain Kelly’s offense.  He is not a classic Irish QB — in fact he avoids convention with every throw, rarely gripping the laces.

He is certainly not all-everything first-year starter contemporary Johnny ‘Football’ Manziel, winner of the 2012 Heisman trophy, who has already entered into college football folklore.  In fact in a football year that has seen an out-pour of  exceptional young quarterbacks on an unprecedented level – from Marcus Mariota, Teddy ‘Ballgame’ Bridgewater, Jeff Driskel, Braxton Miller and Brett Hundley (seemingly the entire 2011 high school class, Max Wittek even making an appearance) all the way up to NFL playoff starters and rookie of the year candidates Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, and Russell Wilson – Golson’s accomplishments seem paltry.

305 yards and five touchdowns on the ground prove he has the play-making ability at the quarterback position that is coveted in the modern game, a common denominator quality shared by each player listed above.  A matured passing stroke — 58.9% completion rate for 2,135 yards, 11 touchdowns to only five interceptions, and a 131.8 cumulative passing efficiency rating — gives hope that he’s capable of moving on to the next progression.

He is not yet anything more or less than Everett Golson though, red-shirt sophomore Quarterback of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team.  Then again, being Everett Golson isn’t anything to scoff at.

A product of Myrtle Beach High School in South Carolina, a state not known as a football pipeline, Golson experienced a prolific preparatory career before making the 700 mile trip to Indiana.  A four year starter with a 151 passing touchdowns – good for sixth all-time in national high school football history – Golson also finished with three AAA state titles;  two in football and one in basketball, two of which he won as a sophomore (2008).  In his senior season, he even got the better of Jadeveon Clowney – yes, this Jadeveon Clowney - outlasting the future star with a tactfully implemented option attack designed specifically for the title game (If Brian Kelly is wise, he’ll have revisited this game and taken notes).  He plays the piano, self taught, prefers to let his play do the talking and is generally well-liked.

His career is just blossoming and if all goes to plan, Notre Dame will insist on being a championship player for years to come — this season a trend, not a lucky anomaly.  As anyone who has ever pursued the end of a rainbow could tell you though, nothing is ever promised.  With Gunner Kiel and Malik Zaire penciled in on the 2013 depth chart, Golson’s starting role next year is no exception.

The post No Laces, No Problems appeared first on Box Scorn.

________

ANN ARBOR — It probably came as little surprise to the 113,016 in attendance at Michigan Stadium on Saturday that senior quarterback Denard Robinson played during his final home game.

That Robinson started, and where he started for that matter, did provide for a bit of a twist in an otherwise one-sided, 42-17 Wolverines win over Iowa.

After missing the last two games because of a nerve injury in his right, throwing elbow, Robinson made his second career start at running back and his first since 2009. He led the Wolverines, after a gruesome leg injury to starting running back Fitz Toussaint, with 98 yards on 13 carries. In the process, Robinson surpassed 1,000 rushing yards in a season for the third time and moved into fourth place on the school’s all-time rushing list.

All of this, of course, was to some degree diminished by another stellar outing by his replacement under center, Devin Gardner, who accounted for six touchdowns (three apiece rushing and passing) while putting up a Robinson-esque 351 yards of offense. In each of his three starts in relief of Robinson, Gardner has accounted for at least three touchdowns (13 total).

Role reversal continued Saturday with Robinson lining up at wide receiver – where Gardner had played most of the season – making his first career reception (for 4 yards). He lined up at his natural position, quarterback, too, though merely as a façade.

Still, Robinson made an impact. He provided one last thrill on a 40-yard dash in the first quarter before wisely ducking out of bounds.

After the game, Robinson spoke of doing whatever he could, in his power, to get on the field to help his teammates.

For those who have been around Robinson, this is his true genuine and sincere nature. In a time where collegiate athletes across the board are more cognizant of their own marketability, the only brand that’s ever really mattered to Robinson is the block ‘M’. He’s been nothing short of the consummate team player; never outspoken and rarely a distraction during a four-year stretch where Michigan football self-destructed under Rich Rodriguez and has since been revitalized under Brady Hoke.

Robinson showed flashes of his big-play ability as a freshman behind Tate Forcier. As a sophomore, he usurped Forcier on his way to becoming a Heisman Trophy contender and the Big Ten’s Most Valuable Player. His sophomore-year bio alone could very well rival this piece in length.

In other words, Robinson couldn’t have come along at a better time. While the Wolverines struggled to win games and become bowl eligible — forget being relevant in the big picture of the Big Ten or on a national level — Robinson became the face of Michigan football.

He took it and ran with it. And what a career it’s been.

As a junior, Robinson helped lead Michigan to an 11-2 season — its most wins since 2006 — and a win in a BCS bowl game. Expectations swelled going into 2012, as much for Robinson it seemed as they did for the Wolverines.

A holdover from Rodriguez’s spread, Robinson never has possessed the skill set other prototypical pro-style Michigan quarterbacks have. How exactly to use Robinson in Al Borges’ West Coast offense has been a common topic of discussion the last two season.

But all it took was just a sniff of success by an insatiable Wolverines fan base to conjure up images of Bo Schembechler, and for trite expressions like ‘Michigan man’ to resurface.

Without fail, at every media opportunity questions were asked about Robinson’s progression as a passer. And, without fail, Robinson received high praise from the Wolverines coaching staff.

Michigan’s play selection, in part, reflected this. The other part, I’m sure, was to preserve Robinson’s health. But the exercise overextended Robinson’s ability. To understand what I mean, look no further than Junior Hemingway no longer being around to haul in throws Robinson simply had no business making in the first place.

The safe bet has always been to stack the box and make Robinson beat you with his arm. Even then, buy in large, Robinson still shredded defenses with his feet.

It’s what Robinson couldn’t do with his arm which has always been fuel for his detractors.

But it’s what Robinson could do with his legs which broke the mold at the quarterback position at Michigan and made him one of the school’s all-time greats.

Critics and opposing defenses alike have been chasing Robinson the last couple of seasons. He was caught Saturday, as his college career began to draw to a close, but not by those pursuers.

As it turns out, not even Denard Robinson can outrun time.

The post The Devaluation of Denard appeared first on Box Scorn.

The true value of a high merit pedigree breed can only be assessed and known fully by those in the business of breading and racing horses, however there is a general understanding that propagating a purebred racehorse is a tricky business; a business where expertise blends with science and circumstance for the end game attempt of producing a thoroughbred. Even amongst the best breading houses, only a few horses will ever become singularly special as Secretariats simply do not trod out of every stable. When star and breading charts align though, the result is a commodity, a valuable one at that. Even the very finest horses though spend time as Colts.

…

In 1983, a young foal out of Stanford University was destined to become the next Triple Crown winner and as such was selected, with haste, by the Indianapolis Colts with the No. 1 pick of the NFL draft. Unwilling to be tamed, he decided to take his youthful spring to greener mountain passes and arranged to be traded to the Denver Broncos. For sixteen seasons, he bucked.

Fifteen years later, another young foal was entering the league; Peyton Manning, quarterback of the Tennessee Volunteers. The Colts again in need of signal caller sprung at the opportunity. In his eleven seasons with the Colts, he helped to redefine the position (as well as the way the game is played today) and is already widely accepted as one of the greatest players to ever play the game.

Twenty-nine years after it all began, enter Andrew Luck. Manning, who started 208-consecutive games for the Colts, was due a $28 million bonus if he remained with the team. The Colts’ decision to release the 35-year-old Manning was made easier by the fact that they had the No. 1 pick in April’s draft, which they promptly used to select another Stanford product heralded as perhaps the finest and most pro-ready quarterback prospect to come into the league since Manning…or perhaps even Elway.

…

In with the young and out with the old, the questions flooded in like bet slips on race day — will Luck be able to live up to his siring and pick up where Peyton left off? Where is Manning going to relocate? Should it be out to pasture? Can he even still play? — and no one knew where to put the safe money. Suitors, undeterred by uncertainty, flocked to gain the services of Peyton Manning in what was one of the most unique free agency courtships to ever unfold. After two weeks of intense bidding at auction though, we still didn’t have any real answers. Little did we know, it was written in horse tracks all along. For the man who quipped, “I’ll always be a Colt, that will never change,” in a tearful press conference following his official release there was only one logical conclusion.

But of course! It was so simple the whole time. Peyton Manning couldn’t forever remain a Colt; for no matter how strongly we grip, youth is fleeting and escapes us. He could however remain a horse and a horse he would remain. It was time to grow, time to be wild, time to relive some youth; be a Bronco, and Denver was the perfect ranch in which to do it.

With a new jersey and a new page, Peyton rode into town and Denver eagerly Jet-tisoned their Tim Tebow mustang. Looking to wrap his wounds and get back on the track for one last run, Peyton looked ready to return to full stride in his post injury debut. Going 19-26 for 245 yards and two touchdowns, he became just the third player in NFL history to ever eclipse the 400 career touchdown mark joining the likes of fellow stallions Brett Favre and Dan Marino as the Broncos beat Pittsburgh 31-19 at Sports Authority Field.

No whip, no jockey, complete control and the allowance to buck with all of the NFL vitality he has left in his being, Peyton looks to have made a fitting selection and a certain former gun slinging quarterback general manager figures to have been a major factor in the decision. Winning both of his Super Bowls after the age of 37, John Elway understands Peyton’s plight better than anyone.

Already with eleven Pro Bowls, two trips to the Super Bowl and one title in his name, Peyton was the fastest player to reach 50,000 yards and 4,000 completions, completing 64.9% of his regular season throws. 150-77 (including playoffs) as a starter, he also never missed a game until multiple neck surgeries forced a nineteen-month hiatus as he sat out the entirety of the 2011 season. With five seasons left on his final NFL contract, he is very much within striking distance of virtually all of Brett Favre’s career record-breaking marks. And yet Manning still has something to race for, something inside driving him down the lengths.

“My goal is to make Peyton Manning the best quarterback that’s ever played the game,” Elway said. “And he’s got that ability with the football that he’s got left.

Throw in a few more trips to the jeweler, a 2012 SI NFL Preview prediction by Peter King come true, and a helicopter spin or two and there will be no debate, but until that day comes, the most dedicated man in football will continue to run with his head down.

…

Just like the racetrack itself though, back in Indy we are reminded that all things in life are cyclical. Where one story ends, another picks up, themes recycle, and often in the end, chapters contributed by different parties weave together like a tapestry.

Andrew Luck, who in the preseason threw his first touchdown and completion simultaneously like his Indianapolis predecessor, struggled at points in his regular season debut throwing three interceptions on 23-45 passing. Throwing for 309 yards though, he became one of just four players in NFL history to surpass the 300 yard mark in their first start. The other three: Cam Newton, fellow rookie Robert Griffin III, and of course, Peyton Manning, who incidentally also threw three picks in his first time out.

In today’s NFL, it’s a passing league more than ever and like modern day Pegasus’, these horses enjoy a good jaunt through the air; where the story goes from here is anyone’s guess. Will Manning indeed surpass Elway and everyone else along the way to becoming the greatest quarterback of all-time, riding off into the sunset? Could Luck one day surpass Manning? If early results are any indication, both tapestry additions are entirely plausible. In the end though, for franchises across the league the question at the crux of it all is always the same: Who will be the next stead worthy of hitching a proverbial cart to? When it comes time fifteen years down the line, who will be next in line to pick up the lineage?

The answers elude us all for now, although one certainty remains. Just like Mr. Ed so astutely coined, a horse is indeed a horse, the most valuable commodity in the most popular sport in the country. And in the NFL, the race always goes on, all teams and quarterbacks alike jockeying for a nose.

The post A Horse is a Horse appeared first on Box Scorn.

Allow me to explain. The Flyers signed an offer sheet with Predators defenseman and captain, Shea Weber. The Predators had been fishing for a trade for the Canadian superstar, reportedly asking for a large basket of tools to give them a chance at an outstanding reboot. And teams were interested.

Weber is one of the most valuable players in the NHL. He’s a big, tough defenseman with one of the best shots from the point in recent memory (there are nets in Vancouver that agree). He’s a terror on both ends of the ice, and an excellent leader with a long career ahead of him. There are so few players that fit this build in the NHL, and the opportunity to add one excites any GM.

He is a restricted free agent that Nashville hasn’t been able to lock down. They can’t allow him to go into the next off-season without a contract or trade, as they could lose their most valuable player for nothing when he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Offer sheets are very rare in the NHL, and are looked down on by many in the sport. When a player signs an offer sheet, their current team is given one week to either match the offer and keep the player, or let the player go and receive his value in draft picks from the team that produced the offer sheet. In this case, the Predators will receive 4 first round picks from the Flyers.

Predators GM David Poile has stated more than once that he will match any offer sheet on Shea Weber. But Nashville hasn’t matched yet, and plans to take their full week to make the decision. Why are they taking so long? This is where the brilliance of the Flyers comes into play.

The offer was structured so that Shea receives the majority of his money in signing bonuses over the early years of the contract. This means the Predators will have to dedicate a large amount of money to Weber. They already have a lot of money committed to their other major star, goaltender Pekka Rinne.

On top of that, Weber has started to make it clear that he wants to leave. His agent has been doing the dirty work for him, spreading word that Weber hopes to go to Philadelphia and doesn’t want to be part of a rebuild in Nashville.

Philadelphia gave Nashville an ultimatum. Keep Weber and pay him what he deserves, or give him up and take a few years to reinforce the team with young talent. I doubt the Flyers were the only team sick of waiting for progress in a trade for Weber, but they were the ones who did something about it.

Now, the Flyers are assured that either they get their man, or he stays in the Western Conference and doesn’t end up on a rival team. In one year, the Predators will be allowed to trade Weber again, and the Flyers will have another shot.

Even craftier, is that the Flyers didn’t have to ruin the Preds to do it. The Flyers will need salary cap room, and it isn’t in their nature to leave a team decimated. Especially not a good trading partner like Nashville. I expect the Predators will agree not to match the offer on Weber, in exchange for a trade that delivers NHL ready players to Nashville. This allows the Flyers to lower their salary while giving the Predators roster players to mix in with their youth talent.

Upon hearing about the offer sheet I was furious. Understand, I just moved to Nashville. Finding a job in a southern city with a great NHL franchise is hard, and landing in one where my favorite Team Canada player is was a huge success for me. And now he’s going to leave?

The more I looked at the details and thought about the potential benefits for Nashville though, I realized that the Flyers offer deserves nothing but my respect. This is an amazing hockey move that will be talked about for years if Weber is in orange this fall. Some GMs look down on offer sheets and think of them as bad business. I personally wish more GMs had the good business sense to make moves like this one.

Leafs GM Brian Burke could have shut up about ‘bad business’ and done some good for his team by beating Philly to the punch, instead the Leafs might win a faux hockey ethics award.

So now we wait on the Predators. In Nashville, they surely talk about great hockey and how they can contend in the coming years with their outstanding captain. And they talk about money: how much of it they have and how much they want to spend of it on one player.

Got some thoughts? We’d love to hear them! Post here or e-mail them to BoxScorn@gmail.com

The post Shea Weber Offer Sheet Brilliance appeared first on Box Scorn.

Brady Fredericksen

1. Indianapolis Colts – Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford<
- If you’re going to blow everything up, going with a guy named “Luck” is a good place to start. Oh, and I guess he’s pretty solid on the field, too.

2. Washington Redskins – Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor

3. Minnesota Vikings – Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU
- I understand it’d be better to protect their walking-concussion, quarterback Christian Ponder, but having to deal with Rodgers, Cutler and Stafford six times a season warrants some secondary help.

4. Cleveland Browns – Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Matt Kalil, OT, USC
- The Bucs could use any of these top five guys — and Justin Blackmon would fit here as well — but they’ll either be able to build a fat-man fortress around Josh Freeman or sell the chance to get Kalil for

6. St. Louis Rams – Fletcher Cox, DT, Mississippi State

7. Jacksonville Jaguars – Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State
- :An ecstatic Maurice Jones-Drew runs out and buys a round of beers for every Jaguars fan in Florida … Blaine Gabbert comes out of hiding for the first time since January:

8. Miami Dolphins – Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M

9. Carolina Panthers – Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame
- Cam Newton legitimately performed a miracle on Steve Smith’s career last year. Imagine what that offense would look like with a big receiver like Floyd on the other side?

10. Buffalo Bills – Luke Kuechly, LB, Boston College

11. Kansas City Chiefs – David DeCastro, G, Stanford
- You know what the Chiefs really need? A real quarterback, but that’s not happening, so why not replace future Hall of Famer Brian Waters with someone who an protect what you’ve got behind center now.

12. Seattle Seahawks – Melvin Ingram, DE, South Carolina

13. Arizona Cardinals – Reily Reiff, T, Iowa
- Doesn’t matter who’s behind center, you’ve got to find some way to protect them and Reiff’s got the kind of top-10 pedigree that you don’t pass up at this point.

14. Dallas Cowboys – Mark Barron, SS, Alabama

15. Philadelphia Eagles – Michael Brockers, DT, LSU
- A serious team to watch for this year, the Eagles are just adding to their defense piece by piece this off season and Brockers gives them a 2-for-1 on the defensive line.

16. New York Jets – Courtney Upshaw, DE/OLB, Alabama

17. Cincinnati Bengals – Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama
- Making a Bengals and character concern joke here would be really easy, so I’m going to say it’d be really fun to sit with Jenkins and Jerome Simpson as they watch Family Guy and eat pot brownies.

18. San Diego Chargers – Shea McClellin, DE, Boise State

19. Chicago Bears – Whiney Mercilus, DE, North Carolina
- He’s a one-year wonder, and he’s not really a defensive end or linebacker, but the Bears can afford to take the best player available if they so choose.

20. Tennessee Titans – Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina

21. Cincinnati Bengals – Dontari Poe, DT, Memphis
- This much talent and athleticism in a body like his are too much too pass up. He’s got guys in front of him, so he can sit for a year or so and be unleashed in the future.

22. Cleveland Browns – Brandon Weeden, QB, Oklahoma State

23. Detroit Lions – Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama
- Perfect fit. Team needs a corner back, the top available falls into their lap. He’s a little like Chris Houston 2.0, and that’s definitely an upgrade over the combination of Aaron Berry and Alphonso Smith.

24. Pittsburgh Steelers – Nick Perry, OLB, Southern California
- The Steelers pick in basically the same position every year, and every year they basically come out of the draft with a legit piece on their defense. Perry is that guy now.

25. Denver Broncos – Coby Fleener, TE, Stanford
- They SHOULD address their defensive line, but think about their new toy, Peyton Manning. Yeah, they have some weapons, but a hybrid tight end like Fleener will be money from the start with Manning.

26. Houston Texans – Stephen Hill, WR, Georgia Tech

27. New England Patriots – Chandler Jones, DE, Syracuse
- Jones is relatively delicate, but when he isn’t a broken toy, he’s one of those toys they have to recall because he hurts everyone. Think Cliff Avril 2.0.

28. Green Bay Packers – Jerel Worthy, DT, Michigan State

29. Baltimore Ravens – Dont’a Hightower, ILB, Alabama
- Talk about the perfect fit. Ray Lewis is still alive and kicking, but he’s slowing down. Hightower can help now in a 2008 Bart Scott kind of way. CAN’T WAIT!

30. San Francisco 49ers – Cordy Glenn, G, Georgia

31. New England Patriots – Amini Silatolu, G/T, Midwestern State
- Silatolu because I like Division II football — do you really think the Patriots are going to keep this baby?

32. New York Giants – Doug Martin, RB, Boise State

Guys you know
Kirk Cousins – 2nd round
Mike Martin – 3rd round
Vontaze Burifict – 7th round
Kellen Moore- 7th round
Brandon Weeden- 1st round

Keiran Bleich

1. Indianapolis Colts- Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford

2. Washington Redskins- Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor

- I love this kid. Olympic Sprinter, Masters Degree, Funny, Smart, and Athletic. He will fit in great off loading to Chris Cooley and Fred Davis. Oh, he’s also my friend on Facebook.

3. Minnesota Vikings- Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU

4. Cleveland Browns- Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State

- The Browns need to get some help for weeny-arm Colt McCoy, and here is their chance to do it. Do they go run or pass? I think Montario Hardesty can be serviceable so they take Calvin Johnson lite.

5. Tampa Bay Bucs- Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama

6. St. Louis Rams- Matt Kalil, OT, Southern California

- They need to try to protect their investment in Sam Bradford. Jason Smith from Baylor hasn’t worked out due to injuries. I say Kalil is the next Joe Tomas.

7. Jacksonville Jaguars- Fletcher Cox, DT, Mississippi State

8. Miami Dolphins- Mark Barron, S, Alabama

- Everyone is saying Tannehill goes here, I don’t see it. Dolphins improve their secondary and help out Vonte Davis.

9. Carolina Panthers- Luke Kuechly, LB, Boston College

10. Buffalo Bills- Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa

- Ryan Fitzpatrick may be an Ivy league boy, but that won’t help him if he is laying on his back. Bills focused on defense in free agency brining in Mario Williams, they go O-Line here.

11. Kansas City Chiefs- Michael Brockers, DT, LSU

12. Seattle Seahawks- Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina

- I like Coples a lot, and Pete Carroll really needs to divert attention away from the fact he has been collecting mediocre QBs for the past couple of years.

13. Arizona Cardinals- Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame

14. Dallas Cowboys- Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina

- The Cowboys need secondary help. Romo is probably at the peak of his career, they need to complete their team in order to win while he is still there.

15. Philidelphia Eagles- Dont’a Hightower, LB, Alabama

16. New York Jets- Shea Mcclellin, LB, Boise State

- To distract everyone from the QB circus, why not make a safe pick with a solid linebacker. I don’t think anyone has ever been mad when their team took a LB in the first round, especially not in New York.

17. Cincinnati Bengals- David DeCastro, OG, Stanford

18. San Diego Chargers- Melvin Ingram, DE, South Carolina

- Lots of things wrong in San Diego, Ingram is a steal this late. Looking for them to improve their pass rush and run defense.

19. Chicago Bears- Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama

20. Tennessee Titans- Chandler Jones, DE, Syracuse

- I think the Titans can develop this guy like they have so many other defensive players before.

21. Cincinnati Bengals- Dontari Poe, DT, Memphis

22. Cleveland Browns- Ryan Tennehill, QB, Texas A&M

- Oops…looks like they re-think crowning Colt McCoy their savior when they can pick up a potential top 10 pick at 22 (See Quinn, Brady). A QB controversy will be brewing in Cleveland, folks.

23. Detroit Lions- Cordy Glenn, OT, Georgia

24. Pittsburgh Steelers- Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor

- The Steelers need a backup plan just in case Mike Wallace skips town. They don’t want Antonio Brown and Heath Miller to be their top receiving options in the near future.

25. Denver Broncos- Courtney Upshaw, DE, Alabama

26. Houston Texans- Nick Perry, DE, Southern California

- The Texans will look to replace Mario Williams on the line after he bolted in free agency…not sure how successful they will be.

27. New England Patriots- Harrison Smith, S, Notre Dame

28. Green Bay Packers- Doug Martin, RB, Boise State

- Ahman Green is not walking through that door folks. Ryan Grant looks to be a thing of the past and Aaron Rodgers can only shoulder the entire load for so long before he starts to break down. Pack needs to vastly improve its run game.

29. Baltimore Ravens- Mike Adams, OT, Ohio State

30. San Francisco 49ers- Jerel Worthy, DT, Michigan State

- The 49ers look to make their unstoppable defense even better. With the addition of the big Spartan on the line, I doubt they give up a rushing touchdown all season…and playoffs.

31. New England Patriots- Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama

32. New York Giants- Coby Fleener, TE, Stanford

- With their first and second string TEs injured, this makes perfect sense. I think Fleener will flourish.

Guys you know

Kirk Cousins- 3rd round
Mike Martin- 4th round
Vontaze Burifict- 2nd round
Kellen Moore- 3rd round
Brandon Weeden- 2nd round

The post Box Scorn NFL Draft Spectacular appeared first on Box Scorn.

It happens every single time, and because it’s Goodwill there’s no way you can possibly turn down buying anything — it’s all $5 or less, that’s almost like stealing awesomeness.

Imagine that you’re like me. We’ll call it being a connoisseur of obscure sports memorabilia. I’m not talking 1990s Starter jackets or crew-neck sweaters, I’m talking about jerseys, the ultimate mark of an over-bearing fan.

They’re all over the place, especially if you‘re on any large college campus in America, and many times you can stumble upon the best ones at that local Goodwill.

There’s a dilemma with jerseys. It’s great that you have $85 dollars to spend on one and it’s just peachy that you’re confident enough to walk around in public showing off the gun show.

The dilemma is that if you wear jerseys, well, no, you probably just shouldn’t wear them at all.

When you see someone walking around in a Kobe Bryant jersey, I’m pretty sure your immediate thought process isn’t: “That guy, he knows what’s up. NICE!”

At least I hope that isn’t you, but those just aren’t that cool. People walk around in Lacoste polos every day, but just because that shirt they’re wearing costs more than my entire outfit doesn’t mean it’s any better.

Jerseys are special, really, they are. It’s just they’re something that needs to be understood. Those Goodwill jerseys are better than anything you’ll find at your local mall.

I mean, what’s going to catch your eye first: an Aaron Rodgers Packers jersey or a Mike Williams Lions jersey?

The latter, obviously.

Here’s the thing, once you turn, say, 21 years old, your jersey-wearing privileges drop off the map significantly. There’s no reason for an adult with kids to ever wear a jersey — hell, or a jersey shirt for that matter — in a public place.

You go to a sporting event as a fan, you wear a jersey. That’s why we buy them. You don’t go out and buy a tux for a wedding then just decide to wear it to Walmart because you it looks good and has some swag.

Good lord, no. Swag your self off, bro.

You deserve to be kicked square in the face if you think walking out in public wearing your Prince Fielder jersey is fully acceptable.

There is a twist though, and that’s where the obscurity factor comes into play. Say you walk out wearing that same Detroit Tigers jersey, only this time it’s Bobby Higginson’s No. 4 jersey?

You immediately move from the awful list to the awfully awesome list.

Seriously, the weird ones are the great ones. I’m pro-jersey when you go about it properly — deep down, my dream wife goes to sleep every night wearing nothing but a Charles Barkley Phoenix Suns jersey — but like I said, there’s finding treasure and manufacturing it.

Someone who wins $20 dollars on a scratch-off lottery ticket is going to enjoy that money way more than someone who’s already got it. We love crazy shit, that’s how life works, but it’s easier to be excited for something obscure than something normal.

It’s why we can sit on YouTube for five hours in one night during exam week and love every minute of it. It’s why women enjoy watching Lamar Odom try to act like he cares about anything Khloe Kardashian says for 30 minutes every week.

You just have to think outside the box — or maybe inside the one at Goodwill.

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Sports broadcasters have dusted off their versions of, “he’s got character,” and, “look at all the wins,” while famous Tebow-irrationalist Skip Bayless’s phone rings off the hook. Reasonable people condemn the QB. Bloggers type about how he doesn’t belong in the league. Do you smell what I smell? We’re back in Tebowmania!

Despite his stats, GMs across the league took notice of the effect Tebow had on the Broncos. I’m not talking about all of the games that HE won for his terrible, ailing team. I am talking about the business bonus of having the league’s most popular athlete on your team. ESPN will cover your team drastically more if Tebow is on the roster, they’ve made that abundantly clear. The money to be made from merchandise and ticket sales are great, but even better is that John Elway wants to get rid of Tebow. A team interested in the QB will send very little Denver’s way.

The downsides are many, however, and I’m not just talking about QBR. Tebow will make a bad backup QB in most systems, and Tebow’s fans won’t allow for him to be on the bench while another QB performs badly. Have we ever talked about another athlete in that way? Tebow-nation is part of the reason Elway seems so desperate to get rid of him. More importantly, however, is that Tebow can’t backup Manning. The two play entirely different styles of football, and having the team prepare for Tebow shit-ball just in case Manning goes down is a waste of time. Unfortunately for Tebow, this will be the case in a lot of systems.

There’s speculation of where Tebow will end up for just about every team. To me, the choice seems obvious: Jacksonville. You’ve heard the stuff about why Tebow should head back to Florida. Having spent the last year living in central Florida I can personally attest to the fact that he will draw people from far and wide. Come see the show that is Tebowmania!

The biggest benefit to bringing in the Florida native is that maybe the Jags can haul some of those tarps off of the seats in their upper bowl. Seriously, the Jags have tarps covering seats in their upper bowl so they won’t have games blacked out so easily. I went there for Monday Night Football against the Ravens, and the stadium was far from full even with the large sections covered by tarps (and the large sections of Raven’s fans). Tebow will do wonders for the struggling Jaguars, and if he wins some games it’s a bonus! I see no reason the Jags shouldn’t send a fifth round pick to Denver. It’s not like they were going to use it wisely anyway.

In the end, Tebow will end up anywhere that is willing to give up something for him. He will probably have another chance at glory, whether that’s in the near or distant future. Most importantly, this new saga and Tebow’s pending free time could bring us a second best-selling memoir. Cross your fingers.
Where do you think Tebow should go? Let us know.

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Well, the finale to this spring’s top new series, the “Where’s Peyton Manning Going to Land?” saga, appears to have ended with ESPN reporting Monday that Manning has agreed to begin negotiations on a contract with the Denver Broncos.

Denver, really? Even with Tim Tebow there, Peyton? With Manning, San Francisco and its guillotine of a defense would have been set up to be a real, legitimate Super Bowl favorite for the next three seasons.
The Tennessee Titans would have given him a chance to be on a contender, play in the state he played his college football in at the University of Tennessee and given him the opportunity to return to Indianapolis to play a game against his former team every season.

Manning’s decision to sign in Denver is both a good and bad one. Good in that he’s confident enough in his abilities that he feels he can take over the reigns and lead a faux-contender to the eventual promise land — the Super Bowl.

It’s also perplexing because he’s going to a team that, quite frankly, took teams by surprise and won more than it took teams down and won. The Broncos spent the latter half of last season playing with smoke and mirrors behind Tebow, something that made them look better than they actually were.

You can’t deny the results though, and Tebow will go from playoff-winning starter — something that took Manning four tries to finally accomplish — to something. Whether that’s a starter in Miami with the Dolphins or backup elsewhere is yet to be seen.

What we do see is a new era, at least for the time being, in Denver. Tebow wasn’t in the same universe as Manning talent-wise, and that alone is going to make the Broncos much more dangerous. Those five games the Broncos had to mount those crazy, god-must-be-doing-something comebacks wouldn’t be needed with Manning.
He’s not going to complete 2-of-13 passes in a half, let alone an entire game like Tebow.

If you’re Broncos VP John Elway, this was a no-brainer. If his constant in-out-in-out routine on believing in Tebow didn’t convince anyone, which it didn’t, than this solidifies it. He wants to win now, and the only way to do that is to dump America’s favorite football player to get arguably the greatest quarterback of the last decade.

He’s a beloved figure in Denver, but winning is what’s going to keep Elway his job. The biggest question for the team is why close a window that, depending on which side of the bandwagon you were on, could have featured your quarterback of the next decade in Tebow in exchange for Manning, a guy with a plastic neck and less than five years left in the tank.

It’s a risk for Denver, but it’s also a risk for Manning. He’s going to solve problems this year, some before he even throws a football, but there’s still that risk of Denver not being as good as they looked last year.

That smoke-and-mirrors’ offense that they ran last year? Yeah, once that got figured out, it was lights out for the Broncos. You would have to expect that Manning makes young receivers Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker look a heckuva lot better than they are, then maybe former Indy buddies Dallas Clark and Brandon Stokley join the fray.

It’s workable, but with Manning being 35 years old, is it really worth accelerating the winning progress while simultaneously shortening that same window to only three or four years?

The chance to do great things is there for Manning and the Broncos, it’s just a question of can they be accomplished — and how long do they have to accomplish them?

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