Chris Strickland's Washington Nationals friend's fan blogs

The three months in between the end of the season and the draft always seem to drag out until you've done so much  research and seen so many mock drafts you tend to get attached to certain guys and lose sight of who the best player for your draft slot really is.

Lately most of Patriots Nation seems to be trending toward Penn State's Jared Odrick as good fit for the Patriots at the 22nd overall slot, especially with the departure of Jarvis Green to Denver. Odrick seems to have the size and intangibles to make a good 5-techinque, a position that Jarvis Green was ill fit for when he was thrust into it following the trade of Richard Seymour.

DE is a position of need and Odrick is by all accounts a great kid who loves football and competes on every down. Sounds like a perfect fit right? As recently as yesterday he was my number one target. However last night my opinion began to sway a bit.

Continue reading "Odrick Isn't Seymour"

Washington Nationals right-handed pitcher Stephen Strasburg made his spring training debut Tuesday in a 9-4 loss to the Detroit Tigers in Viera, Fla. 

Strasburg, who was selected by the Nationals with the number one overall pick out of San Diego State University in the 2009 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft, fanned two batters in two scoreless innings before the was relieved. 

Despite his solid statistics, the former Aztecs standout struggled a tad with his command. 

In total, Strasburg managed to throw only 15 of his 27 pitches for strikes. 

“Command really wasn’t there, but I think a lot of that had to do with the adrenaline going on,” said Strasburg, 21, who signed a record four-year contract worth $15.1 million with Washington this past August. “It’s something that happens to me every time – even in college, even in high school. That first outing, there’s all this excitement and it’s really difficult to control the adrenaline and make sure you’re staying nice and relaxed.” 

Continue reading "Stephen Strasburg Will Be a Top-Ten Pitcher This Season"

I came upon a website today that breaks down every play of the NFL season and awards grades to each player accordingly: www.profootballfocus.com. What you get is an expansive database, with hard numerical data ranking player performance. While fans never get to break down the game film or know exactly how the coaches are grading out the players, this is a good resource with some really interesting stuff. I won't challenge their method or their football credentials, rather I looked at each player on the 2009 Patriots defense and found their season rankings. Here's the list from best to worst:

1. Tully Banta Cain: 21.8
2. Vince Wilfork: 9.6
3. Leigh Bodden: 6.8
4. Brandon Meriweather: 5.0
5. Ty Warren: 3.9
6. Rob Ninkovich: 3.4
7. Patrick Chung: 1.8

Continue reading "Pro Football Focus' Rankings of the 2009 Patriots Defense"

Many Patriots fans seem to still be under the delusion that their defense is a mere pass rusher away from returning to an elite, Super Bowl-caliber squad. The reality is that the Patriots defense began a full on rebuild in 2009, making the AFC East title they won even more impressive considering it was done with such a young and inconsistent defense.

The core leadership of the early Super Bowl defenses, like Tedy Bruschi, Willie McGinest, and Rodney Harrison was born of playoff disappointment early in their careers, just as this season's playoff loss will be a building block for young leaders like Jerod Mayo and Brandon Meriweather.

So what are the biggest holes to fill? I believe that the number one need for this team right now is a right defensive end to replace Richard Seymour. For all the talk about the Pats lack of pressure on the passer, it was the run defense that was most lacking in the playoff loss. Stopping the run must be first and foremost for any defense and the Patriots lacked a starting quality 5-techinique in 2009.

Continue reading "ReBuilding The New England Patriots Defense"

Baseball Hall of Famer Goose Gossage claimed this past weekend that New York Yankees icon Mariano Rivera is not the best relief pitcher in the history of Major League Baseball (MLB).

“I think he (Rivera) is a tremendous relief pitcher,” said Gossage, a nine-time All-Star who played his last game for the Seattle Mariners in 1994. “He’s the best, current-day, modern reliever. When I was inducted into the Hall of Fame, I was told that I had 53 saves with seven-plus outs. I was told that Mariano had one and Trevor Hoffman had two. So, I think that says it in a nutshell.”

Gossage, who retired with a record of 124-107 and a 3.01 ERA, is an utter “nut” to even insinuate that he is a better pitcher than Mariano Rivera is.

Rivera, a 10-time All-Star selection and instrumental piece of five championship teams, has recorded 526 saves with a miniscule 2.25 ERA since he made his professional debut for the Yankees in May 1995.

Continue reading "Goose Gossage Wasn't Half The Pitcher That Mariano Rivera Is"

WBO world welterweight champion Manny “Pac-Man” Pacquiao will defend his crown versus former IBF welterweight titlist “The Hitter” Joshua Clottey Saturday at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.

Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs) was initially scheduled to fight “Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) on the identical date.

Unfortunately, the two childish camps were ridiculously unable to agree to terms on a matchup that was expected to pay both prizefighter’s in excess of $30 million.

So, after the Pacquiao-Mayweather showdown disintegrated, Top Rank boxing promoter Bob Arum quickly arranged a fight for his client versus Clottey (35-3, 20 KOs).

Pacquiao, 31, the first boxer to win seven world titles in seven different weight divisions, deserves his rating by

Continue reading "Joshua Clottey will be a worthy adversary for Manny Pacquiao"

Free Agency just started on Friday, and the Jets and Dolphins have both made significant moves while the Patriots have stuck to signing their own guys, and it's become a popular article around the interwebs whether these moves have dethroned New England as the AFC East favorites.

First of all, Miami and New York should be doing whatever they can do to pass the Patriots this year. No one realized it heading into last year but 2009 was the year Bill Belichick had to begin rebuilding his defense. He realized it at the end of training camp and unloaded Richard Seymour to Oakland. But the Patriots are well suited for the rebuild that is ahead of them.

Jerod Mayo and Vince Wilfork will be the centerpieces of the new defense. And will 4 picks in the first two rounds of this years draft, as well as 2 1st-rounders in next years, the Patriots are in position to add a lot of quality players in the next two seasons. Meaning if you're going to beat the Patriots you better do it now before all this talent is added and begins to gel.

Continue reading "And on the 4th Day of Free Agency the Jets & Dolphins Apparently Passed the Patriots...."

WBC light welterweight champion Devon Alexander defeated Juan “Iron Twin” Urango by an eighth round TKO to successfully defend his crown and capture the IBF title Saturday night at the Mohegan Sun in Uncansville, Connecticut.  

Alexander (20-0, 13 KOs) was narrowly leading Urango (22-3-1, 17 KOs) on the judge’s scorecards before he rocked “Iron Twin” with a thunderous uppercut in the eighth round. 

Urango, 29, courageously managed to get off the canvas despite being obviously dazed. 

However, Alexander landed yet another vicious uppercut on Urango moments later and the referee halted the contest with a tad more than a minute remaining in the fateful round. 

“Our whole training camp we practiced that uppercut,” said Alexander, 23, a three-time PAL national champion who hails from the gritty streets of St. Louis. “Speed kills. I had too much speed for him.” 

Continue reading "Devon Alexander Will Be the Best Pound-For-Pound Boxer within Five Years"

Former WBO heavyweight champion Tommy “The Duke” Morrison was arrested on suspicion of marijuana possession Thursday evening in Wichita, Kan.  

Morrison (48-3-1, 42 KOs), who defeated George Foreman (76-5, 68 KOs) in June 1993 to capture his title, previously served 14 months in the pen after he was convicted on drugs and weapons charges in 1999.

Morrison, the owner of an impressive combined professional and amateur record of 343-24-1, was an enormously powerful puncher and he seemed destined for greatness as a prizefighter during the formative stages of his career. 

“The Duke,” already popular among fans because of his entertaining fighting style, gained even more prominence once he starred as Rocky Balboa’s opponent in the 1990 film

Continue reading "Former Rocky Balboa Opponent Busted For Reefer"

The New York Jets acquired San Diego Chargers cornerback Antonio Cromartie in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2011 draft Thursday evening. 

In order to make room for Cromartie, the Jets released disappointing cornerback Lito Sheppard. 

Cromartie, 25, who the Chargers selected with the 19th overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft out of Florida State University, was an All-Pro selection in 2007. 

At his best, Cromartie is an elite shutdown corner who can easily blanket any receiver in the league with his blazing speed. 

Unfortunately for Jets fans, Cromartie is also a pathetic tackler who has more personal issues than Lindsay Lohan. 

Cromartie reportedly has fathered seven children in five different states and he has been named in a minimum of five paternity suits. 

Continue reading "On March 4, the New York Jets managed to get closer to playing in Super Bowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium on February 6, 2011"