NBA All Star Rosters Announced

Every year, the best players in the game gather in one city. Its a showcase of the best talents in the National Basketball Association. This year, the best in the league gather on Valentines Day at the Air Canada Center in Toronto. Its East against West in bragging rights in an exhibition of the top talent. The rosters have been finalized for the game and here's what they look like.

Eastern Conference:
G Dwyane Wade Miami Heat (12th appearance)
G Kyle Lowry Toronto Raptors (2nd appearance)
F LeBron James Cleveland Cavaliers (12th appearance)
F Paul George Indiana Pacers (3rd appearance)
F Carmelo Anthony New York Knicks (9th appearance)

Reserves
G John Wall Washington Wizards (3rd appearance)
G Jimmy Butler Chicago Bulls (2nd appearance)
F Paul Millsap Atlanta Hawks (3rd appearance)
C Andre Drummond Detroit Pistons (1st appearance)
F/C Chris Bosh Miami Heat (11th appearance)
G DeMar DeRozan Toronto Raptors (2nd appearance)
G Isaiah Thomas Boston Celtics (1st appearance)

Head coach: Tyronn Lue (Cleveland Cavaliers)


Western Conference:
G Stephen Curry Golden State Warriors (3rd appearance)
G Russell Westbrook Oklahoma City Thunder (5th appearance)
F Kobe Bryant Los Angeles Lakers (18th appearance)
F Kevin Durant Oklahoma City Thunder (7th appearance)
F Kawhi Leonard San Antonio Spurs (1st appearance)

Reserves
G Chris Paul Los Angeles Clippers (9th appearance)
G James Harden Houston Rockets (4th appearance)
F Draymond Green Golden State Warriors (1st appearance)
C DeMarcus Cousins Sacramento Kings (2nd appearance)
F/C Anthony Davis New Orleans Pelicans (3rd appearance)
G Klay Thompson Golden State Warriors (2nd appearance)
F/C LaMarcus Aldridge San Antonio Spurs (5th appearance)

Head coach: Gregg Popovich (San Antonio Spurs)


In this case, the league and fans got it right as to who should be playing on Valentines Day in Toronto. There are a few guys you could possibly argue got snubbed from playing in this contest. Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves is one. I've been saying that I think this kid could be the front runner for Rookie of the year this year and his numbers back it up. In eight games this year, Anthony-Towns has produced 25 points and 10 rebounds, tops amongst rookies this year. Rookies typically don't earn All-Star spots. It has happened just three times over the past two decades, and the last first-year player to make an appearance was Blake Griffin in 2011 (Bleacher Report). Towns, of course, never really stood a chance. He plays on a bad Minnesota team and the West has too many established talented players, and it's become clear over the years that seniority matters. But those factors only succeed in keeping Towns out of the picture. They do not make him any less deserving. He's been a real bright spot for Minnesota this year.

Gordon Hayward of the Utah Jazz can be thrown into this conversation as well. Four players are averaging at least 20 points, five rebounds and three assists per 36 minutes in addition to shooting 37 percent or better from three-point range. Gordon Hayward is one of them. Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Paul George are the other three to average those numbers and, guess what, each of is an All-Star starter.

Now I would like somebody to try and explain something to me. Anthony Davis of New Orleans (a bad team) is playing in the all star game. Damian Lillard, of the Portland Trail Blazers (another bad team) is not. How come? Lillard is playing at a level better than that of Davis yet isn't playing in the all star game. Interesting to note.

One final point of contention. Some people have been pushing for Kevin Love of the Cleveland Cavaliers to be playing in this game (some of which I'm hearing is coming out of Cleveland). Yeah you have no argument sit down. It was ten days ago this guy was benched for bad play. Now you want him in the game and your saying he's a snub? Give me a break. The guys I've listed above are more of a snub for this game than he is, so cut it out.

So there you have it, the rosters for the 2016 NBA All Star Game!

Big Thanks To Bleacher Report and ESPN for help with this article

NHL All Star Skills Competition Announced

All Star weekend in the National Hockey League is almost upon us once again. This year, they're trying this whole new 3-on-3 format for the game, which adds an interesting twist to the game and the weekend. One of the more popular events to take place during all star weekend every year is the skills competition the day before the game. The best players in the game get to really showcase their skills, and its usually the most fun and enjoyable part of the entire weekend. Here's what is going to happen during the Skills Competition, the story coming to us from nhl.com.

Fan-elected captains, Jaromir Jagr and Alex Ovechkin for the Eastern Conference, and Patrick Kane and John Scott for the Western Conference, will lead the team selection process to determine which players will participate in the six Honda NHL All-Star Skills Competition events. Each of the 44 All-Stars will compete in at least one of the six rounds of skill-based contests.

· Bridgestone NHL Fastest Skater
· Honda NHL Breakaway Challenge
· DraftKings NHL Accuracy Shooting
· Gatorade NHL Skills Challenge Relay
· AMP Energy NHL Hardest Shot
· Discover NHL Shootout

Bridgestone NHL Fastest Skater Four players from each team will test their speed, facing off against an opponent in a two-skater race. The race track for the head-to-head match-ups is the border of the rink split in half lengthways. Timing devices will record each skater to determine the winner of each match. If a race ends in a tie, each of the teams will be awarded one point. The skater with the fastest time in the head-to-head match-ups will skate a full lap of the outside border of the rink, in the direction of their choosing, in an attempt to break Mike Gartner's record (13.386). If, at the completion of the event, two skaters are tied for the fastest overall time, both skaters will skate a full lap of the rink in an attempt to break the historical best record.

Points Available: 6 – The winner of each match-up scores one point; the team with the fastest skater scores a bonus point; if the fastest skater is successful in breaking Mike Gartner's record an additional bonus point will be awarded.

Honda NHL Breakaway Challenge Fans will have two opportunities to exercise their vote in the Honda NHL Breakaway Challenge. While five spots will be determined by team captains, one guaranteed spot in this event will be determined by the fans, who will vote on Twitter as part of the Honda NHL Breakaway Challenge Fan Vote campaign.

The eligible candidates are forwards Matt Duchene of the Colorado Avalanche, Dylan Larkin of the Detroit Red Wings and Brandon Saad of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Fans can vote via Twitter for their favorite eligible player by including his hashtag, such as #NHLBreakawayDuchene, #NHLBreakawayLarkin or #NHLBreakawaySaad. Voting will open on Tuesday, Jan. 26 at 12 p.m. ET and close on Thursday, Jan. 28 at 5 p.m. ET. Each team will provide one goalie to participate in this challenge. Each shooter will attempt two shots, and teams will alternate after each shot. Style, creativity, and flair are encouraged. NHL penalty shot rules do not apply. As soon as the last competitor completes his routine, fans in-arena and watching on television in the U.S. and Canada will get another opportunity to make their case on Twitter by casting their vote using the hashtag that corresponds to the player of their choice. The shooter with the highest fan vote will be crowned the Honda NHL Breakaway Challenge winner and score one point for his team.

Points Available: 1 – The shooter with the highest percentage of fan votes scores one point.

DraftKings NHL Accuracy Shooting will see four shooters from each team will participate, with two additional players serving as passers. This event will consist of four head-to-head match-ups, with one shooter from each team per round. The goal is to hit four 15-inch diameter targets located in each corner of the net. The teams will be situated at opposite ends of the rink, and will alternate attempts. The first shooter to hit all four targets wins.

Points Available: 5 –The winner of each match-up scores one point; the player who hits all four targets in the fastest time scores the bonus point.

Gatorade NHL Skills Challenge Relay is a timed relay event – involving 14 skaters and two goalies from each team – will consist of four relays with five challenges each: One Timers, with three shooters and one passer per team; Passing, with one passer per team; Puck Control, with one skater per team; Stick-Handling, with one skater per team; and Goalie Goals, with one goalie per team. Each skill must be completed before moving on to the next challenge with the exception of one timers, passing and goalie goals in which a maximum of forty-five seconds will be allocated. The goal is to finish all five challenges faster than the opponent.

Points Available: 3 - The team with the fastest time in each heat scores one point; the team with the fastest overall time scores one bonus point.

AMP Energy NHL Hardest Shot will see four shooters from each team will test their slap shot skill in a head-to-head match-up. Each player will attempt two shots, with teams alternating after each player. One puck will be placed 30 feet from the center of the net. Each shot will be calculated in miles per hour (mph), with the highest speed of their two shots recorded.

Points Available: 5 – The winner of each match-up scores one point; the team with the player who has the fastest speed scores one bonus point.

Discover NHL Shootout there will be 18 skaters and three goaltenders from each team will participate in the three-round shootout. During each two-minute round, six skaters and one goalie from each team will take the ice. Teams will alternate after each shot with each player having a maximum of 10 seconds to take a shot. Players one and three from each team will be designated Discover puck players, each goal scored by these players will count as two points. NHL shootout rules apply to each scoring attempt.

Points Available: 1 point for every goal scored; 2 points for every goal scored with a Discover puck.

Here's the way I look at the Skills Competition. My favorite events were always fastest skater, accuracy shot and, my top favorite, the hardest shot. For those who remember these events in years past, the accuracy shot was a Ray Bourque staple. Since the event made its debut in 1990, Ray won outright or was co-winner eight times in his career, far and away better than any other player. Since then, only Jeremy Ronick won it in back to back years in 2003 and 2004, we haven't had a repeat winner in this event. Same thing too can be said about the hardest shot. Two names have re-written that record book since the first event in 1990. Al MacInnis won the title seven times. Then from 2007 to 2012 the title went to one man, Zdeno Chara, who, oh by the way, holds the record for hardest shot at 108.8 MPH (the shot he fired during the 2012 All Star Weekend).

All Star Weekend is always fun to watch and the Skills Competition makes it all the more enjoyable!

NFL Championship Weekend Preview

And now we're down to four. Championship weekend in the National Football League has arrived. Whoever is left standing at the end of this weekend will be playing for football's ultimate prize. Its a battle of two of the best quarterbacks of this generation (again) in one game, while the other is a battle of two Heisman Trophy winning Quarterbacks in the other. It's either going to be New England or Denver coming out of the AFC, while Arizona and Carolina are fighting over the top spot in the NFC. The battle of the top four seeds is on this weekend, making this the first time since the 2004 season that the top two teams in each conference will face eachother for the right to go to the Super Bowl. Enough talk, lets get right to it. Here's what were looking at for Championship Sunday.

First up, with kickoff scheduled for 3:05 PM, it's the AFC Championship game. The AFC East champions the New England Patriots head to Sports Authority Field at Mile High to take on the AFC West Champions the Denver Broncos. The Patriots and Broncos will meet in the postseason for the fifth time, with Denver holding a 3-1 all-time advantage, including the teams’ most recent postseason meeting in the AFC Championship Game during the 2013 season. The clubs met earlier this season in Week 12, as Denver overcame a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to earn a 30-24 overtime victory and hand New England its first loss of the season. The Patriots, the defending Super Bowl champions, advanced to their fifth consecutive AFC Championship Game with a 27-20 win over Kansas City last week at Gillette Stadium. New England joins the 1973-77 Oakland Raiders as the only teams in the Super Bowl era to reach five Conference Championship Games in a row.

The Broncos advanced to their 10th AFC Championship Game with a 23-16 win over Pittsburgh last week at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Denver enters the game with a 7-2 all-time record in AFC Championship Games, including a 5-1 mark at home. That record includes a 26-16 victory over New England in the Broncos’ most recent AFC Championship Game appearance, when Denver quarterback Peyton Manning passed for 400 yards with two touchdowns to earn a berth in Super Bowl XLVIII. The game will mark the 17th meeting in the historic rivalry between Manning and Brady. The two quarterbacks have represented the AFC in nine of the past 14 Super Bowls, earning Super Bowl MVP honors in four of those contests.


Pick
Solly: New England Patriots
Steve: New England Patriots
Dan: New England Patriots

Closing out the weekend, with a 6:40 kickoff will be the NFC Championship game. The NFC West Champions the Arizona Cardinals head to Bank of America Stadium to take on the NFC South Champions the Carolina Panthers. The Cardinals and Panthers will meet in the postseason for a third time, as the postseason series between them is tied (1-1). The Cardinals won the teams’ first postseason meeting in 2008, a 33-13 Divisional Playoff victory in Charlotte en route to an eventual berth in Super Bowl XLIII. The Panthers won the last meeting, a 27-16 game in the Wild Card round last season.

The Panthers, who have won 21 of their past 23 games (including the postseason), advanced to their fourth NFC Championship Game with a 31-24 win against the Seattle Seahawks in the Divisional round last week. This will be the first time in team history the Panthers will host the NFC Championship Game.The Cardinals advanced to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 2008 and the second time during the Super Bowl era. In the Divisional Playoff last week, Arizona defeated Green Bay 26-20 in overtime.


Pick
Solly: Carolina Panthers
Steve: Carolina Panthers
Dan: Arizona Cardinals

So there you have it. Our picks for Championship Weekend!

Team USA Roster Invitees Announced

Every Four Years, the best athletes on the planet get together in one place to participate in sport. This is done in a show of freindship and good will. Basketball is one of those sports that can bring people together from all around the world. On the international stage, Team USA has been one of those nations that is on a level by itself. Team USA has taken home a medal in every Olympics they have participated in (except the boycott of 1980). One Silver (1972), two Bronze (1988 and 2003) and 14 Gold medals line the USA halls. Each year that the USA has won gold, they have run the table with a perfect record.

On Monday, head coach Mike Krzyzewski and his staff, announced the list of 30 names who are up for selection for Team USA for the Rio Olympics. Here's the full list:

Carmelo Anthony (New York Knicks), LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers), LaMarcus Aldridge (San Antonio Spurs), Harrison Barnes (Golden State Warriors), Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards), Jimmy Butler (Chicago Bulls), Mike Conley (Memphis Grizzlies), DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento Kings), Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors), Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans), DeMar DeRozan (Toronto Raptors), Andre Drummond (Detroit Pistons), Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder), Kenneth Faried (Denver Nuggets), Rudy Gay (Sacramento Kings), Paul George (Indiana Pacers), Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors), Blake Griffin (Los Angeles Clippers), James Harden (Houston Rockets), Gordon Hayward (Utah Jazz), Dwight Howard (Houston Rockets), Andre Iguodala (Golden State Warriors),  Kyrie Irving (Cleveland Cavaliers), DeAndre Jordan (Los Angeles Clippers), Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio Spurs),  Kevin Love (Cleveland Cavaliers), Chris Paul (Los Angeles Clippers), Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors), John Wall (Washington Wizards), Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder).

A solid list and collection of talent that would scare the tar out of anybody who would go against this team. That being said, there were some big names that have been left off this list. Tyson Chandler, Deron Williams and Kobe Bryant are the three players from the 2012 London Olympics who were not on the 30-man list. With this being Kobe's final season in the NBA, he decided to pull out of consideration for this year Olympics. Chicago’s Derrick Rose, who won championships in the 2010 and 2014 FIBA World Cups, was not on the 30-man roster. Portland’s Damian Lillard, Miami’s Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade, who both won gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, are also not among the finalists. Mason Plumlee, who played in the 2014 World Cup, is not on the list, joining Rose as the two players from that team not among the 30 players in contention for Rio.

The 2016 Summer Olympic Games will be held August 5th through the 21st in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

What Next For Yoenis Cespedes?

With a little more than two months to go before the start of the regular season in Major League Baseball, free agents have been getting some pretty nice contracts. Look at the two signed by some big name position players, Chris Davis getting a contract extension from the Baltimore Orioles for seven-years at $161 million and Justin Upton signing with the Detroit Tigers for six years at $132.75 million. Big dollar figures for big time talent. That does leave one to wonder. With Yoenis Cespedes still on the free agent market (which is a bit of a surprise), how much does he command? Another big question is where is he going to land?

Justin Upton signing his contract with Detroit is huge for him, the Tigers and Cespedes. For Upton, it means he has a place to play this season. Even though he's played for three different teams in the last five years, he has a place to play the next few years. The beauty of this contract for Upton is that after three years in Detroit he can opt out if he so desires. Upton basically got what he wanted from Detroit. Upton insisted, going into free agency, that he would not accept a short-term deal this winter. He wanted at least a five-year deal that would also pay him near the $23 million annual average salary that Jason Heyward received. Boy did he get it, and when he's on his game, he's worth every penny. So it gives him a little stability now, and allows him to make a big payday if things don't pan out for him in the Motor City.

If your Detroit, you get a huge need filled. They gave away Cespedes to the Mets last July, and have been looking to fill that gap since he left. Detroit did finish dead last in the American League Central last season. Upton will be the Tigers’ starting left fielder and provide another power bat in the middle of a lineup that is already loaded with talents like Miguel Cabrera, J.D. Martinez and Victor Martinez. Upton hit .251 with 26 homers and 81 RBI last season playing his home games at spacious Petco Park in San Diego. He has hit 190 career homers, including at least 26 or more homers in four of the past five seasons. So the power isn't a question with him. Upton also has stayed relatively healthy throughout his career, playing in at least 149 games in each of the last five seasons. The only outfielders who have played more games during that stretch are Andrew McCutchen, Adam Jones, Ichiro Suzuki and Jay Bruce. So it gives the Tigers another power bat and a solid defensive outfield to bolster an already good Detroit Outfield.

Now lets go take a look at Cespedes shall we.He's been in the Majors now four years hitting just over 100 home runs (106 to be exact) and he's driven in 367 runs. He's twice driven in 80 runs (80 and 82 in his first two years) and the last two years have been 100 and 105 RBI. Those are fantastic numbers. But there's a question mark. In those four years his been in the majors, Cespedes has played for four different teams, three years in Oakland, half a year in Boston, half a year in Detroit and half a year with the New York Mets. He has all the talent in the world, he just won a gold glove with the time he spent in Detroit last year. He can do it all and he just turned 30. The problem is that nobody has signed him yet. I think a lot of it has to do with the length of the deal, as he's looking for at least a five to six year contract and at the price of around what Upton just signed.

This Justin Upton contract is a sign of things for Cespedes. This deal for Upton means that the market for cespedes is going down further. Look at who else has been signed, you have Jason Heyward joining the Chicago Cubs, Alex Gordon staying with the Kansas City Royals and now Upton choosing the Tigers. What I think is still holding him up is the length of the deal. I know he wants to play in a single place for a while, which anybody really wants. But he also wants to get paid what he thinks he's worth, which I don't fault him for. He is human after all.

So that leads one to think, where would be the best fit for him? Well one option is he could go back to the Mets. I know they have Granderson and Conforto already playing the corner outfield spots, so he can rotate between playing center and left. Hell the Mets can use him anywhere in the outfield, which they did during some stretches last year. They really need his power bat in the middle of that Mets lineup, because they don't have much power in the middle of that lineup to speak of. Now if the Mets could stop being so damn cheap and get this thing done all would be happy. There's also a few other teams that could fit with Cespedes. Toronto could be a landing spot, if not now then maybe next year. Only reason I say Toronto is because Cespedes’ presence (if he goes there) would reduce the sting from the possible free-agent departures of Jose Bautista and/or Edwin Encarnacion after the coming season. St. Louis could be a fit, because hey they need somebody to replace Jason Heyward. I've also heard the Houston Astros and Chicago White Sox names thrown around. But to be honest, from where I sit, the Mets would be the best fit for him. He liked it here in New York. He'd get playing time and he'd be on a team that has a good chance to possibly win right now.

Where will he sign? Only time will tell. But something has to get done soon, because the window of opportunity is closing quickly.

NFL Divisional Round Preview

We're now at the 2nd week of the playoffs in the National Football League. What could come out of the games this weekend could potentially lead to some very entertaining and intriguing matchups. Could we see another Brady vs. Manning in the AFC title game? Could the Steelers and Chiefs play spoilers? Can Seattle reach the NFC title game for the 3rd straight year? Are the Cardinals and Panthers for real? We will have these questions answered by the time this weekend comes to an end. Its time for the divisional round of the playoffs! Here's what were looking at this weekend. Lets start with the Saturday games!

First up, the Wild Card Winning Kansas City Chiefs head to Gillette Stadium to take on the AFC East Champions the New England Patriots. New England comes into the game with a 12-4 record, good enough to win the AFC East for the 7th straight year. New England has also earned a first round bye for the 6th straight year. Since the turn of the century in 2000, New England has missed the playoffs only three times. The Patriots are trying to get back to the Super Bowl for the 2nd year in a row, as they are the defending world champions. New England is 28-18 all time in post season play. As for Kansas City, they are coming off beating the Houston Texans 30-0 in the Wild Card Game last weekend. This is the 2nd time in three years they have made the playoffs, and the first time they have won a playoff game since 1993. Kansas City is now 9-15 lifetime in the playoffs. This marks the first ever meeting between the two teams in the post season. The last time these two teams faced each other, back in September of 2014, Smith and the offense hung 41 points on New England in a blowout that led some to question the validity of Tom Brady as a starter.

Picks
Solly: New England Patriots
Steve: New England Patriots
Danny: New England Patriots

Next up, we have the NFC matchup as the Wild Card Winning Green Bay Packers travel to University of Phoenix Stadium to take on the NFC West Champions the Arizona Cardinals. Green Bay comes into this one after pulling off a comeback win on the road last week, beating the Washington Redskins 38-15. This game marks the 4th time in the last 7 years that the Packers will play in the divisional round. Green Bay is looking to win in this round for the first time since their Super Bowl year in 2010. Lifetime, the Packers are now 33-20 in the playoffs. As for the Arizona Cardinals, they come in with a 13-3 record, which was good enough to help them win the NFC West for the first time since 2009. This marks the 2nd year in a row that Arizona is a playoff team, but the Cards haven't won a playoff game since 2009. Arizona looks to get out of the Divisional Round for the first time since 2008. Arizona is 6-8 lifetime in the post season. These two teams have met twice before in the playoffs, Green Bay won their meeting in 1982, while Arizona came away with the win in 2009. During their one meeting this year in the regular season, Arizona beat the tar out of the Packers 38-8 back on December 27th.

Picks:
Solly: Green Bay Packers
Steve: Arizona Cardinals
Danny: Arizona Cardinals

Now for the Sunday games. First up its the Wild Card winners the Seattle Seahawks heading to Bank of America Stadium to take on the NFC South Champions the Carolina Panthers. Carolina was the best team in the NFL during the regular season, winning the South with a 15-1 record, the best regular season the team has ever had. This marks the 3rd year in a row that the Panthers have won their division. Carolina hasn't made it out of the divisional round since 2005. All time, the Panthers are 7-6 in postseason play. Meanwhile, the Seahawks are coming off a nail biting 10-9 win on the road against the Vikings in Minnesota last week. Seattle, with a win, will make it back to the NFC Championship game for the 3rd year in a row. Seattle now has an 16-13 all time record in the playoffs. These two teams have met twice before in the post season, with Seattle having won both previous meetings, 2005 and 2015. Carolina took their only regular season meeting this year, a 27-23 victory in Seattle back on October 18th.

Picks
Solly: Carolina Panthers
Steve: Carolina Panthers
Danny: Seattle Seahawks

Last but not least, the Wild Card Winning Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Sports Authority Field at Mile High to take on the AFC West Champions the Denver Broncos. Pittsburgh comes in after beating the Cincinnati Bengals 18-16 in the Wild Card Game last week. This marks the first time since 2010 that the Steelers are playing in the divisional round. Pittsburgh is now 35-22 lifetime in the post season. As for the Broncos, they finished the year 12-4 for the 2nd year in a row, and now have won the AFC West for the 5th straight season. Denver is looking to get a win in the playoffs for the first time since going to the Super Bowl two years ago. The Broncos are 20-19 lifetime in post season play. These two teams have met seven times before in the playoffs, with Denver having won four of those seven games. The last playoff meeting came in 2011, a 29-23 Denver win (Tebow to Thomas for 80 yards in Overtime). During the regular season, Pittsburgh beat the Broncos 34-27 back on December 10th in Pittsburgh.

Picks:
Solly: Denver Broncos
Steve: Denver Broncos
Danny: Denver Broncos

Football Finally Back In LA

The long long wait is finally over. After 21 long seasons, the 2016 NFL campaign will see the return of an NFL franchise to Los Angeles. The second largest market in the United States will once again have an NFL Franchise to cheer for, something that the city hasn't had since it had two teams in the city in 19945. The very next year, the 1995 NFL season, the Rams left LA for St. Louis and the Raiders left for Oakland. Well here we are, a full twenty one years later, and the Rams are coming back to Los Angeles. NFL owners voted 30-2 to allow the St. Louis Rams to move to Los Angeles for the 2016 season and to give the San Diego Chargers a one-year option to join the Rams in Inglewood.

The historic vote in a fourth-floor conference room at a suburban hotel left open the possibility of the Chargers or Oakland Raiders sharing the Inglewood stadium. The league will also give the Chargers and the Raiders each $100 million to put toward new stadiums if they stay in their current home markets. No public money will be used to build the Inglewood stadium.

There's two ways to look at this, it could work and it could blow up in the leagues face. The reason I say it could blow up on the league is that they've tried this once before. In fact they had a couple of teams in LA back in 1194, but this didn't work out as the two teams ended up moving to Oakland and St. Louis respectively. I'm sure the city could support having an NFL Franchise in the city, but then why did the Rams and Raiders leave the city after the 1994 season? I think it was money at the time that drove the Rams out of the city, same thing with the Raiders. Los Angeles didn't have the money to rebuild the stadiums for the teams, so they just up and left for other cities.

With the way the times have changed between then and now, the city is finally ready for the NFL to come back to the City of Angels. Now out of the three teams who were up for relocation, the Rams, Raiders and Chargers, it made the most sense for the Rams to move back to LA. There's a couple of reasons for this. One is league attendance. Facts are, the Rams were last in the NFL last year in home attendance, finishing 32nd in the NFL in people in the gate. Oakland was 30th, while San Diego came in 18th. The Chargers could draw, so factor that in with all the positives about the stadium in San Diego, it really made no sense for the Chargers to move. I really felt it should have been either the Rams or Raiders. The attendance numbers from last season played a big factor. So to did history.

With Oakland, they had spent less time in LA, totaling twelve years out there. During that stretch, going from 1982 to 1994, Oakland was a good team. They made the playoffs seven times in that twelve year stretch, winning a Super Bowl in 1983. For some reason, Owner Al Davis wasn't happy with the way things were going in LA. He moved the team only after Oakland made the best offer to build a new stadium, so off the team went to Oakland, thus leaving LA without a team. Oakland had one three year stretch, 2000 to 2002, where they were a great team. 2002 saw the Raiders make the Super Bowl, losing to the Bucs that season. Ever since then the team has not had a winning season. To a degree, it would have made sense to move the Raiders back, due to the fact that they've sucked for over thirteen years. But they were drawing out in Oakland, something the Rams aren't doing in St. Louis.

Between 1946 and 1989, the Rams had been a winning franchise. They played in one Super Bowl, during the 1979 season, and made the conference championship seven more times during their heyday. Then you look at 1990 through 1994, the Rams never won more than six games in a year. Once they moved to St. Louis, mostly between 1999 and 2004, the Rams finished above .500 five times in that six year span. They played in two Super Bowls, winning once. But between 2004 and now, St. Louis has finished at .500 or better once, that being the year they went 8-8 in 2006. The numbers in attendance had been going down in St Louis, which is why it made more sense for the Rams to move.

Now the offer is still on the table for the Chargers and Raiders to both move as well, if one of them so chooses. Once one of them agrees to move, if they so desire, the other team can't relocate. Should both teams decline to move, they will be given $100 million to update their stadiums.

Football is finally back in the City of Angels! Will it last? Only time will tell

Roll Tide: Alabama Wins National Championship

This will go down in the history books as one of the greatest National Championship games ever played in College Football. Alabama and Clemson went back and forth all night long, before finally pulling away with the 45-40 victory to claim the title. Here's the full story from the game, courtesy of ESPN:

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The last step toward making Alabama's run of championships under Nick Saban the greatest in college football history was the toughest.

The Crimson Tide needed all their power and speed. They needed all their talent and steely resolve. When that alone couldn't do it, it was up to one gutsy trick to help win the fourth national title of the Saban dynasty.  Derrick Henry, O.J. Howard and Kenyan Drake hit No. 1 Clemson with long touchdowns, and No. 2 Alabama outlasted the dynamic play Deshaun Watson to win the College Football Playoff championship 45-40 on Monday night.

The Crimson Tide (14-1) won their three previous championship game appearances in runaway fashion. This game was an instant classic -- a relief for fans who had sat through the blowouts that turned the New Year's Six lineup into a dud. They finally broke open on perhaps the boldest call of Saban's career.

With 10:34 left in the fourth quarter and Alabama having just tied the game at 24-24, Saban took a gamble to try to keep the ball away from Watson. He called for an onside kick called "pop kick" from Adam Griffith, and Alabama defensive back Marlon Humphrey caught it over the shoulder at midfield. Tide turned. 

"It was tough. It really was," said Saban, who now has more national titles than every other coach but Bear Bryant, the man who first made Alabama synonymous with college football greatness.

"I made the decision to do it because the score was [tied] and we were tired on defense and weren't doing a great job of getting them stopped and felt like if we didn't do something or take a chance to change the momentum of the game that we wouldn't have a chance to win," Saban said.

Moments later, Alabama took back the lead for good. For the second time, Clemson (14-1) lost track of the tight end Howard in coverage, and Jake Coker hit him in stride deep for a 51-yard touchdown to make it 31-24 with 9:45 left. Clemson and Watson proved to be every bit Alabama's equal. The Tigers just kept coming.

Watson led Clemson to a field goal to make it 31-27, and boom! Another Alabama big play. Drake broke free and streaked down the sideline for a 95-yard kickoff-return touchdown, diving the last 5 yards to the pylon. Watson threw his third touchdown pass to make it 38-33 with 4:40 left, and then Alabama went back to its workhorse Heisman Trophy winner. Henry plunged into the end zone for his third touchdown of the game to make it 45-33 with 1:07 left.

"We stand toe-to-toe with everybody in the country," coach Dabo Swinney said. "This program doesn't take a backseat to anybody."

Watson threw another touchdown pass to cap a wild 40-point fourth quarter, but would not get another chance. Clemson's onside kick went out of bounds. Coker took a knee, and after a two-year drought that felt like eternity in Tuscaloosa, Alabama was back on top. After a loss to Ole Miss in mid-September, there were doubters. Saban used them to fuel his team.

"There weren't many people earlier in the year who thought they could do it," he said.

The Crimson Tide became the second team in college football's poll era, dating back to 1936, to win four titles in seven seasons. Alabama joins Notre Dame, which won four titles from 1943-49, but those Fighting Irish never even played in bowl games, nevertheless two playoff games. For Saban, it is his fifth national championship -- four in his nine seasons at Alabama -- leaving him only one short of Bryant for the most titles in history.

Watson gave the Tide all they could handle, throwing for 405 yards and four touchdowns, and conjured up memories of Vince Young's miraculous performance for Texas in the 2006 Rose Bowl that derailed Southern California's dynasty.

The sophomore, who finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting, had 478 total yards against a loaded Tide defense and bested Young's 467 yards against the Trojans. But Watson couldn't finish the job the way Young did in Pasadena, California, and win the national title.

"All the stats don't really matter to me," Watson said. "I just wanted to get the win and do something that we haven't done in 34 years."

 Instead, Saban and the Tide raised another trophy, their first in this new playoff system, and got another confetti shower. It is the Tide's 11th national title in the poll era -- 10 AP and one coaches' poll -- and more than any other school. Alabama was a unanimous No. 1 in the final AP poll and Clemson finished No. 2. The Tide hit Clemson early with Henry, who scored the game's first touchdown on a 50-yard burst through the middle. He finished with 158 yards on 36 carries. Howard was the offensive player of the game with five catches for 208 yards, including a 63-yarder that set up Alabama's final score. After Watson and walk-on Hunter Renfrow hooked up for two touchdowns to give Clemson a 14-7 lead at the end of the first quarter, Henry tied it up with a 1-yard plunge. Back and forth it went. Alabama had never been challenged like this in a championship game under Saban. Alabama pulled away from Texas for Saban's first Tide title to end the 2009 season. Alabama blanked LSU for the next in 2011 and crushed Notre Dame to repeat in 2012.

Trying to become the first FBS team to go 15-0, Clemson did not crumble under the force of Alabama's might. But all those five-star recruits and future NFL players who dot the Alabama roster showed they also have plenty of resiliency and toughness. And Saban, the quintessential CEO coach, showed he had a little riverboat gambler in him.

That onside kick stunned the stadium and Clemson, and brought a big grin to the face of the country's most serious coach. The Tide will send another batch of players to the NFL this year, as Saban always does. There is another wave ready to roll.

 "I think as long as he's in Alabama," Coker said," Alabama is going to be up at the top."


So here's what I took from this game. DeShaun Watson did everything in his power to keep the Tigers in this football game. 478 yards of total offense is ridiculous, pure and simple. I've never seen a guy (outside of what Vince Young did against USC), carry a team in a game like this one. That being said, a couple of things went against him. Eddie Jackson making that Pick of Watson, setting up one of Henry's touchdowns was the only mistake that Watson made all day. The guts of Saban to call the onside kick and have his team recover it, was huge. Kenyan Drake kick return for 95 yards for a Touchdown was a back breaker. Jake Coker hitting O.J. Howard for 53 yards for, when there wasn't a defensive back within a mile of him, hurt the Tigers chances. I'm not taking anything away from what Clemson did this season, they had a fantastic year. Its just on this day, Alabama was better.

Congrats to the Alabama Crimson Tide, the 2015 College Football National Champions!

College Football Championship Preview

Its time. After 14 regular season games and a national semifinal battle, we are down to two teams left standing. This is the way it should be for a game of this magnitude. Last year, the National Championship was decided when #3 took on #4. Now its a true battle of the top two teams in the country. Nothing else matters in college football, it all comes down to tonight. One game, forty eight minutes of football ti truly decide who is the best team in the land in 2015. These two programs are separated by over 300 miles, but tonight they converge on University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Winner will be known as the 2016 National Champion in College Football.

The #1 ranked Clemson Tigers will be taking on the #2 Alabama Crimson Tide, winner will be the best team in college football for this year. Alabama comes into this game at 13-1 on the year, the only loss coming against Old Miss way back on September 19th. Alabama got here by totally whitewashing Michigan State 38-0 in the Cotton Bowl. During postseason play, the Crimson Tide are 35–24–3, and now are 1-1 under the new College Football Playoff Format. In total the team has claimed 15 national championships (1925, 1926, 1930, 1934, 1941, 1961, 1964, 1965, 1973, 1978, 1979, 1992, 2009, 2011, 2012). Those last three have come under the guidance of current coach Nick Saban. As for the top seeded Clemson Tigers, they come in unbeaten at 14-0. In order to play in tonight's national championship game, they beat Oklahoma 37-17 in the Orange Bowl. When it comes to bowl games, Clemson is 20–18 all time and 1-0 in the new College Football Playoff format. Clemson has one National Championship (1981) to its credit. Alabama leads Clemson 12-3 in the all-time series between these two teams. The last matchup between the Tigers and Crimson Tide took place in 2008, as Nick Saban’s team won 34-10 in a neutral site game in Atlanta to open the season.

Lets take a look at how these two teams stack up, shall we. First, we have the two offenses. Deshaun Watson is going to be expected to do a lot for Clemson in this football game. Watson threw for 3,699 yards and 31 scores this year and added 1,032 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground. Look at what happened last time out against Oklahoma. He rushed for 145 yards (second on the team that day behind the 150 yards Wayne Gallman rushed for ). Watson also threw for 187 yards and a touchdown (although he did get picked off once). Watson helped pwoer that offense to pile up 550 yards total against Oklahoma. Beyond the obvious of Watson and running back Wayne Gallman, there might not be a more valuable player for the Clemson Tigers on offense than receiver Artavis Scott. Leading the team in receptions and yards by a wide margin, the sophomore is clearly Watson’s top target, and that isn’t likely to change in the title game. So if Alabama wants to stand a chance in this football game, they have to find a way to shut down those three guys.

From an Alabama point of view, the stud is Heisman Trophy running back Derrick Henry. Henry finished the year with 2,061 rushing yards, leading the country and helping him walk away with the highest individual honor in College Football. Henry was kept in check in the Michigan State game, 20 carries for 75 yards. He did however score twice, which was a big impact. When Henry couldn't get it really going on the ground, Quarterback Jake Coker was relied on more as the game went on and boy did he produce. He threw for a career best 286 yards last time out, and managed to hit Calvin Ridely twice. If he can repeat his Cotton Bowl performance against Clemson, it could be hard for the Tigers to keep up.

A defensive battle could take place on this field tonight. Alabama shut out Michigan State on New Years Eve. That's an impressive stat to think about. The last two games against Florida and Michigan State, Alabama allowed a net total of 44 yards on 47 carries. They have been able to shut down a run game, something that might potentially hurt Clemson, who used the rush attack with great effectiveness last time out. With the Clemson defense, they shut out Oklahoma in the 2nd half of the football game and held them to 121 total yards in that football game. Its really going to come down to a battle of attrition and who's going to want it more and make the bigger play at the right time.

If Clemson wants to win their first national title since 1981, they need to win the battle at the line of scrimmage, press the tempo, allow quarterback Deshaun Watson to make plays with his legs. Clemson needs to force the Crimson Tide to win by going to the air and not grinding it out with running back Derrick Henry. Also, Clemson can’t afford to lose the turnover battle or consistently take field goals instead of touchdowns once it reaches the red zone. Alabama’s gameplan for Monday night is simple. Win the battle at the line of scrimmage, contain Watson and get Henry on track to open up downfield shots for Coker and Ridley. Will Clemson claim its first title since 1981? Or will the Crimson Tide add another title to the trophy case in Tuscaloosa?

Picks:
Solly: Clemson Tigers!
Steve: Alabama Crimson Tide!
Danny: Clemson Tigers!

NFL Wild Card Weekend Preview

It's Time! After seventeen long weeks of doing battle, we have our 12 teams that are left standing. All have one goal, to be hoisting the Vince Lombardi trophy over their heads on February 7th. Since this is Wild Card Weekend, four teams have their bye's. Denver, New England, Carolina and Arizona get a week off to rest and wait to see who they will play next. So lets not waste any time and get right to it. Here's what were looking at for Wild Card Weekend in the National Football League. First up we have our Saturday Games!

Starting off the Weekend Saturday at 4:05 its the Wild Card Winning Kansas City Chiefs heading to NRG Stadium to take on the AFC South Champions the Houston Texans. Kansas City is the Wild Card winners finishing the season with an 11-5 record. This marks the 2nd time in three years that the Chiefs have not only made the playoffs as a wild card team, but have won eleven games in a season. Kansas City is looking for its first playoff win since beating the Houston Oilers in the 1993 Divisional Round. Kansas City has won two AFL championships, played in two Super Bowls, winning one. All time the Chiefs are 8-15 in the post season. As for the Texans, they finished the year winning the AFC South with a 9-7 record. This marks the 3rd division title for the Texans, having won in both 2011 and 2012. Those years are also the only times the Texans have ever made the playoffs. Houston has never made it to a Super Bowl and are 2-2 lifetime in the Post Season. These two teams have never faced eachother in the playoffs. During the regular season Kansas City beat Houston 27-20 in week one.

Picks
Solly: Kansas City Chiefs
Steve: Kansas City Chiefs
Danny: Kansas City Chiefs

The night game on Saturday is a AFC North Divisional Matchup. Kickoff is at 8:25 as the Wild Card Winners the Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Paul Brown Stadium to take on the AFC North Champions the Cincinnati Bengals. Pittsburgh comes in after locking up the last wild card spot with a 10-6 record. This marks the 2nd straight year and 4th time in the last six seasons that the Steelers are in the playoffs. Pittsburgh is looking for its first win in the playoffs since beating the Jets in the 2010 AFC Championship game. The Steelers have six Super Bowls to their credit and are 33-22 lifetime in the post season. Cincinnati has won the AFC North with an 11-5 record. Its the 2nd division title in three years and the 5th straight year the Bengals have made the post season. Cincinnati is in search of their first playoff win since beating the Houston Oilers in the 1990 AFC Wild Card Game. The Bengals have never won a Super Bowl (having played in two of them) and they are 5-13 lifetime in the playoffs. This marks the 2nd ever meeting between the teams in the playoffs (Pittsburgh beat Cincinnati in the 2005 Wild Card Game), and the teams split the two regular season meetings this year, with each team winning on the road.

Picks
Solly: Pittsburgh Steelers
Steve: Pittsburgh Steelers
Danny: Pittsburgh Steelers

Now for the Sunday games. First up, at 1:05 its the NFC Wild Card Winners the Seattle Seahawks heading to TCF Bank Stadium to take on the NFC North Champions the Minnesota Vikings.  Minnesota won the North with an 11-5 record making it the first division title for the Vikings since 2009. This marks the Vikings first playoff appearance since 2012. Minnesota is looking for its first playoff win since beating the Dallas Cowboys  in the Wild Card round in 2009. Minnesota has never won a Super Bowl, having played in four of them, and the team is 19-27 all time in the playoffs. As for the Seahawks, they come in having won the wild card at 11-5. Seattle is the two time defending NFC Champions. In fact, Seattle has missed the playoffs only once in the last six years. Seattle has been to three Super Bowls, winning one. Seattle has a 14-13 lifetime mark in the post season. This marks the first ever playoff meeting between the two teams. Seattle beat Minnesota 38-7 during their lone regular season meeting this year, played in Minnesota on December 8th.

Picks
Solly: Seattle Seahawks
Steve: Minnesota Vikings
Danny: Minnesota Vikings

Last game of the weekend kicks off at 4:40 on Sunday as the Wild Card Winning Green Bay Packers head to FedEx Field to take on the NFC East Champions the Washington Redskins. Green Bay came in with a 10-6 record, good enough to lock up a wild card spot. This marks the 7th straight year the Pack are in the postseason. In that span, Green Bay has been bounced in the first round three times. Green Bay comes in with 13 Super Bowl crowns to their credit, and are 31-20 lifetime in the playoffs. Meanwhile, Washington comes in having won the NFC East with a 9-7 record. This marks the first division title, and playoff appearance for that matter, for Washington since 2012. Washington is looking for its first playoff win since beating Tampa Bay in the 2005 Wild Card Game. The Redskins have five Super Bowls to their credit and are 23-18 lifetime in the post season. This marks the 3rd all time meeting between the franchises in the playoffs, Green Bay won in 1936, with Washington getting the victory in 1972. These two clubs didn't face eachother during the regular season.

Picks
Solly: Washington Redskins
Steve: Green Bay Packers
Danny: Washington Redskins

Hall Makes The Call

It means so much when you hear those magic words, being called a Hall Of Famer. By definition, a hall of famer is a group of individuals in a particular category (as a sport) who have been selected as particularly illustrious. It means that you were one of the very best to ever play the game. In order to get inducted into the hallowed halls in Cooperstown New York, you need to earn 75% of the votes on the ballot to be elected. This year two men will take their place among the greatest of all time. The Mariners made Ken Griffey Jr. the first overall pick in the 1987 Draft. The following year, the Dodgers selected Mike Piazza with the 1,390th pick, in the 62nd round. Both men will now end up in the same place in July. Griffey is the first No. 1 pick to make it, while Piazza is the lowest pick to do so.

Ken Griffey Jr. was named on 99.3 percent of ballots (437 out of 440 cast by Baseball Writers' Association of America members), breaking the Hall of Fame record of 98.84 percent, set by Tom Seaver in 1992. It was with good reason that Griffey was voted in on as many ballots as he was. During a 22 year career in the Majors, which spanned from Seattle (13 years), Cincinnati (9 years) and Chicago (1 year w/ White Sox), Griffey was a .284 lifetime hitter, with 630 home runs and 1,836 RBI's. He hit 40 or more home runs seven times in his career, including five in a row (1996-99). He played in 13 all star games, was a ten time gold winner (one of only three outfielders to ever win that many), and won seven silver sluggers, among many of his career honors. Griffey will be the first player inducted into the Hall of Fame who'll wear a Mariners cap on his plaque.

There are several things that made him great. As a fielder he could get to anything that was hit in his general direction. The ten gold gloves is evidence of his greatness in the field. His defense in center field was widely considered the standard of elite fielding during the decade, exemplified by his streak of 10 straight Gold Gloves from 1990-1999. His impressive range allowed frequent spectacular diving plays, and he often dazzled fans with over-the-shoulder basket catches and robbed opposing hitters of home runs by leaping up and pulling them back into the field of play. Then there was what he did at the plate. The home runs are what most people talked about, and rightfully so. Lets not forget that he collected 2,781 hits, 524 of which were doubles. He knew how to run the basses, stealing 184 of them in his career. One of the most memorable moments of Griffey's career, at least with the Mariners, came during the 1995 American League Division Series. Seattle was going up against the New York Yankees. After losing the first two games, the Mariners and Griffey were on the verge of elimination, but came back to win the next two games, setting up a decisive fifth game. In the bottom of the 11th inning of Game 5, with Griffey on first base, teammate Edgar Martínez hit a double. Griffey raced around the bases, slid into home with the winning run, and popped up into the waiting arms of the entire team.

What is going to get talked about most with Griffey is his power. His 630 career home runs rank sixth in MLB history, with only two left-handed hitters ahead of him, that being Barry Bonds and Babe Ruth. One of the fondest memories of a Griffey home run that fans have didn't come during a regular season game. It actually came during the Home Run Derby. It came during the Derby in 1993, which was held at Oriole Park in Baltimore. Griffey hit the warehouse beyond the right field wall on the fly and, he is still the only player ever to do so. As with every home run that hits Eutaw Street, each feat is honored with a circular plaque, embedded horizontally onto the concourse's walkway, in the exact spot where the home run landed.

Griffey earned the highest voting percentage in the history of the hall of fame, at 99.3%. He is also one of only ten players in baseball history to get a voting percentage of 97% or higher. This list is pretty impressive:

Ken Griffey, Jr.: 99.32%
Tom Seaver: 98.84%
Nolan Ryan: 98.79%
Cal Ripken, Jr: 98.53%
Ty Cobb: 98.23%
George Brett: 98.19%
Hank Aaron: 97.83%
Tony Gwynn: 97.61%
Randy Johnson: 97.27%
Greg Maddux: 97.20%

Then there's the other guy who got elected into the hall of fame, Mike Piazza. Piazza played 16 season in the Majors, spending time playing for the Dodgers (7 years), New York (Mets 8 years), San Diego (1 year), Oakland (1 year) and Florida (1 week). During that time, he hit .304 lifetime, with 427 home runs, 396 of which were as a catcher, the most in Major League History. He also drove in 1,335 RBI in his career. Piazza won the NL rookie of the year in 1993, was a 12 time all star and a ten time silver slugger winner. Through such abilities, a career that began in obscurity has earned baseball's ultimate measure of fame, as the lowest drafted player to ever earn enshrinement. Selected in the 62nd round of the 1988 Draft as a favor to his father, a friend of Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda, Piazza became the National League's Rookie of the Year after clubbing 35 home runs in 1993. Piazza proceeded to hit 346 homers over a 10-season span, which would have made him one of the greatest Dodgers ever if not for a pair of high-profile trades in the middle of his prime (MLB).

One of the biggest knocks on Piazza during his career was his defensive abilities. He wasn't the greatest defensive catchers ever, he was middle of the pack at best. What made him so great is what he was able to do with a bat in his hands. Piazza is known as among the best-hitting catchers of all time, hitting 427 career home-runs and having an OPS of .922. Only nine other players have ever had over 400 home runs with over a .300 lifetime average while never striking out more than 100 times in a season (Ted Williams, Stan Musial, Lou Gehrig, Mel Ott, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Vladimir Guerrero, Albert Pujols and Chipper Jones). That's some pretty elite company to be mentioned with. Among Catchers, he is hands down the greatest power hitting catcher ever. Among the all time greats, there's only two other catchers in the history of the game you could take above Mike, that being Yogi Berra and Johnny Bench. Piazza was the best catcher of his generation.

The two moments that will forever live on in Mets fans memories are two long balls that Piazza hit. One was the first game back in New York after the horrible attacks on New York on 9/11. The date of the game was September 21st, the Atlanta Braves were in town. With the Mets trailing in the bottom of the eighth, Piazza hit a moon-shot home run to center against Braves reliever Steve Karsay to put the Mets ahead. The other date that meant a lot for Piazza as a Met was June 30, 2000. Once again it was against the Atlanta Braves. The Mets staged an epic rally to come back from an 8-1 eighth-inning deficit against the Braves, with Piazza's home run against Terry Mulholland being the perfect capper.

Both men will be offically inducted to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown on july 24th!

NHL All Star Game Rosters Announced

It's where the best players in the game assemble for one weekend a year during the National Hockey League Season. Coming up at the end of the month, January 30-31 to be exact, the best players in the game converge on Bridgstone Arena in Nashville Tennessee for the 2016 NHL All Star Game. In the past, the NHL has had tried a few different looks for the game. They have had the two conferences play eachother, they have tried a North America against the World format, and even threw in a fantasy draft among the players to play in the game. This year, they are trying a new wrinkle to the Midseason Showdown.

As part of the new format for the 2016 Honda NHL All-Star Game, the All-Stars will take part in a three-game tournament, played in a 3-on-3 format, and featuring teams representing each NHL division. The Atlantic Division, captioned by Jaromir Jagr of the Florida Panthers. They will play the Metropolitan Division, captioned by Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals. That's the 1st period. the 2nd period will see the Central Division, captioned by Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks, who will take on the Pacific Division, captioned by John Scott of the Arizona Coyotes. The Winners of the two periods will meet up in the 3rd period to determine a winner.

Here's what the official rosters for the All Star Game:

Atlantic Division:
Head Coach: Gerard Gallant (Florida Panthers)
F Patrice Bergeron (Boston Bruins)
F Jaromir Jagr (Florida Panthers)
F Leo Komarov (Toronto Maple Leafs)
F Dylan Larkin (Detroit Red Wings)
F Ryan O'Reilly (Buffalo Sabres)
F Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay Lightning)
D Aaron Ekblad (Florida Panthers)
D Erik Karlsson (Ottawa Senators)
D P.K. Subban (Montreal Canadians)
G Ben Bishop (Tampa Bay Lightning)
G Roberto Luongo (Florida Panthers)

Metropolitan Division:
Head Coach: Barry Trotz (Washington Capitals)
F Nicklas Backstrom (Washington Capitals)
F Claude Giroux (Philadelphia Flyers)
F Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh Penguins)
F Alex Ovechkin (Washington Capitals)
F Brandon Saad (Columbus Blue Jackets)
F John Tavares (New York Islanders)
D Justin Faulk (Carolina Hurricans)
D Kris Letang (Pittsburgh Penguins)
D Ryan McDonagh (New York Rangers)
G Braden Holtby (Washington Capitals)
G Cory Schneider (New Jersey Devils)

Central Division:
Head Coach: Lindy Ruff (Dallas Stars)
F Jamie Benn (Dallas Stars)
F Matt Duchene (Colorado Avalanch)
F Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks)
F Tyler Seguin (Dallas Stars)
F Vladimir Tarasenko (St. Louis Blues)
F Jonathan Toews (Chicago Blackhawks)
D Dustin Byfuglien (Winnipeg Jets)
D Roman Josi (Nashville Predators)
D Shea Weber (Nashville Predators)
G Devan Dubnyk (Minnesota Wild)
G Pekka Rinne (Nashville Predators)

Pacific Division:
Head Coach: Darryl Sutter (Los Angeles Kings)
F Johnny Gaudreau (Calgary Flames)
F Taylor Hall (Edmonton Oilers)
F Joe Pavelski (San Jose Sharks)
F Corey Perry (Anaheim Ducks)
F John Scott (Arizona Coyotes)
F Daniel Sedin (Vancouver Canucks)
D Brent Burns (San Jose Sharks)
D Drew Doughty (Los Angeles Kings)
D Mark Giordano (Calgary Flames)
G John Gibson (Anaheim Ducks)
G Jonathan Quick (Los Angeles Kings)

Mostly I think the coaches got the rosters right for this tournament. Of course, much like anything else in life, I think there's a few guys who got short changed. Was a little surprised that John Klingberg of the Stars was left off the list. The stat's that Klingberg have put up this year warrant him playing in the midseason showdown. He is the 2nd highest scoring defenseman in the NHL, behind only Erik Karlsson of Ottawa. I'm impressed that Dylan Larkin got the nod to represent the Red Wings over guys like Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk. Then again, the only guy who has more points this year in Detroit than Larkin is Zetterberg.

Just as surprising is the fact that John Scott was even voted a captain for the All Star Game. Keep in mind, this is a guy who has spent some time in the minor leagues this year. How he is going to the game instead of say Shane Doan (his Arizona teammate), Mikkel Boedker (the Coyotes leading scorer), and even Henrik Sedin is a bit of a shock. With the East, the fact that Zdeno Chara isn't playing, we also got no Victor Hedman or Dion Phaneuf is a bit of a surprise. That's not to say that the guys playing aren't deserving, because trust me they are. All I'm saying is it would have added a few more intersting notes to the dynamic of the game.

The 2016 Honda NHL All-Star celebration will mark the first time Nashville has hosted the NHL All-Star festivities, which will take place at Bridgestone Arena. Live television coverage of the League's midseason showcase during the 2016 Honda NHL All-Star Skills Competition and 2016 Honda NHL All-Star Game will be broadcast by NBCSN in the U.S. and Sportsnet and TVA Sports in Canada. The 2016 Honda NHL All-Star Skills Competition will begin at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT on Saturday, Jan. 30, and the 2016 Honda NHL All-Star Game will start at 5 p.m. ET/4 p.m. CT on Sunday, Jan. 31.

Best And Worst Of NFL Week Seventeen

We have reached the end of our journey. Week Seventeen in the NFL gave us plenty to talk about. Peyton Manning came back to save the day in Denver, helping the Broncos lock up the top seed in the AFC in the playoffs. Pittsburgh gets in on the slimmest of margins, with a little help from the choke job by the Jets. The NFC North was decided by the last play of the game, with Minnesota pulling out the win and winning the Division. And so the 2015 regular season comes to a close: Out of 32 teams, only 13 finished with winning records. When the dust finally settled, Carolina and Denver held the conferences' top seeds, two teams make it into the playoffs with 9-7 records, and we avoid having division winners with under .500 records. With the playoff picture now fixed in place and four teams secured to enjoy their bye week, we get ourselves set for one wild ride in the playoffs, which start this weekend.

First things first. We will get into playoff breakdowns a little later. Here are some of the best and worst performances from the final week in the National Football League season.

Best:
Pittsburgh Steelers
The formula was simple in the steel city. Win and hope the Jets lose. That was it. Pittsburgh had their playoff hopes hanging in the air after getting beat by the Ravens in week sixteen, which opened the door for the Jets to grab the last playoff spot. They got the help they needed with the Jets chocking against the Bills, while Pittsburgh did what they had to do and put a beating on the Cleveland Browns, beating up on Cleveland 28-12. Big Ben and Antonio Brown were the two big reasons the Steelers slapped around the Browns (surprise, surprise right). Roethlisberger threw for 349 yards and three touchdowns to seal the win. Brown caught 13 of those passes for 187 yards and a TD. The only thing that might have even put a damper on the day was the injury to DeAngelo Williams. The running back got hurt with an ankle sprain in the 2nd half of the win over the Browns. Pittsburgh is hoping it's not serious and he can be ready to go in their playoff matchup with the Bengals on Saturday.

Worst:
New York Jets
I never knew it was possible for this Jets team to find new ways to tear the hearts out of their fanbase and stomp on them, but guess what? They found a way to do it. It couldn't have been an easier gameplan. Win and your in the playoffs. You were going up against a Buffalo Bills team that had nothing to play for after this game. But they couldn't even find a way to do that. They were outplayed from start to finish, losing 22-17 to Buffalo (ironically enough the same score the Bills won by when they met at MetLife Stadium in early November). The Jets lost hope in this game. Fitzpatrick lost some of his magic that he had in the weeks prior, throwing three picks late in the game that sealed the win for the Bills. The Jets did finish 10-6, which is still a fantastic record, but missing the playoffs is not what they wanted. To make matters worse, they finished dead last in the NFL draft order among non-playoff teams. They'll pick No. 20 this April. Wow.

Best:
Peyton Manning, Quarterback Denver Broncos
Welcome back Peyton Manning! He had been sitting as the backup QB the last few weeks, while Brock Osweiler had taken over while Peyton was hurt and struggling. With Brock at QB, the Denver offense had turned the ball over five times, falling behind early to the San Diego Chargers. Then Peyton comes back in, leading the Broncos on scoring drives in four of five possessions. That helped lead the Broncos to not only a 27-20 win over the Chargers, but it helped Denver lock up the #1 seed in the AFC for the playoffs. He didn't put up the best numbers, going only 5 of 9 for 69 yards, but just having him on the field was emotional enough to help lead the team to where they wanted to go.

Worst:
Tom Brady, Quarterback New England Patriots
New England, much like Denver, was looking to lock up the top seed in the AFC. That didn't go as planned, as the Patriots got knocked off by Miami 20-10. Rather than trying to make a comeback, which the Patriots are pretty darn good at, head coach Bill Belichick opted to gamble with home-field advantage and surrender with a white flag. Brady was uncharacteristically off-kilter, and he failed to throw a touchdown for the first time all season. He was also dinged up after taking several hits, and in attempt to stay preserved, the quarterback attempted a season-low 21 passes. Brady’s five first-half passes were the least he has ever attempted during any first half in his career. I know you want to save your guys for the playoffs, but at the same time, wouldn't it make more sense to make sure your players are ready to roll and playing their very best at playoff time?

Best:
Philadelphia Eagles Offense
Maybe Chip Kelly leaving Philly was the best thing that could have happened. It wasn't a big secret that there was a riff between the coach and his players. On his first touch after Chip Kelly was fired, Murray ran 54 yards for a touchdown. You can’t even make this stuff up. The growing sentiment the past few weeks was that Kelly was holding Murray back somehow, even though Murray hadn’t played well all season. That run helps his case, for sure. His next 11 runs got 15 yards, but whatever, right? The entire Eagles offense seemed to be just fine without Kelly on Sunday. Sam Bradford was 30 of 38 for 320 yards, a great audition for him before he hits free agency. The Eagles scored 35 points in a win over the Giants. One has to wonder what Kelly was thinking when he saw it all.

Worst:
New York Giants
It was almost a given that Coach Tom Coughlin was heading out the door. He did finally step down as Giants Head Coach on Monday, this being sealed by the teams dismal performance on Sunday, falling to the previously mentioned Eagles, 35-30. The Giants have unfortunately had the untimely knack for blowing games in the last seconds of of the game this year. This has happened six times this season, including one overtime matchup. Sunday’s game classically followed suit when the Giants were looking to extend a 27-21 lead in the third quarter. Eli Manning took a sack by Connor Barwin and fumbled and the ball, which was recovered by Walter Thurmond who returned it for an 83-yard touchdown. I just feel bad for the coach that did so much for the Giants and to see him go out the way he did is a little upsetting. Now I have to wonder something out loud. Why does Jerry Reese still have the job as Giants General Manager?

Best:
Blaine Gabbert, Quarterback San Francisco 49ers
It's been strange. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have never really had it figured out how to pick Quarterbacks. They've tried everything in Tampa, from Josh Freeman, to Trent Dilfer, to Brad Johnson, the list goes on and on.  Tampa Bay quarterbacks went on to greatness once they left that wretched franchise. They were either established with other teams before coming to Tampa or they made a name for themselves once they leave Tampa. The success is never found in Tampa really. You can add Blaine Gabbert to that list. Gabbert, who bombed out with the Bucs, is now the San Francisco 49ers quarterback. On Sunday, he threw for 354 yards and a touchdown in the 49ers 19-16 win over the Rams. Gabbert has his critics, and they have valid reasons for their criticism, but hey, I'm just saying: Look at history.

Worst:
Sean Lee, Linebacker Dallas Cowboys 

This one is purely money related. I'll give him credit, he did try and gut it out and play on Sunday during the Dallas 34-23 loss to Washington. Lee was declared inactive with a hamstring injury. Had he played he would have had a $2 million clause in his contract kick in. Ouch

Best:
Kirk Cousins, Quarterback Washington Redskins
Believe it or not, Cousins is finishing off the regular season as one of the hottest quarterbacks on the planet. In a near flawless first-half performance, Cousins completed 12-of-15 passes for 176 yards and three touchdowns against the Dallas Cowboys. And this all happened with eight minutes still left on the clock in the second quarter. As a result, Washington led the Cowboys 24-0, and Cousins found himself out of the game, benched due to his excellent performance. Cousins exiting the game early was all about keeping Washington’s star signal-caller healthy for the postseason.  I can't blame the coaches for pulling him out. Kirk did what he had to do to get the Redskins in a better position and he has the flow going at the right time into the playoffs. You got the game locked up why risk getting the guy hurt.

Worst:
Kenbrell Thompkins Wide Receiver New York Jets
I know we brought this up before but right now it has to be brought up again. The play that Jets fans will replay over and over and over and over this offseason came with less than 30 seconds left at Buffalo. The Jets needed a miracle to win and make the playoffs, and almost got it. Thompkins got open down the right sideline. Bills defensive back Mario Butler got turned around. Ryan Fitzpatrick delivered a nice pass that Thompkins caught in stride. It would have gone down in Jets history. Then Butler recovered and got his shoulder on the ball, popping it loose for an incompletion. Fitzpatrick was picked off on the next play. It went from a possible 73-yard miracle touchdown and a Jets playoff berth to an incompletion and the Steelers getting in the playoffs instead. Just like that. Even for the Jets, one of the NFL’s tortured franchises, that was too cruel. And we haven’t even mentioned it came against Rex Ryan.

Now that the regular season has come to a close, here's what the final playoff seeding looks like in the NFL:

AFC:
1. *- Denver Broncos (AFC West) 12-4
2. z- New England Patriots (AFC East) 12-4
3. z- Cincinnati Bengals (AFC North) 12-4
4. z- Houston Texans (AFC Sout) 9-7
5. y- Kansas City Chiefs (South WC) 11-5
6. y- Pittsburgh Steelers (North WC) 10-6

NFC:
1. *- Carolina Panthers (NFC South) 15-1
2. z- Arizona Cardinals (NFC West) 13- 3
3. z- Minnesota Vikings (NFC North) 11-5
4. z- Washington Redskins (NFC East)  9-7
5. y- Green Bay Packers (North WC) 10-6
6. y- Seattle Seahawks (West WC) 10-6

That's the end of the regular season. We'll see ya in the playoffs!

Black Monday Hits NFL

New year, new head coaches around the National Football League. After having subpar seasons during the year, coaches are usually axed by management if the year doesn't go as planed. It's not all on the coaches as to why teams don't perform as well as they should. But since you can't get rid of the players, somebody has to take the blame for the season and usually it's either the coach, the general manager or both. It means that some of the most coveted coaching jobs in the world have come open.

Before we get into what happened today, lets not forget that there are other teams that put coaches on the chopping block before the season even ended.

Miami Dolphins fire Joe Philbin (October 5)
This happened way early in the year, coming after a 1-3 start for the Fish. This was after getting blasted by the Jets over in London. The Dolphins' high-priced defense, starring off-season score Ndamukong Suh, was an undisciplined, erratic wreck to start the year. Not surprisingly, defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle was handed his walking papers shortly after Philbin. Those were a pretty big factor as to why Philbin was dumped. I'll give credit where its do to Dan Campbell, he did a good job helping the Dolphins finish the year out at 5-7 under his watch. I could see Campbell come back in town next season if possible but who knows.

Tennessee Titans fire Ken Whisenhunt (November 3)
Yeah the Titans are that bad. Think about this. Tennessee was 3-20 under Whisenhunt before he was let go after week eight. To make matters worse, if you take out their week one wins last year and this year, the Titans are just 1-20. Even with a roster in need of significant rebuilding, that's a tough sell in this league. Marcus Mariota's arrival also could not save Whisenhunt, despite Whisenhunt's reputation as a bit of a QB guru. The Titans simply were not competitive, on either side of the football. It kind of became obvious that this team wasn't very good, when they could not gain traction in a downtrodden AFC South race, which we saw this year was one of the two most pathetic division races this year (the other being the NFC East). Mariota is the key to this franchise's future, and Titans ownership understandably wants to ensure it has the right guy running the show.

Philadelphia Eagles fire Chip Kelly (December 29)
He's a good coach, but I think the writing was on the walls in Philly. Kelly's Eagles made the playoffs in his first year as head coach. He manage to take this Eagles team to the NFC East title with a 10–6 record. They followed that up by finished with the same 10–6 record in 2014, but they took a step backwards by not winning the division and missed the playoffs. Philadelphia was 6–9 this year when Kelly was fired, apparently firing the team up, because Philly won in Week 17 against the Giants under interim coach Pat Shurmur. One thing that always stuck out to me from this whole situation was that Kelly wanted, and was given, almost complete control over the franchise's personnel decisions ahead of this season. The power grab negated any work Kelly had done as coach over the 2013 and ’14 campaigns. This year, he pissed away a lot of talented players and it cost him his job. I think a lot of his moves really alienated a lot of his players, which made it hard for them to play for him.

Now here's the list of guys who got their walking papers today.

Cleveland Browns fire Mike Pettine and Ray Farmer
There's no sugar coating this thing, the Browns flat out suck (sorry to break the news to you Cleveland, but come on you know its true). Pettine posted a 10–22 record over two seasons, including 3–13 this year. Yeah that's not very good. To be fair he didn't have the greatest talent in the world to work with. Farmer was promoted from assistant GM to GM prior to the start of that tenure. Take a look at this year for a moment. The Browns’ three wins this season came against the Titans, Ravens and 49ers, all of whom will hold top-10 draft picks. Arguably, the high point of the season was a 26–23 overtime loss to the then-undefeated Broncos. There were issues all over the roster and on up through the front office, but Pettine’s inability to coax anything out of Cleveland’s defense led to his undoing as much as anything else. He spent five years as a defensive coordinator before arriving in Cleveland, four with the Jets and one in Buffalo. What made me scratch my head this year is the fact that he could never keep a steady starting QB on the field. If he had a solid, set #1 Quarterback, then he MIGHT have saved his job (but I could be wrong).

San Francisco 49ers fire Jim Tomsula
I kind of think giving a guy only a year to turn a team around is short. Then again when your in a crappy situation like San Francisco, you might be happy to be out of the situation. The team finishing the year 5-11 is what helped get Tomsula out the door, but I think there's more to it than that. You had a team that had three deep playoff runs from 2011 to 2013. The management team that lead them there were let go, that being Jim Harbaugh, offensive coordinator Greg Roman and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. The 49ers also saw an almost unprecedented number of key retirements last off-season: Patrick Willis, Chris Borland, Justin Smith and Anthony Davis all stepped aside (though Davis has said he may return). Instead of going out and finding somebody you know who can run an NFL team, they hire the defensive line coach (who did have head coaching experience but it clearly wasn't going to be a good fit this year). The truth is, though, that Tomsula never stood a chance.

Tom Coughlin steps down as Giants’ coach
Only Bill Belichick and Marvin Lewis have longer head coach tenures with their current teams than did Coughlin, who took the Giants’ job in 2004. He won nine games and qualified for the playoffs in 2005, en route to 102 career regular-season wins with New York. Coughlin also delivered two Super Bowls (2007 and ’11), but the Giants have missed the playoffs four straight years since that second title. Maybe Coughlin’s approach grew a little stale after a decade, this is considered an eternity in NFL coaching circles these days. Maybe embattled GM Jerry Reese set up Coughlin to fail over the past two years by allowing the Giants' defense to evaporate into nothingness. Who knows the exact reason. It should also be noted that he walked away and he was not fired.

Tom Coughlin is going to go down as probably the 2nd greatest coach the New York Giants have ever had, behind only Bill Parcells. I mean the guy did win you 102 regular season games and a pair of Super Bowls. The following shows you the class of Tom Coughlin. Here's the full statement he released today:

“I met with John Mara and Steve Tisch this afternoon, and I informed them that it is in the best interest of the organization that I step down as head coach. I strongly believe the time is right for me and my family, and as I said, the Giants organization. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as head coach of the New York Football Giants. This is a not a sad occasion for me. I have spent 15 years with this organization as an assistant and head coach and was fortunate to be part of three Super Bowl winning teams. A Lombardi Trophy every five years is an achievement in which we all take great pride. Obviously, the past three years have not been what any of us expect, and as head coach, I accept the responsibility for those seasons.

I think it has been evident these last 12 years here how much pride I take in representing this franchise. I am gratified and proud that we were able to deliver two more Lombardi trophies to the display case in our lobby during that time. That is a tribute to our players and staff, and it was truly fulfilling to be the leader of those teams. I appreciate the support of John and his family and Steve and his family, and of Jerry Reese and his staff. I think our organization is a great representation of what I mean when I talk about ‘team’. Finally, I would be remiss if I did not thank my wife Judy and our four children and their spouses and our 11 (soon to be 12) grandchildren. None of this would have been possible without their unconditional love and support.”

So we will wait and see what happens among NFL coaches from here on out.