NBA's most popular

The NBA has finally released their highest jersey sales and I am stoked because I have been waiting all year to see who is the most popular player in the league!! Obviously the heavy hitters are all on there:
1. kobe 2. lebron 3. garnett 4. rose 5. howard 6. wade 7. paul 8. pierce 9. durant 10. carmelo
To me the story is the Durantula at 9. Whats the bigger surprise - that their are 8 more popular players than the league's leading scorer or the fact that people actually know that OKC is an NBA city.

My readers have been asking me for years to make a list of my own. So, here ya go...If this world consisted of 3 trillion Schmicker robots, here would be the highest selling jerseys:

1. Brandon Roy - Road blacks
2. Jon Brockman - whatever jersey where he gets 20+ min/gm
3. Brooke Lopez - Road reds
4. Manu - Boad blacks
5. Steve Nash - Los Suns Latin night alternates
6. Danny Granger - Alternate yellows
7. Gerald Wallace - love the pinstripes on the Home Whites
8. Andrew Bogut - love the Road Greens
9. Amare - I dont like 'PHX' on the homes, so Road purples
10. Dwight Howard - again love the Home pinstripes

Others receiving votes
Eric Gordon, Durantula, Brian Scalabrine, Andrei Kirilenko, Stephen Curry, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, D-Wade, Kevin Love

5 Lowest selling jerseys:
T-Mac, Kobe, Zach Randolph, Ron Artest, Erik Dampier

Thoughts?

Brain Dump

This is where I just quickly touch on random things that I won't waste an entire entry on...

• Did anyone catch this tackle on the US's Jose Francisco Torres? Guys, watch at your own risk
• It's been almost 5 days since Jimmy Clausen was drafted by Carolina and I still am fuming. Will this be the classic situation where I conveniently forget my hatred for him after two playoffs births in three years? Man, I hope not. Lost in the story was that the Panthers picked another QB - Tony Pike from Cincy late in the draft. He honestly needs to get a look if the incumbent Matt Moore (who I really like) slips up
  
• Talk around here is about how well the Seahawks did on draft day. I couldn't agree more - they got two quality players in the first round and in trading for LenDale and Washington they got better talent than what was available in the later rounds. I still worry about Carroll in the professional ranks, and apparently so does Andrew Perloff from SI.com who has Seattle with the first pick in next years draft
• Even after last nights blowout, you have to sense that Oklahoma City will be the real deal in the next few years. There is no way a defending champ should lose both road games in a series against a team who has 0 playoff experience
• Best series no one is watching? Atlanta-Milwaukee. Very very impressed by the Bucks home crowd
• Mets now won 6 in a row and 8 of 9. Here's some advice for all you non-Mets fans out there - this is the perfect time to ask any Mets fan for a favor. Even the most reserved of us are giddy right now. That being said, while it is really early I think the Philly series this weekend can give a glimpse into what type of team we might be. I'm not saying it will determine the race, but I think the series is way more important to our psyche than theirs
• Speaking of Philly, raise your hand if you think their 5 year contract with Ryan Howard is a bad one.
  
• The most important game of the day is easily the Champions League Semi-final's second leg. Down 3-1 in aggregate, I really do expect Barcelona to bounce back. A 2-0 victory will send them through and I don't think Inter stands a chance at Nou Camp.
• Finally, a shout out to SportsNation for being one of my favorite new shows. I'm a big Beadle fan

That's all I got for now. Hoping to be back later with an entry on my favorite sideline reporter and dancing star, Erin Andrews.

Let's Stay Level Headed

It's still wayyy early. I know the Mets have now won 6 out of 7 on this homestand, but let's not get carried away quite yet. This team still has a lot of warts. After Pelfrey and Johan, who are a combined 6-1, the remaining starters are 0-4. I can guarantee that we won't be making the playoffs if our 3-5 starters don't win a game the rest of the year.

Things have been terrible for Mets fans in the recent years. We don't need to remind ourselves of them. But now things are looking up. We are 3-0 since Reyes moved out of cleanup and 6-1 since Ike Davis was called up. For a fan base that is so focused on individual results a streak like this can be devastating if it is not real. We ride the roller coaster of emotions like no other fan base. If this recent 7 game streak is indicative of what type of team they are, there would be none happier than me. But I know the real Mets are lurking around the corner, waiting to reappear right when we start to feel good. So let's stay calm and see what the next month brings before celebrating.

Initial (Over)Reaction: Toronto

The Sounders ended their 2 game roadswing with a 2-0 defeat to Toronto FC. While the result is a poor one, I can't help but be more upset with the Dallas game than this one. I think overall I saw some positives that I hadn't seen days before. Here are some of my observations:

• The second unit stepped right in and I thought played pretty well. Hell, they even showed off some of the short quick passes that has been sorely lacking. My wife wasn't surprised by the good passing noting that the second stringers are fighting for playing time and thus are trying to do everything Sigi has asked of them.
  
• That being said, if they are going to employ this type of offense, Ljungberg needs to be involved more. I don't see how you can have him playing forward when he is clearly the most talented player with the ball at his feet. The ball he played to Sturgis was modest and brilliant at the same time.
  
• I thought Brad Evans made a lot of nice runs and his versatility really shows why he is a such an important player to this team. He wasn't spectacular at forward but also didn't look out of place
• Toronto fans - where were ya? I know it was raining, but come on. You claim to be the best in MLS yet I saw more than a quarter of empty seats
• Two big mistakes led to the two Toronto goals. First by Alonso who tried to be too fancy in the box with the ball, leading to a DeRo goal and then just a terrible turnover by Marshall in the midfield. The Reds made us pay for them - unlike last year when DeRo missed a sitter 2 minutes into the game.
  
• Besides stumbling over the ball in the box I thought Alonso won every ball and really had some bite to him

I think the best thing to come out of the game was seeing our bench perform solidly. No, they are not the best players out there, but with the potential of 5 more games this year than last, our depth will be tested. Ianni and Wahl stepped in nicely on the backline. I thought Sturgis played well and I can't really get on Vagenas too much. We even got to see Nyassi and Boss on the roadtrip. All in all, a poor result, but I am not panicking quite yet.

It Can't Hurt...

...Can it? Tonight is the first night of the "Jose Reyes Hitting 3rd" experiment.

I say, hey, why not? This offense is anemic right now. Jason Bay should be paying the Mets for how poorly he is swinging the bat. David Wright is wrong. And Jeff Franceour has come down to Earth as we all expected. Angel Pagan is one of the few guys hitting and by listening to him talk, he seems to prefer hitting leadoff. The numbers back it up - .333 as a leadoff hitter compared to .231 in the 8-hole this year. So yeah, if he can get on base and if Reyes can hit to the gaps like we know he can, that will bring some runs.

Now most people will say having Reyes on base with Bay or Wright up will take away his aggressiveness - you don't want to run with your best hitters at bat. I'm not sold on that theory. If I have seen one thing from Reyes over the years it's that he really messes with pitchers minds. How many time do we see the pitcher concentrate solely on Reyes and forget about throwing strikes? Speed kills. It causes mistakes. One mistake pitch to Bay or Wright and they can break out of their slumps. So yeah, why not? If it doesn't work, but him back in the leadoff spot and move Ike up in lineup. Something has to work.

AL is better than NL

I'm an NL guy through and through. I think the style of play is better and there is more strategy involved. I hate that in the AL you can get at-bats without having to play the field. Oh, and that pitchers can throw at the opposite team without having to stand in the batters box themselves.

When the question arises over which league is better, I am always quick to say the NL. Simmons has been saying for years that the AL is better, but I always brush his opinion off as coming from an AL-guy. That being said, we all know that pitchers going from AL to NL will experience an ERA decrease of 1 run simply because the lineups are not as stacked in the AL. But what about a guy who lowers his ERA by 6 runs? I give you Carlos Silva- the man responsible for making me see the light.

Silva remains one of the worst signings in MLB history when the M's signed him for $48 million over 4 years before the 2008 season. In two seasons for the M's Silva went 5-18 with a staggering 6.81 ERA. After an offseason trade to the Cubbies, Silva is already 2-0 with a 0.95 ERA in three starts. We know he won't keep up this pace all season, but seriously...this is the same guy who pitched in Seattle last year. Only difference is the league. Thanks Carlos for ruining my day.

Instant (Over)Reaction

Bad sports night for me all around - won't even get into the Devils. Instead, I will offer this instant analysis of the Sounders game.

• Obviously the big story is the downright terrible PK call in extra time. I honestly don't know what to say. It was terrible. You have to start to wonder about this team though. I know they got jobbed tonight, but they should not have been in this position tonight or two weeks ago against Salt Lake. Teams make their own luck and so far Seattle's has been bad.
  
• I don't need to state the obvious - a long term injury to Keller would be devastating
• Roger....I still love you for what you have meant to this franchise, but seriously you HAVE to hit those sitters.
  
• Two very nice goals. Nice to see a free kick not hit the wall for once. Is it just me or is Montero a different player without Ljungberg in there
• Terrible decision by El Presidente. I thought he looked terrible tonight.
• I swore I heard a Steve Zakuani chant in the first half - that doesn't say much about your home fans
• David Estrada has potential but is still very young. Too many turnovers.
  
• I think I might have seen my bus driver in the stands. Seriously.

We should be 4-0-1 at this point in the season. Right now they seem like a team without an identity. All preseason long we heard about this new European style system that emphasizes quick short passes yet I have not seen it for more than 10 minutes at a time. Instead we see a lot of long, hopeful balls that get thrown back at us. I like the guys on this team, but something needs to change going forward. Of course, my opinion will change once we pick up 3 points up north.

I don't like Tim Tebow

Maybe it was all those victories against Georgia. Or maybe the fact that he is too perfect. Bottom line - I just don't like him.

I also highly dislike Jimmy Clausen. From my very limited exposure to him (limited solely to watching him on tv) he just seems like a punk. We all know people like him.

I hope that neither will ever get more responsibility than holding a clipboard in the NFL.

Sleeping with the Devils...

...has not felt good recently. Don't get me wrong - the Devils have been amazing in the regular season over the past 5 years. They have averaged 103 regular season points and won the Atlantic Division 4 times. Assuming we don't come back to beat the Flyers, it will mark the 5th straight season that they have not made it past the second round in the playoffs.

I know I should be thankful that I support a team that has made the playoffs for 13 straight years. It is rare that you find a franchise that is that consistent over the course of a decade. I talk myself into being prepared for it to come to an end before every season. Seriously, this isn't the same league that they won their 3 Stanley Cups in. There should be no way they compete. All dynasties end at one time or another. I am ready for rebuilding. Yet somehow rebuilding continues to get pushed back. We have somehow overcome the loss of Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer and Ken Daneyko on the blueline to remain relevant in the new NHL.

So why do I feel the way I do? Why does this season like last season and the year before feel like a lost season? Shouldn't making the playoffs be a good goal? Obviously it is a nice goal, but when you win 3 Stanley Cups in 9 years you expect more that just regular season success. If the Devils don't come back from 3-1 down to beat the effing Flyers this year I will be one of the first to ask 'Where do we go from here?'

We are obviously built around Marty, but he is not the same goalie he once was. Three years ago I would ask the Marty-bashers 'Is there another goalie you would rather have to play in an do-or-die game?' and the answer was always NO. Obviously that is not what you would hear today. Ryan Miller. Roberto Luongo. Thomas Vokoun. Miika Kiprusoff. Ilya Bryzgalov. Evgeni Nabokov. Ok, I just named six. Hell, the guy across the river one might even be on that list.

Here lies the big problem that dynasties always face - when do you get rid of your franchise player? Trading Brodeur would have a hugely negative backlash from the fans, but it has to be done at some point. If we lose one more game this year doesn't Lou Lamoriello have to give serious consideration about breaking this team up? We have the future already. His name is Zach Parise - lets build around him and make this team exciting to watch. How long do we hold on to Marty and the defense-first system that hasn't won a Stanley Cup since 2003? The NHL is not the same as it was and while the Devils have adjusted in the regular season, their post season play just has not been good enough. While some fans may be ok with this, I am not. Give me the joy of another Stanley Cup not six straight 100 point seasons with nothing to show for them.

Rave Green Looks Normal

I did't mean to post again on the first day on the job, but I couldn't pass up linking to the new Sounders 3rd kits.

I honestly don't know what to think - it's hard to tell how obnoxious they are over the web, but I have to agree with all the other members of Sounders Nation - where are the white kits? Barcelona can pull off the salmon colored jerseys, but we're not Barca. Not even close.

I can't wait to hear what all the Seattle soccer bashers have to say (the same guys who bought those hideous Seahawks alternates this year)

The Ike Davis Era

Evan Roberst said on WFAN the other day that“Mets fans would rather lose with Ike Davis, Ruben Tejada and Fernando Martinez, than lose with fernando Tatis, Luis Castillo and Gary Matthews Jr." Matt Cerrone, whose work I love over at metsblog.com, said "…i can’t argue with that… i think most Mets fans would totally agree"

I have been giving that quote a lot of thought and don't think I necessarily agree with Evan and Matt. We don't know how well these kids are going to do. They could certainly be the next David Wright and Jose Reyes or they could also be the next Lastings Milledge and Carlos Gomez. The problem is that we don't know who they will be. Bringing someone up to early because fans and management are unhappy with the current option is going to turn out badly if the kid is not ready. What happens if Ike gets 300+ at bats and hits .240 with 10 homers and 30 rbis? What happens if Jennry Mejia gets his confidence shaken so much when he gives up a late July home run to Ryan Howard? What happens if F-Mart turns out to be no better than the aforementioned Milledge and Gomez? Then where are we at? We'll have no future and the current future won't even be worth anything in trades.

Obviously one never knows how good a prospect is going to be (we all have been burned by them in the past). But I think we all had a special feeling about Wright and Reyes back in the day. Is Ike really the new guy to attach our hopes to? I can't believe that he was the highest rated prospect in the organization so one has to wonder why he is all the rage. Taking only what he has done to date, we know that he had a hot spring, plays a position we are in dire need of and went 2-4 in his major league debut. I like Ike. I do. But from what we have seen, he is no Jason Heyward. If he does prove to be the real deal, then great. But if .240 is staring him in the face and he doesn't have the mental toughness to handle NY at his current age, then I will be the first to ask why we brought him up in April.

Bottom line - I would rather lose with young guys, but make sure they are the right young guys and that we are not wasting a year on Milledge, Gomez and Phil Humber.

Why a blog?

For a ten year period between high school and grad school I had a forum to express my opinions on sports. In college it was as a columnist for The Bucknellian. After college it was on my failed websites Page 6 and Page 86. For the past 4 years however there has been nothing. I have been feeling the urge recently and figured it was time I give it a go again.

I don't know where this blog is going to go or how often I post or even how long it will be around, but for now I can say I am very excited. I have no particular theme in mind, but do plan on writing a lot about the Mets, Sounders and Devils. I also plan on discussing the Nets, BU and UW hoops, Seattle sports fans and pop culture. I would also like for this blog to be interactive - ideally I would love for some of my friends to be able to use this as their forum too. To all those jilted Sonics fans and depressed Knicks that I know - this can be your home too.

So um...big gulps, huh? Welp, see ya later