Three of a Kind: OKC Big 3

 There has been news all summer long coming out of the NBA; players are going all over the place. The move that had shocked the basketball world was Cleveland and Boston trading Kyrie Irving and Isaiah Thomas. That was the talk of the summer, until this past Saturday afternoon when Carmelo Anthony chose to join Russell Westbrook and Paul George. With this move, the Thunder, who saw a first round exit to the playoffs, have now jumped to the frontline of teams that can compete, and beat Golden State. If that is the case, the Thunder will have to strike as quickly as possible. All three All Stars George, Anthony and franchise face Russell Westbrook are eligible for free agency. This move could either be the beginning of securing a long-term team with OKC, or this could be players staging a tryout to earn themselves top dollar come next summer. Only time will tell, but putting these three super stars together gives the Warriors something to worry about. These two teams are on a collision course for each other which makes for good, exciting basketball!

2016 OKC Thunder

Going into the 2016 season, the Thunder had to play with only one of the two super stars that had made them a force in the Western Conference. Kevin Durant was gone, he was gone to play with the Warriors, a team that eliminated OKC just a year earlier. Speculation swirled around how the Thunder could even compete, let alone make the playoffs. Insert Russell Westbrook and the 2016 Thunder; Westbrook had himself a career year finished the season with 31.6 points per game, 10.7 rebounds per game and 10.4 assists. For those of you keeping track at home regarding a triple double a game average, he also had 42 triple doubles on the season which set the NBA record previous of 41 set by Oscar Roberts in 1961-62. As a team, the Thunder went 47-35 and lost in the first round in five games to the Houston Rockets.


The New Big 3

General manager of the Thunder, Sam Presti, was optimistic but also realized what he had to do at the end of the 2016 season. Presti reportedly told everyone in the front office that “like MacGyver” he would have to get creative to improve on the 3rd youngest roster in franchise history. The first addition was small forward/shooting guard Paul George; he brings 23.7 points per game. Coming over from the Pacers, George is in a rebuild in his career and could be using his year with the Thunder as a tryout for his upcoming free agency. Then three months later, this past Saturday the NBA world was stunned when it was announced that Carmelo Anthony joined the roster. Anthony, the 10-time all-star and 4-time Olympian brings 22.4 points per game, and pretty much looks like the most challenging opponent for the Golden State Warriors. Adding this proven talent, to a young team with a leader in Westbrook. The biggest question mark will be, can the egos of the three super stars coexist and can they square up and take on Kevin Durant and the Warriors?


The short and sweet ending to this is can the Thunder get the revenge they seek with the Warriors and Kevin Durant? Have we already seen the best of Carmelo Anthony and he is now a shell of the super star he once was? Can Paul George return to being dominant, with dominant players around him or will he just be a flash in the Pan stud, that had an injury and never fully returns to form? Are the Thunder in your opinion the team to unseat the defending Western Conference and NBA Champion Golden State Warriors? This year the West will be fun to watch and the Eastern Conference will be very lopsided as it has been for a few years now.

Written by:
Carlo Guadagnino

Edited by:
Daniel Bishop

Reference
http://m.espn.com/nba/playercard?playerId=4251&src=desktop
http://m.espn.com/nba/playercard?playerId=1975&src=desktop
http://m.espn.com/nba/playercard?playerId=3468&src=desktop

The Cleveland WIndians: Path to the World Series

Starting on August 24th, the Cleveland Indians began a winning streak that Major League Baseball had not seen since 2002. Four games shy of MLB history, of a record set in 1916 the Indians lost to the Kansas City Royals 22 games after their last loss on way back on August 23rd. Terry Francona and his club out scored opponents 140-36 over 22 games; they trailed only 7 of the 181 innings. This team must be the favorite team to win the American League and is my favorite to win the World Series. The best thing that could have happened to the Indians was the streak ending; baseball is a game of waves. Having a little adversity with two weeks left in the season, it’s good to have some of that before entering October baseball.

The Streak

Out scoring opponents 140-36 over the 22-game winning streak brought the Indians total run differential to 220 only 6 teams have a differential greater than 100. To put it in perspective, the second closest team is 52 runs behind the Cleveland. The Indians win in dominant fashion only trailing for 7 of the 181 innings of the streak. They hit 41 homer runs during the streak, they only gave up 36 runs total in those 22 games. When asked about the streak manager Terry Francona said, “That day, for no particular reason, we decided to start winning a bunch of games in a row.” If that does not tell you the mentality of this team, how about the fact that although Corey Kluber is a potential Cy Young Winner, he was not the best pitcher during the streak, that title goes to third starter Mike Clevinger. Clevinger only allowed opposing batters to hit for a .159 batting average practically unhittable.

Historical Run

Although the Major League record was 26 games set in 1916 by the New York Giants, the Indians broke the American League record set by the 2002 Oakland Athletics. To show the dominance of the Indians, they were a full 7 runs above both the 1916 Giants and 2002 A’s. When the Indians won their 21st game, they tied the 1935 Chicago Cubs streak, which was the 2nd longest in baseball history. When they won 22, they moved into sole possession of the MLB second longest winning streak. The 22 games have come into question with the top streaks in sports ever. If you are going to say that, in my opinion the Indians would have had to win 26 or 27 straight games and own the record. The streak of 22 game is quite the impressive feat, it ranks up there with the 90 games the UCONN’s women had, the 17 games the Pittsburgh Penguins had or the 21 consecutive games the New England Patriots had. The reason being baseball is a game of waves, a pitcher can be on one game and 5 days later for their next start they just might not have it in the next game. The Indians’ starters and pitching staff managed to stump the teams they played over a 22 game stretch, impressive but not the most impressive streak in sports history.

Favorite to Win World Series

Half an inning and 1 run, that is all the separated the Cleveland Indians from a World Series Title. This year, the Indians look to have Home Field advantage throughout the Playoffs. They will have to at least go through either the Houston Astros or Boston Red Soxs. Once the Indians make it out of the American League they will have to get past the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Pitching for Cleveland could manage to stifle the Dodgers. Adding in the offensive production, from players like back up catcher Roberto Perez, who batted .382 during the streak and late season addition Jay Bruce, who hit the game winning double in win number 22 of the streak. Plus, the consistency of the everyday starters Carlos Santana who batted .365 during the streak and Carlos Carrasco who in four starts during the streak, pitched 34 strikeouts and had a 0.62 ERA.

The Indians where so close just a year ago, and now seem to be poised to make another run for the title. They are coming off the most impressive winning streak in recent baseball history and this team just seems to be the overall favorite. On top of that, Terry Francona seems to have made it possible for this team to just go out and continue to have fun. That is what makes the Indians so enjoyable to watch and easy to root for; they appear to be big kids just out there playing the game they love and having a good time doing it. My prediction is that Cleveland wins the World Series over the Los Angeles Dodgers in 6 games and that the Indians’ pitching staff will be the reason that the title comes back to Chief Wahoo and the tribe!

Written by
Carlo Guadagnino

Edited by
Daniel Bishop

References
https://www.si.com/mlb/2017/09/08/cleveland-indians-winning-streak
https://www.cheatsheet.com/sports/10-of-the-longest-winning-streaks-in-sports-history.html/?a=viewall
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-indians-win-streak-wasnt-mlbs-longest-but-it-might-be-the-most-impressive/
https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/the-indians-amazing-22-game-winning-streak-by-the-numbers/

The Battle for The Keystone State: Pitt vs Penn State A Rivalry Reborn

For the 96th time since 1893, the Panthers of Pittsburgh and the Nittany Lions of Penn State squared off on the gridiron Saturday afternoon. The rivalry was abandoned for 15 years, Pitt took the first game in the recent series revival last year at Heinz Field 42-39 in a classic rivalry type game and atmosphere. This year’s game went how most expected Penn State dominated in route to a 33-14 win at home in Happy Valley. The part of the game garnering the most attention is the post game comments of Penn State head James Franklin. The question I have is, is this even really a real rivalry anymore? Does it still hold the same weight as it used to with fans from both schools? Should it continue to happen?

2017 Game at Happy Valley

The Penn State Nittany Lions, lost two games a season ago. The loss that many experts believe kept them from making the College Football Playoffs came at Heinz Field to the Panthers of Pittsburgh 42-39 in a wild contest. Penn State welcomed the Panthers to Happy Valley with one goal in mind, win the game. Pittsburgh however led in all the important statistical categories, time of possession went to the Panthers 38:20 to Penn States 21:40. The Panthers had more yards and first downs than the rivals in blue and white, but the stat that jumps out is the turnover difference Pitt had three Penn State just one. The Panthers managed to keep one of the top running backs under 100 yards rushing as Saquon Barkley finished with 14 carries, 85 yards and one score. He also found his way into the end zone on a receiving touchdown, to go with his 4 catches for 45 yards. Just another ring added to this 96-year-old rivalry that saw Penn State win 33-14. Many experts say that the Nittany Lions dominated, but the stars tell a different story, what did you think of the game?

The History of the Battle for the Keystone State

The first meeting between the two schools came November 6th, 1893; a game that saw Penn State win convincingly 33-0. Penn State holds the all-time record in the series 51-43-4, but it is the Panthers of Pittsburgh that hold the longest win streak in the series at 14 games from 1922-1938. The rivalry has produced 12 players now in Canton in the football Hall of Fame, for Pittsburgh the notable names are Dan Marino, Tony Dorsett (a Hiseman Trophy winner) and Mike Ditka. On the Penn State side, there are six players also in the Hall of Fame most notably Franco Harris. If that is not enough of a reason to take notice to this rivalry, 24 times the game has pinned two AP Top 10 schools against each other, including a streak of 13 out of 15 years from 1968-1982. Also for those that want to say that this is not Penn States rival and that the title of rival belongs to Ohio State, the Panthers and Nittany Lions have met 96 times. The Buckeyes and Nittany Lions have met just 20 times. Lastly the rivalry has seen the winner of the interstate battle be in the AP Top 5 13 times in its 96 years.

The Rivalries Return

When the two schools met in 2016, it set the record for sporting event attended in the City of Pittsburgh’s history with 69,983 gathered at Heinz Field. In 2017, 109,898 fans filled Happy Valley to watch and cheer for there respected sides, and fans seem to be eating up. The coaches are doing their parts to keep the rivalry alive whether is was the 2016 season with Pitt Head Coach Pat Narduzzi calling Penn State “arrogant” before the game, or calling them “whiners” after the Panthers won. Then this past weekend after the Penn State victory, Head Coach James Franklin said of Pitt, “Last year them beating us was like there Super Bowl, this year us beating them is like beating Akron.” The coaches are not holding back verbal punches, which is what you want in a rivalry like this. The other great thing about the return of the rivalry is what it does for recruiting in the state for both schools. Now when you sit down at the table with a 17 or 18-year-old High School prospect you can offer them the opportunity to be apart of a great rivalry, that has seen many football legends both between the white lines. It is great for the schools, for football and it is an amazing showcase of Pennsylvania football!

This rivalry is just that; the schools, coaches, players, and fans do not like each other, which make for great football atmospheres and better ratings which earns the schools and NCAA more money. Both teams will only continue to get better under coach Narduzzi for Pitt and coach Franklin for Penn State, which means this interstate battle is just heating up next will only grow and get better. Lastly, as stated earlier, it is a great recruiting tool, being a part of such a historic rivalry, getting to play on national television and play in front 100,000 plus people. The rivalry hands down sells the schools to potential recruits. Those are my thoughts, what are yours? Do you like the rivalry? Do you want to see it continue? Does the coaches verbal battle make it that much more appealing? Only time will tell.


Written by
Carlo Guadagnino

Edited by
Daniel Bishop M.A.

References
http://www.espn.com/college-football/recap?gameId=400935245
https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2017/9/9/16279242/pitt-penn-state-final-score-results-james-franklin-2017
http://www.pennlive.com/news/2017/09/penn_state_students_share_thou.html
http://www.foxsports.com/college-football/gallery/penn-state-pitt-rivalry-preview-history-facts-james-franklin-joe-paterno-090816
http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-football/news/pitt-penn-state-rivalry-2016-james-franklin-pat-narduzzi-james-conner/1aghm0ahufx1g1rlznbygiq8xa

2017 Pittsburgh Steelers: Super Bowl or Bust

The 2016 Pittsburgh Steelers season ended in New England in disappointing fashion; the Steelers fell 36-17. The secondary was picked apart by future hall fame quarterback Tom Brady and company. Since then there has been some uncertainty about the future of the Steel Curtain. How long will Ben Roethlisberger be the team before retiring? Will Le’veon Bell stay healthy for a full 16 games. How dangerous are the Steelers with Martavis Bryant and a healthy Cam Hayward? Lastly can the secondary players help the Steelers, rather than hinder them? The Steelers are at the point where it is a do or die situation. What do you think?

Uncertainty at Quarterback and Running back

Entering the 2017 season the Steelers had questions to answer, would Ben Roethlisberger return and would Le’veon Bell ever rejoin the Black N Gold? Roethlisberger was the first to come around, one day after losing the AFC Championship, the franchise quarterback had said he was not sure if he would return. Roethlisberger is signed through the 2019 season but was contemplating retirement after the 2016 season. For Steeler fans and the organization, this should be a scary thought as the depth at quarterback is nonexistent. Big Ben decided early in the offseason to return for at this point could be a last ride, all in season. The 14-year veteran understands that his window is closing to win, part of that window is having a dynamic two position running back.

All summer long, the question in Pittsburgh and around the NFL was what was going to happen with Le’veon Bell? Bell, a star both running the ball and catching the ball out of the backfield, was given a franchise tag earning him $12.12 million dollars, yet Bell was absent from training camp and the preseason. This action caught Bell a lot of heat, both from national and local media but let us look at it. For the first time in his career, Bell is entering the 2017 season 100% healthy and able to play. He himself said he did it not because he was upset with the franchise tag, but more he wanted to stay and be healthy for the season. This season being a do or die year for him, Bell is looking at the big picture he realizes this is a brand-new opportunity to prove himself, that he is worth being paid as a #1 running back and a #2 wide receiver. With the mentality of these two being out to prove something, Roethlisberger trying to win one more ring and Bell playing for a contract the offensive side of the ball for the Black N Gold and “Yinzer” nation looks very good.

Welcome back Martavis and Heyward

The Steelers will get an added boost on both sides of the ball, on offense fresh a year suspension Martavis Bryant and his 14 career touchdowns, and Cam Heyward the defensive team captain returning from injury on the defensive side of the ball. Martavis Bryant was suspended for the entire 2016 for violating the NFL substance abuse policy following his second violation of the rule. Which means the Steelers were without the 6’4 wide receiver who in 21 career games has 76 receptions for 1,314 yards and 14 touchdowns. With his return, you can open the offensive threats with a true number 2 receiver opposite Antonio Brown, who can stretch the field for the other offensive weapons in the Steelers arsenal. Bryant can stretch the field and keep defenses in check.  Also returning healthy for the Steelers in the middle of the defensive line is Cam Heyward, who only appeared in seven games before a season ending injury halted what looks to be a promising career for the six-year pro out of Ohio State. In 7 games last season, Heyward accounted for 3 sacks and 17 solo tackles. With the front Defensive line regain its leader the defense in Pittsburgh is poised to return to what was once know as the steel curtain with disruption up front which forces offensive units to become one sided. If the Steelers front seven can cause problems up front, it should be a good year for the defensive unit for the Black N Gold.

Young Linebackers and Improved Secondary

James Harrison enters the season as a backup to the younger unknown Watt and Ross Cockrell is out in the secondary with Pittsburghs addition of veteran Joe Haden at corner. In the draft, the Steelers drafted younger brother of All-Pro JJ Watt, TJ watt since being drafted has done nothing but be impressive. In his first preseason game, he registered 2 sacks and the sky has been the limit since. Earlier in the offseason, linebacker coach Joey Porter had already named him the starter over Veteran James Harrison who famously had the 99-yard interception for a touchdown in the last Super Bowl for the Steelers. To many, Harrison has been an ageless wonder has even been impressed by the young Watt’s performance. Time will tell, but the Steelers seem to have a good young group in the linebackers that can cause a lot of problems for opposing offensive units.
Late in the offseason and preseason, the Steelers needed to address the secondary; they did so in the tail end of the preseason adding, all pro corner and former Cleveland Brown Joe Haden. He will be responsible for most teams number 2 receiver which gives the Steelers two number 1 corners on the field with second year Artie Burns cover the number ones. The Steelers also added help and depth in the safety position trading for JJ Wilcox who can fill in for injured safety Mike Mitchel. All in all, the secondary is 10000 percent better than it was last year entering the AFC championship game.

The 2017 Pittsburgh Steelers have gone above and beyond to prove they are all chips in, Super Bowl or bust this season. Time will tell if they made the right moves and can get over the hump of that team up north in New England. As all roads always seem to lead there. I predict another AFC North title for the Black N Gold. My question for you, is did they do enough to beat New England?

This article is in dedication and remembrance of Chuck Kern 1958-2017. This year is for you Chuck all the best buddy I know you are going to have the best seat in the house for all the games this year!

Written by:
Carlo Guadagnino

Edited

References
http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/pittsburgh-steelers/ben-roethlisberger-3595/stats-valuation/
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BellLe00.htm
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BryaMa00.htm
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/H/HeywCa01.htm