All-Star Update and A Quick Recap Of The Lebron Finals

The #1 seed out of the Western Conference, the Golden State Warriors are your 2014-15 NBA Champions!!!

and now that that's out of the way, LEBRON. What? You want to hear more about how the Warriors had an all-time great season? "Too bad" shouted every sports network, "now enjoy the What is Riley Curry doing today? segment and accept the 23.5 hours of discussing some false drama between Lebron and David Blatt". Thank god the draft is around the corner.

Game 1: Warriors win 108-100 in overtime.

This game's regulation was fantastic. Overtime was like slowly watching your hometown being overtaken by the neighboring town that you have a rivalry with. Kyrie Irving fractured his left knee cap and was out for the remainder of the series. The Cavaliers didn't have a chance in overtime and were likely done playing competitive basketball. I was of the mindset that if Cleveland won even one game in the 2015 Finals, David Blatt should be able to take the Coach of the Year award away from Steve Kerr even though it has already been awarded to Kerr.

Game 2: Cavaliers win 95-93 in overtime.

At least my original prediction is still in play! This was another phenomenally well-played basketball game and Lebron's triple-double (39 Points, 16 Rebounds, 11 Assists) was the easily the most impressive performance between the two teams.

Game 3: Cavaliers win 96-91.

Well... I was wrong. We were almost all wrong. The Cavaliers actually led the series thanks to Blatt, James and Matthew Grit-elladova. It was a really wild two day span in sports history.

Game 4: Warriors win 103-82.

Oh no, please don't get boring on us, incredible series. I don't think I can handle watching an outmatched team watch helplessly as a baby-faced man chewing on his mouth-guard constantly and Squidward's house (Curry and Klay Thompson) hit every single shot. Game 4 felt like a fall back into reality which is that Cleveland is minus two All-Stars and Golden State is super friggin' talented.

Game 5: Warriors win 104-91 and take a 3-2 series lead.

I regret ever getting my hopes up. This was a good game but, it never really felt like Cleveland had a chance in this one because Stephen Curry responded EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. 37 points for Curry should have been his case for MVP but, he disappeared in pretty much every other game of the series, only hitting shots when his team already had a sizable lead.

Game 6: Warriors win 95-87 and win the NBA Finals.

Lebron went for 32-18-9 in this one and was a lock for MVP if the voters would have been able to get their heads out of their posteriors. Instead, Andre Iguodala (who was completely unremarkable outside of some nice defense and two 20-point games) somehow got the votes in one of the worst travesties to ever happen in a championship in the three major sports. It was a disgusting abuse of the word "Valuable" somehow meaning the award should automatically go to the winning team when the Warriors played team basketball and did not have a superduperstar performance whereas, Lebron made the most out of a lottery team and won two games in the NBA's highest stage.

It was a good ride, White Board:NBA Playoff Edition. I just wish some series were a bit less predictable. 

Now that the NBA season is over, it's time for 2 months of nothing but baseball and we are in the midst of one of the best baseball seasons since McGwire and Sosa's home run chase. There are new prospects being brought up pretty much every day now with huge names like Carlos Correa and Joey Gallo tearing apart the majors and smaller names like Marlins southpaw Justin Nicolino going seven shutout endings this past Saturday against the Reds. Seemingly every night there is at least one game that should capture the casual baseball fan's interest and it is a seriously exciting time in the MLB.

One thing that has not changed unfortunately, is the All-Star Game becoming a complete joke with Royals fans and bandwagoners riding off of their feel-good World Series vibes and punching eight of their nine players into the starting lineup as of last week. The Royals are a good team with 4-5 deserving All-Stars, don't get me wrong but, this is ridiculous and I feel like something should be done about it since the winner of the All-Star game is the league that will have home-field advantage in the World Series.

Despite all of the nonsense going on in Kansas City, I will be going with the current results of All-Star voting for my All-Star starter picks here. I'm simply here to figure out how the rest of the rosters might fill out and pick my own rotation based on the results of the season through the first day of Summer, June 21st.

Current American League Starting Lineup
Catcher - Salvador Perez (KC)
1st Baseman -Miguel Cabrera (DET)
2nd Baseman - Omar Infante' (KC)
3rd Baseman - Mike Moustakas (KC)
Shortstop - Alcides Escobar (KC)
Outfielders - Mike Trout (LAA), Alex Gordon (KC), Lorenzo Cain (KC)
Designated Hitter - Kendrys Morales (KC)

Who SHOULD be the AL All-Star Reserves & Pitchers
C - Russell Martin (TOR) and Stephen Vogt (OAK)

Typically, there are always two backup Catchers for both All-Star teams and Russell Martin has been a game-changer for Toronto this season. He's making contact (something he didn't do in his previous stint in the AL East), he's hitting for power (10 home runs) and he's still one of the fastest Catchers in baseball at an advanced age for fast Catchers (32). Vogt has broken out of his previously-average shell. The Athletics' Catcher/1st Baseman was losing out on playing time last season to now-Rays C John Jaso and now-White Sox C Geovany Soto. If Vogt were missing from Oakland's lineup, they would be the worst team in baseball record-wise even though the Phillies are still probably the worst team.

1B - Prince Fielder (TEX) and Albert Pujols (LAA)

 (Mark J. Terrill, AP)
Prince is the king Ranger in Texas and their lone Star.

Prince Fielder might actually beat out players like Matt Harvey and Jose Iglesias for Comeback Player of the Year. After a just okay season in Detroit, Fielder was swapped with Ian Kinsler (another perennial All-Star candidate) and spent one disappointing, injury-filled losing season in Texas. With Fielder healthy and third in the AL in batting average (.340), the Texas Rangers look like a respectable baseball team again. Pujols is also having a comeback season, only his comeback is simply a return to 35-homer power that he was severely missing since signing with Anaheim before 2012. 21 home runs are a lock for an All-Star berth nowadays as long as you're hitting above .220 and Pujols is hitting .271 (slightly above average) so I say, lock him in unless he injures himself.

2B - Jason Kipnis (CLE) and Dustin Pedroia (BOS)

Where was this Jason Kipnis last season?! He's batting .345 (2nd in AL), has an on-base percentage of .423 (2nd in AL) and leads the American League in WAR (4.4) through June 21st. I don't care if you are a Royals fan, voting for Omar Infante' (.229, .237 and 0.2 in those same categories) over this man is pure evil and you should be banned from voting in any ballot (that's right, I'm throwing politics under this new law!) for life.

Screw you, Royals fans.

Dustin Pedroia has recovered from a very average season for most second basemen (awful for his high standards) and has rediscovered his ability to hit towering homers over the green monster in left. nine home runs and a very nice .307 average later and Pedroia is the lone Red Sox representative in Cincinnati this July.

3B - Josh Donaldson (TOR) and Manny Machado (BAL)

I'd like to credit myself with the Josh Donaldson MVP campaign that's about to begin if Toronto makes the postseason. Donaldson has been one of the best hitters in baseball, churning out an incredible 56 runs, 46 RBI's and a .302 average. Unlike some of the other AL power hitters (Cabrera, Cruz, Bautista, etc.), Donaldson also has a great glove and should be in competition for the Golden Glove Award at the hot corner, ultimately losing to Manny Machado again. Machado was always thought to be a tremendous defensive player and any offense that came with him would just be a nice added bonus (think Brooks Robinson as a best-case scenario). Instead, Machado has dodged injury this season and just absolutely crushed major league pitching, especially in the last few weeks. He's on pace for a 20/20 season and is batting .305. Baltimore certainly welcomes this unexpected skilled batting eye. 

SS - Jose Reyes (TOR)

Alright, alright, alright... Let me explain this one. Jose Reyes might not simultaneously drop every person's jaw once they see his stat-line but comparative to Jose Iglesias (the only other AL shortstop worth putting on the team who's team has also had success), he's way more experienced and is likely to get the edge from the AL manager who puts the bench together due to Reyes' reliability. Besides, a .287 average is still a good and while Iglesias bats .323, he's still the ninth hitter in Detroit's lineup most nights and has only knocked in nine runs. Reyes gets the slight edge.

OF - Adam Jones (BAL) and George Springer (HOU)

(USATI)
George Springer is bringing the retro feel of winning baseball back to Houston.

Adam Jones is a consistent force of an offensive player who will likely never win an MVP but, is on a smooth path to a fourth consecutive All-Star Game if he keeps up his Torrii Hunter-like stats. Don't test his fielding ability either. George Springer is like both of those two plus strikeouts plus a few more home runs in his first full season in the majors (12 home runs, 14 stolen bases). Springer has not yet put together a full 162 major league games and he has 32 home runs through 143. "Uh oh" exclaimed the rest of the AL West. 

DH - Nelson Cruz (SEA)

Unlike every season since the end of the home run/steroid-era, we actually have a competition of viable All-Star candidates at the Designated Hitter position. With Kendrys Morales already projected in the starting lineup, Nelson Cruz (.315-19-44), Alex Rodriguez (.282-14-40) and Morales (.289-8-45) are all respectable All-Star choices while batters like David Ortiz (.236-10-31), Victor Martinez (.228-2-19) and Kennys Vargas (.221-4-11) have not been even close to the players I thought they would be halfway through the season. I give the backup DH spot to Cruz because his transition from Baltimore to Seattle has somehow not affected him one teeny tiny bit. His stats basically match many of Ortiz's prime years around this time.

Pitching Staff - bold indicates All-Star Game starter
Chris Archer (TB) 1st All-Star appearance
Dellin Betances (NYY) 2nd All-Star appearance
Zach Britton (BAL) 1st All-Star appearance
Wade Davis (KC) 1st All-Star appearance
Sonny Gray (OAK) 1st All-Star appearance
Felix Hernandez (SEA) 6th All-Star appearance
Dallas Keuchel (HOU) 1st All-Star appearance
Andrew Miller (NYY) 1st All-Star appearance
Glen Perkins (MIN) 3rd All-Star appearance
David Price (DET) 5th All-Star appearance
Chris Sale (CWS) 4th All-Star appearance, 1st All-Star Start
Huston Street (LAA) 3rd All-Star appearance

If you came here looking for me to say anyone besides Chris Sale is the hottest pitcher in the American League, you came to the wrong blog. Pitching is weird because most of these pitchers will only pitch two to four more times before the All-Star break and in any one of those two to four performances, they could absolutely obliterate their shot at an All-Star cameo. What I'm trying to say is, don't take this as an absolute "THESE GUYS MUST BE IN" list but, it's just the players who's performances and statistics suggest should be in Cincinnati that week based on their performances three weeks prior, that's all.

Current National League Starting Lineup
Catcher - Buster Posey (SF)
First Baseman - Paul Goldschmidt (ARI)
Second Baseman - Dee Gordon (MIA)
Third Baseman - Matt Carpenter (STL)
Shortstop - Jhonny Peralta (STL)
Outfielders - Bryce Harper (WAS), Matt Holliday (STL) and Norichika Aoki (SF)

Who should be the NL All-Star reserves & Pitchers
C - Yadier Molina (STL) and Derek Norris (SD)

I'll be the first to say that Yadier Molina has gotten a lot of undeserved votes for the All-Star Games of the past but, this year he has at least earned a bench spot with a batting average just under .290 and the fact that he still plays defense like he's Yadier Molina or something. Meanwhile in San Diego, Derek Norris and his impressive beard are on a bit of a cold spell but, that has not made me forget that he has the most impressive power numbers of anyone at the position in the NL (9 homers, 41 RBI, 36 runs). It's not the most competitive position in the National League and the right guy is getting all of the votes (Buster Posey) so, I wouldn't be overly surprised to see someone with a better eye for the ball so far like Nick Hundley sneak his way into the lineup via managerial decision.

1B - Anthony Rizzo (CHC), Joey Votto (CIN) and Freddie Freeman (ATL)

Could you imagine the backlash from Cincinnati if Votto did not make the All-Star Team after his many years of being the face of the franchise? (no offense to Todd Frazier but, he's not the one making all of the team's payroll). Anthony Rizzo and Paul Goldschmidt appear to be in a First Basemen-only stolen base battle (12 for Goldy, 10 for Rizzo) and their homer totals are quite close as well (18 for Gold, 15 for Riz). Rizzo is a starter at six other positions offensively in the National League if he learns how to play them in time for the big game. Freddie Freeman gets in based on this giant cult-following he has out of Atlanta and the fact that he's not too shabby of a baseball player either. (He might also be the most boring good hitter in baseball, there I said it.)

2B - Yunel Escobar (WAS)

After a certain controversy in Toronto near the end of the 2012 season, I never thought I'd have to mention or hear Escobar's name ever again. Alas, here we are in 2015 and the former Brave/Ray/Blue Jay is the baseball equivalent of whatever Chris Pratt is in movies right now (Okay, definitely not that big but his stock is also rising). An unfathomable .331 batting average and .381 on-base percentage are basically the stats everybody originally thought he'd get five or six years ago when he only put up stats even closely resembling these his rookie season of 2007. Apparently, Escobar's prime is now on a playoff contender with the only goal being a World Series victory.   

3B - Todd Frazier (CIN) and Nolan Arenado (COL)

The Enquirer/Kareem Elgazzar)
Todd Frazier looking happy after an opening day home run followed by 22 more.

Todd Frazier is not just an All-Star based on where the game is taking place, he's an All-Star based on he is putting up career numbers that cannot possibly go unnoticed despite being on a shipwreck of a fourth-place team. If "Flava Fraz" stays on his current pace, he'll not only top 30 home runs for the first time, he'll eclipse 45 HOME RUNS. That was an unimaginable total just a season ago for any baseball player. Nolan Arenado is right there with Machado as the best defensive third baseman and quite possibly, best defensive player(?) in baseball. Just like Machado, he too is a mammoth of a hitter with 17 homers and a .284 batting average. He's about to win his third Gold Glove in three seasons and Colorado better dump Tulowitzki's contract on someone or else they could lose Arenado due to overall cheapness. 

SS - Troy Tulowitzki (COL)

Speaking of Tulo, he was the only Shortstop I thought was a clear candidate for the backup Shorstop role and he's guaranteed to make the roster any time he can stay healthy this deep into a season (which is all too rare).

OF - Giancarlo Stanton (MIA), Justin Upton (SD) and Andrew McCutchen (PIT)

GIANCARLO SMASH! Giancarlo has smashed 25 home runs to be exact (He leads the majors). Justin Upton, previously only a powerful bat with little usage of his base-running talent, has gone from being a home run or a strikeout every at-bat in Atlanta to lowering his strikeout rate, keeping the power totals on pace for around 25 homers and 85 RBI's and stealing 14 bases through 71 games compared to the eight he stole in 2014. Maybe it has something to do with the coaching in San Diego or maybe Justin Upton is finally ready to achieve his high praise he got early on in his career. Andrew McCutchen started out dinged up and with a bat made of newspaper as he could not hit anything through the first 5 weeks of the season. Six weeks later and McCutchen has returned to his old ways and despite lower-than-average stats in pretty much every category, the now-dreadless Pirate still has the respect of his peers and that should result in another All-Star Game for the seven-year pro.

I really hope we get to see Giancarlo smash in the Home Run Derby again as well.

Pitching Staff - bold indicates All-Star Game starter
Santiago Casilla (SF) - 1st All-Star appearance
Aroldis Chapman (CIN) - 4th All-Star appearance
Gerrit Cole (PIT) - 1st All-Star appearance
Jacob deGrom (NYM) - 1st All-Star appearance
Zack Greinke (LAD) - 3rd All-Star appearance
Jason Grilli (ATL) - 2nd All-Star appearance
Cole Hamels (PHI) - 4th All-Star appearance
Mark Melancon (PIT) - 2nd All-Star appearance
Shelby Miller (ATL) - 1st All-Star appearance
Francisco Rodriguez (MIL) - 6th All-Star appearance
Trevor Rosenthal (STL) - 1st All-Star appearance
Max Scherzer (WAS) - 3rd All-Star appearance
Drew Storen (WAS) - 1st All-Star appearance

A pretty dull pitching staff when it all boils down to seven spots being filled by Closers like Melancon, Grilli and Casilla. Scherzer may have just had the two best starts back-to-back ever in baseball's history (and that's a very, very long history) but, Cole's stats are Jurassic World dinosaur-sized currently and he may never have a chance to start an All-Star Game again whereas, Scherzer has been putting up his numbers fairly consistently to this point of his still-young career.

Don't think I forgot about the 34th man vote for the last spots on each roster!
American League
Texas Rangers P Yovani Gallardo
Oakland Athletics P Scott Kazmir
Minnesota Twins P Kyle Gibson
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim P Hector Santiago
Cleveland Indians P Corey Kluber
National League
Chicago Cubs 3B Kris Bryant
Los Angeles Dodgers OF Joc Pederson
Arizona Diamondbacks OF A.J. Pollock
Los Angeles Dodgers 1B Adrian Gonzalez
San Francisco Giants 2B Joe Panik

Now, those are all duels that I'd like to see. How about you?

20 Awesome Things That Have Happened Since June 10th, 1995

6-10-1995: Andy Todd is born (Hey, that's me!) at an unreasonably large 9 pounds and 3 ounces. The world was never the same.

Photo Credit: Jake "Rabid" Raflik
Nothing Was The Same.

Since June 10th of 1995, a ton of things have happened but, I narrowed this down to 20 things because I'm not yet ready to write the oral history on the Andy Todd era of America and it's the 20th anniversary of that day. I'm totally ready to talk about 20 random awesome things (in no specific order) that have happened since that date though and accompany it with photos that I just unearthed from the deepest files of something resembling a treasure chest (only with the treasure being memories, which is the corniest thing I've ever thought in my life up to this point) in my basement. As the universe celebrates a completed second decade of Todd-dom, here are a bunch of things that may or may not have happened thanks to me (just think of the butterfly effect only, the thing that could have altered everything being my death somehow resulting in us shooting laser beams out of cat's eyes by now).

Speaking of which,

1. Saturday Night Live invented Laser Cats.

I have only played laser tag once in my life and it was awesome. If the lasers had no affect on anybody whatsoever and cats were suddenly making laser sound effects, there would be a larger affinity for cat videos on the internet and cats in general than there already is. Would the cats chase their own projectile laser dots? Absolutely! What a time to be alive that would be!

Here's a photo of myself playing a game of Trouble against my (non-laser charged) cat, a bobblehead of Brett Favre and a miniature statue of a bear that plays for the St. Louis Rams because I was ten and what type of social life is a ten year old supposed to have?

2.

The above embarrassing sequence took place in 2003 and ended up costing the New Orleans Saints a playoff spot but, it was just so incredible that it has stuck in my mind as probably my favorite football sequence to ever occur. I mean any touchdown with tons of laterals and no time on the clock is already an all-timer highlight but, John Carney missed the extra point and lost the game? Hilarious. Heartbreaking. Awesome.

Another semi-relevant photo of myself with a human foot in a bar for Halloween 2012.

3. On December 11th, 2008, Google Chrome is publicly released and internet searches became faster than ever. It is now the most popular browser worldwide and has made us forget whatever Internet Explorer was. Also, how handy is that bookmarks bar? super handy.

Speaking of hands, it took two to grip this giant cookie at Miller Park. I'm pretty sure eating it was a two man job as well.

4. Sixteen years ago this week, Californication by Red Hot Chili Peppers is released. It's one of the greatest albums ever with hits like "Scar Tissue" (my favorite song of all-time), "Otherside", "Californication", "Around The World" and "Road Trippin'". The album cover is fantastic, the music is fantastic and I have yet to hear of anyone who dislikes this album.

Californication - Red Hot Chili Peppers

There appear to be three CD's laying in the chair with me. One of them is definitely Madonna's Music and the others are indistinguishable thanks to the photo-taker's over-zooming.

5. This happened...

and let's face it, he was right. Even if it wasn't "one of the best videos of all-time", it was still better than anything Taylor Swift has ever done.

I too owned a pair of sunglasses at one point.

6. Breaking Bad Seasons 1-5, Friends Seasons 2-10, Seinfeld 7-9, The Office Seasons 1-9, Friday Night Lights Seasons 1-5 and Freaks & Geeks' lone season. There has been a ton of television output since June 10th, 1995 and a lot of it has been awful but, when a show like one of these hits... it is real and it is spectacular.

Did I forget to mention how great Rugrats was? Because it was also great unlike my ugly sweater in this picture.

7. The new national anthem, "Ignition (Remix)" by R. Kelly was released.

My favorite era of music videos is the era when everybody wore sports jerseys.

Here I am prior to attending a Brett Favre monk graduation.

8. March 2nd, 2012, Project X comes out to theaters and becomes a cult-classic bro-film in the way that Animal House was for the 70's and 80's teenagers. While it will probably age poorly and there is no deeper meaning to the film than what is presented, it is a consistent adrenaline rush without any breaks in action. Critics hate it but, millennials are more likely to put this film in their DVD/Blu ray collections.

And what a great soundtrack also.

On the topic of celebrations, here I am on the fourth of July, 1997 at a merry-go-round in a place believed to be Neillsville, Wisconsin looking fresh in my backwards-facing baseball cap.

9. The Will It Blend? Blendtec Blender series hosted by Tom Dickson on Youtube.

Tom Dickson is a marketing genius for coming up with this series of videos. Random objects being blended is like explosions for people who don't like the surprise element of explosions. There have been 137 different episodes of Dickson blending things like the Apple Watch, a Justin Bieber doll, and even skis. The answer is almost always "Yes, it blends!" which is something my current blender is missing the capability to do to a pair of skis.

"Come on dad, stick the phone in the blender! I need to know if it will blend or not!"

10. Kobe Bryant scores 81 on the Toronto Raptors.

I've seen this video like thirty times and it never gets old. How did Kobe do some of the things he did on the basketball court? He's probably one of the more underrated shooters in NBA history while also being one of the more over-hyped players after his prime is now long gone. His greatness will be overshadowed by Shaq and Lebron when we revisit his career (Shaq for the first half of his career and Lebron for the second) but, he'll always have that night against the Raptors.

I could never score 81 with Kobe in a video game. Those were even better than video game numbers.

11. The Starbucks Frappucino becomes a popular drink after being invented two days before I was born. Coincidence? Yeah, probably.

Speaking of Frappucinos, there are 6 new flavors being released now in honor of the drink's 20th anniversary.

Caramel Cocoa Fluster

Cinnamon Roll

Cotton Candy

Cupcake

Lemon Bar

Red Velvet Cake

Those all sound disgusting minus the red velvet cake and to be honest with you, I'm almost sort of tired of red velvet cake and it's whole trend of popping up in desserts. I think most will stick with their current flavors over the new, flashier menu items.

Let's just assume I was hopped up on caffeine and thought putting myself in a cabinet of sorts was a funny idea for about five seconds before it became uncomfortable.

12. #15 Mercer upset #2 Duke in basketball, Appalachian State defeated Michigan in a football game and #11 George Mason made a final four (2006). Those are three of the best stories in college sports history and unless you're a Duke or a Michigan fan, you love them all.

Speaking of being upset, the teacher was very upset that day that I wouldn't take off the mascot's head. 

13. The game Cards Against Humanity was born. This is probably the best game of any type we, as a society, have created. It's Apples to Apples for horrible people and nearly every answer works for any question or fill-in-the-blank statement.

The one time I've won this game.

14. Wisconsin's own Matt Stoltz has biked halfway across the USA, with another half in the plans, as he visits every MLB stadium for a good cause. Here is the Biking For Baseball website for more information. 10 stadiums down, 20 to go.

I've only made it to two stadiums in my youth thus far, Miller Park and Target Field. This photo was taken before I got my leg stuck in the railing for a half inning. The Brewers are 3-11 lifetime in games I attend.

15. Weird Al Yankovic turned Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise" into "Amish Paradise" and reclaimed the throne for comedians in music.

Scooby-Doo pj's for life, livin' in an A-Todd paradise.

16. The Red Sox came back from 0-3 down to the Yankees in a 7-game series to win four games to three.

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
One of the greatest, probably THE greatest series in playoff baseball history.

I too was quite the ball player in my youth.

17. The 2003 NBA Draft class featuring future hall-of-famers Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Carmelo Anthony. The NBA would not be anywhere near the same today if this draft had not happened. It's the most fascinating class since 1984.

Can you name them all?

At the draft combine, my coordination was graded as an F by all thirty teams.

18. The U.S. got Osama Bin Laden. Didn't expect something serious to come up in this post now did you? Well, it happened and it was a load off of everyone's minds.

Here's a photo of myself hiding behind a napkin at Golden Sands Speedway. Why? I don't know.

19. Sepp Blatter stepped down from FIFA. I don't have any interest in soccer but, this story was intriguing to me and now, any chance of interest is completely absent.

Here I am trying out Mead School's new (at the time) playground instead of giving any shits about soccer.

20. I created this blog, something I am actually responsible for.

And that's more glorious than this photo.

You're welcome, America.

Two Sad Franchises Enter, One Happy Franchise Leaves

As was the case last season, I will likely miss a game (Game 2) due to another trip to Minneapolis. Look for me in the sixteenth row behind home plate of this Saturday afternoon's Brewers @ Twins match-up. Once again, there is no guarantee on how long I'll be visiting my distant Minnesotan relatives but what is a guarantee is that I will make a prediction now and it will be terribly off.

First of all, here's a recap on what happened a full eight days ago when the conference finals seriously disappointed from an entertainment standpoint...

Western Conference Finals Prediction: Warriors in 6.
Reality: Warriors in 5.
What We Learned:
1. The Warriors' team doctors are in big trouble for letting Klay Thompson back into the game after his ear was bleeding. That was a pretty obvious warning flag for a possible concussion which he did end up suffering.
2. The Rockets are a player away (think LaMarcus Aldridge) from coming close to winning four against Golden State.

Eastern Conference Finals Prediction: Cavaliers in 7.
Reality: Cavaliers swept the ATLiens in 4.
What We Learned:
1. The Cavaliers don't need anyone besides Lebron to win the Eastern Conference.
2. Matthew Dellavedova is "gritty".
3. Atlanta is not only boring but, disappointing as always.

Rick Noland - The Chronicle-Telegram
"Delly" is diving for balls and taking names.

#1 Golden State Warriors v. #2 Cleveland Cavaliers
These are the two teams that belong in the Finals and I think that's pretty much what everyone wants from an NBA Finals match-up. The Warriors have gone 79-18 since the beginning of the regular season and Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green have yet to all go cold for two consecutive games meaning the Cavaliers have one of the toughest tasks in NBA history in facing Steve Kerr's unbeatable team. Cleveland has killed some easy victims in inexperienced Boston, hindered Atlanta and even the exhausted train-wreck that was Chicago. Despite the easy oppositions, the Cavaliers have seriously impressed much of the population with Lebron James really showcasing his ability to make teammates better (something that Michael Jordan never really did and the one thing he'll always have the edge over MJ in). Dellavedova, Tristan Thompson, Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith are great and all but, Golden State has the defensive scheme to take care of any wildcards in David Blatt's lineup. Speaking of David Blatt, I do think he's a very good head coach but, he's not Steve Kerr and this is a match-up of rookie head coaches (for the first time in NBA history) so ANYTHING IS POSSIBAWWWWWWLLLLLLL.

Key Match-up To Watch: Lebron James vs. Draymond Green. Why not Kyrie versus Steph? because Kyrie doesn't play defense when healthy so why the hell would he now? Draymond was nearly the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year and he gets to guard the most complete player in the sport? sign me up! If Draymond plays like he has all season long and gets Lebron to shoot 16% from three or some other ridiculously low percentage, he has a real shot at Finals MVP because there is no way Cleveland recovers from a bad Lebron performance.

My Pick: At the beginning of the season, I chose the Clippers (Thanks Doc!) over the Cavaliers in six or seven. Now, I'm taking Golden State over the Cavaliers in five.

 I didn't even have to use my A.K., I got to say it was a good day.

Good luck to whomever you root for and may the NBA Finals provide excitement despite my dull forecast and may a game seven be in our near future!

R.I.P. OFWGKTA

The 2011 MTV Video Music Awards were around the corner and I partook in the annual online fan voting for the awards as I usually do.

As with every award show, everyone had their different takeaways after the show whether it was Beyonce's baby bump, Katy Perry winning Video of the Year for the cheesy mess that was "Firework" or 85-year old Cloris Leachman presenting an award with the cast of Jersey Shore (You're welcome for the reminder that Jersey Shore was a thing society just accepted on our televisions). For me, the real takeaway was the hip hop collective known as Odd Future taking over the show with their bizarre stage presence. Which brings me back to how I discovered them.

While voting for the VMA's that year, I noticed there was one video that I had not yet seen and that was the video that grabbed America's attention.

"Yonkers" is one of the most captivating music videos of the 2010's. At first viewing nonsensical, "Yonkers" was really about Tyler's character in the video quickly dissolving into madness to the point where he eats a cockroach, threatens to kill Bruno Mars and B.O.B. and hangs himself to end the video/his life. "Yonkers" ended up winning Tyler, The Creator the award for Best New Artist at the VMA's.

Nobody in the world of music showed more genuine emotion at winning an award than a 19-year old Tyler in that moment and it won me over. So much about it was fascinating like, who voted for these guys over Wiz Khalifa and Foster The People? and who was Earl? where was Earl? What the hell were those fifty dudes doing on stage? There was so much that I did not know yet. For instance, I hadn't even realized that I had seen Tyler and a few others earlier in 2011 during the MTVU Woodie Awards and it was just as mysterious as everything else around this group of dudes.

Further research was necessary.

The leader of Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All (OFWGKTA) was led by the gruff voice and style of Tyler, The Creator and featured many of his friends that he grew up with in Los Angeles. The other members were Earl Sweatshirt, Hodgy Beats, Domo Genesis, Mike G, Left Brain, Syd Tha Kid, Matt Martians, Hal Williams, Jasper Dolphin, Taco Bennett, L-Boy, Lucas Vercetti and Frank Ocean. They were the quirky, weird, music-obsessed kids who had fresh, original ideas brewing in their drug-fueled minds. After MellowHype (Hodgy Beats and Left Brain's duo) released their first album, BlackenedWhite, without a whisper of hype, the real fire-starter was Tyler's Goblin album (his first official release after the Bastard mixtape) which featured tracks like "Yonkers", "She" and "Sandwitches". It was new, it was different and gained a ton of traction after Tyler's VMA win.

Also gaining tons of traction after Tyler's VMA win? The entire Odd Future collective. They created their own appropriately-titled Odd Future Records record label (before the VMA's), had a widely-successful Golf Wang Tour 2011 and were even booked by Cartoon Network's Adult Swim to make their own television show called Loiter Squad. They were building a brand.

2011's 12 Odd Future Songs, a compilation album featuring 13 previously-released OF tracks.

The first and most likely only official album from Odd Future came in 2012, was well-received and featured every member doing something (rapping, producing, singing, talking, making appearances in the music videos). The OF Tape Vol. 2 really nailed home the style and general aesthetic of the artists with their bold usage of color in music videos, carefree attitude within lyrics, unique flow and fashion sense (Knee-high socks, Hawaiian shirts and bucket hats). With their relatable personalities and odd charm in interviews they became bigger than they ever imagined.

Then Earl finally showed up. Right as the group had been brought into prominence, Earl's mother sent him to a retreat school for at-risk boys in American Samoa after he repeatedly got himself into undisclosed trouble. He finally made his debut in the newer, much-wider spotlight in New York and the mystery of the missing OF member was solved.

Even the doubters and critics of Odd Future were silenced on July 17th, 2012 when one of the three best albums of the year was made by Frank Ocean.

I recommend "Forrest Gump" and "Pyramids" if you aren't already aware of those songs.

The soulful vocals of Ocean, mixed with some of the most breath-taking instrumentals of the decade so far, made Channel Orange my third favorite album of that year (behind The Heist by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and Master of My Make-Believe by Santigold). Ocean went on to win the Grammy Award for Best Urban Contemporary Album and was also nominated for Best New Artist, Album of the Year and the song "Thinkin' Bout You" was nominated Record of the Year. As with all OFWGKTA storylines, there was one more mystery that remained and that was Frank Ocean's sexuality after many interpreted the lyrics to be about a male. All those rumors were confirmed by Ocean and he received immediate support from the OFWGKTA crew when they had known for a while. As Tyler so elegantly stated "I kinda knew, because he likes Pop Tarts without frosting on them, so I knew something was weird. [Laughs] But that's my n----.".

Domo Genesis and MellowHype went on to release albums at the end of 2012 and then Tyler returned with the critically acclaimed album Wolf. In all honesty, I was confused as hell by some of Tyler's lyricism and even though I understood his usage of slurs in what he wants to be non-offensive ways, the overall messages of each individual song were sort of trapped behind classic beats and the sheer grittiness of his vocals. Once Wolf was released into the public, I finally figured it all out. Tyler was telling a story in reverse through each of his albums, dealing with multiple characters, summer camps and love. It was just as bizarre as everything else Tyler released but with features from Pharrell, Erykah Badu, Nas and Casey Veggies, it was Tyler's most complete album in both sound and storyline. 

Wolf featured tracks such as "Tamale" and "IFHY".

The cover art for Wolf's deluxe edition was a departure from the minimalist approach of previous OF album covers. On August 20th, 2013, Earl dropped his heavily-anticipated debut album, Doris, which was met with widespread praise even though I still think it is Odd Future's weakest release outside of anything MellowHype has released. With Doris's success, Earl became the rapper with the most credibility and highest chance of success once OF broke up, something that was bound to eventually happen considering the amount of members. 

Standouts on Doris included "Whoa", "Burgundy" and "Hive".

Then the hip hop collective went silent. Outside of another annual Camp Flog Gnaw carnival, another season of Loiter Squad and the unveiling of an Odd Future radio station, the guys didn't release much music and began doing their own separate projects. Tyler produced music videos including the tremendous "Glowing" video for pop singer D.A. Wallach.

Left Brain produced the score for an independent film, Earl worked on his latest album, I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside, Domo Genesis halted any future MellowHype productions and instead, began working on his own mixtapes, Frank Ocean distanced himself from the group but continues to work on a follow-up to an instant classic while the rest of the group has remained fairly anonymous since 2013 outside of cameos on Loiter Squad.

It was another mystery to the OFWGKTA-obsessed. 

Hope was somewhat restored when Tyler dropped the album Cherry Bomb out of nowhere on April 13th this year but sadly, it was a departure from the story arc he had been working on for his entire musical career in the public eye these past five years. Tyler stated that he was tired of that gimmick and wanted to "grow up" in his music when in reality, there aren't many more grown-up things to do than construct a story told through multiple albums in a six-year span. With features from Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, Lil' Wayne, Schoolboy Q and Charlie Wilson, Cherry Bomb was a commercial success despite being an underwhelming album for about 50-60% of the album. One thing that was an under-the-radar huge deal was that Tyler was big enough now that not a single member of the OF collective appeared on Cherry Bomb and it was seen more as an oddity and experimental then anything else but of course, call up Scooby Doo and the gang because this was the first clue something weird was about to go down.

Cherry Bomb will mostly be remembered for "Perfect/Fucking Young", "Smuckers" and "Deathcamp".

Even with a ton of Odd Future favorites appearing in the video for "Perfect/Fucking Young", it just seemed as though Earl Sweatshirt was distancing himself from the group also. After a couple of cryptic tweets this week from Tyler, it was widely speculated that the group dynamic was gone and that OF had OD'd. Earl Sweatshirt tweeted about the issue today and lucky us, another mystery!

Ultimately, it is assumed though not known that Odd Future has drifted apart. It should not be sad or depressing because their group growing into their mid-twenties and hanging out less and less is much like the path of basically every college graduate or high school graduate eventually losing contact or drifting away from the dozens of people he/she used to converse with constantly. 

I'm writing this today because even though I was never the hugest fan of Odd Future, I have followed their careers and this break-up could make or break the prime of every one of their careers (except Frank Ocean, he's too chill to care about any of this).

Like it or not, Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All were sort of the voice of a generation. That generation being middle-class white kids who disapprove of society's norms and are super angst-filled but, the voice of a generation none-the-less.

For now, we'll always have "Oldie".

The 2015 NBA Playoffs: Round 3 and More!

Before I get to previewing the Conference Finals Match-ups, here a few miscellaneous topics I feel like addressing.

- I never announced this on my blog last month but, Alabama Shakes, Run The Jewels and St. Vincent won the Coachella Festival's first weekend (which has been live-streamed on Youtube for the past five years). It also sounds like Florence + The Machine (who was certainly on the Mount Rushmore of weekend one performers) won weekend number two by putting on a strong performance despite breaking her foot while bouncing around weekend one (something nobody could have known until after the set). Drake lost big time.

- This whole TIDAL business is something I will never invest in but, I get it. I can tolerate it's existence as long as it does not turn into some war where some great artists are strictly on one music streaming service and some great ones are on another service. If I can't find your music anywhere fairly easily (Taylor Swift), I tend to dismiss the music as non-existent and not worthy of being heard (ouch).

- I am not a movie-viewer whatsoever and have not even been to a movie theater for nearly a decade but, with a few months of free movie channels, HBO, Showtime and a spacious DVR, I've been on an extreme movie-watching spree. Expect a mega movie-based post sometime before the end of the Summer (unless the weather is nice enough that these movies can be kept on the DVR until Autumn).

- I have been to my first baseball game of 2015! On May 10th, I went to Miller Park for the exciting extra-inning game between the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs. The roof was up (thank god) as it was fifty degrees while feeling like a shivery thirty thanks to rain cold enough to give me a week-long cold. It was all worth it in the end as I found a bunch of free stuff (Khris Davis's head on a stick, free posters and Brewer towels!) and as is the usual recently, I acquired another bobblehead with the Mother's Day Hank the dog statue/figure/bobblehead/thing. It looks quite nice next to Hawaiian Roscoe P. Rafter and the Packer Gnome that I use to hold my shutter shades. The Brewers also won their first game that I was in attendance for for the first time in eight years (and I've attended nine games) in extra innings. The final score was 3-2.

Photo Credit: Steve Todd

- Bill Simmons getting fired by ESPN is one of the dumbest things to ever happen at ESPN but, uncensored Simmons should be fun wherever that may be.

- The winner of the Hip-Hop Video Bracket?

If it wasn't "It Was A Good Day" or at least "Runaway", what was the point?

- I am not a big reader but, I am currently reading Live From New York AKA: the Saturday Night Live book by James Andrew Miller. Pretty early in the book but, I'm already fascinated by what happened behind-the-scenes early in the show's history.

- The Billboard Music Awards were quite awful from the 30-40 minutes I could see of it.

- I was in Eau Claire, Wisconsin about a month ago and found my favorite place ever, a store called BAM! (no affiliation with Emeril Lagasse). The place is filled with books and albums and there were even records on vinyl and a coffee shop. It was so hipster-ish, I just wanted to live there, inside of that store.


At last, here is my preview for the Conference Finals of the 2015 NBA Playoffs...

Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Will Trevor Ariza continue hitting clutch threes with Draymond Green guarding him?

#1 Golden State Warriors v. #2 Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets shocked the world and, most importantly, shocked the Clippers in the second round by taking a series in which they trailed 3 games to 1. Another surprising revelation of the second round was how entertaining the Rockets can be, especially when James Harden is taking a breather on the sidelines. Will the emergence of role players like Josh Smith, Corey Brewer, Trevor Ariza and Terrence Jones be enough to take down the #1 seed in the NBA in the Warriors? Probably not. Stephen Curry is un-guardable when Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are also on the court and the same goes for those two when the other two are on the court. Steve Kerr runs an incredibly efficient offense and that's not their only strength either. Andrew Bogut will get out-rebounded by Dwight Howard fourteen out of fifteen times but, the Warriors have the defensive advantage at every other position as long as David Lee doesn't get big minute totals. The Finals are a long-shot for Houston but, after the last round, they seem to have the path of a team of destiny.

Key Match-up To Watch: Josh Smith vs. his overconfidence.

Step-back three! IT'S GOOD!?

My Pick: Warriors in 6. (I REALLY REALLY Wanted to take Houston)

DeMarre Carroll will get his first of potentially many attempts at defending Lebron in the postseason.

#1 Atlanta Hawks v. #2 Cleveland Cavaliers
Just do what Jimmy Butler did defensively, DeMarre Carroll. The rest of the Atlanta Hawks (Teague, Horford, Millsap and Korver) can all quickly respond offensively or defend the Cavs quite well. It should be a closer series than most are predicting (which is 5 games). Matthew Dellavedova made himself an NBA household name with his hot shooting in the Bulls series and could make the series a whole lot easier for David Blatt if he has a deja vu series and inexplicably explodes (metaphorically) mid-game. Kyrie Irving's limp needs to go away before he plays against the likes of Jeff Teague and Dennis Schroder for Lebron James to have the entire weight of Cleveland off his shoulders for half of the possessions. The Hawks are still lacking a bench that we can take seriously thanks to the NYPD (Thabo Sefolosha) and the lack of a shooter outside Pero Antic'. Their bench is crucial for them to pull off an upset even though they're the #1 seed. The Cavs have plenty of bench players and role-players that have reached their seasonal peak at the right time including Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith, Dellavedova and James Jones. It's an uphill battle for Mike Budenholzer.

Key Match-up To Watch: Tristan Thompson vs. Paul Millsap.

Tristan Thompson is a robot programmed by Lebron to grab offensive rebounds and do nothing else. If he can beat out Paul Millsap for boards and keep him out of the paint, this series could get ugly fast.

My Pick: Cavaliers in 7.


MY FINALS PICK AT THE MOMENT: Cavaliers over Warriors in 6! 

Thanks to the Clippers imploding, only 50% of my Finals prediction is still alive and I'll stand by that team as they continue to improve and even though it seems crazy to say now, I'll take them over Golden State in a best-of-7 series.

More game sevens please and thank you!

MLB's First Month All-Stars

Even though it's completely ridiculous to waste any time voting for all-stars based off of one month, I do it every year just to keep up on who might end up in Cincinnati for the July 14th game.
With all that said, here's my April all-star ballot based off of me overreacting to one month of baseball games.

AL Roster

Catcher: Stephen Vogt (Oakland Athletics) - Vogt for Stephen Vote or something like that. .358 batting averages and 7 homers will lock you into those juicy first-month votes, especially at the weakest offensive position (Catcher). Honorable Mention: Salvador Perez (Kansas City Royals) - The Royals backstop is batting over .300 with solid production in all of the other flashy offensive statistics plus, he's a superior defender to Vogt and coming off of a World Series will always inflate a player's vote total.

First Baseman: Miguel Cabrera (Detroit Tigers) - If someone has an on-base percentage over .400, chances are they are an All-Star. If that same person is playing the best offensive game of any player at his position and has a reputation of doing that for years, like Miguel Cabrera, then he's a lock for the All-Star Game. Honorable Mention: Prince Fielder (Texas Rangers) - The strongest Comeback Player of the Year candidate, Fielder has become the player Texas wished he would be last year before he injured himself and lost 4-5 months. Fielder's .354 average isn't digging Texas out of last place in the AL West but, it certainly is not hurting them.

Second Baseman: Jose Altuve (Houston Astros) - After winning the batting title in 2014 with 225 hits and a .341 batting average, the 5'6'' Altuve is on pace for even better statistics this year. He's becoming an annual lock for the mid-summer classic before our very eyes and is vital to Houston's success this year. Honorable Mention: Devon Travis (Toronto Blue Jays) - Acquired this off-season from Detroit for Anthony Gose, Travis has made his presence known with a position-leading 7 home runs and is the strongest AL Rookie of the Year candidate thus far. Time will tell if he can keep batting .309 but, the power seems very real and he should challenge 25 homers at least.

Third Baseman: Josh Donaldson (Toronto Blue Jays) - It's surprising to see Toronto's consistent stars like Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista struggle to start the season on a good note while Travis and Josh Donaldson take over the reigns as the new stars of Canadian baseball in their first seasons in Toronto. Donaldson, so far, is the only 3rd Baseman to keep a nice batting average along with his power (.303-6) and is not quite an AL MVP candidate yet (as I called this preseason) but, he is still playing better than any Blue Jay and that is impressive. Honorable Mention: Mike Moustakas (Kansas City Royals) - Moose Tacos are in season as Mike Moustakas has pulled off the first nice April of his career. A consistently-bad starter, Moustakas has saved his job for a couple of months by batting above .300 instead of below the Mendoza line. 

Shortstop: Jose Iglesias (Detroit Tigers) - Where did this come from? Known for his defense and not his offense, Iglesias has been flashing his glove AND bat throughout the month of April with an impressive .354 batting average that would call for him to go up in the order in lesser lineups but, this is the land of Miguel Cabrera and Yoenis Cespedes and a small sample size from Iglesias is just an added bonus, not the focus of the entire team's offense. Honorable Mention: Jed Lowrie (Houston Astros) - Another former Red Sox Shortstop, Lowrie is off to a good start with his strongest (4 homers) start to a season yet with his typically good defense still in tact and a .300 average to really nail home his early All-Star case.

(Tommy Gilligan, USA TODAY Sports)
OF Adam Jones, Orioles

Outfielders: Adam Jones (Baltimore Orioles), Mike Trout (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) and Hanley Ramirez (Boston Red Sox)

Amid all the turmoil happening in Baltimore, Adam Jones has been the one thing to come out of that city this year that has been super positive. Jones is playing like he's coming for Mike Trout's throne as the AL MVP. Leading the race for the batting title (.396), Jones has performed exceedingly well in all categories and has not shown any signs of slowing down through the first week of May.

Mike Trout is, once again, still Mike Trout.

Hanley Ramirez's transition to the Outfield has worked unbelievably well as he has only recorded one error and has taken total advantage of the batter-friendly Fenway Park with 10 home runs (2nd in MLB). He did suffer a sprained left shoulder recently however, and it has yet to be seen if he can keep up his gaudiest power numbers yet in his decade-long career.

Honorable Mentions: Josh Reddick (Oakland Athletics), Jake Marisnick (Houston Astros) and Michael Brantley (Cleveland Indians)

Designated Hitter (AL-only): Nelson Cruz (Seattle Mariners) - Duhhh. .326-14-26 is the most impressive stat-line for any American League batter so far this young season and it would take a miracle (or an injury) to knock him out of the All-Star Game already. Honorable Mention: Kendrys Morales (Kansas City Royals) - The former Mariners' DH is playing his best baseball since he stepped on home plate and tore his ACL many years ago.

NL Roster

Catcher: Derek Norris (San Diego Padres) - A slightly controversial choice as A.J. Pierzynski has the better stats but, with less at-bats. I chose Norris because he's played the most time at the Catcher position among all the Catchers in the majors and he's still batting .310 and knocking runs in (16 to be exact). Honorable Mention: A.J. Pierzynski (Atlanta Braves) - After stealing the job from prospect Christian Bethancourt, Pierzynski has played out of his mind with a .344 batting average and keeping Atlanta afloat despite a terrible roster.

First Baseman: Adrian Gonzalez (Los Angeles Dodgers) - One of two players (the other being Bryce Harper) to hit three home runs in a game this season, Gonzalez has displayed his power often this April and is proving to fans that his dip in power numbers since leaving San Diego are nothing to become concerned with. Honorable Mention: Paul Goldschmidt (Arizona Diamondbacks) - Even with all of Arizona's problems, Paul Goldschmidt is still playing like the top-3 First Baseman we have come to expect every year. 

Second Baseman: Dee Gordon (Miami Marlins) - Apparently Gordon's 2014 season was no fluke. The Major League leader in batting average through May 6th (.422) is really coming back to bite fantasy owners who passed him up for the just-as-speedy likes of Billy Hamilton. Gordon does not have any power but 12 stolen bases and 11 RBI's are enough proof that his presence can majorly enhance a lineup's production. Honorable Mention: DJ LeMahieu (Colorado Rockies) - A similar player to Jose Iglesias in the fact that neither showed much potential on offense while both were outstanding defenders, LeMahieu must have an extra long bat or something because his .392 batting average is ridiculous, even by Coors Field standards.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
3B Matt Carpenter, Cardinals

Third Baseman: Matt Carpenter (St. Louis Cardinals) - Matt Carpenter has never been as aggressive of a hitter as he has been so far in 2015. He is on pace for career highs in every major category and, as always, is a run-scoring machine. His defense might not be as flashy as the honorable mention at his position but, he is also an effective third baseman defensively. Watch out for him if his power numbers keep up. Honorable Mention: Nolan Arenado (Colorado Rockies) - Arenado is probably the Platinum Glove winner so far this season (the award handed out to the best defensive player at any position in all of baseball) and his batting is still supremely impressive on it's own. 

Shortstop: Adeiny Hechavarria (Miami Marlins) - Pronounced carefully, this Miami Shortstop is one of the most underrated defensive players in the sport. The one negative to his game previously was that he never hit like the potential he showed in his cup of coffee with Toronto in 2012. This year, he is starting to show some of the potential from his Toronto days again, batting .310 with two home runs and 16 RBI. He will almost certainly fall off at some point but, what if he doesn't and becomes a slower Dee Gordon instead? Honorable Mention: Zack Cozart (Cincinnati Reds) - I have to dig pretty deep for an NL Shortstop with good production outside of Starlin Castro and Hechavarria.

Outfielders: Bryce Harper (Washington Nationals), Giancarlo Stanton (Miami Marlins) and Juan Lagares (New York Mets)

It is time. We have all been hearing about how great Bryce Harper is supposed to be since he was sixteen years old and despite flashes, he never quite broke out of his above-average shell. Voted as the most overrated player in baseball by his pears at the beginning of the season, Harper has fed on all of the world's hatred and it has fueled him into becoming a worthy (unlike his previous appearances) All-Star.

After being struck in the face by a Mike Fiers fastball, many fans wondered how Giancarlo Stanton would recover and if he would return to the constant 40-homer threat he had been. On pace for around 35-40 home runs, Stanton is adjusting just fine to his new batting helmet and should be representing the National League come July if he keeps this up.

Juan Lagares does not have much of a fair chance at the All-Star Game with "sexier" votes like Matt Holliday and Matt Kemp being candidates for the same position. Lagares has no power (a disadvantage from a fan-vote perspective) and the main reason I chose him is his superior defense to any of the other National League Outfielders (might not have been the case had Carlos Gomez stayed healthy). The .311 average after 106 at-bats does not hurt his case for my vote either.

Honorable Mentions: Matt Holliday (St. Louis Cardinals), Justin Upton (San Diego Padres) and Charlie Blackmon (Colorado Rockies)

In case you were wondering if I have any biases, here are the players that are on my "Soler System" fantasy team that I try hard not to gush over...

Catchers - Russell Martin, Wilson Ramos, Mike Zunino

1st Basemen - Paul Goldschmidt, Victor Martinez, Lucas Duda, Mike Napoli

2nd Basemen - Daniel Murphy, Jason Kipnis, Scooter Gennett

3rd Basemen - Matt Carpenter, Manny Machado, Miguel Sano

Shortstops - Starlin Castro and Brandon Crawford

Outfielders - Yasiel Puig, Jorge Soler, Kole Calhoun, Starling Marte', Ryan Braun, Marlon Byrd

Starting Pitchers - Clayton Kershaw, Matt Harvey, Michael Pineda, Michael Wacha, Mat Latos, Drew Hutchison, Kendall Graveman

Closer - Craig Kimbrel

and please, DO NOT ask me about the rules of this overly-complicated league or why I still have Kendall Graveman after he was sent down to Triple-A. 

Lastly, I will be attending another Brewers-Twins game at Target Field next month and will have seats behind Home Plate so, I'll make sure to share some of my experiences in some form as we kick off another incredible Summer.

The 2015 NBA Playoffs: Round 2

Yesterday was awesome. You know a sports day is great when the media does not even bother to try shoving Yankees-Red Sox down our throats even though they're playing a series this weekend. Mayweather vs. Pacquiao lived up to my hype and pretty much no one else's so, the viking funeral we held for the sport of boxing last night was apparently appropriate. The NFL draft concluded with it's third day (which was weirdly more interesting than the first round). I picked the right horse in the Kentucky Derby! and most importantly, my championship pick was eliminated thanks to an instantly classic game seven. I was up until 3 AM. I apologize for the delay in this post but, I'm glad we could at least reach an understanding.

Source: ESPN
Mike Conley will need to be fully recovered from his facial fracture in order for Memphis to have any chance.

#1 Golden State Warriors v. #5 Memphis Grizzlies
I'm done looking stupid on the Warriors. They were 67-15 in the regular season and there is almost no stopping them. The Warriors shooting is almost as unbelievable as some of the stunts pulled in The Expendables franchise (Schwarzenegger just tore the door off the car!!!). Memphis is the one team that match Golden State defensively in the western conference but, they are very inconsistent offensively. Jeff Green looked alright in the first round but, Mike Conley suffered a facial injury and will probably still be swollen and he'll play less aggressively in game one. Memphis is really going to need Beno Udrih to add the fire he had against Portland.

Key Match-up To Watch: Tony Allen vs. Draymond Green.

The two best non-big defenders in the league. There's not a whole lot else to say about that.

My Pick: Warriors in 5.

AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo
This could be the breakout series for Terrence Jones, guarding Blake Griffin.

#2 Houston Rockets v. #3 Los Angeles Clippers
Who is going to get more calls? It's a series that will be decided by free throws and the Hack-a-whoever strategy. Don't groan about that either, it's actually more exciting when players have a 50/50 or 30/70 chance of putting the ball in the basket with all the pressure in the world on them. James Harden is playing very well but, I feel we are all not appreciating the talented players Daryl Morey has placed alongside him. Terrence Jones has been inconsistent but, when he's on fire... he's on FIRE. Josh Smith has revitalized his career thanks to his role off the bench and the coaching of Kevin McHale. Even Jason Terry and Clint Capela have gotten big minutes out of these playoffs and (surprise, surprise) they're playing good! The Clippers bench was terrible during the regular season and they did just barely enough to knock out San Antonio in 7 on a last second shot from Chris Paul. This is bound to be another terrific series if everyone can stay healthy and the Clippers bench doesn't play too well.

Key Match-up To Watch: Dwight Howard vs. DeAndre Jordan.

They will both be fouled a lot and the battle for rebounds will be fought mightily. If Dwight can average 13.8 rebounds per game again, Houston will win. If DeAndre can average 15.0 per game as he did in the regular season, the Clippers will win. It'll probably change from game-to-game who dominates in the paint but, everyone needs to pay attention to this match-up.

My Pick: I'm reverting back to my preseason choice, Clippers in 6.

Getty Images
DeMarre Carroll has emerged as a player that could create havoc for Paul Pierce in the second round.

#1 Atlanta Hawks v. #5 Washington Wizards
Originally in this series, I had picked the Wizards in 7 but that would include Randy Wittman out-coaching Mike Budenholzer and that has never happened in any alternate universe or the one that we live in, that's how improbable that is. The Wizards swept the Raptors proving that the USA is better than Canada at basketball and the Hawks had trouble early on but woke up in games 5 and 6 and defeated the Brooklyn Nets in 6. In the first round, it became apparent that neither of these teams were going to be able to play the way they did in the regular season, resulting in DeMarre Carroll and Paul Pierce bursting out of their shells and becoming two of the most efficient players in the playoffs. One problem in Atlanta is that none of their players outside of Carroll seem to be at 100% health and that could be a problem against the constant speed of John Wall, the healthy big men Nene and Gortat and the outside shooting of Beal and Pierce. Atlanta always seems to find a way to win but, even they might need to come up with a new way to win in this series (more Pero Antic'!)

Key Match-up To Watch: John Wall vs. Jeff Teague.

Jeff Teague is not at 100% health (nobody is really) and might have an unusual amount of trouble guarding John Wall. Wall is one of the fastest players in the NBA and if Teague starts to show any sign of limping, coach Budenholzer will need to take him out for Dennis Schroder.

My Pick: Hawks in 7.

Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Without Kevin Love, the Cavs will rely even heavier on Kyrie Irving.

#2 Cleveland Cavaliers v. #3 Chicago Bulls
THIS IS THE SERIES WE'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR. Of course, the basketball gods would not let every player stay healthy for this series and that's why Kelly Olynyk decided to sacrifice Kevin Love's arm in exchange for a full series of Derrick Rose. Kevin Love will have to replaced with Tristan Thompson and a bunch of washed up three-point shooters like Mike Miller, James Jones and maybe Shawn Marion. The Bulls are clearly better off of a two-day rest as opposed to the one-day rests that "cost" them games 4 & 5 versus the Bucks in round one. The Cavaliers went ahead and swept the Celtics as everybody knew they would (don't try tricking yourself out of it, Celtic fans). Kyrie Irving's first ever transition to playoff basketball went over incredibly well and now he gets to face his first REAL challenge against the D-Rose & Jimmy Butler-led Bulls. The series is unpredictable as a whole and I think we're all anxious for a game seven between these two.

Key Match-up To Watch: Tristan Thompson vs. Pau Gasol.

Thompson dominated the Celtics with his offensive rebounding and really has no other skills but, with his energy and rebounding abilities, he will create real havoc for Pau Gasol. It might be inconsistent at times but, how much Thompson and Timofey Mozgov beat out Pau and Joakim Noah for a rebound or how often they force a bad shot or get a block will decide a few of the games in this series.

My Pick: Bulls in 7. Jimmy Butler is a star and could be better than Rose would have been had he stayed healthy all these years.

MY FINALS PICK AT THE MOMENT: I'm reverting to my preseason call of "This is the Clippers year" and saying Clippers over Bulls in 7. 

I really have no idea anymore.

I hope you enjoy the second round of the playoffs and may all the series' go to game sevens!