Top 10 Athletes: According to Vineesh

Today in sports, there are so many stand out athletes that are out to make a name for them selves, and not to live in shadows of other stars that once were in their shoes. Recently, I have been thinking about my favorite professional athletes, and those that are most dominant in their sports. Some of these athletes are known all around the world, and others are under the radar. None the less, these athletes play the game hard, and are well respected for what they do. Here are my top 10 athletes of today:

10) Albert Pujols-the most consistant hitter in baseball over the past 5 years

9) Larry Fitzgerald- best reciever in the NFL, at this point in time

8) Alexander Ovechkin- most overlooked young athlete in the world

7) Usain Bolt- fastest man ever
6) Rafeal Nadal- the changing ofthe guards became official in my eyes at the Ausie Open

5) Cristiano Ronaldo- footballer of the year

4) LeBron James-52, 9, 11 at the garden...

3) Tiger Woods- though injured, he will in 4 majors this year

2) Micheal Phelps- knows how to win, and party with college kids

1) Kobe Bryant-KOBE

A Little Bit of Everything

This is a busy time in the world of sports. The Superbowl is less than 2 weeks away, the NHL and NBA are midway through the season, and baseball season is right around the corner. There's a few things that I want to bring up. The first being the World Baseball Classic.



I didn't really get into the 2006 WBC but I am excited for this one. The rosters aren't fully set, but I already feel that the Dominican Republic is going to be the team to beat. Their lineup is going to be unstoppable. Players who have already agreed to play for Dominican are Alfonso Soriano, Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, Vlad Guerrero, David Ortiz, and Robinson Cano. I don't think any pitcher on the planet wants to see those guys all in a row. I could care less about their pitching, which I'm sure is great too, but this lineup alone is enough for them to dominate.

With the NHL's All Star break this weekend, theres many things to discuss about the first half of the season. The Sharks and Bruins lead their Conferences but I feel the best team in the league is the Detroit Red Wings. They're keeping pace with San Jose and are only 3 points behind. This team has a great chance to win back to back Stanley Cups. In the East Boston has been ahead of everyone the whole season but look out for the Washington Capitals and the New Jersey Devils. Alexander Ovechkin is flat out the best player in the league and he can take this team deep into the playoffs. The Devils are almost fully healthy and can jump into first place in the Atlantic Division with a game at hand with a win Wednesday before the break. When Marty Brodeur comes back, this team is going to be dangerous.

There have been many surprises so far in the NBA. Although the Celtics are still an elite team, they came back down to Earth and other teams are now finding out how to beat them. I still think the Cavs will be champions after the season and as long as they are healthy I feel like the Spurs can make a run through the West. LeBron is the favorite for MVP but in last night's matchup between the Cavs and Lakers, Kobe Bryant showed me he should not be forgotten about. Kobe played great defense on LeBron and got the job done offensively, all while playing with a dislocated finger in his shooting hand. This is what I like to see in players and it's nice to see a NBA player not cry like they all do. The Knicks have clearly made improvements and Mike D' Antoni is doing a great job. David Lee is a beast, and if this team can go on a run in the near future, the Knicks could possibly be in position for a playoff spot in the weak Eastern Conference.

I just wanted to get some stuff out there because there is a lot going on and needed to be talked about. I'm pretty pumped for the next couple of weeks in sports. It's a big time of the year.

Let's Not Start That Again

With the close of baseball season, comes as it always does, the MVP debate. Yes, Rookie of the Year, Cy Young, Manager of the Year and the Gold Gloves inspire debate amongst fans. However, every year there seems to be a heated battle for MVP in one league or another. This year pits Ryan Howard vs. Albert Pujols, but let's give it some history before we delve into this one.

In '06, Howard and Pujols went 1 on 1 for the award and Howard won it, riding the coat-tails of his fabolous finish that carried the Phillies to a near playoff miss at the hands of the tough NL East. Shortly after, Pujols held a press conference to complain about the injustice of the award because his Cardinals made the playoffs and that should be all that matters. Pujols hit an astounding .331 with 49 HRs and 137 RBIs. But, he lost to Howard's .313 with 58 and 149. The award came down to the writer's rewarding Howard for his late surge when it mattered most. Also, Pujols won the award in 2005, a year earlier. This shouldn't matter, but you have to think that played a part in the process.

Now in '08, the tables turned. Pujols' team missed the playoffs despite his other-worldly numbers and Ryan Howard's made the playoffs off another of his summer surges. Not to mention the fact that they went on to win the World Series! Pujols posted a dominant .357/37/116 (coupled with a year long elbow injury) and Howard hit .251/48/146. And this year, Pujols won and was a 17-7 favorite over Howard as voted by ESPN's experts. The Cardinals finished 5 games out of the wild card. When Howard won it, the Phils were 3 games off the wild card when the season ended. That's not a large disparity, but that's not mentioning Pujols' own complaining when he lost to a man whose team wasn't playoff bound.

I can't fight the feeling that the writer's tried to be fair and give Pujols the award now that things are the opposite. Also, not many people outside of Philadelphia are too crazy about the idea of three straight Phillies MVPs. However, in the end, Ryan Howard and the World Champion Phillies won the bigger prize. And being a Phillies fan, I should be counting my blessings and not complaining. There will be a post about the champs soon and seeing as I attended the clinching win, there should be plenty to talk about.