Yankees: Opening Day- By Ryan J. Murphy

I just wanted to write a column on what I think the Yankees batting order and pitching rotation will be on opening day, and what I think it should be.

Most likely will be:

1. Derek Jeter, SS

2. Curtis Granderson, CF

3. Robison Cano, 2B

4. Alex Rodriquez, 3B

5. Mark Teixeira, 1B

6. Nick Swisher, RF

7. Russell Martin, C

8. Raul Ibanez, DH

9. Brett Gardner, LF

C.C. Sabathia

Michael Pineda

Hiroki Kuroda

Ivan Nova

Freddy Garcia

What I think it should be:

1. Derek Jeter

2. Curtis Granderson

3. Robinson Cano

4. Mark Teixeira

5. Alex Rodriquez

6. Nick Swisher

7. Raul Ibanez

8. Russell Martin

9. Brett Gardner

I think the pitching rotation looks strong and balanced just the way it is predicted to be. I think A-Rod should be hitting 5^th, because that will only help take the pressure off him, hopefully producing more RBI’s and home runs from him. Cano is the best hitter in the lineup now, and is their man going forward. Granderson, although, will be a force for the Yanks for years to come as well. Teixeira is too inconsistent and has too low of an average to carry them. Ibanez should be hitting before Martin because Ibanez is not only left handed (good because Yankee Stadium’s short right field fence will help him), but because he’s more consistent then Martin, and has a better average.

What do you think?

New York... Greatest Sports City? - By Ryan J. Murphy

New York City

New York teams have won a collective total of 52 championships, and there isn’t even a close second. Boston has 34, Chicago 27, Los Angeles and Detroit 22, Philadelphia 17, Pittsburgh 14, and so on. Of course, the Yankees have a lot to do with this, winning 27 World Series titles, which is almost as much as Boston has collective titles. The Mets have 2 World Series wins, and the old Giants and Dodgers have a combined total of 5. The Jets won 1, and the Giants 7 NFL titles total, 3 Super Bowls. The Rangers and the Islanders have combined for 8 total, 4 each.

Boston fans can complain all they want about how New York has more sports teams, therefore equaling more championships, but the facts are simple. The Yankees (27), New York Football Giants (7 total), Knicks (2), and Rangers (4), equal 40. So if you compare 4 New York teams to 4 Boston teams, New York still has more.

New York and Detroit are the only two cities to have had three teams win championships in their respective sports in the same year. The Detroit Lions, Tigers, and Red Wings did it in 1935-36. The New York Jets, Knicks, and “Miracle” Mets all won in 1969-70. The Philadelphia Eagles, Phillies, Flyers, and 76ers, all went to their respective championship games in the same year, 1981, being the first city to ever do so, but the only team to win were the Phillies. Never has one city had 4 teams win their respective championships in the same year, and this could be the first year it happens.

The Giants have already won the Super Bowl, so were one step closer. The Rangers look very hot this season, and can make a good run at a Stanley Cup win. The Yankees are basically good every year, and I don’t see why they wont make another run this year at a World Series win. Then there is the Knicks. I believe the Knicks do have a shot at winning the NBA finals with their new star Jeremy Lin and company, but they need to surpass the Heat, Bulls, Thunder, Spurs, and others who could potentially beat them in the playoffs or the Finals. There is a chance that New York could win 3 championships this year, potentially 4, although I cant see the Knicks getting over the hump this year.

New York is just a “Linning” city. All they do is “Lin.” I think it is pretty “Lincredible” and “Linsane.”

Is New York the best sports city ever? Will New York teams all win championships in their respective sports, becoming the first city to ever do so? What are your thoughts?

Range Rover Evoque- By Ryan J. Murphy

Range Rover Evoque

I realize that I am mainly writing about sports, but beautiful luxury cars have always fascinated me. This morning, while watching Mike and Mike in the Morning on ESPN, I saw a commercial for the new Range Rover Evoque. The new design looked very cool and sleek. I wanted to blog a little bit about it.

Range Rover’s manufacturer is Land Rover, whose parent company is Jaguar Land Rover. With just that being said, you know you’re talking about a luxury car. These types of cars are assembled in Halewood, England. The Range Rover Evoque is considered an SUV, and its concept is LRX. The LRX concept retains the nice features and off-road capabilities of a Range Rover, but is also fuel effiecient, which in this day in age is important. The interior is intended to stay true to Range Rover, and is very luxurious. It has a sun roof, and touch screen entertainment system. The Evoque has a lot of different interior choices, 12 to be exact, while wood and/or metal can be chosen. It has 12 different exterior colors as well, and has 3 contrasting roof choices. The Evoque is equipped with 4-wheel drive and a system that maximizes traction in a lot of different conditions. It can be built as a 3 or 5 door SUV. The MPG for this vehicle is 19 city, 29 highway, which is very good for an SUV, especially a luxury SUV. The starting value for the Evoque is $43,995.

I put a few interior images on the bottom of this page. To see all exterior colors, here is a link to the Evoque on cars.com:

Range Rover Evoque on cars.com

Click the “Add Colors” tab, then select the color you’d like to view. Personally, my favorite colors on the Evoque are Firenze Red and Fiji White.

What are your thoughts on this new SUV by Land Rover?

MLB Off-Season- A Lot of Change- By Ryan J. Murphy

With Major League Baseball’s Spring Training upon us, there have been many changes throughout the league that I’d like to point out. While many superstar caliber players have signed with new teams, which I will discuss, what intrigues me the most is the new logos/uniforms for 3 teams in the MLB.

World Series champion Albert Pujols was the best free agent this off-season. As much as I wish the Yankees signed him, to DH, he signed with the Los Angeles Angles. Although saddened he isn’t a Yankee, I still think that is a good fit for him. Prince Fielder, the Home Run Derby winner from 2009, formerly with the Milwaukee Brewers, signed with the Detroit Tigers, which I believe is another good fit, and now makes their batting order very dangerous, since they also have a slugger in Miguel Cabrera. As a Yankee fan, this makes me wonder how well they will compete with these teams in the American League, considering they look very, very good. The Mets got rid of their star shortstop Jose Reyes too, as he joined the Miami Marlins, formerly the Florida Marlins. There were also some decent pitchers on the move as well, but none worth noting.

The Red Sox hired a new manager in Bobby Valentine. They re-signed “Big Papi” David Ortiz, for $14.575 million. Tim Wakefield also retired, and their pitching rotation looks weaker than the Yankees and the Rays. They should have a pretty good season this year, as long as they don’t collapse down the stretch.

Chances of the Boston Red Sox making the playoffs: 6 out of 10.

The Yankees acquired Michael Pineda, a pitcher from the Seattle Mariners, who is supposedly pretty good. They gave up their good young hitting catcher, Jesus Montero. They also recently signed much needed left handed hitter Raul Ibanez, formerly with the Phillies, to be the DH. The Yankees also have agreed to trade A.J. Burnett to the Pirates in exchange for prospects, but this deal is being finalized as I write this. Whatever the Yankees do, I hope they don’t get rid of Nick Swisher. Not only is he my favorite player, but also he is a leader in the clubhouse, and once Jeter has retired, they will sure need Swish for that role.

Chances of the New York Yankees making the playoffs: 8 out of 10.

As for the Mets… who cares? They really don’t have a realistic shot this year anyways, nor do they have the big money to bring in star players. Give it about 10 years, and they might make something happen. I don’t dislike the Mets, in fact I dislike the Red Sox much more, but the Mets have looked so bad recently they aren’t even worth discussing. I went to Citi Field last summer, to watch them play the Brewers, and Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder destroyed their pitching… honestly, they looked awful.

Chances of the New York Mets making the playoffs: 0 out of 10. Sorry Mets fans, I just don’t see it happening.

Final notes: the Miami Marlins, Baltimore Orioles, and Toronto Blue Jays all changed their logos and uniforms. The Marlins uniforms have a new, unique look, while the Blue Jays and Orioles uniforms look a lot like throwback uniforms. Images are provided at the bottom. The Miami Marlins even built a swimming pool in their new stadium, which overlooks the bullpen, and you can also watch the game while in the pool. If Yankee Stadium had that, I would no doubt be a season ticket holder!!

What are your off-season thoughts about free agent signings, how teams are looking at this time, chances local favorite teams make the playoffs, and the new designs of teams logos/uniforms?

(Baltimore Orioles)

(Miami Marlins)

(Toronto Blue Jays)

“I Will Be Taking My Talents To…" Cleveland?– By Ryan J. Murphy

LeBron James

During the free agency period in 2010, LeBron James decidedto leave the Cleveland Cavaliers and “take his talents to South Beach,” to playwith Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. When he made this announcement he would bejoining the Heat, the loyal Cavaliers fans rioted. The fans even burned their LeBronJames’ jerseys. He did a television special letting the world know of hischoice to join the Heat, which really blew the entire situation out ofproportion. Last season, the return to Cleveland to play the Cavaliers was muchanticipated. It was the first time Cleveland fans saw LeBron in a differentjersey up close. They booed him like crazy. The Heat ended up putting the hurton the Cavs, winning the game 118-90.

Recently in an interview, James was asked about playing inCleveland again, and said, “I think it would be great, it would be fun to playin front of these fans again. You can’t predict the future… If I decide to comeback hopefully the fans will accept me.” The fans in Cleveland have mixedemotions about “King James’” comments. One very disgusted fan said, “LeBron cango to h*ll,” while others are forgiving him since it’s been a year and a halfnow. He signed a 6-year deal worth $110 million in 2010. So by the time James’contract is up, I think he’ll have matured, and therefore a return to the Cavscould be possible. It’s about 4 and a half years away, and fans will mostlikely have gotten over his betrayal of them, and welcome him back.

How do you think Cleveland Cavalier fans would feel ifLeBron decided to return in the future?

Peyton Manning's Future- By Ryan J. Murphy

Peyton Manning wearing possible uniforms for 2012

So as you all probably know by now, there is a lot of drama surrounding Peyton Manning and his future. After his 3, and apparently now 4, neck surgeries, he was unable to play in this year’s NFL season. Without his presence on the field, the Indianapolis Colts fell to the NFL’s worse record, 2-14, and now have the first pick in the NFL draft. It has been stated for the past few months that the Colts will use their first pick to draft Stanford quarterback, Andrew Luck. So… the Colts have a decision to make. Do they draft Luck, and keep Manning, which will amount to around $50 million, paying 2 quarterbacks? Do they pass on drafting Andrew Luck, in hopes that Manning is 100% healthy to play next year? Peyton Manning’s doctors have deemed that he is healthy enough to play football, while others claim he can’t even grip a football. This puts the Colts in a very risky predicament. Or finally, do the Colts draft Luck, and cut their long time franchise quarterback Peyton Manning?

In my opinion, the answer is simple. Plan for the future. You have to part ways with Manning, start fresh, and build around the #1 draft pick Andrew Luck. This is the scenario that is most likely to happen, meaning Peyton Manning is without a team for the 2012 season. There are many teams in the NFL that are in dire need of an answer at the quarterback position. The 35-year-old Manning could still put in another good 3 years or so, assuming he is healthy. Manning said he’d like to retire as a Colt, but again, it’s very unlikely to happen. So… that being said, whom does he sign with in 2012? Teams like the Jets, 49ers, Seahawks, and Browns are all possibilities, but not very logical. Many New York Jets fans would love to see Manning replace current QB Mark Sanchez. This would mean we would get to see Peyton Manning and the Jets play Tom Brady and the Patriots at least twice a season. This would also mean Peyton and Eli Manning would share the big bad city, which would be quite a story, although I don’t see the Jets taking a chance on Manning, after the Brett Favre debacle a few years ago. This leaves 3 more realistic options. The Miami Dolphins, the Arizona Cardinals, and the Washington Redskins. The Dolphins just signed former Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin, to be their head coach. I believe Matt Flynn, the Packers back-up QB, will sign a contract with Miami. This leaves the Redskins and Cardinals. I think the Redskins will look at signing Flynn, but ultimately end up drafting Robert Griffin III, in the NFL draft in April. That leaves one team, the Cardinals. If Manning does join the Cardinals, he’ll find a familiar face there, because they hired Manning’s old quarterbacks coach, Frank Reich. Imagine Peyton Manning throwing the ball to Larry Fitzgerald, one of the top receivers in the NFL today. In my eyes, this is the most realistic fit for Peyton. Although I wouldn’t be surprised to see him end up in Washington or Miami, I think it’ll be with the Arizona Cardinals.

What do you think the Colts should do? Should they keep Peyton Manning? Or should they draft Andrew Luck, and cut Manning? If the Colts do cut Manning, what city do you think he’ll end up playing in during the 2012 NFL season?

Lin-Sanity compared to Tebow-Mania- By Ryan J. Murphy

"Lin-Sanity"

Jeremy Lin has taken the sports world by surprise in the last week and a half, breaking Shaquille O’Neil’s record of most points scored in his first 5 games in the NBA. This story is the most talked about story in sports right now, and it’s easy to see why. The Knicks as a team haven’t been this intriguing to watch for a while now. ESPN cannot stop taking about Lin-Sanity. But is all the hype about Jeremy Lin comparable to that of Tebow- Mania? I say yes, and here’s why…

Tim Tebow was arguably the best player to grace a college football field, where as Lin wasn’t even known in college. In fact, he wasn’t even known 2 weeks ago. The hype is very similar, in that both players have become very popular very quickly, and even the general public knows who each player is. Although, when it comes to their respective sports, you can’t compare these athletes statistically. Lin is dominating, scoring points and leading the Knicks to victory, whereas Tebow has lead the Broncos to victory on numerous occasions, but looks horrendous doing it. Indeed they are both winners, but not comparable statistics wise. Jeremy Lin is a better passer than Tim Tebow (yes, I made a Tebow joke). I think the Lin story is much more comparable to that of Kurt Warner’s story, where he came from practically nothing, hit the field, and became a star. The publicity and hype that is surrounding Lin is like what Tebow got during last season, and are easily comparable, but I don’t think their individual stories as athletes can be compared.

What are your thoughts?