The National League All-Stars Vs. The American League All-Stars

2011 All-Star Game

Depending on what league one’s favorite team plays in, is the league one would probably be rooting for to win the 2011 All-Star Game. But for those who follow Major League Baseball’s Annual All-Star game might have the mentality of why am I going to watch the game, when the American League will win it. These “skeptics,” if one can call them that have a legitimate reason to think that way. In the last 15 years, the American League has won 12 times while the National League only won twice and the other ending in a tie in 2002.  To break it down further, the wins of the National League came in July 9, 1996 and in July 13, 2010. During the National League’s hibernation, the American League amassed 5 straight victories (1997-2001). In 2002, Bud Selig called the game a tie because both leagues had used up all their substitute players, leaving no one available to come in to pitch in relief. Consequently, the game was called a tie by the Commissioner. Then the next 7 years, the American League continued their dominance over the National League until 2010 when the National League finally defeated a foe that has been an annual headache for them. However, for the more polished fan that has a historical knowledge of the All-Star Game knows that the National League still dominates the American League (41-38). For example, from 1960 till 1982, the National League won an astonishing 23 times whereas the American League won only twice in 1971 (from 1960 to 1962, there were two All-Star games played each year). Throughout this span, there was also a tie in 1961 due to rain. So, how will the 2011 All-Star Game pan out?

National League

The National League (NL) is coached by the Manager of the World Series Champion - San Francisco Giants - Bruce Bochy. The players selected from the World Series Champions are Tim “The Freak” Lincecum, Matt Cain, Brian “Fear The Beard” Wilson, Pablo “Panda” Sandoval, and Ryan Vogelsong. “The Giants will have five All-Stars for the first time since 1966, when they sent six in an era of 10-team leagues. They were Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Jim Ray Hart, Tom Haller, Gaylord Perry and Juan Marichal” (Henry Schulman of SF Gate, Pablo Sandoval Named by Bochy to All-Star Team). However, none of them are starting the All-Star game.

As for the NL starters of the 2011 Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star Game, they are as follow: The starting pitcher is no other but “Doc” Halladay aka Roy Halladay of the Philadelphia Phillies. "When you talk about the best, this guy is at the top," Bochy said of Halladay. His infielders are – Prince Fielder at 1^st base, Rickie Weeks at 2^nd base, Troy Tulowitzki at short-stop (SS) and Scott Rolen at 3^rd base. As for Halladay’s outfielders, they are – Matt Holiday at Left Field, Matt Kemp at Center Field and Lance Berkman at Right Field and the Designator Hitter (DH) is Carlos Beltran. The man behind the plate catching for the “Doc” is Brian McCann. Will this 1^st team be good enough to make it 2 consecutive victories over the American League?

American League

The American League (AL) is coached by the manager of the World Series Runner-Ups - Texas Rangers - Ron Washington. The players selected from the World Series Runner-Ups are C.J Wilson, Adrian Beltre, Michael Young, Alexi Ogando, and Josh Hamilton. The difference between the Texas Ranger’s player selection and that of the World Series Champions player selection is that the Rangers have two starters – Josh Hamilton and Adrian Beltre, whereas the San Francisco Giants have none.

As for the AL starters of the 2011 Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star Game, they are as follow: The starting pitcher is Jared Weaver of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Jared Weaver got the nod to start because Justin Verlander and James Shields are ineligible to pitch in the All-Star Game on July 12, 2011. The defense that will be supporting Jared will be nothing but stellar. At 1^st base it will be Adrian Gonzalez; at 2^nd base it will be Robinson Cano; at short-stop (SS) it will be Asdrubal Cabrera and at 3^rd base it will be Arian Beltre. The AL outfielders are the most reliable with their glove and are power hitters. At Right Field will be Jose Bautista; at Center Field is Curtis Granderson and Left Field is Josh Hamilton. The Designator Hitter (DH) is no other but “Big Papi” David Ortiz. The man behind the plate is Alex Avila. Will this be the year that the American League regains their present day reign over the NL?

This All-Star Game between the NL and AL has been played since 1933. This game also signals the half-way point of the long and grueling MLB season. MLB dedicates a whole weekend preceding the All-Star Game with festivities such as Celebrity Softball and the ever-so popular Home Run Derby.  This is not just a game for the fans but is a game that has significant value to each league. The winner of the All-Star Game will have Home Field Advantage in the World Series, which gives each league incentive to take it serious and to give 100% effort in coming out victorious. Since this incentive became permanent in 2006, 4 out of the 6 teams that won the World Series had their league come out victorious in the All-Star Game. Who will it be this year – the American League or National League? The answer lies within the team that one roots for?

Are the San Francisco Giants A Lucky or Good Team?

San Francisco Giants World Series Champions

“I don’t know how they won the 2010 World Series because they weren’t the best team in Major League Baseball (MLB) but they were the luckiest!”  - Everyone except Fans of the SF Giants

To any San Francisco Giants fan, they have heard that quote said in many different variations, in many different languages, and in good or bad grammar; but the one thing they will not have heard outright is that the San Francisco Giants won the 2010 World Series. The perpetrators of that nonsense are usually the fans of the San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers (how is that team doing financially and competitively, by the way?) and especially the Philadelphia Phillies. Not only were the fans of these teams hesitant to admit that the San Francisco Giants rightfully won the 2010 World Series Championship but they always have an example as to why they shouldn't have. The examples that these opponents to the SF Giants use to plead their case is the fact that the SF Giants were given the National League (NL) West Division from the San Diego Padres due to their end of the season meltdown. Should have the San Francisco Giants given it back?  The other popular example comes in the form of the Atlanta Brave’s second baseman Brooks Conrad and his pivotal errors. Should have the Giants returned the “errors?”  The most outlandish example is the fact that the Philadelphia Phillies team just did not show up to play in the NL Championship Series. Well than whom did the Giants Beat in the NLCS?  But every manager or coach knows that the team that always wins is the team that makes the least amount of errors and in the 2010 (end of regular season and in the post season) it was the San Francisco Giants, which is why they won the World Series Championship. So in 2011 are they still a lucky team or a good team?

The phrase that is popular among other baseball fans is “proof is in the pudding.” In the 2011 MLB season the San Francisco Giants are 39-34, a record that according to many experts and fans alike is not a record of World Champions. Well if that is not a record of World Champions, than what is? Is there a guide that says what should be the record of World Champions? Just because the record is not indicative of World Champions does not take away that they reached the pinnacle of the sport. However, many people still regard the 2010 World Series feat a fluke and they vindicate their claim through the 2011 Season, which is something silly. If that was the case than all the teams that do not repeat their championship or have a “World Champions Record” the season after, will be seen by opposing fans as a fluke. The San Francisco Giants are going through a rough patch, some may say that they go through many rough patches that champions do not go through (then they bring up the Philadelphia Phillies, whom, in recent memory, have always had great regular season records). Due to other factors that are not in the control of the whole team, the Giants are struggling to have a “Champion Team Record.”

So far in the 2011 Season, the backbone of the Giants team is not performing to their optimal level. Tim Lincecum & Matt Cain haven’t pitched like themselves since the glory days of Motley Crue, Jonathan Sanchez has more walks than a crosswalk at Times Square and on June 22, 2011, Madison Bumgarner gave up more hits in the 1^st inning to the Minnesota Twins team than a aggressive kid on soda playing Whac-A-Mole.  On top of key players not performing at high levels, the team has suffered major setbacks, in the form of injuries - Buster Posey, Freddy Sanchez, Mike Fotenot, Brandon Belt and Mark DeRosa. All players can contribute immensely to the team when healthy but when not, it’s a huge blow to the team. Although the 2011 team is the same from the World Series Champion Team with the exception of Edgar Renteria and Juan Uribe, the core has not been tampered with. The differences from last year to this year are the injuries to key players and every MLB is out to prove their worth by defeating the world champions. The one common theme between the 2010 and 2011 seasons is that San Francisco Giants Baseball is "torture."  So to say that the San Francisco Giants are a lucky team is incorrect and to say they are a good team is also incorrect but to say that they are a resilient, solid, smart, and a mentally tough team is about right. But if it has to be between lucky or good, than like Vernon Louis “Lefty” Gomez always remarked – “I’d rather be lucky than good.”

NFL & MLB Athletes Training Mixed Martial Arts

What does Baseball and American Football have in common with Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), besides the fact that they are sports? If the answer is absolutely nothing, try again. If the answer is everything, that is correct. In order for someone to get paid millions upon millions of dollars to play a kid’s sport, says a lot of the hard work of the athlete. Upon the copious amount of necessary skills that a professional athlete must possess, there are two that are the most vital to a player’s success in their respective sport. In MMA, conditioning and mental toughness are the core of the MMA fighter’s spirit, and without them, their time in the sport will be short lived. However, in order to be successful in Baseball and American Football, a player, above all, needs to have dedication and talent to have a prominent career in their respective sport. Now with MMA promotions such as the UFC/Strikeforce and Bellator gaining popularity among masses, professional athletes included, many are drawn to the many benefits. A good reason why professional athletes participate in MMA training - a monumental component of it - is to further develop their conditioning and mental toughness. After the completion of MMA training and leading to their respective season, the athletes that cross trained with MMA have had successful seasons.

Atlanta Falcons Team 

A prime example of MMA training proving successful for pro-athletes was seen in the 2010 Atlanta Falcons. Their overall record for the 2010 season was 13-3, one of their best seasons in franchise history. The whole team was introduced to MMA training prior to the 2010 season by the general manager, Thomas Dimitroff, implementing a program catered to MMA. “This was something we were comfortable with as far as conditioning but even more importantly the idea of having MMA help the players with their leverage, hand quickness, and things that could help them within the trenches taking on blocks and battling inside.” Implementing such a program proved to be an excellent idea for the organization and the fan base because the team made it to the post-season and was given the 2010 first-seed with home field advantage due to their outstanding season. A major contributor to the consistency all season long can be attributed to the mental and physical stress the players endured during training; for example, when the 4^th quarter of a highly contested game was in front of them, the players would feel fresh since MMA training made them feel as if they were there on a daily basis, and taught them to ‘push-through.’ “You get some great conditioning out of it,” Lofton has said after a workout inside the Falcons field house. “Plus, there’s a lot of carryover to what we do on the field.

Patrick Willis

Although there are many American Football players who train MMA such as Clay Mathews, Jared Allen, Mercedes Lewis, the one player that merits his own paragraph is Patrick Willis of the 5x Super Bowl Champions San Francisco 49ers.  When the name Patrick Willis is said, many people will simply refer to him as a “Beast” – a term given to anyone who performs at a higher level than their constituents in their respective craft; in this case, Patrick Willis is a “beast” in his position as Middle Linebacker. Since his inauguration into the NFL in 2007, he has been selected to the Pro-Bowl 4x, 3x NFL Linebacker of the Year, and AP Player Defensive Rookie of the Year. When he incorporated MMA training to his regime that is when Patrick Willis started to become “more human than human” and everyone started to pay him more attention. A scout stated that, "Nobody in the NFL plays their position better than Patrick Willis, and that is saying a lot." His predatory instincts and good positioning on the gridiron (American Football Field similar to a Football Pitch) goes back to his MMA training and the similarities he saw between the two sports. “I see a fight and a guy goes to grab somebody and you look at how the other guy leverages, it’s just like football,” Willis commented. “You would think a lot of times a guy that’s 250 pounds and comes in on a guy that’s 235 pounds and just de-cleat him, but if he’s got good pad leverage you’ll just ricochet off him, and that’s what happens in (MMA).”

Batter Rushing the Mound

Just like in American Football, Baseball is another sport where MMA training is flourishing for any player in different positions. “Adam Dunn of the Chicago White Sox, Brad Penny of the Detroit Tigers and Russell Martin of the Yankees have used the sport’s punches and kicks to improve their throwing and swinging.” In addition, since Baseball is known for batters rushing the pitcher especially if the batter felt it was thrown with malicious intent, the pitcher should have the confidence to defend himself from the batter. MMA fighter and coach, Dan Henderson stated “it might give Brad [Penny] a little more confidence when he’s pitching inside…And he’s prepared in case anyone rushes the mound.”

Beside the physical aspect of Baseball, each individual athlete should mentally prepare themselves for the strenuous schedule, injuries, and etc, that is the Baseball season. “In addition to improving overall fitness, Martin said, mixed martial arts can make an athlete mentally tougher.” With the long grueling season that Baseball teams are subjected to each and every year, the most important transferable skill that MMA training instills is, as what Russell Martin said, the mental toughness. Consequently, training MMA gives the player the mental capacity to overcome the injuries or days when the player isn’t feeling 100%, since they already know that nothing will compare to the training.

For those Baseball and American Football players who incorporate MMA training to their off-season workouts, will see improvements in their overall performance. Whether it shows on the stat book or in the clubhouse/sideline, the impact will be felt. Since the core of MMA training is to develop endurance and mental toughness, the benefits are usually shown at the end of the game, when most players are sluggish; but those who went through MMA training would still have their ‘fresh legs,’ meaning they will most likely be victorious. One does not like to have a liking to MMA but one does have to have respect for the training that a professional fighter endures, for that is what separates the champions from the non-champions – the training. Hence, many professional athletes participate in MMA training because they want to be champions in their respective sport. With that being said: Hard Work on 3, Hard Work on 3 - 1….2….3….HARDWORK!!

The Modern Day 'Samson'

Every sports channel, every sports blog, every sports page, the 'witch hunt' of Barry Bonds is at least mentioned. Recollecting this past decade and the accusations from the prosecution on how Barry accomplished extraordinary feats in Baseball, it reminded me of the story of Samson. Everyone knows the story of Samson and his godlike strength that lied within his hair. For those who do not know the story, here's a brief description:
Samson was born during the time of when Israelites were being oppressed by the Philistines and Angel came down to tell the parents that their son (later to be called Samson) was the one to free Israel. However, a vow was to be taken which required - no grape products, avoid tombs and corpses and the most famous one, not to cut his hair. As Samson became a man, it was said he killed a lion with his bare hands and defeat an entire army with only a donkey's jaw bone. As the myth of Samson grew, many people especially the Philistines wanted to get rid of Samson because he was giving the oppressed people hope something that they did not want happen. Later on in life, Samson fell in love with a beautiful Philistine woman, Delilah, who was bribed to find out the secret of his superhuman strength. During their time together, Delilah was so persistent in finding out the secret that Samson withstood the first attempts but in a moment of weakness, he gave in and told her. Consequently, she cut it off and Samson no longer had his herculean strength; thus, creating a opportunity for his enemies to capture him.

Although this story has been around for thousands of years, there still are examples of a modern-day Samson throughout professional sports. A few sports that have notoriety for such athletes are the NFL, Boxing, Mixed Martial Arts, Professional Wrestling (WWE), but the ringleader is the MLB. Major League Baseball has been plagued by some athletes performing at superhuman levels especially after a year of sub-par performance. For example, Brady Anderson under-performed one year but the next year, he was able to hit 50 home runs as a lead-off hitter, which is an extraordinary accomplishment. At one time, MLB had so many Samson's that they called those years are the 'Steroid Era'. Baseball's 'Samson's' include to name a few: Juan Gonzalez, Rafael Palmeiro, Mark McGwire, aforementioned Brady Anderson, Garry Sheffield, Jason Giambi, Alex Rodriguez, Roger Clemens, Jose Canseco and the most infamous, Barry Bonds. As the case with Samson, many people wanted to know how they could achieve such feats that were unfathomable and wanted to know their secret. Which in this case, the equivalent to Samson's hair was rampant PED use (Performance Enhancing Drugs) specifically Steroids and the Delilah was Jose Canseco.

Once the secret was out, the performance levels of these athletes plummeted given the accomplishments that they achieved during their 'Samson' years. Although none of these athletes were captured by their enemies but all these athletes did fall from grace especially in the eyes of the fans. Till this day, many athletes deny using Steroids and one culprit being Barry Bonds, which has called his trial a 'modern day witch hunt'.' As that saying goes: 'Those who do not learn from History are doomed to repeat it.' Maybe these athletes should have learned something from the story of Samson...

Whats The Next Level For An Accomplished NCAA Wrestler; The UFC?

I read this article and I asked myself: Whats the next level that a NCAA Wrestler can compete while earning a living?

 Check Out These NCAA Wrestlers Who Would Excel Fighting In The UFC

I know College Football has the NFL, UFL, CFL and even Arena Football. College Basketball has the notable NBA and the many leagues around the globe. College Baseball has the MLB and their farm leagues (minor leagues) and many leagues worldwide. College Soccer has the MLS and the prestigious Spanish, English, Italian, German, Dutch, Brazilian and many others. As for College Wrestling, they have hmmmm, well let me think about this one. (After pondering and scratching my head about this scenario for a matter of precious seconds) I can only think of one, especially as of late, which is Mixed Martial Arts and their respective organizations. For example, UFC, Bellator, Strikefore, WEC (now defunct), King of the Cage and so forth. The only difference between these organizations and the organizations of aforementioned sports is that MMA is  'merely a baby' in comparison.

Baseball, Basketball, Football, and Soccer has been around for almost a hundred years whereas Wrestling has been around for thousands and thousands of years since the days of Ancient Greeks and Romans. So why is it Wrestling isn't as popular as these other sports? Can it be wrestling suffered a similar fate as Horse Racing (Sport of Kings) during the rise of sports on television? See what happen to Horse Racing was that it was not shown on television to the masses and because of that the generation that was growing up, was not exposed to the sport. Consequently, that generation became adults and passed down the sports they grew up playing and watching - Baseball, Basketball, Football, and Soccer - to their kids and cycle just kept repeating till these sports became the most popular.

Now in present day; UFC is on the rise and being televised which means, the generation that is growing up are being exposed to MMA just like the many generations before them were to Football, Baseball, Basketball, and Soccer. Sooner or later, if not right now, kids will want to have a successful wrestling career in college with the aspirations of becoming the next UFC Champion.

So with MMA companies on the rise such as The UFC, whats next for an accomplished NCAA Wrestler? With the exception of Stephen Neal, a 2x NCAA Champion for Cal State Bakersfield that played ten years for the 3x Super Bowl Champions- New England Patriots - MMA seems to be the logical choice.

What Should An Athlete Do?

What would you do; if someone where to tell you that 'you can participate in your last competitive and important tournament of your entire career but chances are that you will require surgery is more likely than 100%?'

That is what one of the athletes is going through - He broke his hand, during an intense practice. This kid has been working hard for four years (off-season included) to achieve a top six spot at what could be his last tournament of his high school career. According to the rankings, this kid is in the top five wrestlers that could accomplish a top five finish and even though rankings are nothing but stats on paper, more so than anything, rankings are a good indicator on the abilities of such athletes.

That being said; what is the best course of action that an athlete can take? Risk surgery for a cause that the athlete has been working so hard for four hard years? Risk regretting not participating in the last tournament of a grueling career? Participating in the tournament till the body tells the athlete that it can no longer keep up with the mind set and withdraw?  In the end, a dedicated athlete will not be in the right mind set in terms of knowing whats best for them, so the coach will have to evaluate the situation/outcomes of all scenarios and suggest the best course of action with the athletes best interest in mind.

The Inauguration

What up everybody,
I am Coach P from the Archbishop Riordan High School Wrestling team. I want to welcome you to my blog about wrestling, MMA, Football, Baseball and everything sports related in my life. Thank you for taking time off from your web-surfing to read this nice little introduction. In addition, if you would like to know what is going on in this wonderful world of ours through articles ranging from fitness, health, travel, food, weather, technology and etc; follow me on Twitter @ PAH89 (http://twitter.com/#!/PAH89) or any of the popular social media sites. In addition, check out Social Marketing Factory sites to see how you can use the benefits of social media effectively. I wish you all of you the best in your web-surfing and hopefully, you find awesome deals, informative articles, cool pictures and/or amazingly entertaining videos. Much Love to you all.