The AL MVP Choice is Clear

            How can someone who has a chance to get the Triple Crown in the American League, which has not been done in over forty years, lose the MVP race? When the person who wins is being compared to an early Mickey Mantle and may be the most spectacular defensive outfielder we’ve seen in a while.

Mike trout will win the American League MVP award, just narrowly beating out Miguel Cabrera. No one can take away what Cabrera might do, which would be winning the Home run, RBI, and Batting title in one year, but it is not enough to take over what a 21 year old complete player is doing in his rookie season. The WAR (wins above replacement) stat, though imperfect, may be the only statistic that can completely judge a players overall value.

Trout is leading the majors with a 10.4 WAR, which is 3.6 ahead of Cabrera. Cabrera is not even the highest player on his team; Justin Verlander is in a three way tie for second in the majors. Even if you do not want to look at WAR, you just need to watch them play. Mike Trout is on his way to becoming a revolutionary player and is showing some of the greatest defense in the majors. When it comes to defense, Trout wins every time. Cabrera is actually one of the worst defensive third baseman in the majors.

When it comes to hitting, Cabrera is obviously the better player, but when you dissect some of the stats, it is not by much. The RBI stat is a bit overrated because it is more about opportunity than actual skill. The fact the Trout is a leadoff man means he gets on base more and is not meant to drive in the runs, but score them. You need to look more into Mike Trout’s game to see the amount of impact he has on scoring runs.

First of all, Trout is one of the best base stealers in the game. His success rate is 46 for 50, one of the best ever with that many attempts. This stops double play opportunities, which will add in more runs. Also Mike Trout’s defense has saved around 25 runs from scoring, while Cabrera has not given much added value with any base running or defense. Then you look that Trout is only .06 behind Cabrera in Batting Average, which is one of the most important stats for a hitter.

The argument should not be used as a divider and something to be upset about. The fact that there is the possibility that we could have one of the greatest hitting performances of all time, along with one of the greatest all around performances, IN THE SAME YEAR! My prediction for Mike Trouts Career is that his name will be stated in the same breath as Ken Griffey Jr., Willie Mays, and Mickey Mantle.

So Who is your AL MVP?

All stats are provided by ESPN Stats Page.

NFL Should Change Uniforms for Most NFL Teams

          The NFL is iconic, popular, and has the most power of any sports franchise in the US. But when you look at some of the team's uniforms, you see anything but iconic, popular, or power.

Some of them are just downright UGLY!

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          As most of you guys know, the NFL just recently switched its uniforms from Reebok to Nike. The Pro Combat series from Nike is the uniform line that has been made popular in college football. The Oregon Ducks, VirginiaTech Hokies, and Maryland Terrapins have all made very successful transitions from an iconic jersey to having alternate uniforms. I believe that it will not be long until the NFL will finally get close to the idea of switching over to different uniform ideas.

          The NFL is turning into a younger league and is having an influx of younger viewers. The NFL would gain a lot of popularity by adding certain alternate uniforms that teams can wear 4-8 games a year. This will give the NFL the same “Iconic” uniforms, while still adding the new, fresh look for the younger viewers. If you look at some of the Oregon Ducks Uniforms you can see how teams in the NFL could incorporate the same ideas into some team’s uniforms.

          Plus some teams desperately need a change in their uniforms. Some of them look like they are stuck in the 70’s with the dull, two color scheme. Here are some of the teams that could use a major upgrade in the uniform department.

       

       The Oakland Raiders- They have one of the simplest uniform designs of any team, but they have a great color scheme. The black and silver would be a great intimidating uniform if it had more of an edgy look.

  The Cleveland Browns- Anything, please do anything else.
       
       The Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens- Both of these teams are in the same boat as the Raiders. Very simple design with a color scheme to make some very intimidating uniforms.

       The NY Giants- Again very bland uniform. Blue top and gray pants are just boring. The Superbowl champions can use an upgrade.

          The Detroit Lions- Since this team finally has a scary amount of talent on the team, just change up the uniforms a bit to actually make their opponent scared of them.

          Honestly, in my opinion, if any team can use black in an alternate uniform, it’s a good thing. Adds the intimidation factor and is why certain teams (Eagles, Ravens, Falcons, Cardinals, etc.) have some of the better uniforms in the NFL.  If you want check out some of the pictures fans had for these teams uniforms just look at this link.

          I’m not advocating that every team should drastically change their uniform. Certain teams like the Packers, Bears, Steelers, and Cowboys have some of the most recognizable uniforms. These teams also have had success in the NFL which means they have tradition and a strong fan base. I would say its teams like the Cardinals, Eagles, Texans, Browns, and Lions, that need a change. These teams are either new in the league or have not been the most successful. The New uniforms could add a new look and help these franchises gain a bigger fan base.

          

          What do you guys think the NFL should do with the new Nike uniforms? Leave some comments and ideas in the comment section.

Photos are Courtesy of Bleacherreport.com

Welcome

Being a fourth year student at Salisbury University in Salisbury, Maryland (My home town) has taught me about life, growing up, and has expanded my overall knowledge. My dream is to one day work in the media, preferably sports media, and have been studying my entire college career to attain that dream. I want to be able to travel places and see cities that I would never be able to plan to travel too. Also sports has been a passion of mine since I was a kid, so the logical choice for me was to try to go into broadcasting, reporting, or maybe even a Sportscenter anchor (haha).
I plan on working as hard as I can until I realize this dream and this blog is another way for me to get my voice out there. This blog is where I will be voicing my opinions about anything sports. Washington sports, Salisbury sports, quirky sports stories, and basically anything else. Feel free to respond to any of my posts because every sports fan loves a good debate, especially about sports we are passionate about. Thank you all in advance for reading my articles or for giving me any feedback.

RGIII- Greatest Rookie Performance Ever?

          It only took a year for people to see another rookie QB take over the newsfeeds, social networking sites, radio waves, and basically the entire football world, after Cam Newton’s amazing season in 2011. We all have seen the hype of “Bob” Griffin, whether it be his Heisman trophy ceremony, multitudes of commercials, or the four letter network talking about him every other minute. But did anyone really expect to see him succeed this early? Not only did RGIII earn his nickname this weekend, he earned the best rookie performance by a QB of all time.

          Look at the facts because stats do not lie. Yes, Cam Newton did have 100 more yards in his debut, but also had an interception in his debut. RGIII had 320 yards, 2 touchdowns, over a 70 percent completion rate and a quarterback rating of almost 140 (Which also leads the entire NFL at the moment).  Cam debuted with a great game, but had that interception and a 64 percent completion rate. Its these small blemishes on what is otherwise an amazing game for Cam Newton. The biggest stat of all though is that Cam Newton took his team home with a loss and RGIII took the ‘Skins home with a big W.

          What makes RGIII’s performance that much better is that he was playing against a much better team overall and was looking across the field at one of the greatest passers in NFL History, Drew Brees. RGIII was able to not crack under the pressure during the game. The crowd was loud during the first quarter of the game, and he was able to silence the crowd on an amazing throw under pressure for a touchdown to Garçon. The most important part of that play was that there was an free blitzer that got a great shot at RGIII. This gave him a seat on his back to see his first touchdown. Then not even a couple minutes later into the game he leads another drive and gets a great red zone touchdown to Aldrick Robinson (Who replaced Garçon in the lineup after injury). This completely took the Saints fans out of the game.

          But the most pressure that RGIII may have been facing was over a little over 1000 miles away. The pressure that RGIII is facing from Redskins fans has got to be the most of any rookie QB in recent memory. The Redskins have not had a player at the QB position in over 20 years with as much talent and potential as Griffin III. The fan base has been starving for good QB play and have anticipated the debut for their new prized possession all summer long (Heck they got excited for the entire preseason, wearing their Andrew Luck vs. RGIII T shirts to FedEx Field). Everywhere RGIII goes he hears it from the fans, “This is our year” “You’re the savior” and chants of R-G-3 throughout the streets of Washington DC.

          I’m certain that no one expected RGIII to fail in his first attempt in the NFL, but I’m completely sure that no one expected his to look like a polished NFL veteran. Someone with the persona and work ethic of RGIII will never set themselves up to fail in any way, but the fact that he has started this season as one of the hottest QB’s is just proof that this kid is the real deal. How so you guys think RGIII will fare for the rest of the season?

The Saga of RGIII has just begun…