Hometown Hero

Brown could impact the Bolts
greatly in 2011.

The San Diego Chargers had five picks in the first three rounds of this year's NFL draft and have taken a chance on a wide receiver out of San Diego State University with one of them.

Vincent Brown was selected with 82nd overall pick in the third-round Friday night. The news comes as excitement to Brown being a California native himself.

Brown attended Rancho Cucamonga High School in Rancho Cucamonga, California from 2003-07.

He was an immediate success on the gridiron for the Cougars playing varsity football three of his four years. During those three seasons Brown accumulated 88 receptions, 1327 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.

His junior season saw him catch a career-high five touchdowns in one season.

Even though Brown did not find the end zone as much his senior season, it was his best season statistically catching 36 passes for 557 yards in seven games, averaging 15.47 yards per catch.

Brown also showed he could rush the ball during his tenure at Rancho Cucamonga carrying the rock 11 times for 50 yards and a score.

Brown was heavily recruited by the Aztecs during his senior season and eventually decided to officially become a member of the Mountain West Conference.

The 22-year-old has an extremely productive career in San Diego, gathering 209 receptions for 3,110 yards and 23 touchdowns. Unlike most college athletes in the NCAA today, Brown chose to stay at school and receive his degree before declaring for the NFL Draft. Brown made his senior season worth while by posting career-highs in almost every major offensive category, including receptions (69), yards (1,352), touchdowns (10), average yards per catch (19.6) and longest reception (90 yards).

The knock on Brown heading into the draft was his size and lack of explosive ability.

Brown is an undersized wide receiver compared to his soon-to-be piers in the NFL. Brown stands at  5-foot-11 and 184 pounds which could pose a problem for him being able to come over the top of NFL secondaries, but Brown's ability to make space between himself and the defender is what sets him apart from most.

He is an excellent and efficient route runner, something Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers looks for.

Brown possesses the same typer of skills as New England Patriot wide receiver Wes Welker. Like Brown, Welker is significantly undersized for the NFL at 5-foot-9, but has found enormous success at the next level.

Welker has more receptions than any other receiver in the NFL the last four seasons with 432. Welker's 123 receptions in 2009 is a Patriot franchise record and might have been more if not for tearing his ACL the final game of the regular season.

Brown will be most successful underneath in the NFL, something Welker has made famous in recent years.

The Chargers saw many injuries to their team in 2010, none more than at the wide receiver position, with that also came the the hold out of star receiver, Vincent Jackson. Brown will add depth to Norv Turner's offense next season and provide a vital option for Rivers throughout the year.

Whatever the future may hold for Brown, you can be sure he will continue to work hard and excel at the next level like he has everywhere else. I am sure I speak for a lot of when I say, we are proud of you, Go get 'em V.J.

With the First Pick...

Newton was the third quarterback taken
first overall in as many years.

Radio City Music Hall held the 76th annual National Football League Draft Thursday night for the sixth consecutive year with most eyes locked onto the Carolina Panthers.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was received with an abundance of boos stepping to the podium for the first time, setting the stage for an exciting yet hostile night in New York City.

In light of all the labor agreement issues between the owners and players, the fans let it be know how they felt chanting, "We want football".

But the show must go on as Carolina was on the clock.

"With the first pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, the Carolina Panthers select, Cam Newton, Quarterback, Auburn,"Goodell stated. That was the pick everyone was so anxiously awaiting without very much surprise in the result. Now, the question will be asked, did the Panthers make a good decision by drafting the kid from College Park, Georgia?

If history tells us anything Newton will be yet another first overall pick that never quite lives up to the hype.

Since the 1970 AFL-NFL Merger, there has been 17 quarterbacks taken with the first overall pick, 18 if you count Newton. Only three of them have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Peyton and Eli Manning were taken with the first overall pick in their respective drafts and look to be headed towards Canton.

With the 17 quarterbacks taken, that have actually taken a snap in the NFL, they have combined for 13 Super Bowl rings, which may seem like a lot, but not when they come from only six players on the list.

Terry Bradshaw help orchestrate the Pittsburgh Steelers to four in 1970s. John Elway was a late bloomer, leading the Broncos to early Super Bowl appearances in the 1987 and '89, but came up short both times. He would have to wait ten years later to get back to the big game winning first in 1997 and then again in 1998.

Troy Aikman was the signal caller for three Super Bowl champions in the mid 90s for America's team, the Dallas Cowboys. That is nine of the 13 rings belonging to three players, coincidently those are the therein the Hall of Fame.

The Manning brothers hold two of the final four Super Bowl rings and in part are the reason why they will eventually end up with a plaque in Ohio, along with their eye popping numbers.

Oakland's Jim Plunkett is the only other quarterback taken first in the draft to hold a Super Bowl ring, in fact Plunkett has the remaining two. Despite Plunkett never being named to a Pro Bowl, he is the only quarterback in NFL history to have multiple Super Bowl wins as a starter and not be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Plunkett is also the last quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy and win a Super Bowl during their career, Newton will look to end that curse in the near future after winning the prestigious trophy in 2010.

In the last decade a quarterback has been taken first overall eight out of the last 10 drafts, more than any other decade since the draft began in 1936. Only three of those quarterbacks have made the Pro Bowl since being drafted combining for seven appearances in Hawaii. Four of those seven coming from Philadelphia's Michael Vick. Even though Vick has been successful on the field, his issues off the field have been well publicized.

Vick missed the entire 2007 and '08 season serving his 23 month prison sentence, but was reinstated to the league in 2009 and is coming off a Pro Bowl season. Carson Palmer and Eli Manning are the other players to make the Pro Bowl in that time period.

How can the name JaMarcus Russell, who was taken first overall in '07 by the Oakland Raiders out of LSU, not be mentioned. Along with Ryan Leaf, even though he was the second pick in the '98 draft, Russell qualifies as one of the biggest draft busts the game has ever seen.

As for Detroit's Matthew Stafford and St. Louis' Sam Bradford the sample size is much to small to predict if they will continue to have success in the NFL long-term. If Stafford can avoid another shoulder injury and Bradford continues to build off his impressive rookie campaign, where he won the Offensive Rookie of the Year, the future looks bright for both.

Newton's overall body of work is a piece of art and has been incredible to watch early on. The question is can all the skills he possesses translate to becoming a great NFL quarterback? Nobody is questioning the physical ability and tools he has shown with a 6-foot-6, 250-pound build. All that being said Newton only started one year in the NCAA and is coming from a spread offense at Auburn under head coach Gene Chizik.

Many adjustments are waiting in the wings for Newton if he intends to succeed. His character has even come into question with his off the field issues after being suspended by Florida for stealing a laptop. Most recently, Newton was suspected by the NCAA of violating recruiting rules, which later he was cleared of and was charged to his father.

Assuming the Panthers are able to sign Newton it almost assures the end of the Jimmy Clausen experiment in Carolina before it even got started. Clausen was selected in the second-round with the 48th overall pick in last year's draft out of Notre Dame by Carolina.

He was believed by many to be the most NFL ready quarterback in the '10 draft class.

Clausen played in 13 games during his rookie season, where he threw for 1,558 yards, three touchdowns and nine interceptions with a dismal 58.4 quarterback rating. With Newton the new face in town, Clausen might be on his way out.

In their first and only Super Bowl appearance in franchise history by Carolina back in 2004, they showed a first-round quarterback is not needed to come seconds away from a championship. Super Bowl XXXVIII showcased two quarterbacks, who were not highly recruited coming out of college.

Former Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme was the starter under center for Super Sunday and he went undrafted in '97 out of Louisiana-Lafayette. Delhomme threw for three touchdowns and 323 yards in a losing effort to the New England Patriots. Tom Brady was the opposing quarterback in that Super Bowl, and his story has been well told.

Brady was the 199th pick in the 2000 NFL Draft being selected in the sixth-round out of Michigan. Brady has gone on to win three Super Bowl rings, two NFL Most Valuable Player Awards and cemented himself as one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history.

The history of the NFL shows that taking a quarterback first overall is almost set to backfire, but there those exceptions and is what keeps teams coming back for more no matter how many times they fail.

Having a franchise quarterback seems to be the number one ingredient in constructing the right recipe to a championship contender.

The Panthers have not thought any different by taking Newton. Is he that guy?

Only time will tell.

It's Finally Here

LeBron James will need to be on his game
Sunday afternoon. 

It's the matchup everyone has been waiting for and it's finally here.

The Miami Heat and Boston Celtics are set to matchup in the second-round of the NBA postseason Sunday afternoon.

The series should be an epic one and add a new chapter to this newly fueled rivalry. It's only fitting that if the Heat want to win multiple NBA championships it comes with a road through Boston.

To be a champion you must first dethrone a champion and that's exactly what the Celtics are, being the defending Eastern Conference champions and hold an NBA record 17 NBA titles.

The Celtics won the season series against Miami three games to one, but two of those four games came at the start of the regular season in a three-week span. It would be unfair to Miami to say those games will have an impact on the series ahead.

The two teams met in mid-February and it yielded the same result with Boston winning a close one, 85-82.

The Heat saw Chris Bosh have one of his best games of the season, scoring 24 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. The final matchup of the season came with only three games left in the regular season, when Miami would claim their only victory against the boys in green, embarrassing them, 100-77.

These two teams are completely different than they were at the start of the regular and we should expect maybe the most exciting series of this year's postseason.

With the departure of center Kendrick Perkins to the Western Conference and uncertain health of Shaquille O' Neal, Boston's inside toughness has been questioned much of the second half, seeing them go 16-12 since the break.

The Celtics are in for a dog fight with the super team that was built in South Beach.

With Miami grabbing the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, Boston will not have the luxury of having a decisive seventh game in the TD Garden if need be. Although, that should not pose a problem for the veteran squad, who are confident they can win anywhere at anytime.

However, the home court will greatly help the Heat with the first two games at AmericanAirlines Arena.

Miami will need their two point guards to try and contain Boston's Rajon Rondo as much as possible as he is the X-factor for the Celtics heading into this series. The Heat do not have anyone that can stop the pesky 25-year-old from getting out into transition and distributing the basketball.

During their four regular season meeting, Rondo averaged 12 assists per contest, almost a full assist above his 11.2 during the regular reason, recording as many as 17 Opening Night in Boston.

Miami will also need to see the face of their franchise, Dwayne Wade, play better against the C's, shooting an atrocious 28 percent from the field and averaging under 13 points per game at 12.8 a contest.

The series should be a relatively low scoring and close the entire way with two of the top defenses in the NBA doing battle. The Celtics ranked first among points allowed at 91.1 points per game with Miami not far behind allowing 94.6 points per, good enough for sixth in the NBA. Boston comes in as confident as ever after their first playoff sweep since 1992, sweeping the new-look New York Knicks.

This has given the aging veterans time to rest up for the this highly anticipated series, last playing on April 24.

Paul Pierce's legacy rides on another deep playoff run and a chance to even be considered with the all-time Celtic greats.

With the youth movement emerging, there seems to be a paradigm shift in the NBA happening right before our eyes. This could be the final act for Boston's Big Three with a shot at an NBA title. They will not be willing to pass the torch just yet, the Heat will need to earn it.

Of the 15 players on the current Heat roster, nine of them have been ousted in the postseason by this Celtics team one time or another, including Wade and LeBron James a year ago on their respective teams, so you know Miami will be ready.

Miami in seven.

Chipping Away

Jones has been one of the best
hitters this generation. 

In the 1990 amateur draft the Atlanta Braves would make a decision that eventually would alter the fate of the franchise.

With the first overall pick they chose a young infielder out of Deland, Florida named Chipper Jones and the rest, as they say is history.

Jones has already cemented himself as one of the the greatest players in Braves history and one of the best switch-hitters of all-time.

Tuesday night he added yet another impressive statistic to his Hall of Fame resume. Jones hit a two-run first-inning home run off San Diego right-hander Aaron Harang to tie the legendary Mickey Mantle for second on the all-time RBI list for switch-hitters with 1,509.

As a boy in Florida, Jones grew up idolizing Mantle and now here he is at age 39 producing the same type of numbers 'The Mick' put up. Jones finds himself now in elite company trailing only the great Eddie Murray for the all-time RBI lead as a switch-hitter.

The six-time All-Star still has a ways to go with Murray's mark set at 1,917. With Jones at the tail end of his career, we can look back and appreciate what he's done during his 18 years in the big leagues.

In 1995, Jones burst onto the scene for manager Bobby Cox hitting .265 with 23 home runs and 86 RBIs, finishing second in the National League Rookie of the Year voting.

Jones would go on to help the Braves win their only World Series under Cox that season, outlasting the Cleveland Indians in six games. Since that time, Jones has made a fixture for himself at the hot corner in Atlanta. The switch-hitter would go on to win the NL Most Valuable Player Award in 1999, blasting a still career-high 45 home runs and 110 RBIs.

Despite winning the award Jones would have five other top ten finishes in the voting over his career. Jones would have eight straight 100 RBI seasons from 1996-03.

Then, Jones would be riddled by injuries, but found away to fight through the pain and have one of the most productive careers as a switch-hitter Major League Baseball as ever seen.

In August of 2010, Jones tore his ACL and was lost for the season, unable to compete in Bobby Cox's final playoff run as a manager. Many believed that would be the last time we saw Jones on a baseball diamond, but he did his best to prove the doubters wrong once again. Jones rehabbed hard all offseason to be ready for the opening of the 2011 season and was.

Jones is enjoying his start to the '11 season, batting .289 with 21 RBIs. With his three RBI performance Wednesday night in San Diego, Jones has moved into sole possession of second-place on the all-time RBI list for a switch-hitter with 1,512.

Murray and Jones are also the only players to record 2,500 hits and 1,500 RBIs as switch-hitters.

With his 439 career home runs and many believing this will be his final year in the big leagues, catching Mantle and Murray for the lead is impossible. Murray is second the all-time list for a switch-hitter with 504 career home runs as Mantle leads the charge with 536 of his own. With Jones being the last member on the Atlanta roster from that '95 world championship team it will truly be an end of an era.

The Braves third baseman has been a class act and the face of the Atlanta organization for almost two decades, it will be a strange feeling when Jones calls it a career.

Rest assured when he does there will be spot in Cooperstown waiting for him and one day Jones's No. 10 will be worn like he worn Mantle's No. 7.

Ethier Continues Record Setting April

Ethier has been spectacular once again to
start 2011.

The Los Angeles Dodgers offense has not had many reasons to smile through their first 26 games of their season.

Four of the starting eight for the Dodgers are batting under .250, including injured shortstop Rafael Furcal. Even though center fielder Matt Kemp has gotten off to an impressive start after a dismal 2010 season, it has been the man to his left that has stolen the show in April.

Right fielder Andre Ethier has kicked off the 2011 campaign much like he did a year ago.

Tuesday night, Ethier broke former manager Joe Torre's April hitting streak record set back in 1971. It was a double in the first inning that broke the record and extended his mark to 23 straight games.

Oddly enough Torre went on to win the National League Most Valuable Player Award that season for the St. Louis Cardinals. Ethier has done his best Torre impersonation, posting a .380 batting average and .451 on-base percentage thus far.

The one-time All-Star has been known as a fast starter since making his Major League debut in 2006.

Ethier suffered fractured pinky bone on his hand back in May of last year, cutting into his hot start and never seemed to be the same hitter upon returning. Prior to the injury, Ethier had been leading the majors in all three Triple Crown categories with a .392 average, 38 runs batted in and tied for the NL lead with 11 home runs.

Now, with the Dodgers off to a rather sluggish start at 13-13 under rookie manager Don Mattingly, they can ill afford another injury from their star right fielder.

The former Sun Devil has slowly become the face of the Dodgers franchise and will need to see the organization head in a different direction if want to keep it that way and have Ethier's stay in Chavez Ravine a permanent one. Los Angeles was bailed out Wednesday afternoon on the heels of Ethier's third home run of season.

The hit came in the 10th inning in a 5-4 win over the first-place Florida Marlins, extending his Major League record to 24 games.

You can't imagine that even Dodgers knew what they were getting not only a great player, but a man of character when they traded for him in a deal with the Oakland Athletics in exchange for the often troublesome Milton Bradley back in December of 2005.

Ethier has catapulted himself to early discuss of the NL MVP Award, he would be the first Dodger to win the award since Kirk Gibson did so in 1988.

The Dodgers are off Thursday, but will have Ethier look to continue his hot start at home against San Diego left-hander Clayton Richard Friday night.

Weaver is on His Game

Weaver is the early front-runner for the AL
Cy Young Award.

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim possess arguably the best one-two punch on the mound in Major League Baseball and right-hander Jered Weaver has been the center of it all.

A year after becoming the first Angels pitcher to lead the Major Leagues in strikeouts with 233 since Nolan Ryan did so in 1977, Weaver is picking up right where he left off. With his team's 5-0 win over the Oakland Athletics Monday night, Weaver has started the season unbeaten at 6-0.

He leads baseball in all three Triple Crown categories with six wins, 0.99 earned run average and 49 punch-outs.

There is no way that Weaver can continue this pace all season long, but at any rate, this has been an unbelievable run to kick off the 2011 campaign.

Weaver is responsible for almost half the Angels' 13 wins this season, finding themselves a game back of the defending American League champion Texas Rangers. The remarkable part of Weaver's run is his ability to finish what he started. He has already thrown two complete games in his six starts, one being shutout.

This start should not come as much of a shock to many after Weaver's breakout 2010 season.

Even though Weaver only went 13-12 last year, he was a victim of many pitchers problems throughout baseball, lack of run support. Weaver was at the bottom of the list when it came to that category. That being said, Weaver established career-bests in ERA (3.01) and innings pitched (224.1).

With the departure of longtime ace John Lackey to Boston prior to the start of last season, the question was raised who would fill that void he had left? Weaver has done his best to put Lackey in the past and claim the label as not only the ace of the Angel staff, but one of the best pitchers in baseball.

Weaver is a former first-round pick by the Angels back in 2004 and is finally reaching expectations. In 2006, after the towering 6-foot-7 righty was called up, he showed a glimpse of the future, starting his young career an impressive 9-0. Since then, Weaver has won as many as 16 games in a single-season and was named to his first All-Star Game in '10, fittingly right in his own backyard.

Still only 28, the future looks bright for Weaver and Co. at the Big A.

The next time Weaver takes the mound, he will be on verge of becoming only the third pitcher in Major League history to win his first seven decisions to begin a season.

The Dream Weaver will look to continue to woo hitters to sleep well into the summer.

Change in the Woods

Wood watches his two-run double Monday night.

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim made a tough decision last week by deciding to part ways with their former top prospect, Brandon Wood.

The Angels designated Wood for assignment last Tuesday to make room for shortstop Erik Aybar, who was coming off the disabled list. Days later the last place Pittsburgh Pirates decided to take a chance on the 26-year-old infielder, claiming him off waivers.

The decision by Pittsburgh could prove to be a good one.

It was apparent that the Angels could no longer wait on the development of Wood as an everyday Major Leaguer. The change of scenery could help Wood become a serviceable Major League player in the Steel City.

Wood was named the 2005 Minor League Player of the Year, where he slugged 43 home runs and drove in 115 runs at A-Rancho Cucamonga. Along with that success came extreme high expectations for the Texas native -- expectations he never quiet lived up to.

Los Angeles gave the third baseman job to Wood at the start of 2010 season after Chone Figgins signed a five-year deal that offseason with the division rival Seattle Mariners. It was supposedly Wood's time to shine in Anaheim. Wood never got comfortable and finished the season batting a dismal .146. Wood's career average in the big leagues is not much better, batting just .169 in 468 at-bats. Those number don't give the Pirates any reason to believe the move to Pittsburgh will be any different.

Don't count Wood out just yet.

Wood is heading to the Pirates with not many expectations, unlike when he was coming up through the Angels' system. With the Pirates also being in the cellar of the National League Central most of the past two decades there is not a lot of media attention, finding himself in a spot where he can finally start over and try to establish a solid Major League career.

Wood has often drawn the comparison to Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt. Schmidt was a .197 career hitter after his first 400 at-bats in the Major Leagues, but went on to hit 548 career home runs and a three-time NL Most Valuable Player Award recipient.

By no means is Wood the next Mike Schmidt, but history shows success can be achieved after such a slow start. The change of scenery is exactly what Wood needs to succeed at the big league level.

Wood made his Pirate debut Monday night in Washington, going 1-for-4 with a two-run double in the team's 4-2 victory over the Nationals. Even though it's only one game, it's a step in the right direction for the former first-round pick.

If Wood does not succeed this time around, he might need to be looking for another job soon. The third baseman will need to go back to what got him to the big leagues in the first place, hitting with good wood.

The Closing of a Story Book Career

Selanne always possessed the heart

of a champion.

The Anaheim Ducks are coming off a disappointing loss Friday night at home, dropping Game 5 of their first-round series to the Nashville Predators.

The Ducks find themselves on the brick of elimination, but longtime right wing and future Hall of Famer, Teemu Selanne seems timeless. Selanne is enjoying one of the greatest postseasons in his glorious career.

Now, at the age of 40, Selanne had one of his most productive seasons in the last five years of his career.

Selanne recorded 31 goals and 49 assists during the regular season, accumulating to 80 points for the Ducks. He helped lead the Ducks to the fourth seed in the Western Conference with a record of 47-30.

Anaheim was able to win seven of their last 10 regular season games to land such good postseason position. With the Ducks facing a 3-2 series deficit, Selanne has done his best to keep Anaheim afloat.

Selanne has recorded a point in all five of the Ducks playoffs games this season and scored a goal in four of them.

In games one and two, Selanne scored a goal in each of them, as the Ducks spilt the first two games at home with the Predators. Then, in Game 3, Selanne scored two goals in a 30-second window in the second period of a 4-3 loss in Nashville.

In Game 4, Selanne would find the back of the net yet again, becoming only the third player in NHL postseason history to score five goals at age 40 or older in a single postseason. The last player to do so was Boston Bruin Mark Recchi, who did it in last year's postseason, lighting the lamp six times.

Even though Selanne did not score Saturday night in Anaheim, he did record a point via the assist. At the 14:16 mark of the third period, Selanne assisted teammate Jason Blake's second goal of the series, giving the Ducks a temporary 3-2 lead. The Ducks would go on to lose the game in overtime and find themselves in the predicament they are in now.

With Anaheim's season hanging in the balance, so does the fate of Selanne's career, who has hinted he may retire at season's end, no matter the result.

Selanne is a former first-round pick of the Winnipeg Jets back in 1988 and experienced so many wonderful feats in what will be an eventual Hall of Fame career.

During his 1992-93 rookie season, Selanne set the NHL rookie record for goals and points scored in a single season with 76 goals and 132 total points. The 10-time All-Star was the first European to be named the NHL All-Star Game MVP after recording a hat trick in 1998.

Selanne would go on to lead the NHL in goals that season as he did two other times in his career. He became only the second Duck in franchise history to be named a finalist for the Hart Trophy in 1997-98, following the lead of teammate Paul Kariya, who was named a finalist the year before.

After being traded to the San Jose Sharks in March of 2001 and then playing a one season for the Colorado Avalanche, Selanne would return to Anaheim for the 2005-06 season in grand fashion.

In a 2006 game against the Avalanche, he would score the 500th goal of his career against his former team. In 2007, Selanne would spark a deep playoff run for Anaheim, bringing home their first Stanley Cup in franchise history after dismantling the Ottawa Senators in five games.

Most recently on March 21, 2011, Selanne became the 18th member in NHL history to join the 600 goal club by scoring, once again, in a game against Colorado.

Whether or not Sunday night in Nashville is the final game of a illustrious 20-year career, many have had the privilege to watch a hockey legend and a true Mighty Duck.

The Legend of Sam Fuld

Fuld's unbelievable diving play on April
9th in Chicago.

When All-Star left fielder Carl Crawford signed a seven-year $142 million contract with the Boston Red Sox in the offseason, the Tampa Bay Rays knew they needed to find a replacement.

They signed veteran Johnny Damon to fill that void, but since has become the team's full-time designated hitter with the sudden retirement of Manny Ramirez. This opened the door for longtime journeyman Sam Fuld.

Fuld was acquired in the offseason from the Chicago Cubs in an eight-player deal centered around Rays' right-hander Matt Garza.

Surprisley, Fuld made the Rays' 2011 Opening Day roster out of spring training after batting .277 in Port Charlotte.

Major League Baseball got there first taste of Fuld on April 9 in a game against the Chicago White Sox. With the bases loaded, White Sox leadoff hitter Juan Pierre hit a ball down the right field line, Fuld sprinted from right-center all the way to the line to make a diving Superman, citrus catch and rob Pierre of an extra-base hit.

The legend of Sam Fuld was born.

Just two days later, Fuld would play his first career game at Fenway Park and it would be a memorable one.

With both teams off to slow starts the Rays pounded out 19 hits in a 16-5 victory against the rival Red Sox.

Lead by Fuld's four hits and first home run of the season, he came a single away from the cycle. In one of his final at-bats of the game, Fuld hit a ball towards the Green Monster and chose to cruise into second with his second double of the night rather than stopping at first to complete the cycle. Not to mention the two terrific plays Fuld made out in left field to rob multiple Red Sox of base hits.

Fuld's spectacular defensive plays have been a recurring theme on ESPN's Baseball Tonight Web Gems and Sportscenter's Top 10 Plays, with him becoming the recent human highlight reel. Rays' manger Joe Maddon has called Fuld's play in the outfield "fearless" while other suggest it as daredevil like play.

With a 4-1 victory over the White Sox Wednesday, the Rays run their record to 9-9, reaching the 500 mark for the first time after a 1-8 start. The Rays currently sit in second-place in the American League East, behind the 10-6 New York Yankees.

Despite Fuld being hitless in his last eight at-bats, he is still batting .344 on the young season with five runs batted in. That is more than we can say about the guy he placed at Tropicana Field as Crawford is batting only .149 in Boston's first 17 games.

It has been a struggle for Fuld to get here, but it looks as if he may have found himself a home.

After attending Philips Exeter Academy, Fuld decided to play college baseball at Stanford University. There he would break the College World Series record for hits with 24, a record set by Keith Moreland in 1975-76 with 23 hits on his own. Fuld was then drafted by the Cubs in the 24th round of 2003 amateur player draft, but chose not to sign.

A year later, Fuld was drafted yet again by Chicago, this time in the 10th round, and signed in July of 2004.

Fuld would make his Major League debut as a September call-up in 2007, but was never given the opportunity to be any everyday player in the Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field. The 5-foot-10 outfielder is still only 29 and might have just caught a break while entering the prime of his career after a long and hard earned journey through the Minor Leagues.

The Rays will need the spark of a legend to continue if they want to repeat as AL East champions for the first time in franchise history.

Superman Does it Again

Howard has developed into the best big
man in the NBA.

Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard captured his third consecutive Defensive Player of the Year Award Monday.

Howard will become the first player in NBA history to win the award three times in-a-row. There is no question that Howard has been the best defensive player in the NBA the last couple of years with his shot blocking ability and being able to alter opponents shots around the rim.

Along with being named the top defensive player in the NBA in 2011, Howard could add another piece of hardware to his collection at the end of the season.

Howard has been in the Most Valuable Player discussion most of the NBA regular season and rightfully so. He is enjoying his most consistent year of young seven-year career. The 265-pounder averaged 22.9 points per game along with 14.1 rebounds this season.

Both of those are well above his career averages.

Howard led the NBA in trips to the foul line, averaging 11 free-throw attempts during the regular season. With Howard's overwhelming production, the Magic secured the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference with a record of 52-30.

It's not a stretch to say without Howard Orlando might not even be a playoff team.

Even though Chicago's Derrick Rose is the most deserving of the award, Howard is finally getting the reconition he deserves.

The 6-foot-11 center showed why he was the best defensive player in the NBA this season yet again, averaging 2.4 blocks and a career-high 1.3 steals per game. Drafted with the first overall pick by the Magic back in 2004, Howard has been a top five player in the NBA since his arrival and continues to impress his piers.

Orlando suffered a tough loss Saturday night at home against the No. 5 seeded Atlanta Hawks, 103-93, but Howard gave it his best effort, leading the away with 46 points and 19 rebounds.

The Magic have a tough road ahead if they want to appear in their third Eastern Conference Finals in as many years. It's a goal that plan to meet, but Orlando will first need even up the series at a game apiece on Tuesday night to get there.

Howard can become a free agent after the 2012 season and will be sure to draw a lot of interest from many NBA teams on the open market.

The Magic will need to show the 25-year-old Howard they get back to the NBA Finals, like they did in 2009. If they don't, that could be kryptonite that sees their beloved Superman fly out of town.

Mariano is a Cut Above

Rivera has arguably the greatest entrance
in sports.

Sunday night New York Yankee closer Mariano Rivera recorded his seventh save of the season in as many chances.

It was his 566th save of his career, leaving him trailing the recently retired Trevor Hoffman by only 35 for the all-time mark at 601. With Rivera signing a two-year deal in the offseason with the Yankees, you can almost ensure he will leave the game as the all-time saves leader.

A record that once it's set might be unbreakable.

In June of 2009, Rivera became only the second player in Major League history to reach 500-save plateau, joining obviously only Hoffman. He will soon be the second member to join the elusive 600 club. But it's not Rivera's regular season numbers, but his postseason numbers that set him apart from any other reliever to toe the rubber.

Rivera's breakout season was in 1996 as the setup man to closer John Wetteland, when he pitched in still a career-high 107.2 innings with a 130 strike outs. With that formula, the Yankees would go on to win their first World Series title since 1978, beginning the start of what could have been baseball's last dynasty.

In 1997, Rivera was named the closer as Wetteland signed with the Texas Rangers as a free agent. Rivera would have another great season, recording 43 saves in his first season as a closer.

However, that year Rivera suffered one of his only scars in the postseason, surrendering a game-tying home run to Sandy Alomar Jr. in Game 4 of the American League Division Series. New York would go on to lose the series in five games. With Rivera looking discouraged after the defeat, then-Yankee manager Joe Torre said something that might have alter the course of Rivera's career. "You're my closer as long as I am here," Torre said.

Since that time, Rivera has been the most dominant reliever the game has ever seen. In 94 career postseason games, Rivera has posted an 8-1 record with a 0.71 earned run average and a Major League record 42 saves, matching the number on his back. Rivera has seemingly done it with one devastating pitch, his cut fastball.

With his impeccable control and late life, Rivera has broken countless big league bats.

Rivera has always carried himself as a true professional and constantly crediting the Lord with the gift he was given.

Now, at age 41, Rivera continues to lose a little giddy-up on his fastball. Once throwing in the mid-to-upper 90s, Rivera consistently throws in the upper 80s to low 90s, but the results are much in the same.

In nine games this season, the ageless right-hander has not allowed a run, giving up only four hits, not walking a batter and holding opponents to a .143 average. Rivera's consistency over his 17-year career is what has made this run so unbelievable.

It's hard to believe that Rivera, who is thought to be the most valuable player to any team the past decade and a half, has never won the AL Cy Young Award, finishing as high as second back in 2005.

The eleven-time All-Star is the last player to wear the No. 42 after being able to continue to wear it when it was retired throughout Major League Baseball back in '97 to honor the late Jackie Robinson. It's only fitting that Rivera will be the last to wear a number that means so much to baseball after he has left such an imprint on the game.

Rivera seemingly looks timeless and will be coming out of the Yankee bullpen forever. That will not be the case, father time catches up to everyone eventually. Lets hope the Panama native is long since retired before that occurs.

When Rivera makes his final appearance for the Yankees he will enter to the opening strains of "Enter Sandman" and it will a be a sad, yet grand exit.

Can Durant Break Scoring Curse?

Durant averaged 27.7 PPG this season,
leading the NBA for the second
straight year.

If history stays true in recent years the Oklahoma City Thunder will not reach the Western Conference Finals in 2011.

Many believe, with the addition of center Kendrick Perkins from the Boston Celtics, the young Thunder have added the final piece to the puzzle and could legitimately challenge the Los Angeles Lakers for a spot in the NBA Finals.

In only his fourth season in the league after being drafted second overall in the 2007, Kevin Durant has led the NBA in scoring back-to-back years.

That might not be such a good thing for Oklahoma City heading into this year's postseason. Since the 2001-02 NBA season the NBA scoring leader has failed to lead his team to the conference finals. Former NBA point guard Allen Iverson was the last player to do so, averaging 31.4 points per game in the 2000-01 season.

That year Iverson led the Philadelphia 76ers to the Eastern Conference Finals in a thrilling seven-game series against the Milwaukee Bucks, eventually reaching the NBA Finals. The 76ers would lose to the Lakers in five games, paving the way for the NBA's next dynasty. Iverson would lead the league in scoring again the following season, but his team was bounced out in the first-round by the Celtics.

A trend was born.

Since that time, the NBA has seen some of the most elite players lead the league in scoring and not reach the conference finals. The list of players includes Tracy McGrady, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and now Durant.

A year after James led the the Cleveland Cavaliers to their first Finals appearance in franchise history, for the first time in his career, he led the NBA in scoring (30.0 PPG), but unable to get them back to the promise land, losing to the eventual NBA champion Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Durant and Co. are in for a hard-fought battle in this year's postseason, no longer playing the role of underdog after capturing the No. 4 seed in the West. The road does not start easy for the Thunder with them opening up a first-round matchup with one of the hottest teams in the NBA during the second half, the No. 5 seeded Denver Nuggets.

Not only will the young man out of Texas need to live up to the expectations this season has brought. but will need to break a scoring curse to reach them.

Georgie Juiced One

Posada watches his ninth inning game-tying
home run go out Thursday night.
(Paul J. Bereswell)

With the New York Yankees down 5-4 in the bottom of the ninth inning against division leading Baltimore Orioles Thursday night, a familiar face came to the rescue.

Jorge Posada took the first pitch he saw from newly acquired closer Kevin Gregg and deposited into the Yankee bullpen in right-center field. It has been well documented that the longtime Yankee backstop has struggled out of the gate, but still has good baseball left in him.

Posada is off too one of the slowest starts of his career. Is it just that or are we starting to see the decline of one of the greatest offensive catchers the game has ever seen? Now 39, Posada is entering his 17th professional season, all with New York and was relieved of his catching duties his season and moved into a full-time designated hitter role.

In 10 games this season, Posada is only batting .189, seven hits in 37 at-bats, five of those being home runs good enough for the American League lead.

The most eye popping statistic is Posada's on-base percentage to start the year. His career OBP is a remarkable .377, but so far in 2011, Posada has not been receiving his walks. He has only drawn two so far this year, leaving his OBP at a dismal .231. All that being said it is not time to count the five-time All-Star out just yet. Even though Posada was not ecstatic to the idea of becoming a full-time DH this season, it could prove to be a great move not only for the Yankees, but also Posada.

The reason why Posada has been so highly revered throughout career, is what he has been able to do offensively as a catcher. Posada is one of only five catchers in history to record 250 home runs, 350 doubles, 1,000 runs batted in and 1,500 hits in a career. Now, even at the advanced age of 39, the move to being a full-time DH might help prolong Posada's career.

Even though the results not quite there, the longtime backstop showed Thursday night he can turn on a good fastball and hit it a long way. It is way to early to give on a Hall of Fame caliber player like Posada.

Posada is entering the final year of a four-year contract he signed prior to the 2008 season and may be his final in the Bronx if he does not produce.

You can bet Posada will not make the choice easy on the Yankees and have another solid season in my opinion what has been a Hall of Fame career.

Boston Suddenly Looking Old

Augusta Has Done it Again

Schwartzel won his first major

championship Sunday.

Augusta National brought us to our feet yet again this weekend.

The 75th Masters Tournament brought out some of the best kept secrets in golf and began the rejuvenation of another. The biggest story of the tournament belongs to 2011 champion, Charles Schwartzel.

Schwartzel started the final round Sunday at 8 under par, four shots off the lead of 21-year-old Rory McIlroy.

The 26-year-old was in the middle of the pack most of the tournament and even during the final round, but on the back nine with the finish line in sight, the South African made his run. Schwartzel found himself birding the 15th hole, starting a string of four consecutive birdies to close out a remarkable final round.

Schwartzel would finish the tournament 14 under par while going six under for the round. He becomes only the third South African to earn the elusive green jacket, joining the legendary Gary Player and 2008 winner, Trevor Immelman.

As for the leader to start the day, McIlroy seem to hear the footsteps of the great Tiger Woods and began an epic collapse on the back nine. McIlroy started by bogeying the 10th and 11th hole and then double-bogeyed the 12th. McIlroy would finish the round tied for fifteenth at four under par and post his worst round of the weekend, shooting an 80. It goes to show how the pressure can get to even the best of us, including the young man from Northern Ireland.

Woods on the other hand became the youngest player to win a green jacket at age 21 back in 1997 and looked like that kid we once knew this past weekend, especially when wearing his signature Sunday red. Woods started the day seven shots off the lead with a five under par through three rounds of golf.

Then the impossible almost seem to happen. Woods found himself shooting a 31 on the front nine moving him into a share of the lead at one time.

It looked as if Woods was setting himself up for a record-breaking day at Augusta and one of the greatest comebacks in his amazing career. Woods had never won a major championship going into the final round trailing.

The fairy tale ending never came.

Woods would post a 36 on the back nine finishing five under for the day and 10 under for the entire tournament. Woods was already in the clubhouse while Schawartzel was making his run, leaving Woods with nothing to do but watch his fifth green jacket slip away.

The most important thing to come out of this tournament for Woods was to see his confidence level raise and show he can still play with golf's elite. Defending champion Phil Mickelson was not really a factor much of the tournament, besides slipping the green jacket on Schwartezel, finishing one under for the tournament. No player has won back-to-back Master championships since Woods did so in 2001-02.

2012 should not be any different with so much parity in the PGA recently, but the Tiger looks to be hunting once again.

Manny Being Manny

Ramirez had one hit in 17 at-bats
with the Rays in '11.

Tampa Bay Rays designated hitter Manny Ramirez is calling it a career. Ramirez, who signed a one-year deal with the Rays this offseason, was batting .059 in five games with the team in 2011.

This does not come as a surprise with his recent struggles at the plate, but what does come as a shock is the reason why Ramirez is retiring.

According to Major League Baseball, there is a problem with Ramirez and the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Ramirez has chosen rather than completing and continuing the process under the Program to retire from baseball.

Ramirez, then with the Los Angeles Dodgers, was suspended 50 games by baseball in 2009 after testing positive for a female fertility drug. Even though the drug was not considered a steroid, it was commonly used by steroids users to restore their testosterone levels back to normal.

It is unclear what Ramirez has done to violate the Major League Drug Policy, but in any event Ramirez has opted for retirement.

A former first-round pick of the Cleveland Indians back in 1991, Ramirez quickly gained the reputation of one of the game's most feared hitters. In 19 seasons, Ramirez was a 12-time All-Star with a career batting average of .312. Prior to the start of the 2001 season, Ramirez left Cleveland, signing a eight-year $160 million deal to join the Boston Red Sox.

In 2002, Ramirez won the American League batting title with an average at .349. In 2004, Ramirez led the Red Sox to first World Series title in 86 years, being named the series' Most Valuable Player. His 555 career home runs ranks him 14th on the all-time list and finishes with 1831 career runs batted in.

Ramirez will always be remembered for his playful, yet sometimes idiotic antics. Which have commonly been know as 'Manny being Manny'. With Ramirez calling it a career we can finally look back on a wonderful, yet controversial career.

The 38-year-old outfielder is forever linked to performance-enhancing drugs, his numbers always tainted and now will begin the debate, will Manny ever be inducted in Cooperstown? We'll let you decide.

Where's the Panic Button in Boston?

Darnell McDonald is tagged out at second,
handing the Red Sox their sixth straight
loss Thursday.

When Boston Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein went out and brought in left-handers sluggers, Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford, this offseason, expectations went through the roof in 2011.

The Red Sox have gotten out of the gate rather slow losing their first six games to open the season. Being swept by the defending American League champion, Texas Rangers is condonable given the series was played in Arlington. However, losing to a Cleveland Indian team that won all of 69 games a year ago and 24 games under .500, is unacceptable.

Boston has five starters batting under .200 to begin the year and three others under .250. The only starter that is batting over .300 through the first six games is Gonzalez with a batting average at .305.

There is no question a lineup as deep as Boston's will not stay this cold the entire season. The question mark on this Red Sox team is their pitching staff. Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz both had breakout campaigns in 2010, but it's the veterans that are raising the concerns.

2003 World Series Most Valuable Player Josh Beckett is coming off an injury plagued year, where he only made 21 starts with six wins and an earned run average at 5.78. Even though John Lackey pitched 215 innings his first year in Boston, more than an other Red Sox starter, it was not the type of year the Sox expected when the signed him to that five-year $82 million deal.

Those veterans will need to bounce back if Boston wants to reach the expectations that have set for themselves over the last decade.

So far the pitching has not been anything but spectacular. Four of the Red Sox first six losses have come at the hands of their starters. The other two coming from flame throwing set-up man Daniel Bard, whose ERA is 16.88 to start the year.

Boston's pitching staff as a whole has given up 14 home runs and 38 total runs in their six-game tail spin.

The last time a team started the season on a losing streak and won the World Series was none another than the hated New York Yankees. In 1998, the Yankees started off 0-3 and went on to win 114 regular season games and Major League record 125 games, including the postseason. It should be noted that no team has ever started 0-4 and won the World Series in the same year.

The Red Sox have a huge weekend series with New York starting Friday afternoon, it's their 99th Opening Day in Fenway Park. If the Red Sox open up the season 0-7, they will try and do something no other team has done after losing their first seven contests, make the postseason.

If history stays true, the boo birds will be out and it will be another disappointing season for the Fenway Faithful.

Rodman to Hall of Fame

Maya Moore's Legacy

Moore's legacy has no need for an
introduction.

Now that Maya Moore's career at the University of Connecticut is over, how does she match up with some of the best to play Huskies Basketball?

The UConn Huskies were denied their third straight National Championship appearance Sunday night by the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. It was only the four loss that Moore had to endure in her four years at UConn.

Although, we can hardly say Moore's career was full of disappoint and far from it.

During her four years under head coach Geno Auriemma, Moore won two consecutive National Championships.

With those two National Championships came along a NCAA-record 90-game winning streak, a record that might never be broken.

Moore is the only college basketball player ever to win the Wade Trophy three times. She complied 3,036 career points, 36 of those coming in her final game, in her college career, good enough for fourth on the all-time list. Moore was also given the Naismith Trophy back in 2009, widely considered the most prestigious award in college basketball.

All that being said Moore might not even be the greatest player to ever play for Coach Auriemma. The 2004 first overall pick in the WNBA by the Phoenix Mercury, Diane Taurasi, also played her college ball at UConn and accumulated quiet the resume.

Taurasi won three consecutive National Championships during her colligate career from 2002-04, also winning the Naismith Trophy twice and the Wade Trophy in 2003. However, Taurasi was not the driving force of a historic 90-game winning streak like Moore was.

But both did appear in the Final Four all four years of their brilliant colligate careers.

However one wants to look at it, both were able to lead their respective teams to a championship level while being the centerpiece of it all.

One thing is for sure, Moore's legacy in Huskies history is cemented forever and will one day have her No. 23 raised to the rafters, flying high next to Taurasi's No. 3.

Dodgers Need Kemp To Win

Hopefully Kemp and the Dodgers
will have reason to smile in
2011.

The 2009 season seems so long ago, yet, not so far away for Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemp.

During the '09 campaign Kemp, 26, put together his best big league season by posting a .297 average with 26 home runs and reaching the century mark for the first time in his career, driving in 101 runs.

While being productive at the plate, winning his first career Silver Slugger, Kemp was also among the game's elite on defense, capturing his first Gold Glove.

He showed he could rise to the occasion and play at his best when the pressure was at its highest, homering off St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Chris Carpenter in Game 1 of the National League Division Series, helping the Dodgers advance to their second straight NLCS.

2010 came with high expectations for Kemp and seemed as if he could become only the fifth member to join the exclusive 40/40 club in Major League Baseball history.

With that came a lot of pressure and disappointment.

Despite Kemp seting a career-high in home runs with 28, every other offensive category dropped off significantly from his previous season totals. Kemp's average dipped all the way down to .259 with an on-base percentage of .310. After stealing a career high 34 bases in 42 attempts in '09, Kemp's base-running also took a hit, being caught stealing 15 times in only 34 attempts. Most people around baseball even thought Kemp took a step back defensively.

Whatever happened last year, Kemp is determined to put it behind him and live up to the expectations the Dodgers have set for him, losing 16 pounds by cutting ice cream out of his diet. There was a different type of energy with the club this spring, an energy not felt not since Joe Torre's first year as manager back in 2008.

Kemp enjoyed a wonderful spring, launching five home runs and hitting .290. The Dodgers and rookie skipper Don Mattingly will need Kemp to rebound if they want to capture their third NL West title in four years.

So far the season looks promising for Kemp and Co. beating the defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants on Opening Night, 2-1. Kemp went 1-for-1, scoring both Dodger runs and drawing a career-high three walks in a game.