All Los Angeles wants for Christmas is an NFL Team

While Los Angeles is quite a beauty, the NFL still thinks the time isn't right for the city

With Christmas just around the corner, many of us are scouring about with those last minute holiday necessities such as decorations, food, and presents. I still remember those days when I was younger and would wake up and like four or five in the morning, just waiting for my parents to get up so I could unwrap gifts from under the tree. Nowadays, I really just hope gifts that come along the lines of cash and boosted knowledge to help me do little bit better in school, but that's the personal side to me. The sports fan side of me is wishing that my Chicago Bears would give this city the gift of a new head coach, GM, quarterback, and others on the list as well. However, that won't be happening this Christmas I'm sure.

There were sports fans that were excited though for Christmas, and they were the the ones found in L.A. Over the past few months, there was a lot of talk stirring up in the forms of whether or not the city of Los Angeles would be given an expansion team or if a current NFL team would make the move to the city. After awhile, the idea of another expansion team coming into the NFL quickly was burned out which only left us with the talk of an NFL team making the jump over to the city of The Angels. The talk continued to brew up more and more before it looked like NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFL needed to make a call on the decision. Goodall eventually made his words known on the matter by saying that L.A. would not receive a football team in 2015. I have a feeling that the whole city is now looking at Goodell as the Grinch for stealing their dreams instead of Santa Claus.

There were three teams looking to make the move to come to Los Angeles: Oakland Raiders, St. Louis Rams, and San Diego Chargers. Why these three? Well because they all have some sort of connection to the city at one point in their history.

Deacon Jones loved sacking the quarterback
 while playing of the L.A. Rams

Eric Dickerson set the
NFL single-season rushing record
of 2,105 yards with the Rams in L.A.

The Rams were the first NFL team in the city when they made the move back in 1946 from Cleveland and eventually changed their named to the Los Angeles Rams. During their time in L.A., the Rams saw some of their best years with Hall of Famers like Deacon Jones, Jack Youngblood, Eric Dickerson, Norm Van Brocklin, and Dick "Night Train" Lane along with other legendary names from NFL history. However, the rams did make a move out of Los Angeles prior to the move to St. Louis, when they decided to move their play to Anaheim Stadium in 1980, the named stuck to the franchise. From 1946-1994, the Rams made 21 playoff appearances with 14 of them coming off of seasons where the team won 10 or more games and was able to win a championship back in 1951. Since then, the franchise has seen a constant downhill slope from those days. Despite winning their only Super Bowl just four years after making the move St. Louis in 1999, the Rams have only made the playoffs five times since the move and have had just four seasons where the team has posted 10 or more wins. It seems to me that maybe now that the Rams seem to have some magic stirring up in their roster, the move to Los Angeles may bring back those glory days of old.

Ron Mix: The only Pro Football Hall of Famer
from the 1960 Los Angeles Chargers

During the great NFL-AFL war of the 1960s, the [then] new American Football League helped to give life to the San Diego Chargers. But back then, the team was known as the Los Angeles Chargers and it would be their only season in the city. While there are just five players in the Chargers' Hall of Fame, the only Charger from that team that is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in former guard Ron Mix. That single season in L.A., the Chargers were able to muster up a 10-4 regular season record and made it all the way the very first AFL championship game, only to lose to the Houston Oilers 24-16. Since their move to San Diego in 1961, the Chargers have produced 17 playoff appearances with 10 of them coming off of seasons where the team won 10 or more games and won their championship just two years after the move in 1963 and lost only Super Bowl appearance in 1994 to the San Fransisco 49ers. So while they may not have as deep a history like the Rams do, the team might be able to get over the hump to win a Super Bowl with a change in setting.

The same year that the Los Angeles Chargers were born, the city of Oakland was given a franchise that would build a reputation that reflected the type of person their owner was: The Oakland Raiders. I would say that from 1960-2002, the Raiders had always been considered a very violent and tough team which is how they won many of their games. The team made most of it's noise in Oakland from 1960-1981 where the Raiders had 11 playoff appearances with 9 of them coming off of seasons where they won 10 or more games (their1963 season had 10 or more win but no playoff appearance) and were able to capture two Super Bowls in 1976 and 1980. during that time, the Raiders were able to be the home of many Hall of Fame legends such as Jim Otto, Gene Upshaw, George Blanda, Fred Biletnikoff, Art Shell, Ted Hendricks, Dave Casper, and Ray Guy. The team also brought of Hall of Fame head coach and broadcaster John Madden.

Linebacker Ted Hendricks was a key piece
throughout the Raiders' three Super Bowls

After the Super Bowl season in 1980, Legendary owner Al Davis (who started the franchise from day one) was unable to have plans passed to help improve the Oakland Coliseum. That same year, Davis was in an agreement to move the franchise to Los Angeles but found himself blocked after the NFL owners voted against the move. Davis then took it upon himself to move the franchise anyways which eventually turned into a antitrust lawsuit between Davis and the NFL. After two years of fighting, Al Davis won the right to move the Raiders to L.A. for the 1982 season. The Los Angeles Raiders' history was brief [in NFL years] as they only last from 1982-1994, but they still were able to create many exciting moments and give the world outstanding players to watch. During that time, the team was able to have seven playoff appearances with five of the seven containing seasons in which the team had won 10 or more games and was able to win their third Super Bowl in 1983. Also during that time, the Raiders produced more Hall of Famers to add to there collection like Marcus Allen, Howie Long, Mike Haynes. The only ones from the first Oakland group of Hall of Famers to witness L.A. was Gene Upshaw (1982), Ted Hendricks (1982-1983), Art Shell (1982), Dave Casper (1984), and Ray Guy (1982-1986). It's also worth mentioning that they were the team that allowed the nation to see the living legend known as Bo Jackson.

Marcus Allen came out of USC with a Heisman Trophy
and helped the L.A. Raiders win the Super Bowl in 1983

After the 1994 season and and unable to renovate the stadium due to damages done from a large earthquake, Davis decided to move the team back to Oakland after agreeing on an offer for a new stadium renovation for the Oakland Coliseum. Since returning, the Raiders have only been able to make the playoffs three times that spanned from 2000-2002 with all three being the only seasons in which the organization has won 10 or more games and had only championship appearance in 2002 where they were "blown out of the water" by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (If you see what I'm saying). As for Hall of Famers, they've had three since in the 1995 move with Jerry Rice, Warren Sapp, and Rod Woodson. However, these players came to the Raiders at the very end of their careers and already had their Hall of Fame resumes set. So with all that the Raiders have endured since returning to Oakland, they either should have never left Oakland in '82 or they should go back to L.A. and hope that the magic is able to return with it.

Roger Goodell's decision to not have a team in Los Angeles in 2015 is quite spearing as the city is one of the best markets for any professional team to be in and would help bolster the NFL as well as the city itself. But his decision has been made and now neither of those teams can make that move out. However, the decision does not stop these teams from making a move to somewhere else of their choosing, but I have a feeling that all three are hoping to possibly try to land that spot in Los Angeles in 2016. According to NFL.com, the Raiders are looking to stay in Oakland after deciding on "a one-year extension of their lease" with O.Co Stadium (Rapoport). As for the Chargers, they've made it known they will be in San Diego for 2015, but also stated that this "will constitute the fourteenth year of work on a San Diego Stadium solution" which sounds like this could be it after next season (Rapoport). The Rams are the only ones of the three that have not given out any word yet, but the Rams currently "have a deadline of Jan. 28 to decide if they are going to go year by year on their lease in St. Louis" which sounds like the Rams may be trying to either exit the city or try to see what St. Louis can offer them(Rapoport). Regardless, the city of Los Angeles and it's people will have to just wait till next year for a chance to unwrap their presents and see if they get what they've been wanting in an NFL team.

Rapoport, Ian. "No L.A. Team in '15; Raiders to Extend Oakland Lease." NFL.com. National Football League, 21 Dec. 2014. Web. 21 Dec. 2014.

2014 NBA Draft Picks Continued

No. 5 Draft Pick: Dante Exum

Position: Guard

Team(s): Utah Jazz

First Take: He may be the surprise winner for the 2014 NBA Rookie of the Year as Dante Exum is one of the most efficiently skilled players out of this year's draft class. Standing at 6'6" and weighing 195 lbs., Exum's highlights show us all what dazzling skills he had to offer for the NBA. Like many, I had never heard nor seen this kid play once last year. So why is it he wasn't talked about? Well its probably because he isn't a U.S. native. He's actually Australian; or rather he was born in Australia to American parents. Regardless, the kid from down under is the one of just 17 Australians to have played in the NBA and one of seven to be playing currently in the NBA (others include Cameron Bairstow, Aron Baynes, Andrew Bogut, Matthew Dellavedova, Joe Ingles, and Patty Mills). For Dante Exum, much of his time was spent entirely focused on basketball while playing for the Australian Institute of Sport. He also competed in the 2013 Nike Hoops Summit on the World Select Squad with Andrew Wiggins, where he scored 16 points, grabbed three rebounds, and had two assists in a 112-98 victory over the USA Junior Select Team that included Aaron Gordon, Jabari Parker, and Julius Randle. That same year, he also competed for Australia's under-19 world team in the 2013 Under-19 World Championships, where in averaged 18.2 points/game, 3.6 rebounds/game, 3.8 assists/game, and 1.7 steals/game over the course of nine games in the tournament, which lead to him being named to the All-Tournament team. Also, he has to get props because technically, he's the most current (and probably last) player to actually have come into the NBA out of high school and having a father, Cecil Exum, who played on the 1982 North Carolina basketball team that consisted of Michael Jordan, James Worthy, and Sam Perkins and won a NCAA championship So all that aside, Dante Exum's biggest plus sides coming out of the draft was a seemingly solid overall game. His top quality, by far, was how he could drive the basket with such speed and strength, and then be able to finish strong somehow. He also has some of the most incredible ball handling skills I have seem in a long time. His hands move and follow the ball so fast that helps him and allows him to make his moves with quickness and agility. Plus, his 6'6" size allows him to be versatile at both guard positions and possibly even small forward. In fact, some experts feel that he has skills next to that of Russell Westbrook, which is always nice to hear I'm sure.

NBA: Once the 2014 NBA Draft was on fast approach, many NBA analysts and basketball enthusiasts were starting to talk about this 19year old kid from Melbourne, Australia. From the way they talked and watching his highlights myself, I had to agree that he had the potential to possibly become the No. 1 overall pick if a team that needed a guard was there. So once the lottery came and Cleveland (once again!) got the pick, I knew he would not go at No. 1, but would probably not fall any lower than No. 10 at the most. Exum eventually drafted by the Utah Jazz at No. 5, who hadn't had a guard with his talents since drafting Deron Williams out of Illinois.

It has been some time since the Utah Jazz have seen those shimmering days of glory and star power. Those days were back in the 1990s, when the Jazz had Karl Malone powering it down in the post, Jeff Hornacek would hit every jump shot he took and make it look so simple, and John Stockton dazzled everyone on the court and in the Delta Center with his ability to get the pass to the open man. Dante Exum's current roster is not loaded like that at all, but the Jazz do have talent surrounding him in star forward Gordon Hayward, forward Derrick Favors, center Enes Cantor, point guards Trey Burke and Alec Burks, fellow rookie shooting guard Rodney Hood, 7'2" sky-scraping center Rudy Gobert, and also includes fellow Australian Joe Ingles (not impacting, but worth a mention).

A fourth of the way through the season, Utah is just 5-15 in the first 20 games of the season. For Dante Exum, he's been lucky to have played in all 20 games this season, but he's not a starter. So far, Exum's done nothing but bench work as his stats show (Seen Below) due mostly to the fact that Utah is pretty set with Alec Burks performance so far and also has his time split up with fellow rookie guard Rodney Hood. Surely, I thought Exum would be one of the starting guards on the court this season, but with first rounders Trey Burke stopping up, Alec Burks starting his rise to fame, and Rodney Hood riding in the rookie car next to him, it seems like it will be a difficult climb for Exum to get into the starting lineup for a while. Hopefully, he'll starting to get more use of the time he is given and prove he deserves more minutes in order to show the Jazz why he is the No. 5 pick or else be at risk of being traded to another team. Of course, that could be what Utah fears may happen to Burks, seeing as some teams do not have that balanced guard with size and speed to help bolster offense and defense. 

Dante Exum's Current Stats: 20 Games Played

Minutes/Game- 18.0

Points/Game- 4.5

Rebounds/Game- 1.5

Assists/Game- 2.1

Blocks/Game- 0.3

Steals/game- 0.4

Turnovers/Game- 1.0

Field Goal %- .365

3 Point %- .298

Free Throw %- .591

No. 6 Draft Pick: Marcus Smart

Position: Guard

Team(s): Boston Celtics

First Take: He is looked at in two different types of lights: the superstar guard from Oklahoma State and the guy with some serious temper issues. Either way, Marcus Smart is quite a nice combination of all-around talent from this year's draft class. The moment I saw Marcus Smart was in a game where Smart had dropped 39 points on the then #11 Memphis Tigers. I kid you not, it was one the greatest performances all season. I saw him just shredding and tearing apart defenders, hitting the jumper all over the court, and playing such strong perimeter defense, which lead me to think that this may be the guy that ultimately goes No. 1 overall in the draft. From the moment his feet touched the court for the Cowboys, he seemed to be poised for a great NBA career. Although I did not see him till his sophomore year, Smart helped his Oklahoma State team to 24-8 record while averaging about 15.5 points/game, 5.8 rebounds/game, and 4.2 assists/game and putting them just under the Big 12's powerhouses Kansas and Kansas State. Marcus Smart was also able to record 99 steals in the season, which averaged out to 3.0 steals/game. Honestly, that an insane talent to have in being able to take the ball away from your opponent. That year, the Cowboys earned the #5 seed in the Midwest Regional of the 2013 NCAA Tournament, but were unable to pass the first round against the #12 Oregon Ducks. After returning for his sophomore season, Marcus Smart started off in dominating fashion with that 39 point game I mentioned against Memphis. However, Smart then began to show the side of him that many have come to recognize him for most. The incident that is most known of his was when Oklahoma State was playing against Texas Tech and Smart flew into fans that had floor seats in order to save the ball. After which, Smart got up and seemed to had words with a Texas Tech fan named Travis Ford. Supposedly, Ford had called Smart a racial slur of some kind, which then lead to Marcus shoving the fan and giving a few words back at him (whatever they may have been). Evidently, this caused Smart to be hit with a technical foul and eventually lead to OSU suspending him for the next three games. Despite the controversy, he was named as a finalists for 2013-14 College Player of the Year and helped the Cowboys to 21-13 record while averaging 18.0 points/game, 5.9 rebounds/game, and 5.8 assists/game along with 2.9 steals/game. He helped OSU receive the #9 seed in the West Regional of the 2014 NCAA Tournament, but once again lost in the first round to #8 Gonzaga Bulldogs while being the first player in tourney history to score 20 points, grab 10 rebounds, have 5 assists, and take away 5 steals.

NBA: From the very beginning of the season and all the way up until the incident with Texas Tech, there were some that were feeling Marcus Smart may be college basketball's best athlete and should be considered as the No. 1 overall pick. But everyone knows that if you mess up in any way nowadays and the media catch a whiff of it, you are pretty much in for a hell of a ride. After the incident, Smart's production began to fall which lead to frustration and the occasional outbursts that made some think that he may not be mentally prepared and mature enough to happen the pro game. In the 2014 NBA Draft, Marcus Smart went No. 6 to the Boston Celtics who were in a period of rebuilding after losing Doc Rivers to the Los Angeles Clippers and Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to the Brooklyn Nets. As for how he would contribute, there were those that said that he would be the most talented guy coming off the bench, while others (and it was only a few) said that Smart could be the next Ray Allen for Boston (Seriously, I saw a few that made those comments).

The Boston Celtics have had some serious changes in the organization since they last won a championship back in 2008. The team lost their head coach Doc Rivers to the L.A. Clippers, Ray Allen to the Miami Heat, and center Kevin Garnett and forward Paul Pierce to the Brooklyn Nets. The organization then went out and signed their new head coach from Butler University named Brad Stevens in 2013 and just recently traded point guard Rajon Rondo to the Dallas Mavericks. The trade now pushes Smart to have a larger role on the team with a nice collection of young players with potential like as forward Jeff Green, forward Jared Sullinger, guard Avery Bradley, center Kelly Olynyk, guard Evan Turner, guard Marcus Thornton, and center Tyler Zeller.

Right now, the Boston Celtics are through 24 games in the season, which Marcus Smart has only played in 11 games in which he has not started yet. Smart has been doing nothing but coming off the bench and playing at both the point and shooting guard positions, but his stats show (Seen Below) that he still has not been able to emerge as a the star guard I had witnessed in college. But he also has to deal with the same situation that I mentioned that Exum is going through in Utah: overcrowding at his position. It's the biggest issue for holding Smart down because he is a guard that shows skill at both positions, and when have point guards like Rondo and Bradley along with shooting guards Thornton and Turner, you can see how it would be hard for him to be able to put up some decent numbers. Plus, the Celtics' game plan seems to centered around distributing the ball equally to all the players for maximum contribution all around. However now that Rajon Rondo has been shipped away to Dallas, Smart is being looked at as one of the expected players to step up and take command of the opportunity he has in front of him. It is possible that with 20+ minutes per game,more hard drives in the paint, and more time working on his three point game that Marcus Smart could become one of the center pieces that get surrounded with talent for years to come.

Marcus Smart's Current Stats: 11 Games Played

Minutes/Game- 17.4

Points/Game- 6.1

Rebounds/Game- 2.0

Assists/Game- 1.7

Blocks/Game- 0.2

Steals/game- 0.9

Turnovers/Game- 0.9

Field Goal %- .349

3 Point %- .293

Free Throw %- 1.000

{More rookies will be coming soon over my next posts}

So What'll I Throw with Today: Left, Right, or Both?

It's more than likely that no one has ever heard of this guy before, but he is apart of history as he has a unique talent that puts him in the category of things like Bigfoot and Unicorns; too good to be true. But once You've watched this video, You'll see what I am talking about. Also, it's pretty hilarious.

Video Uploaded by HGM4CHINE's channel

My best guess right now would be that many of you are laughing as you watch this switch hitter going left to right, while others may be thinking that this has to be fake or something. But believe when I tell you that it is indeed real. That ladies and gentlemen, is what is known in the game of baseball as a switch pitcher. 

Believe it or not, there are actually pitchers out there in history and currently that have a unique skill to throw with either their left or right hand. Like I said, they are a rare breed that you just do not get to see every day or ever. But if you really need some solid visual proof, here's another video of the same guy (different game) warming himself up at the mound (pay close attention at 0:28)

Video Uploaded by john t

The Double Barreled Rifle: In both videos, the switch pitcher is a guy named Pat Venditte. Never heard of him? I'm not surprised. Venditte has not had an opportunity to play in the majors yet. But that could all change soon as he has signed a minor league contract with the Oakland A's along with an invitation to Spring Training this offseason to prove if his arms are as good as people say they are. Venditte is the only active switch pitcher in pro baseball who has the impressive ability to throw 90-94 mph right-handed  and 85-90 mph left-handed. It's a key piece of what makes him a somewhat of a "unicorn" of baseball. No one has ever seen anyone with that ability since (my guess) Mullane. 

Because of this, he drew interest from and was eventually draft by none other than the circus itself, the New York Yankees in 2007, but was turned down by Venditte so that he could upgrade his arms with more velocity and weapons. The next year, the Yankees snatched him up again.'

Vendetta's first appearance was with the Staten Island Yankees against the Brooklyn Cyclones. With two outs in the ninth inning, up stepped switch hitter Ralph Henriquez (this is the top video). After getting in the batter's box, Venditte switched his glove over to the other handed. So because of the hand switch, Henriquez made the option to switch to the other side. After going back-and-forth like this four or five times, eventually the teams' managers and the game's umpires came out on the field to try and solve the issue. Eventually, Henriquez was told to pick his stance, Venditte would then pick which hand to throw with, which evidently lead to Henriquez striking out and slamming his bat with frustration. Because of the incident, the "Pat Venditte Rule" was created have a set of rules for pitchers with Venditte's unique skill and style of pitching by making sure he makes it clear to all what arm he is going to be pitching with and is limited to changing hands once per at-bat.

Since then, Pat Venditte has been sitting the minors just waiting for the chance to get the call up to play with the top guys in the game. And at 29, he shows he can still throw it when he held a 0.82 ERA with a 0.73 WHIP in 22 innings with the Trenton Thunder before being called up to AAA, where he struck out all five batters (three left-handed, two right-handed) in his first outing. Hopefully, he'll earn a spot in the bullpen with the A's.

{"Ice Box" Chamberlain (left), Tony Mullane (center), Larry Corcoran (right)}

Dual-Wielding Gunslingers: Now to be fair, Venditte is not the first of his kind. In fact, baseball historians have found that switch pitchers go way into the 1880s. The most successful and probably best switch pitcher ever was Tony Mullane, who for 13 years with seven different teams, threw effectively with both his left and right hand. During his career, Mullane secured 284 wins (tied 27th all time), 3.05 ERA, and had 1,803 strikeouts.

Along side Mullane were a handful of other switch pitchers as well. One of them was Elton Chamberlain. Known as "Ice Box" for having ice in his veins, Chamberlain was known mostly for pitching right handed but could switch over to the left hand whenever needed to spruce up the game. Over the course of 10 years with 6 different teams, Chamberlain was about to notch 157 wins, 3.57 ERA, and 1,133 strikeouts.

Another name at this time short career pitcher named Larry Corcoran. A brief but strong young man, Corcoran played just seven years with his best five happening from 1880-1885 with the Chicago White Stockings (Chicago Cubs). During those five years, Corcoran won 43 games his first year to help Chicago win the National League Championship, he and pitcher Fred Goldsmith were part of Hall of fame manager Cap Anson's idea for the first ever pitching rotation, he became the first pitcher to throw two no-hitters in a season followed by becoming the first pitcher to throw three no-hitters in a season to set record (eventually broken by Sandy Koufax with four). Just like Mullane, Corcoran was able to alternate hands frequently and effectively in games. Over his seven years with four teams, Corcoran amassed 177 wins, 2.36 ERA, and 1,103 strikeouts.

{Greg Harris pitching for the Boston Red Sox}

The Montreal Project: In 1981, the New York Mets had a pitcher by the name of Greg A. Harris that was a pitcher who was predominantly a right-handed thrower, but was secretively behind-the-scenes working on making himself able to throw just as efficient with his left arm. While Venditte might become the second, Greg Harris is still recognized as the only switch pitcher to pitch in a major league game in the modern era of baseball. However, he did not get the green light to do so until 1995 (nine years after perfecting left hand) against the Cincinnati Reds in the regular season. In the ninth inning, Harris was able to strike out Reggie Sanders, Walked Hal Morris, forced Ed Taubensee to ground out, and finished off the inning by striking out Brett Boone in good fashion. Although Harris' career record is 74-90, he still has a solid 3.69 ERA and 1,141 strikeouts for his career.

These are just some the big names of a growing group of pitchers that have worked, trained, and have been given a gift with the ability to be effective and throw proficiently with both arms. As of right now, switch pitchers in the major leagues seem to be just a pipe dream. But who knows. After all, Venditte could be the spark that's been needed to show just how talented these two armed pitchers can be. Now to mention, it'll give any and every ball club in the league an excuse to not have to spend more money on another pitcher when you have the 2-in-1 deal already. I don't how effective they will be in the major leagues, but whenever it does happen, I'll definitely be excited and ready to watch.

"Hey Jay, Marc. Eat a Snickers." "Why?" "Cause you guys are Emotionless and Boring when you're both Hungry."

{Jay Cutler cannot seem to understand what is happening or what a smile is}

I cannot believe I found a picture of Jay Cutler's smiling face as he was being introduced as the new quarterback for the Chicago Bears. No seriously, you can totally see it. I mean sure, you may have to flip your screen upside down to see it, but it is there. Perhaps he should consider some kind of surgery that could flip his mouth upside down so that even when he has his "Cutler Face" on, we would not be able to tell because he'd then be smiling. I could go on, but I think you guys know where I am going with this. Simply put, we have got to get this guy to crack some type of smile or something before football season end.

For six years now, Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler has been handed this "Torch of Leadership" in order to shine it upon his teammates whenever things seemed to be going wrong and sinking into darkness, and give them a shining leader to follow into battle. Look around the NFL and you will find that each team has a player that is doing so, especially at the QB position. At QB, you'll see the Broncos have Peyton Manning, Patriots have Tom Brady, Colts have Andrew Luck, Chargers have Philip Rivers, Saints have Drew Brees, Giants have Eli Manning, and so on and so forth. The point is, every single one of these guys shows some type of attitude and energy every game day. Very one of those named QBs are carrying that "Torch of Leadership" for their team. And then there's this guy.

{Jay Cutler in deep thought about whether he remembered to turn the stove off instead of playing the game}

Ah yes, good ol' stone face. As I said before, he's been handed the torch for six years now. But for some reason, he acts like one really quiet kid that no one hears a word out of or ever sees like smiling or playing with the other kids. And like the really quiet kids do when they are asked to talk, he seems to just look at that torch and go, "I'm good. I'll pass for now." Here's the deal sourpuss: if you are going to get paid like an elite quarterback and play in the NFL, then you cannot just give a "pass" on stepping up and being a leader for this group.

As someone who has played this game and enjoys everything about it, I can honestly say that things might actually be better if he were to just perk up a little bit more in the games. I mean seriously, how could anyone play this game without having any energy or excitement in them at all? When I was playing back in high school, I never saw any playing time on the field as a starter, but that didn't stop me from getting excited, cheering on my teammates as loud and best I could, and simply going ballistic in order to try and set a strong tone. Plus, I love the game of football so much that it was always a joy and blessing just to be there on Friday nights under the lights. Now I don't know if all the yelling, cheering, and insanity ever worked to help set the tone for games; it couldn't have hurt any though, right? Well, it actually did hurt my throat a lot after every game, but besides that, it never seemed to hurt us.

{Jay Cutler thinks to himself, "My god, if this doesn't end soon, I'll miss Law & Order again!"}

So if I could act that excited for a high school football game, you would think that a pro football quarterback like Cutler would throw his team and us fans a little smile just so we know he's enjoying himself... and you know, not dead. It's been shown at all levels of the game and in just about every team sport there is to play that if teams have a mixed chemistry of hard work, determination, charisma, and character, then there is a better chance of getting the best performance out of your players. Right Now, the Chicago Bears are lacking the leadership that should be singing bright though these difficult times, are now giving no sense of determination, have no feel of charisma or character, and probably have been slacking on the trying to work hard. 

I know for some, it would be the best option to see the Bears just drop the last of their games and try to get a high draft pick for 2015. But as nice as it would be to see the Bears have a top ten pick at this coming NFL Draft in the windy city, I would rather see Chicago go down fighting than just decide that the best option would be to roll over and submit defeat. It's not who we are. The great people of the city of Chicago, those throughout the state of Illinois, and those that are sons and daughters of this fine state have all had to endure the harsh cold winds, icy rain, thick snow, violence at every turn, taking the L at any time, and Lake Michigan of course. We are the type of people that have the "never say die!" attitude that we need to start seeing from our beloved Chicago Bears. Honestly guys, your giving us all a worse rep than we need.

{Marc Trestman's Billy Bob Thornton impression from the movie, Slingblade}

Now Cutler isn't all to blame really. After all, the two Bears' head coaches he's dealt with (Lovie Smith and Marc Trestman) may have been the ones that gave him the "Cutler Face" since neither of them ever seem to smile or joke or yell or anything. They just try to play Captain Positive and say they hope for the best. This year alone, I could have swore I heard Trestman say in a press conference that he was positive that good things were going to come soon at least four or five times. Well no more hoping! When the NFL first started, we were one of best teams and were champions thanks to a bad-tempered old man that started it all named George "Papa Bear" Halas. he was one of those men that could grab the helmet of fearsome linebacker Dick Butkus and yell in his face while spitting on him as well; and not very many did so. Then we had a group of talented athletes in the 1980s that had a loud and proud coach named Mike Ditka as head coach, who would often times butt heads with the very vocal defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan (Rex and Rob Ryan's father and natives to Illinois).

{Coach Trestman contemplates life's great questions instead of coaching the game}

So it's basically simple guys: these two smile a little more and fire it up some, and we could see ourselves finish on a promising strong note at possibly 9-7. Of course the backfire on that is that the season would be looked at as an improvement over last year, giving the organization a reason to keep Trestman and Cutler around. That's just another headache waiting to happen, so they both gotta go either way. But I am just asking that from here on out and on behalf of all Chicago Bears fans, Illinoisans, and NFL fans all over, that both Marc Trestman and Jay Cutler please crank up the euphoria to like level 1000 and start showing your mean side.

2014 NBA Draft Picks Continued: "When's The Show Gonna Start?"

No. 3 Draft Pick: Joel Embiid

Position: Center

Team(s): Philadelphia 76ers

First Take: From all that was being talked about Andrew Wiggins attending Kansas, I never knew who Joel Embiid was until the season started. After that, I could tell this was the player that many would say was "a man among boys" or "the shark of the pond" is another way to say it. Pretty much, Embiid looks and plays like he is going to be the NBA's next big man on the scene. And why not? He's a true seven footer and weighs a solid 250 lbs. Along with that is his ability to be able to get to the basket, grab rebounds, send shot after shot back, slam that ball through the rim, and dominate on the physical standpoint. It still shocks me (for some reason) that he was a five star recruit because I never heard him being talked about, and I would have thought that a kid from Cameroon that was playing in Florida who showed skills similar to that of Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon and Tim Duncan would have grabbed some of the national spotlight away from players like Wiggins and Parker. I guess that's what happens when you've only been playing this sport for just four (that's right 4!) years. But eventually, Embiid would come to overshadow them some once college began. Joel committed to Kansas in 2012 and arrived on campus with the nation top recruit Andrew Wiggins and another five star recruit named Wayne Seldon Jr. ready for the 2013-14 season. Once Embiid stepped onto the court for the Jayhawks, he showed his style and skills were very unique. Although Embiid's numbers were not "insane", Joel was still impressive as was able to average 11.2 points/game, 8.1 rebounds/game, and 2.6 blocks/game while playing about 23 minutes/game in 28 games. And like I said, they may not be outrageous, but they are pretty good for a guy whose team had a lot of talent to share the ball around too. Along side Wiggins and Perry Ellis, he helped the team get to the tournament, but was unable to play as he had developed a stress fracture in his back which took him out of commission long enough to see eventually see Kansas lose in tournament.

NBA: Once Joel Embiid had declared for the draft, the talk started about whether or not Embiid was healthy enough to draft at No. 1 or not. After all, many believed that Cleveland would still draft former Kentucky and current 76ers teammate center Nerlens Noel after he had torn his ACL during the season, only to eventually fall to No. 6 in the draft by New Orleans Pelicans and then be traded to Philadelphia 76ers. Which may explain why the 76ers went ahead and drafted Embiid at No. 3 anyways. They sat and waited on Noel for a season in order to allow him to recover and come back at full strength, so why not do so for this big man as well? Also, Embiid's injury is not as severe as Noel's torn ACL was and he could maybe even see time this season. However, I feel that he will just sit out the season and wait his time until he is strong and healthy enough to return back to the court. I think the city is primed to see what he can do. Also something to consider is that Embiid went to Kansas and is playing in Philly. The last guy that did that was a certain Hall of Fame center and one of the most dominant players in NBA history named Wilt Chamberlain (I do dare to say it).

For the Philadelphia 76ers, life has been pretty harsh since I would say drafting the future Hall of Fame guard Allen Iverson. In acquiring Noel from New Orleans, the team gave up their top player in point guard Jrue Holiday. Even though Embiid does not look like he will be playing at all this year, the team has acquired some good talent to  surround him with in big man Nerlens Noel, guard Michael Carter-Williams, guard Tony Wroten, guard Alexey Shved, and fellow Cameroonian Luc Richard Mbah a Moute.

So far, Embiid has not played a single game and probably will not at all this season. Especially since the 76ers have played through 15 games thus far and have lost every single one of them. So because he hasn't played a game yet, there is not any way to be able to tell just what his NBA skills look like and if he will become better with time or not. But one can always guess and mine is that he will eventually become one of the focal points on the team as far as leadership and domination go, along side Carter-Williams of course. So here is to the hope that next season will be a turn around point for Philly when "The Nightmare of Cameroon" hits the court and throws that ball down everyone's throats.

No. 4 Draft Pick: Aaron Gordon
Position: Power Forward
Team(s): Orlando Magic

First Take: When I first saw Aaron Gordon, it after seeing he was ranked as one of the Top five recruits coming out of high school. I looked up his highlights on YouTube and felt my jaw drop after watching him go to work on the court. This 6'9" forward from California was rocking the nation in high school with his ability to play with such a fierce and competitive nature. In his highlights, Gordon showed two outstanding key points in his game: rebounding and blocking shots. A lot of thanks have to go to the deadly combination of his 39-inch vertical leap, 32-inch standing vertical, and the 7'0" wingspan which has allowed him to play so far above and beyond the rim that any missed shot would be his and any shot taken is more than likely sailing back or into the crowd. It almost seems as though he may not have that much competition that will be able to fly in the clouds with him, as he might even have the potential to be the next Superman of the NBA. Keep in mind as well that he also has an ability to hit jumpers all around the court and an occasional long range ball every now and then. Before hitting the college scene, Gordon was able to play with Jabari Parker, Andrew Wiggins, and other top recruits from across the country in the McDonald's All-American Game in Chicago, IL. Like probably every Illinoisans, I thought that our Chicago native local boy Parker would be the MVP of the game. But by the end, even I had to agree that Gordon stood, jumped, dunked, blocked, rebounded, and so on unlike anyone else had. Truly, Aaron Gordon is one of these very gifted athletes that helped to bolster what was already a strong recruiting list. As the No. 4 recruit in the country (ironic huh?), Gordon eventually made his commitment to the Arizona Wildcats. Once there, Gordon sent those NCAA Tourney chills down the Wildcats' spines. In his freshman and only season of college basketball, Gordon averaged 12.4 points/game, 8.0 rebounds/game, and almost 1.0 blocks/game to help junior guards Nick Johnson and T.J. McConnell, sophomore forward Brandon Ashley, and sophomore center Kaleb Tarczewski get the Wildcats to a 33-5 record and earning the #1 seed in the Western Regional. They made it all the way to the Elite Eight, where they eventually lost to the #2 seed Wisconsin Badgers by a mere one point.

NBA: When Aaron Gordon declared for the 2014 NBA Draft, there were a few experts that saw him being the No.1 overall pick, but for the most part was being looked at as going somewhere as high as No. 3 to possibly as low as No. 10 even. Lucky for him, Gordon did not have to wait very long as he was drafted by the Orlando Magic with the No. 4 overall pick. I could only imagine the excitement and joy that fans must have had after hearing he was the pick. And who could blame them? Aaron Gordon is bringing that sense of big man defense that they have not seen since they drafted current Houston Rockets' center Dwight Howard out of high school, who also like Gordon, had been drafted in order to bring back that something that they had not had since drafting Shaquille O'Neal. Since the draft, experts have been saying that we should expect Aaron Gordon to probably develop into a showtime dunk machine like Los Angeles Clippers' forward Blake Griffin or Denver Nuggets' forward Kenneth Faried, but with a bit more defense to his game.

For a couple years now, the Magic have been struggling to place a team on the court that could be viewed with a serious face as competitive. It was mostly due to the fact that they had lost Dwight Howard, who was their best player and had lost all desire to want to play for the team after the 2011-12 NBA season. Regardless of whatever happened in the past, this Orlando Magic squad looks primed to be the critical factor in the organization's rebuilding process, despite the fact that the roster is considered to be made up of simple "role players". Along with Gordon, the team consist of impact players like rising star center Nikola Vucevic, forward Tobias Harris, surprising guard Evan Fournier, complete package guard Victor Oladipo, forward Channing Frye, and rookie guard Elfrid Payton.

At this point, the Magic 19 games into the season, Aaron Gordon has only played in 11 of them. And when I say played, I mean that is all he has done. So far this season, Gordon has not started a single game yet for the team which probably explains why his stats are so low (seen below) as well as why he has not grabbed the rookie limelight like I thought he would. As dominant as he was in high school and college, I thought Gordon would have been in the staring five at the start of the season with 10-12 points/game, around 12 rebounds/game, and at least 1 block/game. But for coming off the bench, I'd say he's doing... well not good honestly. If one thing does impress me, it's that he is keeping all his shooting percentage in field goal, three point, and free throw 50% or above. But just knowing and seeing his ability to play the game, if Aaron Gordon can bring that on the court whether he is starting or coming off the bench, he could ultimately reach those statistics. The way I see it, Gordon could become one of three types of forwards: dunkin' Blake Griffin, low post warrior Taj Gibson, or current range shooting teammate Channing Frye. However, there is that seemingly impossible fourth type: all three in one player.

Aaron Gordon's Current Stats: 11 Games Played

Minutes/Game- 15.0

Points/Game- 5.8

Rebounds/Game- 3.0

Assists/Game- 0.6

Blocks/Game- 0.5

Turnovers/Game- 1.0

Field Goal %- .581

3 Point %- .500

Free Throw %- .667

{More rookies will be coming soon over my next posts}