NFL Fantasy Football

Josh Neighbors talks with new Sports Spin fantasy football expert Frankie Coppola, who makes his podcast debut alongside veteran NFL analyst Addison Hunsicker. The guys break down Frankie's position player ratings for fantasy football and talk about the strength of the NFC.
Click on the link and download the file to listen. All feed back is appreciated!
https://docs.google.com/a/collegiate-va.org/file/d/0BzIFhsm50aDZQVV6UlRnb1pvSlk/edit

ffunited.com

Germany goes wire to wire

Germany outlasted Argentina 1-0 in yesterday’s World Cup final at the Maracana stadium in Rio on the strength of 22 year old German substitute Mario Gotze’s left footed strike in the 113’ minute propelling the Germans to their 4th world cup title.

In a contest that appeared destined for penalty kicks, Gotze struck late, using his chest to bring down a beautiful cross from Andre Schurrle and crushing the tie-breaking game winner passed Argentine keeper Sergio Romero leaving a pro-Argentina crowd stunned at the Maracana.

While the scoreline might indicate the Germans dominated defensively, Argentina had ample quality opportunities. In the 20th minute Bastian Schweinstager mis-struck a header which sailed over defenseman German Jerome Boateng, landing directly on the foot of Argentine forward Gonzalo Higuain 10 yards outside the box. With only the keeper to beat, the Napoli man squandered arguably Argentina’s most promising chance. Upon corralling the ball, Higauin sprinted forward and powered a shot 5 yards outside the left post. All the 26 year old could do look on in bewilderment and ponder how he wasted a golden opportunity.

Higuain did find the back of the net in the first half when he beat German Keeper Manuel Neur with a left-footed shot in the box after a perfect ball in from Ezequiel Levezzi in the 30th minute. Higuain’s triumph was ephemeral as he looked back goalward with his teammates only to discover that the referee had ruled him offsides. Higuain's misfortune culminated, coming to a head in the 75th minute when he took a Manuel Neur knee to the head at the edge of the box as the German keeper attempted to clear a potential threat.

Argentina’s last chance took the form of a free kick in the 120’ minute. The preservation of Argentina’s dream of World Cup glory rested on the shoulders of the most scrutinized player in the soccer world, Lionel Messi. It turned out Argentina’s well of Messi dependence had run dry. Number 10 in blue blasted the free kick 10 yards over the bar, and as he scratched his head in frustration German jubilation set in.

As the game dragged on, both sides traded shots as it became obvious the first team to strike would take home the silverware. For Germany, substitute Andre Schurrle had a pair of shots which came within a foot of giving Germany the lead. His most notable attempt came in the 91’ minute when he ripped a shot inside the box directed right at Romero, who raised his glove and stymied the shot.

While the Germans crushed Brazilian dreams last week in their 7-1 romp of the hosts, yesterday they prevented Brazilian nightmares from coming true. The hosts would not suffer through experiencing their loathsome neighbors from the south celebrate on their soil in route to claiming their fourth title and first as a unified Germany.

The Germans championship performance was indicative of the form they had been in all tournament, racking up their third 1-0 victory and fourth shutout of the tournament. All tournament the Germans bent, they became undone, but they never broke. Shockingly, Argentina registered 0 shots on goal and a dominant defensive performance such as this is worthy of the silverware.

Sports Spin Podcast LeBron James Edition.

The guys discuss LeBron's probable return to Cleveland and it's ripple effects across the league, as well as the MLB and give their World Cup Final predictions

file:///Users/jneighbors/Music/iTunes/iTunes%20Media/Music/Josh%20Neighbors/Josh%20Neighbors's%20Album/NBA%20Free%20Agency%20Podcast_%20MLB.m4a

Tricks of the Trade

The Chicago Cubs and the Oakland A’s pulled off the biggest trade in Major League Baseball to this point in the season. The Cubs sent Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel to the A’s in return for Addison Russell, Billy McKinney and Dan Straily. While on paper the trade seems to make sense for both sides, there are some aspects of the trade that make one a bit curious of Theo Epstein and Billy Beane, two of the greatest baseball minds when it comes to MLB front offices.

Let’s start off with the Cubs’ side of the deal. The average baseball fan would look at the Cubs record and would automatically think that they were a bad baseball team this year saying to themselves "what are they playing for this year?" However, being the optimistic Cubs fan that I am, it is quite evident that the team does not share my opinion.

 

The fact is the Cubs have the third best record in the MLB since May 16 at 25-22. This was a club who had crawled their way to only 6 back in the wild card and 9 back in the NL Central. They also featured a dominant 1-2-3 punch in the pitching rotation that no team wanted to face. Then, what has seemed inevitable for the past 4 Cubs seasons happened, they traded away their core.

Nevertheless, I firmly believe that because of the confidence they have played with the past month and a half, the loss of Jeff and Jason should not hurt them as much as one would think. But, do I believe the Cubs still have a chance this season? Absolutely not. As a player on the ball club, nothing could be a bigger blow than seeing the organization giving up on you. Even when you as a team are playing fantastic baseball, asserting yourselves as a legitimate ball club, a trade such as this drains all the momentum you have. 2014 has officially been deemed another rebuilding year for the Cubbies, and I wonder with all my fellow Cub fans, when will this miserable construction project be over?

When you get past the pain of throwing away the 2014 season, the trade does strengthen the Cubs’ future quite a bit. With the addition of Shortstop Addison Russell, the Cubs now have five of the top twenty prospects in the MLB. That is something worth writing home about. Of course, there is a slight problem. Two of these prospects are shortstops, which is one of two solidified positions at the major league level, with All-Star Starlin Castro putting together another standout year. 

The Cubs will be forced to try some of these guys out at different positions, or else this rebuilding project will be for nothing. As a baseball player myself, moving from one position to another is not an easy transition at all. Theo Epstein definitely has something going on the minor league level, and as Cubs fans, all we can do is bestow our trust unto him because the reality is, what other option do we have?

Let’s travel to the west now and talk about the A’s perspective in this trade. I have discussed before my love for the A’s and how incredible it is that Billy Beane has been able to produce first place teams with a minimal salary and somewhat unknown players. Billy’s philosophy is bringing up players through the farm system and molding them into players who simply become winners. They cannot afford to go after the superstar every year in free-agency, but they go after guys who fit into what they are trying to do every year.

However, the Athletics have never been able to construct a legitimate playoff run, and Billy knows that consistently reaching the ALDS is now not enough to satisfy the Oakland faithful. Even though it meant straying away from his philosophy in a sense, Beane wanted to make sure that his team was set to make the World Series Run this year. When you add Samardzija and Hammel to an already fantastic staff headed by Sonny Gray and Scott Kazmir, it is increasingly difficult to find a flaw in this A’s team. They have the hitting, the pitching, and now, they also have experience. When October rolls around this year, do not be surprised to see Oakland finally reaching the promise land and holding up the trophy every team strives for.

As is the case with all trades in all sports, it is nearly impossible to see who will benefit more from this trade until more time elapses. The Cubs are trying to build toward something that could truly result in greatness, but it's not in the cards this season. Meanwhile, the A’s realize that their time has come. They are ready for greatness at this moment in time, and I firmly believe this trade solidifies them as the best team in baseball. For now, the A’s are the winners of this trade, and it might take a few years before the Cubbies see the fruits of this transaction. Cubs fans, while you may give up on the 2014 season, don’t give up on Theo, Rick Renteria, Starlin, Anthony, or anyone in this organization. Times may be tough as of now, but the end of the path may come to an end sooner than you think. -Ben Greer

Sports Spin Podcast: NBA Free Angecy and World Cup Discussion

Josh Neighbors, Connor Jones, and Ranny Kennon delve into where they believe LeBron James could land. Where would Carmelo be the best fit? They give their opinions on the action so far in the round of 16 in the world cup and predict the US Belgium matchup on Tuesday

file:///Users/jneighbors/Music/iTunes/iTunes%20Media/Music/Josh%20Neighbors/Sports%20Spin%20podcast/Free%20Agency%20Podcast.m4a

Troy Daniels: The Unexpected Hero

The VCU Rams basketball program has taken incredible strides in the last decade. Not only have they obtained remarkable success in the college game, but they have begun to produce a brand of players who have been suitable to play at the next level. However, the least expected to have success may end up being the most successful after all.

It all started with Eric Maynor, who was picked 20th by the Utah Jazz in the 2009 NBA Draft. Maynor was believed to have incredible promise as he played solid minutes behind Russell Westbrook for the Oklahoma City Thunder, but a devastating knee injury has slowed him down quite a bit as his career seems to be coming to an abrupt halt. Maynor, the VCU record holder for assists and field-goals, is known as possibly the best player in the history of VCU basketball.

Next, it was the one and only Larry Sanders. During his time with the Rams, Larry made a monumental impact on the defensive end. Larry left after his junior year, (the year before the Final Four run) and he was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks 15th overall in the 2010 draft. Larry has all the essentials to be successful in the NBA except for one thing: mental stability. Earlier this year, Sanders was out for 6 weeks with a broken thumb after a bar fight. Now, he has recently come out saying that he is a strong proponent of marijuana being legalized for all professional athletes. Come on, Larry. Larry still has plenty of potential if he settles down mentally and focuses on his game.

However, the crazy thing is, VCU’s best pro may not have been drafted at all. Troy Daniels went undrafted in this past NBA Draft, but instead of taking the often travelled path of playing in Europe, Daniels instead went the route of the D-League, playing with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. In his first season with the Vipers, Daniels set the record for three-pointers made in a season. But here’s the fun part, he did it in half the season. It did not take long for the Rockets to see what Daniels brought to the table as he joined the team fully on April 12th playing limited minutes, until the final game of the regular season where he dropped 22 points. After seeing no minutes in the first two games of the Rockets’ playoff series with Portland, it took Chandler Parsons getting into foul trouble late in Game 3 that enabled Troy to step on the court late in overtime. That’s when the magic happened. Daniels hit the game-winning three in overtime to propel the Rockets to a miraculous victory.

While before this shot almost nobody knew the name Troy Daniels, he is now a household name among NBA followers. Still, people may look at Troy as simply having his 15 minutes of fame, but I firmly believe that Troy has a promising future in the NBA. First of all, he has the size. At 6’4, he can play shooting guard, and he is quick enough to guard both the shooting guard and point guard position. While his defense still needs work, he has shown ability to play successfully under Shaka Smart’s havoc defense. In addition, his greatest quality as a player is one that translates any level he plays at: he can shoot lights out from 3. When Daniels was at VCU, about 70% of the threes Daniels shot were from NBA range. He can shoot successfully from anywhere on the court, and with his quick release and incredible accuracy from 3-point land, Daniels is a reliable option for any team. He still needs to broaden his offensive game, but he is young, and I am confident he will continue to grow as a player.

For now, Troy is simply the hero of Game 3. Nevertheless, this is only the first chapter in what could be quite the story of the undrafted 3-point sharpshooter, Troy Daniels.

-Ben Greer

Your (quick) 2014 Masters Preview

Augusta won't be quite as good without Tiger Woods this year, but it's the Masters so expect fireworks nonetheless.
Rookie with the best shot: Billy Horschell
Patrick Reed might have three wins in the last calendar year, but does he have octopus pants? No. Billy Hoschell has got some swagger to go along with his octopus pants and the long bomber isn't afraid of the spotlight. He's got a win under his belt, and he contended in last years US Open. He needs to be better around and on the green, so don't expect a win, but don't be surprised if you see his name hangin' around the top of the leader board heading into the weekend.

Dark Horse: Angel (El pato) Cabrera
You can never count out the duck, even at the age of 54. This guy lives for the majors and he came rather close last year as he fell in a playoff to Adam Scott. I've got no good reason, other then the fact that he's just got this ability to show up in the big ones.

Majorless golfer who could have break through: SERGO!!!!!!
Dammit Sergio, get this one done. Because Tiger isn't here, I want Sergio to snag himself a major. He's 34 and his confidence is back up after last season and a Tigerless field might also benefit his confidence even more because it just seems like seeing Tiger Woods on the same course intimidates him. So come on Serg, Waddu say??

Who Puts on the green jacket?
Sergio Garcia, it is his time and he knows this. He's focused, he knows what to expect, and once again there is no Tiger. It also feels like there is no pressure on him to win because he has been somewhat forgotten. The golf world would benefit from Sergio Garcia victory at Augusta this weekend.