What’s up family. Hope everyone is doing well. I took a little editing break to type up my next blog. All Hail the King, “If I ain’t better than Big then I’m the closest one.” As we witness another career milestone from the illustrious career of the legend LeBron James I thought it fitting since King James is the most named player in the is anyone better than Michael Jordan discussion. If you are not a member of the LeBron James is the G.O.A.T club you usually have the King at #2. Most NBA top 10 all time lists that I’ve seen have LeBron James ranked as #2 behind only Michael Jordan which is why I added the Jay Z quote to the title. I believe LeBron is #2 as well but I’m not so sure that LeBron still has a chance to pass MJ for me personally. It would take a lot but I think there is a chance.

LeBron James is still in the prime of his career and recognized by many as the best player in the NBA at 36 years old with his lowest ranking being third. Obviously you have your LeBron haters that might throw him past 5 but if we’re real LeBron is a strong MVP candidate pretty much just going back and forth with Giannis Antetounmpo. He’s also leading the league in assists while averaging 25 points and almost 8 rebounds a game. Oh and did I mention the Lakers have the best record in a tougher western conference. Second best record overall. No one has played at this level at this age and now he’s moved into the top 3 in scoring all time. Only Karl Malone and Kareem Abdul Jabbar remain ahead of LeBron on the list.

Barring any major injury LeBron should be able to take over the #1 spot by the time he retires. An amazing feet but you can also throw in to the LeBron James mix is that he also #8 on the all time assists list and again barring any major injury it’s possible he could finish as high as #2 on the list. If LeBron plays another 3 years he should be able to dish out another 2,000 assists which would put him at #3 on the list behind only his current Asst. Coach Jason Kidd and Utah Jazz Hall of Fame point guard John Stockton. No other player is the top 10 in both points and assists. Oscar Robertson is top 15 in both (12th in scoring and 6th in assists). No one else if comes close. LeBron should also be able to crack in the top 25 in rebounds.

If LeBron can accomplish a top 25 finish in all three of the major statistical categories and a few more championship rings, All NBA 1st teams, All Star game appearances, finals MVP’s we can still have the debate but if not as the legend Jay Z would say, “If I ain’t better than Big then I’m closest one,”

What’s up family. Hope everyone is good. I been on break long enough with the preparation for the 2k tournament but I had to drop back in as Christmas came early for myself and fellow Yankee fans. It wasn’t by any means cheap however it was well worth it. Took me back to the old George Steinbrenner days where we did what wanted and didn’t care what anyone had to say. It’s baseball I’m sorry if your feelings are hurt there’s no salary cap in baseball so you do what you want. You spend however much It takes and you win championships. 27 championships to be exact. Oh and you can definitely add on a couple more with the addition of Gerrit Cole, one of the best pitchers in baseball today, in the prime of his career.

The 2019 AL era and strikeout leader is also a 3x Allstar, (2015, 2018, 2019.) Now with that being said, let’s go down the list. First, the team the Yankees lost to the past two seasons was, the Houston Astros. Largely because of their starting pitching one of those pitchers was Gerrit Cole who went 4-1 in the 2019 MLB playoffs (with a 1.72 era, 47 strikeouts and a WHIP of 0.87.) Granted the Astros still have their 2019 Cy Young award winning ace Justin Verlander back but he has been known to come up short in recent playoffs. This past year he as 1-4. Versus the Yankees he was 0-1 and in the World Series he was 0-2. His individual game numbers were also down (4.33 ERA, 38 SO and a WHIP of 1.25). Oh and so you guys know, Cole was 2nd in Cy Young votes. With that being said he now gets to be the top dog in a Yankees rotation that includes Luis Severino, Domingo German who went 18-4 last season. (Hopefully he has gotten his act together off the field and the 2x Allstar Mashiro Tanaka. The Yankees also have arguably the best relief pitchers in baseball led by the best closer in the game right now, Aroldis Chapman. Furthermore you have those Yankee bats with led by the bash brothers, Judge, Sanchez and Stanton.

The Yankees were second last season in Home Runs and RBI’s and that was with Judge, Stanton, Sanchez, Didi and Gleyber all missing chunks of games this past season. The Yankee back ups just stepped right in and put in work. I know I’m being bold and a little bit of a homer but I’m predicting a minimum of 3 championships during the length of this contract. And listen 3 is not me really jumping out the window when you take into account how young the Yankees core is. They’re going to be a dominant group for years to come barring major injuries or suspensions for whatever reason.

With that being said realistically the cost wasn’t too high when you take everything in to consideration. The only thing left to do is just win some rings which the Yankees are in a position to do. This is the first top pitcher signing the Yankees have made since the legend CC Sabathia. Baseball is going to be very fun this season and I for one am very happy about that. So as the title of this blog says, “Y’all can go back to hating us now” because the championships are on the way. Welcome to NYC Mr. Cole.

What’s up family we are just about done with the 2019 NFL season so why not drop my picks for the end of season awards. You guys can compare my picks with the actual winners once the awards are officially announced but for now just enjoy the read:

MVP - Lamar Jackson
Normally I would save the best for last but in this situation the MVP has pretty much been wrapped up for about 2 weeks now with Lamar Jackson out dueling Russel Wilson in week 7, the Goat Tom Brady in week 9, Deshaun Watson week 11 and getting past two of the top defenses in back to back weeks in San Francisco and Buffalo I think Lamar Jackson had this leagues top award in the bag for weeks now.

Now let's crunch some numbers. Aside from those explosive QB runs he has put up on every team they have played L Jack has the numbers to back up him being the 2019 MVP. Lamar has thrown for 3,127 yards with a completion percentage of 66.1 to go along with his 36 touchdowns to only 6 interceptions. He has also bolstered a QB rating of 113.3 which is third in the league only behind future Hall of Famer Drew Brees who has only played 20 game this season because of injury and Titans QB Ryan Tannehill who has only played in 11 games. The Ravens have locked up home field throughout the playoffs so Lamar will have the luxury of an early break. We’ll see him back on the field in 3 weeks for a the divisional round of the playoffs. Furthermore those 36 touchdowns are a leagues best and barring a 6 touchdown game from Bucs QB Jameis Winston he should still lead the league in TD’s even with missing this weeks game. It should be noted that even with being in second place with 31 TD’s Winston all by far leads the league with 28 interceptions 10 more than Philip Rivers and Baker Mayfield who are both tied for second. Finally for all of you ESPN guys who swear by QBR Jackson leads the league with an 82.2 QBR. Last years MVP, Patrick Mahomes is second with a 77.6. So much for that old adage that the brothers couldn’t play the Quarterback position. The brothers held down the top 5 QBR ranking for the lion share of the season with Lamar and Mahomes being joined in the top 5 by Day Prescott, Deshaun Watson and one of only two black quarterbacks to win a Super Bowl as a starter Russell Wilson. Disclaimer if you checked the ESPN website right now Drew Brees and Mathew Stafford have pushed Watson and Wilson to 6th and 7th however Stafford is still out and hasn’t played since week 8 and again Drew missed 5 games due to injury. Oh and if those numbers aren’t enough for you we can add the fact that he broke the single season rushing record formally held by my favorite Quarterback growing up, Micheal Vick. As a Ravens fan if anyone had to break the record I’m glad it was Raven (1,206 yards 7 TD’s). Ozzie Newsome sure left the Ravens with one heck of a parting gift last season. Lamar Jackson is clearly the best Quarterback to come out of the 2018 draft class

Coach of the Year - John Harbaugh
Now for some reason I feel like coach Harbaugh will get the shaft on this award but he is definitely as deserving as any. The Ravens have the best record in football and with the exception of the Chiefs they have beaten every other top team that they have played, (Seattle, New England, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Buffalo). Of those 6 teams none have surpassed 20 points while allowing, (30, 37, 41, 45, 20, and 24). It was Harbaugh that made the gamble on not only replacing Joe Flacco with Lamar Jackson but also building the offense around his skill sets. The addition of former Saints running back Mark Ingram hand paid off handsomely as Ravens run game is by far the best in the league with 3,073 total yards and 204.9 yards per game. At this point in the season they are 50 points away from the second place San Francisco 49ers. They’re at 33.5 points per game. They are second in the league in total yards with 6,217 on the season and 414.5 per game. On the opposite side of the football they are third in total points allowed with 272 and 18.1 points per game. The ravens are 4th in stopping the run allowing 1,403 yards on the ground and 93.5 per game. The Ravens are 7th in pass defense allowing 3,238 total yards on the season at 215.9 per game.

Defensive Rookie of the Year - Nick Bosa
Despite how I feel about him off the field Nick Bosa has been lights out this season on the field helping the 49ers to a top ranked defense. He has slowed down a little the past couple of games but with 27 solo tackles (41 total), 9 sacks 1 forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries and 1 interception on the season I’m pretty sure he’ll be taking home the award.

Offensive Rookie of the Year - Josh Jacobs or A.J. Brown
This was the one race that I wasn’t clear on. Josh Jacobs was ahead of the pack for me for most of the season however injuries made it possible for Titans Wide Receiver AJ Brown to sneak back into the race. This one is going to come down to their week 17 performances. Jacobs missed last weeks game and is questionable to play verse Denver this week. A.J. Brown had a slow week verse the Saints and may have an even tougher week going on the road to face the Texans defense. So for this one we’re going to compare the numbers then let the chips fall where they may this Sunday.

A.J. Brown 48 receptions/ 927 yards receiving/ 7 Rec TD’s/ 60 yards rushing/ 1 Rushing TD Josh Jacobs 242 Carries/ 1,150 yards rushing/ 7 Rush TD’s/ 20 Receptions/ 166 yards rec

So they’ve both put up really good numbers for their first year in the league neither really have a great offense surrounding them. Again if Josh Jacobs isn’t riddled with injury I believe he’s the clear cut favorite to win the award but we are where we are and I’m going to have to wait for Sunday’s game to make the final decision on this one but I wouldn’t mind seeing a co rookie of the year with these two.

Defensive Player of the Year - Stephon Gilmore
I know there have been a lot of talk about the strength of schedule this season but I always say you play who is in front of you and they’re bad you demolish them, oof their good you stop them and if their great you contain them but you get the W. The Patriots for the most part have done that season largely in part because of how great the defense has played. A defense led by New England corner back Stephon Gilmore. For me the moment in the season that really put the stamp on Gilmore was the Patriots - Cowboys game. Amari Cooper has been a shining light for the Cowboys atrocious pass offense since his arrival last year and been one of the best receivers since. Cooper however was completely shutdown by Gilmore. He could not catch a cold with Gilmore lined up in front of him. The end result of course was the Patriots winning that game 13 - 9. Gilmore has 45 total tackles/19 pass deflections/ 2 defensive TD’s and is tied for league best with 6 interceptions on the season.

Offensive Player of the Year - Michael Thomas
This one was another tough call for me with Christian McCaffrey playing lights out this season but after breaking Hall of Fame Wide Receiver Marvin Harrison’s 2002 record of 143 catches on the season. Oh and he still has one more game to go so as of now we don’t even know where the final tally will end. Funny thing is Thomas and his Quarterback Drew Brees both took out the record of retired Colts player with Brees passing Peyton Manning on the all time passing touchdowns list. With that being said let’s talk numbers. Thomas is in 1st place in receiving yards 300 plus ahead of 2nd place/ 1st in receptions with 145, 36 more than second place and with 9 TD’s he’s tied for 3rd. Oh and he also lost his staring QB future Hall of Fame QB Drew Bees missed nearly 6 full games with a hand injury. With that being said Thomas is having a legendary season and is by far the best receiver in football this season. With the Saints looking to add another All Pro wide receiver in Antonio Brown we’ll see if he can transition this historic season into a Super Bowl win.

What’s up family? Hope everyone is in good health. It’s been a while since I dropped a blog since I been vlogging so much but this situation with Kyle Lowry being pushed by Mark Stevens, minority owner with the Golden State Warriors has really been bouncing around in my head largely in part to the NBA Finals in heavy rotation right now. Before I dive deeper into this one let me firs congratulate the new NBA Champions, the Toronto Raptors. #WeTheNorth and of course Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard. You guys did exactly what you were supposed to do and now we have our first international champions. Next I would like to wish a speedy recovery to the Finals MVP of the previous two NBA Finals, Kevin Durant and one half of the Splash Brothers Klay Thompson. As you all should know by now, KD has a torn right achilles tendon which he suffered in game 5 and Klay Thompson tore his ACL in game 6. Durant will more than likely miss the entire season, Klay may be able to return late in the season but as of now his recovery time is predicted to take about 9 to 10 months. With that being said let’s get to it.

Let me first say that I applaud the league for acting so quickly in regards to handing out a discipline to the sound if $500,000 fine and a 1 year ban from team activities. With that being said I don’t think that’s nearly enough when considering the outcome that could have potentially unfolded if Kyle Lowry hadn’t handled the situation in the most professional way possible. Shout to Kyle Lowry though because I can’t see any other circumstance where he reacts in the same way. Now let’s examine the ramifications if Kyle Lowry decides to return the favor and put his hands on the minority owner. Which he has every right to do. Even the bible says an eye for an eye. So, if Lowry puts his hand on the owner best case scenario it’s immediately broken up worst case scenario we have the malice at the palace 2.0. After recently watching the new Ron Artest documentary Quiet Storm the Malice at the Palace is arguably the ugliest black eye the NBA has had to deal with. The top 3 would round out to the Donald Sterling and Tim Donahue incidents. But back to Kyle Lowry. This situation could have easily turned into a malice at the palace 2.0, shaved a year at least from Kyle Lowry’s career due to suspensions, cost him hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines, he would have been the bane of the NBA and would have to do everything in his power to improve his tarnished reputation. These are losses that Ron Artest, Jermaine O’neal and Stephen Jackson had to deal with. Oh and that situation started from something being thrown at a player so imagine what a push could have caused. And to be clear it was fan that threw a soda at Ron Artest which sparked the incident at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Detroit. We’re talking about a minority owner in the Golden State vs Toronto situation. Everyone expected the players to “know better” you don’t go into the crowd the fight fans. Well in that same regard shouldn’t an owner whether they be majority or minority “know better.” They should not be putting their hands on any player or referee for that matter. Especially when we’ve seen how the Malice at the Palace turned out. That alone should have been a cause for a more severe punishment. I won’t even go in on the “he wouldn’t have tried that anywhere else” because we pretty much know he’s not gonna try Kyle Lowry outside of this controlled environment where if he touches you there is a huge chance that he causes his franchise a chance at its first NBA championship. Which in itself is a cowardly act by Stevens. Steven’s will not be able to attend any games this coming season but I for one don’t think her deserves to be a part of this league. He’s officially in the “you’re doing too much bruh” club. Even Steph Curry in post game 3 press conference said, “I don’t think it’s a representation of how we do business here as a Warriors organization and franchise, we have a standard and do things with class and professionalism.” So if your franchise player says Stevens didn’t represent the Warriors then if that’s the case it should be easy to see him go. Since he had no problem potentially creating a very bad situation he clearly doesn’t need to represent one of the NBA’s franchises.

This is why I believe the league needs to make an example out of Mr. Stevens. The league needs to make it abundantly clear that this behavior not only is not a representation of the National Basketball Association but also that it will not be tolerated and it will be punished very severely. No member of the NBA community is above discipline no matter how high or low you stand on the ladder.

What’s up family? Hope everyone is in good health. It’s been a while since I dropped a blog since I been vlogging so much but this situation with Kyle Lowry being pushed by Mark Stevens, minority owner with the Golden State Warriors has really been bouncing around in my head largely in part to the NBA Finals in heavy rotation right now. Before I dive deeper into this one let me firs congratulate the new NBA Champions, the Toronto Raptors. #WeTheNorth and of course Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard. You guys did exactly what you were supposed to do and now we have our first international champions. Next I would like to wish a speedy recovery to the Finals MVP of the previous two NBA Finals, Kevin Durant and one half of the Splash Brothers Klay Thompson. As you all should know by now, KD has a torn right achilles tendon which he suffered in game 5 and Klay Thompson tore his ACL in game 6. Durant will more than likely miss the entire season, Klay may be able to return late in the season but as of now his recovery time is predicted to take about 9 to 10 months. With that being said let’s get to it.

Let me first say that I applaud the league for acting so quickly in regards to handing out a discipline to the sound if $500,000 fine and a 1 year ban from team activities. With that being said I don’t think that’s nearly enough when considering the outcome that could have potentially unfolded if Kyle Lowry hadn’t handled the situation in the most professional way possible. Shout to Kyle Lowry though because I can’t see any other circumstance where he reacts in the same way. Now let’s examine the ramifications if Kyle Lowry decides to return the favor and put his hands on the minority owner. Which he has every right to do. Even the bible says an eye for an eye. So, if Lowry puts his hand on the owner best case scenario it’s immediately broken up worst case scenario we have the malice at the palace 2.0. After recently watching the new Ron Artest documentary Quiet Storm the Malice at the Palace is arguably the ugliest black eye the NBA has had to deal with. The top 3 would round out to the Donald Sterling and Tim Donahue incidents. But back to Kyle Lowry. This situation could have easily turned into a malice at the palace 2.0, shaved a year at least from Kyle Lowry’s career due to suspensions, cost him hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines, he would have been the bane of the NBA and would have to do everything in his power to improve his tarnished reputation. These are losses that Ron Artest, Jermaine O’neal and Stephen Jackson had to deal with. Oh and that situation started from something being thrown at a player so imagine what a push could have caused. And to be clear it was fan that threw a soda at Ron Artest which sparked the incident at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Detroit. We’re talking about a minority owner in the Golden State vs Toronto situation. Everyone expected the players to “know better” you don’t go into the crowd the fight fans. Well in that same regard shouldn’t an owner whether they be majority or minority “know better.” They should not be putting their hands on any player or referee for that matter. Especially when we’ve seen how the Malice at the Palace turned out. That alone should have been a cause for a more severe punishment. I won’t even go in on the “he wouldn’t have tried that anywhere else” because we pretty much know he’s not gonna try Kyle Lowry outside of this controlled environment where if he touches you there is a huge chance that he causes his franchise a chance at its first NBA championship. Which in itself is a cowardly act by Stevens. Steven’s will not be able to attend any games this coming season but I for one don’t think her deserves to be a part of this league. He’s officially in the “you’re doing too much bruh” club. Even Steph Curry in post game 3 press conference said, “I don’t think it’s a representation of how we do business here as a Warriors organization and franchise, we have a standard and do things with class and professionalism.” So if your franchise player says Stevens didn’t represent the Warriors then if that’s the case it should be easy to see him go. Since he had no problem potentially creating a very bad situation he clearly doesn’t need to represent one of the NBA’s franchises.

This is why I believe the league needs to make an example out of Mr. Stevens. The league needs to make it abundantly clear that this behavior not only is not a representation of the National Basketball Association but also that it will not be tolerated and it will be punished very severely. No member of the NBA community is above discipline no matter how high or low you stand on the ladder.

Ok so I haven’t really gone in on this whole Aaron Hernandez situation as of yet because I was waiting to see what would be the final result of his trial. After all this is America and at the end of the day we are supposed to be innocent until proven guilty. Even though I do understand that a lot of us don’t always give people that fair shake. This blog however isn’t even about me giving Aaron Hernandez a fair shake before judging him. So before I continue with this blog, let me just say that although what I’ve heard thus far about the case would suggest that Aaron Hernandez is guilty, I will not give him that branding until he is found guilty by a jury of his peers. What I will do today is speak more on the people that have thrown him under the bus without first knowing all the facts to his case or even waiting to see the final result. To be more specific, I am referring to the New England Patriots organization and the University of Florida.

I find it so funny how quickly these teams turn on their players and try to erase any memories of their existence with the team. Now don’t get me wrong, I do understand the severity of Aaron Hernandez crimes and if he is found guilty of those crimes then I am all for him being punished for those crimes but we are not at that point yet. These organizations that make so much money from these athletes are for the athletes while they are a benefactor to the team, but as soon as something goes wrong those athletes become expendable. Before a conviction Aaron Hernandez has been released from the New England Patriots, has had the team take away money from him while they continue to recoup more money, and they have even gone as far as to have a trade in program for anyone who bought an Aaron Hernandez jersey. Now I know you might say, that for what he is being accused of doing all of this is fine. After all, at the end of the day it’s a business, and long after these players come and go, the franchise itself stands. Furthermore in spite of this blog I actually have no issue with teams doing any of this. As an owner you are entitled to handle your team both good and bad the way you choose. My issue is simply this lets wash both sides of the coin. If your going to try and disassociate yourself with athletes in these situations then do it ten fold. By this I mean forfeit team stats, wins the AFC championship that he helped the team get to with his a 79 reception 910 yards receiving 7-touchdown year, give the fans that bought tickets to come see Hernandez some compensation. I bet these things wont happen though. Why would they though? That would be too much right? The same thing goes for the University of Florida who won championships during Hernandez tenure with the school.

The University of Florida won 2 BCS National Championships and the Capitol One Bowl during Hernandez three years at the school. Hernandez would be entering his fourth NFL season with the Patriots having no real involvement with his college, but the school also felt the need to erase his existence at the school. Florida players who are named All-Americans are with a brick on the Gator Walk in front of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and the school recently had the brick honoring Hernandez removed. In a statement the school said, “We didn’t feel it was appropriate to celebrate Aaron Hernandez.” I guess they felt it also wasn’t appropriate however to erase the wins, championships and bowl win that he helped the team to during his time with the team. It was appropriate to keep the money the school made from ticket sales and merchandise that was a result of Hernandez playing for the school. And yes the school did benefit from his on the field performance. We’re not talking about a third string player that never sees any action we’re talking about an All – American. That’s not an accomplishment that’s just handed out you have to earn that status. And since the debate is still on about whether or not college athletes should be paid. That however is a topic for another blog.

So while we await the decision that will seal the fate of Aaron Hernandez I’m not saying that we give Hernandez a pass. Again if he is found guilty I believe he should be punished for his crimes. But take a closer look at these organizations that seem to always put the business in front of the players who make millions upon billions for these teams. Look at how quickly they will toss them to wolves when their actions don’t earn revenue. And again if that’s the organizations choice then so be it, but don’t just stop at trying to erase a players name because that’s not where their influence ends. Erase it from everything that they were a part of with the team. Then you’ll be making a statement. But I know that’s something that will most likely not happen especially when you’re playing both sides of the fence.