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Phil Kessel Readying Leave From Toronto Maple Leafs

Shane Lambert
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Phil Kessel Readying Leave From Toronto Maple Leafs

toronto maple leafs phil kessel trade 2015The Toronto Maple Leafs have not been in the news much in recent weeks. The historic franchise in Canada’s largest city finished 30 points out of a playoff spot this season and, accordingly, they have not been playing meaningful hockey for several months now. However being a Leafs’ fan these days means focusing on the future and, on that note, the franchise has been a part of recent trade rumors.

An NHL.com article written on Monday headlined: “Maple Leafs open to trading players, maybe (Phil) Kessel.”

The 27-year old right winger has spent the bulk of his career in Toronto, often scoring 30 or more goals for his team. He would be a strong addition to practically any NHL club, however Toronto’s Assistant GM Kyle Dubas is more focused on what he might be able to get back in any hypothetical trade:

“In any trade we are talking about — and I won’t get into specific players and rumors — any trade that were going to be making, we’re going to be looking to add as much as we can back to the organization,” Dubas stated. “That’s not to say we won’t be looking for good present-day players. We can’t just lose year after year. That’s not the plan to lose, that just brings up our players in a losing environment and that’s not good.

Dubas continued:

“Our plan is going to be to make the trade that best helps our organization, whether that’s draft picks, prospects, current NHL players. We aren’t good enough to be picky about what the type of assets come back is. We hope to get there one day, but we aren’t there yet.”

The comment about losing “year after year” is no doubt a reference to the recent struggles that the Maple Leafs have had. Since the lockout season, Toronto have only made the playoffs one time and the memories made in that single post-season appearance were painful ones. The Leafs held a huge lead in game seven of their first round series against the Boston Bruins only to eventually lose the elimination game.

The trade rumors, besides being in the context of several years of losing, are also in the context of the upcoming 2015 NHL Draft, an event that will take place on June 26th and 27th. After missing out on the Connor McDavid sweepstakes the Maple Leafs still hold the right to pick fourth in the upcoming draft. Furthermore Toronto also hold the right to pick 24th in the first round, a right they acquired from the Nashville Predators.

However for a disenchanted Leaf fan base prospects, that may require years to develope, probably aren’t going to do the trick. In my opinion, what Toronto need to do is forsake their future prospects and focus on putting the best possible team on the ice in the 2015/16 season. Dubas stated that acquiring “current NHL players” is an option he might explore. If we could insert the word “proven” into the phrase then that’s the route I think Toronto should take.

Dubas has suggested that the fourth pick in the NHL Draft is a commodity he would consider trading. It would probably be worth letting that pick go in exchange for a proven player. Furthermore, I don’t think the Leafs should be trading Kessel, a proven player on offense.

Rebuilding with draft picks and youth is a tricky business, one that I think good NHL managers should stay away from. Toronto would be better off working with players known to be good and letting the other franchises, for better or worse, risk their futures on potential flops.

NHL.com article: http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=770281&navid=nhl:topheads

Bring On Colin Farrell Judgement for True Detective Season 2

Ricki Reay
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Bring On Colin Farrell Judgement for True Detective Season 2

true detective season 2 colin farrell

On June 21st, at 9pm ET, HBO’s crime series True Detective will be returning for its second season.  In season one, the show revolved around a strange murder that brought together three officers and a career criminal, people who must guide themselves through the twists and turns of accusations, betrayals, and lies to find the truth.

A unique and entertaining aspect of this series is its anthology format, meaning that it is a collection of stories with central ties but not necessarily the same characters. This brings about a refreshed cast, as shown in the newly released trailers. Actors Colin Farrell and Vince Vaughn have taken over the lead roles from Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson. In addition, the new seasons cast also includes a few other notable names, including Rachel McAdams and Lady Gaga’s fiancé, Taylor Kitsch.

The trailers for True Detective also show a suspenseful compilation of clips ending with Farrell earnestly welcoming judgment. Somewhat of a teaser, I believe this is a clever marketing tactic that gives off an illusion that the show’s new cast is ready and confident as they approach the series premiere and the audience/critic reviews that come along with it.  Although this trailer gives little if any inclination on the details of the new season’s plot, it does emphasize intensity.

A second teaser somehow manages to give away even fewer details. The dialogue-free clip once again utilizes a heart-pounding instrumental as an assortment of solemn faces from the new cast build to the infamous “you have to watch to find out” crescendo.

With the incredibly positive response to the first season, including a total of 5 Emmy awards, I have no doubt that the foundation of the show will be one worth watching. However, I think the real draw to this season of the show is the addition of Vince Vaughn.

Vaughn is often remembered for his humorous roles in movies such as Swingers and Wedding Crashers, so taking on such a dramatic role should be a very intriguing contrast to what we expect from him. In a recent interview with ET Online, Vaughn expressed his desire to return to the darker roles that he once was involved in at a younger age.  He goes on to describe his role as Frank Semyon, a career criminal and entrepreneur, to be complex and intricate, implying that once again True Detective will deliver on a compelling storyline filled with mind-boggling characters and relationships.

colin farrell judgement for true detective season 2 2015

As we approach the season premiere, there are a few things we know:

The new season is a whole new story and is structured quite differently than season 1. In the new season there are 4 main characters (Farrell, Vaughn, McAdams and Kitsch), in contrast to the 2 headliners that were McConaughey and Harrelson. However, Collin Farrell did spill that the characters go through many of the “same kind of existential quandaries and questions that are related to meaning and purpose and the burying of darkness that may be in your past.”

The season opens up once again with a murder. However, there is a big emphasis on what is happening with the characters, aside from solving the murder.

In terms of casting, Farrell, McAdams and Kitsch will be playing the law-enforcement officers. Meanwhile, Vaughn will be taking on the role of the villainous career criminal.

The episodes are once again all written by Nic Pizzolatto and considering he walked away with two Writers Guild of America Awards for his writing of the first season, I have a feeling viewers will not be disappointed.

Although it may be the second season that is premiering in the coming weeks, I think it is worthwhile reiterating that the show is in an anthology format and therefore this premiere can almost be seen as a start to a whole new show. Even though HBO has kept rather silent about any details of the new season, the first season has gained great recognition that leads me to believe that in terms of storyline and quality, viewers will not be disappointed. In addition, with the casting of Vince Vaughn into such a dramatic role, I believe this upcoming season of True Detective will have all the merits of show worth watching so be sure to jump on its bandwagon (if you aren’t already buckled in from last season).

Don’t miss the second season premiere of HBO’s “True Detective” on June 21, 2015 at 9pm ET, and check out the latest trailers below.

True Detective Season 2 Chaos


True Detective Season 2 Stand

Blackhawks Charge Up Lightning Lead: 2015 Stanley Cup Finals

Shane Lambert
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Blackhawks Charge Up Lightning Lead: 2015 Stanley Cup Finals

tampa bay lighting charged up from blackhawks stanley cup finals 2015

The Chicago Blackhawks fell behind the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2015 Stanley Cup Finals on Monday night. Chicago, after wrestling away home ice advantage from Tampa Bay in game one, gave the edge right back to the Lightning in game three. In fact, games one and games three both share a striking similarity in how they were lost.

In game one, as anyone who has been following the series will remember, the home team Lightning held a one-goal advantage fairly late in the game. However Tampa Bay squandered their lead with a bad patch of hockey in the third period. In a similar manner, Chicago had a one-goal third period lead on Monday only to see it close before falling behind and ultimately losing.

The Blackhawks are now down 1-2 in the NHL Finals and they are facing a near must-win situation coming up on Wednesday. Chicago will host game four on that night in a game at 8pm ET. Playing in what could be their final home game of the season, the ‘hawks will be looking to even the series 2-2. Should they fail to do that then not only TB would be heading home with a chance to clinch but they would have a couple of extra chances should they lose game five.

chicago blackhawks vs lightning 2015 stanley cup finals

In the 3-2 game on Monday night the scorers for Chicago were Brad Richards and Brandon Saad. Tampa Bay’s scorers were Ryan Callahan, Ondrej Palat, and Cedric Paquette. However the story of the game didn’t really have to do with skaters but with one of the goaltenders.

Ben Bishop, TB’s netminder, entered game three as a question mark following the missed time in net in game two. It wasn’t clear if he would play in game three, let alone play well, and therefore the odds appeared to be stacked against the Lightning. However Bishop crushed Chicago’s offensive hopes on Monday night, stopping an impressive 36 shots with just two goals against. The netminder appeared to be bothered by an injury at times, however it did not have a noticeable affect on his performance.

Heading into the balance of the series, you have to wonder if Chicago’s coaching staff is going to be analyzing the game three footage. If they can figure out how Bishop is limited at this point then it could prove pivotal in swaying the series the Blackhawks’ way. However, whether they figure out Bishop or not, the ‘hawks need to find solutions soon as they cannot afford to lose game four from home should they have any serious ambitions of winning the 2015 Stanley Cup.

U.S. vs Hackers

Marius Manuella
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U.S. vs Hackers

isis claims attack hack on us military basesKnowing is half the battle. No, it’s not a public safety advice from a Saturday morning cartoon. It’s a very important adage to remember when facing challenges, battles and war. It’s synonymous to ‘know thy enemy’ which is apparently what China is trying to do. It’s what it’s been allegedly doing ever since the country gained prowess in cyberspace, in other words, hacking. And from what recent history tells us, they seem to be getting to know the United States very well. So yes, the recent alleged hacking by China of the United States Office of Personnel Management is nothing new. Will these attacks continue and become the norm? If the United States is so vulnerable, what can any government do to not get hacked?

Currently, the two superpowers, China and the United States are currently at odds because of China’s activities in the East and South China Sea. But even before then, China has been accused of hacking and stealing very sensitive private and government information. Information that could jeopardize the stability of the United States right down to its national security. The most recent incident of which is what happened with Office of Personnel Management where the information of 1.9 million federal employees were stolen. Information dating back to 1985. The hack was apparently traced back to China but the Asian state as usual denies any wrongdoing with rhetoric reprisals and is even prepared to counter the accusations.

chinese hackers wanted by us fbi 2015 techIt’s pretty difficult to justify stealing federal personnel information for any other purpose other than spying. Malicious attackers could easily go for financial information, none of which would be contained in the data taken from the OPM. Malicious attackers could even go as far as damaging or vandalizing the information as some radical hacker groups would do just to prove a point. But quietly siphoning off information of such information until detected just comes off as sinister.

So what else was the great tiger, dragon or panda up to as far back as 2005? Are they really so talented as to be able to penetrate some of the world’s most secure agencies and corporations? Were these entities that secure in the first place?

  • The ability to hack in and steal information from US military contractors like Lockheed Martin is a grave cause of concern. Some governments would have gone to Defcon 3 instead of diplomatically trading accusations of hacking over CNN. But it happened last year when China allegedly hacked into technology companies, US airlines and defense contractors assigned with critical information on troop and equipment logistics as per the Senate Armed Services Committee.
  • Another instance was when a Chinese employee named Lizhong Fan took off with a wealth of information stored on several hard drives from the Arizona Counter Terrorism Information Center. Also, according to the Wall Street Journal, Chinese hackers have been milking Nortel for information for almost ten years by using stolen passwords from executives.
  • Again in 2014, five Chinese military hackers were indicted by the FBI for trying to obtain information from various US energy and metals companies for use by the Chinese government or competing Chinese companies. Oil and gas companies have also fallen victim as far back as 2009.
  • Companies like Google were not immune to such hacks as the company suffered an attack intended to steal intellectual property back in 2010. In 2011, Gmail accounts belonging to senior government officials, journalists and activists have been hacked but whether those accounts belonged to the United States or China or both are unknown.
  • And lastly, security firm McAfee uncovered a hacking campaign known as operation Shady RAT which has been going on as early as 2006 targeting not just the US government agencies but the UN, technology companies and defense contractors.

Many of these hacking incidents can be traced back to China but other rogue states such as Iran or North Korea may be just as guilty. Unless the CIA come up with definite proof (if they’re not busy getting hacked), the US government or any other government for that matter should be extra careful and beef up their security measures. Not just technically but procedurally as well. There’s no knowing how advanced China’s, Iran’s and North Korea’s hacker infrastructures are and how they manage to penetrate the perceived most secure networks on the planet. With such very sensitive information, the guilty party now has intimate knowledge of the enemy and has apparently declared war in cyberspace and can use all that info to directly challenge the US in the physical world.

But directly accusing another state of espionage through hacking is not in the best interests of both nations but the espionage itself must be immediately addressed. For all we know, some 15 year old kid in some basement is actually orchestrating conflict all because we’re careless when it comes to security. In almost every movie involving hackers, it takes just a couple of minutes for a hacker to get to the FBI’s password screen and crack it. Is that really the case? If so, the attacks can only continue and get worse. Governments and corporations need to improve their security in order to stave off these attacks. Measures such as keeping very sensitive information out of internet connected computers; wiping or destroying storage media after the transfer of important information; encryption of sensitive data; regular password changes for important personnel or switching to biometrics and regular security briefings and checks of staff. And let’s not forget ISIS who is not laying claim to taking military websites offline.

If we’re not careful, forget the NSA. China might also know where you are and what you’re up to. Oops, forgot to tape my webcam.

Project Elysium: Virtual Séance

David Silvester
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Project Elysium: Virtual Séance

project elysium technology for dead people 2015Project Elysium is the embodiment of a vision created by Nick Stavrou and Steve Koutsouliotas – co-founders of Paranormal Games based out of Adelaide Australia.

The concept behind Project Elysium is to create a virtual reality environment using Oculus Rift Glasses where the user can interact with deceased relatives.

Rather than being any sort of game project Elysium is intended to be used for healing purposes and in fact the developers have been working closely with professional grief councillors in order to better understand the grieving process and how this technology might be able to assist people when they are suffering from the loss of a loved one.

The project has been put together specifically for Oculus VR Jam 2015 which is an annual contest held to find the best creations making use of The Facebook owned Oculus Rift 3D gaming glasses.

nick stavrou with steve koutsouliotas for project elysium 2015The winner of the competition will receive a staggering $100,000 and there are also some substantial cash prizes for runners up.

The thought of communicating with the dead using virtual reality does seem a little strange at first – especially when it’s quite apparent that you are not really going to be speaking with your deceased loved ones or friends but rather just a 3D representation of them. This concept does seem pointless at first but when you start to think about it and how it could be used as part of the material available to councillors and other professional bodies then it does start to make sense and the value in it is much easier to see.

For example, in certain cases where people are struggling to come to terms with the death of a loved one, this sort of technology may assist professional bodies in helping that person overcome their grief perhaps using the technology to rationalise their feelings and to even say goodbye to their loved ones. It could be used in a similar way to how councillors would typically speak with their patients in order to draw out these feelings – perhaps having a visual representation of that loved one would assist in this process further.

Perhaps it would not be a technology that everyone would find appealing but I am sure that some people would and perhaps even that it could help others a great deal.

Aside from the cool use of the technology and also of the benefits that may be deduced from project Elysium in terms of helping people to recover from the loss of loved ones, it does also bring to mind something else which is perhaps further fetched but still an interesting concept.

project elysium virtual seance tech 2015In the present day we have many services that provide supposed communication with the other side – whether that is in the form of question and answer sessions or a group Séance. With a technology such as what we are seeing in project Elysium it is possible that one day we could be seeing these types of services performed using virtual reality equipment such as this – rather than just hearing voices from the other side via a medium perhaps one day we will be able to interact with those people from the other side using this technology.

This is quite a farfetched concept of course and it could not easily be envisioned with the technologies that we currently have available but extrapolating the concept that is currently being seen in project Alysium and adding a little more into the mix it is easy to imagine when this might be possible.

At the moment though it will be interesting to see what comes next from Project Elysium – they are due to release more screenshots of their project on April 27th as per the guidelines of the competition so it is worth keeping an eye out on their Twitter stream which is where previous screenshots have been released. And of course it will also be interesting to see what other projects are showcased at Oculus VR jam 2015.

Will this virtual reality version of communication with the other side win the competition or will something more down to earth take the top position? We would love to hear your thoughts.

National League MLB Week 8 Winners & Losers

Peter Tebin
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National League MLB Week 8 Winners & Losers

national league mlb winner losers 2015 imagesThe 2015 Major League Baseball season rolls into June as another week of the regular season is in the books. This gives us a chance to take a look back at which players and teams from around the game deserves a shot on our Winners/Losers list.

This week we have a few new teams to join the list of winners after somewhat of a disappointing past few weeks. The first team that deserves to be mentioned is the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates have played themselves into second place in the National League Central division after a strong week.

The Pirates opened the week up sweeping the Miami Marlins in a  three game series. The pitching staff is also deserving a mention as well for allowing just five runs in the three game series. The success continued on Thursday picking up an 11-5 win over the San Diego Padres before splitting the four game series. In all the Pirates managed to post a 5-2 record for the week, only one of the few teams in the National League to play some good ball.

The other team that played well last week was the Colorado Rockies who had struggled of late after a strong start to the season. The Rockies managed to play to a 5-1 record for the week including taking two of three to start the week against the Cincinnati Reds. The success would continue over the weekend as they would go in to Philadelphia and sweep the Phillies.

Here are the rest of the winners and losers around the National League.

Winners:

nolan arenado top man winner week 8 rockies national league mlb 2015Nolan Arenado, Colorado Rockies: Typically when a team is playing as hot as the Rockies played last week you will find a few hot players. That was the case last week as the Rockies third baseman has been red hot. Arenado opened the week off going three for four against the Reds with a home run and three runs driven in. That success would continue as he would finish the week with four home runs, 14 runs batted in and four multi-hit performances over the six contests.

charlie morton pirates top man winner week 8 national league mlb 2015Charlie Morton, Pittsburgh Pirates: The 31 year old right handed made his first two starts of the season last week after starting on the disabled list. In two starts, Morton managed to pitching 14 innings allowing just three earned runs while striking out five batters in route to back to back wins. The first win came against the Miami Marlins on May 25 as he allowed just two earned runs over seven innings. The second outing came on May 30th as Morton would allow just three hits over seven innings and just one earned run.

new york mets national league winner week 8 mlb 2015New York Mets: After their amazing fast start to the 2015 Major League Baseball season the Mets have recently cooled off. That changed this past week as the team managed to put together a 4-2 record against two teams they needed to take advantage of. The Mets opened the week sweeping the Phillies at home in a series that saw the Phillies score just seven runs. After back to back losses to open the series against the Marlins, the Mets would get a key win on Sunday to return home with a 28-23 record to bring them within a half game of the Washington Nationals.

mets bartolo colon winner national league week 8 mlb 2015Bartolo Colon, New York Mets: While he wasn’t brilliant in his two starts this past week the crafty veteran did pick up two wins. The wins over the Marlins and Phillies pushed his season win total to 8-3 to lead the National League in wins tied with Gerrit Cole.

Losers:

phillies national league mlb losers week 8 2015 Philadelphia Phillies: The Phillies continue to be one of the worst teams in the National League. That includes this past week when the team failed to register a win in all six of their games including being swept by division rivals the Mets before allowing the Rockies to come to town and sweep them. In the six games this week the Phillies managed to score just 11 runs.

phillies front office national league losers mlb week 8 2015Philadelphia Phillies Front Office – While the Phillies continue to struggle on the field the question is what is going on in the front office? This team is clearly in need of a complete rebuild but the team has elected to hold on to veterans like Grady Sizemore, Cole Hamels, Ryan Howard and Chase Utley. This front office continues to come up on the losing side till they make some much needed trades to free them up of the veterans and allow their young stars to produce. Hamels would bring them back at least two to three solid prospects while the others might not bring you back much but isn’t it better to prepare your future prospects?

aaron hill national league loser week 8 mlb 2015Aaron Hill, Arizona Diamondbacks: The veteran infielder continues to struggle and we saw this again this past week. Hill appeared in five games for the Diamondbacks managing only to pick up two hits in 12 at bats with zero extra base hits or runs driven in. Hill is hitting only .235 on the season with three home runs and 13 runs batted in.

mike leake national league loser mlb week 8Mike Leake, Cincinnati Reds: Much of the Reds struggles this season has come from their veterans and that includes Leake. The 27 year old right hander is just 2-4 on the season in 10 stars while allowing a 4.66 earned run average. The struggles continued last week as he allowed six runs including two home runs in the team’s 6-4 loss to the Rockies.

American League MLB Week 8 Winners & Losers

Peter Tebin
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American League MLB Week 8 Winners & Losers

american league week 8 winners losers 2015 images

The American League continues to provide us with some great action but we have also seen some struggles. This past week we saw a few teams as well as players put together some big weeks but we also seen a few players struggle. This gives us a chance to see who deserves a spot on our Winners/Losers list for the last week of May as we open up the calendar month of June.

Much like the National League, the American League saw two teams play some great ball over the past week. The first team that put together a big week was the Minnesota Twins who under Paul Molitor have played themselves to the top of the AL Central Division. The Twins after somewhat of a slow start have been red hot winning five of their six games last week as well as 12 of their past 16 games in that stretch including games over the Detroit Tigers, Pittsburgh Pirates and a Chicago White Sox team that was hot entering that series.

This past week the Twins got to work on Monday picking up a 7-2 win over the Boston Red Sox to open up a three game series. The Twins would do enough in the final two games including winning a 2-1 ball game on Tuesday to pick up the three game sweep. The Red Sox managed to score just seven runs in the three game series. The teams would finish off the week losing on Friday to the Toronto Blue Jays before taking back to back games over the weekend.

The second team that put together a hot week was the Texas Rangers who made up some ground in the American League West Division. The Rangers opened the week taking two off three against a Cleveland Indians team that was hot last week. Following the series win to open the week, the Rangers beat up on the Red Sox taking three fo four games outscoring them 20-12 in the four game series.

Here are the rest of the winners and losers around the National League.

Winners:

josh hamilton rangers top man winner american league mlb 2015Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers: The Rangers outfielder made his season debut last week appearing in all seven games for the club. That included picking up the key game winning hit on Sunday in a pinch hit role. In all, Hamilton picked up six hits including two doubles, two home runs and five runs driven in during the seven games.

los angeles angels winners american league mlb 2015 week 8Los Angeles Angels: Following up the hot run the Rangers put together was the Angels in the West Division. Both of those clubs gained on the first place Houston Astros who have been atop the division for most of the season. The Angels played to a 5-2 record last week winning four straight to close out the week. The downside is the team lost veteran third baseman Adrian Beltre prompting for the call up of top prospect Joey Gallo.

corey kluber top man winner indians american league mlb 2015Corey Kluber, Cleveland Indians: The Indians ace continued his recent hot stretch on Thursday picking up his third win of the season. In the outing Kluber went seven innings allowing three earned runs bot managed to strike out 13 Seattle Mariners. Kluber has posted double digit strikeout totals in three of his last four outings.

josh donaldson blue jays winner top man american league mlb 2015Josh Donaldson, Toronto Blue Jays: The Blue Jays third baseman has been one of the hottest hitters in all of baseball. Donaldson appeared in all six gams the Blue Jays played last week picking up hits in all six contests. In that stretch, the All-Star third baseman picked up four multi-hit games, including four straight games with a home run. Overall Donaldson picked up 11 hits in 25 at bats with 11 runs scored, two doubles, six home runs and 11 runs batted in.

Losers:

detroit tigers american league losers mlb 2015 Detroit Tigers: The Tigers are struggling and much of the blame could be pointed themselves after allowing Max Scherzer to leave in free agency. The team opened up the week with a 4-0 loss to the Oakland A’s before taking back to back games. The problem for the team though has been their ability to produce runs much like a few of the other teams around baseball. The Tigers managed to score just four runs in the three game series. Following the series win to the A’s, the Tigers went in the Los Angeles and lost four straight to the Angels. The stretch dropped them to 28-24 on the season and third place in the American League Central.red sox american league losers mlb week 2015red sox american league losers mlb week 2015Boston Red Sox: We have seen the Red Sox spend in prior off seasons but the additions this year has not paid off. The team added both Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval in free agency as well as a trade to acquire Ricky Porcello. The struggles continued for the bottom team in the American League East this past week as the team managed to pick up just one win in their seven contests. The team allowed at least six runs in four of their six losses while the offense managed to score more than four runs in only one of those contest. That game was the team’s 5-1 win over the Rangers on Thursday.

jeremy guthrie american league mlb loser week 8 2015Jeremy Guthrie, Kansas City Royals: The Royals veteran starter put together one of the worst starts we have seen in a very long time as well as his worst performance in his 11 year career. Guthrie managed to pitch only one game on Memorial Day Monday against the New York Yankees. In that one inning, Guthrie allowed nine hits, 11 earned runs and four home runs not making it out of the second inning.

blue jays edwin encarnacion american league losers week 8 2015 mlbEdwin Encarnacion, Toronto Blue Jays: The Blue Jays first base put together a horrible week at the plate. In 24 at bats, Encarnacion managed to pick up just one hit while producing zero home runs, zero runs scored and zero runs driven in. The struggles dropped his season batting average from .241 to just .216 on the season. We could see a possible trade later in the summer sending Encarnacion to a different destination that could spark his production.

Astros & Twins Top Week 8 American League MLB

Peter Tebin
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Astros & Twins Top Week 8 American League MLB

american league mlb baseball logo 2015

The work week has officially kicked off for most as the second month of the Major League Baseball season has come to a close. As June opens up today, we have a chance to take a look at not only who has played well around the American League this past week but over the first two months of the season.

In the American League we have seen both the East and Central divisions shake up almost each week while the West has seen the Houston Astros continue to be the team to beat. Currently the Minnesota Twins hold the top spot in the Central while the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays sit tied at 26-25 to hold the lead in the East.

Currently two of the hotter teams in all of baseball have been the first place Twins who have won eight of their past 10 games while the Texas Rangers have accomplished the same feat in the West division to anchor the third place spot and move within five games of the Astros.

Now we will take a look at each of the divisions and how they played around the American League.

East Division: The East division is looking more and more to be a five team race for the remainder of the season as no team has really took control. We saw the Yankees play some great ball before a long losing streak before rebounding. The same was said for the Rays who sat atop for a brief moment before the team’s offense failed to show up while the Baltimore Orioles, Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox have all failed to get hot.

This week the only team to produce a record above the five hundred mark was the Yankees who opened the week with a three game sweep over the Kansas City Royals. In the three game series the Yankees outscored the Royals 23-4 with their pitching carrying the way. Following their three weeks to open the week, the Yankees would love back to back to the Oakland A’s before splitting the remaining two games over the weekend.

Besides the Yankees the Orioles played to a 4-4 record after splitting their double header with the Chicago White Sox on Thursday. The Orioles started the week off taking two of three against the Astros before splitting with the White Sox on Thursday and losing two of three against the Rays over the weekend. The Orioles have struggled to produce runs of late and saw their All-Star centerfielder miss back to back games over the weekend after hurting his ankle on a slide.

The Blue Jays played to a 3-3 record while the Rays finished with a  2-4 record and the Red Sox with just a 1-6 record.

Central Division: In another crazy scenario the Twins have stormed back after a very slow start to the season to take over the top spot in the Central. The Royals come in at second followed by the Detroit Tigers, Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox. The Twins and Indians have been red hot of late.

This past week saw the Twins play to a 5-1 record and produce their first 20 win season since the last won the World Series. The team opened up the week taking all three games over the Red Sox before taking two of three against the Blue Jays over the weekend. The team’s only loss of the week came on Friday as Mark Buehrle was able to hold the team to four runs in the team’s 6-4 loss.

The Indians on the other hand continued their recent hot streak winning four of seven contests after winning six straight games last week. The week opened up losing back to back to the Rangers before taking back to back games over the Rangers and Mariners. The team would go on to win two of three over the weekend including a 6-3 on Sunday in 12 innings.

Meanwhile the Tigers have struggle off late losing four streak games while playing to just a 3-7 record over their last 10 games.

West Division: The final division we will take a look at is the West Division as the Astros continue to find themselves at the top of the divison. That being said the Los Angeles Angels have played well of late winning their last four games while the Rangers also have found themselves on a three game winning streak.

First we will take a look at the Angels recent success after starting the season as one of the favorites. The Angels opened the week up with a win over the San Diego Padres before losing back to back to them. The team then welcomed the Tigers to town for a four game series in which they would win all four games.

In that series the Angels outscored the Tigers 26-10 holding the powerful Tigers offense to under two runs in three of the four games. Meanwhile the Rangers have been as hot winning five of their seven contests this week including two of three against a very hot Indians team to start the week.
Much of their success came in the same week the club brought Josh Hamilton off the disabled list and back to the club. Hamilton picked up his first walk off hit of the season on  Sunday against the Red Sox.

Now that we have taken a look at each of the divisions around Major League Baseball we can take a look at a few individuals. Here is our list of top individual performers over the eighth week of the season in the American League.

Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers: Hamilton appeared in seven games this week for the Rangers after starting the season on the disabled list. It was a very solid start as Hamilton picked up a game winning hit along with two doubles, two home runs and five runs batted in.

Josh Donaldson, Toronto Blue Jays: The Blue Jays third baseman is one of the hottest hitters in the game. Donaldson opened up the week hitting home runs in four straight games including two on Tuesday against the White Sox. In all Donaldson picked up hits in all six Blue Jays games including three multi-hit games with six home runs two doubles and 11 runs driven in.

Cardinals Flying High For National League MLB Week 8

Peter Tebin
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Cardinals Flying High For National League MLB Week 8

national league logo 2015

The summer time feel is starting to arrive around the Major Leagues as we flip our calendars into June. For now we can all sit back and enjoy this somewhat cool days while the St. Louis Cardinals continue to be red hot. The Cardinals entered Monday with the best record in baseball at 33-17.

As we start to take a quick look at how they are doing it the first thing that pops out has been the teams pitching through their first 50 games of the season. Entering Monday, the Cardinals have allowed the fewest amount of runs in not only the National League but both leagues at just 149.

This has helped the Cardinals out score their opponents by 60 total runs the highest in the National League and eight more than the Los Angeles Dodgers. Some wondered how the team would respond after losing Adam Wainwright for the season. Now many wonder if they can just move on from the aging veteran.

Currently the Cardinals have four starters that have made at least 10 starts to this point, all of which have 3.50 earned run average. Michael Wacha leads the team with a 7-1 record and a 2.27 earned run average. Following him is Carlos Martinez who is 5-2 with a 3.13 earned run average.

Now we will take a look at each of the divisions and how they played around the National League

East Division: The National League East is much like the American League East with three teams fighting for the top spot. Currently the Washington Nationals hold the slight advantage with a 28-22 record while the New York Mets sit at 28-23 and the Atlanta Braves at 25-25.

On the flip side all three teams have struggled over their past ten games as each team went 5-5 over that course. After a strong week last week the Nationals played to just a 2-4 record last week taking two of three from the Chicago Cubs before being swept by the Cincinnati Reds over the weekend.

The Nationals pitching staff struggled against a Reds team that entered the seires with a 19-27 record. In the three game series the Reds outscored the Nationals 21-9 while the Nationals only managed to only score 16 runs in all six games last week.

While the Nationals struggled, the Mets were hot this past week posting a 4-2 record last week to take advantage of their losses. The Mets opened the week sweeping the Philadelphia Phillies in a three game series before opening with back to back losses to Miami Marlins.

The Braves managed to play to a 3-4 record while the Marlins posted a 2-4 record and the Phillies managed to lose all six of their contests.

Central Division: Over in the National League Central the Cardinals still hold the top spot while the Pittsburgh Pirates have made a run for them. The Pirates have been one of the hotter teams in all of baseball going 8-2 over their past ten games. That includes a 5-2 stretch last week with a three game sweep over the Marlins and a split with the San Diego Padres in their four game series.

Much of the teams turn around has been due to the recent play of former MVP Andrew McCutchen. McCutchen after a slow start enter this ten game stretch batting just .240 but after five multi hit games including two home runs he has risen his average up to .275 for the season.

The second place Cubs took a small step back after gaining ground on the Cardinals last week only managed to go 2-3 this past week with one of their games with the Kansas City Royals being postponed over the weekend. The Cubs big struggles were their ability to produce runs. In the teams five games they managed to score just 10 total runs that includes a four run outburst during the teams 8-4 loss on Friday.

The Reds also put together a strong week winning four of their six contests including a big three game sweep over the Nationals this past week. Despite the recent success the Reds still find themselves 10.5 games out of first place with only the Milwaukee Brewers behind them at 17-34.

West Division: The final division the National League West division has been up and down of late including the first place Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers managed to play to a 5-5 record over their last time games. That included going just 3-3 this past week taking two of three from the Braves before losing two of three against the Cardinals over the weekend.

While the Dodgers struggled, the San Francisco Giant made a run for the top spot after going 5-2 this past week. The Giants opened the week sweeping the Brewers to open the week outscoring them 17-8. The team then opened up taking the first two against the Braves in the four game series before losing the back end over the weekend including blowing a 5-3 lead in the bottom of the ninth of Sunday.

The one team that has surprised many to start the season has been the Padres who many had as the top team in the division. Luckily for their fans they managed to play to a 4-3 record last week to gain some ground on the Dodgers. Some of the teams struggles have come from Matt Kemp who is hitting just .249 this season with one home run.

The one team that managed to put together a strong week was the Rockies who went 5-1 winning two of three against the Reds before a three game sweep over the weekend against the Phillies.

Now that we have taken a look at each of the divisions around Major League Baseball we can take a look at a few individuals. Here is our list of top individual performers over the eighth week of the season in the American League.

Todd Frazier, Cincinnati Reds: The Reds All-Star third baseman put together a huge six game stretch including four doubles and four home runs. Frazier also manged to put together four straight multi-hit games to help the Reds to a 4-2 record over their past six games.

Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks: The Diamondbacks All-Star first baseman was red hot last week in the team’s six games. Goldschmidt managed to put together four multi hit contests including a three double game as well as three home runs over the six game stretch.

Latest Soccer Deals & Steals

Luka Alario
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Latest Soccer Deals & Steals

With so many soccer transfers and managerial appointments happening since the domestic season ended, we take a look at some of them and discuss the merits of each one.

quicque sanchez new watford manager soccer 2015Quique Sanchez Flores as new Watford manager

This is a very interesting addition to the Premier League. Flores brings an impressive CV to the Hornets having guided Atletico Madrid to the 2010 Europa League while also having managed Portuguese side Benfica.

While it was harsh for Watford to sack Slavisa Jokanovic – the manager who got them promoted to the Premier League – with Flores at the helm, it gives them a real chance to play some good football and remain in the top flight.

rafa benitez new real madrid soccer manager 2015Rafa Benitez appointed as new Real Madrid manager

Here’s the thing – Carlo Ancelotti’s time at Madrid, barring La Decima, was pretty much a failure. He blew two chances (two seasons) to win La Liga and he was technically a minute away from losing his job until Sergio Ramos scored the equalizer which saw Los Blancos turn around their game against Atletico in the Champions League final.

Ancelotti’s league record was never great. After all, he’s only won three league titles in his entire career, much preferring the cup competitions but this past season, he failed in that regard as well with Los Merengues having to finish 2014/2015 trophyless unless you include the Club World Cup. So all in all, to sack him was the right decision.

However, to sack him and replace him with Rafa Benitez was somewhat of a bizarre surprise. Yes, Benitez can be tactically astute and can win the odd cup competition but he hasn’t won a league title since his time with Valencia back in 2004. The general notion is if Ancelotti couldn’t survive, how on Earth would Benitez survive?

Why sack Ancelotti if you’re not going to replace him with someone like Unai Emery or Jurgen Klopp? Having said that, there will be some interesting times at the Bernabeu and next season will definitely be controversy filled.

liverpool signs james milner 2015 soccerLiverpool sign James Milner

James Milner on a free signing is a very good deal for Liverpool. Not only is he a hard worker with a huge engine, but he’s the king of versatility being able to play in a number of positions while bringing vital experience, having won the league title twice.

It was a good move for Milner as well as while he won’t be playing Champions League football anymore – instead the Europa League – he’ll have a chance of getting Liverpool in the top four while getting consistent first team action.

What makes this deal somewhat bizarre is the fact that Milner is getting paid a reported £150,000 per week. It doesn’t matter if he’s a free signing; that’s a lot of money. To put this in context, he will now earn more than the likes of Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets, Sergio Ramos, Isco and Luka Modric.

Hopefully for Liverpool’s sake, he provides the goods.

WNBA’s Brittney Griner & Glory Johnson Quickie & More Police Force in Texas

The Curvy Girl Diva
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WNBA’s Brittney Griner & Glory Johnson Quickie & More Police Force in Texas

brittney griner ariana grande police black force 2015 imagesI really hope you enjoy Mondays as much as I do, although the reality of life can hit you as another police man, in McKinney Texas this time, is being accused of excessive force on a group of black people. Also, WNBA players Brittney Griner and Glory Johnson beat Kim Kardashian for a quickie wedding.

brittney griner glory johnson wnba marriage over 2015 gossipWNBA Players Brittney Griner and Glory Johnson Ending 29-Day Marriage

Love is not easy. Whether you are straight, gay, woman or man, there is shit that goes on that is universal and sometimes, it just doesn’t work out.

WNBA star Brittney Griner who proposed to and married fellow WNBA  star Glory Johnson has filed papers to have their almost a month long marriage annulled. All of this comes just a day after Johnson announced via social media that she was pregnant. Of course there is so much going on with this story and the burning question on all of our minds is, “What the hell happened?”

Reports from both sides are all over the place. Griner is saying that she was forced into the marriage and Johnson is saying she did not see this coming. They got engaged last year, they were both arrested after a violent fight in Goodyear, AZ which Griner plead guilty to in April of this year, they were married on May 8, on June 4th Johnson announces she is pregnant and the next day Griner files for an annulment of their marriage.

It is all so interesting because the things that have come out since the request for an annulment are very revealing. Griner said that she got married due to “fraud and duress,” because she was “pressured into marriage under duress by Johnson’s threatening statements.”

Once more, even with all that is going on, Johnson, who says she is very hurt by the annulment, plans to keep the baby.

This drama I am sure is definitely not over.

ariana grande open letter to critics 2015 gossipAriana Grande Pens Open Letter… Tells Us How She Really Feels

According to Ariana Grande, she is tired of the bullshit. She took to social media to do what most famous people do when they want to make a ruckus- blast her critics.

With everything that has happened in her life over the last six months, her open letter, which is a kind of empowering feminist manifesto, touches on everything from how stupid the media is to how she really feels about her ex Big Sean and everything that went down.

It seems the reason for her rant in the first place has something to do with the fact that people are referring to her as Big Sean’s ex (I mean, she is). Her thing is she wants people to see her for who she is as a talent and singer not has as someone who used to be attached to some famous rapper dude.

“I am tired of living in a world where women are mostly referred to as a man’s past, present or future PROPERTY/POSSESION,” writes Grande, who’s avoided “boy questions” in interviews.

Then she goes on to say what probably every woman on earth has either said or thought at some point in their lives.

“If a woman has a lot of sex (or any sex for that matter)…. She’s a slut. If a man has sex… HE’S a BOSSSSSS, a KING…. If a woman even TALKS about sex openly, she is shamed.”

She went in on how society’s double standard is both disgusting and tired and that all women should stand up for who they are, what they like and what they are about.

Damn right Araina Grande. Say that!

cops holding down black girl from pool party texas 2015Calamity in McKinney Texas Just Fuel to the Ongoing Racial Fire

So here it is. It has happened again. Another white police officer mistreating black people (this time a group of teenagers), a story that has picked up steam thanks to a camera and social media.

Now there are differing stories about what happened and even adults who were present at the pool party have spoken out saying that it is not what it seems. Here is the gist of the situation.

cop pulled gun on pool party kids texas 2015There is a planned community with a pool. Residents can only have two guests a each at the pool. A whole bunch of teenagers, predominately black teenagers, show up. They are not allowed in so they begin hoping the fence, and banging on the door for entry. The security guard there couldn’t get control so calls the police. The police show up and all hell breaks loose.

I don’t care what these witnesses are saying (one of them being a 43-year old black man, Benet Embry) none of these kids had weapons, none of them were doing anything harmful, none of them deserved to be treated like they were. Video does not lie. A grown ass man throwing a 14 year old girl in a bikini to the grown and putting his knee in her back IS WRONG. Period.

cop force in mckinney texasEither this man really does have an issue with black people or the police officers in McKinney are in desperate need of training.

Yes the cop has been suspended and an investigation is under way, but is that enough. No one was killed but I am sure people were scarred emotionally. Everyone has to do their part in making sure this kind of shit stops.

The investigation is ongoing.Watch the unedited footage below:

Things We Learned From Champions League Finals

Luka Alario
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Things We Learned From Champions League Finals

things learned from champions league final 2015 imagesBarcelona defeated 3-1 to win their fourth Champions League trophy in just nine years. Goals from Ivan Rakitic, Luis Suarez and Neymar were enough for Luis Enrique’s side to capture the unprecedented treble. Here are three things we learned from the final in Berlin.

luis suarez worth it for champions league 2015Luis Suarez is worth every penny

It’s funny to think that many people were still calling Suarez a flop signing in January when the striker was struggling to score consistently at the time.

Yes, he wasn’t scoring and emulating his Liverpool record which was natural but what was being ignored during this period was his amazing selflessness, work rate and ability to see a pass.

Soon after, he began a rich vein of scoring form which in a matter of weeks, had silenced all his doubters with key goals against Manchester City and PSG and in the La Liga race.

After today, he scored the crucial goal that saw the Catalans win yet another European trophy with this being Suarez’s first.

And so, not only did he vindicate his signing, but also his decision to leave England as within a season at the Nou Camp, he’s already won two more trophies than he did in three years with Liverpool. To make things sweeter, Suarez successfully burned his demons and put behind a painful 2014.

While today was his first goal in five weeks, it still gives Suarez a respectable debut season tally of 24 goals and 21 assists in 43 games.

ivan rakitic signing of soccer season 2015 champions leagueIvan Rakitic might just be the signing of the season

Many people scoffed at the idea of Rakitic being the successor of Cesc Fabregas who had departed to Chelsea.

In fairness, Rakitic is a very good player who guided Sevilla to the Europa League in 2013/2014 but could he really replace a player of Fabregas’ quality, even if the current Chelsea man just didn’t fit in at Barcelona?

Well, Rakitic has proved many of his doubters wrong as not only has he replaced Fabregas (with ease), he’s also put Xavi on the bench for majority of the season, seamlessly fitting into the Catalan side and easing the transition for a Xavi-less future.

Scoring the opener in the Champions League final was the icing on the cake for the Croatian who could be a mainstay in the Barcelona midfield for the next couple of years.

juventus proved themselves for champions league 2015Juventus can compete with the big boys

While Juventus were dominated for majority of the game, they did really well to respond to Barcelona’s brilliant start and had periods of possession where they looked like the better side.

Max Allegri’s side did extremely well to get back into the game at 1-1 after Alvaro Morata scored an equalizer but unfortunately for the Serie A champions, they couldn’t hold on longer. Still, they can leave Berlin with their heads held high as noone expected them to reach this far in Europe.
And not only did they reach the final and exceed expectations but they proved that they are back among the big boys and compete with the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona. The future is bright for the Bianconeri.

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