"Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has been named the 2010 AP Offensive Player of the Year. Brady passed for 3,900 yards and a league-best 36 touchdowns with only four interceptions. In addition, he set a new league record with 335 pass attempts without an interception while guiding New England to a 14-2 regular-season record.
Brady received 21 votes for the Offensive Player of the Year award, while Philadelphia quarterback Michael Vick finished second with 11 votes and Houston running back Arian Foster was third with seven votes. In addition, San Diego quarterback Phillip Rivers received five votes, while Atlanta wide receiver Roddy White, Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and Philadelphia wide receiver DeSean Jackson each received two votes (WEEI)."
Before that collapse again the Jets Brady may have had his most impressive season, and yes I mean over the 2007 season. This was a team that had the most undrafted players in the NFL, not a lot of known (soon to change) talent on offense after Moss left, and yet Brady went out and put up MVP numbers. It was a hell of a year, and although in the end all that matters is winning it is yet just another notch in the belt of the future Hall of Famer.
Drew Brees was honored as Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year for his championship on the field and his charity off it. I really can't come up with someone who deserves it more. He finally got the Saints a championship, he has worked nonstop to help that community ( his foundation has worked with nearly 50 New Orleans schools and organizations to aid in recovery), and overall is just a good guy. So, good for him, the city obviously needed this team to lift their spirits after Katrina, and though it solved very little it at the very least let them forget their troubles for a little while.
Drew Brees is an example of what a professional athlete should be.
Obama will name Russell as one of the recipients of a 2010 Medal of Freedom, according to a White House official. Usually I wouldn't take the time to write about this, but I feel like Russell deserves some love. I obviously have never seen him play (other then highlights), but I spent a good part of the day reading about him off the court. I guess anytime there was a race movement in the 60's there was 3 athletes that were always called upon Jim Brown, Muhammad Ali and Bill Russell.
I also like seeing Russell in the spotlight, because I feel a lot of times he is forgotten. There is always talk about who is the greatest player of all-time? People like Jordan, Kobe, and so on are always mentioned, but not the guy with more rings then fingers. I mean how many kids even know who Bill Russell is?
I'm not overly bitter about it, since it was a long time ago, and the game has changed so much, but I do think it's bullshit their isn't a Russel statue in front of the Garden. I really wonder if it is Boston being racist, or just that the Bruins own the stadium.
Alright, sports fans. I meant to get this one done much earlier but I've been busy with other things lately. I apologize. Anywho, without further delay here are my 2009-2010 Regular Season Awards. I tried to get some different winners in there than the NBA did for two reasons: 1) it is more interesting that way and 2) i disagreed with a few of them to begin with.
Executive of the Year:
John Hammond, Milwaukee Bucks
This one was one of the actual NBA winners. But, pretty hard to disagree with what he's done. He elected to draft PG Brandon Jennings #10 overall despite rumors about his immaturity and the strange HS-to-Europe route which had never been done. Jennings proceeded to tear up the league in his rookie season, more on that later. Hammond tabbed Scotty Skiles as his coach after he became GM a couple of seasons ago and the team has become much improved in many areas, mainly defense. He also made some successful moves by bringing in the likes of Delfino, Salmons, Stackhouse and Kurt Thomas to round out the roster. Milwaukee made the playoffs this season, which I doubt many would have predicted, and had Bogut not been hurt who knows what might have happened in round 1. Kudos, Mr. Hammond.
Coach of the Year:
Alvin Gentry, Phoenix Suns
Since I live in Phoenix, I might be a bit biased. Not because I like him or the Suns more, but just because I get to see this franchise up close and personal on a nightly basis. The job that Gentry has done with this squad, particularly with Stoudemire, is nothing short of amazing. For all those nay-sayers that think he's just running D'Antoni's system...you are severely mistaken. Yes, they went back to the old run-n-gun after a brief relapse under Terry Porter, but Gentry's Suns teams have two major factors in their favor that D'Antoni never had. 1) Team defense and 2) A deep bench. D'Antoni never cared about either. Alvin Gentry is one of the few coaches I've seen who trusts his bench guys as much as he does late in games. There are times that Nash doesn't even re-enter the game until about 5 minutes to go in the 4th. Remarkable! Back to the Stoudemire topic. Under D'Antoni, Stat was a grouchy, self-centered, pompous ballhog who could get you 35 but would only have 6 rebounds and maybe 1 block. However, he did it (look to the 4th quarter benching against Dallas in FEB) Gentry has gotten Stat to play the game the team needs him to play. Explosive on both ends and committed to rebounding. Rumor even has it that Stat, not Nash, is the one who organizes all the team dinners and activities on the road. Playing like a leader. I credit Gentry with a lot of that. As Phoenix looks to LA in the conference finals I think they owe a HUGE thanks to Alvin Gentry.
Most Improved Player:
Brook Lopez, New Jersey Nots (that is not a typo)
The better Lopez twin really became quite a lot for opposing centers to handle in 2009-10. HE improved his scoring by 5 points and his rebounding also went up. He posted some monster games this season, including 10 double-doubles in 15 games in December. He did get shut down by some of the better centers, including Dwight Howard, but who didn't? Lopez also started every game for New Jersey this season, which is something most NBA centers can't claim. He is much improved and if NJ can win the lottery and land John Wall they'll have themselves a nice young nucleus. If they can somehow use those Russian dollars (and whores) to lure LBJ...look out! *If brother Robin can stay healthy he could be your 2011 Most Improved. Health hampered him down the stretch this season.
Here's the statistical improvements
2008/09: 13 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 1.0 APG, 1.8 BPG
2009/10: 18.8 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.7 BPG
6th Man of the Year:
Carl Landry Houston Rockets/Sacramento Kings
OK, let me start by saying it is pretty hard to argue with Jamal Crawford as 6th man of the year. He did get a vast majority of the real votes. He played on a better team and definitely gave his team a huge boost off the bench. However, let's throw out the playoffs thing and look at these two side-by-side. Landry was among the best reserves in the league with 16.8 PPG this season, .5 more than Crawford. That's basically a push. Landry is a big man, so obviously he gets more rebounds, and Crawford as a guard obviously gets more assists. Basically another push there. They averaged the same amount of steal - advantage Landry. I understand that Landry shoots mostly around the basket, but Crawford's .364 FG percentage makes me want to gag! That's low for a quality guard. He can hoist it with the best of 'em, but like fellow 6th man J.R. Smith can have nasty cold streaks. Landry was a consistent .536 from the floor. They both shot free-throws over .80%. I'll take that from my big-man all day! And they played basically the same minutes, right around 30. Again, playoffs and good teams aside, I think I like Landry. There's also some fancy mumbo jumbo stat that proves Landry is the best reserve in the league. I found it about a week ago but I lost the link. Trust me, it backed it up. Crawford is excellent, and you can't go wrong with him, but I'll take Landry by a hair.
I went back and forth on this one. For the sake of being different, let's give the Birdman his due. His .84 blocks for every personal foul bested Dwight Howard's .79 He also turned in a monster 4.05 blocks for every 48 minutes, which was better than Howard's 3.85 per 48. If you stretch that out over Howard's minutes he would have almost 240 blocks on the year. That's better than Howard's 228! Basically, whenever he came in for Denver it was an instant block party. Like Crawford, you really can't go wrong with Howard. I'd just rather shed some light on other players.
Rookie of the Year:
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Tyreke Evans (real NBA winner) and Brandon Jennings are both great choices as well, but Curry was unreal in the 2nd half while the other two tuckered out a bit. I'll give him the nod for finishing strong. I also like the fact that Curry's numbers helped his team. In Golden State wins (not many of them) his scoring jumped to 20 PPG and his APG were around 7. With Evans and Jennings those numbers were much closer to the same, meaning their great performances didn't necessarily help the team that much. Jennings was down to 13.8 PPG in April, after averaging over 22 in November. Curry on the other hand averaged over 26 PPG in April, and finished on a high note dropping 42 8 and 9 in the final contest. In his last 20 games he dropped at least 6 dimes 16 times, and only turned the ball over 3 times or more 6 times. Nice. Too bad Golden State sucks.
(Non LBJ) Most Valuable Player:
It would be pretty boring for me to get on here and talk about how great LBJ was again this season. We all know that. Plus, he's got enough ass-kissers, and he and the Cavs are dropping a huge deuce in the conference semis right now anyway. This could be almost as awkward as Dirk's MVP when his team got annihilated in the playoffs.
So here it is - Jesus' 2010 MVP goes to...
Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City
He was the scoring champion of the league, and if we're going by the definition of the award I don't know that anyone was more valuable to his team. He is the star on a small-market franchise that obviously needs to build around him if they have hopes of success in that kind of a city. He packs the seats on a nightly basis and is a must-see Sportscenter highlight. His stretch of at least 25 points in a game was remarkable, 29! And a majority of those were 30+! He averaged more than a steal and a block per game to go with his scoring output. Look to his block on Kobe in the playoffs to see some of his defensive prowess. On top of all that, he was counted on, like all star players, to take a high percentage of his teams shots. The Durantula took over 25% of the Thunder's field goals this year, compared to Kobe's 22 and LBJ's 23%. You might think hoisting that many his percentages wouldn't be great, but they were. .476 on FG, .365 on 3FG and 90% FT. He is money in the bank.
Imagine if the Celts would have gotten that #2 pick like they were supposed to? I'm just saying. The Championship was nice though.
After going over Jesus' awards and still carrying some rage from my poor performance in DC's bracket challenge, I thought I'd give my take on this years madness following Jesus' award system.
Best Individual Performance:
I got to go with Omar Samhan from St. Mary's vs. Nova. He was unstoppable. He was like 13-16 I think from the field. DP and I watched this together and couldn't believe how easy it was for him to score, even when they sent 2 guys on him.
Best Team Performance..
I'll go with Northern Iowa over Kansas. Great team defense and clutch shooting leading to the defeat against the best team in the land.
Best Game...
Waaaaay too many to pick from. Jesus pretty much named them all, but another one in the 1st round was the Robert Morris-Villanova game. Awesome game and Robert Morris should've won.
Best team..
I agreee with Jesus. Butler. I guess they are all sophomores and juniors so they should be strong next year.
Best Coach...
Like Izzo a bunch, but I'll go with Brad Stevens. Beat Cuse, Kansas St, Michigan St and almost had Duke. Even in the Duke game, Butler controlled the tempo of the game and somehow even had more rebounds than the Devils who were clearly bigger up front. Also, remember that timeout call when the game was 26-20 Duke? Butler game out gunning and took the lead by one. He's going to get a championship at some point.
MOP..
Even though I hate Duke..props to their big 3 of Smith, Scheyer and Singler. I have to say entering the tournament I had zero respect for the Dukies and their game. I thought they were hands down the weakest number one seed. But after watching their last two games they were for real and the play from their big three was outstanding so I'll give that trio MOPs.
Worst Choke..
How about the Big East as a whole. What the Fuck? I had them doing some serious work in my bracket and by Sunday night after the first weekend I think only West Virginia and Cuse were left standing. Syracuse couldn't make it to the elite eight and Duke owned West Virginia. Just pathetic.
Dog Shit Team..
Villanove. I completely agree. Just pathetic. They should've lost in round one and they got their asses handed to them by St. Mary's in round two. I have no idea what happened to them the last month of the season. They should've been in the NIT with URI. I had them going to the championship. What the hell was I thinking??? I did do weed muffins for the first time about a week before the tournament began. Maybe it was that.
DST Individual..
How about that tall, worthless, piece of garbage from Notre Dame - Luke Harangody. What the hell was all the hype with this guy about? He is awful. He really tore it up against Old Dominion with his stat line of 4 points and 7 rebounds. I mean, when I think of historically great defensive teams, Old Dominion always comes to mind. LEARN TO SHOOT THE BALL WITHOUT LOOKING LIKE YOU"RE TAKING A DUMP!!
That is not a good image. So let me leave you with a nice shot of the cast of Family Matters..
"That blur speeding away from opposing defenses and running off with The Associated Press 2009 NFL Offensive Player of the Year award is Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson. Considered the fastest man in pro football, Johnson was uncatchable in setting a league mark for yards from scrimmage (2,509) and becoming the sixth player with a 2,000-yard rushing season. He is the first NFL player to finish with at least 2,000 yards rushing and 500 receiving (503) (ESPN)."
Chris Johnson ran away with this award, and there is no reason he shouldn't. Drew Brees came in 2nd place, but Johnson almost broke the rushing record, which is damn impressive since everyone on Earth knows he getting the ball every time. Good for him, and hopefully the Titans can build a team around him that will have a chance to win. With the way the played the 2nd half of the season, they don't see to be too far off...
"In his own view, Charles Woodson put together his best pro season in 2009. How appropriate, then, that he is the Associated Press 2009 NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
The versatile Woodson tied for the league lead with nine interceptions, returning three for touchdowns, and was a key to the Packers' turnaround on defense. His role in Green Bay's ranking second in overall defense, first in interceptions (30), takeaways (40) and turnover margin (plus-24) earned Woodson 28 votes Tuesday from a nationwide panel of 50 sports writers and broadcasters who cover the NFL (CBSSports)."
I am a Packers fan, so I am happy he got but I really can't say that he is a better defensive player then Revis. Revis is the new Champ Bailey. You can't throw to his side of the field. I guess in the end it is nice to see an older guy get it before he retire, but if you asked me who the best defensive player was this year I would have told you Revis without a doubt.
"Tom Brady has gone from record-setting MVP to injured superstar to The Associated Press 2009 NFL Comeback Player of the Year. Brady's strong return from a left knee injury that sidelined him for all but the first quarter of the 2008 opener earned the New England Patriots quarterback the award Wednesday. One of football's biggest stars, Brady has gone from NFL Most Valuable Player in 2007, when he set several passing records, to sidelined to earning his second league award.
He received 19 votes from a nationwide panel of 50 sports writers and broadcasters who cover the NFL, beating Tampa Bay running back Carnell "Cadillac" Williams, who got 14 (ESPN)."
The only player that I could make an argument for is Vince Young (who finished 3rd), but it would be a much stronger argument if the Titans made the playoffs. Brady is actually having his 2nd best statistical season in his career, and after not play really at all last year it was going to be tough for anyone else to come in and steal this award from him. Hopefully he is healthy and ready for the playoffs, because in the end that's all that matters...
"Giants ace Tim Lincecum won the NL Cy Young Award on Thursday for the second consecutive season to become the first repeat winner since Randy Johnson, emerging from one of the tightest votes in the history of the honor (Sportsline)."
Little bit torn on this one. Lincecum once again had a great year, but Carpenter I may have had the better one. Lincecum was 15-7 with a 2.48 ERA, 261 K's in 225.1 innings, while Carpenter was 17-4 with a 2.24 ERA, 144 K's in 192.2 innings. I guess it was close enough that the K's and innings got Lincecum his 2nd in 2 years, which is the first time that has happened since Randy Johnson. So basically he is fucking nasty.
DP and I were talking last night and I came up with the thought that Bedard would be a great fit on this team. He can probably be bought at a relatively low price (compared to the Lackeys of the world), and if he could stay healthy would give them a sick rotation of...
Lincecum Cain Bedard Bumgarner (watch out for this kid) Zito
That's a nice rotation, but they would still need to add some offense (pickup Dye, maybe trade for Dunn, ect).
Jason Bay has been named to the 2009 American League Silver Slugger team. Bay, currently a free agent, is receiving the honor for the first time after setting career highs with 36 home runs and 119 RBI in 151 games with the Red Sox in 2009.
The Silver Slugger Awards are presented annually to the top offensive players at each position in both the AL and NL based on the voting of managers and coaches.
Here is the rest of the winners: 1B—Mark Teixeira, New York (3d Award) 2B—Aaron Hill, Toronto (1st Award) 3B—Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay (1st Award) SS—Derek Jeter, New York (4th Award) OF—Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle (3rd Award) OF—Jason Bay, Boston (1st Award) OF—Torii Hunter, Los Angeles (1st Award) C—Joe Mauer, Minnesota (3d Award) DH—Adam Lind, Toronto (1st Award)
Kind of awesome that Adam Lind got one. No one really talks about how well he played this year (expect for me because he was on my fantasy team), but he was a force this season and really deserved some kind of recognition.
"Brandon Meriweather's big performance on Sunday served as more than a breakthrough. It also got him a nice piece of hardware. The Patriots safety was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for the first time in his three-year career. Meriweather got New England's rout of Tampa Bay started, picking off Josh Johnson and going 31 yards for a touchdown on the Buccaneers' first offensive possession. He also registered another first-half pick as New England really put Tampa in the rear-view mirror.
"The difference today is I was playing within the defense," Meriweather said on Sunday. "I was being myself, but I was playing within the defense. The d-line got a great rush, and he happened to throw the ball like that, and I happened to have a good break on the ball (Boston.com)."
Meriweather is turning into a very good safety. He has always been a hard hitter, but now it seems like he might be able to add some catching ability to his abilities. Anyways, for me to start thinking that the Patriots have the ability to win it all they are going to have to beat a good team on the road. I think they will, but I cannot (and will not) gloat about this team until they do.
The Bruins won't be coming home from tonight's NHL awards ceremony in Las Vegas empty handed by any stretch. They won the following awards:
- Bruins goalie Tim Thomas won the Vezina Trophy (top goaltender).
- Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara was awarded the Norris Trophy (top defenseman).
- Bruins coach Claude Julien was honored with the Jack Adams Award (top coach).
I was very confident that Julien and Thomas would win, but I was surprised Chara brought home the Norris Trophy. Don't get me wrong he is a hell of a player, but I really thought Mike Green was going to win since he put up over 30 goals this season, but it really nice to see someone bring the Norris Trophy back to Boston for the first time since the Ray Bourque Era. It was a really great year, and it is good to see the Bruins get some recognition. Now they just need to bring home the Cup!
This is kind of cool since Chara is also up for the Norris Trophy (Best defenseman in NHL). Anyways he is the official release on the award:
"Since signing with the Bruins on July 1, 2006, Zdeno Chara has led the team on a relentlessly upward climb that this season saw Boston finish with the best record in the Eastern Conference. Since his naming as captain before the 2006-07 season, the Bruins have gone from missing the playoffs a second straight year to winning 41 games and qualifying for the 2008 postseason to going 53-19-10 this past season. Chara’s goal totals in his three seasons with the Bruins have gone from 11 to 17 to 19. He has been named a finalist for the Norris Trophy for the second straight year and the third time in his career. The man-mountain from Trencin, Slovakia, similarly has been driven to scale impressive heights off the ice – last summer, he climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro to focus attention on Right to Play, the international charitable organization that uses sport and play to enhance child development in areas of disadvantage. Chara also raised $18,000 for Right to Play by winning the Hardest Shot competition at 2009 NHL All-Star Weekend after getting his competitors, the NHL and the NHLPA to contribute to a pot to go to the victor’s charity of choice (Boston.com)."
"The Boston Celtics were honored as the 2009 Professional Sports Team of the Year by the SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily. The award was presented live at a special ceremony held Thursday, May 28th at the New York Marriott Marquis in Manhattan (Boston.com)."
This is basically for the 2008 season, and the Celtics definitely deserve this. Playing to 100 percent capacity at the 18,624-seat TD Banknorth Garden, the Boston Celtics set a record for attendance. The team also doubled its full-season ticket base to more than 10,000 in one of the country’s most competitive sports markets. All of this, plus the addition of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, culminated in a return to glory, and the Celtics’ 17th NBA championship.
A part of me says that the Sox would be up for this award every year, since they sell out every game, and are always in the playoff hunt. Anyways, last year the Celtics were unreal (and really up until the playoffs this year). So, good for them they have done a hell of a job bringing this franchise back into the light.
"Sporting News, via a 39-member panel of executives and coaches, has named Peter Chiarelli the NHL's Executive of the Year. Yesterday, Sporting News tabbed Claude Julien as Coach of the Year (Boston.com)."
Well deserved. Chiarelli has turned this franchise around. Last summer, Chiarelli signed Michael Ryder to a three-year, $12 million contract, which a lot of people laughed at. Ryder was great all season, and one of the main reasons the Bruins got as far as they did. Then st the trade deadline, he acquired Mark Recchi and Steve Montador. Montador kind of sucked, but Recchi was a huge part of the Bruins playoff run. It will be interesting to see what Chiarelli will be able to do this offseason, but no matter what he deserves this award for the work he did last year. Now GO SIGN KESSEL AND KRECJI!!!
"Indiana Pacers All-Star forward Danny Granger will cap off his stellar season today when he's named the NBA's Most Improved Player, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the situation (ESPN)."
Hard to argue with this pick. He had a hell of a season. This year he averages 25.8 ppg, 5.1 rebs, and 2.7 assists, and now is known as one of the better players in the league, and a fantasy steal. Granger will be the third Pacer to win the award, joining Jalen Rose (2000) and Jermaine O'Neal (2002). Too bad the Pacers suck, but they do have some pieces to build on.
"Bruins goalie Tim Thomas was named one of three finalists for the Vezina Trophy, given annually to the NHL's top goalie. The other finalists are Minnesota’s Nicklas Backstrom and Columbus’s Steve Mason (Boston.com)."
Tim Thomas deserves his award. He led the NHL with a 2.10 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage, and collected a 36-11 record. So, I really can't see anyone stealing this award from him. Chara is also of for the Norris (defenseman of the year). I am not sure if he will get it, but it is nice to see a Bruin player up there for the award, since it is really the first time since Bourque left the team.
No real shocker here Griffin ran away with the player of the year award. He got 66 votes from the 71 possible votes (Hansbrough and Blair got the other votes). Griffin is now the first Oklahoma player to win this award. Griffin averaged 22.7 points and led the nation with 14.4 rebounds per game while shooting a Big 12 record 65.4 percent from the field. He was unreal in the tournament, and should be one heck of a pro player.
Drew Brees won offensive Player of the Year today. I love this pick since he put up ridiculous stats. The only reason he was out of the MVP race was because the Saints sucked this year. Brees had one of the better statistical years for a QB ever throwing for 5,084 yards, which was only 16 yards short of Dan Marino's record. If the Saints can fix their defense I think you'll see Brees name on the MVP trophy next year.
Peyton Manning won his 3rd MVP today. It was a tough year for Manning, who had to battle back from offseason knee problems. He may not have had the best stats, but he led the Colts to 9 straight wins to end the season and put them in the playoffs. About 7 weeks ago Dueling Couches put up a poll about which team would not make the playoffs. The Colts were chosen by a landslide. Manning received 32 votes in balloting by a nationwide panel of 50 sportswriters and broadcasters who cover the NFL.
"Manning finished far ahead of Miami quarterback Chad Pennington and Atlanta running back Michael Turner, each of whom received four votes. Pittsburgh linebacker James Harrison and Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson each got three votes. San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers (2); Tennessee rookie running back Chris Johnson (1); and Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner (1) also earned votes (ESPN)."
Micheal Turner was the only other guy I would chosen, but there was stiff competition at running back from Adrian Peterson, and DeAngelo Williams, both of whom had fantastic years. I like that Manning got the award to show that it is not all about stats, but what you do for your team, and Manning willed him team to the playoffs this year.
