It Ain't Easy Being the Best

Jordan Spieth's truly historic 2015 has golf experts and sports analyst alike seeing him as the next dominant golfer.

Golf is not an exciting sport. Most casual golf fans have a questionable knowledge of the sport outside of Tiger Woods. The absence of glamour and elation in golf is why the demographic of avid golf fans largely consist of senior citizens.

People want a polarizing figure. An alpha male to dominate the rest of the field or simply a group of golfers who consistently are seen competing for all of golf's major titles. Woods dominated golf for over a decade and was able to draw an astronomical amount of attention to golf thus increasing the fan base as a result. Golf was huge as long as Woods was dominate.

Woods no longer dominates golf any more. He has missed the cut in events he has played in a career-high four times. Rory McIlroy has played well but does not garner the same amount of attention as Woods or Phil Mickelson and has not been dominate.

Augusta National would be the stage to change the fortune of golf, The 2015 Masters paved way for a new star: Jordan Spieth. Spieth tied the 72 hole record at the Masters and became the first golfer since Tiger Woods in 2002 to win the first two majors of the calendar year.

Spieth has dominated at majors this year. He has finished in the top 4 of all of this year's major championships including winning the Masters and the U.S Open. Spieth also has set the record for the lowest score in majors during the calendar year with a combined score of 54-under in majors this year. He also has captured the No. 1 world ranking in golf.

Spieth has done this all in less than a year. Although, Spieth choked on the final 2 holes at The Open preventing him from getting the win or a shot to play in the playoff in order to win the major. Spieth still has 4 of his 5 career PGA Tour victories during this year and already has about half as many wins as Rory McIlroy.

Spieth's mental toughness and his excellent play in majors has shown he will be around for a long time. He has a ridiculous lead in the race for the FedEx Cup and probably will be voted PGA Tour Player of the Year.

Zach Johnson won The Open but failed to make the cut during the PGA Tour Championship. Jason Day was finally able to win a major when he captured the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits this weekend after constantly finishing in the top 10 in majors without getting the win. Although, Spieth did not complete the calendar grand slam or even the "Tiger Slam" is not a story nor does this diminish the excellence he's exhibited this year. Spieth is only 22 years-old and has a chance to dominate golf for years to come.

Spieth is already a 5-1 favorite to win the 2016 Masters and considering a competitive field consisting of: Jason Day, Adam Scott, Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson and a plethora of talented young golfers likely will be competing says a lot about how he's dominated for most of 2015.

Will Spieth win 12 more majors to tie Woods for amount of major titles? Maybe not and his ability to produce several more years of dominance in majors shall deem whether this is possible. However,one can safely assume Spieth is truly elite and has the chance to continue to be the best golfer in the game for years to come.

Flip Saunders is diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma

Flip Saunders earlier today announced he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma disease.

Cancer is a crippling disease which has killed millions with only a fortunate few who have survived. Several iconic sports figures have suffered from this debilitating disease from George Karl to Curt Schilling. Iconic ESPN anchor Stuart Scott who received the Jimmy V Perseverance Award at the ESPYs last year also battled cancer until he pasted away on January 4th, 2015.

Some people are able to deal with the array of chemotherapy treatments and beat cancer. Hall of Fame pitcher and Baseball Tonight analyst Curt Schilling and former NBA Coach of the Year George Karl survived but not too many people outside of Schilling and Karl have been fortunate enough to be diagnosed with cancer and live to tell the tell.

Flip Saunders is currently the coach, team president and part owner of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Saunders has been a coach for 17 seasons in the NBA and has made the playoffs 11 of the 14 full seasons he has coached including four Conference Finals appearances.

Saunders has built a legacy with Minnesota from his four years playing at the University of Minnesota to coaching 10 straight seasons with the Timberwolves during the Kevin Garnett era. He also seems to be the man capable of pulling Minnesota out of a 10-year playoff drought. This is also the last time Saunders coached the Timberwolves.

Last year president Saunders drafted athletic combo guard and 2015 Sprite Slam Dunk champ Zach LaVine out of UCLA and got rid of perennial All-Star Kevin Love but, picked up the 2014 NBA Draft's first overall pick and 2015 Rookie of the Year Andrew Wiggins. He followed up by drafting Karl Anthony-Towns from the University of Kentucky with the No. 1 overall pick and trading for 2015 Final Four Most Outstanding Player Tyus Jones out of Duke.

Saunders has stated he will undergo chemotherapy treatment soon and will still coach the Timberwolves this season. Although, Minnesota says the organization will work around his schedule as he deals with this dire situation.

Basketball aside cancer is not something to be taken lightly. The disease affects millions from the people who unfortunately acquire the disease to the loved ones of the patients who deal with cancer. Hopefully Saunders is able to defeat cancer and continue to live life to the fullest.

2015 Rookie of the Year Andrew Wiggins

The Race to the World Series Begins!

Cespedes (top left), Cueto (top right) and Price (bottom) are three All-Stars who were dealt at the deadline to help make a postseason push.

By: Lamar "L.A" Smith

The World Series is a stage MLB players dream about in bed as kids and constantly during a grueling 162 game season once in the majors. As the season progresses GMs move at a feverish pace to improve the rosters each team has in attempt to play in the Fall Classic. The trade deadline in baseball is more unique than any other in sports. Teams trade franchise players in return for young prospects, dump a variety of players to save money in salary and rent some of the best players in the game in an attempt to win a championship or retool a roster.

The Giants, Royals, Dodgers, Astros and Nationals are all championship contenders who made moves at the trade deadline. The Giants picked up starting pitcher Mike Leake (9-6, 3.52 ERA) from the Cincinnati Reds for a pair of  prospects. San Francisco gets a strong starter on a a low salary to strengthen the back end of the team's pitching rotation. The Royals who are the reigning AL champs acquired Johnny Cueto (7-6, 2.70 ERA), Kansas City is near the bottom or at the bottom of all major statistics for starting pitching staffs. Cueto was acquired to hopefully fulfill the role current San Diego Padres starting pitcher James Shields held for the Royals last October.

The Dodgers needed starting pitching depth after losing newly acquired Brandon McCarthy for the year who tore his UCL and have Hyun-Jin Ryu out as well. The team already has two aces in Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw who both have recently put up at least 37 scoreless inning streaks recently. Mat Latos (4-7, 4.29 ERA) traded from the Cincinnati Reds and Alex Wood (7-6, 3.54 ERA) traded from the Atlanta Braves look to give the Dodgers the starting  pitching depth the team needed. The Astros needed another ace pitcher and another bat so the team got Scott Kazmir (6-5, 2.10 ERA) and Carlos Gomez (8 HRs, 45 RBIs). 

The Nationals have been famous for squandering late leads in the team's last two postseason appearances, once against the St. Louis Cardinals and once again versus the World Series winning San Francisco Giants last year. Therefore getting 6-time All-Star closer Jonathan Papelbon (18 saves, 1.55 ERA) was a must. Papelbon is a World Series champ with a 1.00 ERA throughout his playoff career. In contrast to former closer Drew Storen (29 saves, 1.64 ERA) who has a 8.44 ERA in the postseason including a collapse in the 2012 NL Divisional Series in which he blew a save and cost the Nationals the deciding Game 5 at home.

The rest of the season should be interesting. The New York Mets acquired Yoenis Cespedes (18 HRs, 61 RBIs) in hopes of adding a strong hitter to help win the NL East division versus the reigning NL East champ the Washington Nationals. The Toronto Blue Jays who are six games behind the New York Yankees for the AL East division lead and one game behind the Minnesota Twins for the second wild card spot. Toronto picked up two All-Stars in shortstop Troy Tulowitski (13 HRs, 57 RBIs) and David Price (9-4, 2.53 ERA). Price is the most important pick up because he gives a weak starting pitching rotation a true ace to go along with the best offense in the majors (1st in runs scored).

The acquisition of Price should help Toronto end the longest playoff drought (21 years) in baseball. The Blue Jays last appearance in the playoffs saw Toronto win the World Series in 1993.

The winner at the deadline is something one can only answer once the season ends. Although, between Cueto and the Royals, Kazmir and the Astros, Cespedes and the Mets and Price and the Blue Jays the MLB trade deadline did not disappoint.

A-Rod turns 40 and Yankees starting to look like Yankees of old

Alex Rodriguez was suspended for a year for PEDs after the Biogenesis scandal and is now more hated by baseball fans than ever. This year has showed just how great A-Rod truly was and still is and questions did he ever really need PEDs at all.

By: Lamar "L.A" Smith

The Bronx Bombers are back! The Yankees are currently (57-42), lead the AL East by seven games and have the fourth best record in the majors including a ML-best 16-5 record in July. The team has a formidable lineup one through five, a great bullpen and a good defense to match the team's hot bats.

The top of the lineup features two guys who would bat leadoff on most teams in the majors though are interchangeable in Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner. Both are great defenders and strong baserunners. Brian McCann has played at a high level after having a shaky first season in the Bronx last season. New York overall sent three guys to the All-Star game this year in: Mark Teixeira, Dellin Betances and Gardner.

The one All-Star snub wound up being none other than the face of the Biogenesis scandal and one of the most controversial faces of baseball ever. Who possibly would've thought Alex Rodriguez at 40 (turned 40 on Monday) would be one of the best hitters and contributors to the Yankees AL-East leading ball club? Anyone who told you Rodriguez would do this is either a liar or should be tested for psychic capabilities. 

A-Rod is batting .279 with 24 HRs, 60 RBIs and a .379 on-base percentage. He has more RBIs than anyone in MLB history not named Hank Aaron. He's fourth all-time in home runs with 678 and on Monday became the sixth player in MLB history to hit a HR on his birthday. The first player to hit a home run on his birthday since Chipper Jones in 2012 with the Braves. Rodriguez is the only the fourth player in MLB history to hit a home run as a 40-year old and as a teenager. He also has more home runs (6) than any other player in MLB history on his birthday.

A legacy tarnished by PEDs. One can only help to wonder why he ever took PEDs in the first-place considering the type of talent Rodriguez holds. He's 40-years old putting up numbers most MLB players would kill to put up at age 40.

A-Rod must have been watching a lot of Back to the Future during his year off from baseball because his 2009 impression has been spot on. The Bronx Bombers are currently the favorite to not only make the playoffs for the first time since 2012 but also have a great chance to win the AL-East.

The Yankees put up 21 runs in a laughable 21-5 win vs. the Rangers yesterday. A game which the team was down 5 runs in the bottom of the 1st then put up 11 runs in the top of the 2nd and never looked back. The team looks to possibly trade for Cole Hamels and David Price to bolster a mediocre starting pitching rotation. 

Although, as long as Rodriguez keeps hitting and putting up video game numbers as a 40-year old designated-hitter the Bronx maybe looking at a 28th World Series title come this October. 

The Serena Slam 2.0

Serena defeated Garbine Muguruza (6-4, 6-4) to win the 2015 Wimbledon trophy (balanced on her head).

By: Lamar "L.A" Smith

This year has been the year of Serena. During the French Open Serena Williams battled flu during the latter half of the tournament. Williams played in five 3-set matches and out of those five loss the first set four times.

Although, Williams did not face as much adversity during the Australian Open and was able to push through the tournament without much strife.

Winning Wimbledon for the 6th time proved to be Williams' biggest challenge thus far. She faced the best draw of all the tournaments she competed in this season. No. 20 Garbine Muguruza played well versus Williams despite the fact she loss in straight sets (6-4, 6-4). Muguruza was even down 5-1 in the 3rd set and won three straight games including breaking Williams' serve for the championship multiple times.

Watch Serena Williams win her 6th Wimbledon title

Williams wasn't at her best but she was good enough to win her 21st grand slam title. Muguruza jumped on Serena early winning the first two games and doing well on returns. Williams had 15 unforced errors in the Ladies' Singles Final. She also had eight double faults and at one point gave up consecutive points to Muguruza because she couldn't get her serve over the net.

However, none of this stopped Williams from being crowned the champ on one of the grandest stages of them all for the third time this year.

She won every point of her final championship winning game and kept her composure when Muguruza put on the pressure in the final set and several times throughout the match. Muguruza dominated Williams a year ago (6-2, 6-2) when she was ranked No. 35 in the world in the 2nd round of the 2014 French Open. She also played her first match with Williams in the 2013 Australian Open (6-2, 6-0) when Muguruza was only ranked No. 112 in the nation.

Muguruza is 21 and continues to get better year after year. She will get her moment in the sun soon enough shall she continue her level of progression.

No! Today is about Williams and her Serena Slam 2.0. She is now the reigning champ of every grand slam for the second time in her career. Williams has 21 Grand Slam Singles titles, 13 Grand Slam Doubles titles and 68 WTA victories which is fifth most all-time.

Williams is already in my opinion is the greatest women's tennis player of all-time though, shall she complete the calendar slam the first one achieved since Steffi Graf in 1988 and thus tying Graf with 22 grand slam titles not too many people could deny her greatness.

Germany's prolific offense no match for Team USA

Carli Lloyd lets loose a battle cry as she scores a goal in the 60th minute in the World Cup Semifinals vs. Germany.

By: Lamar "L.A" Smith

Team USA offense has not been great throughout the team's run through the Women's World Cup but vs. Germany, the team's offense was enough once again.

The US women beat Germany 2-0 thanks to a great defense and a little bit of luck. During the 60th minute Germany was awarded a penalty kick and missed a easy opportunity to score after Hope Solo did not time her jump properly and attempted to save the ball towards the right side of the net. Celia Sasic's kick went wide left and Team USA avoided a 1-0 deficit.

The goal was Germany's first penalty kick miss in Women's World Cup history. Germany was 12/12 before Sasic's miss in the Women's World Cup Semifinal.

The US' back line pressured the ball at the point of attack and did not allow Germany to get but only one shot on goal. Nine minutes later Carli Lloyd who has arguably been the team's best goal scorer, scored off a penalty kick. Lloyd scored for the 3rd straight game in a row and gave the American team the lead.

A lead which would not be relinquished with Kelley O'Hara scoring in the 84th minute to put the game away. The shutout versus Germany was the Americans' fifth shutout of this year's World Cup.

Team USA now will face Japan in the Women's World Cup Finals. This year's World Cup Final is a rematch of the 2011 World Cup Final between Japan and the US which Japan won on penalty kicks. The United States has not been as dominate versus Japan during the two teams last six meetings with the U.S. going (2-1-3) against Japan.

The United States wanted to get redemption versus Japan after giving up a goal late in the game allowing Japan to send the game to penalty kicks. America has not won the Women's World Cup since 1999 and since has not been able to bring home gold to the U.S. Both teams have scored 9 goals in the World Cup leading up to the Final. Team USA has allowed only 1 goal throughout the tournament and navigated through the "Group of Death" and Japan allowed only 3 goals in the tournament thus far.

Tomorrow's game shall see two rugged defenses battle with the one making the least amount of mistakes walking out with gold medals at the 2015 Women's World Cup. USA faces Japan on Sunday at 4 pm on FOX in Vancouver.

2015 NBA Draft

One of the most interesting and deepest drafts in the last 5 years. 

By: Lamar "L.A" Smith

The 2015 NBA Draft was compelling. This year's draft saw Karl Anthony-Towns a center from the University of Kentucky went No. 1 overall to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Towns was also the 2015 SEC Freshman of the year and was the 2014 Gatorade Athlete of the Year. Towns was a consensus No.1 overall pick by many scouts and analysts since Kentucky's "Pursuit of Perfection" ended in the Final Four this past Spring. UK dominated the draft with more players getting drafted than any other school and tying a NBA Draft record (UK set the record in 2012). The No. 2 pick was a surprise with D'Angelo Russell going over Jahlil Okafor a skilled big man from the 2015 National Champion Duke Blue Devils. Russell being drafted just shows how the league is constantly changing and focusing more on perimeter play. Russell was considered to by most to have the best chance of becoming a superstar in the next five years.

This year's draft was filled with a lot of talent which will have a nice impact on the league in the next few years. Although, similar to any draft a few slept on players will make a few teams pay.

My 380 Sleepers (zzzzz's)

• Justise Winslow: A guy who was a top 5 prospect was picked at No, 10. Any analyst watching the Draft would've been puzzled. Winslow was the best available player after Towns, Russell and Okafor and was the best two-way wing player in the draft. He played his best basketball during the NCAA Tournament and was the engine which fueled Duke to hoist the 2015 NCAA trophy.Winslow now goes to a strong Heat team where he can continue to win with a great Miami Heat organization. Winslow can grow without any pressure to be a star right away. Winslow could possibly be as good as Kawhi Leonard and at worst he will be a role player who possibly will start on most teams. Although, most scouts say he possibly could be like James Harden.
• Sam Dekker: Dekker was passed on by Milwaukee, Boston and Atlanta who all could've used his services though Atlanta and Milwaukee passing on Dekker was probably the most surprising. Dekker can score, can shoot the 3, can handle the ball and is a pretty good athlete. Similar to Winslow he played his best basketball during the NCAA Tournament this year as the Badgers upset the Kentucky Wildcats and faced Duke in the National Championship game.
• Bobby Portis: A few names came to mind when I thought of my top three sleepers in the Draft but out of the other candidates: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Jerian Grant; Bobby Portis is in the best position to succeed. Portis brings more youth and versatility to an older but deep Bulls' frontcourt. Portis is athletic, can shoot the ball and hits the boards hard. The Bulls found a gem late in the draft in the 2015 SEC Player of the Year.

Top 8 Draft Nights

• Timberwolves: The Timberwolves fulfilled two needs by drafting Karl-Anthony Towns at No. 1 and trading the team's two 2nd round picks for Duke Blue Devil Tyus Jones. Towns is a strong interior defender and is UK's best big man not named Anthony Davis in a long time. Jones is a smart point guard who has a high basketball IQ and is more than capable of playing a few spot starting minutes shall Ricky Rubio get hurt. Minnesota has a few players with lots of potential in LaVine, Wiggins and now Towns. Flip Saunders is a good coach who finally can see some light at the end of the tunnel in Minnesota.
• Rockets: The Rockets picked Sam Dekker from Wisconsin  at No. 18 and Montrezl Harrell at No. 32. Dekker has upside and will be a good rotation player should Houston not be able to sign Corey Brewer in free agency and gives them depth on the wing. Dekker plays similar to Chandler Parsons so he should fit well into Houston's up-tempo offense. Harrell is a less athletic Kenneth Faried with a mediocre jump shot. Harrell eats the glass and was one of the best offensive rebounders in college basketball last year. Harrell gives Houston a rugged defender up front who can add some size to the frontcourt if Josh Smith leaves in free agency.
• Lakers: D'Angelo Russell was picked No. 2 and based on ESPN's advanced metric has the best chance of being a superstar in the next five years though, he also has the best chance of being a bust as well. Larry Nance Jr. son of Larry Nance the inaugural dunk champion in the NBA is an athletic big similar to his father and has some decent talent for a late first rounder. Antonio Brown the team's 34th pick is a solid scorer and a versatile wing defender who can shoot threes well and should be a strong role player. Although, Russell was the true gem especially considering when Rick Pitino called him 'the most gifted passer he's ever seen not named Magic.' Russell's skill set just screams "Showtime".
• Heat: The Heat were able to pull off the biggest shocker of the night and somehow snag Justice Winslow at No. 10. Winslow reminds me a lot of Kawhi Leonard though some analysts feel he could even be as good as James Harden. Michael Smith co-host of "His & Hers" also feels Winslow could be as good as Harden 'I'm not saying he will be as good as Harden but when I look at his game I see a lot of Harden.' Josh Richardson was picked at No. 40 and was on the SEC All-Defensive Team and is a good shooter. Richardson adds more depth on the wing barring the unlikelihood Dwyane Wade leaves the Heat and also in the event Wade stays.
• Wizards: The Wizards traded up to get Kelly Oubre from the Hawks who is a great athlete with a 37 in. vertical and a long 7'2 wingspan despite only being 6'7. He has all the tools to be a really good defender and can shoot the ball. Oubre is a smart decision considering Paul Pierce may leave to sign with the Clippers. Aaron White was picked at No. 49 and is an athletic big who runs the floor well and can shoot the ball with range and gives the Wiz a different look than the team's other bigs.
• Thunder: OKC drafted Cameron Payne and Dakari Johnson last Thursday. Cameron Payne is a combo guard though, Payne will play point guard due to his size and will fill the role Reggie Jackson played last season. Payne can flat out score and will give the team some backcourt security when the team has to dispose of a few role players due to the clutter of depth the Thunder acquired before the trade deadline. Johnson is an NBA ready center and is big and physical. Johnson will clog up the paint and plays good help defense. Johnson has awful footwork despite the fact he can score in the post. Johnson was a good pick but most likely will be a NBA back up.
• Pacers: The Pacers picked up Myles Turner and Joe Young. Indiana drafted with the vision to play faster this year and will get rid of the team's grit and grind method which took the team to back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals appearances before last season. Turner is a great shot-blocker and can space the floor with his jump shot but often times settles for jumpers and lacks aggression. Shall Turner change this he will help the Pacers out especially in a year where David West likely will not be back next year and as the team looks to shop former All-Star center Roy Hibbert. Young is a great scorer out of Oregon who will be a nice backcourt mate for George Hill who had a strong year last year. Young will likely come off the bench but will provide another scorer for a team who struggles to score.
• Pistons: The Pistons drafted Stanley Johnson and Darrun Hilliard. Johnson knocks down spot up 3's, a great athlete, has an NBA ready body and is a beast on the fastbreak. Add Johnson's 7'0 wingspan and competitiveness and you have a player who shall excel on the next level. Hillard can score the ball and adds backcourt depth. He is a skilled offensive player but, in the 2nd-round all a team looks for is a player with one NBA ready skill which the team can build on. Hillard can put the ball in the basketball and had his best scoring games late in his senior season at Villanova.

0- The number of picks the Clippers had in this year's draft. Although, the Clippers traded cash to acquire the No. 56 pick Branden Dawson an athletic wing player from Michigan State with a high basketball IQ.

This overall was a strong draft with even more solid picks than the ones mentioned in this article. The race for the Rookie of the Year should  be very competitive this year.