Trade Deadline Coverage

Starting tomorrow, I'll celebrate one of the most exciting events on the baseball calendar, the non-waiver trade deadline on July 31 at 4 pm, by dropping some names that could be possible players on the move to help a contender.  If you're a trade deadline nut, this will be the place for you for the next 9 days.

Sneak Peak at Tonight's Espy Awards

One of my favorite nights of the year, and that is the Espy Awards, a Grammy-like sports awards show hosted on ESPN.  A great celebration of the great year of sports every summer.  I'm going to go through the awards, and give you my favorite.

Male Athlete
Jimmie Johnson (NASCAR)- won his fifth Sprint Cup
Rafael Nadal (Tennis)- Currently the World's No. 1 Ranked Tennis Player
Dirk Nowitzki (NBA)- Won his first career NBA Championship
Aaron Rodgers (NFL)- Led Packers to first Super Bowl Win since 1997

Winner: Dirk Nowitzki- after being overshadowed for so many years and taking a back seat to guys like Kobe and Tim Duncan, he finally rose above everyone to win the NBA Championship, culminating a 13-year quest to the basketball's mountaintop.  Nobody more deserving of this award than this guy.

Female Athlete
Kelly Clark (Snowboarder)- first woman to complete a 1080 on a snowboard
Lauren Jackson (WNBA)- 2010 WNBA Regular Season and Finals MVP
Maya Moore (UCONN Womens/WNBA)- became the scoring champ of the UCONN Women's basketball program with 3,036 points
Lindsay Vonn- Won Super G, Super-Combined, and Downhill Titles in 2011

Winner: Maya Moore- This could very well be my Connecticut bias coming out, but she is arguably the greatest winner in the history of UCONN Women's basketball, going 150-4 in her four seasons in Storrs, going to the Final 4 every year, winning 2 National Titles, and scoring 3,036 points, a program record.  Ohh yeah, the team had a nice little 90 game winning streak while she was there, too.

Best Championship Performance
Tim Lincecum (MLB)- Went 4-1 with 2.43 ERA in 10 playoff appearances (5 starts) in 2010, including a 10 strikeout performance in the game that clinched his San Francisco Giants the World Series Championship
Tim Thomas (NHL)- Allowed record-low 8 goals in 7 Stanley Cup games, giving him Conn Smythe Award as playoff MVP
Kemba Walker (NCAA)- led UCONN to 11 straight victories en route to 2011 National Championship
Serena Williams (Tennis)- Didn't lose a set en route to 2010 Wimbleton Championship

Winner: Tim Thomas- My worst apologies to Kemba, but the performance by Timmy Thomas in the Stanley Cup Finals was absolutely amazing and something you will never see again.

Breakthrough Athlete
Jose Bautista (MLB)- 54 homers in 2010 season
Arian Foster (NFL)- NFL Rushing Champ with 1,616 yards
Blake Griffin (NBA)- 22.5 PPG and 12.1 RPG en route to 2011 NBA Rookie of the Year
Li Nia (Tennis)- became first Asian to win Grand Slam singles title
Cam Newton (NCAA)- led Auburn to National Championship on top of winning Heisman and being No. 1 overall pick

Winner: Cam Newton- This time last year, we had no idea who Cam Newton was.  Now, he's a Heisman Trophy Winner, a National Champion, and a First Overall Pick.

Record Breaking Performance
Ray Allen (NBA)- set the record for most career 3-pointers in NBA history
Rory McIllroy (Golf)- Won US Open with record-low score of 268
Derrick Rose (NBA)- Became youngest MVP in NBA history
UCONN Womens Basketball (NCAA)- set record winning streak in college/pro sports with 89th consecutive win

Winner: UCONN Womens basketball- The 90-game winning streak is one of the best records in all of sports and something I don't see ever being replicated.

Upset
Blame over Zenyatta (horse racing)- breaks Zenyatta's 20-race winning streak in 2010 Breeder's Cup
Werdum over Emelianenko (MMA)- Emelianenko's first loss in 10 years
Seahawks over Saints (NFL)- Saints were the defending champs, Seahawks were 7-9
VCU basketball (NCAA)- became second 11 seed to reach Final Four

Winner: VCU- A team that got in by way of the play-in round, went all the way to the Final Four before losing to Butler.

Best Game
Auburn vs. Alabama (NCAAF)- Auburn rallied from 24 down to cap undefeated season
Butler vs. Pittsburgh (NCAAB)- Butler upends #1 seed Pitt with one of the most bizarre finishes to a game you'll ever see
Eagles vs. Giants (NFL)- Eagles score 28 unanswered in final 7:18 to win 38-31
Oklahoma City vs. Memphis (NBA)- Just the sixth 3OT game in NBA playoff history

Winner: OKC vs. Memphis- The first three are great comeback stories, but this game set itself away from the rest in that it was a story of two teams going back and forth for roughly four hours, exactly what I see in a great game.

Best Moment
Fennville HS Basketball Team- Went on to win 3 playoff games after star player collapses and dies on the court.
Roy Halladay No-Hitter (MLB)- throws just the 2nd no-hitter in postseason history
Trevor Bayne at Daytona 500 (NASCAR)- youngest Daytona winner ever at 20 years, one day

Winner: Fennville HS Basketball Team- Real feel-good story of a group of kids who dealt with a potentially life-altering tragedy in the best way possible.

Best Team
Auburn Football- 2011 BCS National Champions
Boston Bruins- 2011 Stanley Cup Champions
Dallas Mavericks- 2011 NBA Champions
Green Bay Packers- Superbowl XLV Champions
San Francisco Giants- 2010 World Series Champions
Texas A&M Womens Basketball- 2011 NCAA Womens Basketball Champions

Winner: Dallas Mavericks- Great story of a group of veterans making the ultimate sacrifice to get a ring.

NFL Strongest Performance Award
Arian Foster- Rushed for 231 yards and 3 touchdowns in week one win over Indianapolis
DeAngelo Hall- Tied NFL singled game record with 4 interceptions, one of which was returned 92 yards for a TD
Leon Washington- returned two kickoffs for touchdowns, from 101 and 99 yards, tying and NFL record

Winner: Arian Foster- Chicago had was a disaster on offense, San Diego was a disaster on special teams, Indy had a respectable defense, and Foster picked it apart in Week 1.

Sports Movie
The Fighter
Secretariat
Soul Surfer
Win Win

Winner: The Fighter- Inspirational story based on the life of Mickey Ward, garnered 7 Academy Awards.

Best Coach
Jim Calhoun- Won third NCAA title with UCONN, became oldest National Champion coach as well
Rick Carlisle- Coached Dallas Mavericks to first NBA Title
Gene Chizik- Coached Auburn to BCS National Title
Mike McCarthy- Led Packers to Super Bowl Victory as 6th seed
Dom Starsia- Coached UVA Lacrosse to National Championship

Winner: Jim Calhoun- Did one of his best coaching jobs by coaching the UCONN basketball team to the National Championship, becoming the oldest coach to do so.

Best NFL Player
Tom Brady- Won NFL MVP
Arian Foster- NFL Rushing Champion
Clay Matthews- Forced Key fumble in Green Bay's Super Bowl XLV victory
Troy Polomalu- NFL Defensive Player of the Year
Aaron Rodgers- Super Bowl XLV MVP

Winner: Tom Brady- Continues to build on his impressive resume, with his only interceptions coming in two different games.  Maybe the best single season ever put together by a QB.

Best MLB Player
Jose Bautista- Hit 54 homers in 2010
Roy Halladay- Won 2010 NL Cy Young Award, became second pitcher all-time to throw a postseason no-hitter
Josh Hamilton- 2010 AL MVP
Felix Hernandez- 2010 AL Cy Young Award Winner
Joey Votto- 2010 NL MVP

Winner: Josh Hamilton- Led Texas to the World Series with one of the best seasons put together in recent memory.

Best NHL Player
Corey Perry- 2011 Hart Trophy Winner
Daniel Sedin- 2010-2011 NHL Scoring Champ
Martin St. Louis- Finished second in NHL in scoring and assists
Tim Thomas- 2011 Vezina Trophy Winner, Conn Smythe Winner, and Stanley Cup Champion

Winner: Tim Thomas- Put together arguably the best single season by a goaltender ever.

Driver
Greg Anderson- 2010 NHRA Pro Stock Champion, 4th since 2003
John Force- Became oldest driver in NHRA to win a championship
Dario Franchitti- Won second straight IndyCar Championship
Jimmie Johnson- Won fifth consecutive Sprint Cup

Winner: Jimmie Johnson- Won a record 5th consecutive championship on NASCAR's biggest stage, the Sprint Cup.

Best NBA Player
Kobe Bryant- Average 25.3 PPG in 2010-2011
Kevin Durant- 2010-2011 NBA Scoring Champ
LeBron James- Averaged 28.6 PPG while leading the Miami Heat to the NBA Finals
Dirk Nowitzki- 2011 NBA Finals MVP
Derrick Rose- 2010-2011 NBA MVP, youngest winner in NBA history

Winner: Dirk Nowitzki- Gained his true superstar status by winning his first NBA championship.

Best WNBA Player
Tamika Catchings- WNBA Defensive Player of the Year
Lauren Jackson- WNBA Regular Season and Finals MVP
Cappie Pondexter- WNBA scoring runner-up
Diana Tuarasi- WNBA scoring Champ

Winner: Lauren Jackson- Was best player throughout the whole season by taking the trifecta of regular season MVP, finals MVP, and finals champion.

Best Fighter- Manny Pacquiao- Became boxing's first 8-division champion
Male Golfer- Rory McIllroy (Won US Open)
Female Golfer- Yani Tseng (Rolex Player of the Year)
Mens Tennis- Novak Djaokovic (Wimbledon Champion)
Womens Tennis- Serena Williams (Wimbledon Champion)
Male College Athlete- Cam Newton (Heisman Winner)
Female College Athlete- Maya Moore (UCONN Womens Basketball)
Male Action Sport Athlete- Shaun White (Gold in Superpipe at Winter X Games 2011)
Female Action Sport Athlete- Kelly Clark (3 golds at Winter X 2011)
Jockey- John Velasquez (Rode Animal Kingdom to Kentucky Derby Victory)
Male Athlete With a Disability- Jerome Singleton
Female Athlete With a Disability- Alana Nichols
Bowler- Chris Barnes
MLS Player- Landon Donovan
Track Athlete- Tyson Gay

Taking a Look at Tonight's MLB Home Run Derby

The Park:  Thought by many acutually to be a pitchers-oriented ballpark, is actually much more of a hitter's ballpark.  The park has been in the top five in terms of runs scored per game, and is ranked 5th in that category this year.  It is also fifth among ballparks in terms of homers per game.  The dimensions are 330 down the left-field line, 334 down the right-field line, and 407 out to straight center.  There is also a 25-foot backdrop in straight center which helps the batter's eye.

AL Team
David Ortiz- Boston's slugger has 19 homers this year, and 368 in his career, the most of any player in the contest.  Holds the Red Sox record for 54 homers in 2006.  Won the 2010 Derby in Anaheim.

Jose Bautista- 85 of his 144 career homers have come since Opening Day 2010.  Leads the league with 31 home runs in 2011.  The short left field should benefit him tremendously, with 26 of his 31 homers going to left.

Adrian Gonzalez- Has just 17 homers but 16 of them have come since May 1.  Only player on AL Team with considerable Chase Field experience, where his 13 homers ranks the third most of any ballpark Gonzalez has played at behind Coors Field (14) and Petco Park (57).

Robinson Cano- Not known as a home run hitter, averaging just 19 homers per season in six-plus MLB seasons, but averaged 27 between 2009 and 2010.  He has 15 in 2011.

NL Team
Prince Fielder-  The 2009 Home Run Derby Champ, has 22 homers in 2011, and hit 32 or more homers every year between 2007 and 2010, including 50 in 2007 and 46 in 2009.

Rickie Weeks- Never topped 20 homers before 2010, but hit 29 last year and has 17 this year.

Matt Holliday- Has 14 homers this year but has just 4 home runs in 188 at bats at Chase Field.

Matt Kemp- On pace to hit career-high home run mark (28) with his 22 homers at the break.  Only has 5 homers in 124 at bats at Chase Field.

Predicted Winner: Jose Bautista over Prince Fielder

Southeast Division Recap

Standings
Miami (58-24)
Orlando (52-30)
Atlanta (44-38)
Charlotte (34-48)
Washington (23-59)

Statistical Leaders
PPG- LeBron James, MIA (26.7)
APG- John Wall, WAS (8.3)
RPG- Dwight Howard, ORL (14.1)
FG %- Dwight Howard, ORL (.593)
FT %- DJ Augustin, CHA (.906)
3 PT %- Mike Bibby, ATL/WAS/MIA (.440)

All-Southeast First Team
PG- John Wall (WAS)
SG- Dwyane Wade (MIA)
F- LeBron James (MIA)
F- Chris Bosh (MIA)
C- Dwight Howard (ORL)

All-Southeast Rookie Team
PG- John Wall (WAS)
SG- Jordan Crawford (ATL/WAS)
F- Kevin Seraphin (WAS)
F- Pape Sy (ATL)
C- Trevor Booker (WAS)

Division Awards
MVP- Dwight Howard (ORL)..Without this guy, no way that the Magic win 52 games after big shakeups.

Defensive Player of the Year- Dwight Howard (ORL)..Had over 14 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game en route to another NBA Defensive Player of the Year campaign.

Most Improved Player- Nick Young (WAS)..Set career highs in points (17.4) and rebounds (2.7)

Sixth Man of the Year- Jamal Crawford (ATL)..Averaged 14.2 points in 76 games off the bench.

Rookie of the Year- John Wall (WAS)..Was one of the best point guards in the NBA, averaging over 16 points and 8 assists, and had 26 double-doubles.

Coach of the Year- Erik Spoelstra (MIA)..Bringing that Heat team to the finals in a season where they had to clear many hurdles was nothing short of a great accomplishment.

Thoughts on the 5 Teams

Miami Heat
- Making the finals with the lack of depth and the possibility of clashing egos of the big 3 was nothing short of a great accomplishment

Orlando Magic
- This team needs to make sure they don't make the same mistake as they did with Shaq in the late 90s, get something for Dwight Howard before he walks.

Atlanta Hawks
- Changes need to be made if this team wants to take the next step.

Charlotte Bobcats
- The NBA is a veterans league, not a rookies league, Bobcats should take a note from the Boston Celtics notebook.

Washington Wizards
- Team remains in limbo, but they sure do have a player in John Wall.

Central Division Recap

Standings
Chicago (62-20)
Indiana (37-45)
Milwaukee (35-47)
Detroit (30-52)
Cleveland (19-63)

Statistical Leaders
PPG- Derrick Rose, CHI (25.0)
APG- Derrick Rose, CHI (7.7)
RPG- JJ Hickson, CLE (8.7)
FG %- Greg Monroe, DET (.551)
FT %- Darren Collison, IND (.871)
3PT %- Brandon Rush, IND (.417)

All-Central First Team
PG- Derrick Rose (CHI)
SG- John Salmons (MIL)
F- Danny Granger (IND)
F- Luol Deng (CHI)
C- Andrew Bogut (MIL)

All-Central Rookie Team
PG- Manny Harris (CLE)
SG- Lance Stephenson (IND)
F- Paul George (IND)
F- Greg Monroe (DET)
C- Omer Asik (CHI)

Division Awards
MVP- Derrick Rose (CHI)..Had a breakout season that established himself as an NBA star and won him his first NBA MVP.

Defensive Player of the Year- Andrew Bogut (MIL)..Averaged over 11 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game.

Most Improved Player- Roy Hibbert (IND)..Set career highs in points, rebounds, assists, blocks, and minutes per game while starting 80 of the Pacers' 82 games.

Sixth Man of the Year- Ramon Sessions (CLE)..Averaged 13.3 PPG, 5.2 RPG, and 3.1 APG in 43 games off the bench.

Rookie of the Year- Greg Monroe (DET)..Averaged 9.5 PPG and 7.5 RPG in a solid rookie campaign.

Coach of the Year- Tom Thibodeau (CHI)..Finally got a talented Chicago team to turn the corner and become a contender.

Players in the Penthouse
Derrick Rose (CHI)
Luol Deng (CHI)
Danny Granger (IND)
John Salmons (MIL)
Andrew Bogut (MIL)
Rodney Stuckey (DET)

Players in the Elevator 
Joakim Noah (CHI)
Darren Collison (IND)
Roy Hibbert (IND)
Tyler Hansbrough (IND)
Brandon Jennings (MIL)
Carlos Delfino (MIL)
Drew Gooden (MIL)
Greg Monroe (DET)
JJ Hickson (CLE)
Ramon Sessions (CLE)

Players in the Doghouse
Carlos Boozer (CHI)
Corey Magette (MIL)
Rip Hamilton (DET)
Charlie Vilaneuva (DET)
Tracy McGrady (DET)
Teyshaun Prince (DET)
Antwan Jamison (CLE)

Thoughts on the 5 Teams

Chicago Bulls
- Everyone was waiting for the Bulls to have a year like this for quite a while.
- No doubt Tom Thibodeau more than proved that he can coach in the NBA.

Indiana Pacers
- A team that has some very good young and upcoming players like Granger, Collison, Hibbert, and Hansbrough among others that will bring the Pacers back to the top of the NBA, where they were prior to the infamous brawl at Auburn Hills.

Milwaukee Bucks
- Not sure if Brandon Jennings is as good as everyone is talking him up to be.
- If Michael Redd can come back and play in the capacity he was able to prior to his injury, this team will be competitive.

Detroit Pistons
- Its hard to believe this team is just 3 years removed from the Conference Finals.

Cleveland Cavaliers
- The team certainly struggled in the 2010-2011 season with what was a severe LeBron hangover, but Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson should certainly help bring them back to respectability.

NBA Atlantic Division Recap

Standings
*Boston (56-26)
*New York (42-40)
*Philadelphia (41-41)
New Jersey (24-58)
Toronto (22-60)

Statistical Leaders
PPG- Carmelo Anthony, NY (25.6)
APG- Rajon Rondo, BOS (11.2)
RPG- Kris Humphries, NJ (10.4)
FG %- Thaddeus Young, PHI (.541)
FT %- Chauncey Billups, NY (.916)
3PT %- Ray Allen, BOS (.444)

All-Atlantic First Team
PG- Rajon Rondo (BOS)
SG- Demar DeRozan (TOR)
F- Paul Pierce (BOS)
F- Amare Stoudamire (NY)
C- Brook Lopez (NJ)

All-Atlantic Rookie Team
PG- Landry Fields (NY)
SG- Evan Turner (PHI)
F- Ed Davis (TOR)
F- Damion James (NJ)
C- Semih Erden (BOS)

Division Awards
MVP- Amare Stoudamire (NY)..Made an immediate impact on Broadway in his first season, averaging 25 PPG and 8 RPG in under 37 minutes per game.  Led the Knicks to a 42-win season, up from 29, giving the Knicks their first playoff appearance since 2004.

Defensive Player of the Year- Kris Humphries (NJ)..One of nine NBA players to average a double-double (10.1 PPG/10.4 RPG) in a breakout season in Newark.

Most Improved Player- DeMar DeRozan (TOR)..Averaged 17.2 PPG up from 8.6 and almost a whole rebound and assist more than his rookie year in his second NBA season.

Sixth Man of the Year- Glen Davis (BOS)..Averaged 11 PPG and 5.4 RPG in 78 games, 65 off the bench.

Rookie of the Year- Ed Davis (TOR)..Average 7 points and 7 rebounds in 65 games, 13 of which he had double-doubles.

Coach of the Year- Doug Collins (PHI)..Coached a Philly team that came out of nowhere to win 41 games and earn the 7th seed in the playoffs.

Players in the Penthouse
Paul Pierce (BOS)
Kevin Garnett (BOS)
Ray Allen (BOS)
Rajon Rondo (BOS)
Brook Lopez (NJ)
Derron Williams (NJ)
Carmelo Anthony (NY)
Amare Stoudamire (NY)
Elton Brand (PHI)
Andrea Bargnani (TOR)

Players in the Elevator
Kris Humphries (NJ)
Bill Walker (NY)
Landry Fields (NY)
Evan Turner (PHI)
Jrue Holliday (PHI)
Thaddeus Young (PHI)
Ed Davis (TOR)
DeMar DeRozan (TOR)

Players in the Doghouse
Glen Davis (BOS)
Jeff Green (BOS)
Nenad Kristic (BOS)
Jordan Farmar (NJ)
Ronny Turiaf (NY)
Andre Igoudala (PHI)
Leandro Barbosa (TOR)

Thoughts on the 5 Teams

Boston Celtics
- The big 3 may have hit its ceiling, but Doc Rivers staying in Boston for at least the next 5 years is more than encouraging.

New Jersey Nets
- The last time the Nets had the best point guard in the NBA they were winning Conference Championships with Jason Kidd.  Can Deron Williams do the same?
- This team won just 24 games, but in a league that requires dominance at the center and point guard position they have Lopez and Williams.  All they need is some good compliments. 
- This team may not compete in Newark, but should definitely do so in Brooklyn.

New York Knicks
- They have two of the leagues best forwards in Amare and Melo, but have lots of more work to do in order to contend.
- Is Mike D'Antoni the answer for the Knicks?  Given his track record he seems to be a great regular season coach that always fizzles in the playoffs.
- The Knicks got Melo, but the Nuggets were certainly the winners in that deal.

Philadelphia 76ers
- Elton Brand was arguably the MVP of this team, playing to the level we all knew he was capable of playing at.
- The young backcourt of Holliday and Turner could be the backcourt this team has been looking for since Allen Iverson was unloaded.

Toronto Raptors
- First there was Vince-sanity, then it was Chris Bosh counted upon to lead the team to the promised land, will DeMar DeRozan be the next delight north of the border?