How the NBA Draft became a mix tape/ The US fails again in Gold Cup Final

How the NBA Draft became a mix tape

"Weakest draft in history". It’s the only thing that I hear from everyone that was watching the draft that night. People are really quick to diminish players due to the fact they don't know the players. To a ball player and basket ball addict, I witnessed many good prospect that can become starters and all stars. The number one pick Kyrie Irving was already presumed to be taken number one. He only played 11 games so what but those 11 games where phenomenal ones at that. Did Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, Lebron James go to college for a brief second.
The answer is no to that. Kyrie maybe not so explosive but he has what the game of basketball needs. SKILLS. Skills is a tool that is so pushed to the side and the kid has intellect for the game. I can name a baller who was never fast at all. Larry bird is on the top of the list of that category. All he had in
his arsenal is basketball iq and a wicked jumpshot. Kyrie's understanding of the game will help him make a smooth transition His athletic ability will grow with his game. Back to the topic at hand this NBA Draft became a mixtape of underground rappers so to speak. People only know the maintstream artist but don't
know the underground artist. Bismack Biyombo was a good pick up for his ability on defense and athletic prowess. He will fit great with the bobcats, but he will have to work on his offensive game to make a great impact. It took Dwight Howard
a minute to make those moves into being a great offensive player. I believe Biyombo will make a name for himself. There were a lot of European players that people forget have played against grown men. They aren't playing against individuals in there same age range. Everyone who really knows euro ball, knows
that the spacing is not as open as the NBA. Brandon Jennings underwent through the process first hand and his number didn't scream out that he would score 55 points in a NBA game. Enes Kanter shows great face up game and looks to have a good midrange game. I just wished the Celtics kept Marshon Brooks but its all okay. They were able to pick up an athletic power forward in Jajuan Johnson.  KG is going to need that rest. The Nets are my secondary team but the real team did great in making that trade for Brooks. They just need a couple more pieces. To end all of this babbling, I found this draft to just simply be a mixtape of underground ball players. People don't know but they will when they hit the hardwood and like the finals all I'm going say is I told you so.

The US fails again in Gold Cup Final

The United States had absolutely no excuses in this one, well, almost none. They played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California in front of what was supposed to be a home crowd. There were over 93,000 fans witnessing the action and about 80,000 were Mexican supporters. The US played on home soil but it surely felt like an away game.

The US somehow built an admirable 2-0 lead with goals from Michael Bradley and Landon Donovan. After they went up, their defense simply collapsed. Right back Steve Cherundulo’s ankle was sprained after teammate Jermaine Jones made accidental contact after mistiming a tackle on an opposing player. Jonathon Bornstein came in as his replacement and two crucial errors from him allowed the Mexicans to tie the game up before half time.

The second half matters only worsened as Barrera scored his second goal of the game to give “El Tri” the lead for the first time at 3-2.

Clint Dempsey saw a powerful shot strike the crossbar and this turned out to crush the American morale. If that shot had gone in, the game would have been tied at 3 apiece and momentum would have shifted. Mexico had scored three unanswered goals and the one chance the US had to snap out of their slump they blew it. Mexico had all the confidence in the world even after going 2-0 down they stormed back to grab the lead.

Ten minutes from time, Giovanni Dos Santos possesses the ball right before Tim Howard could get his hands. He then weaves away from two defenders and then sends a beautiful curling shot into the upper far corner which sailed right over the outstretched head of Eric Lichaj. 4-2 Mexico

The game ended this way with the US giving up 4 unanswered goals after going up 2-0. Their attack was solid but their defense had a tough time holding their ground. Playing like they did will make it difficult to qualify for the 2014 World Cup. Qualifiers commence in September of this year. If they want a chance of improving their defense, they may have to part ways with head coach Bob Bradley who just can’t seem to get it right.

For more news on World Soccer, keep reading NateReySports every week. 

American League Breakdown and Review/US ease past Jamaica

American League Breakdown and Review

The Baseball season has been very competitive and interesting thus far. My favorite team in the whole world The Boston Red Sox has dominated The American League during the last month. The AL leading MVP candidate Adrian Gonzalez has showed baseball that switching leagues hasn’t effect his approach or impact on the game because he is leading all of baseball with a ridiculous batting average of .348. With the most feared lineup in baseball, I found it hard for any AL team to compete with the surging Red Sox. John Lester and Josh Beckett (who is leading baseball in ERA with an average of 1.86) have proven that they are the two aces that the Red Sox will need in order to make an impactful October run to the trophy.

 In the AL Central, The Detroit Tigers are leading the division behind CY Young favorite Justin Verlander. I have been heavily impressed with the performance of Verlander because he has the distinct ability to be in the running for a no hitter in about one of his every five starts. Justin Verlander is tied for the most wins in baseball along with his teammate Max Scherzer. The Cleveland Indians have been a nice surprise in the AL Central, but has fallen back to earth with a horrendous June. I still feel that The Minnesota Twins will win this division because star catcher Joe Mauer is on his way back from being injured for the majority of the season. The pitching staff for the Twins is starting to look like their reading to fight for the division that they have owned for numerous years.

The AL West looks like its going to be a tight race until the very end. There are only five games that separate all the teams in the division. On paper, The Texas Rangers have the most talented team with a great lineup that includes   AL MVP Josh Hamilton, Adriane Beltre, Michael Young, Nelson Cruz, and Elvis Andrus. The team with the best pitching by far in that division is The Seattle Mariners. The Seattle Mariners have a deadly and I mean deadly one two punch at the top of their staff in CY Young winner Felix Hernandez and the young ace Michael Pineda. The Mariners have to get better offensively because as a team they are hitting under .228 for the year which is at the bottom of the majors. Even though the Angels are three games under 500, they are just three games back entering today’s play. The Angels only have one player in their lineup hitting over 300 which is Howard Kendrick.  I just wonder as a pitching staff, will Jared Weaver and Dan Haren be enough to hold off the power of The Texas Rangers. I like the Oakland A’s, but I think their youth and lack production in their line up will eventually placed them out of this close and intense AL West race.

Next Week, I will break down the National League division by division.

Stay Tuned, video blogs from NateReySports are coming soon to all our viewers.

US ease past Jamaica
After a final group stage game against Guadeloupe that didn’t impress at all, the US stepped up their game in their quarterfinal matchup against Jamaica in a convincing 2-0 victory. They made a very questionable choice in benching veteran Landon Donavon and instead starting new comer Alejandro Bedoya. They also received a big loss when star striker Jozy Altidore pulled his hamstring causing him to immediately leave the game. However none of this seemed to hurt them.

The first half ended 0-0 but in the second half the US played even better. Jermaine Jones’ shot was deflected in to make it 1-0 USA in the 49^th minute. Clint Dempsey could have doubled the lead when his header from 2 feet out was punched away at the line by keeper Donovan Ricketts. However in the 80^th minute Dempsey would receive a neat cross from young Juan Agudelo as he then rounded the keeper and scored into an empty net to make it 2-0 USA. The game ended with Jamaica surprisingly never seriously threatening the US goal. After personally watching them outplay Honduras in every way with a 1-0 victory, this came as a shock.

Jamaica demolished lowly Grenada 4-0 in their opening match then defeated Guatemala 2-0. They defeated Honduras 1-0 and could not convert a penalty kick missing the easy chance of going up 2.       Regardless, they defended and passed the ball very well. The chances they created were also impressive. However against the United States they seemed too afraid to play their game. Physically the Jamaicans are tougher but mentally the Americans seemed to intimidate them. This factor plus home field gave the Americans the edge the needed to grab the victory.

They will now face Panama in a rematch from the group stage as they meet in the semi-finals later this week. The US will not only look to make the final but will also hope to avenge their first ever group stage loss in their history of the competition. They will be better prepared. By winning the semi-final they will play Mexico or Honduras in the final. In 2009 the US lost in New Jersey to Mexico 5-0 and if they are to meet again, the Americans will definitely have revenge on their minds. All five goals were scored in the second half and that made it unbearable. The US has to step up their game even more against a Panama side that have much less to lose then they do. It should be an exciting matchup so watch and enjoy fellow viewers. Next week I will analyze the winning semi-finalist’s performances. Stay tuned and keep watching Soccer. 

Win quick scheme didn't work/US in Gold Cup trouble?

Last night, we all witnessed The Dallas Mavericks capture their first NBA title in franchise history. Dirk Nowitzki carried the Dallas franchise from basketball obscurity to kings of the mountain. Looking at the career of Dirk Nowitzki, I admire his perseverance and strength to want to be the solo superstar on his team. There is a big difference between a star and a superstar. Players like Lebron James and Carmelo Anthony are only stars and not superstars because they fail to handle the wrath of pressure in key spots of basketball games. They both have schemed to team up with other stars that could elevate the burden of having to climb the mountain to a championship solo. Dirk Nowitzki has always been labeled as a weak or soft player. I think Dirk exemplifies everything that is good in a true ball player. Last summer, Dirk could have navigated out of Dallas and to another team where he was not the only super star on the roster. Dirk decided that he wanted to reach a championship on his own merit, and he constructed an everlasting story that could never be eradicated from the book of basketball greatness.

The so called King James will never be a great basketball player
because he has truly shown his character over the last year. The Cavalier ownership tried everything in their power to make the Cavaliers a contender for the championship on a yearly basis. Lebron tried to complete the lavish get a championship quick scheme, but we all find out that didn’t work. When you fail
to average at least twenty points for your career in the finals, you are not a player that is on the same level as greats such as Jordan and Kobe. In my opinion, I don’t put Lebron in the same category as Derrick Rose or Kevin Durant. In these playoffs, those two superstars at least tried their very best to carry their respective teams to the promise land. One of the most exciting finals of all time has given us one of the biggest life lessons I think we can all use in life. A team will always outshine and prevail over a group of individuals. The Miami Heat should try and not create parades this offseason, but should go back into the basketball lab and create team unity.

Stay tuned, NateReySports has a lot of great things in store for our fans including video blogs.


PS: The Miami Heat fans suck, it’s not even loud in there at all compared to other arenas around the league. I can’t wait until next season because basketball is the greatest sport in the world.

The USA has suffered their first ever Gold Cup loss in the group stage. Panama is the team that defeated them 2-1. Even with all of their starters on the field, there was something missing—passion. None of the US players besides a few appeared as if they wanted to be on the field. The passing, running, shooting, and even urgency were nowhere to be found. Panama first struck to make it 1-0 in the 19^th minute with a goal from Tejada and Gomez doubled the lead in the 36^th from the spot.

The United States began to pick up their slack in the second half but the Panama defense were alert and ready. Finally in the 68^th minute Clarence Goodson headed in what turned out to be a consolation goal. Panama sit in first with 6 points, the US are in second with 3, Canada in third with 3, and Guadeloupe are in last with 0. The US has a +1 goal difference over Canada who has a -1 difference.

The US will play Guadeloupe in their final group stage game of the campaign tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. If they win they will advance by finishing second if Panama is able to defeat Canada in the other game of the group. Guadeloupe lost both games only by one goal so far with a 3-2 loss to Panama and only a 1-0 loss to Canada. The United States are expected to step up their game and provide a healthy victory to advance into the quarterfinals.

For those of you who watch enjoy the game and you can be assured it will be good. The US will look to put on a much improved performance than the one they showed against Panama. For more information on Basketball and Soccer, check back next week and NateReySports will provide you with the best news around. Enjoy your week Sports fans!

College Athletics taking a turn and the Gold Cup beckoning

College Athletics: It’s not an amateur game anymore.

During the last year, we have seen a dangerous practice that has been occurring in college athletics for numerous years come to the national fore front. Last Monday, Jim Tressel relieved himself of his position as the head football coach of The Ohio State University. He was accused of lying to the NCAA about allegations of star football players pawning off their collegiate memorabilia in exchange for free tattoos. As I viewed various sports stations through the week, I saw various sports analysts, anchors, and journalist give Jim Tressel a short of pass in his inexcusable behavior. I can bet my entire yearly pay check that if these athletes were third string caliber players, the compliance committee would have been notified of the rumors and allegations by coach Tressel within seconds.

     This is another case of the deadly trend that has been transcending big time college athletics. Big time college sports has transformed into professional sports because the only two areas that are imperative in college sports are money and wins and losses. In 2010, when Bruce Pearl was accused of lying to the NCAA, he was able to hold his position as head coach until The University of Tennessee was eliminated from The NCAA Tournament. The only reason why coach Pearl was able to obtain his position was due to the fact that he was the main contributor to the turnaround in the basketball program. If you believe that college athletics is about morals and instilling values, you are not living on the planet we call earth. The words honesty and integrity have been eradicated from the college game, and I’m not sure if these words will ever raise up form the dead.

Until next week, keep climbing up the lord’s ladder.

The Gold Cup beckons... 

The CONCACAF Gold Cup commences this week with nations all around the Caribbean and Central and North America vying for Continental glory. Two years ago the favored teams met in the final which ended in a 5-0 demolition of the home team, USA by southern neighbors Mexico in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Two years later both teams are still considered favorites however Costa Rica are looking to put an end to the double nation dominance. Mexico won five Gold Cups opposed to the United States’ four. Mexico’s group contains Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Cuba while the USA’s group consists of Canada, Panama, and Guadeloupe. Arguably the toughest opponent for Mexico is Costa Rica and for the USA is their Northern neighbors Canada.

In 2009, USA’s squad consisted mainly of reserve players due to the Confederations Cup that was played prior to the Gold Cup. USA made the final in that competition as well only to see their 2-0 halftime lead disappear against Brazil towards the end of the game in a 3-2 loss. The stars and stripes were impressive in the Gold Cup but even though the half time score was 0-0 against Mexico in the final, the Aztecas second half dominance proved too strong for them.

This year USA has most of the big stars in Landon Donovan, Jozy Altidore, Clint Dempsey, Steve Cherundulo, Carlos Bocanegra, and Tim Howard. These are the veteran members of our national team and all know how to play their part almost perfectly. The tournament will be very exciting so Soccer fans enjoy the treat that is at your disposal. Enjoy the beautiful game. Until next week, keep climbing up the lord’s ladder.

NateReySports will be taking off this Summer.

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