The Deli is Open

It is with no doubt that we take superstars for granted in any professional sport. A triple double is not exactly expected in big games, but not a surprised by any mean. Lebron James had a great game two, even with his shot not always falling. Getting team members involved and finding the open man when his shot was not there was very noticeable throughout the whole game. The grinders that were on the floor for the Cleveland Cavaliers in game two consisted of several players that no one would have thought of at the beginning of the season.

Matthew Dellavedova is one of those players. Shooting 3 for 10 is not the ideal game for a person that is usually not even considered a role player, but his energy and grind set the tone early and his intensity was seen throughout game 2, which went into overtime. Dellavedova was not just thrown into the series with no experience, he did play a lot of critical minutes in the Atlanta series, but holding the NBA MVP Stephen Curry to no points while he was guarding him opened the eyes of America.

With no Kyrie and no Kevin Love, the Cavs were considered out by almost all of America. The only problem is that the Cavs might have learned something from the hard working blue collar workers of Cleveland, grinding it out might be the hard way but it works. Game 2 not only showed that the Cavs can be the team that grinds out wins and tires out the other team throughout a series, but Lebron James can put Cleveland on his back and win against Golden State. It is a saying that has been around since the beginning of sports, defense wins championships and Dellavedova was the key to the Cavs defense in game 2.

MAYDAY JAY JAY

Twitter @MayDayJJSports

 Jameis Winston Shows Out at the Combine

Jameis Winston has made a couple things for sure at the NFL combine, he is NFL ready and he plans to win. It started Friday when he walked in front of a microphone and made sure everyone knew that he was there to talk football and not about mistakes he has made in his past. Talking about how this offseason is allowing him to grow as a football player due to the fact this is the first time in his football career that he has not played baseball during the spring. Telling all 32 teams he is at the combine to earn their trust and that this is his first every job interview, Winston was poised in front of the podium.

Winston went on to say that he is not here to compete against other quarterbacks, he is here to show off his talent. Talking about how he expects to win the super bowl next year, he said he is looking forward to playing against greats like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Winston left the podium looking very confident and ready to be the face of a NFL team. People that already liked him, like him even more and people that did not care for him felt like he is cocky. For Winston that edge might be what he needs to take a bad team to the next level and fight for a playoff spot.

One thing is for sure at the combine, Winston looks like an NFL quarterback. It has been a couple years since a true NFL ready quarterback has been available in the Draft. It is hard to find a college quarterback that has ran a NFL style offense and is physically ready. In 2012, Andrew Luck had everything that Winston has going for him, which has allowed him to have a successful young NFL career.

On Saturday, during his mid-day workout for the nation to watch, Winston proved that he has the best arm in the draft. Teams will ask him to change small techniques here and there when he shows up to camp but nothing major. We will see when draft day comes but I believe that even with all of the shenanigans that go on off the field, Tampa Bay has to draft Winston with the first pick.

Mayday Jay Jay

Twitter @MayDayJJSports

Regular Season Greats

Manning and Kershaw Share Postseason Blues

It might have been perfect timing that Peyton Manning announced that he will return to the Denver Broncos for the 2015 season about a week before Clayton Kershaw reports to spring training for the Los Angeles Dodgers. The timing had me thinking that since Manning and Kershaw are two of the all time greats at their respected game, how are they so bad in the playoffs? Is being “clutch” in your DNA or is it just hard work and dedication paying off?

If it was in your DNA, then both Manning and Kershaw would each have several championships under their belts. Manning has 41 fourth quarter comebacks in his regular season career, but only 1 in the playoffs. Kershaw has 17 complete games, 9 shutouts, and a no-hitter in his regular season career. In his playoff career, he has done nothing.

Lets start with Manning since after committing to the Broncos for the 2015 season, this could truly be the last chance to win another Super Bowl. Manning is 2^nd all time in wins with a chance to pass Brett Favre for the most around mid season. 70 percent of the time Peyton steps out on the field he wins. In the playoffs, he doesn’t even win half of the time and the numbers are kind of skewed by his three Super Bowl runs that equal eight of his eleven playoff wins. In his other 11 playoff runs, he is 3 and 11 and didn’t even win a game in 9 of those years. Peyton will be a first time ballot Hall of Fame inductee whenever he is eligible, but will always be known as a player that could not get it done in the playoffs.

Kershaw has put together one of the most dominant four year stretches in baseball history. He has been the National League Cy Young winner three out of the last four years with a record of 72 and 26. In the last two years alone he has a 1.8 earned run average and has thrown nine complete games. In his seven-year career his record stands at 98 and 49 with a 2.48 era. When he takes the mound it is highly unlikely that the Dodgers are going to lose. Unless it is in October. Playoff baseball is a little different than other sports because one guy can lead you to a championship. In Kershaw’s case, his dominance has disappeared. With his career record being 1 and 5 in 11 starts, he wins less that 10% of the time. His postseason era stands at 5.12. After his dominance in the 2014 regular season, in his two trips to the mound in last year’s playoffs, he went 0 and 2 with an era of 7.82.

Kershaw has plenty of time in his young career to change his ways, but the same use to be said about Manning. Every sport has people that have Hall of Fame regular season careers and carry their winning ways into the postseason. Manning will always be compared to Tom Brady, who has won 4 out of his 6 Super Bowl appearances and is one of the all time “clutch” postseason quarterbacks. Kershaw, who is about to start his eighth season with the Dodgers, has been compared to Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, who have both had dominant regular and postseasons.  Unlike football, one great postseason in baseball can make your career and Kershaw has a lot of postseason games in front of him.

We will never know the answer to why some legends of the game end up on the wrong side of the fence in the postseason, but the lack of success will always haunt their legacy. As for Peyton Manning, a lot of great quarterbacks do not have a Super Bowl ring, but most of them didn’t have fourteen tries at it either. Kershaw can turn his 1 and 5 postseason record into one above .500 with one postseason run.

There will always be all-star quality players that cannot perform in win or go home situation. Manning and Kershaw might just be two of the ones we remember in our generation of sports.

MAYDAY JAY JAY

Twitter @MayDayJJSports

New Commissioner, New Ideas

Rob Manfred Has Been Busy Talking About Change

With the time nearing for pitchers and catchers to report to their respected teams, Major League Baseball has welcomed in a new commissioner, Rob Manfred. Manfred will replace Bud Selig, who leaves large shoes to fill.

            Selig is credited for a lot of key changes that have helped baseball out. In the mid 90’s Selig introduced the wildcard, which has allowed us to watch some awesome September races. He introduced interleague play, where on mid summer days you can find your local team playing teams that you would have never seen if not for this. Selig also made the All-Star game watchable again by putting something on the line. Winner of the game will get home field advantage for the World Series. The All-Star game went from showing up to have fun to an actual competition again. With the introduction of Tampa Bay and 18 new stadiums, Selig helped move baseball into a new era while dealing with the increased popularity of steroids. All in all you have to give him a pat on the back for keeping our national pastime as it was.

            Manfred would be smart to stay on the same path but it looks like early into his new job he is trying to stamp his name on baseball already. His biggest goal right now is to speed up the game of baseball. His goal would be to take 10 or 15 minutes off of every game. Making this happen by having teams ready to go after commercial breaks in between innings and he is also talking about making shifts illegal to do. Wait a minute, realigning your defense might become illegal. Yes when Big Papi walks up to the plate the whole left side of the infield can now just take a water break because it might become illegal for them to jog 70 feet over to their left.

            What Manfred needs to do is leave the rules of the game alone. Hurry the hitters up by not allowing them to adjust their gloves after every pitch or readjust their cup. I would say maybe cut down on commercial time but that would cost money and there is no way that would happen. What really needs to be done is attack the blackout rules that effect local fans. Lets make sure that local fans can watch the game, without buying high dollar cable or satellite packages, before we worry about how long the game is. Even better, lets do something about the declining attendance. Maybe make the tickets cheaper and some of the food more affordable at the game just for starters.

            Americans really don’t like change that much, especially when it comes to rules of their favorite sport. I think I can talk for almost the entire MLB fan base when I say, LEAVE THE GAME ALONE. Why not worry about the fan base who helps pay for every single players salary. Lets make the game easier to watch Mr. Commissioner and not worry about where people line up. 

MAYDAY JAY JAY

Twitter @MayDayJJSports