Peyton Manning All Time Great!

 
                 



     When you think 5 NFL MVP’s, Single Season touchdown record(55), and 13 Pro Bowls, who’s the first person to come to mind? If you thought Peyton Manning, then you are correct!! When you hear the name Manning, you think football royalty(father: Archie, sons: Eli and Peyton). Peyton always had a great team around him, whether in Indy or Denver. In Indianapolis, he had Marvin Harrison, Edgerrin James, and Reggie Wayne to name a few. In Denver, he has Brandon Stokley, Demaryius Thomas, and Wes Walker(he had Eric Decker who signed with the Jets this offseason). The biggest debate revolving around Peyton Manning is if we consider him one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. He has won only one Super Bowl, which many consider to him to be a fluke. 

    Is it really all on the shoulders of Peyton Manning that he lost 2 Super Bowls? Or is it on his teams shoulders that they lost? Last time I checked, football is a team sport, just like baseball and basketball. Can you really blame one player for 2 Super Bowl loses? Yes in today’s game the quarterback is the most important position in football, but it’s not his fault if a receiver drops a ball, or a running back fumbles a hand off. Dan Marino, one of the greatest quarterbacks to play football, went to only Super Bowl and lost!!! Shouldn’t that mean something?  Behind, Johnny Unitas and Joe Montana, I believe Peyton Manning is the third best quarterback to play the game. Maybe even 2^nd best when his career is all over. 

  

    Peyton is the only football PLAYER to ever win 5 MVP awards. He is also the only quarterback to be named to 13 pro bowls.  He is ranked 2^nd all time in passing touchdowns(491), yards(64,964), and completions(8,452)(Broncos.com). He also has the 2^nd most wins(167), most double digit win seasons, and the most 4,000 yard passing seasons(13)(Broncos.c om) He has been to 3 Super Bowls, winning 1 of them. What boggles my mind is how can someone say he is not one of the top quarterbacks to ever play this game? Is it because of the Super Bowl victories? In baseball, Ted Williams never won a World Series, but was still one of the best ever!

     Peyton Manning should be and will be going into the football record books for all the right reasons. Every parent strives for their children to do better than them, Archie Manning had not one but two sons who did exactly that. Yes Eli has won 2 Super Bowls(I am a huge Giants fan), but Peyton is by far the more superior overall quarterback. If I was doing a Mt. Rushmore of just quarterbacks, Peyton would be up their along with Joe Montana, Johnny Unitas, and Terry Bradshaw. He would also go on my overall Mt. Rushmore of greatest football players ever with Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, and Johnny Unitas. For all of those Peyton Manning doubters, all I have to say is Boo To You!!

https://www.facebook.com/AbesSportzTalk 

Captain Clutch

       

       


    When you think of Derek Jeter what do  you think of? His first hit in Seattle?  His first home run in 1996 against Cleveland? Game 1 of 96 ALCS against Baltimore(a little help from my friends)? Flip Play? Mr. November?  There are so many things that come to mind when I think of Derek Jeter.  Everyone knows he comes through In the clutch hence the name “Mr. Clutch”.  Just like my grandfather’s favorite player is Lou Gehrig and my father’s favorite player is Mickey Mantle,  Derek Jeter is mine. The one thing all 3 of these players have in common is that they were Yankee lifers.

  

  As everyone knows, Derek is retiring at season’s end. Once he gets in that Hall of Fame ballot, he’s going to go on his first try, like many other elusive players before him. He sports a career .312 batting average, has over 3300 hits, which ranks him number 8 all time, and has over 1900 runs to name a few things.  Derek is in the top 5 in most all time categories for the Yankees,  including games, at bats, and stolen bases. He is also the Yankees all time hits leader.  

    

    Many players play to get into that exclusive club of winning. Derek has always been about winning. He’s been to 7 World Series and has won 5 of them. He won the 2000 World Series MVP, as well as All Star game MVP that very same year. “Mr. Clutch” has been to a total of 13 all star games which tells you what his peers, and fans, think of him. In 2003, “The Boss” gave Derek a very special title in the “Captain”. Very few players in baseball, let alone Yankees history, are named Captain of their respective teams. This is another reason why he is known to be very clutch.

     

     One thing I feel people neglect to realize about “The Captain” is how consistent he has been.  He has 12 years of hitting .300 or higher. Only being on disabled listed TWICE in 20 years shows consistency in health and taking care of himself.  Derek also has 8 seasons of 200 or more hits and 11 seasons of at least 190 hits. Many people feel that he is not your typical baseball player, but why? Is it because he was not a power hitter in a “Power Hitter”(steroid) era? There are so many great players who fall into a similar category to him, like the late great Tony Gwynn. This is what  made Derek stand out.

      

     Over the past 20 years, Derek Jeter has not only become baseball’s ambassador, but the true face of the sport. Five years from now, when he appears on the Hall of Fame ballot, he will be going in on the first ballot no doubt. There is even the possibility that he’ll be going in unanimously.  I believe that he is the greatest shortstop to ever play the game. Many people will disagree with me and tell me they think Honus Wagner, respectively. Regardless, Captain Clutch will go down as not only of the greatest players the game has seen, but one of its best people it has seen.

   

Pete Rose: HOF Hit or Miss?

                                                  




  When you think of  Pete Rose, what is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear his name? All Time Hits King? Big Red Machine? Gambling? The debate has been going on for the past 25 years, should Pete Rose be reinstated and voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame? He is the all-time hits leader with 4,256 hits! He has 10 seasons of 200 plus hits and a .303 batting average(BaseballAlamanac.com).

   We all know that in 1989, while MANAGING the Cincinnati Reds, it was brought down that he was gambling on his team to win! Even though he was a "Player/Manager" for over 2 years, he retired as a player and became full time manager in 1986. It was brought down that he only gambled as a manager of the Reds. Rose should be reinstated to baseball, but not as a MANAGER. He should be allowed to participate in activities, have his number retired, and voted into the Hall of Fame as a PLAYER. He should not be allowed to manage or coach in the big leagues, but to attend an All-Star Game or other events honoring baseball.

  Not only is Pete Rose the all-time hits leader, he also has played in the most games ever(3,562), had the most at-bats(14,053) and singles(3,215). He also has 3 batting titles(1968,69, and 73), an MVP(1973), 2 gold gloves(1969 and 1970) and Rookie of the Year. He also has 17 All Star appearances at 5 different positions(2B, LF, RF, 3B&1B), a 44 game hit streak, and at least 500 games at 5 different positions(Baseball Almanac). All of this makes him more than just a hit for the Hall of Fame as a player.

  As mentioned earlier, a proper punishment would be not to allow him to manage or coach ever again in the major or minor leagues. Why do we have to  punish a players accomplishments for something they did after their playing careers? Not allowing any of the players from the "Black Sox" scandal to play again is proper punishment since it happened while they were players. Pete Rose is absolutely a hall of fame player, who did not gamble on his teams while playing for them. Even though it is past his eligibility on the ballot, he still has the Veteran's Committee to lean on if he is reinstated.

   Before Bud Selig retires in January, he should sit down first with Pete Rose, then a committee to discuss this matter. At that point, it should be overturned and Pete Rose should be reinstate to baseball. Pete Rose  gambling on his teams is one thing, but to let the All Time Hits leader have some gratification knowing hes been somewhat forgiven is another thing. Let him be semi-reinstated and go where he truly belongs: Cooperstown, New York!!!

Battle of the J's: Who's better Jordan or James?

                                        





   As everyone knows, the NBA Finals just ended with the San Antonio Spurs as the champions. This is whole basketball season, there have been talks of who would be on the Mt. Rushmore of basketball. Many people are putting Lebron James on there. In my opinion, Mt. Rushmore of basketball is Magic Johnson, Bill Russell, Michael Jordan, and Larry Bird. As that debate started, another one was already brewing: Who's the better ball player Lebron James or Michael Jordan? Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but I'm going to tell you mine. I believe Michael Jordan is by far the superior player. How so?
 
   Michael Jordan went to University of North Carolina and instantly became a winner. When the Bulls drafted Jordan, he also helped them win instantly.Maybe not in the form of championships, but his play affected the rest of his teammates. Michael consistently improved his game as well as those around him.
 
     We do see Lebron do the similar things, but a big difference that at least I've seen is that Jordan's competition only made him better. Not that today's athletes aren't competitors, but I feel that teams were more balanced back in the of MJ. Lebron has played in 5 finals and is 2-3, Michael in 6 finals is 6-0. Michael has played Magic, Drexler, Barkley, Payton, and Malone and Stockon twice in the finals and beat all of them. No disrespect to Tim Duncan and company, but Lebron has played them 3 times in the finals(twice with the Heat and once with Cavs) and only beat them once.

    A comparison between Lebron and Michael is that they know how to do everything from score to defend to getting rebounds. They've made All-Defensive teams, won MVP's,made it to All-Star games and won scoring titles. There are also the respective teams(Bulls and Cavs) all time scorers. Something Michael never felt compelled to form a  "Superstar Team" to win a championship. He knew he could win with who he had on his team, he just had the patience. LeBron felt the need to team up with superstars in order to win, he never gave Cleveland a real shot. It took Michael 7 years to make to the finals and win, it only took Lebron 4 years to make it to the finals.
 
    Michael won numerous MVP's,  multiple scoring titles, lead the league in steals many times and lead his team on the court through numerous battles. Lebron had the likes of D'wayne Wade or Chris Bosh to his, yes Jordan had Pippen, but Jordan always made Pippen and his other teammates better. Michael always showed up in the clutch, made the right shots, or played his defensive scheme to the nose. He made people afraid to play him, I feel that Lebron does not have that fear instilled into other teams. I mean no disrespect to Lebron, he's a tremendous athlete and ballplayer, the best in the league. Jordan is by far the superior overall best player I have ever seen.

    When all is said and done, Lebron will probably be on the Mt. Rushmore of basketball, but will he be ahead of his "Airness", I don't think so. I do think that Lebron will be the closest thing we have to MJ in quite some time.

Is a Superstar Team Needed To Win Championships?

    While listening to the Michael Kay Show yesterday, there was an interesting topic that was brought up by Don La Greca and Dave Rothenberg. Do you need to have a "Superstar Team" to win a championship in sports? Honestly, in most instances, I do not think so. It has shown throughout sports history that most times you don't need too. Most teams may have a superstar, like the Bulls had with Michael Jordan, the Yankees with Mickey Mantle, or the Patriots with Tom Brady, but they themselves did not win the championships. They all had one thing in common, Great Supporting Role Teammates. That's why its called "Team Sports."


     Granted the Miami Heat in 2012 and  2013 won with star studded lineups, they did lose to Dallas in 2011, who's lone superstar, Dirk Nowitzki, had supporting characters around him to win. Last year, the Miami Heat narrowly beat the San Antonio Spurs, who did outplay them and are outplaying them this year. San Antonio is a great example of "Team Play" they have stars in Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli(none that fall under the "Superstar" category), and great supporting roles with Danny Green, Khawi Lenard, and Boris Diaw just to name a few.


     Teams can be anchored by one or two Superstar athletes or unbelievable players, like Lebron James, but the rest of the team needs to step up. The 1996 Yankees did not have any superstars on their time(yes they had Wade Boggs but he was in the twilight of his career) and they won it all that year. You need key players to win your championships. The '96 Yankees had John Wettland as their closer, Mariano Rivera(at that time not the elite closer we know) as setup man, Andy Pettite and Jimmy Key anchoring their starting rotation, and the likes of Paul O'Neill, Bernie Williams, Tino Martniez, Joe Girardi, and some rookie named Derek Jeter, anchoring their everyday lineup.


    The main thing any team needs to win is have chemistry. If the team plays together and works together well, then they will start to believe. When you believe and have confidence, then you play well and things start to clique. Look at the 2007 New York Giants, they started playing well towards the end of the season, had more and more confidence after every playoff win and bam they made the Patriots 18-1 that year not 19-0! Things need to work together in order to win!