Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Unbalanced.
Why it’s Time to Consider the Celtics Amongst the League’s Elite
The last two seasons, nobody’s respected the Boston Celtics. That’s okay. Even though they’ve had a remarkable turnaround from when they traded away Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett and planned to be amongst the league’s bottom feeders for the long haul till their playoff bout against Cleveland two years ago, it was okay not to take them seriously.
By Dan O'Shea9 years ago in Unbalanced
The “Legend” Lost as Indiana Struggles to Keep Pace
Once upon a time, professional basketball in the “Hoosier” state flourished, and it seemed to be headed back to prominence. In fact, it was not that long ago, and as recent as the year 2014, when the Indiana Pacers were not only among the league's elite, but a step away from competing for a title. Those days seem like such a long time ago, as many of those pieces have since moved on, and the aura that once surrounded them has now dimmed to something akin to a flickering spark, if that.
By Kenneth Wilson9 years ago in Unbalanced
Breaking Down the WBC: Pool B
The “World Series” is a misnomer — the final round of the MLB playoffs only determines the best team in America/Canada. The true “World Series” is the World Baseball Classic, where the top baseball teams from all across the globe compete.The WBC isn’t like Olympic Baseball, where only the best amateurs compete — instead, countries draw on the best professional talent tied to the nation and assemble powerhouses of teams to compete with one another.The first round of the WBC consists of four pools of four teams who compete in a round robin tournament. The top two teams from each pool move onto the next round. For the next week, I’ll be ranking each WBC team, pool by pool, to see who might be best poised to make it to the next round. Teams are sorted from 1st to 4th by their ability to contend in the WBC. I reviewed Pool A last week, and now I’ll look at one of the strongest pools in the WBC: Pool B.
By John Edwards9 years ago in Unbalanced
Breaking Down the WBC: Pool C
The “World Series” is a misnomer — the final round of the MLB playoffs only determines the best team in America/Canada. The true “World Series” is the World Baseball Classic, where the top baseball teams from all across the globe compete.The WBC isn’t like Olympic Baseball, where only the best amateurs compete — instead, countries draw on the best professional talent tied to the nation and assemble powerhouses of teams to compete with one another.The first round of the WBC consists of four pools of four teams who compete in a round robin tournament. The top two teams from each pool move onto the next round. For the next week, I’ll be ranking each WBC team, pool by pool, to see who might be best poised to make it to the next round. Teams are sorted from 1st to 4th by their ability to contend in the WBC. I reviewed Pool A and Pool B already, so today I’ll look at Pool C.
By John Edwards9 years ago in Unbalanced
End of the Line for Iginla and Doan?
The longer a veteran player goes unsigned during an offseason, the more the retirement talk ramps up. And unless your name is Jaromir Jagr, this offseason has been no different. For seasoned veterans Jarome Iginla and Shane Doan, the questions about their possible retirement have flown around in recent days. So what will happen to these great players? Have we seen the last of them?
By Kyle Vandenberg9 years ago in Unbalanced
Creating the Boston Celtics’ Super Team
Now that the “Trust The Process” celebratory riots have died down and Boston fans have crawled out from under their desks to take a break from weeping, it’s time to digest what just happened. The Celtics have officially passed on the chance of picking Markelle Fultz — who is widely considered to be a potential superstar — for more draft picks.
By Dan O'Shea9 years ago in Unbalanced
Giving Players the Bonds Treatment
There is no higher compliment that can be given to a ballplayer than to be given “The Bonds Treatment” — being intentionally walked with the bases empty, or even better, with the bases loaded. It’s called “The Bonds Treatment” because Bonds recorded an astounding 41 IBBs with the bases empty, and is one of only two players to ever record a bases loaded intentional walk. In other words, 28% of IBBs ever issued with the bases empty were given to Bonds — and 50% of IBBs with the bases loaded. Bonds was great, no denying that — but is there anyone out there today who is worthy of such treatment?
By John Edwards9 years ago in Unbalanced
Brent Burns Is Better Than You
Forget everything I said. In an article published back in January, I made the case that Connor McDavid should be considered the favorite to win the Hart Memorial Trophy for MVP. I suggested that he should at least be considered in the same category with Sidney Crosby given his performance through the first half of the year. With where things stood at that point in the year, that’s a pretty easy point to stand by.
By Kyle Vandenberg9 years ago in Unbalanced
Trusting “the Process”: Will Joel Embiid Ever Be What We Thought He Was?
For the third time in as many years, Joel Embiid has been sidelined by an injury to his lower extremities, and it was recently announced that he would indeed require another procedure. Although after a lengthy wait, but with such flourish this season (which was considered his “rookie” season) his health and subsequent time “under the knife” begs the question, will “The Process”, ever complete the process?
By Kenneth Wilson9 years ago in Unbalanced
Power to the Players? Measuring the Impact of the MLB’s New CBA
In baseball, there are two rule sets: the rules that govern how the game is played, and the rules that govern how the sport is run. The second set of rules is principally outlined the MLB CBA, or “Collective Bargaining Agreement”. Last December, the MLB and representatives from the MLBPA came together and drafted the newest CBA. This can be a contentious process, as the MLB and MLBPA generally have opposing goals, and as a result, one can observe concessions from both sides of the aisle.
By John Edwards9 years ago in Unbalanced
What the Last Few NBA MVP Award Recipients Have Taught Us About the MVP Award
Monday night marked the 1st annual NBA Awards Show, and I must say — I was rather impressed. Like most live productions, this was not without its flaws. However, considering that this year’s ceremony was the first go around and taking into account the crowd that the show was catered to, I would have to say it was successful.
By Kenneth Wilson9 years ago in Unbalanced
