Top 5 in Each Sport

Here are my top five athletes in each of the four main sports (NHL,MLB,NFL,NBA). By athlete, I do not mean pure athleticism. I am factoring in leadership ability, desire to win, how clutch the player is, etc. Also this list is factoring in the time span of which each player has spent playing on a top tier level. Obviously, right now Claude Giroux is playing great hockey, but I need to see more than one season to put him in my top 5.
Respond with your lists or your opinions.

NHL- not including goalies
1) Johnathon Toews
2) Pavel Datsyuk
3) Alexander Ovechkin
4) Evgeni Malkin
5) Steven Stamkos
*Sidney Crosby is number one when he is healthy.

Honorable Mention: Claude Giroux, Henrik and Daniel Sedin, Phil Kessel, Erik Karlsson, and Zdeno Chara
Up and Coming: Johnathon Tavares, Logan Couture, Jordan Eberle, and Taylor Hall

NBA
1) Lebron James- go ahead and dog this pick
2)Kevin Durant
3)Dwight Howard
4) Derrick Rose
5) Kobe Bryant
Honorable Mention: Dirk Nowitzki, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, and Kevin Love
Up and Coming: Black Griffin, Russel Westbrook, Kyrie Irving, John Wall

NFL- This is a tough one, forgive me if I leave someone off
1) Tom Brady
2) Aaron Rodgers
3) Drew Brees
4) Patrick Willis
5) Ray Rice
Honorable Mention: Calvin Johnson, Darelle Revis, Adrian Peterson, Arian Foster, and Roddy White
Up and Coming: Mathew Stafford, Julio Jones, Matt Forte, Ndamukon Suh, Cam Newton, and A.J. Green


MLB- excludes SP
1) Albert Pujuls
2) Ryan Braun*
3) Miguel Cabrera
4) Jose Bautista
5) Josh Hamilton
Honorable Mention: Curtis Granderson, Robinson Cano, Prince Fielder, Paul Konerko, and Jacoby Ellsbury
Up and Coming: Jason Heyward, Carlos Santana, Eric Hosmer, Elvis Andrus, and Billy Butler

Bulls Bench Making a Difference

           Tonight, the Bulls took this to a whole new level during a hard fought game with the Indiana Pacers. With nearly a minute remaining in the game, Tom Thibodeau called upon Brian Scalabrine. Yes, Brian Scalabrine. Instead of Carlos Boozer or Omer Asik, Scalabrine entered the game. And not only was he in during the most critical possessions of the game, he took the most important shot which unfortunately may have cost the Bulls the game. They probably should have turned to reigning MVP Derrick Rose instead. But with the bench playing solid basketball this season, it really wasn't a bad decision considering Scal was wide open.


            Despite the loss, the Bulls record stands at 16-4. This is pretty impressive considering the injuries the team has dealt with. So far the bulls have dealt with injuries to Rip Hamilton (10 games), C.J. Watson  (9 games),Derrick Rose (5 games), Taj Gibson  (3+ games), and Luol Deng  (2+ games). Besides these injuries, the Bulls have also dealt with the poor play of Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer.  Considering these injuries and the poor play from Noah and Boozer, Thibodeau has called upon the bench to step up. And they have answered that call.


           Omer Asik has been a solid contributor off the bench, playing important minutes in most games. The same can be said of Taj Gibson who recently went down with an ankle injury. The two have combined to play the majority of 4th quarter minutes. Ronnie Brewer has also played well in the absence of Rip Hamilton and Luol Deng. But perhaps the biggest surprise has been the play of the backup point guards. John Lucas III stepped in and played solid minutes when both C.J. Watson and Derrick Rose went down with injuries. When Lucas III went down, Mike James stepped in from the D-League and almost picked up a double-double. Also, the continuous hard work of Kyle Korver and Brian Scalabrine has been effective.


         When a player goes down, the next guy comes in and doesn't miss a beat. This has proven to be a huge asset for the Bulls. The condensed and busy NBA season  has seen the Bulls play back to back to back games. The Bulls are built perfectly for this type of season. With a rotation that includes ten very talented players, the Bulls do not slow down. Many teams would struggle with the loss of a reigning MVP , but the Bulls did not miss a beat. If the bench keeps playing well, the Bulls are a force to be reckoned with. This makes them a perfect match up for a Heat team that lacks talent coming off the bench. 


          The Bulls are built like an old school team from the 80's or early 90's. Thibodeau has built this team on depth  and defense. Nowadays, this is uncommon in the NBA. Not to forget, they also have one of the best players in the NBA, Derrick Rose. Rose's leadership and althleticism, the ferocious defense, and the solid contributions from the bench are promising. If the bench can keep performing well, the Bulls should make a deep run into the playoffs.

Will the Blackhawks be the Number One Seed?

The Chicago Blackhawks currently sit in fifth place in the Western Conference standings. With 64 points, the Blackhawks are tied with the St. Louis Blues and trail the conference-leading Detroit Red Wings by 3 points. All three teams have played 49 games to date. After tonight's game with Nashville, the All Star break will begin for the Hawks. 

So how can the Blackhawks improve their record in the second half of the season and secure the number one seed in the Western Conference???

1. They must play better on the road.

The Blackhawks are 10-9-2 on the road and 19-5-4 at home. After tonight's game, there will be 32 games left in the season. Out of these 32 games, 20 will be played on the road. Report indicate that Patrick Sharp will be ready for the first game after the All Star break. Perfect Timing. The second half for the Hawks  starts with a nine game road trip. This will prove to be the most important stretch of the season. The Hawks will face Vancouver, San Jose, Colorado, Nashville, and the New York Rangers during this trip, all of which are current playoff teams. If the Hawks can win 3 of these 5, it would be a solid road trip. The remaining teams are Edmonton,Calgary, Phoenix, and Columbus. The nine game stretch will set the tone for the remainder of the season. If the hawks can steal 6 of these 9 games, it would be a tremendous victory and a huge step in securing the number one seed.

     2.   Acquire another top 6 forward.

The Blackhawks arguably have the best top 4 forwards in the league with Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, Johnathon Toews, and Marian Hossa. The Toews and Kane line should be fine with Viktor Stalberg on the left wing. But the Blackhawks could really use a second line center for the Hossa and Sharp line. The future for Marcus Kruger may be bright but if the Hawks want the number one seed, they may want to acquire another center. Also, Jimmy Hayes and Andrew Shaw have played very well but it is likely that at least one of the two will hit a wall at some point during the second half. So what names are being mentioned in trade rumors?

1. Derek Roy, Buffalo Sabres- Roy has underachieved this season. After registering 35 points in 35 games last year, Roy has taken a dive during the 2011-2012 season. He has 25 points in 46 games and the Sabres cannot be happy with his play. The Sabres may look to trade Roy because the club is having a terrible season and change is obviously needed. However, Roy has proved he is a very capable top line center and if the Hawks can grab him at the right price, it may put them over the top.  

                              

2. Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim Ducks- Getzlaf has also had a rough start to his season and his numbers have significantly decreased since last season. In 67 games last year, Getzlaf scored 76 points. It looked as if he was on his way to becoming a superstar. But this season, he has only 34 points in 47 games. To add to this, he has a -15 plus/minus. The Ducks may be willing to part ways with Getzlaf. The asking price for Getzlaf will be enormous but if the Hawks can add him to their top 6, the sky is the limit.   

                                      

3. Jeff Carter, Columbus Blue Jackets- Although Carter is out with a separated shoulder and considered week to week, he should be ready for a comeback sometime around the start of the second half. Carter was a big acquisition for the Blue Jackets in the off-season but he has not been close to the type of player they hoped for. Carter is the least likely to end up with the hawks because he is currently under contract thought the 2021-2022 season after signing an 11 year, $58 Million contract extension last year. That's  $ 5.27 million a year and it is unlikely the Hawks can afford this, but if they can dump some money, Carter would be a dream acquisition.    
                                                                                               

4. Other possibilities include Tomas Plekanec of the Montreal Canadians, Sam Gagner and Ales Hemsky of the Edmonton Oilers, and Frans Nielsen of the New York Islanders.

With the acquisition of one of these players or if another player becomes available toward the trade deadline, the hawks will position themselves for a powerful second half push. 

This isn't to say the hawks can't win with the team they have because they most certainly can. But with one of these talented second line centers, the Hawks would become an even more dangerous team. 

If the Hawks can improve their road record and acquire one of these players, there is no doubt in my mind they will secure the number one seed. This will give them home advantage throughout the playoffs where they are 19-5-4 on the season and a clear path to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Lets start with a win vs. Nashville tonight. GO HAWKS

Welcome to the Windy City Sports Blog

Hello,
I will be starting my sports blog tomorrow. The blog will consist of my daily thoughts on breaking stories in the sports world. I will also analyze the games from the previous day. I will try to center around Chicago sports since most of my readers are fans of those teams. I may also give out fantasy advice and predictions. Feel free to comment and state your own opinions. Enjoy.
Thanks,
Steve