Baseball Season 2012

Spring training has finally rolled around!

The Traditional questions: Which players will successfully recover from their injuries? Will a new team come up on the top radar? How will Hot Stove trades turn out?

Some specific questions I have:

How will the remodeled Miami Marlins do in their new stadium?

Will the Angels thrive with Albert Pujols?

How will the recently announced playoff changes alter August baseball?

And of course, who will come out on top in the AL East?

In case you haven't heard, the new playoff structure includes one more Wild Card in each league. The two Wild Card teams will meet in a one game playoff, giving an extra bit of rest to the Division Champs and adding a little more excitement to the wild card race.

Personally, I have always championed MLB playoffs for having series to decide each bracket, a more realistic assessment of the best team when spread out over multiple games. We'll see how it spans out and the impact on the playoff race.

Why the NBA Lockout SHOULD benefit the Miami Heat

The tricks and treats of the NBA season was put on hold last week, as the NBA started its second labor lockout, the first since the 1998-1999 season.

With no imminent negotiation (except for the shoot em' up 51-50 deal offered) between Commissioner David Stern and the players union, many analysts say there won't be an NBA game until Christmas.

Here's why it should benefit the Miami Heat:

1. Less down time - Miami faced immense scrutiny last season during the 82-game stretch and the playoffs, but with the possibly of a reduced season, yesterday becomes literally yesterday. I do not expect a full 82-game season, so games would have a greater intensity factor.

2. Less fatigue- This means more LeBron, D-Wade and Chris Bosh. Wade started slow last season because of a preseason injury, so the big three really only started to shape up around mid-season.

3. Free agency frenzy- When the NBA season does finally start, so will the free agency period. Miami Heat president Pat Riley has a clear advantage in this area, as he will have to rapidly address the team's needs. Expect anything with Riley.

4. Forgetfulness- Miami lost a winnable NBA Finals last season. Their win-now built team will have to forget any losses and move on quickly with a shortened season.

The Good Sport-Final Day

By Anthony Segreto

Archbishop McCarthy

I am sad to say that I was not able to practice today. I still had trouble extending my leg, and I didn't want to aggravate it anymore. So, my time practicing with the football team has come to an end. What are my thoughts? How do I feel about my experience? You'll have to check out Teenlink soon to find out! I will have a full article in there discussing everything. I really did enjoy this experience though, expect to see me doing it with more sports in the near future. Thanks so much to everyone who followed me these past six days, see you all soon!

Until next time,

The Good Sport

The Good Sport-Day 5

By Anthony Segreto

Archbishop McCarthy

Ahhh, the woes of being an injured athlete. I was so disappointed I had to sit out another practice today, I really felt myself wanting to get into the drills today. All practice today was going through the playbook, so even though I didn't get to play, it was still interesting learning about the different offensive plays. The complexities are numerous, viewing them firsthand while they are being explained to the players is so different from watching the play's finished form. Whether it's a certain gap for a runners to dive into, an adjustment that a receiver has to run, or a blocking assignment for a tight end, it is stuff that escapes even the keenest football eye. I find myself developing so much a deeper appreciation for the game, and learning more and more every day. Tomorrow's the last day I'll be out with the team, hopefully my knee will be all healed up.

- The Good (but injured) Sport

The Good Sport-Day 4

By Anthony Segreto

Archbishop McCarthy

I'm injured. Yep, you heard it right. After my touchdown run yesterday, I stood up in pain and figured it was only a temporary thing, until I woke up this morning and was still hurting, to the point where I could barely walk. I fought through it, and as soon as I got to school for practice, I talked to our trainer who checked me out and said I sprained my LCL in my knee. He advised that I sit out practice today, so I followed his advice and watched from the sidelines. Just some more drills today, tackling, running, and throwing, there was also a 7 on 7 game at the end. Hopefully I'll be good to go for tomorrow, but if not it'll be another day on the sidelines, observing. I'm really getting the full experience, injured on a touchdown run! I can retire happy now. I kid, I kid.

- The Good Sport

The Good Sport-TD Run

Big thanks to my good bud Peter Lopez for the leading block on my run.

The Good Sport-Day 3

By Anthony Segreto

Archbishop McCarthy

TOUCHDOWN! That is right. Much to the shock and awe of everyone on the team (I inferred that from the dropped jaws and claps), I was able to score during a drill today (one with a shortened field, you'll see in the video I upload). What an amazing feeling, It was absolutely incredible. Hearing the cheers and feeling the pats on the back is a moment I'll never forget. What a great practice today. Pictures were great, and the drills were a lot of fun. I wasn't able to participate in the scrimmage at the end of practice-that was reserved for players competing for a starting position (event though my touchdown run today was NFL-quality (almost), i don't think I'll be receiving any calls from Nick Saban or Jimbo Fisher anytime soon). So Day 3 of practice was a major success, I really enjoyed myself today. What's in store for Day 4? We shall see.

Until next time,

The Good Sport