NFC Preview

NFC East Winner-Dallas Cowboys

I know this is a late for a football preview, but it’s better late than never. The Cowboys are already 2-0 and the Eagles are 0-2. The Eagles can very well win the division still at 0-2, but they don’t look very good to start the season. The cowboys will be without Romo for another 8 weeks and Dez Bryant for about the same time frame. I say they still go around .500 without them. If they can do that they will be 6-4 when they get back and I think someone can win this division with a 10-6 record. I would definitely not count the eagles out by any means. They have the talent with the additions of DeMarco Murray and Ryan Matthews.The wide receiver corps for them aren’t that great with the loss of Jeremy Maclin, but they have Jordan Matthews and drafted Nelson Agohlor. The Giants look bad outside of Odell Beckham Jr. and Eli Manning Victor Cruz is out and it is not known when he will be back. The running game is poor, and the defense is not nearly as good as it once was. Don’t be surprised if they finish last in the division. The Redskins are bad too, so who will be last place between those two? Whomever comes in second will make the wildcard.

NFC North Winner- Green Bay Packers.

The Green Bay Packers are one of the best teams in the Conference, not just the division. They may even win it all this year, even without Jordy Nelson for the year. They have enough weapons In Randall Cobb, and Davante Adams. They have Eddie Lacy who is a beast of a running back and can do it all, and as long as you have Aaron Rodgers you’ll be a favorite no matter what. The only other team that can give Green Bay a run for their money is the Minnesota Vikings, but they won’t win enough games to win this division. I say the Vikings win 9 maybe 10, and possible playoff berth. They have Adrian Peterson back for a full year, but no quarterback play or much else really. They did pick up Mike Wallace from the Miami Dolphins and the defense is solid enough. The Lions look good on paper, but they are a little weak at running back. They drafted Amer Abdullah and he’s a rookie running back, but you never know what you will get with rookie running backs, let alone rookie players. Matthew Stafford is over-rated and is prone to throw a lot of interceptions because he takes a lot of risks. He is not a smart QB. He has a great arm and great weapons in Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate, but the Lions are just not good enough to do anything in this division. As long as the Bears have Jay Cutler at quarterback they will struggle. Matt Forte is a beast, but there’s only so much he can do. They will struggle to finish .500.

NFC South Winner- Atlanta Falcons.

Watch out for Atlanta. They are already off to a hot start at 2-0. Quarterback Matt Ryan is extremely underrated and one of the top 5 QB’s in the NFL in my opinion. They have Julio Jones at wide receiver who is a top 3 receiver in the NFL. The running game is average. Devonta Freeman is at back and he’s decent, but is he a good enough back to get them to win this division or get in the playoffs? The Falcons defense is a little weak. The New Orleans Saints lost Jimmy Graham and they look like they are struggling early to start the season. Drew Brees doesn’t look as good and he’s getting older as well. He also is known to have a shoulder injury know and will miss a few games. That will really hurt them, and may hurt their playoff chances now. Brandin Cooks is the #1 receiver for them and hasn’t shown what he is capable of this season in the first two games, but he can still turn things around. The saints might have to rely mostly on their running game as they have a solid core with Mark Ingram and C.J Spiller. I think they will use Spiller as more of a 3rd down back and receiver from the back field. Carolina did win the division last year, and they might this year, if not they can get in the playoffs. It will be a three team race I think. Cam Newtown is still a good quarterback, he’s young, but everyone knows what he can do. He’s fast and is a great scrambler. He isn’t the best passer and makes some bad decisions. They have Jonathan Stewart again at running back, who has been consistent, so we will see what they do, they will probably miss the playoffs this year in my opinion. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will probably finish last. They just don’t have enough weapons to get it done and are going with a rookie QB in Jameis Winston. I don’t think he will do in the NFL to start. I say they win 6 or 7 games this year, so maybe it won’t be too bad for them. That would be a success for them.

NFC West Winner- Seattle Seahawks

I know that the Seahawks are off to an 0-2 start, but that’s no reason to panic for the defending NFC champs. They have more than enough talent to come back and win this division. Marshawn Lynch is a beast and Russell Wilson is improving year by year and getting smarter. They added Jimmy Graham, but he has yet to be an impact for them. Seattle’s offensive line is a little suspect, but we’ll see if they can win this division still. If not they should get in the playoffs. The Arizona Cardinals are off to a hot 2-0 start and I wouldn’t be surprised if they won this division. They won 11 games last year, and are my dark horse to win the division. They might not win 11 games again, but I can see 9 or 10 for sure. Carson Palmer is healthy and he is consistent when he is healthy. They have young players in Josh Brown, and they have Andre Ellington at running back. Ellington is hurt for a few weeks, but when he comes back he will help the Cardinals. They have Larry Fitzgerald and even though he’s not as good as he used to be he still has one of the best hands in the NFL and I wouldn’t count him out. He is the quintessential football player. Watch out for Arizona! I don’t know what to make of the St. Louis Rams. I don’t even really know what to make of Nick Foles and who is going to start at them at running back. Todd Gurley, who they drafted from Georgia, or Tre Mason? They will probably split carries between the two and go more with the one that does better. Their defense is supposed to be a lot better, but it didn’t look good against the Redskins. They have so many questions and the NFL is so unpredictable so they can still be good or bad. Then you have the San Francisco 49ers who I think will finish last. Kaepernick is not a good quarterback and I don’t think he will improve much. I do like Carlos Hyde a lot for them at running back, but I see maybe 5 wins for them.

AFC NFL Preview

AFC EAST. Division Winner= New England Patriots

I hate to say it and it’s hard to write being a Jets fan, but with Brady playing all games it will be hard to stop them from winning the division. They are the defending super bowl champs even if they cheated to do it. Their defense isn’t going to be as good, but they have enough weapons at offense especially with Gronk, and they have Edelman and Amendola as well. They are pretty weak at running back, but as long as you have Tom Brady and Bill Belichick you have a great shot at winning the division. The rest of this division will be close all year. All teams improved immensely. The Bills have Rex Ryan and a great defense, and they also added McCoy. They could get one of the wild card spots and also can win the division. The Miami dolphins have improved also adding Suh on the defense and Ryan Tannehill is just going to get better. Lamar Miller is also an under-rated running back. They don’t have many options at wide receiver besides Jarvis Landry. The Jets will be interesting this year with first year coach Todd Bowles leading the reigns. They have Revis and Cromartie back, and they picked up other key players like Buster Skrine, Calvin Pryor, and Marcus Gilchrist, not to mention drafted Leonard Williams out of USC and Devin Smith to add to the wideout corp. He can be dangerous at special teams with his speed. The defense will be a force to be reckoned with. On offense, They added a key deep threat in Brandon Marshall, who might be poised to have a big year. Marshall and Decker is a great 1-2 punch. The running game will also be good with Chris Ivory, who is one of the most under-rated backs in my opinion. The Jets also have good back ups in Bilal Powell, and picked up Zac Stacy from the Rams. This division will be one to watch. The Jets have an easy schedule so they can sneak into the wildcard. The AFC east will get at least one team from their division in the wild-card if not two.

AFC SOUTH. Division Winner= Indianapolis Colts.

This should be an easy division for the Colts to win. There aren’t many good teams standing in their way. The Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars will both be terrible and I don’t see the Tennessee Titans doing much of anything. The Jaguars might even be better than both of those teams actually and finish second in the division I think, but this is the Colts division to lose and I cannot see them losing this division. They are one of the favorites from the AFC to make the Super Bowl and even to win the Super Bowl. They are my dark horse to win it all. They picked up Frank Gore from the 49ers, and Andre Johnson from the Texans, and of course you have Andrew Luck throwing to T.Y Hilton and both Fleener and Allen as tight end options, so they will be tough to dethrone in that division.

AFC NORTH. Division Winner= Pittsburgh Steelers.

I think the Steelers will win this division, but it won’t be easy, The Bengals are a better team and the Ravens will always be there, but I think the Bengals might pose a bigger threat for the Steelers for the division. The Browns will finish dead last and could even be the worst team in the NFL this year. The Steelers have great offensive Weapons. Big Ben has always been consistent and LeVeon Bell at running back and Antonio Brown at Wide Receiver and those two could be the best or near the best respectively at their positions. They will be deadly on the offensive end. The defense will be good enough to win a good number of games, but it’s not as good as it has been in the past. The Bengals have a pretty solid running back in Jeremy Hill. They also have a great receiver option in A.J Green. The Bengals are a bit questionable at QB and their success will depend on how he does this season.

AFC WEST. Division Winner= Denver Broncos

I think the Broncos will edge out the Chargers and Chiefs in this division. I think the Chargers and Chiefs will both be decent and have a shot at taking this division. The Chargers didn’t get much better but they did draft Melvin Gordon, and they desperately needed a good running back. Philip Rivers is a decent QB in terms of getting the job done. He has Keenan Allen to throw to and Malcolm Floyd and Antonio Gates when he returns. I can see them being around .500. Denver will win this division I think, but not by much. Peyton is getting older and is not as good as he used to be. He still has weapons to throw to in Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. C.J Anderson is now their #1 back, and there is no running back by committee as there usually is with Denver because he is the clear running back for them. They will need him to have another big year if they want to succeed this year. Anderson also has decent hands to catch passes from the back field. He is the X factor for them I believe. If anyone makes a run at Denver and the AFC West it’s the Kansas City Chiefs. They picked up Jeremy Maclin from the Eagles for Alex Smith to throw to and of course they have one of the deadliest tight ends in Travis Kelce. Jamal Charles is one of the best backs in the game. He is a work horse and does it well. Their success will depend on how Alex Smith does, but as long as he’s decent there’s no doubt that they will make the playoffs. They have a legit shot at winning this division as well. The Raiders will once again be in last place. They did add a key piece on offense in Amari Cooper and they have a solid running back in Latavius Murray. I can see them winning 6 or 7 games this year. Derek Carr at QB is not a threat at all. They also have Crabtree, but he’s not what he used to be, but he’s still a decent #2. The. Raiders defense will be solid as I believe they are a bit under-rated.

NBA Finals Preview

NBA FINALS: #1 GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS VS #2 CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

We are finally here! The end all to be all. The biggest stage in basketball, the NBA Finals! Players dream of this moment since they were kids. Every basketball player has that dream of playing in the NBA and eventually hoisting that NBA trophy and wearing that ever so sought out ring. The 2015 NBA finals pits the #1 seed in the West and best record in the NBA this season Golden State Warriors, who beat the Houston Rockets in 5 games, facing Lebron James and the #2 seed in the East Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs took care of business in easy fashion by sweeping the Atlanta Hawks. Lebron is back in the NBA finals for the 5th time in a row. Last four years of course was with the Miami Heat where he won 2 NBA championships. This year Lebron has had to play more of a leader role, having to be batman to this young Cavs team with a number of sidekicks like: Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson, former Knicks Iman Shumpert and J.R  Smith, and you can even add Timothy Mosgov who is also a former Knick. Thompson has been playing fantastic during the absence of Kevin Love. He’s averaging about a double-double a game with 9.9 ppg, and 10.4 rpg. Kyrie has been banged up this post-season but still fighting through it and playing well, and the week off should considerably heal some of the injuries that Kyrie has sustained. Kyrie has averaged 18.7 points this post season while shooting 51% and 48% from 3. He has only averaged 3.8 assists but he is more of a scoring point guard anyways. Lebron plays more of a point guard role for that team.

The Warriors may be without Klay Thompson for the first game as he was ruled out with a concussion after getting the concussion protocol. I think he will be ready and play in game 1. The Warriors of course have home court advantage and MVP Steph Curry. He has shown he is the most valuable player during this postseason and the Warriors would not be in the finals if it weren’t for him. The Warriors need Klay to play in this series because you can’t be the splash brothers with just one guy. They are deadly from the perimeter are the best offensive team this year averaging 109 points per game. Their defense wasn’t bad this year either letting up 99 points per game, which was 14th in the league. Draymond Green, David Lee, and Andrew Bogut have been impressive during the playoffs and have been key cogs to the warriors success. They have other role players and a great bench too that could be trouble for the Cavs. Draymond Green has been averaging 14 points, almost 11 rebounds, and 5 assists a game. If anything Green is the player to watch in the finals. He plays good defense and will be the one having the assignment on Lebron for most of the time. Green is a very physical player, so Lebron might be hard to stop, but maybe he can contain him.

All in all this series will be fun to watch. It could even be one for the ages. Lebron has the experience, but none of the other players on his team does, so he may have to take over some games, which he is fully capable of doing, but will his body hold up? Lebron may have the daunting task of guarding Steph Curry, as Lebron will be playing a lot of point forward in these finals. Curry, Thompson and the Warriors have never won a championship, but I do think they have the winners mentality and have a great coach and coach of the year in Steve Kerr, but it’s hard for me to pick them to win this series. Lebron has been there before and knows what it takes to win. He may not have what he had with the Heat, but Kyrie is a good sidekick, and you have a bunch of good secondary and role players that know what they have to do. I think the Cavs can take one of the first two games in Golden State especially if Klay is out. As long as Lebron is playing the Cavs have a really good shot, so I am going to pick them to win the NBA championship this year. I don’t think Steph Curry and the warriors are ready just yet, they have proved all year that they are the best team, but this is a completely different stage that Curry or the Warriors have yet to be a part of. I am going to go with the experience.

Prediction: Cavs in 6

Conference Finals Predictions

Eastern Conference Finals

#1 Atlanta Hawks vs #2 Cleveland Cavaliers

The Eastern Conference finals will pit the two best teams in the East all year. The Hawks ousted the Wizard’s in 6 games, and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Chicago Bulls in 6. The bulls were up 2-1 in that series, but when Cleveland won game 4 in Chicago with Lebron’s buzzer beater to even the series up that’s when the momentum shifted to the Cavs. The Bulls would’ve been up 3-1, but Cleveland tied the series and went on to beat the Bulls in 6. Lebron took over when he needed to, and Derrick Rose didn’t show up during the second half of game 6. The Cavs have been without Kevin Love, and it hasn’t hurt them thus far, but when they face the top-seeded Atlanta Hawks that could change.

I think the Hawks will pose some match up problems for the Cavs. The Hawks have a bunch of good players, but they don’t have that true star. One thing they have going for them in this series is the home court advantage, but that hasn’t meant a whole lot in these playoffs. The Hawks beat the wizard’s without a healthy John Wall and if that three pointer by Paul Pierce counted that series would’ve went 7 games. The Hawks also had a little bit of trouble in that first round against the Nets. I believe this will be a real competitive series, Atlanta will not back down to the Cavs and I think they have the advantage on the inside with Paul Millsap and Al Horford, but I also thought the Bulls would have the advantage on the inside. The difference between the Bulls and the Hawks is that the Hawks play a more efficient style of offense. They move the ball really well and don’t get stagnant on the offensive end like the Bulls were known to do. I don’t believe the Hawks have had a true test yet, and they will get one when they face Lebron and the Cavs. I’m not sure the Hawks will have an answer for Lebron, but I think they will make this a series and it will go 7. Cleveland will advance to the finals

Prediction: Cleveland Cavaliers in 7.

Western Conference Finals

#1 Golden State Warriors vs #2 Houston Rockets

The Western Conference finals will also pit #1 vs #2. The Warriors have had the best record this season and have pretty much coasted in these playoffs with not a whole lot of problems. They are led by the MVP Steph Curry and his splash brother partner Klay Thompson, and are coached by Steve Kerr, who has done one hell of a job with them. The Rockets were down 3-1 against the Clippers and the Clippers choked and blew that series. This loss has to be on Chris Paul and coach Doc Rivers. Paul is a great player and one of my favorites to watch, but he is not a proven winner and hasn’t even reached a Conference final yet, which is sad in my opinion. The Clippers had the series in their hands, and blew it in the 4th quarter of game 6 at home. They blew a 19 point lead as they let the Rockets score 40 in the 4th. I don’t know what happened, I guess they fell asleep. When you are up that much you have to close out. In game 7 the Clippers didn’t even show up and Houston had the lead the whole game and went on to beat the Clippers in 7. It’s a rare feat for a team to come back from a 3-1 deficit. The Rockets were just the 9th team in NBA history to come back from a 3-1 series deficit. No team has come back from a 3-0 deficit.

The Warriors faced the Rockets 4 times this year and all 4 games went to the Warriors. They won by double digits each game, so they had very little trouble vs Houston this year. The Rockets obviously have to try to stop the warriors from the perimeter, but that’s easier said than done when you  arguably have the best two shooters in the NBA playing in the same back court. I think that James Harden is a key X-factor in this series. The Rockets will only do as well as he plays. The knack on Harden is that he doesn’t play defense, but do the Warriors have anyone to stop James Harden on the defensive end? If this series is anything like the match-ups these two teams had during the season then I think this will be a pretty easy series win for Golden State. The Rockets also had to expends  alot of energy to come back in the series vs the Clippers and have to play on only 1 day of rest.

Prediction: Warriors in 6.

The Rise and Fall of Jon “Bones” Jones

Jon “Bones” Jones had everything going for him. He was virtually unbeatable in UFC with his only loss coming by disqualification. He was the youngest champion in UFC history. The only way someone would beat him is if he beat himself, and that’s exactly what happened. Not too long after testing positive for cocaine in his system before his title fight Daniel Cormier. He was fined $25,000, but not stripped of his title at that point. I’ve been a fan of Jon Jones and he has been my favorite fighter for a while. I think that the pressure of being on top got to him, or maybe he got bored and decided he needed an edge of some sort, I forgave him for the cocaine incident, but what happened after was shocking.

On April 27th, there were reports that he was involved in a hit and run accident involving 2 other vehicles in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Police say he was seen fleeing and running away from the accident in a white button up shirt and dark pants. According to reports, Jones ran back to the vehicle to grab cash and starting running off again. A pipe and a small amount of marijuana was also found in Jones car. An arrest warrant was issued for him and Jones later turned himself in. He is facing felony charges for causing bodily injury to a 25-year-old pregnant woman. The same night that he was charged he posted $2,500 bail and was released. Later on that day the UFC announced that he was stripped of his title and removed from the UFC rankings, and he was also suspended indefinitely.

Jones made his professional MMA début in the spring of 2008 where he went (6-0-0) over a three-month period. He finished all 6 of his opponents. Jones was finally in the UFC with his first bout against Andre Gusmao at UFC 87 on Aug. 9, 2008. This was a short notice fight for Jones as he only had 2 weeks to prepare due to a withdraw from Tomasz Drwal. Jones put on a spectacular show in his first fight, using his wrestling, and showcasing his amazing striking skills using spinning back elbows and kicks. Jones would win by unanimous decision for the first time in his career.In December of 2009, Jones would get his next fight and it would be with TUF vet Matt “The Hammer” Hamill. Jones came out and outwrestled Hamill and controlled Hamill on the ground where he started to land some very destructive elbows from the top. Jones would end up being disqualified for throwing 12-6 elbows on Hamill’s already battered face. At first the referee had only deducted a point for the elbows, but due to Hamill not being able to continue, the fight was declared a disqualification for Jones making it the first loss in his career.

On May 19, 2012, we would see the first string of troubles in the young champions life when he crashed his Bentley into a pole in Binghamton, N.Y., Jones was placed under arrest for DUI and was later bailed by his mother. Jones plead guilty to the DUI charge and was fined $1,000.00.On Jan. 6, 2015, It was made public that Jones had failed a pre-fight drug test. The test came back positive for benzoylecgonine, which is the primary metabolite found in cocaine. This test was taken out of competition, there for Jones was not punished by the NSAC since cocaine is not a banned substance out of competition. Jones was however fined $25,000 by the UFC for violating the UFC’s athletic code of conduct. Jones entered rehab where he stayed for 24 hours and released himself, stating “I’m not a cocaine addict by any means or not even a frequent user. I just made a really dumb decision and got caught with my pants down in this whole situation”.

Jones future will now depend on what the judge says in court. He may or may not fight again in the UFC. Money and fame got to him as it does so many young athletes, he was virtually unstoppable. He beat himself. I hope he uses this time to reflect, get sober and come back strong and better than ever. The UFC will miss a fighter of his magnitude. I don’t think they will find another fighter like him. He was the complete package, I hope he does come back to fight.

 

http://themmacorner.com/2015/05/10/a-look-back-the-rise-and-fall-of-jon-bones-jones/

Perfect No More

Kentucky’s dream scenario of going undefeated has come to a halt, due to the coaching by Bo Ryan and the smart and heady plays by the Wisconsin Badgers during the end of the 71-64 defeat of Kentucky. Kentucky had a 4 point lead, but they could not come through in the clutch. They stopped giving the ball to Karl Anthony-Towns and went away from what was working. The Harrison twins tried to take over. The offense became stagnant, they stopped moving the ball, and just couldn’t execute down the stretch. Wisconsin took advantage of the situation and handed Kentucky its first loss of the season. It was a back and forth game with a lot of intensity. I knew it would be a dogfight, and it was without a doubt one of the better games of the tournament. They will now go on to face Duke tonight in the National Championship game.

Duke played Michigan State and beat them by 20 points. 81-61. They had no problems against the Spartans guard play. Michigan State just didn’t have the size to defend Okafor. I honestly thought that game would’ve been a little closer. Michigan State had a magnificent run in the tournament, but Duke showed why they were the #1 seed.

The National championship game is 2 #1 seeds facing one another. It should be a pretty good game. Player of the year Frank Kaminsky and the Badgers vs future NBA #1 pick Jahlil Okafor and the Blue Devils. This game is a toss-up, and I think will really close. It could go down to a last second shot. I’m hoping the last game is as good as this whole tournament has been. I think that Wisconsin has the slight edge and will get the victory. The game is scheduled to tip off at 9;18 PM eastern time.

Prediction: 73-71 Wisconsin

 

 

Championship or bust for Kentucky

Final Four Preview

Kentucky vs Wisconsin

Notre Dame gave Kentucky a scare in the elite 8, but the wildcats survived that scare by winning by 2 points. Next up for Kentucky is Wisconsin. Wisconsin beat Arizona in the elite 8 for a second straight year. Kentucky vs Wisconsin is sure to be a great matchup. Towns, Cauley-Stein, the Harrison twins, and the Kentucky Wildcats vs Frank Kaminsky, Sam Dekker, Nigel Hayes and the Wisconsin Badgers. Towns and Cauley-Stein are beasts in the paint and are tough physical players. Both are good rebounders. Kaminsky, (who could be the player of the year, and was named 1st team All-American) will be a tough cover. He can drive, post up, has mid range, and can shoot the 3. He’s also a great rebounder and defender. For a 7 footer he has good all around skills that will translate well in the NBA. He was going to enter the NBA after last season, but decided to give it one more go around to try to win the championship, but I think they fall short vs Kentucky. A lot of experts agree that if there is any team that can beat Kentucky it’s Wisconsin. I think that they can give Kentucky a run for their money, but Kentucky’s game vs Notre Dame was too close for them, and they may not want that to happen again, but Wisconsin will keep it close.

Prediction: 77-73 Kentucky over Wisconsin.

Duke vs Michigan State

Tom Izzo has done it once again. He’s always right there in March. He is tournament tested, and the Spartans are always an under dog every year and somehow someway Izzo always finds a way to get his teams to make deep runs in the tournament. before this season Michigan State have at least made the sweet 16 5 of the last 6 years and this year they have reached the Final Four, and are looking for more. The Spartans are led by senior guard Travis Trice and junior guard Denzel Valentine. Trice has been clutch this whole tournament. He’s calm, confident, under control, smart, and knows when to drive, shoot, or make the pass. I know a lot of NBA scouts have been watching him this tournament. He’s small and undersized, but he’s a tough player. They also have a good player in senior forward Branden Dawson. The Spartans have talented players, and as long as Izzo is coaching anything can happen. Duke has future #1 overall pick in the 2015 draft more than likely Jahlil Okafor and the coach with the most wins in coach K. (I’m not even going to bother spelling his name, everyone just refers to him as coach K anyways.) I’m not a fan of Duke, but Okafor is a great post player and rebounder. He reminds me a lot of Tim Duncan, and I think he can be that type of player in the NBA. I think Duke’s talent overall will be too much for Michigan state as they don’t really have anyone to contain Okafor. I think Duke wins but not by as much as most people think.

Prediction: 70-64 Duke over Michigan State.

Stop with the excuses!

A lot of people say they need to lose weight and work out more, but then they go ahead and make excuses, “Oh, I can’t afford the gym” “Oh, the gym is too far from my house” “Oh, I don’t have time” That last one is the #1 excuse. You don’t have time? All it really takes is 15-20 minutes of a good sweat. You can even work out at home in maybe even less time. 10-15 minutes should be all you need. You can work out a few times a week without any equipment even. I’ve put together a workout you can do at the comfort of your own home without any equipment. Just your body! Do this whenever your short on time, can’t go to the gym, or can’t go outside for a run. It’s a mix of total body movements and cardio, so your whole body will feel it!

Stretch (1-2 minutes) Jog in place for 30 seconds.

-front lunges 10 reps on each side.

-plie squats (10 reps. Feet and knees turned out.)

10 burpees.

-Childs pose(10-20 seconds. Hands and fingers out in front, butt back touching feet.)

-10 Push ups. (You should know how to do a push up.)

– Floor scissor kicks for 30 seconds.

-bicycle kicks. (Lie on your back with hands behind a raised head and legs out, slightly off the floor. Proceed to pull the left knee in and extend the right elbow to meet it. Pause, then return to starting position and next pull the right knee in and extend the left elbow to meet it. Perform 20 alternating repetitions to each side.)

-High switch kick. (15 on each leg.) 

Combo Moves. Since you know how to do lunges, squats, and burpees, or you should at this point have a general grasp, you can combine the moves to make them a little more difficult.

– Lunge to squat. 10 reps. (Start in a squat position with your feet shoulder distance apart. Start with your right leg forward in a lunge, squat, then left leg forward into a lunge. One of those is 1 rep.)

– Plank to squat. 10 reps. (Start in plank go to wide squat. At the last rep stay in plank and hold it for 30 seconds.)

– Jog for about 30 seconds, then stretch for 2-3 minutes. This workout is easy and quick and should work your whole body, while working your cardio and giving you a good sweat as well. You can make it last 10-20 minutes depending on how many times you want to do it.

2015 New York Mets Preview.

2015 New York Mets Preview..

2015 New York Mets Preview.

2015 New York Mets Season Preview      

As I start writing this Action Bronson’s album Mr.Wonderful playing in my iTunes, I think to myself how Ironic is it that he is from Queens, and also happens to be a Mets fan. I didn’t mean to do that intentionally, but it will at least give me more motivation as I write this article.

Matt Harvey is back after successful Tommy John Surgery. Will he come back to the form like he had in 2013 where he wen’t 9-5 with a 2.27 era and 191 strikeouts. So far in spring training he looks good, (fingers crossed) and Mets fans are hopeful this year. It is a cautiously optimistic approach, but over the years Mets fans have been dealt a lot of heartbreak. Will this be the year that the Mets finally make the playoffs for the first time since 2006? All Mets fans remember what happened that year, so there is no need to get into that, but It’s been a while and Mets fans think this year with the extra wild-card spots in both National League and American league, (which was introduced last year with great success) that they can sneak into a playoff spot.

Last year the Mets finished 79-83, just 2 wins shy of .500 and a 5 win increase from the year before. This offseason they didn’t get many players, but one player who is sure to help offensively is Michael Cuddyer. Cuddyer was hurt for the better part of last year, but still posted a .332 batting average with 10 home runs and 31 rbi. The year before he won the National league batting title, albeit with the Colorado Rockies. He had a .332 batting average. 20 home runs and 84 rbi’s. He may not hit a lot of home runs in Citifield, but if he can hit over .300 it’s a win. The Mets also picked up John Mayberry Jr, who isn’t great, but can be a good utility player off the bench. The Mets will be looking to upgrade at short shop by mid year, but for now will ride with Wilmer Flores. Flores is a good offensive short shop, but has limited range on defense. David Wright and Granderson will need to have better years offensively if the Mets want to contend for a playoff birth. Wright had surgery on his shoulder in June and is hoping to bounce back this season with a big year looking to stay healthy.

The Mets had a crushing loss recently with the news of young pitcher Zach Wheeler needing Tommy John Surgery on his pitching elbow. He will be out for the year but luckily the Mets have good pitching across the board. They also have two good prospects in Noah Syndergaard, and Steven Matz, who will undoubtedly be called up mid-season. The starting rotation to start, but will probably change as the year goes along will be:

1.Bartolo Colon.2. Jacob Degrom. 3. Matt Harvey. 4. Jon Niese. 5. Dillon Gee.

That starting pitching is still more than good enough in the National League and good enough to get them to the playoffs in my opinion. The problem will be the offense. Will Wright and Granderson bounce back and have better years? Will Murphy and Duda still be productive? Will Travis d’Arnaud continue is hitting from the second half of last year and not revert back to the first half of the season where he was sent to the minors? Will Flores stay as short shop all year or will they look to improve that position? A lot of questions will be answered as the season goes along. I’m going to be cautiously optimistic but I think the Mets get into one of the wild card spots. It’s a long season of 162 games and I hope it’s a good one for the Mets. Mets fans deserve something good for once.

As the Article comes to a close, Action Bronson’s Mr.Wonderful comes to a close. A good sign that a good ending will transpire for the Mets this season? I sure hope so. Go Mets!

Prediction. 85-77. Wildcard berth.