MLB Looking to Suspend Around 20 Players for Biogenesis Scandal

The steroid era in baseball is not over. Not by a long shot. You'd think that the BALCO scandal could never be topped considering that so many ridiculous records were tainted with HGH and insane testosterone levels. Baseball officials even had to go to thesupreme court and be evaluated on whether or not they were running the sport correctly. But the Biogenesis clinic may take the cake, even over BALCO, for the worst PED scandal of all time.

In 2005 Bud Selig, along with other officials of the sport were evaluated by the supreme court if they were fit to run the sportefficiently. The result of this, in light of BALCO selling millions of dollars of steroids to MLB players, was the most strict drug testing program in all of sports. From that point on players have been caught from time to time but players weren't "juiced" to the level they once were. Supposedly.

Atleast 20 players have been linked to Tony Bosch's Miami-based Biogenesis clinic that sold PED's. Ryan Braun has been tested every year since he entered the league in 2006 but has somehow evaded a suspension. Another linked player, Jesus Montero, was 16 when the MLB initiated their drug program.

While this scandal may not have the superstar-power that the BALCO mess did, it comes off as even more embarrassing forbaseball. The whole world assumed that we've been in the post steroid-era for a few years now. Alex Rodriguez admitted to taking HGH back in 2009, but to know that he's continued to do it while being tested randomly is scary. With this scandal occurring, it puts into question whether or not MLB's drug-testing program is actually effective or terribly hit or miss. One thing is for certain though,players will do whatever it takes to win. And winning in this sport is making hundreds of millions of dollars. Until punishments are radically increased, players will continue to search for new ways to cheat the system.

The Most Important Key to Success in All of Sports

There are many important factors to being successful in sports. Talent. Hard work. Money. Guts. Good management. Luck.

But none of these are as relevant to a team's success as one factor. Injuries. Injuries can cripple the most elite teams and in a way help out other teams that would have otherwise not have been as successful.

These days teams in all sports are investing millions of dollars into players, sometimes over $200 million dollars for just one person. Now whether or not an athlete deserves to make that much is a fair question, but there is no debating that high paid players are the cornerstones for their teams. They're the players that the team is looking to build around and are relied on to be productive. But signing players to multi-year contracts doesn't help the team at all if they aren't able to play the game.

Each season team's spend over $500 million, which amounts to about $17 million for each team. To put that into perspective, Adrian Beltre is making about $16 million this season, and Robinson Cano is making $15 million.

Between 2002-2012, the average team had players spend 9,496 days on the DL. The Rangers players' spent a whopping 12,803 days on the disabled list. But one team rose above everyone else through one of two options; they were unbelievably lucky in fielding players that didn't get hurt, or this team has understood the importance of a top-notch training staff that will keep players on the field. I'll take the latter of those two options. This team, being the Chicago White Sox, has had players spend 4,026 days on the disabled list over the past 10 years. 3,000 days fewer than any other team in the majors. This is thanks to Herm Schneider, who has been theathletic trainer for the White Sox for the past 34 years.

"I don't know exactly how he does it," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said, the perfect mirror for Schneider himself: "I'm not sure exactly why we've had success."

"Injuries are not an act of God in baseball," Schneider said. "They're basically self-inflicted. The act of throwing a baseball is not a normal thing to do and not a thing the shoulder and elbow were meant to do. So you have to prepare for that by making deposits into your career. A lot of work. A lot of sweat labor that overprepares you for the day you have to pitch. Because when a guy is pitching, he's making withdrawals on his career."

"If you want to play and you can play, he will get you out there," White Sox reliever Matt Thornton said. "Like, if you're hurt hurt, he's going to take care of you, you're going to go on the DL, you're going to miss time. But if you're just sore and beat up and all that, he's not going to baby you or coddle you. You're going to get soreness. Your arm is going to be sore. Your body is going to be sore. Welcome to being an athlete."

So if a team is going to spend millions of dollars on a player to do well for them to be productive, it makes sense for that team to spend enough money to keep the athlete healthy. Like I said before injuries can completely cripple a team that was otherwise expected to do well. The Mets signed Johan Santana to a 6 year/$137 million contract in 2007. Since that time, Santana won more than 15 games only once. After having two surgeries, he pitched in only 21 games between 2011 and 2012, and after suffering another injury this year he has to sit out the entire 2013 season. Oh, and he's still being paid $25 million this season to not throw a single pitch. See how that may be a problem?

Modern medicine is more advanced and players are coming back from injuries faster than ever before. Yet Major League Baseball is seeing the most injuries occur than before as well. Teams are focused on spending the big bucks on talented players, which isn't a bad thing. But they should also invest a solid chunk of their budget to medicine and the training staff that keeps the team on the field. Because what's the point of over-paying for a guy if he isn't even able to produce on the field?

Lebron James Buzzer Beater in OT Against Pacers

This was a crazy ending to the best game of the playoffs so far this year. Paul George hit a deep three pointer at the end of regulation to force the game into overtime, but it was James that once again stole the show.

Tim Tebow Sits Atop Forbes 2013 List of Most Influential Athletes

Yes, Tim Tebow is once again in the news. The "quarterback" was just released by the Jets this past week after having played only one season in New York. Almost everyone thought the Jets were crazy to sign Tebow last year for a multitude of reasons. One of which was the fact that he attracts so much attention to every move he makes that he's been considered a distraction by many.

And this proved to be true. Anyone who watched SportsCenter last year between August and September knows what I'm talking about, since literally half of every episode consisted of Sal Paolantonio reporting anything that had to do with Tebow.

A unique set of QB strengths and weaknesses and an affinity for wearing his Christian faith on his sleeve combine to make Tebow a compelling public figure, even as an NFL backup. Whether or not he’s able to remain deeply ingrained in the public consciousness without eventually getting more time on the field remains to be seen. But for now, Tebow, he of 2.2 million twitter followers, is still the man people talk about.

“For a backup quarterback to be talked about so much is incredible,” says Stephen Master, Senior Vice President of Sports for Nielsen, which conducted the surveys over the past several months in partnership with E-Poll, a market research firm in Encino, Calif. “But it is the biggest market.”

Either you love, hate, or just don't care about Tim Tebow, there really isn't anything in between. Even back in his days at Florida, he was the player that cried after games in which his team lost. But he was also the guy that got everybody in the stadium fired up and let the defense know that he would do whatever it took to win the game.

Religion is something that many people in America feel strongly about, and Tebow has thrown himself in the middle of it sometimes. Whether it's been him writing bible scriptures onto his eyeblack or thanking God in almost every interview he does, it's been made clear that Tebow is religious. This has led to, in part, Tebowmania over a year ago, and also much criticism. This criticism has consisted of "sports and religion shouldn't be mixed" and "the only reason he's in the NFL is because of his stardom and religious flamboyance."

Now both of these may very well be true. And for those of you out there that just can't stand Tim Tebow, I suggest you just accept the fact that no matter what he'll end up in the news somehow.

Here's the top 5 most influential athletes according to Forbes

1. Tim Tebow
2. Michael Phelps
3. Usain Bolt
4. Derek Jeter
5. Peyton Manning

*Tebow is the only unemployed athlete on the list

Manu Ginobli First Quarter Slam

I know this isn't anything special, but most NBA fans, including me, didn't even know Ginobli could dunk!

Barry Bonds Home Run Plaque Missing from AT&T Park

If you're one of the many people that dispute Barry Bonds' "home run title," then this story may come as good news to you.

Just above the seats out in center field, a plaque with  the number 756 and Bonds' name that stood about 5 feet tall occupied the brick wall. But a few days ago many people had noticed that the sign was gone, leaving many to question whether or not the Giants were just trying to erase their past of Barry Bonds all together.

But Giants spokeswoman Staci Slaughter commented that the sign had in fact been stolen (somehow.) "We're in the process of replacing it," Slaughter said. "We're not sure what happened. We're reviewing video, but haven't found anything yet."

I'm not really sure how a ballpark with multiple cameras that operate 24 hours a day can't capture somebody stealing a 5 foot sign with a giant 756 on it. But maybe it's harder than it sounds, because it sounds incredibly easy to catch somebody doing this. Or the Giants just aren't that interested in persecuting whoever did this and they'd rather get a new sign.

But this whole case brings up an interesting point: Barry Bonds isn't very relevant around AT&T Park. The only sign is this one, and its been stolen but San Francisco doesn't seem too eager to replace it. Bonds isn't  only one of the greatest Giant players, but as far as statistics go one of the greatest to play baseball, ever. He hit his record breaking 756 home run at AT&T Park, won 7 MVP's, appeared in 14 all-star games, and is an 8-time Gold Glove winner. Yet there aren't any exhibits showcasing his legacy at the park. The Giants haven't even retired the home run king's number.

It's pretty obvious why this is. Bonds has been linked to steroids multiple times and ended up going to trial for it. In his last few seasons fans were booing him at home and throwing syringes at him. When he hit number 756, America didn't know whether to celebrate the moment in history or pretend it didn't happen. It was always expected that if anyone broke Hank Aaron's record, It would be one of those moments in history where everybody would remember where they were when it happened. I can say that I don't have any recollection of it, and it's really sad what the steroid era has done to baseball.

Sponsored: The 15 Worst Uniforms in Sports

Professional sports leagues aren't always the most fashion forward and these 15 teams prove that statement. Check out the full slideshow here.

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Opinion: Why the Rockies Won't Be Relevant by the All-Star Break

The Colorado Rockies have sprung out to a 13-5 start this season and are sitting atop the NL West by 1.5 games. They're leading the National League in batting average .282 and are second to the Braves in homeruns, who are also 13-5. This comes as bad news to the rest of the NL West considering that the Giants pitching has been sub-par so far and the Dodgers are off to a slow start because of injuries and slumping players.

The main knock on the Rockies before the season was their pitching. With a starting rotation that was so bad last year that manager Jim Tracy (who was fired at the end of the season) had to switch to a four man rotation. It doesn't really help that they have to play 81 games in the very hitter friendly Coors Field. But this year Jhoulys Chacin is off to a 3-0 start, Jorge De La Rosa is 2-1, and the pitching staff as a whole has an ERA of 2.82.

But the reason the Rockies are doing so well is offense. Troy Tulowitzski is finally healthy, Carlos Gonzalez is raking, Cuddyer is productive as usual, and Josh Rutledge has proven that his rookie season wasn't a fluke. But the real catalyst is center fielder Dexter Fowler. He's long been a top prospect that showed all five tools but wasn't able to put it all together until last season. But entering his age 27 season, Fowler has shown off power with 7 HR's and maturity with a .348 OBP. Having a power threat at the top of the lineup that can get on base sets the table for the rest of the lineup.

Last season we saw the A's and Orioles get off to hot starts while people kept writing them off as "flukes." Now I may very well be wrong and fans in Denver could see their first playoff series since the 2007 season. But the keys to the Orioles and A's last season was pitching. Both teams had solid bullpens that kept leads late in the game, and the A's more than the O's had a solid pitching staff that shut down some of the best offenses in the game. The Rockies rotation is doing well right now, but there are some major holes that could prove to be faulty.

Number one starter Jorge De La Rosa, who would be a third starter on most other teams, has a 4.9 career ERA and pitched in less than 10 games last season due to injury. Jhoulys Chacin had a sub 4 ERA in 2010 and 2011, but last year he too was derailed by an injury and pitched only 69 innings. Juan Nicasio has an ERA above five THIS season, and I'm still trying to figure out why the Rockies re-signed Jeff Francis. The bullpen is very good though led by closer Rafael Betancourt.

If you look at the world series last year, both the Tigers and Giants had outstanding pitching staffs. With the evolution of pitchers and the fact that there's fresh, electric arms waiting in the bullpen at any moment, baseball has become the pitchers game. With this offenses will go through dry spells and slumps like usual, but dominant pitching staffs rarely go cold for long periods of time. Last season the Cleveland Indians were in the hunt for first place in the AL Central and had a record above .500, but their pitching was last in the MLB during the second half of the season and the team fell to a miserable 68-94.

The Rockies may have the most potent offense in the majors, especially playing in Coors Field. But they don't have a true number one starter on their team, and most of their pitchers are either injury prone or have a career ERA above 5. Don't get me wrong, I love cinderella teams that prove everyone wrong, I just don't think that the Rockies have the players to do that.

Opinion: What the Bobcats Should No Doubt Do If They Receive the Number One Pick

Once again the Bobcats are in prime position for the number one overall pick in the NBA draft. Only having made the playoffs once as a seventh seed in their nine year history, clearly a few things haven't gone the 'Cats way over the years.

Since their number one overall pick of Emeka Okafor, who's honestly an underrated NBA player in my eyes, drafting hasn't been much of a success. Let's take a look at the abilities of Jordan and his front office's drafting abilities.

2004 first round, first overall: Emeka Okafor
2005 first round, 5th overall: Raymond Felton
2006 first round, 3rd overall: Adam Morrison
2007 first round, 8th overall: Brandon Wright
2008 first round, 9th overall: DJ Augustin
2009 first round, 12th overall: Gerald Henderson
2010: No first round draft picks
2011 First round, 8th overall: Kemba Walker
2012 first round, 2nd overall: Michael Kidd Gilchrist

You'd think that four top five picks in eight years would result in more than one winning season. Top five picks should be atleast key role players on a team, if not a star or above average NBA player. But Okafor has jumped around from team to team, Felton has had two solid NBA seasons, Adam Morrison was one of the worst picks of all time, and Brandon Wright hasn't been anything special either. The last two picks, being Kidd-Gilchrist and Walker, have actually been solid picks even if it hasn't resulted to any success on the court yet, with Walker posting 18ppg this season while Kidd-Gilchrist has had a decent rookie campaign as well.

But this upcoming draft is going to be one of the worst ever, topping the draft of 2011 when Jan Vesely went 6th overall, so the lowly Bobcats won't have a turn-the-franchise-around type player to look forward to. But in my mind, the Bobcats should absolutely shoot to draft Nerlens Noel with the top pick, even if they need to trade up for the top pick. With Noel coming off a torn ACL, many are skeptical that the big man will be able to recover completely. But Noel isn't your typical around the basket player, averaging 10.5 points and 9.5 rebounds a game last season at Kentucky, while also showing that he can run the floor and has great stamina.

The Bobcats improved from 7 wins last season to 20 this year, showing that their recent draft picks have payed off, and they may have possibly found a decent coach. But they're not going to make the playoffs next year, no matter who they pick in this upcoming draft. So the no-brainer move would be to draft Noel, stash him for a year and rehab him so that he comes back better than ever. While doing this, they'll most likely do poorly next season and receive a lottery pick, allowing them to build off the nucleus of Noel, Kidd-Gilchrist, and Walker. If the 'Cats are serious about winning, then they need to be patient and acquire young players they can actually build around, unlike Adam Morrison.

Kobe Bryant Suffers Possible Career Ending Injury

Late in the fourth quarter of last night's game with the Lakers only down by two, Kobe Bryant sized up his defender, and drove right to the basket like he has hundreds, maybe thousands of times in his career. Only his left foot didn't want to go with him. Bryant was on the ground for a few minutes, then proceeded to step to the line, swish two free throws, and get helped off of the court. To an average spectator, the injury didn't look too bad considering that Bryant got up and limped off of the court.

But after finding out that his Achilles was completely ruptured, it was clear that Bryant wouldn't return this season, but now his hall of fame career has come into question. After training and working so hard on his body every offseason to play at such a high level even at his age 34 season is impressive. But he's not only played at a high level for a 34 year old, but for most players in their prime considering that Kobe's averaging above 25 points a game this season and has carried his team.

But Bryant has never been known for his patience. And early this morning, like 3:30 AM early he took to Facebook to vent out all of his frustration with the injury.

"This is such BS! All the training and sacrifice just flew out the window with one step that I've done millions of times! The frustration is unbearable. The anger is rage. Why the hell did this happen ?!? Makes no damn sense. Now I'm supposed to come back from this and be the same player Or better at 35?!? How in the world am I supposed to do that??

I have NO CLUE. Do I have the consistent will to overcome this thing? Maybe I should break out the rocking chair and reminisce on the career that was. Maybe this is how my book ends. Maybe Father Time has defeated me...Then again maybe not! It's 3:30am, my foot feels like dead weight, my head is spinning from the pain meds and I'm wide awake. Forgive my Venting but what's the purpose of social media if I won't bring it to you Real No Image?? Feels good to vent, let it out. To feel as if THIS is the WORST thing EVER! Because After ALL the venting, a real perspective sets in. There are far greater issues/challenges in the world then a torn achilles. Stop feeling sorry for yourself, find the silver lining and get to work with the same belief, same drive and same conviction as ever.

One day, the beginning of a new career journey will commence. Today is NOT that day.

"If you see me in a fight with a bear, prey for the bear". Ive always loved that quote. Thats "mamba mentality" we don't quit, we don't cower, we don't run. We endure and conquer.

I know it's a long post but I'm Facebook Venting LOL. Maybe now I can actually get some sleep and be excited for surgery tomorrow. First step of a new challenge.

Guess I will be Coach Vino the rest of this season. I have faith in my teammates. They will come thru.

Thank you for all your prayers and support. Much Love Always.

Mamba Out"

NBA players have returned from Achilles injuries in the past, with Dominique Wilkins, Elton Brand, and Chauncey Billups as its most recent notable examples, but none of these players returned to anywhere near their pre-injury level. Billups returned after a nine-month rehab earlier in 2012-13, but the veteran has been dealing with all manner of injury concerns in his comeback season. Isiah Thomas, at around the same age as Bryant, retired due to an Achilles tear.

This is Kobe Bryant though. This is the man who gave Los Angeles Laker fans something to lean on while Dwight Howard sulked, Mike D’Antoni fumed, Pau Gasol limped, and Steve Nash watched in street clothes from the sideline. After two shot-happy years in the wilderness between 2010 and 2012, he returned this season at age 34 to provide an efficient, reliable offensive game on knees that went pro during the Clinton Administration. Kobe Bryant doesn’t go out on a locally-televised game on a Friday night against Golden State. Kobe Bryant goes out after you call security (and their backups) to show him the door. If then, even. 

He'll be back. 

Here's a video of Kobe suffering the injury late in the fourth quarter.

Carlos Quentin Charges Mound After Being Hit By Pitch

On a 3-2 count in a one run game, Zack Grienke threw a pitch high and tight that hit Padres left fielder Carlos Quentin in the shoulder. Some words were exchanged after the pitch that led to Quentin charging the mound and tackling Grienke. Following close behind was catcher AJ Ellis, and closely behind him the two teams benches. The reason this is such a huge deal isn't just because there was a brawl, but because Grienke suffered a broken collarbone and will be out for 6-8 weeks. This is a major blow to the Dodgers, who signed Grienke to a $147 million dollar contract this offseason and is the ace of the staff.

Quentin, Grienke, and Ellis were all thrown out of the game, but Matt Kemp of the Dodgers wasn't too pleased with Quentin's actions. "I think Carlos Quentin went to Stanford," Kemp told reporters. "I heard there's some smart people at Stanford. That wasn't too smart."

Said Mattingly, "Nothing happens if he goes to first base like in baseball you know you do, because you know he's not throwing at you 3-2 in a 2-1 game. That's zero understanding of the game of baseball. He shouldn't play a game until Greinke can pitch."

Clayton Kershaw Hits Opening Day HR Off of Matt Cain

Tampa Bay Rays Mascot Holds Up Offensive Sign

During today's game at Tropicana Field in which the Rays played the Orioles, there was something a little more interesting that went on than the 6-3 score of the game that favored the Orioles.

Some fan went through the trouble of creating an inappropriate sign that was a to-do list of the Rays. First on the list was Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter who had his own television show for years until he was killed by a stingray in 2006 tragically. And second was the Rays winning a world series, which wasn't crossed off yet.

The team issued a statement on what happened shortly after the game. “Last night Rays mascot Raymond was handed an inappropriate sign brought to the game by a fan. Fans are welcome to bring signs into Tropicana Field provided they are not offensive. The Tampa Bay Rays regret that this particular sign was displayed in the ballpark, and we apologize for the lapse in judgment.”

Now one might ask, what the hell was the mascot thinking?! Was he trying to lose his job or did he just have an eight year-long grudge against the crocodile hunter, because this sign was offensive and pretty obvious that it was poking fun at someone's death. But RAYMOND, or whoever was inside the suit, holds up hundreds of signs a year, while also dancing around, taking pictures, and giving kids hugs. I'm sure it's gotten to the point where the mascot doesn't even look at the sign and just holds it up, because it's so hard to see inside those things and he probably never imagined it would be inappropriate. So hopefully the latter of the two reasons the sign was held up is true. But hey, maybe the crocodile hunter made a few enemies along the way and one just happened to be a mascot at a baseball game. Probably not, but one can always imagine.

Kobe Bryant Now Appreciates Former Foe

Last night in the Staples Center, Shaquille O'Neal became the ninth Laker ever to have his number retired. O'Neal played with Los Angeles from 1996-2004. Playing along side Kobe Bryant proved the two to be one of the best basketball duo's of all time, appearing in four straight NBA Finals and winning three of them.

But there was another side to the basketball susperstars' relationship. Bryant viewed O'Neal as out of shape and overweight, and questioned his leadership. O'Neal pointed out that he was the "big dog" on the team. He thought Bryant was selfish and didn't pass the ball enough. O'Neal would later say the biggest issues between the two were of the marketing variety. After falling to the Detroit Pistons in the 2004 NBA Finals, Bryant had enough when O'Neal compared him to Penny Hardway and the All-Star guard said there was "not a chance" they could play together again.

But in recent years the two have shared positive words about each other and have been seen laughing together. "I always remind him every time I see him," Bryant, who's won five championships with the Lakers, told Yahoo! Sports. "I saw him after the All-Star Game and said, 'How you doing, 'Four' ?' He said, 'Oh, you [expletive].' [Our relationship is] really good now. We have such a mutual respect for each other."

"The thing that I respected about him was when he stepped on the court he was ferocious. That's the thing we both had in common. Between those lines nothing could stop us," Bryant said. Despite the many issues, Bryant added that he "really, really learned a lot" during O'Neal's time with the Lakers from 1996-2004.

Lakers owner Jerry Buss was faced with a dilemma in 2004 after the two clearly stated they didn't want to be teammates any longer. His options: keep a dominant but older Shaq or the younger but cockier Kobe Bryant. O'Neal ended up being dealt to Miami for Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Brian Grant, and some picks. Bryant was re-signed the following day.

With whatever the past was, neither party could deny the fact that the other greatly helped in winning those championships. It's really a shame that when O'Neal had his moment in front of Laker nation with virtually everyone there from his years in LA and was giving his expected emotional yet comical speech, that Bryant couldn't be there. It's also a shame that the two had to be split up like children in a schoolyard fight, because they may have been the greatest duo ever and could have gotten even more rings. But instead we're forced to imagine what more they'd end up doing.

Why MLB Opening Day is the Best in Sports

Brought to you by this search. What? What does that mean?

Baseball is all about tradition, and there's no better tradition than opening day.

Say the words "Opening Day" to anybody and they know right away that you're talking about baseball. For baseball fans, it's nothing short of a nation holiday. Whether your team last played in August or October, this is definitely the best kickoff event the sports world has to offer.

Now there is "Opening Night" which features the Houston Astros against the Texas Rangers. Even though the Astros are playing their first game in the AL, this still doesn't qualify as Opening Day. Opening Night is more of a media event. It's baseball's way to get one game on primetime Sunday Night television. The real magic happens the day after.

Some ballclubs raise banners on Opening Day, and others trot out stars from years past. A-list celebrities throw out the first pitch, and the pregame ceremony is the best all year. While all of these little nuances are nice and make the day just a little more entertaining, they're certainly not what makes the day special.

Mark Lyons/Getty Images

Case in point: the Findlay Market Parade. It's been carried out every year for something like a million years in Cincinnati to celebrate the return of Reds baseball. It can be considered an annual reminder that the Reds have been playing America's pastime for longer than any other club in the major leagues.

It doesn't happen every year anymore, but the President of the United States throwing out a first pitch on Opening Day is a tradition that dates back more than 100 years. William Howard Taft got it started in 1910, and Barack Obama officially made it a 100-year tradition back in 2010.

The NFL will have an answer to this tradition when the president takes care of the first coin flip of the season. The NHL when the president drops the first puck. The NBA when the president tosses the ball up for the opening tipoff. Good luck with that, guys.

Opening Day is also at the perfect time. Spring is a time that everyone likes. Warm weather is on its way for most of the country, and it's the time period where is perfect weather in the southern part of the United States. There's no football, college basketball is drawing to a close, and the horribly long NBA season is still dragging on. It's the day of the season where anything is possible, even the Houston Astros selling out or even beating the Texas Rangers on national television.

Another great thing is the pitching matchups. Being named the opening day starter means a lot to most starters, and they don't take it lightly. Pitching in front of a packed house against the other team's number one starter can really get the blood pumping, which makes for awesome baseball.

I may be a little bias toward baseball since I play it and it's by far my favorite sport. But the excitement and feel inside the ballpark, along with the competitiveness in every single game rivals no other sport. The stats in spring training, good or bad, mean nothing once the real season starts. Whether you want to see an up and coming prospect that might want to lead your team to the promised land, or your amped up to watch the star players, nobody will be disappointed (unless your team loses.) Opening Day is an unofficial national holiday, so just kick back, relax, and enjoy everybody.

-Wyatt Smith, Sports Editor of Clickege Media

Cinderella Story Comes to an End

After becoming the first 15th seed to reach the Sweet 16 in NCAA tournament history, Florida Gulf Coast University lost to in-state rival Florida 62-50

Florida Gulf Coast University's Cinderella run ended the way most bad dates do: with anger, frustration, self-loathing and and a vow to never speak of this night again.

The Eagles jumped out to a 15-4 lead after a few trademark alley-oops and exciting fast break scores. But then Florida realized that they were a 3 seed that had gone to the Elite 8 the past two years and were facing a 15 seed. In light of this realization, Florida unfurled a 23-2 run and led 30-26 at halftime with FGCU already looking worn out.

The Eagles had as many turnovers (20) as field goals in the game. So even though they ended up shooting a higher percentage than the Gators, there wasn't enough opportunities to score. The philosophy of "lets throw a lob towards the basket every other possession and see what happens" turned out to fail against the more athletic and strong Florida team. The key moment came when Mike Rosario passed the inbound off of his defender on the sideline and took it all the way to the rim for a dunk with about two minutes left. A very fitting exclamation point to an overall sloppy and forgettable game for the Eagles.

But don't let this last game, as bad as it was, be the take away of the 2013 Florida Gulf Coast Eagles. They were the first 15th seed in history to go as far as they did, and they still kept up with powerhouse Florida in their loss. If asked what FGCU was before the season started, most people would say it was some DIII school or even an online type of college. But they brought their fun, cocky personalities to the big dance and outshined the likes of San Diego State and Georgetown. This team in the reason that the NCAA tournament is so much fun to watch every year.

Review: MLB 13 The Show

PlayStation's MLB the Show series has been a major success, taking home sports game of the year award multiple times since its release in 2006. Back then, baseball video games included the 2K series, MVP baseball, The Bigs, and a series of games simply called MLB and whatever year it was. Since David Wright graced the cover of MLB 06 The Show, it's blown all competition out of the water to the point where today only 2K baseball is left and that is fading quickly. It's gotten to the point where if a gamer wants to play a baseball game, then he has to have a ps3 to play the Show (since it's ps3 exclusive.)

New Features

• Revamped Road To The Show mode
• Different camera angles in all game types
• Beginner mode 
• Halo tracker helps to see the ball at all times
• Almost every single player's batting stance is 100% accurate
• In franchise game mode's, each team has different tendencies as to how they will build their team.
• Postseason Mode

Positives

There is so much to love about this new edition of The Show. Sports games have more of a predicament than say Halo or Crysis because they need to come out with virtually the same game every year but still make it appealing to fans to get the new edition. Sony and San Diego Studios certainly do not make it look hard with this series.

Two things hit me right away in the first game I played in this game: the player tendencies and the overall feel of the game. What they did with batting stances was absolutely perfect. For the longest time, atleast I've wanted all of the players in the game to have their own stance because I always imagined it propelling the game to a completely new level, and it did. The ways that the batter swings and what he does before the pitch is spot on to what he does in real life.

Another new feature is beginner mode. This enables new users to the game to get their feet wet, pirsay, and figure the game out before they start a franchise. The CPU feeds the batter fastballs until they get their timing down, and it also provides feedback based on what they're doing right and wrong. Another minor feature that's been added is the ball halo and tracker. This is a glowing yellow-ish light and a red tail trailing from the ball that make it easy to see at all times. This is especially handy in RTTS when you're running the bases and need to know where the ball is going.

Possibly the biggest upside to the 2013 edition of The Show is the improved Road To The Show. In this game mode, you can create your own player and rise up through the minors to the MLB and beyond. But in year's past it's been a struggle. Often times (for me atleast) I'd end up as a 27-year old player just making it to the majors but never getting enough playing time and eventually my chances of ever being successful fade away. In other words it was really hard to do well. But now it's a lot more playable with multiple difficulty levels and new features. One is when you're fielding instead of seeing the play as if it was an exhibition game, you directly behind your player running to the ball. This makes for a more realistic and fun way to play the usually boring part of defense. Another is the ability to look at the ball while you're running (press R1) and pick up your third base coach (L1.) This is MUCH appreciated as running the bases has been more difficult than it had to be in years past without being able to see the ball and the camera switching angles all the time. Also, it's possible to completely customize your player as well. From the shape of his face to his stance to the way he follows through on a home run, it's all there.

Postseason mode is a new element that's been added to the game too. It gives you the ability to play a postseason with any team and feel the excitement and roar of the crowd like a real playoff game would feel like. Also, in past games to view a player's overall, you had to look at a red bar and try to guess how muchout of 100 it is since there was never exact numbers. But realizing that every sports games now ranks players with overall numbers, The Show has given every attribute and overall a specific number which makes it a lot easier to asses who's actually better than who.

Negatives

There aren't too many drawbacks to point out, but every game has some. While the feel and pace of the game is spectacular overall, there are still a few glitches here and there. Every once in awhile I'll be batting and when the pitcher throws the ball, the game glitches out and I end up striking out embarrassingly  Or there's another instance where Diamondbacks center fielder Adam Eaton ended up running through the outfield wall and was trapped for the play. So while these occurrences rarely happen, it's still a little bit of a downside. 

Also, I was really hoping that every team would have an accurate farm system. And if that was too hard to do, which is understandable since the minor leagues consist of hundreds of players, atleast make the triple A teams accurate and have all of thetop 100 prospects in the game. But just as the first edition of The Show, the minor leagues are full of generically named players. Not even stolen base king Billy Hamilton or top prospect Travis D'Arnaud, whom RA Dickey was traded for. Overall it's not my biggest concern but it makes running a franchise a little less realistic.

Verdict (ratings out of ten)

• Graphics: 8.5
• Smoothness and overall feel: 9
• Online gameplay: 7.5
• Life of game (ability to play it for awhile): 8.8
• Improvement over previous game: 8.5
• Overall Rating: 8.9

MLB 13 The Show is definitely worth the purchase if you're a baseball fan. There's virtually no competition as far as other baseball games go, plus the graphics and way the game plays is far better than any other sports game. With the PS4 coming out later this year, there are many reasons to look forward to next year's edition of the game. But until then, The Show continues to provide stellar baseball gameplay.

The Money of the NCAA Tournament

Brought to you by Yahoo!

All sorts of people make all sorts of money from the tournament. There are ads, sponsorships, ticket sales, wagers and more. But who gets the money, and how much?

1. Broadcast Rights

In 1982, CBS agreed to pay $16 million a year for the rights to broadcast the tournament. In 2010, the NCAA and CBS renewed that agreement for 14 years, but with an increased price tag: $771 million a year.  

CBS owns all the channels which broadcast the games (CBS, TNT, TBS, and TruTV).

For comparison, CBS, NBC, and FOX pay between $950 million and $1.1 billion for just the Super Bowl. CBS, NBC, and FOX will soon pay around $3.1 billion a year for the rights to the rest of the games, while ESPN will pay $1.9 billion. 

More comparison: FOX and Telemundo paid a total of $1 billion for the rights to the 2018 and 2022 World Cup. 

The money paid by CBS goes to the NCAA, where, according to their site, 96% of it is distributed to Division 1 schools in some fashion.

2. Advertising

While it's no Super Bowl, the tournament does get some pretty great ad rates, especially for the Championship. A :30 spot during the first round costs between $100,000 and $250,000 ($110,000 is average for network TV), while the same spot could cost more than $1.6 million during the championship. (For comparison, a :30 ad during the Super Bowl can cost more than $3.5 million.)

According to Adweek, a first or second round ad (again, :30) goes for $100-$250,000. By the time the Final Four hits, the price is up to $1.1 million, and the championship goes for the previously mentioned $1.6 million.

Last year's tournament brought in around $775 million in ad revenue for CBS. This year, that number is expected to rise to around $875 million.

Another interesting area related to advertising is ratings, which is the largest factor affected the price of an ad.

The incredibly worthless "First Four" games managed to get 4.48 million viewers this year (a pretty low rating when compared to network shows, which can get up to 15 million a week, but a pretty nice one when compared to cable shows, The Americans gets about 2 million a week and Breaking Bad and Mad Men get between 1 and 3 million.)

That 4.48 is up 14% from last years First Four.

Last year's tournament averaged 9.6 million viewers per game. The championship last year was watched by 20.1 million viewers.

3. Sponsorships and Ticket Sales

If you've seen any of the games, you've definitely experienced some of the sponsorships. AT&T got their mame slapped on every half time show, Capital One is sponsoring the Tournament Central studio show. (Coca-Cola is the third premium sponsor this year.)

While details are scarce on the numbers behind the sponsorships, it is estimated that Capital One pays $35 million their sponsorship. 

In previous years, ticket sales and sponsorships have made more than $40 million for the NCAA.  That number will likely be significantly larger this year. Again, 96% of this money is distributed to Division 1 schools. 

4. Wagers 

Chances are you filled out a braket. It's also pretty likely you entered this bracket in some sort of monetary award system, which requires an initial "investment" from you. Each year, an estimated 40 million brackets are filled out, and $7 billion is bet on these brackets. (That's more than the Super Bowl's $6 billion.)

Because of all this money on the line, employees have been known to focus less on work and more on sports. One survey estimatesthat 8.4 million hours of time are wasted during the tournament by private sector employees. Since the average pay is $22.87 an hour, that comes out to $192,108,000 in wages.

It is worth noting however, that this survey assumed that employees would otherwise be productive, which we all know is not always the case.

What's it All Mean?

So, unsurprisingly, a lot of money is made by people (mainly CBS and the NCAA) during March Madness. In total, about $1,693,000,000 is moved around by college basketball this month. With that you could buy 3.38 million iPads, 16,930,000,000 pieces of gum, or 483,714,285.714 gallons of gas, or enough to travel 11,609,142,857.1 miles in the US. 

You could also buy 7,695,454,545.45 meals for starving families in Africa. 

I leave it on that uplifting note. 

This report was sponsored by Yahoo, which isn't as old and gross as you think it would be. 

Sources: Adweek, Investopedia, Wikipedia

1909 Honus Wagner Baseball Card Could Auction for More than $3 Million

The rarest baseball card in the world in up for auction at the Audemars Piguet Flagship Boutique in midtown Manhattan. The 1909 "cigarette" card has reportedly already been bid on for $1.5 million and could go all the way up to $3 million. 

The card itself has its own display in the baseball hall of fame in Cooperstown, New York and is widely considered the most valuable baseball card of all time. "The Honus Wagner card is the Mona Lisa, the Van Gogh of our industry," said Ken Goldin, the founder of Goldin Auctions. "You can be a casual baseball fan, but if there's one baseball card you've heard of — it's the Honus Wagner."

The last time a Wagner card was publicly sold was in 2012 for $1.2 million. Since then, the average Wagner card, depending on condition, has appreciated 70 percent in value.

The opening bid for the tiny piece of fine art was $500,000. Break open your piggy bank, the auction ends April 5.

The T206 Honus Wagner card was designed and issued between 1909 and 1911. But then Wagner refused to allow production of the card to continue either to prevent kids from buying cigarettes or because he wanted more compensation. It's estimated that there are anywhere from 60 to 200 of these cards worldwide.

The most famous T206 Honus Wagner is the "Gretzky T206 Honus Wagner" card. The card has a controversial past, as some speculate that it was once altered, based on the card's odd texture and shape. The Gretzky T206 Wagner was first sold by Alan Ray to a baseball memorabilia collector named Bill Mastro, who sold the card two years later to Jim Copeland for nearly four times the price he had originally paid. Copeland's sizable transaction revitalized interest in the sports memorabilia collection market. In 1991, Copeland sold the card to ice hockey figures Wayne Gretzky and Bruce McNall for $451,000. Gretzky resold the card four years later to Wal-Mart and Treat Entertainment for $500,000, for use as the top prize in a promotional contest. 
The next year, a Florida postal worker won the card and auctioned it at Christie's for $640,000 to collector Michael Gidwitz. In 2000, the card was sold via Robert Edward Auctions to card collector Brian Seigel for $1.27 million. In February 2007, Seigel sold the card privately to an anonymous collector for $2.35 million. Less than six months later, the card was sold to another anonymous collector for $2.8 million. In April 2011, that anonymous purchaser was revealed to be Ken Kendrick, owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks.^[2] These transactions have made the Wagner card the most valuable baseball card in history.

More Upsets, More History: FGCU First 15th Seed to Reach the Sweet 16

While it may not be the best thing for your tattered bracket, it's great for underdogs everywhere. 

The number 15 Florida Gulf Coast Eagles have solidified their placement as the lovable underdogs of 2013, as they defeated the No. 7 San Diego St. Aztecs, 81-71, and became the first 15 seed in tournament history to reach the Sweet 16.

The first half was pretty much even the whole time, with neither team pulling away. San Diego St. went into halftime up 35-34.

Just like that Georgetown game (where FGCU beat #2 Georgetown), the second half was much, much better for FGCU fans, and much, much worse for Aztec fans. 

The Eagles pulled off a 21-5 run to put the Aztecs away, and it was just as dazzling as the last game. San Diego St. gave up 17 turnovers on the game.

Bernard Thompson and Sherwood Brown led FGCU with 23 and 17 points, respectively. Brett Comer was a master on the point, dishing out 14 assists.

FGCU will play the #3 Florida Gators next week. 

Round Three Results

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Let a Math Nerd Tell You Why Your Bracket Sucks, Even If You're Smart

Joey Votto Cranks a Homerun Off of Yu Darvish

Whether you're a Reds fan (like me) or not, this moonshot off of Darvish's curveball is so great that even Darvish is laughing about it.