European Soccer Preview

European Football (Soccer) Preview

            The season has finally arrived!  Most of the top European leagues kick off their season openers this weekend, and I don’t think there is anything more exciting in sports.  This year, I will attempt to not care so much about who wins or loses, and just enjoy the football for the sport that it is!  That said, here are some thoughts on what I’m thinking for the 2014-15 football campaigns.

English Premier League:

Champions: Manchester City

Rest of Top 4: Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool

European Places: Manchester United, Everton, Tottenham

Mid-Table Obscurity: Aston Villa, Newcastle, Stoke City, West Ham

Safe for a Year: Southampton, QPR, Sunderland, Swansea City

Battling For Safety: West Bromwich, Crystal Palace

Relegated: Leicester City, Hull City, Burnley.

Premier League Eleven: Lloris; Debuchy, Kompany, G.Cahill, Kolarov; YaYa Toure, Ramsey; David Silva; Sergio Aguero, Rooney, Sturridge.

FA Cup: Tottenham

League Cup: Arsenal

Premier League Notes:  Now that the pecking order at Manchester City has been established, I fully expect them to have a firm grip on the English Premier league for year’s to come.  The only problem I have with their squad is that it still isn’t built for Europe.  They need a little more class on the edges of their midfield... I really like what Wenger has done in this remodel.  They can attack from all sides of the pitch now, and the signing of Chambers was really underrated.  He’ll provide width from both sides. If they happen to crash out of Europe during qualifiers, they can make a huge run at the league... I see Chelsea doing a little flip-flop of the intentions of Arsenal.  While I think they will be competitive in the league, I think Mourinho wants to bring a Champions League trophy back to the Bridge...4^th will be the tightest race in my opinion.  I think Liverpool, Manchester United, Everton and Tottenham could all be challenging for it by season’s end.  While I don’t think Liverpool has the squad to challenge on two fronts, the goals of Sturridge could be enough to lock up that final place...Aston Villa is my surprise package this season.  The youth is coming together nicely, and there wasn’t any interest in their players this off-season.  They should be focused and ready to challenge for the top half... Newcastle had a great transfer window, but I think there are a few inconsistencies in their squad.  They’re still missing that firepower from midfield after the sale of Yohan Cabaye last January... I think Southampton won’t have anything to worry about.  They replaced most of their youngsters sold, and they did it with players that will fit into Koeman’s side.  I expect them to be safe with 5-6 weeks to go... QPR should also be in a similar situation.  While Loic Remy will no longer be a part of the club, they should have enough in the tank to stay in the Premier League this season.  Redknapp won’t let them go down again... I thought Hull City would go down last year, and I was wrong.  I predict they will fall at the end of this season, but I won’t be surprised if they get me again.  While their squad is thin, they do have some good players (Alex Bruce, Nikica Jelavic) and Steve Bruce has done very well with them.

Bundesliga:

Champions: Bayern Munich

Rest of Top 4: Borussia Dortmund, FC Schalke, Vfl Wolfsburg

European Places: Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Moenchengladbach

Mid-Table Obscurity: Werder Bremen, Hannover 96, Eintracht Frankfurt, Mainz 05

Safe for a Year: HSV, Hertha Berlin, 1899 Hoffeinheim

Battling for Safety: Freiburg, Vfb Stuttgart, FC Koln

Relegated: SC Paderborn, Augsburg

Bundesliga Eleven: Neuer; Alaba, Piszczek, Hummels, Wollscheid; Schweinsteiger, Lars Bender; Robben, Gotze, Reus; Lewandowski

DFB Pokal: Bayern Munich

Bundesliga Notes:  I don’t think Bayern will miss Mario Mandzukic in the least, and perhaps this is the year that endorses Lewandowski as one of the best players in the world.  He certainly has the skills to reach that level, now he has the club.  I do think Toni Kroos will be missed, but Sebastian Rode and Thiago Alcantara should fit in admirably...Dortmund had some sneaky good signings this summer, but I think their problem is only that they are in the same league as Bayern Munich.  They should have the squad though that could push them to a semi-finals place in Champions League as long as Marco Reus and Mats Hummels are fit and productive...Wolfsburg might be my surprise package across Europe this year.  While I don’t think they will challenge for the Bundesliga title, they should challenge for a Champions League place and may win the DFB Pokal trophy as well.  They have one of the world’s brightest stars in Kevin De Bruyne and with Luis Gustavo, Ivan Perisic and Joshua Guilavogui in the midfield they may even push for second...the rest of the Bundesliga looks pretty straight forward for once.  There are usually a surprise going both directions every season such as Schalke finishing in 8^th the same year they made the Champions League semi-final, and HSV almost getting relegated a season ago.  While I think neither circumstance happens again, Stuttgart going down wouldn’t be the biggest surprise.  They have been in the Bundesliga first division since 1977 and even won 3 titles since then.  But this current crop of players leaves a lot to be desired, and I think Stuttgart needs some fresh ideas as a club both on and off the pitch.

La Liga BBVA:

Champions: Real Madrid

Rest of Top 4: Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia

European Places: Sevilla, Real Sociedad, Athletic Bilbao

Mid-Table Obscurity: Espanyol, Getafe, Malaga, Levante, Villarreal

Safe for a Year: Deportivo La Coruna

Battling for Safety: Celta Vigo, Rayo Vallecano, Granada

Relegated: Elche, Almeria, Eibar

BBVA Eleven: der Stegen; Alba, Sergio Ramos, Miranda; Iniesta, Arda Turan, Modric, Kroos; Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Bale.

Copa del Rey: Barcelona

BBVA Notes:  Real Madrid have very convincingly built up the best team in club football over the past two seasons.  It was just 24 months ago, where it looked like Cristiano Ronaldo was running a one man show with the rest of the team watching.  Now with recent signings Gareth Bale, Isco, Toni Kroos and James, there is no lack of attacking power across the front line.  I fully expect them to be the world’s strongest team for a majority of the year, and they could pull in a major trophy haul... I’m not sure what direction Barcelona is heading.  They are now entering the ‘peak’ years of Messi’s career and instead of building a team around him, they decided to address their attack and help him up there instead.  While the prospect of Neymar, Messi and Luis Suarez scoring numerous goals is delectable, their back four leaves much to be desired...  I’m most impressed with Atletico’s summer purchases.  They have brought in Mandzukic, Jan Oblak (A much underrated keeper), and my personal favorite Antoine Griezmann.  He could reach the levels of a Franck Ribery or Arjen Robben very soon and should keep the Atletico attack along with Arda Turan very strong...This is probably the league among the top 4 that I pay the least amount of attention to, so my guess for the 4^th place spot is as good as any.  Valencia used to be a Champions League staple before their hiccup over the last five years, but looking at their squad, they should be strong enough to put up a fight with Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad for that final spot. 

Serie A:

Champions: AS Roma

Rest of Top 4: Juventus, Inter Milan, Napoli

European Places: Fiorentina, Lazio

Mid-Table Obscurity: Udinese, Parma, Sampdoria, AC Milan

Safe for a Year: Atalanta, Hellas Verona, Chievo Verona, Torino

Battling for Safety: Genoa, Palermo, Empoli

Relegated: Cagliari, Cesena, Sassuolo

Serie A Eleven: De Sanctis; Benatia, Chellini, Vidic; Hamsik, Pjanic, Pogba, Vidal, Honda; Iturbe, Klose

Coppa Italia: Lazio

Serie A Notes: Most followers of football will probably think it’s laughable that I have given AS Roma the title over Juventus this season, but I have two valid reasons for it.  First, I think that Roma made some of the best improvements to their squad over the summer transfer window.  They were able to secure the signings of Ashley Cole, Radja Nainggolan, Juan Iturbe and Leo Paredes without really weakening the squad at all. They sold Dodo to Inter Milan for 8 million Euros and Michael Bradley to Toronto for less than that.  Second, Juventus is really committed to making an impression on Europe this year.  They have been absolutely fantastic in the Serie A these past 3 years, there is no doubt about that.  But they haven’t qualified for a semi-final in that time, and spent last season in the Europa League knockout rounds which was quite a big blow.  They stepped it up by spending almost 40 million Euros on players this summer, but most of it was experience which I believe to be an interest in a long European run... Milan is falling apart.  They can’t get any big players interested in signing there anymore, and most of the talent has left.  If they can get productivity out of Mario Balotelli and Stephan El Sharaawy this year, then they may leave as well.  If that happens, it could be a long fall for the former European giants...

Champions League:

Semi-Final: Real Madrid v Bayern Munich / Chelsea v Manchester Utd (just kidding, obviously) v Juventus

Final: Real Madrid v Chelsea

Winner: Real Madrid

Notes:  Real Madrid is one of the few teams in recent history (2008-12 Barcelona, 2003-07 AC Milan) that has the squad capable of challenging for every trophy and depth to overcome the most disastrous of injury lists.  I might go one further and say they are deeper than that AC Milan team, at least in the mid-field.  If Sami Khedira and both Angel Di Maria stay, there is no doubting the talents of this squad.  Neither player is penciled in the starting eleven as of right now; they could probably walk into every club sans Chelsea and Bayern Munich.  I almost believe Khedira would start ahead of Nemanja Matic if picked for the biggest match.  Isco may get all of ten matches this season.  In any case, it’s because of this and a huge belief in the resurgence of one Iker Casillas that has me believing that Real Madrid will host their 11^th Champions Cup trophy... Bayern once again looks to have a strong team, but I believe two things will keep them from hoisting the trophy again.  First, Pep Guardiola who I believe has made this team less indomitable with his need for high quantities of possession and opportunities.  They were stronger when they defended and pushed forward through counter-attacks and the like.  Second, the midfield is slowly weakening.  While I like both the signings of Sebastian Rode and Robert Lewandoski has a whole, they are missing that extra piece of flair that Toni Kroos and Luis Gustavo brought on to the pitch.  I would like to have seen them sign Julian Draxler or Wesley Sneijder to really give them that special look.  Especially if they are going to become this possession-based side.  While Thiago Alcantara is on his way to becoming one of the world’s best, they are missing that player through the center that can really make things happen.  Thomas Muller will have to play there for now, as his place up top has been taken... This is the year that I think Juventus will really make a big play.  The entire summer brought forth the idea that they were planning on selling a top player in order to balance the books.  Both Arturo Vidal and Paul Pogba will be around for another season to help them push on.  The defense is still intact, and Gianluigi Buffon is going to give it another go in goal.  Andrea Pirlo appears ageless and they were also able to add Alvaro Morata to attack to join up with Carlos Tevez and Fernando Llorente.  They should take a little off of the gas in Serie A, just because they’ve been so strong there lately, and I think they make that extra little effort to get to the Champions League semi-finals... Jose is building something special at Stamford Bridge.  They had a little more attacking talent in years past, especially when it was Juan Mata, Eden Hazard, Oscar and Frank Lampard leading the show.  Case in point when they won Europe in 2012 and finished in the semi-finals last season.  But with the addition of Cesc Fabregas who has been one of the world’s best unless he sits behind Xavi, they should go to that next level.  Having Fabregas will allow Ramires, Matic and John Obi Mikel to do what they do best which is to break up attacks, and set Chelsea on the run.  I know some people have been disappointed with the decisions of Jose, but it’s always been about his style, and this Chelsea team is almost a replica of what he had at Inter Milan.  If Diego Costa can do his best Diego Milito impression, there is no reason for Chelsea not to be challenging for this trophy.

My Favorite Eleven for the Season:

David De Gea (Manchester United) GK – Has really put himself in the conversation for world’s best.

Kwadwo Asamoah (Juventus) LB – Juventus uses him more as a wing-back but he is an absolute joy to watch.

Thiago Silva (PSG) CB – It took awhile, but now I really appreciate his calm approach to every attack. Gives PSG a chance at Europe.

Vincent Kompany (Manchester City) CB – I’ve loved City’s captain since his time at Anderlecht.  I know his spell in Germany was sub par, but he is one of the best of this era.

Mattia De Sciglio (AC Milan) RB – Won’t be playing in Europe this season, but I had really hoped Alex Ferguson had signed him in years past.  He’s an intriguing talent.

Paul Pogba (Juventus) CDM – I am obsessed.  Looking forward to Juventus’ progress in the Champions League with an eagerness I’ve never felt before.  Not even with Edgar Davids and Zinedine Zidane. 

Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich) RM/LM – He’s always been one of my favorites even considering his antics.  Never played for a club I’ve cared for, so this season should be fun.

Adnan Januzaj (Manchester United) LM/RM – If I’m Manchester United, he is currently unsellable.  Maybe I’m jumping the gun, but I think that #11 suits him very well indeed.

Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund) CF – It’s been a long time since I’ve known from the first second how good a player is going to be.  I would say since the debut season of Wayne Rooney or my year in Germany watching Michael Ballack at the least.  Reus is made of the stuff of legends.  Dortmund still has a chance of European glory, essentially because of this guy.

Wayne Rooney (Manchester United) ST – United fan or neutral, I’ve always been a fan of his game.  He has a very unassuming style of play and makes the extraordinary out of the ordinary.  This really should be the year of his culmination, I’m excited to see how he takes Manchester United into its new era.

Zlatan Ibrahmovic (PSG) ST – I seriously, really wanted to name one of my children after him once I saw his goal against England.  Some would say it’s not even his greatest, but it still gives me goosebumps/tears/butterflies when I watch it on youtube.  It really shows the beauty of soccer summed compactly into a neat little box.  The joy, the passion, the inspiration, the creativity, the composure, the risk, every little attribute that players strive for.  If you get the chance this year, watch Zlatan has much as you can.   #DareToZlatan

College Preview

Nate’s 9: Playoff Hopefuls in NCAA Football

            I mean this in every sense, when I say that I am like a kid in a candy store.  After years of criticizing and getting mad at the BCS for not correctly picking a true national champion, we finally have a simple and determining factor that will always us to only have 1 NCAA football team standing at the end of the season.  I for one couldn’t be more excited! 

            I still have a heavy heart for the Penn State football team and its university.  I am attempting to do the neutral thing in all sports at all levels (minus the teams I am coaching of course), and with a little bit of the good unfortunate luck, Penn State can’t make the playoffs this year even if they were to go undefeated.  I think that this will be the easiest sport for me to submerge into as there is a ton of good football, and I’ve always admired many a programs in the past (Gators, Hurricanes, Badgers, etc).  Instead of a normal preview as I have done in the past, here are the 9 college football teams that I think have the best chance to play in the first NCAA college football playoff in our history.

#9 – Georgia. While they did finally graduate Aaron Murray to the pros after a great career, the rest of the talent coming back to Athens is absolutely mind-boggling.  They have two of the best running backs in the nation in Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall.  Rumor has it that a third running back (Brendan Douglas) is breaking through as if they need another. Their defense ranks among the SEC’s best, and could probably be considered top 15 nationally.  If they can get through a rough first month with games against South Carolina and Clemson then we very well could see them in the SEC championship with a trip to the playoffs at stake.

#8 – South Carolina.  They are in a pretty similar situation to the Georgia Bulldogs.  Talent at every position, but breaking in a new quarterback.  Their schedule also sets up in a parallel way with games against Georgia and Texas A&M in the first couple of weeks.  Get through that and they could also be playing against the SEC West for a chance to make the first playoff.  This game against Georgia will be huge.  Watch out for RB Mike Davis who could be a Heisman dark house.  Defensively they lost Jadeveon Clowney, but with Sharrod Golightly and Skai Moore they have some talented playmakers on defense that should keep them in enough games to win 10+.

#7- Ohio State.  A lot of people have the Buckeyes as this year’s dark horse to play in the championship, but I think they are still one or two players away on defense to really get there.  Their game against Clemson last season left them a little bit exposed, and it’s hard to ask Braxton Miller to win games on his own.  They do bring back the nation’s best defensive line led by SR Noah Spence.  He is a terror and will certainly be a 1^st round pick whenever he decides to play in the NFL.  Miller has been leading the offense for 2+ years now, and a lot will be expected from him.  If they can win their game in East Lansing against Michigan State plus win the Big Ten championship, they will likely finish inside one of the playoff places.  My guess is they lose one of the two.

#6 – Oregon.  This is a team that I am very excited for, but I think their schedule is just a bit difficult to win every game.  Marcus Mariota is back for another year behind center, and for anyone that followed the Ducks last season, they know that it is a very good thing.  I believe him to be the most NFL ready quarterback in the country, and it’ll likely be between him and Jameis Winston for next year’s #1 pick in the draft.  He does a bit of everything well.  Their running game is also very strong, and their best running back might be the true freshman Royce Freeman.  He is considered to be one of the top two or three backs in the country and cold hold the starting job by the time Pac-12 football begins.  Their defense isn’t as good as it’s been in years past, but they still have some NFL quality on that side in LB Tony Washington and CB Ifo Ekpre-Olomu.  Ekpre-Olomu is especially gifted and could’ve been a 1^st round pick if he had gone pro last season.  If they didn’t see Michigan State, UCLA and Stanford on the schedule, then I believe they could make an undefeated run and qualify for the playoffs.  With those powerhouses on the schedule, it may be too difficult.

#5 – Oklahoma.  Beating Alabama in the Sugar Bowl last season opened up everyone’s eyes as to how good this team has again become.  I’m not sure what happened after the Baylor game (12-41 Loss), but Oklahoma looked great the rest of the season.  They found their quarterback of the future in that game against Alabama in Trevor Knight.  He looked absolutely brilliant in the first half and had me shocked when the Alabama defense couldn’t get to him.  He’s still only a sophomore and should have the starting job locked up.  The player I’m most excited for is true freshman RB Joe Mixon.  (Youtube his highlights) He reminds me of Shaun Alexander the running back previously of the Seattle Seahawks and can do a bit of everything.  Oklahoma also returns a ton of talent at the WR position and they will look to spread teams wide.  Defensively, they will be one of the nation’s best and they may have the nation’s best linebacker in Dominique Alexander.  Their schedule sets up nice for an undefeated season, but I think with the high amount of freshmen and sophomores in their line-up that they slip up once, eliminating themselves from a final four playoff spot.

#4 – UCLA.  I need them to win their game against Oregon for this to happen.  It’s at home and early enough in the season where it won’t be a potential 1 vs. 2 matchup, so they have a few things going in their favor.  I really like what Mora has done with this team in two seasons.  It probably helps that Brett Hundley decided to stay in school for another year.  He could be the most electrifying quarterback in the country.  He’s tough to bring down, throws the intermediate passes very well, and shows a ton of leadership quality.  If this offense gets going early this year, look out. Defensively, Mora loaded up on talent in this year’s recruiting class.  They got 2 of the nation’s best LB’s in Zach Whitley and Kenny Young.  The most impressive thing about both of them is that they come from Texas and Louisiana respectively.  That’s a major coup for a Californian school not called USC.  They will accompany Myles Jack in the Bruins defense this season, and that’s a lot of talent on the football field.  Jack is the first player in NCAA history to be a conference freshman player of the year in both offense and defense.  Look for him to make that major step up now with his focus fully on defense.  I think they win every game, but even if they are not able to, a rematch game against Oregon in the Pac-12 championship could be enough to get them in that coveted final 4.

#3 – Michigan State.  I’m going out on a limb with this pick a little bit, but I didn’t hear anyone picking Auburn after they went 3-9 the year before last.  Michigan State went 13-1 last season and return both their best offensive and defensive players.  Connor Cook did just enough last year to get them to win games.  While not the greatest talent, he did what he had to on offense and let the defense make all the plays.  He will have to step up early and often this year as the Spartans play games against the Oregon Ducks, Ohio St. Buckeyes, Michigan Wolverines and Nebraska Cornhuskers all games they must win if they think they’re going to make the playoffs.  Every other game on their schedule is winnable.  Defensively, they are up there with Florida State and Alabama in terms of talent and statistics.  Last year they were 3^rd nationally in scoring defense and 2^nd nationally in yards given up.  If they can keep close to those numbers and I believe that they will, then they should be in the mix at the end of the season for a playoff place.

#2 – Alabama.  This is one of the few teams in NCAA history that could return just 9 of their 22 starters and still lock up a place in the new national championship game.  They lost quarterback AJ McCarron, defensive back Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and linebacker CJ Mosley just to name a few.  They were all key components of their national championship run in 2013.  It’s not that the talent is there, it’s just we have no idea who they are yet.  They continue to have the nation’s best recruiting classes so it’s just a matter of when, and not if.  Amari Cooper is probably the best WR in the nation and a likely top 10 pick in next year’s NFL draft.  TJ Yeldon is a great RB that can make people miss and is probably the front runner for the Heisman along with Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota.  Look for Derrick Henry to step forward this year and become another Alabama household name at the RB position.  The schedule is easier than in year’s past as they get Auburn, Texas A&M and Mississippi State all at home.  If they can beat LSU in Baton Rouge and win the SEC Championship game, then they should have enough in their basket to make it to the national championship once again.

#1 – Florida State.  It’s almost an easy pick.  When a team wins the national title with an extreme amount of freshmen and sophomores, they are likely good enough to do it again.  The only player of any significance that left who might not be replaceable is Kelvin Benjamin who decided that the game winning catch in the title game was a good way to go out.  They return the nation’s best QB in Jameis Winston.  He has a great grasp of the quarterback position and there were times when the games looked easy to him.  His performance in Clemson may have been the best of the season.  Even in the title game against Auburn, Winston looked in control and made plays even when Auburn were throwing things at him that he had never seen before.  Look for him to be even more improved this season.  They return standout WR Rashad Greene who is probably the best WR in the country after Amari Cooper.  They have three or four talented running backs that all do different things and should all see the field sometime during the season.  Their offensive line is as good as the Hurricanes of the last decade or the Cornhuskers of the 1990’s.  They could have 3 potential All-Americans on that line and Cameron Irving and Tre Jackson should be 1^st round picks in next year’s draft.  Defensively, they were the nation’s best and it could even be better.  Mario Edwards Jr could be the nation’s best defensive player and will need to be double-teamed often.  They have an ungodly amount of talent in the linebacker group and any one of 5 to 6 guys could be a starter.  Jalen Ramsey could be the nation’s best defensive back next season, if he can just stay out of trouble.  He was one of their key performers last year as a true freshman, and is one of the few guys that have a position locked up.  All this and they also have a favorable schedule that sees both Clemson and Notre Dame coming to Tallahassee.  Unless they blow it against Oklahoma State in the first game, the Seminoles should have an easy ticket to repeat street. 

National Champion – Florida State

Heisman Trophy Winner – Jameis Winston

Surprise team – Texas Longhorns (Could win 10+)

Biggest Dropoff – Missouri Tigers (May not win 8)

Players to watch:

QB: Marcus Mariota – Could get that #1 draft pick spot with a great year.

RB: Melvin Gordon – Wisconsin has another beast.

WR: Tyler Boyd – Pitt’s got another Larry Fitzgerald

LB: Eric Striker – Oklahoma’s got two of the nation’s best

LB: Myles Jack – Manti Te’o and Anthony Barr put together.

CB: Kendall Fuller – Could be better than his brother Kyle by his senior year.

Impact Freshmen:

QB: Kyle Allen – A different player than Johnny Football; can he bring a title?

QB: Will Grier – Has that Tom Brady coolness, could bring Gators back.

RB: Leonard Fournette – Whoa!

RB: Joe Mixon – Oklahoma has good backs, he still could be #1 by Thanksgiving.

WR Malachi Dupre – LSU just reloading yo!

DE: Myles Garrett – A&M may also have the nation’s best defensive player too.

LB: Zach Whitley – We may have to rename UCLA – Linebacker University.

DB: Tony Brown – Alabama’s jewel – next in line to be NFL good.

DB: Jalen Tabor – Janoris Jenkins four years later.

Bring on the college football!!

Mount Rushmores (The Sports Version)

Nate’s 9: Sports Mount Rushmore’s

Last year, NBC Sports decided to air a TV special that discussed each NFL franchise as if it were a Mount Rushmore.  So, essentially the top four most influential people in that franchise’s history.  It was actually quite a lot of fun, made for some great debate, and by the end it had a lot of my friends and me talking about it.  Now, I’ve taken it to the next level and thought about the best Mount Rushmore’s in all of American Sports.  This was probably the most difficult blog that I have written for two reasons.  One, I wasn’t doing “my favorite 9”, but instead the 9 that I believe to be the best.  Two, the crossover in sports.  Baseball and football get a little bit more of an advantage just because their histories date back to the early 20th century and even a little beyond in the case of baseball.  Basketball and hockey, while having been around for a while, have fluctuated between years of talent and interest, and years of barren performances and insignificance. Baseball and football have generally always had the players and the statistics to make us aware of who was great and who wasn’t.  In any case, here are the 9.

#9 – Montreal Canadiens – Guy LaFleur, Maurice Richard, Scotty Bowman, Patrick Roy.

This is tough because I think the Canadians played in a watered-down NHL, and they were the first really successful team.  We tend to look back on those teams fondly and think of them better than they really are.  I really struggled with this as they scored pretty evenly with the Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins, St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, Pittsburgh Penguins, Chicago Blackhawks, Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears and Chicago Bulls among other franchises across sports.  They get my 9th spot because between the first 3 gentlemen they won 18(!) Stanley Cups and numerous amounts of scoring titles, Hart trophies and Coach of the year awards.  Then to complete the mantle they have arguably the greatest goaltender of all-time and I’m not even talking about Hall of Fame goaltender Ken Dryden.  I’m talking about carried the Canadians on his back with the most impressive post season performance of all-time Patrick Roy.  And I don’t even like the guy.  But this is a legendary squad.  Only a few teams in these 9 can match their titles mano-a-mano.

#8 – Brooklyn/LA Dodgers – Jackie Robinson, Vin Scully, Branch Rickey, Sandy Koufax.

This was a tough one, not because I thought about keeping them out, but because of who made it on their mantle.  The history is ridiculous; Reese, Campanella, Drysdale, Kershaw, Lasorda, O’Malley, Hershiser, Gibson, Snider and many others all left their mark on this wonderful franchise.  But I think the Dodgers have shaped baseball because of the decisions and will power of two men specifically: Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey.  If Rickey doesn’t decide that it’s time for a significant historical, cultural and sporting change and if Robinson doesn’t decide to be the inaugural ball player in which to desegregate baseball, then the Dodgers franchise as we know isn’t close to being the same.  They are almost synonymous with one another; the Dodgers and Jackie.  Vin Scully could also be considered synonymous with the Dodgers.  He has been announcing for them since 1950, which as we all know dates back to their days in Brooklyn.   His voice is so recognizable that when I hear it, I know that baseball is on.  Sandy Koufax could be considered the best pitcher of the middle-generation of baseball (1945-1990) and I probably agree with that.  His ERA in the world series 0.95 is one of the great numbers in sports, and will probably last as long as DiMaggio’s hit streak.  He retired at 30 which some say may have helped him, while others believe it hindered his stats.  I think he was most likely good enough to keep those numbers going for a few more years.  In any case, Clayton Kershaw has a lot of work to do before dethroning Koufax from the final spot in this 4.

#7 – Edmonton Oilers – Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Paul Coffey, Jari Kurri

This Rushmore is most impressive because they all played together at the same time for the Oilers, and dominated the NHL during a time when the league was starting to get stronger (Flames, Bruins, Penguins, etc).  They won five titles in seven years before dismantling the roster, (and I’m not joking, they purged the sucker) and even pulled a title without Gretzky and Coffey who were traded before the 1990 Cup win.  Wayne Gretzky was an obvious choice as first on the board.  Coffey, while probably most prolific with the Pittsburgh Penguins after his demands for a trade, was also an easy choice to put on the board.  I put Messier up there because he stayed the longest and was able to win the 1990 championship on his own, before winning another on his own with the Rangers in 1994.  Kurri was the one I had the toughest time with, as Kevin Lowe, Grant Fuhr, Glenn Anderson all contributed for many of those years.  I also considered Glen Sather as president; he was the one that was able to pull this together for so long.  They are by far the smallest market on this list, and it’s not really close.  They haven’t had any other strong franchise moments minus their little blip Stanley Cup finals appearance in 2006. In fact, that was their only Stanley Cup appearance without one of the aforementioned players. A definite tribute to Sather and these four players for going on such a great run.

#6 – Pittsburgh Steelers – Dan Rooney, Terry Bradshaw, Lynn Swann, Joe Greene

I actually had them rated the same as their cross-town team the Pittsburgh Penguins.  I think the Penguins probably would’ve ended up 10th or 11th, but the Steelers had a little more fire power in their front office and trophy wins.  This is another franchise that impressed me by the players/coaches that were left off of the list: Chuck Noll, Franco Harris, John Stallworth, Ben Roethlisberger, Jack Lambert, Jack Ham, Hines Ward, Bill Cowher, Rod Woodson, Mel Blount, etc.  The amount of success with this franchise is mind-blowing as they’ve won 6 Super Bowls in 8 appearances.  Rooney is now the face of this franchise after his father’s passing, and we can assume that Art II will take over in the same manner.  I was tempted to put all three Rooney’s into one position, but I didn’t think it fair to the other franchises.  Terry Bradshaw is still one of the more recognizable faces of the NFL, and he has 4 rings in which to grace upon his fingers.  He had the personality to back up his skills and really made the Steelers a fun team to watch in their heyday (quoting my pops who said I missed out on a really great team). Lynn Swann always came up big in the big moments and I think in today’s NFL he would have really thrived with the liberal wide-open offenses that we have become accustomed to.  Mean Joe Greene was the face of the Steelers defense, and the coke commercial gave him nationwide popularity.  Troy Polamalu has kind of had similar success, but for me Greene earns the final spot.

#5 – Boston Celtics – Larry Bird, Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, Red Auerbach

This is where I think it gets ridiculous.  The top 5 franchises are far and away the greatest in our sporting history and the amount of people that I had to leave off the Rushmore’s are simply astounding.  I’m not going to go through the names anymore, but many of you can probably guess all the Celtics that are missing from this mantle.  I was never going to keep Larry Bird off.  I believe that if he had never had all the injuries and back problems over the years that he would’ve been mentioned just behind Michael and ahead of LeBron and Kobe in the aura of the greatest ever players.  He could play defense, pass the ball, rebound and he was a sensational scorer.  He has titles, face value, leadership qualities; in an essence he is the total package.  Imagine Bird in the twitter era... Bill Russell was probably the greatest winner in American sports history.  He was a two-time NCAA champion back when freshmen weren’t allowed to play basketball.  He won... 11(!!!) NBA titles with eight of them coming in a row! I also think that is another “statistic” that I don’t think will ever be matched, and I think it’s one of the greatest feats in mankind’s history.  For all the things that would have to go right for that to happen...  He won 5 MVP awards as well, and I think I’m just going to take it to Bob Cousy now. Cousy, one of four PG’s along with Steve Nash, Magic Johnson and Derrick Rose to win an MVP award.  He was probably the player that made the Celtics tick during all of those titles.  While Russell was stout on defense and the boards, his offensive game wasn’t world beating, and it was Cousy who had the skill set to score and find Tom Heinsohn and Bill Sharman among others.  He won 6 titles in 13 seasons with the Celtics including his last five seasons there.  Auerbach was the architect of this entire franchise.  Between being coach and executive of the Boston Celtics he won 16 titles.  After stepping away as head coach, he went into the general manager position and drafted Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Danny Ainge and traded for Robert Parish.  These moves led to another 3 titles and put Boston in a great position to maintain the titles lead for years to come.  The only reason I don’t have them higher on this list is because of my Mount Rushmore mantra – Style and substance.  They just didn’t have as much style as another basketball unit higher up the charts.

#4 – Dallas Cowboys – Jerry Jones, Emmitt Smith, Tom Landry, Roger Staubach.

This was a tough one because I had a hard time leaving out Troy Aikman, winner of three super bowls.  They also had a large number of great defensive players during the Tom Landry era, and any one of them (mainly Ed Jones) could have also sneaked into this group.  But I just felt like Landry was larger than anyone of those players, and Staubach was a legend, where as Aikman was just a winner.  Jerry Jones has transformed this franchise in a way that probably has never been done, before or since.  They were a dormant franchise when he purchased them in the late 1980’s with a crappy stadium, a crappy roster, and a (forgive me Tom) stale coach who had probably gone on just a little bit too long.  No one wanted to see Landry go really, but it needed to be done and Jerry had a pair that wasn’t afraid to make any decision.  He brought in Jimmy Johnson and won two super bowls, clashed with him, and instead of fading away, he brought in Barry Switzer and won another Super bowl.  They won 3 of 4 super bowls and if their peak didn’t come to fruition at the exact same time of the Giants and 49ers, they most certainly would’ve won more.  He has the “most extravagant” stadium in sports, and is probably the most recognizable in the NFL (certainly outside of New England).  He is probably one of three owners that could officially be labeled as the face of the franchise (Steinbrenner, Cuban).  Emmitt was a horse.  Growing up, I never liked him, because I believed that he was a product of a great offensive line and an offense that really couldn’t be stopped no matter what the defense did.  Looking back, he made things almost easy for Dallas.  The year was 1993, and Emmitt decided to hold out.  Jerry wasn’t going to pay him because he believed that the team could win without Emmitt.  They started 0-2.  Emmitt came back.  They went 15-2 and won another Super Bowl and Emmitt won the rushing title, the MVP award and the Super Bowl MVP award.  Yours truly had a hard time with that, but needless to say, I was wrong about him.  Landry was a legend.  During his coaching ‘prime’ from 1966-1985 he had a total of... 0 losing seasons.  0! In twenty years!  How it all came to a crashing halt I’ll never know because he had 3 losing seasons from that point until he retired/got pushed out in 1988.  He was credited with inventing the 4-3 defense, because up until that time, most teams ran a 5-2 defense to match up with the offensive lines.  By moving the middle lineman backwards and essentially making him a linebacker, it got more speed onto the field and paved way for the great Cowboys, Dolphins and Steelers defenses of the 1960’s and 1970’s.  Roger Staubach was the gunslinger of his day.  He is obviously known for the “Hail Mary” play, but what most don’t know is that he led the Cowboys to 23 4th quarter comebacks including 17 in the final two minutes during his career (thank you Pro Football Reference for that one).  He took the Cowboys to four Super Bowls and created the scrambling style of quarterback that Randall Cunningham and Steve Young really took to the next level.  But he won too.

#3 – San Francisco 49ers – Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Bill Walsh, Steve Young

When I first thought about Mount Rushmore lists, this is the team that I thought would be at the top of the summit.  Commenting conservatively I would say these are the best quarterback of all-time, the best receiver of all-time, the 3rd best football coach of all-time (and one who changed offenses forever) and the best scrambling quarterback of all-time (11th on my total list).  Not a bad group.  They did everything I’ve asked of a Rushmore; they won titles (13 Super Bowls in the toughest era IMO) they set records (too many to list), they were in commercials (all of them, check out Steve Young’s) they had charisma (Joe’s wife though!) and they changed the sport.  But you will see that two franchises have done it just a little bit better. In any case, Montana is one of the greatest of all-time.  He had pretty much all of it – he was a leader, he liked the big moments; embraced them actually, he had personality off the field (Notre Dame guy, Hanes) and he won.  A lot.  Except in Kansas City.  Jerry Rice for me is the greatest football player of all-time.  The guy worked harder off the field than he did on it.  He could catch the deep ball.  He could run the short routes (best IMO). He could take handoffs (Tecmo Bowl even had a reverse handoff for him). He played beyond 40 and quite well.  He missed an entire (!) season during his prime years due to an ACL/MCL tear, came back after 3 months only to bust a kneecap.  He then had 82 catches for 1,150 and 9 touchdowns in the year after those injuries.  Including missing that entire season, he has 208 touchdowns (33 more than runner-up Emmitt Smith) and a... wait for it... 224 more receptions than the next closest player, Tony Gonzalez.  Take out Tony, and Marvin Harrison is 447 receptions behind Jerry.  He also has 5 super Bowl rings and 6 appearances in that game.  And... A Dancing with the Stars title to boot! Bill Walsh created the West Coast offense.  The idea was that defenses in the NFL were getting faster and stronger, and the rushing attacks of the 1970’s were having a hard time adjusting.  So Walsh decides to use the pass to set up the run, which was almost unheard of prior to that time.  By getting 2-3 WR’s on the field and even multiple tight ends, it forced the defense to read instead of playing instinctively.  That created holes for the likes of Roger Craig to run through and the Niners offense took off.  His first season in San Francisco he won 2 games.  His 3rd year they were NFL champions.  Steve Young is underrated.  Yeah, I’ll say it.  He probably had one of the toughest jobs in NFL history by replacing Joe Montana.  Not only did the fans of San Francisco love Joe, but fans across the country loved him.  No one wanted to see him go to Kansas City.  The owner wanted Montana as the starter.  Teammates wanted Montana as the starter.  It was actually Montana who volunteered to get traded when the problem got so bad.  (Rumors circulated back then that Young was going to get traded, but it never happened).  Young came in and in his first year as the undisputed starter took the 49ers to the NFC championship game before losing to those Dallas Cowboys.  His second year earned him his only Super Bowl, but in the face of all that adversity, I believe it’s enough to get his face chiseled upon that mantle.  And solidify the 49ers in the top 3 in all of sports.

#2 – Minneapolis/LA Lakers – Jerry West, Magic, Kareem, Kobe Bryant.

When three players can be listed by their first name, you know you have it good as a franchise.  When Shaq doesn’t make the mantle, you know you have it good as a franchise.  When George Mikan doesn’t make the mantle... this organization has had so much talent and success that I literally had no idea on who to put in the top four.  Pat Riley essentially invented Showtime Lakers basketball.  Phil Jackson won 5 rings here.  Jerry Buss was a very recognizable owner.  But what I like about the Lakers is that it’s always been about the players and the basketball.  And what a group.  Jerry West was probably one of the best pure scorers of all-time.  And although he didn’t win as well as some of the others, the Lakers were always close to the top.  His achievements after the game of basketball have been spectacular as well.  Magic Johnson, it could be argued was once the face of the NBA along with Bird, Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan.  They got the NBA back to the interest level that it has today and he did a lot of winning as well.  It’s a shame that his career ended so soon.  Kareem is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, he changed the rules of the game along the way, and created a move that is still talked about 30 years later (sky hook).  At one point he was almost indefensible one-on-one and he has been a great ambassador for the game even after his playing days.  Kobe is polarizing to say the least.  I loved him when he entered the NBA because he played with no fear and didn’t back down to anyone.  Then I hated him for essentially trying to take over “Shaq’s team” when clearly he had no right to do so.  He called out teammates and never really embraced that role of team leader until it was too late.  Now I have the utmost respect for him, as he’s won on his own, he’s worked harder than just about anybody (Michael and Jerry come to mind) to stay on top as long as he has, and he’s shown us how much he loves the game of basketball.  Too even be mentioned in the same breath as Jordan is good enough to get the final spot on this great franchise.

#1- New York Yankees – Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Derek Jeter, Joe DiMaggio

Well, I finally feel good about the four that I picked.  In fact, the Yankees should realistically have two Rushmore’s because Steinbrenner, Berra, Ford and Mantle might be pissed at me.  Or Reggie Jackson, Roger Maris, Thurman Munson, Billy Martin, Joe Torre and Tony Lazzeri.  I’m not going to give my reasons for picking these four, or why I believe that it should be them.  I don’t want to interfere with the only sports franchise that actually deserves to have a Mount Rushmore in their honor.

Someone almost beat me to it, but picked Mantle over DiMaggio.  I'm not mad.

Fun note:  To put this 4 into perspective they combined for 11,236 hits with DiMaggio only playing 13 seasons, Gehrig’s career cut short due to ALS, Ruth pitching for the early part of his career and Jeter not quite being finished yet.  If given full, relatively healthy careers, they probably could’ve pushed around 15,000 hits between the four.