Uncensored Writing: April 2018

Monday, April 30, 2018

Roquan Smith - The Bulldog That Turned Into a Monster (of the Midway)

With the eighth overall selection of the NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears selected Roquan Smith, a linebacker from the Georgia Bulldogs. Leading up to the draft, I was very excited about the potential of Smith, and even though all Bears fans developed a massive crush on Quenton Nelson, things didn't fall that way, and I am incredibly happy with the selection the Bears were able to make. So what did the Bears get in Roquan? Let's take a look by checking out his games against Mississippi State and Auburn.

Although Roquan Smith is a "small" linebacker at 238 pounds, he does a good job of being crafty when taking on bigger offensive blockers.

Here, Mississippi State's center goes for a half chop block, half spear, but Smith does a good job of bouncing back off the block while staying on his feet where he is able to still make the tackle on the screen play.

Although Smith is an off-the-ball linebacker, he can blitz when necessary.

So, pretty obvious that his murder of the MSU quarterback is the big thing on this play, but there is more to it than that. He starts moving to his right on the ball fake, and the split second that the running back runs without the ball, he goes into a dead sprint mode where he unfortunately ends a life. RIP, Nick Fitzgerald.

Another example of him reading the field is this play in zone coverage on a third and seven.

Here he sets up the quarterback by giving the receiver room and already having his angle perfected before the pass is thrown to make the tackle before the first down marker. The hit and wrap up is also textbook.

He's also good when he is forced into man coverage.

He is able to follow the receiver while looking back towards the quarterback and times his jump well to easily swat the ball away.

This final play shows that he is not only good at diagnosing plays, but he also has an incredible ability to change directions.
He takes off towards the quarterback at the start of the play but recognizes the running back leaking out into the flat and is able to put a foot in the grass and change direction to shut down any outlet throw from the quarterback.

Conclusion
Before the draft, I wrote about how good Josey Jewell was at all aspects of being a linebacker. The only question with Jewell was his athleticism. Well, Roquan Smith is Josey Jewell if Jewell was a freak athlete. The only question mark is size, and at 238 pounds, I don't think it's a bit of a reach to call it an issue. Will he get blown up by offensive linemen on occasion? Of course, but that happens to all linebackers. Smith has All-Pro potential at middle linebacker, and the city of Chicago is going to freaking love him. It was a great start to the Bears draft and will hopefully kick off a new era in Chicago Bears football.

Friday, April 27, 2018

The Top 5 USA Freestyle Wrestlers at 125 KG

I went to the UWW Freestyle World Cup in Iowa City, and it was awesome. In fact, it got me so amped up that I'm going to be coming at you with a bunch of wrestling content. I'm ranking the top five guys at every weight class, and today we finish with the big boys at 125 KG (approximately 275 pounds). Let's get to it.

5. Zachery Rey
I would say it is fairly likely that Rey finishes better than this, but since I don't really see any situation where he makes it to the top of the pile, I'm going to keep him at fifth as he's a tough out for guys and could easily end up second, but it would take an incredible amount of fortunate circumstances for him to take the top spot.

4. Gable Steveson
Gable Steveson is only 17 years old, and he's on this list. I have preached over and over how big of a jump it is to compete at the Senior Level from the Junior Level, and it definitely is. But this dude is SPECIAL. There is an incredible amount of talent coming up at heavyweight, but Steveson still stands head and shoulders above everyone else. Athletically, he might be the most gifted heavyweight out there, but I do think some of the strength and experience of the USA's top guys will give him issues. He probably won't be good enough to win this weight, but every match of his is going to be a must watch.

3. Tony Nelson
This is likely too high for Tony Nelson, but I remember Tony Nelson as a guy who always found a way to win at the college level. He won two national titles, and he always seemed to come through when it mattered most. I thought he would instantly be one of our best heavyweights on the international level, and instead, he has really failed to do anything in freestyle. I still believe the talent is there, and since my brain is stupid and my thoughts fail to change quickly, I could see him being the guy, but it is more realistic that he gets upset early and fails to make any noise at the US Freestyle Trials.

2. Dom Bradley
Dom Bradley is solid. He doesn't do anything that wows people, but he's tough to score on and he can keep things close. It's usually enough to keep him in the mix, but I can't see him being the guy for the United States.

1. Nick Gwiazdowski
Gwiazdowski is the man at this weight class, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. He's big, athletic, and has made a very strong transition to the world of freestyle. He's not a top guy at heavyweight internationally as he's never really had a breakthrough win against the top few guys a the weight, but he's still at a stage where he's getting better, and he should keep that spot for at least this year, but yeah, in the future, that Gable Steveson is set to make things interesting.

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57 KG

The Top 5 USA Freestyle Wrestlers at 97 KG

I went to the UWW Freestyle World Cup in Iowa City, and it was awesome. In fact, it got me so amped up that I'm going to be coming at you with a bunch of wrestling content. I'm ranking the top five guys at every weight class, and today we move on to 97 KG (approximately 214 pounds). Let's get to it.

5. Kollin Moore
Moore probably isn't ready for the senior level, since he wasn't ready for the NCAA Tournament this year where he got blitzed by Kyle Conel, an unknown out of Kent State, twice. But nobody wants to wrestle 97 KG for the USA right now, because they know there ain't no way in hell they're going to win it. I had to put someone here.

4. Nathan Burak
Burak did beat the number one guy at this weight back in college in one of the weirder matches I can remember, but he ain't ever beating that guy again. As a former Hawkeye, I wish him nothing but the best, but his best would be a second place finish at this weight.

3. Ty Walz
Ty Walz was a college heavyweight who has trimmed down to try his luck at 97 KG. He's definitely tough, and he is a contender to make the Finals at this weight, but he's not winning it.

2. Kyven Gadson
Gadson is the second best option at 97 KG, and he did get a huge win over the number one guy in college. But things have greatly changed since then as even though Gadson has gotten better. The number one guy on this list has turned into the greatest wrestler in the world, possibly at any weight class.

1. Kyle Snyder
Yeah, ain't nobody stopping Kyle Snyder from representing the United States at this weight. Not only that, but he'll go in as the overwhelming favorite to win the World Championships at 97 KG this year. That doesn't mean he is completely unbeatable, but he's as close to unbeatable as we're going to see at any weight class in the world. Here's the thing, it's not like Snyder is going to go through and tech fall everybody and dominate; that's not his game. Snyder doesn't blast doubles like Burroughs, and he can give up takedowns on occasion. But Snyder is absolutely relentless. Nobody at his size can put on the pace that he generates for six minutes, and he just eventually wears guys out. He's not Freddy Krueger with flashy slashing kills; he is Jason Voorhees, stalking his prey and overwhelming them when they finally wear out. It's incredible, and you should seek out any opportunity to watch him as he is on the path to becoming the greatest American wrestler ever.

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57 KG

Thursday, April 26, 2018

The 45 Most Important Players to the Chicago Bulls Dynasty - #1 Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan
And so we've come to the end of the road. Surprise, surprise, Michael Jordan made the top spot of the most important players to the Chicago Bulls dynasty. Here's the problem with Michael Jordan: What can I say about Michael Jordan that hasn't been said at least a thousand times before? Everybody already knows how good Michael Jordan was. Most consider him the greatest ever, so breaking down his stats is a waste of everyone's time. Luckily, I'm smart enough to know that my words in this scenario are overrated, so let's consult YouTube and look at some of his greatest career highlights.

Since Jordan was known for his high flying ways, let's start off by looking at his five best dunks. That seems a little broad, so instead of just going with overall dunks, let's only focus on the five best occasions of Michael Jordan dunking on very good NBA player, Armen Gilliam.

My favorite thing, outside of the fact that somebody made a cut up just to shame Armen Gilliam, is that Michael Jordan not only has five AMAZING dunks on Gilliam, but he did it while Gilliam played for three separate teams. It's like Jordan looked forward to the schedule to see when he could punk out poor Gilliam, and that 100% seems like something Michael Jordan would do.

MJ was known for his insane competitiveness as no matter what was at stake, he simply refused to lose. And this may be the greatest embodiment of that as Chris Paul said that if Michael Jordan missed three of six shots, every kid at the basketball camp would get a free pair of Air Jordans.
Of course, Michael Jordan couldn't miss three shots, or two shots, or even a single of the six shots he took, because he's Michael Jordan, and he has to win. My favorite part of the video is that in the cut up you can hear the kids get more and more depressed as he keeps hitting shots. The man is ruthless. After Jordan made all six shots, Chris Paul gave them a second chance to give out the shoes if he could make all six shots, but he missed his third attempt. MJ's got to keep them profit margins on point.

As you can see, Michael Jordan is an over-competitive assho...uh, jerk. That's what made him great. But he also had a softer side as he could be charming and fun to be around when he wanted to be as shown in the below video where he throws a football 65 yards, but the best part is him interacting with kids.

Some kid says that he heard that Michael Jordan threw three no hitters when he was a kid, and Jordan's response is pretty great, "I did? Where'd you find that out; I think they asked my father that. He kinda lied. That's okay. It's in the book. It's record now." Also, let's ignore the fact that if those kids were Michael Jordan's neighbors, they are probably hedge fund managers now and likely horrific scumbags.

Finally, let's wrap things up with a couple of MJ's endorsements. First, Gatorade, where one of the most memorable jingles of all time was established, as everybody wanted to be "Like Mike."

I cannot help but smile when I watch that commercial.

And one last commercial, where Michael Jordan and Larry Bird compete for $4 worth of fast food.
Word has it that they made all of these shots on the first try, but sorry Larry, there's no way you were getting Michael's Big Mac. When you actually consider it, is it fair to say Michael Jordan is the greatest commercial actor in history? It's tough to think of anybody who can match up with him. But that's just a part of his story. The bigger part of the story is that he is greatest basketball player of all time, and that is why he was a no-brainer for the greatest Chicago Bull of their 1990s dynasty.

All Previous Entries:

#24 - Dickey Simpkins

#17 - Cliff Levingston

#16 - Stacey King

#15 - Jason Caffey

#14 - Bill Wennington

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

The Top 5 USA Freestyle Wrestlers at 92 KG

I went to the UWW Freestyle World Cup in Iowa City, and it was awesome. In fact, it got me so amped up that I'm going to be coming at you with a bunch of wrestling content. I'm ranking the top five guys at every weight class, and today we move on to 92 KG (approximately 203 pounds). Let's get to it.

5. Michael Macchiavello
Macchiavello has had quite the rise in this past year as he emerged from the 197 pound weight class to claim a national championship. He's not a transcendent talent that is immediately going to be competing for the top spot in freestyle for the United States, but he is a good talent who could make things interesting. He will definitely get better in the next few years, but I don't really see a time where he makes the leap to ever be the guy for the United States internationally.

4. Kenny Courts
Kenny Courts had one good tournament in college where he came out of nowhere to become an All-American. Then he fell out of everyone's thoughts and popped back up to turn into an interesting freestyle prospect again. He might just be getting overhyped due to a single strong performance, but he could possibly make things interesting at this weight, although I still can't imagine him being the guy.

3. Nick Heflin
Heflin is a guy who was never a world-beater in college as he finished fifth twice during his time at Ohio State. He's good, not great, but considering this weight class was just added, it's a little more shallow than most so he has a legitimate shot to make the title match against J'Den Cox.

2. Hayden Zillmer
I saw Zillmer wrestle one match at the World Cup against India, and the thing that stood out is he looked massive. This is yet another guy who didn't shine too much in college, but maybe he can make an impact here. He was named the alternate at the World Cup for a reason, so he's probably the favorite to challenge Cox at Final X.

1. J'Den Cox
J'Den Cox is the sweatiest athlete in history. I feel like before we talk about his wrestling credentials, we really just need to get that on the record as no matter how good he is at wrestling, it will never live up to his ability to sweat. The man has to be wiped down before a match, because he simply has too much sweat on him simply from warming up. Anyways, Cox is also a hell of a wrestler as he's got a Bronze medal to his name. He's long and strong and incredibly tough to score on. I don't think anybody in the United States is touching him, but I need to see him develop more of an offensive attack before I can see him getting atop a podium at the international level.

Previous Entries:

57 KG

The Top 5 USA Freestyle Wrestlers at 86 KG

I went to the UWW Freestyle World Cup in Iowa City, and it was awesome. In fact, it got me so amped up that I'm going to be coming at you with a bunch of wrestling content. I'm ranking the top five guys at every weight class, and today we move on to 86 KG (approximately 190 pounds). Let's get to it.

5. Pat Downey III
PD3 was my guy early in the season. That was when I thought he was actually going to wrestle for the Hawkeyes. Unfortunately, that never came to fruition, so Downey has not competed in quite a while. Still, he has been training in Iowa City, and I don't expect to see a lot of rust from him. He has the ability to take out some of the top guys at this weight, but even if things break right, I have trouble seeing him making the Final X.

4. Gabe Dean
Gabe Dean was a very good folkstyle wrestler but can't seem to find his footing at the next level. He's dabbled in both freestyle and greco and neither one really seems to suit him. He's a great all-around athlete and a tremendous competitor, but I think he will likely end up being a great college wrestler who never does anything on the international level. I know that doesn't sound great, but being a great college wrestler is pretty freaking incredible, so let's celebrate that instead of worrying about an international career.

3. Richard Perry
Perry is the opposite of Dean where he has done much better at freestyle than he ever did at the NCAA level. He was never even an All-American, but he has been in the mix for the USA in past years. Still, he was never close to taking that top spot, and I don't see a major breakthrough coming this year. He's solid depth and a gatekeeper for some of the young guys coming up, but it's tough to envision any more.

2. Bo Nickal
Nickal is one of the most exciting guys in wrestling. He is willing to go big in order for a big payoff and truly wrestles with the philosophy of, "No risk it, no biscuit." Any match that he is in is must-watch, but even though he's entertaining, I don't see him having the tools to take out the top guy on this list.

1. David Taylor
Taylor has gone on a tear since moving up to 86 KG as he has looked great against international competition. Unfortunately, J'Den Cox gave him fits when it mattered most, and he was unable to represent the country last year. But now it's his time. I really don't see anybody challenging him from the United States, and I wouldn't be shocked if he took out everybody in the world as well, although that is still a far loftier goal in a very tough weight class.

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57 KG

Tuesday, April 24, 2018

The 45 Most Important Players to the Chicago Bulls Dynasty - #2 Scottie Pippen

Scottie Pippen
Scottie Pippen is my favorite basketball player ever. I loved Scottie Pippen growing up, and watching old videos of him has only strengthened my love for him on the court. Part of the reason that I loved Pippen so much is that his story is incredible. He was nothing at basketball, to the point that he just wanted to be a team manager in college, a team manager for football. He ended up walking on to the basketball team at Central Arkansas, and then grew half a foot and became a dominant player at the NAIA level. He was so impressive that he ended up being the fifth pick of the 1987 NBA Draft by the Seattle SuperSonics, and then immediately traded to the Chicago Bulls for Olden Polynice and a few other picks going both ways.

Pippen's rookie year was nothing to write home about as he was stuck on the bench behind Brad Sellers. Still, he showed enough to take over the starting small forward position the following year. By year three, he was the Robin to Jordan's Batman, which is fitting but also totally undercuts how good of a player Pippen was.

During the 1990s, you could make a strong argument that he was one of the five best players in the NBA. Obviously you had Jordan as the best and probably Hakeem Olajuwon as the second best player, but after that? He is right on the level with guys like David Robinson, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, and Shaquille O'Neal (a guy I'd put ahead of Pippen but a lot of that was due to his work in the 2000s).

It wasn't that Pippen was going to lead the league in any category, as he only had one year where he led the league in steals as the only time he did so. But, on any given night, he could be the best at any one of the five statistical categories. One game it would be 30 points, another it would be 12 rebounds, or maybe it was 10 assists, or five steals, or possibly even three blocks. He was great everywhere, and he could fill in to whatever those Bulls teams needed.

The biggest knock on Pippen is that he was Jordan's number two, but thanks to MJ's baseball sabbatical, we got to see what Pippen was able to do as the top dog, and it was incredible. In the 1994-95 season, Pippen led the team in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks, something that has only been done four other times in NBA history.

And it's not like Pippen didn't have highlights. He had maybe the greatest dunk ever when he not only dunked on Patrick Ewing, but then stood over him like a conqueror taking a new land.

Pippen didn't waste his time dunking over nobodies as he also decided to destroy Kevin McHale.

But his greatest highlight was after his time with the Bulls. In fact it was after his time in teh NBA as he had to make a statement at the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game. Justin Bieber tried throwing a garbage shot from his chest and Scottie Pippen had the easiest block of his entire career.

Pippen punked out The Biebs.

Outside of the six championships he won with the Chicago Bulls, he also managed two gold medals, as he was a part of the 1992 Dream Team as well as the less catchy 1996 US Olympic Basketball team. He was on an All-NBA Team seven times, including three times on the first-team; he was an All-NBA Defensive first teamer on eight separate occasions, and he managed to make it into seven All-Star games, including being the All-Star MVP of 1994.

After the 1998 season, Pippen forced his way out and was traded to the Houston Rockets. After one year with the Rockets, he forced another trade to the Portland Trail Blazers. The team nearly made it to the NBA Finals in 2000 but surrendered a 15-point lead thanks to some tremendous play by the Los Angeles Lakers and some tremendous calls by the NBA referees that were bound and determined to see the Lakers succeed. He spent a couple more years with the Blazers before returning to the Chicago Bulls to mentor the Baby Bulls for one year before retiring in 2004.

But Pippen will always be remembered for his first stint with the Chicago Bulls. Him and Jordan were the only players to be there from start to finish, and their names will always be tied together. Because of the pairing with Jordan, Pippen will probably be eternally underrated, but he also has six rings because of it, so I would say that it all worked out for him. Also, he punked out Justin Bieber, and not even Michael Jordan can outshine him in that regard.

Previous Entries:

#24 - Dickey Simpkins

#17 - Cliff Levingston

#16 - Stacey King

#15 - Jason Caffey

#14 - Bill Wennington

Monday, April 23, 2018

The Top 5 USA Freestyle Wrestlers at 79 KG

I went to the UWW Freestyle World Cup in Iowa City, and it was awesome. In fact, it got me so amped up that I'm going to be coming at you with a bunch of wrestling content. I'm ranking the top five guys at every weight class, and today we move on to 79 KG (approximately 174 pounds). Let's get to it.

5. Mark Hall
I saw Hall listed at 79 KG which was kind of surprising. He wrestles at 174 in college, but he is definitely small for the weight class and looks like he could easily make 74 KG. You could say that he doesn't want to go after Jordan Burroughs, but the guy at the top of this weight class is no picnic either. I wouldn't be surprised to see him at a weight class below, but either way, I don't see him being quite ready to be the guy at the senior level.

4. Jon Reader
Jon Reader is a really good wrestler who was just never quite great enough at the freestyle level. He wrestled most of his post-college career at 86 KG, so there is a chance that the drop in weight could help him take the top spot, but I can't quite buy in until I see it. He had been an assistant at South Dakota State before following Chris Bono to Wisconsin. Although coaching keeps guys on the mat, there is a reason you don't see guys who coach represent the United States on the international level; it's too demanding to focus on a team instead of just focusing on improving yourself.

3. Zahid Valencia
The story of Zahid and Anthony Valencia will never cease to amaze me. Anthony was the man in high school, to the point where you could argue he was one of the ten greatest American high school wrestlers in history. He took fifth at the US Open while in high school which is just absolutely insane. Now, Zahid was a top wrestler, but he was nowhere near the level of his brother. Then they went to college and everything changed. Zahid lost just one match in his freshman year, and had an undefeated sophomore season while Anthony has had middling results and has come nowhere near living up to the hype. Zahid is definitely an incredible wrestler, but he's young, and there are two absolute beasts hanging out above him on this list. Even if he can't overcome those top guys, I'm still looking forward to seeing how close he is to the elite level.

2. Alex Dieringer
Dieringer is an absolute beast who can overwhelm just about anyone. Unfortunately, when he switched to freestyle at 74 KG, he ran into Jordan Burroughs, who is one of the greatest American wrestlers ever, and a guy named Kyle Dake. Well, the bump up in weight helps him avoid Burroughs. Unfortunately, there is still that Dake guy waiting for him in the likely Finals matchup.

1. Kyle Dake
At the World Cup, Dake was the star. He was nailing big throws and just overwhelming opponents. After he was done decimating his opponents, he still had the wherewithal to pump up the crowd after his victories. It was awesome. With what I saw from Dake, I cannot see anybody beating him from the United States, and I wouldn't be surprised if nobody in the world could take him out either. The most interesting thing will be in 2020, when Dake likely moves back down to 74 KG to take on Burroughs, and as much as I love Burroughs, I think Dake might be our guy by the time the Olympics rolls around.

Previous Entries:

57 KG

The Top 5 USA Freestyle Wrestlers at 74 KG

I went to the UWW Freestyle World Cup in Iowa City, and it was awesome. In fact, it got me so amped up that I'm going to be coming at you with a bunch of wrestling content. I'm ranking the top five guys at every weight class, and today we move on to 74 KG (approximately 163 pounds). Let's get to it.

5. Alex Marinelli
I have my Hawkeye Homer glasses on, but I still don't see a way for Marinelli to compete with the best guys at this weight. I do think he showed a lot of improvement in the folkstyle world this past season, so hopefully he puts together a couple of wins and keeps that wrestling momentum going into next season for Iowa.

4. Vincenzo Joseph
Joseph hasn't really done much at the freestyle level, but he is a two-time defending NCAA Champion, and that's got to count for something. I'm not sure how strong his interest is at this point in his career, but he definitely has the talent if he dedicates himself to a transition down the line.

3. Nazar Kulchytskyy
Nazar is crafty enough to be an alternate, but not really a threat to challenge for the top spot. He's a very good wrestler, but if everything breaks right, he gets tech'd twice by the man at the top of this list.

2. Isaiah Martinez
Isaiah Martinez was a guy who I had the highest of hopes for when it came to his potential. After his undefeated freshman season, I thought he would go all four years undefeated. He was so totally overwhelming and awesome that I just couldn't see anybody beating him. He ended up getting beat in his sophomore year, and did not win a national title in either his junior or senior years. He just never really seemed to get better, and his underhook offense got figured out by the best wrestlers out there. Even against lesser competition, he didn't dominate like he did early in his career. And now he is going to the international world where I just can't see him giving the top guy a run for his money. I-Mar is still a physical freak, and I could still see an amazing MMA career if he chooses to go down that path.

1. Jordan Burroughs
Still the King. He bounced back from a disappointing Olympics in 2016 to win yet another World Title in 2017. He's older, not quite as explosive, but definitely craftier in his attacks. He's the man. Thinking anything else would be ridiculous. He had the single best moment of the World Cup when he managed a pin against Azerbaijan in the finals. He won't be able to do this forever, so appreciate it while we still can. He's still awesome, and ain't nobody from the USA taking his spot at the top of this weight class.

Previous Entries:

57 KG

61 KG

65 KG

70 KG

Sunday, April 22, 2018

The Top 5 USA Freestyle Wrestlers at 70 KG

I went to the UWW Freestyle World Cup in Iowa City, and it was awesome. In fact, it got me so amped up that I'm going to be coming at you with a bunch of wrestling content. I'm ranking the top five guys at every weight class, and today we move on to 70 KG (approximately 154 pounds). Let's get to it.

5. Richie Lewis
Lewis won the gold medal at the U23 tournament this past fall, and while that is certainly the best accomplishment at that tournament, the strength of the U23 usually leaves quite a bit to be desired. It's this weird in-between tournament for people who are too old for Juniors but not quite at the talent level of the Senior level guys. I don't really see Lewis as a great threat to take this weight, and considering that he wrestled all year at 165, he might bump up to 74 KG.

4. Frank Molinaro
Molinaro is moving up from 65 KG this year, and I have never been a huge Molinaro believer. In fact, you could probably safely classify me as a Molinaro hater. He manged to take fifth place a couple years ago, but that was his peak in my opinion, and I don't see a move up in weight helping him any. Still, he is a solid wrestler with a lot of great experience, but I just don't think he has the necessary skills to be a true threat at this weight.

3. Dylan Ness
Is this too high for Dylan Ness, a man that has not shown any great success at the Senior level? Yes, it definitely is, but Dylan Ness is awesome, and I will gladly overrate somebody who is incredibly fun to watch. Let's just hope that somebody puts him in a position to scramble, because then we are all in for a treat.

2. Jason Nolf
Speaking of guys that can scramble, Nolf definitely fits that bill, and I would love to see a match between Nolf and Ness. Still, Nolf is coming off of a knee injury, so there is a decent chance he sits this year out. He is somebody who is still learning how to translate his folkstyle skills to the world of freestyle, but he gets better every year, and it certainly wouldn't be surprising if he was giving the top guy a run for his money this year.

1. James Green
Green won the silver medal at the World Championships last year, and he's still the clear favorite for the United States. He seems to run hot and cold as sometimes he can really just fail to get going on offense. Still, he's had an incredible transition to the freestyle world (working every day with Jordan Burroughs seems to be a good thing), and it would be very surprising to see anybody from the United States upset him this year.

Previous Entries:

57 KG

61 KG

65 KG

The Top 5 USA Freestyle Wrestlers at 65 KG

I went to the UWW Freestyle World Cup in Iowa City, and it was awesome. In fact, it got me so amped up that I'm going to be coming at you with a bunch of wrestling content. I'm ranking the top five guys at every weight class, and today we move on to 65 KG (approximately 143 pounds). Let's get to it.

5. Ryan Deakin
Deakin makes this list, mostly since Yianni Diakomihalis will probably not be able to wrestle this year. Deakin is solid as he had some good results at lower levels, but I cannot see him coming out on top at a weight class with some very good options at the top.

4. Joey McKenna
McKenna has elite defensive skills, and he showed that this past year when nobody scored on him during the B1G Tournament. Still, the offense isn't quite up to that elite level, and he was unable to come out on top at the NCAA Tournament. Still, he was good enough to be an alternate at this weight during the World Cup, so clearly, Team USA has some faith in him, but I'm not quite ready to buy what he is selling.

3. B.J. Futrell
BJ Futrell is the gatekeeper. He keeps everyone out of the top spots. When you can beat Futrell, you can have the opportunity to represent the United States. It is not a glamorous position, but Futrell is a tough out, and I do see him as still retaining his spot as our country's third best option at 65 KG.

2. Zain Retherford
This is where it gets real. I definitely had this order reversed when I initially ranked the guys, but the more I thought about it, the more I convinced myself that Zain is not quite ready to take over as the man at this weight class. It's counter intuitive since Zain did represent the United States last year at this weight, but even though he was dominant this past year in college, he seemed to tighten up in big matches instead of opening up like he was usually able to do. Although he has been the top guy, I see a former nemesis moving up in weight and taking that spot from him this year.

1. Logan Stieber
When he was a senior, Stieber was upset by Retherford, who was only a freshman, but he bounced back to beat him when it mattered and secured a fourth NCAA title. Stieber has been consistently competing at freestyles since then where Retherford has been bouncing back and forth between folkstyle and freestyle. Although the styles are similar, I do think Stieber has gained better experience, not only because of the stylistic differences but also competing consistently against guys who are the best in the world. I think a match between these two will be incredibly close, and I wouldn't be surprised if it goes to a decisive third match, but I have to give just the slightest edge to Stieber.

Previous Entries:

57 KG

61 KG

Thursday, April 19, 2018

The 45 Most Important Players to the Chicago Bulls Dynasty - #3 Horace Grant

Horace Grant
Horace Grant was selected 10th overall by the Chicago Bulls in the 1987 NBA Draft. As good as a player as Horace Grant was, he was still only the second most valuable acquisition for the Bulls during that draft as it was also the year that they selected Scottie Pippen. This is fitting for Horace Grant as he was a very good player who was constantly overlooked due to the surrounding cast he had during his time in the NBA.

After Grant's rookie year, the Bulls traded Charles Oakley to acquire Bill Cartwright. This gave the Bulls a starting center and opened up the starting power forward position for Grant. Once that happened, he was a model of consistency. You could always count on about 13 points, 9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, a steal, a block and some sweet rec-specs every game. He was the perfect third wheel for those early Bulls teams as he provided efficient scoring as a third option while doing the dirty work of defense and rebounding in the front court.

And this is where I get sad as a writer. There is nothing more to write about Horace Grant's time with the Bulls. He was a super good basketball player, but nothing about him stands out. He was above average in everything for a power forward, but there's not a lot of ways to wax poetically about above averageness. Did he have some exciting games? Yeah, but it's not like he ever took over a series, and even in his highlight video, he's not even doing the most impressive move in half of the plays.

Never second, never fourth, he was always the third best player on those Bulls teams.

And this is driving me crazy, because Horace Grant deserves better. The man is third on this list, and maybe that says it all. He was the third best player on the championship Bulls teams, the third best player on some really strong Orlando Magic teams, and even the third best player on the first Lakers championship team with Kobe and Shaq. He had the talent of the second best player on a contending team, and he ended up as a number three that helped build a dynasty.

With his talent, Horace Grant deserved more, but hopefully this was enough. It may not be the most exciting career, but it's still damn impressive.

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Wednesday, April 18, 2018

The Top 5 USA Freestyle Wrestlers at 61 KG

I went to the UWW Freestyle World Cup in Iowa City, and it was awesome. In fact, it got me so amped up that I'm going to be coming at you with a bunch of wrestling content. I'm ranking the top five guys at every weight class, and today we move on to 61 KG (approximately 134 pounds). Let's get to it.

5. Seth Gross
Gross won the NCAA Tournament this past year and has shown some impressive skills in his freestyle career. Although I don't see elite level talent at this weight class, I do think there is a ton of depth at it. When it came to facing the top competition in the NCAA, he was almost always able to get a takedown when he needed it, but I think he will struggle to do that against the guys he will be facing who have a lot more experience than him. Still, Gross is a guy who has excellent body control, and it wouldn't surprise me if he finished higher than this based off an upset or two.

4. Tyler Graff
It is at this point that I could easily see any of the remaining guys coming out on top at this weight. Graff was the favorite to take on Ramos at 57 KG last year but ended up losing a close match to Thomas Gilman. I think Graff will be just as tough up a weight, and he has the ability to take on anyone. It isn't going to be in shootout matches, but he does make it hard for anyone to score.

3. Kendric Maple
Maple is basically the opposite of Graff. He is going to find a way to score points, even if he has to give up some in the process. He is the top ranked guy for the USA right now, but it's never really clicked to the point where he is a real threat on the international level. There is a very strong argument for him being the favorite at this weight, but I just haven't seen a ton of progression from him, and I see him getting knocked off as the top guy at the US Open this year.

2. Joe Colon
Colon has always had a ton of physical talent as he has the ability to overwhelm opponents with his strength. He seemed like a guy who would look stronger in his initial freestyle run, but it's taken him a few years to put things together. I very nearly put him as the favorite as I think he has now combined his physical traits with enough freestyle experience to be very dangerous at this weight class. Still, I couldn't quite give him that top spot.

1. Nahshon Garrett
Garrett is one of those guys that when he is on, I find it ridiculous that anybody could beat him. He has incredible athleticism and body control, and if he wants to get to somebody's legs, it's damn near impossible to stop him. I think the weight cut to 57 KG was too much for him, but with the 61 KG weight class, I could see him finally putting it together and going to the World Championships for the United States this year.

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57 KG

Tuesday, April 17, 2018

The 45 Most Important Players to the Chicago Bulls Dynasty - #4 Dennis Rodman

Dennis Rodman
Before he was America's greatest ambassador to North Korea, Dennis Rodman was actually a basketball player. He was also an actor and a professional wrestler, so the guy definitely stayed busy, but he still managed to find plenty of time to get in trouble. Between famous relationships with Carmen Electra, Madonna, and, uh, himself...

...not to mention run-ins with the law, alcohol abuse, and multiple books, it was quite the ride. His time management skills must have been impeccable. But for now, let's stick with the basketball side of things before touching on the extracurricular activities.

Rodman was drafted in the second round (27th overall) by the Detroit Pistons where he fit in well with the Bad Boy Pistons. Rodman was always a guy who was willing to do the dirty work, and where many players want more scoring opportunities as their career progresses, Rodman went the opposite direction as he averaged 11 points per game in his second year but would never average double-digit points again in his career. But Rodman was never known as he excelled on defense and rebounding, winning back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year for the 1989-90 and 1990-91 seasons.

He would spend his first seven years with the Pistons, winning two titles, before being traded to the San Antonio Spurs in a deal that got the Pistons Sean Elliott. After two years with the Spurs, he was traded to the Bulls for Will Perdue right before the beginning of the 1995-96 season.

Rodman continued to contribute by doing the dirty work for those Bulls teams. In his first year with the team, he was selected to the NBA All-Defensive First team, along with Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan, while leading the league in rebounding. Of course, this was not without incident, as he was suspended for six games for headbutting a referee.

In the playoffs, he played even better as the competition got tougher. That year, the Eastern Conference Finals may have been more important to the Bulls than even the NBA Finals. The Orlando Magic were the first team to eliminate a Jordan-led Bulls team since 1990. But in 1996, the Bulls went out and annihilated them, helped greatly by Dennis Rodman who both suffocated the Magic on defense and annoyed them with repeated offensive rebounds on offense. Hell, he even managed 11.5 points per game in the sweep of the Magic. He continued his great play in the Finals, highlighted by a 9 point, 19 rebound, 5 assist, 3 steals, and a block in the Championship clinching Game Six against the Seattle SuperSonics.

Rodman would turn 35 during the 1996-97 season, and his age began to show. He still led the league with over 16 rebounds per game, but he only managed to play in 55 games that season, partially due to missing 11 games after kicking a cameraman in the groin. In the playoffs he averaged just 28 minutes per game, down from 34 the year before and only managed 8.4 rebounds per game.

He would bounce back for the 1997-98 season as he managed to play in 80 games that year. Still, it was clear that he was not the same player he once was. In the playoffs, he played great early on, but as the games got more important in the Eastern Conference and NBA Finals, Rodman's impact diminished, although the Bulls were still able to beat the Jazz in six games for their third straight title.

The Bulls would release him after the lockout where Rodman would play a partial season with the Los Angeles Lakers and another one with the Dallas Mavericks, but his antics far outweighed his contributions at that point in his career.

But this was okay as Rodman had plenty of hobbies outside of basketball. He was a professional wrestler, tagging up with Hulk Hogan and earning the nickname, "Rod The Bod," a nickname that is criminally left off of his basketball-reference page.

He would have singles runs against both Macho Man Randy Savage and Curt Hennig, but his greatest accomplishment may have been winning Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Wrestling tournament, besting the likes of Frank Stallone, Butterbean, and Screech.

Outside of the ring, Rodman was Commissioner of the Lingerie Football League in 2005, was on the Celebrity Apprentice in both 2009 and 2013, and may now be our best hope of avoiding a nuclear war with North Korea. All of this, and I still consider his greatest accomplishment marrying Carmen Electra, and then claiming that she forced him into the marriage. Now that is a baller move.

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