” Difficulty, my brethren, is the nurse of greatness – a harsh nurse, who roughly rocks her foster-children into strength and athletic proportion ” – Ann Landers – American advice columnist 1918 – 2002 During my career as a writer, I’ve discovered many special people and many incredible stories that I’ve been privileged enough to

Before the San Francisco 49ers open their new home in Santa Clara, California. I think it’s more than appropriate to praise Candlestick Park and not bury it. I will start with a quick intro and then get into depth with the people and events the stadium has given to us all. I’m usually a pure

Yankees’ Michael Pineda 10 game suspension After Wednesday nights Red Sox/Yankees game, many fans had to be wondering what is on Michael Pineda’s mind as well has his neck.  He was ejected for having a foreign substance on his person in the 2nd inning after Boston manager John Farrell called to the ump’s attention a

Woodson, Kerr and Jackson’s decision The New York Knicks, and more importantly Phil Jackson, have a big decision to make about their coach.  Does Phil retain Mike Woodson after a disastrous season or does he being in his own guy?  Report came out today that Woody would like to be informed (via his agent mind

The 2013-14 season for the New York Knicks got off to a bad start and it pretty much stayed that way.  They got off to a 3-13 start and where as many as 19 games under .500 for the season.  This was a Knicks team coming off a 50+ win season and to see them

2014 AL Central Preview Chicago White Sox 2013 Record: 63-99 Key losses: LHP Hector Santiago, RHP Addison Reed, RHP Gavin Floyd, 3B Brent Morel Key additions: 1B Jose Abreu, CF Adam Eaton, 3B Matt Davidson, LHP Scott Downs, RHP Ronald Belisario, RHP Felipe Paulino, RHP Mitchell Boggs Sportsbook Projected Win Total: 76.5 2014 Projection: The

2014 NL Central Preview Chicago Cubs 2013 Record: 66-96 Key losses: OF Brian Bogusevic, Kevin Gregg RHP, Matt Guerrier RHP, C Dioner Navarro, Manager Dale Sveum Key additions: Manager Rick Renteria, C George Kottaras, CF Justin Ruggiano, RHP Jose Veras, LHP Wesley Wright Sportsbook Projected Win Total: 65.5 2014 Projection: The Cubs are a work

2014 AL East Preview Baltimore Orioles 2013 Record: 85-77 Key losses: CL Jim Johnson, LF Nate McLouth, 2B Brian Roberts, RHP Scott Feldman, RHP Francisco Rodriguez, IF Danny Valencia, OF Mike Morse Key additions: OF Nelson Cruz, SP Ubaldo Jimenez, SP Bud Norris Sportsbook Projected Win Total: 80.5 2014 Projection: The 2013 was full of

2014 NL East Preview Atlanta Braves 2013 Record: 96-66 Key additions: RHP Gavin Floyd, C Ryan Doumit Key loss: SP Tim Hudson, C Brian McCann Sportsbook Projected Win Total: 86.5 2014 Projection: The 2013 season saw the emergence of good young talent, especially in the starting rotation and a playoff spot.  While they didn’t get

I am excited to host ARMING CHAMPIONS RADIO , this Monday , March 3rd at 6:00 pm Pacific. If you have ever wanted to know about yoga and why people do it, is it for you  etc… Then Tune in to our show! Dial in to listen 917-889-9592

Michael Sam’s bold move With the news over a week ago that former All-American Michael Sam is openly gay; the sports world was captive for a few days.  The news was a shock to some, but it today’s politically correct age it was easily accepted.  I’m glad Michael came out, some people questioned the timing

In 1996, I was watching ABC local news, waiting for the sports edition. It finally came on and they talked about the new crop of shortstops in hitting New York in the coming baseball season. They highlighted the next Ozzie Smith in Rey Ordonez and some kid from Michigan called Derek Jeter. Jeter was an

In a world where those who finish second are often forgotten, it only seems right to compare a man who is tired of finishing second, with the man who he has often finished second to. Kevin Durant and LeBron James. Except more specifically, the two historic streaks that these NBA juggernauts have recently cemented in the

A-rod drops the suit against MLB Finally justice will officially prevail and Alex Rodriguez has come to his senses. A-rod dropped his lawsuit against MLB, the Player’s Union, and the New York Yankees on Friday. This means he will serve his 162 game suspension and sit out the 2014 season. He also said he will

It’s been a few days since the dust has settled in the Masahiro Tanaka Sweepstakes.  At least 5 teams were interested, but in the end the world was righted and the New York Yankees got their man.  The Yankees, desperate for starting pitching help, landed the next big Japan import to the tune of $155

The more things change, the more things stay the same.  Someone famous once said that, and I’m sure they knew it was the truth.  This Sunday, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady will meet for the right to go to the Super Bowl for the 4th time in their careers.  Just like old times, a different

LeBron’s Jealousy So LeBron James, reigning 3 time MVP and 2 time NBA Champion is jealous. Yes, jealous of Kevin Durant and his green light for shot attempts.  Basically James came out in an interview and said he’s jealous of Durant being able to jack up 30+ shots a game for his OKC Thunder.  I

This past Saturday, an arbitrator announced his decision on the suspension of one Alex Rodriguez.  He reduced it to 162, the equivalent of one season in MLB.  A-Rod will miss the 2014 season for the New York Yankees for his baseball sins of PED use connected to the Biogenesis case.  But with this latest news

The New York Knicks were in the midst of a horrible start to the 2013-14 season.  And despite it all they had a chance to save their season with a back to back series with the first place Toronto Raptors.  2 loses later, they were staring a dreaded trip to Texas dubbed the “Texas Triangle”. 

The 2014 Baseball Hall of Fame vote has come and gone, and 3 deserving players have made their way to Cooperstown.  The Hall welcomes some of our era’s great players; Frank Thomas, Tom Glavine, and Greg Maddux. But this year is still mired with the players that were left off the ballot for various reasons. 

Join 5 time world champion arm wrestler, Carolyn Fisher, for the second half of “60 steps on the road to homeostasis” . At age 51,  Carolyn believes the secret to looking and feeling younger is in the everyday details of what we do and what we think. Show date: Feb 3rd,2014 6:00 pm pacific.  

Earlier this week I watched the film Remember the Titans for about the 217th time and got that same shiver of inspiration I had the first time I saw it. For those that haven’t seen it, It’s the true story of T.C Williams high school football coach Herman Boone and the struggles he had coaching

There is something truly poetic about this time of year. My heart has been on a roller coaster these last few weeks but I do my most creative thinking and writing when I’m tested emotionally. I am used to physical and emotional trials in both love and life and I always find a way to

The autumn leaves are turning as is much in the pro football world. It was the beginning of December last year and I was awaiting a subway train at Canal street station in the lower east side of Manhattan, New York City. I was headed uptown to enjoy a night out with friends when I heard

My mother wrote this poem during her treatment for cancer a few years ago. Her courage during her illness is something that has and always will inspire me and something that speaks volumes of the person and mother she was. Growing up as a promising athlete, I went through many of the trials and emotions

In both football and life so many things are uncertain, but one certainty in both is change. How effective that change is comes down to the individual or people in control of the thing or circumstance that is changing. In the NFL, Every franchise goes through a certain amount of change during each off season

We at ARMING CHAMPIONS been busy! Our line up this fall is solid! Don’t miss our shows. Starting with ELVIS impersonator and band. This group happens to have star kid athletes in Pop Warner. We have Robert Drenk, President of UAL – Ultimate Arm Wrestling League,  Carl Mccullough, Sports star who overcame an eye disease

This blog was written by my good friend Adam Sayre. I felt is was good blog so decided that I should share it here for all of Sport City to see. I take no credit in anything written in this blog. All credit goes to original author Adam Sayre. It’s one thing to be able

Updated: The list has been updated to a point where players with only one score-able year (except last year’s rookies) has been eliminated.    With The Gridiron Chefs approaching it s 4th season . Very large. I’ve decided to attempt to create a stat that would allow people to properly compare players at the same position

With the 2013 All-Star Game tonight at Citi Field, there looks to be a changing of the guard in baseball. The young guys are taking over and out are the guys like Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, and Albert Pujols. Tonight a lot of the games future Stars will be on display to show you baseball

Orioles first baseman Chris Davis has 33 home runs so far this year. The power surge has prompted many to seriously link Davis to former Oriole Brady Anderson, who after hitting between 12-21 home runs in the previous four years smacked 50 home runs in 1996. Others have been more explicit with their suspicions of

When people debate who the best hitter in baseball is, plenty of names get tossed around. Guys like Robinson Cano, Ryan Braun and Mike Trout, just to name a few. But to me, there’s only one correct answer to this equation. Miguel Cabrera is the best in the game, and the gap is only widening.

Miguel Cabrera is having perhaps the quietest first-ballot Hall of Fame career in history. At 30, and coming off winning the American League MVP and Triple Crown, Cabrera just doesn’t seem to get the love that he truly deserves. Maybe it has to do with his not so good grasp of the English Language. But

  How many athletes have possessed such elite talent to not only surpass the college level , but to remain relevant in their sport when they reach the professional level? The answer…not many. When considering the number of athletes that have jumped from high school and gone directly into the pros, Basketball has felt the

After last nights actions in the Dodgers vs Padres game there are alot of people saying Grienke was out of line throwing at Quentin. Well I’m here to explain it a little better to you along with 9 other unwritten rules of baseball. Baseball is a very traditional sport, as well as probably the most

1. Troy Tulowitzki (COL, SS) 2 Jose Reyes (TOR, SS) 3 Hanley Ramirez (LAD, 3B,SS) 4 Ben Zobrist (TB, 2B,SS,RF) 5 Ian Desmond (WSH, SS) 6 Starlin Castro (CHC, SS) 7 Asdrubal Cabrera (CLE, SS) 8 Elvis Andrus (TEX, SS) 9 Jimmy Rollins (PHI, SS) 10 Josh Rutledge (COL, 2B,SS) 11 Alcides Escobar (KC, SS)

1 Miguel Cabrera (DET, 3B) 2 Adrian Beltre (TEX, 3B,DH) 3 Evan Longoria (TB, 3B,DH) 4 David Wright (NYM, 3B) 5 Ryan Zimmerman (WSH, 3B) 6 Aramis Ramirez (MIL, 3B) 7 Chase Headley (SD, 3B) 8 Hanley Ramirez (LAD, 3B,SS) 9 Mark Trumbo (LAA, 1B,3B,LF,RF,DH) 10 Pablo Sandoval (SF, 3B) 11 Brett Lawrie (TOR, 3B)

1. Robinson Cano (NYY, 2B) 2 Dustin Pedroia (BOS, 2B) 3 Ian Kinsler (TEX, 2B) 4 Aaron Hill (ARI, 2B) 5 Ben Zobrist (TB, 2B,SS,RF) 6 Brandon Phillips (CIN, 2B) 7 Jose Altuve (HOU, 2B) 8 Jason Kipnis (CLE, 2B) 9 Rickie Weeks (MIL, 2B) 10 Chase Utley (PHI, 2B) 11 Neil Walker (PIT, 2B)

1. Joey Votto (CIN, 1B) 2 Albert Pujols (LAA, 1B,DH) 3 Prince Fielder (DET, 1B) 4 Edwin Encarnacion (TOR, 1B,DH) 5 Adrian Gonzalez (LAD, 1B,RF) 6 Allen Craig (STL, 1B,LF,RF) 7 Paul Goldschmidt (ARI, 1B) 8 Billy Butler (KC, 1B,DH) 9 Buster Posey (SF, C,1B) 10 David Ortiz (BOS, 1B,DH) 11 Mark Teixeira (NYY, 1B)

1 Buster Posey (SF, C,1B) 2 Yadier Molina (STL, C) 3 Matt Wieters (BAL, C) 4 Victor Martinez (DET, C,DH) 5 Joe Mauer (MIN, C,1B,DH) 6 Salvador Perez (KC, C) 7 Carlos Santana (CLE, C,1B,DH) 8 Miguel Montero (ARI, C) 9 Wilin Rosario (COL, C) 10 Jesus Montero (SEA, C,DH) 11 Jonathan Lucroy (MIL, C)

To tell you the truth, the Islanders really don’t look that bad this season. With an awesome powerplay, you’d think the team is starting to round out. Granted they’ve looked horrible the past couple of seasons, but the team really looks like it is shaping up. You can thank John Tavares and Matt Moulson for

On last weeks episode of The Icebox, Mr. Macri and myself touched a bit on rookies.  Jeez.. since we’re about half way through the season with most teams playing about 20 games so far, we might as well just hop right into Calder nominees. Obviously this award goes to the player that finishes with the

Phoenix has only one comeback for why there should be a franchise in Glendale.. and here it is: Yes those are cacti, in Marana, AZ, And that was south of Phoenix! Can you imagine the blizzard they were having up north in Phoenix?! And if you don’t know your geography, Glendale is even further north

Well if you haven’t heard it by now, bye bye Lindy Ruff.  After a 13 year tenure, Ruff has been shown the door by the Buffalo Sabres organization.  Over that span of 13 years, Ruff posted a 571-432-78 record for the team from upstate new york, as well as only missing the playoffs five times.

Kansas City (2-14) – Geno Smith QB West Virginia – The Chiefs have a major QB problem it is by far their biggest need and Geno Smith seems to be slowly separating himself from the pack. While he may not be a top 5 overall player in this draft he could still be the #1

Now that the Baltimore Ravens won the Super Bowl the NFL is now going through the grueling task of getting their teams ready for the 2014 season. Some players will cash in and some will see their careers ended. A lot of current talk has come to the future of Baltimore’s top signal caller Joe

Referees do not play the game, they officiate the game. Yes, officials do make incorrect calls at times, and yes some of those calls do happen to occur at more costly moments in a game then others. It needs to be understood that through the minutes of a game, through the blood, sweat, and tears

  The names are easy to remember…. Jesus, Gio, Nelson, ARod, and Braun. They are linked together in what has become the Watergate of baseball, “The Anthony Bosch notebooks”. Now is the time for Bud Selig to act like a real baseball commissioner. The other three players that were implicated, Melky Cabrera, Bartolo Colon and

Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Colin Kaepernick, Russell Wilson. These are the names of some the hottest, young quarterbacks in the NFL right now. I wanna focus on one who was praised last year and, in my own humble opinion, has the highest ceiling of any player in the league. Cam. That’s right, Cam Newton

Even though the 2 teams playing in the Super Bowl have been determined, something still doesn’t sit well with me. After scrolling through the news feed on my favorite social media network this morning, the cold wind of discontent blew over me as I realized that NFL fans are not necessarily pleased with the match