Who is this Cinderalla Team that has caught everyone's attention in this years mens Ncaa Tournamnet?

Where did this Florida Gulf Coast Mens Basketball team come from?



 

When the Men’s NCAA Tournament occurs every March many are wondering or looking for that Cinderella team. Well I think this year we have found one but there is also a special story about this team who is coming into the tournament only in there second year of eligibility. Let’s meet the Eagles of Florida Gulf Coast University who has made history this year in the tournament by becoming the first 15^th seed in making the Sweet 16 in the Men’s NCAA Tournament. It wasn’t an easy task for how they have gotten here they had to beat a very good Georgetown team whom many thought could make the Final Four for the type of team they have also they beat a very good team from the university of San Diego State who was coming out of the Mountain West Conference. The head Coach of the Eagles Andy Enfield who is in his first year as head coach for this team who has changed the mindset for this program for the near future. Give credit to this coach who probably didn’t know what he was getting himself into and have this incredible run that could continue on if they are able to beat their next opponent the Florida Gators coming out of the SEC conference. It will be a very tough test but if they stay posed and execute the game plan maybe this upset will happen. What is also interesting about coach Enfield is that he is a very successful business man who really didn’t need to take this job. He took it because of the love of the game he has and he was willing take pay cuts in order to fulfill his dream in becoming a head basketball coach.  

What is amazing about this team is there is only one senior player on this team and the rest are young players who still have time to develop. But Senior Captain Sherwood Brown has been the vocal leader in making sure everyone does there job and was the leading score in the Atlantic Sun Conference Division. He has had big games so far this tournament but also has had many contributions from other teammates during this run. In order for them to pull of the major upset on Friday evening they are going to have to outrebound and have a majority of the time of possession during the game. They also will need to get the second chance points like they have been in the first two games we will have to wait and see. It is in incredible how a team coming into their second year makes the tournament and has this run and catching the media’s attention. Anything is possible but what is also amazing about this team is the swagger of confidence they have when they are out there. A lot of people re understanding why they are eagles because of all the high flying dunks they have been doing.  Both wins in the tournament have been by double digits which is impressive. Many people are still scratching their heads in wondering who these guys are. I can tell you right now they aren’t the silent killers anymore. This team is well known right now and the teams left in the tournament are out to get them a piece of this team.  I think they will lose on Friday night ending this Cinderella story. I think Florida is just too much for them to handle but I could be wrong and they will pull of this upset. No matter what this is a special story that many people will never forget. Let’s hope the other schools that are as small as them work hard and do the same thing this school is doing. What I also like is how the university along with the town they are located in is treating them like celebrities. This is well deserved because of the hard work and dedication they have put up to this point.

Dominican Republic the true champs of the real world series of the world baseball classic!!!

Dominican Republic displayed why they are the best in the World!!!!!!

Congratulations to the Dominican Republic in what was an amazing run in claiming the 2013 World Baseball Classic Title. Last night the Dominican Republic defeated Puerto Rico by the score of 3 to 0. They showed that they were determined and on a mission in showing the people that 2009 was just a fluke and nothing was going to get in there way. Their lineup was MLB star studded from the top to the bottom. The one person who displayed their power was second baseman for the New York Yankees Robinson Cano. Cano batted an incredible 517 in the tournament which is unheard of. Throughout the tournament he played a key role in providing the offense for the Dominican ball club. Manager and for Major League Ball player Tony Pena felt very confident going to his bullpen early in the game just because of the all stars he had in their as well. What were key was the runs scored by Dominican Republic in the first inning to take the pressure of their young pitcher Samuel Deduno which allowed him to relax and pitch his game. He had pitched an incredible game in which he got himself out of situations which could have changed the game completely.

What was also a key stat was Puerto Rico leaving 16 men on base in scoring position or on 1st base. On paper and on the field the team from Puerto Rico was out matched and were heavily favored underdogs.  They didn’t back down from the tough task but kept fighting in the game. What was another possible turning point was when Puerto Rico had an easily Taylor made double play turn into only getting one out. With the runner on second for the Dominican Republic Eric Ayabar came up to bat and delivered a double that allowed the runner from second to score to give them a little extra breathing room. When it came to the 9^th inning Fernando Rodney came in and shut it down to secure the championship and bring it back to the Dominican Republic. This championship was a huge deal for the island that doesn’t really have much to celebrate and not this happened it will make it even more special. This championship is like if one of our major teams had won one. They should be celebrating and enjoying this moment because it displays a lot in what baseball means in the Caribbean leagues especially in the Latin culture. What I thought was a show of class and gratitude was after the lost the whole Puerto Rico came from out of the dugout and applauded the Dominican team. This made me smile and understand even though you lose you know it is against a better team that you battled to the end. This made me even more proud of my culture and my heritage in how they acted and showed the class they have.

Baseball means a lot to us, and how we play each and every day to get better at it and want to live that dream we wish we can do once we get older. It was an incredible tournament in seeing the enjoyment from the fans and them cheering on their home country in the tournament. We saw many upsets in the tournament two big ones were the Kingdome of the Netherlands defeating Cuba and Puerto Rico defeating the two time defending champions in Team Japan. I can’t wait until the 2017 World Baseball Classic and what it has in store for us I hope it is just like the one this year.

I will be back on later on in the week to discuss the NCAA Tournament as it prepares to start Thursday afternoon. Come back and check it out in who I think will take home the championship and who will be the major upsets this week.

What did we learn from the first two rounds of the World Baseball Classic?

Who will continue there cinderalla run heading into the final rounds of the World Baseball Classic?

Now that the first round and partially the second round are over the Baseball classic this year has been very intense and exciting. We have seen so much controversy with a big fight between Mexico and team Canada. We also have seen major upsets from the Netherlands defeating the number 1 team in the world Cuba. This lost by the Cuban team will cause some changes to happen in who will manage the ball club in the next tournament. Give credit to the Netherlands who fought very hard throughout the whole game and never gave up. They lost two key players leading up to the game and then lost their starting third baseman during the game. They had to rely on their bench which ended up being big because of the timely hitting and pitching. The Netherlands just kept grinding out the runs and stayed positive by the encouragement there leader and Major League ball player Andrew Jones gave them. The two teams that will be coming out of that side of the bracket will be team Japan and team Netherlands who will head to San Francisco for the semifinals and wait to see who will come out of the other side of the bracket between the team Italy, USA, Puerto Rico, and team Dominican Republic. Team Japan is starting to come alive and dominant competition which is very scary. They Merced ruled there last two opponents. But I have a feeling out of the other four teams who need to still battle it out will be a huge threat to beating Japan. Watching Japan they are a very fundamental team who likes to play small ball and not try to hit the massive homerun. From listening to my father in how baseball was played when he was growing up I have a lot of respect in the way they play. But I think with the time off in waiting for the semifinals it will kill their momentum.
The second round that is starting tomorrow has some incredible teams playing in it but the biggest Cinderella team in the games tomorrow is team Italy. Team Italy will be facing off with the powerhouse Dominican team who has All Stars from 1 through 7 in the batting order. They have been dominating competition from the exhibition games they played all the way through the first round of the tournament. The biggest surprise and scare was Team USA starting off slow and almost were eliminated but played impressive in the two games they needed to win. David Wright of the New York Mets was the leader of the team who came up big with the hits and plays in the field. Also Adam Jones of the Baltimore Orioles came up with the big hit when he hit a two run double to help Team USA take the lead and never look back. Italy showed some encouraging things compared to previous years in being blown out each game but I think it will be a quick exit from the second round. Team Puerto Rico is going to give team USA a true test tomorrow night but it will be a difficult game which they just need to play their game and continue to pitch the way they have been. I think Puerto Rico can advance to the semifinals but they got to play the way they did in the first two games in the tournament and not get frustrated to easily. If they can keep their composure and stay focused it will be them advancing and possible could take it all. This tournament has a lot I can talk about but there is so much baseball left where I am excited to continue to watch what occurs over the next few days. I think the two teams coming out of Miami will be team USA, and Dominican Republic. They can give the true test in beating Japan and taking the title from them. We will have to wait and see what happens I cannot wait till tomorrow for games especially the night matchup between Team USA and Team Puerto Rico. It will be hard for me to choose in who I will root for because of where I am from which is the United States and my heritage and my nationality which is Team Puerto Rico.

I will try to be back on tomorrow night after the matchups but depending on what time they finish it will be timely a decision.

Who will make there country proud in this years World Baseball Classic?

Will this years Baseball Classic have a fairy tale ending, or will we finally see one of the top teams in the world take it all?

Every four years a tournament is held in which teams from all over the world play one another to determine who is the best in the world. For the past two years, the team from Japan has won the World Baseball Classic. They've  beaten every team in the finals that everyone else picked to win. But In this year's tournament, it seems those who were eliminated in the past have come back, this time with better teams and better pitching. Each Pool seems very strong but the one that stands out to me is Pool C, coming out of Puerto Rico. This bracket seems packed with power house teams up and down the roster.  Dominican Republic along with Puerto Rico will most likely be the ones to be coming out of that bracket. I think it will be different. Dominican Republic will or won't advance and what about Venezuela? I might be wrong but this is will be difficult to pedict because each team is very well rounded so anything can happen. What is special about this classic is we are able to see players who are considered the best in the world. Even if they aren’t able to advance in the tournament, this is something that is very special. The reason for this is because you are able to represent your home country with pride by playing in this tournament. Wearing that Jersey with the name across your chest is something you will never forget as a player.

Getting the chance to watch these games is tough because the tournament begins  in Japan and Taiwan. Those games start late because of the time difference. Japan and Chinese Taipei are going to come out of the pools politely and will not  see any real competition until they meet in round 2, which are held in Tokyo. What I have seen from the two pools, the two teams that can give a problem to the powerhouse teams in these pools are the Netherlands and  first time participants Brazil, managed by Hall of Famer Barry Larkin.  Brazil put up an incredible effort against Japan, which came down into the late innings until Japan pulled it off. It's still hard to tell how things will play out because the tournament is just underway and we really don’t know much. The tournament will fully get under way next week when everyone will be playing at their location of tournament play.  One team I will be paying close attention to is Team USA, who has been a disappointment in how they've been playing . With a star studded line up, they should be able to change things around. Another reason why things should be changing is because of the younger players they brought along. It should be interesting to see how they  play starting next week when they get tested against team Mexico.  Let' s see how things turn out as the  tournament plays on. I will be paying close attention to Team USA and watch what they do under manager Davey Johnson.  My predictions in the final four are Teams Cuba, Dominican Republic, USA, and Japan and the winner of this whole tournament will be the Americans. I think they will be determined and on a mission to prove to the world that the Americans are the best in the world when it comes to baseball.

Come back tomorrow when I will have the recap from the big Showdown between the Miami Heat and New York Knicks.