It’s been a while since we had such a wide-open Heisman Trophy race. Last year, Troy Smith was all but assured the Heisman Trophy even before he faced Michigan. The year before that, it was either Reggie Bush or Vince Young, with few others even considered. But this year, it’s a bit different. There’s only two undefeated teams left in Division-1A and neither Kansas or Hawaii have generated the hype worthy of a Heisman candidate. Because ranking my top five would be next to impossible, I’ll just throw out five names.

Glenn Dorsey, DT LSU. This is where the definition of Heisman Trophy gets a bit skewed. The trophy should be awarded to college football’s best player, which Dorsey (or Michigan tackle Jake Long) is. Instead, it’s often turned into “the guy with the best stats on the best team.” Watch a couple of defensive series and you’ll see how valuable Dorsey is. He’s disruptive, he commands a double team on every play and he’s the cog of a defense that’s surrendering just 236 yards a game, the lowest in the country.

Colt Brennan, QB Hawaii. ESPN finally got around to broadcasting a Hawaii game and Brennan didn’t disappoint, throwing for nearly 400 yards and two touchdown passes before going down to a concussion. But Hawaii doesn’t play anybody, it’s that simple. Brennan can put up these eye-popping numbers and play on Sunday. But until then, he’s going to be seen as a system quarterback the same way Timmy Chang was. Brennan will get a big shot at boosting his resume against Boise State in a couple weeks. Win that one and Hawaii could find themselves in a BCS bowl.

Read the rest of this entry »

Winning the Heisman Trophy, college football’s most prestigious award, requires a number of factors. In the past few years, the “Best Player in College Football” has transformed into “The Best Player on the Best Team.” Winning the award requires incredible individual performances, but also a great season by the player’s team. Without further ado, here are ten players to watch in 2007.

10. Percy Harvin. A sophomore has never won the Heisman Trophy and that probably won’t change this year. But Florida’s Harvin could find himself on the big stage in a year or two. His versatility helped Urban Meyer’s offense go to the next level in 2006. He can do it all, whether it’s running the ball, catching it or returning it. Harvin averaged over 11 yards for every touch he got.

9. Brandon Ore. Virginia Tech’s running back will be the primary weapon in helping VT get into a BCS bowl. Big performances against LSU, Miami and Florida State could find Ore getting some Heisman hype. VT is no stranger to Heisman hopefuls at running back. Kevin Jones and Lee Suggs both received plenty of attention and look for Ore to get the same.

Read the rest of this entry »

A few weeks ago, I was planning on attending another EA Sports Community Event in Los Angeles. Original plans had us previewing Madden 2008 one day and diving into NCAA Football the next. But plans changed and we were treated to an even better experience. Madden was going to be put on hold until August and in it’s place, we’d be able to to attend the ESPY Awards, complete with tickets to the pre-party and post-party.

In the days leading up to the awards, we were encouraged to leave our cameras at home. Because I didn’t want to get frisked by a 350 pound security guard, I did what I was told and left my camera back at the hotel. That turned out to be an awful decision, as everyone in attendance had their camera and were snapping shots of the athletes. A camera could have come in handy. Snapping some shots of Vernon Davis’ diamond collection, which was large enough to kill about 200 miners, would have been nice.

All in all, it was a real good show. The co-hosting duo of Jimmy Kimmel and LeBron James was very entertaining, mostly because they focused on easy topics like Pac-Man Jones, Michael Vick, Greg Oden’s age. At what point will the constant harassing of Oden cause him to snap? He’s been a good sport about it but has a rookie ever taken this much abuse three months before his debut?

It’s a show well worth tuning into, which, for some reason, will be shown on tape delay tomorrow on ESPN at 9 PM EST. If you’d like to avoid the broadcast and its advertising for The Bronx is Burning, some spoilers are available after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

With Kevin giving his take on the first half of the season, it’s time for me to do the same. The All Star Break should give us time to reflect on what’s been happening so far and what might happen in the 2nd half. Without further ado, the hardware.

AL MVP: Vladimir Guerrero. This award opens up the great debate about whether or not players from bad teams (Alex Rodriguez) should be up for the award. Surely, A-Rod has the gaudiest numbers up to this point. But the Yankees aren’t exactly contending in the AL East. Alex Rodriguez might be the most valuable player but his team is sitting in 3rd place with a record below .500. Meanwhile, Vlad is hitting .325 with 75 RBIs for the first place Angels. I still don’t think he gets the respect he deserves. A-Rod has the numbers, Vlad has the wins.

AL Cy Young: Dan Haren. Sure, C.C. Sabathia and Josh Beckett are off to great starts. But the little-known Haren has an ERA that’s a run lower than both of them. His 2.30 ERA leads the American League and his 10-3 record is helping Oakland forget all about Barry Zito. Haren will be the starter in tomorrow’s All-Star Game, which is well deserved.

AL Rookie of the Year: Jeremy Guthrie. Because Daisuke Matsuzaka has played for years in Japan, I don’t consider him a rookie. Jeremy Guthrie meets my criteria for being a rookie in the bigs. All he’s done so far is compile a 2.74 ERA, which trails only Dan Haren. His 4-2 record could be far better if the Orioles gave him some run support. Guthrie has given up three or more runs just three times this year.

Read the rest of this entry »

Since the All Star Break is upon us, we feel like it is only fair to do what everyone else is doing: give out midseason awards. So, without further introduction here are mine starting with the American League.

AL MVP: Alex Rodriguez. It’s really hard for me to deny a man who has hit 30 home runs from this award. When you consider how many games he single handedly won for this team in April it makes it even harder for me to give this to anyone else. He also has the most RBI’s in the big leagues by 11. It’s a no-brainer to give this to the best player in baseball.

AL Cy Young: Dan Haren. It was a tough call between Haren and Beckett for this award, but in the end I have to give it to the man who has an ERA over one point lower. The 2.30 ERA by Haren is enough to get him this award and his ten wins certainly help.

AL Rookie of the Year: Daisuke Matsuzaka. Another no-brainer for me here. Dice-K is third in the American League in strikeouts, and while he might not be as dominant as some people expected him to be, he’s pretty damn close.

AL Manager of the Year: Mike Hargrove. It feels somewhat weird giving an award to someone who isn’t even managing anymore, but I’m doing it anyway. Hargrove is a big part of the reason why the Mariners are where they are now, and while he may have bailed on the team, he still deserves this award.

NL MVP: Prince Fielder. I don’t think there is a single person in the National League that really stands out for this award, and to be honest it could go to one of the Padres stud pitchers Jake Peavy or Chris Young, but that would require some run support. Without Prince the Brewers are still a good team, but they aren’t a first place team, and thats why he gets my hardware.

NL Cy Young: Jake Peavy. I don’t see how you can deny Peavy this award. He has simply dominated this year, and is leading the National League in strikeouts and is in second place (behind teammate Chris Young) in ERA. Peavy has proved himself one of the best pitchers in the game.

NL Rookie of the Year: Hunter Pence. The young outfielder for the Astros has made a name for himself on a really bad team. He has picked up a nice total of 11 home runs and is hitting a cool .342. If there is a knock on him it’s that he doesn’t walk enough, but that’s hardly a knock for someone playing as well as him.

NL Manager of the Year: Bobby Cox. In a year in which the Braves were supposed to struggle, Cox has managed to keep his team together and in contention. Also important is the fact that he’s in record breaking territory for ejections.

Have we reached the true half point of the NBA season? I’d say we have. All teams have exceeded the 41 game mark and the NBA All Star Game is right around the corner. Who’s in line for some major hardware? This is my take.

MVP: Steve Nash. The last few weeks, I was trying to promote somebody else making a run at this trophy. But I just can’t do it. Nash has been more than great, he’s been legendary. Both his scoring and assists are up from his last two MVP seasons, making this one tough to argue. He’s scoring 19.5 points a game and dishing out 12 assists. He’s the cog for the most exciting offense in the league, an offense that scores 111 PPG. My dad asked me the other night, “How in the hell is a little white Canadian dominating the NBA?” I’m not sure how to answer that. But we’re seeing something special with Nash and the Suns, a team that’s won 33 of their last 35 games. Honorable Mention: Gilbert Arenas, Dirk Nowitzki.

Rookie of the First Half: Adam Morrison. I’m going with the ‘Stach for best rookie, although it’s not in a runaway. I’ve been impressed with Morrison because he’s shown he can score at the NBA level. Is he a better all-around player than Brandon Roy? I think Roy will eventually be the better player. But Morrison has been healthy all year and he’s been a consistent producer. Morrison scored 15 or more points in six games this month and he’s also dropped 25+ a few times. Charlotte isn’t in great position for either Oden or Durant but that means they’re making big improvements. Honorable Mentions: Brandon Roy, Andrea Bargnani. Read the rest of this entry »