Alex Rodriguez*

Baseball has been so heavily effected by steroids because the MLB’s higher officials, like commissioner Bud Selig, refused to stop the use of steroids in the early 90′s. Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa brought baseball back into American minds, because of the home runs they were hitting, and because of all these fans, the  MLB was making money. Clearly, many players during this time were using performance enhancing drugs, and Selig and his cronies just watch the players damage themselves. The only way that baseball can possibly clean itself up is if Bud Selig resigns. He no longer has authority over the stopping of steroids, because he was half of the problem. Selig is perhaps the worst commissioner of all of Major League Baseball’s history. He believed that the problem would end right after the Barry Bonds trial. However the problem has just quintupled, now that one of the league’s biggest stars as well as 103 other players have been accused of taking steroids. Nice job Bud, you ruined the reputation of baseball, just to improve your own cash flow. Until a new commissioner is installed, baseball will continue to writhe in its own ‘juices’, because Bud Selig isn’t going to do anything. Selig has overseen baseball during its worst era: the steroid era.

Alex Rodriguez has tarnished his reputation, and while he still may be a great hitter, the ever so feared (*) symbol will remain next to his name. The MLB will eventually be clean, however it will take a huge push from higher management to punish players harshl for using banned substances, and quite frankly, that will take the resignation of Bud Selig.

It really reminded me of the Patriots-Giants Superbowl last year, as after the Pats gave the ball to the Giants with just over 2 minutes in the game, the defense could not come up with a big stop, and the Giants scored the game winning touchdown. The Cardinals’ defense could not stop the Steelers on the final drive, and similar to the David Tyree catch last year, Santonio Holmes made a great, could be considered miraculous, touchdown catch to win the game.

It was a tough game to digest, rooting for the losing team because they had the opportunity to win the game at the end of the game, as well as the opportunity to make the stop to prevent the Steelers from scoring; again drawing parallels to last years’ Super Bowl. However, if you’re a Cardinals fan, you should look at the positives. Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin are still going to play for you next season, and Kurt Warner may not be as good, but he’ll be effective. They all increased their legacies after their great performances. Also, you have Matt Leinart as your back up quarterback. Steve Breaston is clearly emerging as a great receiver too, who is a reliable target after Boldin or Fitzgerald. Your running back Tim Hightower is improving, as well as the defensive line, who came alive in the postseason. We have seen what the Cards are capable of, and while they may not return to the Super Bowl, they are certainly a playoff team. The Pittsburgh defense however, was just just too good, and their offense made the big plays when it mattered most. Santonio Holmes had a huge game, and thoroughly deserved his MVP award.

We don’t need to feel bad that the Cardinals lost. I mean, we’re Patriots fans, and while we can root for different teams in the Super Bowl, it really does not affect us. And if you feel bad for Fitzgerald or Adrian Wilson (the Cardinals’ Safety) or any one person in particular, there are many legends who never won any Super Bowls, like Joe Hannah or Deacon Jones for instance. Kurt Warner, he’s already won his Super Bowl. They get paid the big money too! We should feel happy for Mike Tomlin as well as respect him for what he has done, and we should feel happy for Santonio Holmes, who before this season was unanimously hated by Steelers’ fans, who thought that he was a huge draft bust. This game will also add some controversy to the NFL’s officiating, as James Harrison was not ejected for punching the Cardinals’ Aaron Francisco, and the Kurt Warner game ending fumble was not reviewed. The Steelers were heavy favorites and still the Cards poured their hearts out, coming back after being down by 13, but were just not able to pull off a victory. They’re a great team, and will certainly improve in the future, now with a growing fan base and better players.

I’m looking forward to writing an article next season about how the Patriots won the Super Bowl, and if everybody comes back healthy, I think that is a very legitimate possibility.

All in all, a tough loss for the Cardinals, however they have a bright future. The Steelers were the better team in this game, and deserved to win. They had the toughest schedule out of all teams, and won the hard faught games. They battled all year, and earned their title. Rodney Harrison said before the game, “Unlike last year, the better team will win,” and Pittsburgh was just the better team.

MVP: At this point, I think there’s only debate between Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. Chris Paul is a huge part of the Hornets, and without CP3, New Orleans would be nowhere, however Kobe and LeBron do far more. Now, even though James’ Cavs lost to the Lakers in that marquee game a week ago, LeBron has most definitely earned his spot as the mid-season MVP. He has done far more with his team than anyone. The Cavs have the best win percentage (81.4%) and lead the Eastern Conference as of now. Also, the Cavaliers’ best shooter other than LeBron is Mo Williams, and then after Mo, there’s Wally Sczerbiak and then Zydrunas Ilgauskas. The only player here who makes a defensive impact is James, while Mo, Wally and Zydrunas all lack abilities on the defensive end. Kobe on the other hand has Andrew Bynum, who is a monster inside the paint, and on offense he can work with Pao Gasol and Lamar Odom. Also, Derek Fisher and Jordan Farmar are capable three-point shooters. Clearly, LeBron has to pick up much more slack on the defensive end, and puts up BETTER offensive numbers than Kobe.

LEBRON             KOBE
28 PPG             27 PPG
8 ASST                5.6 ASST
7.5 REBS             5.5 REBS

Clearly, LeBron leads in all major offensive categories, with far less to work with defensively. Anyone who wants to say that KG or Dwight Howard deserves MVP, they’re great players, and great candidates, but neither puts up such electric numbers (Howard is best on the boards, but not very spectacular in the other categories). Thus, the Mid-Season MVP Goes to: LEBRON JAMES!!

Rookie of the Year: For mid-season ROY, there is a lot of competition, mainly between Derrick Rose, O.J. Mayo, Kevin Love, and Russell Westbrook.  Rose has by far has the most electric numbers in comparison to Mayo, with 7+ assists per game and almost 17 PPG.  Mayo also has good shooting numbers, with 18 PPG, however he only has 2.5 ASST per game, and he also doesn’t control the court like Rose can. No, Mayo is not a PG, however Rose still has more impact on his team. Thus, I pick Rose over Mayo. Between Love and Westbrook, I pick Westbrook. Westbrook has shot well, with 14.5 PPG, and also has 5 assists per game. He also brings an immense amount of defensive potential to the table. The reason potential is important here, is that if he is able to hone that skill.. if, he will be a star defensive player, as he has exceptional length and knack for the ball. Love has also had an impact on his team, and he has 8 rebounds per game, along with 9 PPG.  I believe that Westbrook wins out here, because not only does he score more points, but he also is more of a defensive presence, even though he’s still developing. Just his sheer length (wingspan) gives him an advantage, and Love has proved himself more of a rebounding asset, who has a high basketball IQ and is a gritty competitor. Both players are still developing, and I believe that Westbrook has just made more of an impact so far, so Russell wins out. Now, between Rose and Westbrook, the award here has to go to Westbrook. Russell has a far greater defensive presence than Rose, and Rose has had trouble hitting clutch shots. If Rose can work on his clutch shooting ability, he will be a force to reckon with, however as of now, Westbrook is shooting, assisting and even defending well! He wins this year’s mid-season Rookie of the Year award!! Congratulations Russell Westbrook!

Now for some fun awards:

Most Annoying Player: There’s no debate here. Stephon Marbury was a cancer to the Knicks, and he pretty much started the New York vs. Isiah Thomas incident. Marbury was not wanted by any teammates, and newly appointed coach Mike D’Antoni wants no part of him. So Congrats Stephon Marbury.. You are this year’s most Annoying Player!

Biggest Flopper: Okay, again, not much debate. Back when the Sacramento Kings were perennial playoff teams, Vlade Divac would have run away with this award, however he no longer plays in the league. Sooo, somebody had to take his place. Congratulations Anderson Varejao! You flop on defense and you make shots harder when you drive to the hoop by flopping on offense too. The only problem is, when you get to the line, you can’t hit a free throw. I think you could have given Marubury a threat for most annoying, however at least Marbury can take a hit like a man. Congrats Andesron Varejao, you are our biggest flopper!

So there you have it, NESO’S Mid-Season awards!!

He got 76.4% of the necessary 75%, giving him just enough votes to be inducted, and was extremely deserving of every vote.