Bleacher Report - Articles by Cody Painschab

Minnesota Twins: Can Carlos Gomez Fill Torii Hunter's Shoes?

Cody Painschab — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 14:46:44 -0400

When the Minnesota Twins traded Santana to the New York Mets they got pitchers Philip Humber, Kevin Mulvey, and Deolis Guerra, along with young outfielder Carlos Gomez.

Carlos Gomez came to the Twins with competition for that center field spot.

He had speed and fielding skills, but only had 10 hits in 41 at-bats. Out of those ten hits, he scored every time. Of the 10 times he got on base, he swiped eight bases.

So if he can get on base somehow that is pretty much an automatic run.

The reason behind him scoring is his amazing baserunning agility. With his speed he could be one of the fastest players out there right now.

However, Gomez may split time with other outfielders this season because of inability to hit the ball.

Still, he is young and can be taught to hit better—and that's the reason why the Twin's like him so much.

So can Carlos Gomez fill Torii Hunter's shoes?

Yes!

Can The Lakers Lose With Andrew Bynum Back In The Lineup?

Cody Painschab — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 06:32:29 -0400

When the Lakers get Andrew Bynum back, they will more than likely be unstoppable.

When you have star guard Kobe Bryant and star power forward Pau Gasol along with Lamar Odom, Derek Fisher, and Andrew Bynum you have a good low post and outside shooting team that is unstoppable.

Last year, Bynum was averaging 7.8 points per game with 1.56 blocks per game and 5.90 rebounds while only playing 20 minutes a game.

This year he is averaging 13.1 points per game with 2.06 blocks per game and 10.2 rebounds in 30 minutes a game.

Add that to what Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Lamar Odom average and you have one hell of a playoff team.

And if the other four starters can stay health when Bynum's back, they can't be beat.

Florida Basketball: Gators on the Road to History

Cody Painschab — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 02:53:27 -0400

Coming into this season the Florida Gators were predicted to not even have a record over .500—But this young group of kids, might just break history.

No team has ever won the NCAA National Championship and then the NIT the following year.

Well, Florida is on there way.

With a team leader like Nick Calathes averaging 15.4 points a game and Marreese Speights averaging 14.5 points a game with 1.4 blocks a game.

This team has what it takes to win the NIT.

Now only if they keep playing team ball like that all season and not just one-on-one against UMASS, they got that win easy.

If Florida breaks history this year, they would have a chance to win the NCAA National Championship next year when their whole starting lineup comes back.

For Billy Donovan, he might be one of the best coaches ever. If not, one of the best recruiting coaches ever.