Bleacher Report - Articles by Twins Hines

NFL Playoffs: After Upsets, Only One Seeded Team Left In the NFL Playoffs

Twins Hines — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 21:19:39 -0500

During the weekend, there were big upsets.

On Saturday, Titans played against the Ravens and lost by a field goal. The game really came down to the defenses. The Ravens are just a better defensive team. The Titans had a great quarterback that really came through, but there defense couldn't keep up and they lost.

The Panthers played aganist the Cardinals, which made for an appealing game. The Panthers played great defense and the Cardinals played average offense. But the reason they won was because of there stellar defense, they were so strong. They pulled through they didn't even let the Panthers score until they got a secure lead.

On Sunday, the defending champs the New York Giants lost against the soaring Eagles. The Eagles have had the last few games be the must wins. Eli Manning had a tough day and the defense of the Eagles took advantage. The defense of the Giants just couldn't keep up with the fast Wide Receivers of the Eagles. The New York Giants had a bye week and they were rested, but the Eagles didn't let that bother them.

But that didn't stop the Steelers it got off rough and then they just did what they have done all season. Play great defense. There defense deserves a ton of recognition because they stopped Philip Rivers who is a critical piece of the Chargers offense. They held them and the Chargers defense couldn't do a lot to stop Ben and his team.

The National League or the American League?

Twins Hines — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 08:24:16 -0400

National or American?

The All-Star game is coming up. Who’s going to win, American or National? In the All-Star game we have some of the best, most popular, and most talented people who have been in it for some time. Then we have the new up and coming stars.

The American League won the All-Star game last year. This year they have some new stars and some old but great players. We have some old but great players in Alex Rodriquez, Manny Ramirez, Derek Jeter and Ichiro Suzuki.

These players have played eight to 12 times in the All-Star game. They are the legends on the All-Star team. They have only been playing okay this year in the B-C range, not very good. Their batting has had its up and downs. But definitely not the best. They sometimes play the best and sometimes, the worst.

Also Marino Rivera is pitching for his ninth time in the All-Star game. He is a legend in the pitching for the All-Star game. He's been good this year and is a definite "A." He will help in the pitching to make the American League win.

There are some people who have been in the all-star game for four to seven years and that’s Roy Halladay, a fifth year and another strong A pitcher.

Then there are the people who haven’t been here for a long time. Kevin Youkillis, Dustin Pedroia, Josh Hamiliton, Milton Bradley, Ervin Santana, Joakim Soria, Cliff Lee, Joe Sanders and George Sherril. So there’s a lot of them but they must be good because that’s how they got here. This team is good and has a lot of fan favorites but I don’t believe they can win because this year. There just isn’t a lot of big sluggers and greats.

The National League has a chance of winning this year. It’s not a team with legends. The oldest times in all stars is Chipper Jones. It’s his sixth year and Lance Berkman is in his fifth year.

Chipper Jones is an "A." He has been doing great this year hr is definitely the right choice. If the National League is in clutch time Chipper is your man to break through of it. Lance hasn’t done as good as Chipper but his still a Bt. He's had a good season so far.

The rest are in their first to third times in the All-Star game. Chase Utley, Hanley Ramirez, Geovany Soto, Ryan Braun, Matt Holliday, Kosuke Fukudome, Aaron Cook, Ryan Dempster, Carlos Marmol, Dan Haron, Brad Lidge, Tim Lincecum, Ben Sheets, Edison Volquez, Brandon Webb, Brian Webb, Brian Wilson and Carlos Zambrano.

So there are a lot of new players but they got here for a reason. In the NL there has been amazing pitchers so far, a couple of games have been blowouts but most are pretty close. Your team either wins or loses by one or two runs.

They have a lot of talent in the infield and outfield. There are also good batters that can drive in runs. I believe this team can win because of their talent and I also because the pitchers are good at batting too. They have good balance in their team.

This is going to be close but the National League is going to win this. They have been doing great and it's their turn to win. The National League hasn’t won one since ’96. This will be happening at Yankee Stadium for their last season in the old stadium. It will be on FOX at 8 p.m. Eastern Time.

The New NFL Rookies

Twins Hines — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 13:54:01 -0400

"Out" View of the Draft

There are people who stand out from the crowd. Those people have quickness, strength, commitment and are team leaders. These are the players that make it into the NFL.

Quarterback

Matt Ryan

Matt Ryan is the best quarterback in the NFL Draft but overall he is the 8^th pick. Last year Matt Ryan had 4,507 yards in total and he had 31 touchdowns. His completion percentage was 59.3 and his longest throw last year was 71 yards. Matt Ryan has a lot of qualities one of them is he is a team leader. He can lead the team he’s going to. He can lead them through a great season or even a super bowl in the next years. He is tough enough that he can last through the NFL, he looks like he should have been playing in the NFL before. The Ravens might have Matt Ryan as their first pick because Matt can do well in Baltimore since Steve McNair retired. He can give the Ravens a good season and they might not win the super bowl but they will get far.

Running Back

Darren McFadden

Darren McFadden is the best running back in the NFL Draft but overall his the 6^th pick. Last year he ran for 1,830 yards, caught 164 yards and scored 17 touchdowns. Darren McFadden has quickness and speed, his opponent think he has a great combination of speed and strength. He has never fumbled or lost the ball, he carries the ball for about 5.5 yards. Darren can help a team a lot because he can carry the ball a long distance and give the team touchdowns. The New York Jets are looking into Darren to lead their team through this hard time. The Jets are having trouble scoring and getting to the post season and they hope that Darren can help them. I agree with picking Darren because he’s a very good running back because his strong and quick. Darren is also a very good student so it’s good that their picking someone that would listen to them and try their hardest.

Wide Receivers

Devin Thomas

Devin Thomas is the best wide receiver in the NFL Draft but overall his the 11^th pick. Last year he caught for 79 times and had 1,260 yards. This guy is a strong player and has good hands. Devin didn’t play a lot his sophomore and freshman year but in his junior year he was a starter and he played excellent. His a junior entering the draft and his one of the best wide receivers. When he catches the ball he averages 15.9 yards per a catch. Devin is quick and is 6-2 a good size for a wide receiver. The team that is interested in him is the Buffalo Bills. They hope Devin can do something for them because they need a good wide receiver very badly. I agree with picking this guy because his very good and he would be a very good receiver for them.

Tight Ends

Martellus Bennett

Martellus Bennett is the best tight end in the NFL Draft but overall his the 41^st pick. Last year he caught for 49 times and had a total of 587 yards, also scoring 4 touchdowns on the season too. This guy lacks explosiveness but has strength, toughness and great hands. He is able to be a good starting tight end. His another junior in this draft and his is going to the Buffalo Bills. Buffalo needs a strong tight end because they aren’t the best with the blocking their just okay. But they also need more good hands on the field so the quarterback can be confident that the ball can be caught.

Guards/Centers

John Greco

John Greco is the best guard/center in the draft but overall his is the 53^rdpick. This guy has started all games and has had 275 knockdowns. This guy is built tough, his size advantage him and also his athletic ability does too. This guy is huge and a great tackle, he can really protect the quarterback. The Steelers are looking in to him and they need him because they need help running and helping their quarterback. Their quarterback got sacked a lot last year. Plus they lost a lot of yards when running. John can help them by blocking and letting them get some yards.

Offensive Tackles

Ryan Clady

Ryan Clady is the best offensives tackle in the NFL Draft but overall his the 4^th pick. In his first season he made a 11 starts and his a strong guy. This guy can help you because he has a frame, quickness, and agility his great player. He is very strong and he can block great. This guy helped Boise State because he was a great tackle and protects the quarterback well. His going to the Raiders because they need a very good offensive tackle and this is the guy for them. He can lead this team through the offense and be very good player for the team. Maybe this year they would improve in their offense.

Defensive Ends

Chris Long

Chris Long is the best player in the NFL Draft his number 1. This guy is the best he can really do something in the NFL. Last year he had 79 tackles, 14 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles. This guy is an amazing tackler he can just really shut someone down. He got the Ten Hendrick Award the best defensive end of college gets it and his also the ACC Defensive Player of the Year. His also the son of NFL Hall of Fame Oakland Raiders defensive end Howie Long. Chris is going to Miami and Miami didn’t have a good year last year. Hopefully they can bring this guy in and he can do some damage because they really need help. This guy can make a difference for them.

Defensive Tackles

Glenn Dorsey

Glenn Dorsey is the best defensive tackle in the NFL Draft but overall his the 5^th pick He had 69 tackles and 7 sacks last year. He also had a forced fumble and 4 pass breakups. His amazing defensive player he can really do some damage especially if your defense is having some trouble. His might be going to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs need him because they want a great defense player. They need a strong team this year a team that’s going to the super bowl.

Outside Linebackers

Keith Rivers

Keith Rivers is the best outside linebacker in the NFL draft but overall his the 16^th pick in the NFL Draft. Last year he had 78 tackles and 3 fumble recoveries, he also had a forced fumble and four pass breakups. This guy is good he can defiantly help a team. His might be going to the Cardinals they are interested in him because they want a heavy defense this year. This guy definitely can help with stopping the run, his built strong so he can knock someone down. His also a great pick to stop the pass and can be really helpful in winning games.

Inside Linebackers

Beau Bell
Beau Bell is the best inside linebacker in the NFL Draft but overall his the 37^th pick. Last year he had 126 tackles, three sacks, five-forced fumble, three pass breakups, four interceptions (one of them he returned for a touchdown). Bell is a very good player because if you tell him to blitz he will go and blitz. This guy is strong and knows what he has to do to get to the quarterback. He can also do very good zone he can cover it beautifully. He’s might be going to the Atlanta Falcons they are interested in him because of how good he plays on defense. This year the Falcons want a great team instead of a good okay team.
Cornerbacks

Mike Jenkins

Mike Jenkins best cornerback in the NFL Draft overall his the 7^th pick. Last year he had 41 tackles, three interceptions and 12 pass breakups. He also played as someone who returns the kicks. He had 30.4 yards in total he had 9 attempts one he ran for 100 yards and got the touchdown. Mike is a very good player because he can play defense and return kick off. He might be going to the New England Patriots they are interested in him because his defense is incredible. His fast, is strong and is perfect for the position. He’s also a kickoff returner and can help if you need a fast one or if the guy is injured.

Safety

Kenny Phillips

Kenny Phillips is the best safety in the NFL Draft but overall 48^th pick. Last year he had 82 tackles with 54 unassisted tackles, he also had six tackles for lost. Also two interceptions, five pass breakups, and three forced fumbles. As you can see his very good player and he can play defense very well. He can jump high and that can definitely help a lot. He can run fast and can block anyone really. This year he went to the New York Giants because this year the Giants want an unstoppable defense. They want another super bowl win and trying to go undeafted.

I hope the draft goes well and look out for the NFL rookie stars.

Can the Chicago Cubs Finally Win a World Series?

Twins Hines — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 09:13:47 -0500

The Cubs are cursed—but so were the Red Sox, and they have since won two World Series.

What do the Cubs have to do to win a pennant?

The Cubs have hope with their three strongest players, Derrek Lee, Alfonso Soriano and their newest signed player, Japanese star, Kosuke Fukudome. Can these three players bring the Cubs to glory?

NEW BATTING ORDER??? AND BATTING!

The Cub's manager, Lou Pinella, is goinjg to adjust the batting order to spark some offensive fire power.

He wants to see where Kosuke Fukudome will help the team the most. He might bat third and Derrek Lee might bat fourth. Aramis Ramirez will take fifth in the batting order. Ramirez led the Cubs in RBI last season.

But this batting order isn’t definite yet. Some people think that Derrek Lee should be first at bat for the Cubs. Derrek Lee said he didn’t care where he bat. Why would Derrek Lee bat fourth? Derrek Lee led the team in home runs last season. Does the cubs want to put him later so if the bases are loaded he has a better chance to hit a grand slam?

The manager, Lou Piniella, needs to make them better hitters. They need to have not a lot of strikeouts and pop-flys. Last season strike-outs happened a lot to them unfortunately. If they concentrate harder, have their timing of their swing better and keeping their eye on the ball better I think there batting can be much better this year. Two players really stood out in the strikeouts in the 2007 season were Derrek Lee and Alfonso Soriano. Derrek Lee had 114 and Alfonso Soriano had 130. They might have the two highest but that doesn't mean the rest of the team didn't have a lot of strikeouts. The other teammates have a lot of strikeouts last season, too.

PITCHING

I think we can all agree that their pitching was their weakest point. The pitchers they really wanted were Mark Prior and Kerry Wood but they had injuries that let the Cubs down. Now Prior is out and Wood is in the bullpen again. Would Wood give Cubs a World Series? The Cubs haven't won a World Series for 100 years.

There is also a pitcher that might help them this year. His name is Ted Lily and last year he earned $6,000,000. His ERA is a 3.83 and he hit 28 home runs last year. That's a lot for a pitcher. He had 15 wins and 8 losses last year that is pretty darn well if you ask me.

If you think that is good, there is this guy that got $12,400,000 last year. His name is Carlos Zambrano and he won 18 and lost 13 games. He got the most money as a pitcher for the Cubs. His ERA is 3.95 last year and he hit 23 home runs which is not bad for a pitcher and he also brought in a 100 runs.

There is another pitcher that earned a good salary and did awful last year. This guy only had two wins and seven losses. He earned $3,333,333 and his ERA was 4.73. His name is Ryan Dempster. Now this is just one and there is some other guys that did awful but they didn't get that much money.

INFIELD

At first base will be Derrek Lee, 2nd base is Mark DeRosa, Shortstop will be played by Ryan Theriot, and 3rd base played by Aramis Ramirez. This infield is looking good for the 2008 season.

The biggest problem in any team for the infield is stopping the ball before it goes the outfield has to run to get the ball. The problem with that is it gives the runner a little longer to get to first. If the infield prevents the ball to go into the outfield they have a better chance to get the runner out at first.

The infield has to have fast, accurate throws to get many outs and double plays. If that happens then they could be successful in fielding. The errors for the infield weren't bad last season but still improvements can be made here. They all need to work on being able to stop everything and be consistent!

OUTFIELD

Alfonso Soriano, Felix Pie and, the Cub's newest player, Kosuke Fukudome, are starting in left, right, and center for the outfield this season. Kosuke Fukudome, the Japanese star, signed for 48 million dollars to play for four years. Starting for the first time on Opening Day, Felix Pie is hoping to make a great impression. Alfonso Soriano has been playing for two years and he should be looking good in the outfield again this year.

The outfield this season needs to consistently catch line-drive hits and pop-ups as well. The outfield also needs to run to short balls just over the infield and long ones that hit the wall. I think the outfield will do well this season. Their throws need to be accurate and long making sure it reaches the bases that it needs to be thrown to. Alfonso Soriano did very well in throwing long, accurate balls last season.

CATCHER

The main catcher for the Chicago Cubs is Geovany Soto. The backup is Henry Blanco. The catchers this season have to make sure to catch all the pitches possible. Not just strikes and wild pitches but they also need to oumake the plays at home plate.

The Chicago Cubs could be a successful team but the key is to have both fielding and batting strong this season. Not meaning home runs every bat (but that would be good) but not a lot of strike-outs either. They need many hits and runs. The fielding just needs to have good throws and not have a lot go by them. I believe they can be SUCCESSFUL!

Tigers-Volunteers:The Game That Changed Everything

Twins Hines — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 06:13:14 -0500

Memphis

Memphis in the beginning of the game was shooting from the outside and was making them in.

They showed that was the reason they were number one, and really started out strong they were really doing great

The only thing that made a difference was they couldn't make any foul shots and that cost them like 20 points.

Their coach said in the beginning of the game " I don't care about foul shots as much; we don't really work on them a lot." This did affect the game because their percentage was 47.1 and that is really bad because your percentage has to be in the 75 to 90-range. In the first half when there were two minutes left Tennessee started to make a run for it and I think the Memphis players were getting tired but Tennessee stared to score more and caught up. The score at half was 35-34 with Memphis leading by one point.

The second half Memphis might have been tired or just wasn't playing good because they were practically were giving the game away. They weren't shooting good and they started to lose rebounds. This team dominates in the rebound area. They had 11 turnovers and a lot of those turnovers were in the second half because in the first half they had control over the game.

I think this team played great defense their centers played great blocking 9 shots and the team had 10 steals mostly from the guards but a center named Douglas-Roberts made 3 steals. This team definitely beat Tennessee in the defense area but Memphis offense was awful in the second half. I am not sure what got into them I think they were nervous because they were at home and they were trying to hard instead of relaxing when they took a shot. Memphis also made stupid mistakes and giving the ball away on things like travels or giving Tennessee foul shots.

Tennessee

Tennessee in the beginning of the game was shooting from the outside and just kept making them in and was leading until they just couldn't make a shot in. It would hit the backboard or the rim and I just felt like why can't they make anything in. I think they were nervous and maybe it was stressing. They had 15 turnovers that was mostly in the first half.

In the first half Tennessee was giving the ball away and it was on, getting a rebound then bobbling the ball and giving to the other team or it would be like making a backwards pass, there is a Memphis player right in front of the person. But they had an incredible 46 rebounds I am not sure how they got that much and I think that really changed the game because Memphis wasn't getting that much. But Tennessee coach had a lot of trust in these guys and belive they will win. They really showed they could win in the last two minutes of the first half when they were down by ten and by half only a 1 point difference.

They started the second half great making a lot of shots and making it hard for Memphis to catch up. Their shooting percentage was 37.5% not a lot because in the first half they couldn't make anything in. But they were definitely bombing the second half. I believe this team felt confident and ready to go after the half.

They were really showing their stuff and what they can do. I felt like Tennessee was definitely showing they could beat Memphis because how they were playing very aggresive. I felt like Tennessee was really pressuring Memphis because they were taking a lead and they weren't ready to lose it. They were really playing hard and they were the team that desvered it. Even thought they only had 3 blocked shots and 5 steals not really close to what Memphis had. But Tennessee still played great and they weren't just good in one area they were good in both offense and defense while Memphis was really strong on defense and okay on offense.

Tennessee beat Memphis 64 to 62 and incredible down to the last minute game.

Memphis-Tennessee: Can You Feel the Heat, Tigers?

Twins Hines — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 08:23:04 -0500

The time has come for No. 2 Tennessee to play undefeated No. 1 Memphis. Their coach says that "Pressure is a privilege." I think this is pressuring the kids that play for this basketball team because they want to be No. 1 and not lose a game for their coach.

It could make them nervous, and when you're nervous, you can make a lot of mistakes. The NCAA tournament (March Madness) coming up is a lot more important. I think they should play hard, but they should keep in mind that it is okay if they lose one game in the season.

You also don't want your team losing their focus to teams they should beat. You also don't want a huge upset like losing to an unranked opponent before the tournament that could cause Memphis to lose its momentum.

Memphis is really strong in the center and can move the ball around great. They have amazing little guys. I like the strategy they use, and their defense is almost impossible to get through, even though they only won by one point against Tulane.

Memphis needed to do better than that because now some people are doubting that Memphis can go undefeated. Memphis wasn't supposed to be this good this year and that's why I like them so much, because they are showing that they can do the impossible.

But can this team go undefeated into the tournament or will Tennessee pull the upset? I can't wait to find out at 9:00 p.m on ESPN. Tune in!