Audition Day: Michael Vick's final chance in the NFL?

Sunday's week 17 game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants may seem like a meaningless match-up between two NFC East rivals who have both been knocked out of play-off contention (technically, the Giants are still mathematically alive to make the play-offs, but I have better odds of winning a Pulitzer prize for this post than the Giants do of making it to the play-offs) . But, think again. There are a number of sub plots at the heart of this game that will help to decide how the NFL looks next year. For instance, the defending Super Bowl champion Giants will undoubtedly make personnel changes in the off-season after a season full of inconsistent defensive efforts, and conservative play calling on the offensive side of the ball.

Yet, the sub plots surrounding the Eagles may be even more intriguing. This Sunday could be the final game for Andy Reid as the head coach in the city of brotherly love. Despite being the longest tenured coach in the NFL and posting an overall record of 139-97-1 with the Eagles over 13 years, Reid's teams have vastly under achieved in recent years, and have completely fallen off the map this year compiling the 3rd worst record in the NFL. Despite all his success in Philadelphia, Reid will still likely be known for his teams' inability to win "the big game," despite compiling stellar players. It is still too early to speculate on who would replace Reid, but whoever it is, they will certainly have a difficult time filling Reid's shoes.  
 
While Reid's situation is interesting, the drama surrounding Michael Vick is even more intriguing. The sorry Eagles have opted to start rookie quarterback Nick Foles instead of 4-time Pro Bowl quarterback Michael Vick for the latter half of the NFL season. While some pre-season pundits predicted that the team would contend for the Super Bowl, Vick and the Eagles have had a dismal season, losing 10 of their last 11 games. To be fair, Vick was not provided much help by his teammates earlier this year, as the Eagles' offensive line was and has been in shambles all season. But, Vick did himself no favours either, throwing 14 interceptions and fumbling the ball 7 times in 13 games. After being stripped of the starting job, it looked like Vick would whither away on the Eagles bench until the end of the year, which would be followed by a trade to one of the few teams in the NFL that actually needed a quarterback or be released altogether. But, as luck would have it, Michael Vick may have a say in his future after all. With Foles breaking his hand in last week's loss to the Washington Redskins, Vick, once the league's highest paid player, will have one last audition for potential suitors in the final game of the season against the Giants.

Will Vick land a starting job next year?

Currently the Arizona Cardinals, the Kansas City Chiefs and the New York Jets are being touted as the most likely destinations for the former Virginia Tech product. Not exactly the ideal destinations for any football player at this point, but, they do provide Vick with the possibility of a final chance to live up to the hype that has surrounded his entire career. While there have been many highs on the field for Vick, as he as electrified fans in Philadelphia and Atlanta (Want proof? Have a look at the video below), questions about his versatility in an offensive scheme and off-field behavior have always followed him. With the felony charges of taking part in an illegal dog fighting ring and the 21 month sentence that followed now behind him, it seems that Vick has finally matured as a person. But, did it come too late?

Can Mike Vick turn back the clock this Sunday and convince NFL GMs to take one last chance on him as their starting quarterback or will he be devoured by Jason Pierre-Paul and the rest of the Giants defense? Unlike last year's NFL draft class, the 2013 class has very few legitimate quarterback prospects, which signals good news for Vick. But nothing is for certain in today's NFL. So, whether Vick gets one more shot in his NFL career may hinge on this Sunday's showdown between Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants. So much for a meaningless game.

Saturday Morning Musings - December 15, 2012

Bye-bye Balotelli?

Super Mario is in a rut. Again. The polarizing Italian striker was left out of Manchester City's squad for today's English Premier League match-up against Newcastle. The startling thing is that not only did Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini leave Balotelli out of the starting 11, but he left the striker out of the list of substitutes as well. This omission adds fuel to the fire, as rumours that the club's brass has had enough of the volatile Balotelli and could be keen to offload the 22 year-old to either his former club Inter Milan or their rivals A.C. Milan.

The latest installment of the Balotelli saga highlights yet another example of the player's ongoing attitude problem in the blue side of Manchester. After a dominating performance at EURO 2012 (specifically his dominating performance against Germany) in the summer, it looked like Balotelli was ready to take the football world by storm. However, due to multiple squabbles with the club's manager, Balotelli does not even find himself on the substitute's bench,let alone dominating on the field! At some point Balotelli will have to grow up. Whether that occurs in Manchester or elsewhere, we will have to wait and see. If he chooses not to, Balotelli's shot at greatness will pass him by.

 

Benched: Mario Balotelli could be on his way back to Milan

Blue Jays Eying Dickey


After starting the off-season by orchestrating a (rather one-sided) blockbuster trade with the Miami Marlins that brought Mark Buerhle, Jose Reyes, and Josh Johnson into town and signing MLB pariah Melky Cabrera to a 2 year contract worth $16 million, you may have thought the Toronto Blue Jays were done wheeling and dealing in the winter. Think again. The Jay's GM Alex Anthonpoulos seems to be going for the jugular, as he is now in trade talks with the New York Mets for last year's NL Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey. Contract talks between the Mets and the pitcher have hit a snag, which have allowed the Blue Jays a chance to swoop in for the 38 year-old knuckleballer.

The N.L's reigning Cy Young winner, who produced a 20-6 record with an 2.73 E.R.A. for the hapless Mets, is reportedly looking for a 2 year contract extension worth $25 million. According to FoxSports' Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal, the Blue Jays are willing to offer Dickey this extension and are in negotiations to trade a package of young prospects, which could include one of J.P Arencibia or Travis d' Arnaud and outfielder Anthony Gose.

If the Blue Jays can make this deal happen, it will go further to help to rejuvenate the fan base in Toronto. In addition, solidifying their pitching rotation will go a long way in the challenging for honours in the AL East. With the Red Sox in the middle of a re-build, and the grey-haired New York Yankees getting older by the minute, the Rogers' family and the Blue Jays organization seem to be aiming their sights for the top of the AL East.   

The New York Knicks Resurgence: A Slow Rise to Relevancy

If any other team in the NBA was 16-5, which stands as the best record in the league's most hotly contested conference, they would be certain to an early NBA title contender. But, no team has the history and paranoia of the the New York Knicks.There is constant seconding guessing by Knicks' fans about the decisions made by the team's brass at Madison Square Garden. But, can you really blame them? James Dolan may be one of the most hated owners in the game of basketball (the LA Clippers Donald Sterling may be his rival, however) and the Knicks' executives over the last decade have not exactly been the standard bearers of exemplar team management. However, the New York Knicks look different this year, The transformation did not occur overnight, instead brash moves by Dolan, the team's General Manager Glen Grunwald and the team's brass over the past 2 years have given the MSG faithful a new lease on their basketball lives.

Stars in the Big Apple

The team's fortunes did not change overnight, but started in 2010 when they picked up Amar'e Stoudemire. While Stoudemire's ridiculous 5 year deal worth $99.7 million has been a complete bust for the Knicks, it did provide one positive outcome: it made the Knicks a premiere destination for stars in their prime (Stephon Marbury and Steve Francis do not count!). The following season the Knicks made their biggest move in decades by picking up a legitimate franchise player in Carmelo Anthony in a trade with the Denver Nuggets. After a slow start at the beginning of his Knicks' career, Melo has steadily improved and is now pushing himself into NBA MVP discussions this season, by averaging 27.7 points per game and 6.6 rebounds per game. Aside from leading the team in statistical categories, Melo has established himself as the team's undisputed leader.

Amar'e Stoudemire: Luring other stars to the Knicks may be his biggest contribution

The third important move that the Knicks made was bringing in Tyson Chandler through free agency in the summer of 2011. Chandler, who has been one of the league's top defensive big men in recent years, had just come off of winning the NBA championship with the Dallas Mavericks. The 7 foot California native brought instant championship experience, leadership and defensive prowess (which saw him win the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year Award last year) to a team that required all 3 of these improvements.

Coaching Carousel

Even with their own version of the big three in Stoudemire, Anthony and Chandler, the Knicks struggled under the leadership of run and gun coach Mike D'Antoni. D'Antoni, who is going through a similar problem with the Los Angeles Lakers right now, could not institute a system that catered to his fast paced offensive style, and the attributes of Carmelo Anthony, who is more of a half-court, isolation/jump shot specialist. Coupled with this tension was the fact that like all other D'Antoni coached teams, the team's defense was horrible or non-existent on some nights. After a 18-24 start in the 2011-2012 season, D'Antoni resigned as the Knicks head coach after 3+ seasons. In that time span, the Knicks only made the NBA's post-season once, to be swept by the Boston Celtics in the first round in 2010-11.

D'Antoni's failure led to Mike Woodson's opportunity to lead the Knicks

After D'Antoni's resignation, the Knicks installed one of his assistants, Mike Woodson, as the interim head coach for the remainder of the 2011-12 season. The well-travelled coach was known for his solid approach to defense after winning a NBA title with the Detroit Pistons in 2003-04 as an assistant and, his 6 years as head coach of the Atlanta Hawks, in which he led the team to two NBA Eastern Conference Finals appearances. While D'Antoni's installation as coach was a dismal failure for the Knicks executive team, the promotion and continued support of Woodson has been pure genius. Under Woodson, the Knicks have gone 34-11 since the coaching change. This move was particularly brash because it ignored the deafening calls for the hiring of former Knicks player, and zen master extraordinaire, Phil Jackson as the team's head coach. Even after injuries to Carmelo Anthony, Amar'e Stoudemire and last year's global sensation Jeremy Lin, Woodson guided the team into the playoffs, and has led the team to the best record in the Eastern Conference after 21 games this year.

The Linsanity Dilemma

The final personnel moves that the Knicks made prior to the beginning of this season have already started paying dividends, and have saved the team from having yet another large, unwanted contract on the books. Grunwald and the Knicks made a shrewd and, at the time, a very unpopular decision, by not matching the Houston Rockets 3 year, $25 million contract offer for Jeremy Lin. Lin, who had provided the majority of the Knicks' highlights in the 2011-12 campaign, joined Kevin McHale and the free-spending Houston Rockets (who also traded for James Harden soon after) after the Knicks declined to match their substantial offer for the crafty point guard.

With a void at the point guard position, there was plenty of backlash and discontent from the Knicks faithful and sports media, who thought losing Lin hurt the team on the court and financially, as the point guard's global marketing appeal was arguably more important than his play on the court. This feeling was soon compounded as the Knicks signed free agent Raymond Felton to replace Lin. Felton had played for the Knicks in 2011, but was dealt to Denver in the Carmelo Anthony trade. The stocky point guard from South Carolina had enjoyed success in his first stint with the Knicks, but was returning to the team in less than ideal physical shape and after two unimpressive stops in Denver and Portland. To add some depth to the back court, the Knicks also signed aging 10-time All-Star Jason Kidd. Knicks fans were not amused, particularly as the two signings signaled the end of their pursuit of 2-time NBA MVP Steve Nash.

Felton's second stint in NYC proving to be a success

While these 2 signings didn't seem too exciting in the summer, it provided the Knicks with a solid back court pairing, which has proven to be one of the main contributors to the Knicks success so far this season. Felton is averaging just under 16 points and 7 assists a game and Kidd completely changing his game by becoming more of a shooting guard, he is chipping in with 9 points a game and shooting over 50% from behind the arc, by far the best in his career.  The Knicks have become a very difficult team to defend because of the versatile talent on the floor at all times. The decision not to match Houston's offer for Lin has also allowed New York financial flexibility going forward, as Kidd is on a short-term contract.

The key to any championship team is having the right formula. Last year the Miami Heat's big 3 took them to the promised land despite having little depth in the rest of their line-up. Yet, very few teams have that sort of star power, and the Knicks may be onto something here with their own unique formula.  By stockpiling saavy veterans like Kidd, the geriatric, but extremely sturdy Kurt Thomas, and the grumpy, yet extremely versatile Rasheed Wallace, the Knicks have added depth and experience to a line up that was already very talented with the likes of Anthony, Stoudemire, Chandler and J.R Smith.

Are they ready to win a title? That may be a stretch looking at contenders like Miami, Oklahoma City and San Antonio, but one thing seems to have changed:  the Knicks management has turned a new leaf. Long gone are the days of Stephon Marbury and Steve Francis pulling up for jumpers, and Tim Thomas and Antonio McDyess hacking it up at MSG.  

Saturday Morning Musings

Arsenal Snaps Streak in Shameful Fashion

The red side of North London is singing loudly again (for the time being) after this morning's 2-nil victory over West Bromvich Albion. But, the fashion in which the match was won was in a disgraceful.  The usually classy Santi Cazorla provided the moment of shame with a blatant dive. Cazorla made a move in the right side of the 18 yard box, at which point Baggie's defender Steven Reid stuck out his leg and Cazorla went down like a ton of bricks. The problem: Cazorla wasn't touched by Reid's leg, or any other part of his anatomy for that matter. This mockery of a foul translated into Mikel Arteta's match-winning penalty.

Cazorla has shown to be one of the league's best characters in the first few months of the season, but this will put a major blemish on that record (as it should). You can bet Arsenal supporters will look past the dive, as they are focusing on another record (the club's win/loss). Desperate times call for desperate measures.

With Lakers Stuck in Neutral, is Pau on the Way Out?   

With 20 games played, the Los Angeles Lakers should not be panicking with a 9-11 record. But then again, this is the team that fired their coach after a 1-4 start to the season. There are positives: with Mike D'Antoni calling the shots the team has gone 8-7. At least that's a winning record! While the Lakers try to figure out the formula, the Pau Gasol trade rumours have started to ramp up yet again. This time the Spaniard is linked with a swap to the Minnesota Timberwolves to join his countryman Ricky Rubio in exchange for a combination of Derrick Williams, J.J. Barea, Luke Ridnour and Nikola Pekovic. The inclusion of Williams in any trade would provide Steve Nash with a Shawn Marion type of player to run and gun with. Interesting proposition, but we will have to wait and see if a trade materializes or if it turns out to be just another rumour. 

Hoop Dreams: Without Rangers, Celtic is Doomed to an Early European Exit

An extra long weekend has been declared on the green side of Glasgow, as Celtic confirmed their place in the UEFA Champions League final 16 with a win over Spartak Moscow earlier today.  The Bhoys were done a favor as Benfica drew a mishmash of Barcelona's A & B squads, which allowed Celtic to advance out of Group G alongside Barca.

Despite the win and a spot in the next phase of Europe's elite club tournament, Celtic supporters have plenty to worry about. While the win today was a major accomplishment, it was not one to sing too loudly about.  For stretches of the match, Nigerian Emmannuel Emenike terrorized his countrymen Efe Ambrose in Celtic's defense and put himself in very dangerous positions (one of which translated into a goal for the Russians). Despite dominating much of the possession, Celtic were mere minutes away from being bounced out of the tournament if it hadn't been for a (rather generous) penalty that was awarded to Georgios Samaras which was subsequently slammed into the net by Kris Commons in the 85th minute. Luckily for the Glaswegians, Samaras, Kris Commons and the Celtic midfield put in a great shift. But, will that sort of effort work against the quality of potential opponents in the next round? Paris Saint Germain, Schalke, Malaga, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, Bayern Munich or Manchester United. Pick your poison. All of these teams possess much better players than Emmanuel Emenike. The Bhoys always have a chance at Celtic Park, but even the most ardent Celtic supporter would be worried about every single one of those potential match ups.

Georgios Samaras: Man of the Match against Spartak Moscow

So, the situation is rather bleak in the Champions League, but that's fine since Celtic are the Kings of Scotland, you say? Not so fast! The Bhoys are going through a dismal domestic stretch, which has seen the club win twice in the last six matches, seeing their lead a top the Scottish Premier League shrink to 1 point (ahead of Hibernian). This points to a much bigger problem:  Celtic seems to have adopted a habit in which they play up or down to the level of their opposition. Great when playing Barca, not so much when you play Kilmarnock.

In the short-term, an exciting, down to the wire Scottish Premier League campaign gives clubs like Hibernian and Inverness a shot at a title that they have not had a sniff of in years. But, where does this lead to for Celtic both domestically and in Europe? Directly towards complacency. The Celtic of 2007, who also made it to the final 16 of the Champions League before being sent home by Barcelona, were in a much better place as they had to battle with Rangers tooth and nail to the end for the Scottish title that year. While the rivalry created great hatred among both team's fans, it helped to establish a higher level of competition, which often translated for a higher quality of play in Europe from the Scottish representative (whether it was Rangers or Celtic). With a "new' Rangers toiling in the 3rd division of Scotland after its insolvency, the Scottish game no longer has this dynamic. Celtic are the only show in town and, the show ain't work watching right now.

The Old Firm Derby: Produced both the best & worst of Scottish football

In the the short-term, Celtic are in a fine place, as they will likely continue to qualify for the Champions League and makes millions because of this. But, how far will they go in the UEFA Champions Leagu coming years if they remain the under challenged Kings of Scotland? Not very far. Don't see where I'm going with this? See BATE Borisov and FC Cluj. 

THE RETURN OF SHOWTIME: LAKERS LAND HOWARD, MAGIC GET SCREWED

If there was any doubt before, there is certainly none now: the Los Angeles Lakers are the team to beat in the NBA's Western Conference. By adding everyone's favourite flip flopper, Dwight Howard, in a blockbuster 4-team deal, the Los Angeles Lakers' management team have signalled that the word "re-building" is not in their vocabulary.

The Lakers, Nuggets, Magic & 76ers swung a major deal, that had been brewing for some time now. The Lakers picked up the 6-time All Star Howard, while the Nuggets get former Philadelphia 76er All-Star & U.S. Olympian Andre Iguodala, and the 76ers receive Andrew Bynum from the Lakers and Jason Richardson from the Magic. And, what did the Magic get you ask? Aaron Afflalo and Al Harrington from the Nuggets, 1st round draft pick Moe Harkless, and Nikola Vukevic from the 76ers, along with one protected 1st round draft pick each from Denver, Los Angeles and Philadelphia.

You can bet there's a bottle of Dom Perrignon being delivered to the war rooms in L.A, Denver and Philadelphia tonight, while a bottle of Motrin or Advil is being passed around the General Manager's office in Orlando.  Let's call a spade a spade: the Magic got screwed.They had a disgruntled star, who made it no secret that he wanted out of town and provided his team with little or no bargaining power. The Magic received little return on their franchise player. No offense to Al Harrington, Aaron Afflalo, Nikola Vukevic and Moe Harkless, who are fine players in their own right, but not one of them can fill even a quarter of Dwight Howard's size 18 shoe.

Was there ever any doubt? Howard is LA bound

And, what of the 1st round draft picks, you say? 3 first rounds are an impressive haul. 3 protected first round picks? Not so much. With protected picks, the Magic as assured that they will not see any lottery picks of out this trade. So, you've essentially traded away your franchise player for 2 B-level players (Afflalo and Harrington), a C+ level player (Vukevic) and 4 mid to late 1st round draft picks (including Harkless) without even getting Pau Gasol?

I'm sure the Brooklyn Nets must have mustered up something a little better at some point. One of the rumoured offers submitted by Nets over a month ago was Brook Lopez, Marshon Brooks, Chris Humphries and 4 UN protected 1st round draft picks in exchange for Howard. Waiting too long for the best possible deal can be a wrong move sometimes, as who knows, it may never materialize.

But, what's done is done. The Lakers are the favourites in the West, with Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Metta World Peace, Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard in their starting 5, while Orlando will be led by Jameer Nelson, Al Harrington and Aaron Afflalo and Hedo Turkoglu. Good luck, Jacque Vaughn. You've stepped into quite the coaching job.

Decision TIme for the Blue Jays as Trade Deadline Looms

Are the Blue Jays on the cusp of making a run at a wild card spot in the American League or is it time to shut the injury riddled team down for the season? You can bet this question is making Jay's GM Alex Anthopoulos toss & turn in the middle of the night.

With a record of 51-51 and the trade deadline just hours away, the Blue Jays need to decide whether they are in re-building mode or see themselves as a contender for a play-off spot. Anthopolous has already swung 3 deals by pulling off the most low key 10-player trade you will see in acquiring pitcher J.A. Happ from the Houston Astros, trading for another pitcher in Steve Delabar from the Seattle Mariners & also trading away Travis Snider to Pittsburgh for yet another pitcher, Brad Lincoln. But, these 3 deals do not conclusively say which direction the team plans move toward. The Jays have to go one of 3 ways: 1) Re-build 2) Stand pat or 3) Stock-up & go all in.

First J.A. Happ, now Brad Lincoln. Will another new face be playing at Rogers Centre?

• Re-build: This is likely the road least desired by Blue Jay fans. With this option, the Jays could shop their higher paid players like Jose Bautista, Ricky Romero & Adam Lind to name just a few. There is certainly a market for Romero, as the Rangers & Dodgers are both in the market for starting pitchers. The Dodgers would make sense, since Romero is from the L.A. area. But do the Jays want to give up on him this early? In exchange, Jays fans can expect for more of the same: prospects.

• Stand pat: All things being equal, the Blue Jays have suffered from an injury bug like no other in Major League Baseball this season. With the likes Dustin McGowan, J.P Arencibia, Jesse Litsch, Sergio Santos, Adam Lind, Jose Bautista, Brandon Morrow, Kyle Drabek & Jason Frasor all on the injured list right now, it's surprising that the team has a .500 record in baseball's most competitive division. Would this team have been front-runners if the injuries hadn't occurred? That's debatable, but Anthopoulos could look to improve his team via free agency in the off season, instead of trading prospects or his stars away before the deadline. May be a healthy Jays team would be battling the Angels & Athletics for the Wildcard spots?

• Stock-up:  The Torontonians are 4.5 games back of the final wild card spot in the American League. Not quite Everest. But, after getting clobbered by the wild card leading Oakland Athletics last week, the hobbled Jays clearly need to inject some new blood into their squad if they want to make a run at the playoffs this season. Despite being without their feared slugger Jose Bautista, the Jays are still respectable at the plate (ranking atop the MLB in runs scored).  It is at starting pitching is where the bluebirds require the most help with Ricky Romero struggling, and Brendan Morrow and Kyle Drabek on the mend. James Shields, Ryan Dempster (likely going to the Dodgers), Kevin Millwood & Matt Garza are just some of the names being thrown around. But, which one of these hurlers is most likely for the Blue Jays? Shields & Millwood are the most realistic options here, but the Jays would still have to part with some top prospects, such as outfielder Moises Sierra, and/or shortstop Andeiny Hechavarria, in order to acquire a veteran pitcher. 

James Shields: Likely to moved tomorrow. But, where?

So, which one of these 3 directions do Alex Anthopoulos and the Blue Jays choose? It's hard to say, but by looking at the 2 early trades that the GM has made it seems as though the Blue Jays would be better suited to continue to build up depth at the pitching position during the off season. After tonight's loss to the Mariners, the club still sits near the bottom of the AL East with a pitching staff that ranks 26th in ERA & that has given up 132 long balls so far this season (ranked 27th in the majors). Even despite the injury crisis, the Jays need pitching depth to compete....next year. So no need to trade away prospects and stars this year, because it's almost certain that only the Athletics, Angels, Orioles, Tigers and Rays will duke it out for the wild card this season.

Let's see what happens!


Quote of the Week:
If it wasn't for baseball, I'd be in either the penitentiary or the cemetery.
Babe Ruth

Group A: Poland

POLAND

WORLD RANKING: 65

TEAM CAPTAIN:  Jakub Blaszczyknowski

BEST EURO RESULT: Group Stage (2008)

THE LOWDOWN

The co-hosts head into Friday's tournament opening match as the underdogs in Group A. The Poles dress a relatively young and inexperienced team, possessing the dynamic duo of Jakub Blaszezyknowski and Robert Lewandowski, who led Borussia Dortmund to a 2nd straight German Bundesliga title this year and Arsenal's #1 goal keeper Wojciech Szczesny. Home field advantage and a 3 match win streak coming into the tournament will boost the "White Eagles" chances, but with their first 2 games against the group's two best teams (Greece & Russia) expect Poland to bow out in the first stage of the tournament. Don't worry Team Poland fans, this young team will only get better with time and this Euro 2012 experience. Watch for Poland to make major strides in Brazil at the 2014 World Cup.

PLAYER TO WATCH:  Wojciech Szczesny

The 22 year old Szczesny has cemented himself as the starting keeper for both his club team Arsenal and the Czech National team. With 10 international caps under his belt, the 6 foot 5 inch custodian will need to use every inch of his frame to keep goals out if the Poles have any chance of advancing to the quarterfinals. Despite having a formidable striker/winger partnership with Lewandowski and Blaszezyknowski, the real issue for Poland will be keeping the ball out of the net. Cracks are destined to appear in the Polish defense, so Szczesny will have to take his game to another level to keep Poland's hopes alive.

Wojciech Szczesny

PREDICTION: 4th in Group A

UP NEXT: RUSSIA

GROUP A: GREECE

GREECE

WORLD RANKING: 14

TEAM CAPTAIN: Giorgios Karagounis

BEST EURO RESULT: Winners (2004)

THE LOWDOWN

The 2004 European champions come into this year's tournament ranked 14th in the world with a nice blend of youth and experience in their squad. The aging faces of Giorgios Karagounis, Theofanis Gekas and Kostas Katsouranis are blended with youngsters Soitiris Ninis and Kostas Fortounis. Brazilian coach Fernando Santos will look to the experienced faces for mental strength and composure and moments of offensive brilliance from the young phenom Ninis.

Despite going unbeaten in qualifying, the Galanolefki have never been known as an offensive juggernaut and games against the likes of Russia and the Czech who possess similar scoring weapons and equivalent defensive acumen, could make this group a nailbiter to the end. Expect Santos to bring more a offensive approach to the Greek national team than his predecessor Otto Rehagel did. But, this may turn out to be the wrong style for the Greeks as they cannot expect to throw hay makers with the most talented teams in Europe and come out on top.

Where will Greece's goals come from? Samaras, possibly?

PLAYER TO WATCH: Sotiris Ninis

The 22 year old Albanian-born winger/midfielder will be at the heart of the Greek attack and will be looked upon for the lion's share of the team's offensive flair. Ninis, who made 2 appearances in Greece's disappointing outing in the 2010 World Cup, will look to end his 2nd international tournament on a much happier note. Regarded as one of Europe's brightest young stars, Ninis will have the perfect opportunity to show the continent why a number of top clubs on the continent were vying for his signature after his contract expired with Panathinaikos last month. Italy's Parma won the race to sign the young midfield magician, who will now be playing in Italy's Serie A come September. Is he worth all the hype? We will find out on Friday.

PREDICTION: 2nd in Group A & a Quarterfinal loss to Germany.

UP NEXT:  Poland

GROUP A : CZECH REPUBLIC

The World Cup may be the biggest soccer tournament on the planet in terms of sheer size, but few can argue against the fact that the European Championships always produces the superior on-field product. This installment of the Euros is likely to be no different, where 4 teams out the 16 total can be listed as the favorites to win European football's most extravagant prize.

With only 3 days to go, join me as I give you previews of each team taking part in Euro 2012 and include my tournament predictions for each team. We start with the Czech Republic in Group A!

CZECH REPUBLIC

WORLD RANKING: 26

Team Captain: Tomas Rosicky

BEST EURO RESULT: Winners (1976)

THE LOWDOWN:

The Czech's limp into this tournament after beating Montenegro in the qualifying round playoff, but losing to Hungary in their final warm-up match on Friday. The 1976 European champions have struggled in international tournaments of late, particularly since the retirements of Pavel Nedved, Jan Koller and Karel Poborsky. Despite having arguably the best goalkeeper in the world in Petr Cech, and veteran stars of yester year in Milan Baros and Tomas Rosicky, the Czech's lack international level talent to compete with the heavyweights in European soccer.

The most pressing concern for the Czech's will be in the attacking third of the pitch, as their leading play maker Tomas Rosicky will start the tournament with a nagging calf injury. To add their offensive woes, the strikers in the Czech stable (Milan Baros, Tomas Necid, and Tomas Pekhart) are unlikely to strike fear into the hearts of opposing defenders.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Tomas Rosicky

After the 2006 World Cup it seemed as Tomas Rosicky was ready to set the football world on fire. Prior the tournament in Germany, Rosicky had transferred to English giants Arsenal FC and during it, as he almost single handedly demolished the United States in a group stage match. Little Mozart, as he was called in his homeland, had arrived on the global stage.

Who can replace Pavel Nedved in the Czech midfield?

Unfortunately, the expectation of Rosicky being "The Next Pavel Nedved" has not panned out for Arsenal or the Czech national team due to a long list of injuries over the last 6 years. The multiple trips to the team doctor's office have affected the midfielder's quickness and shooting power significantly. This tournament may be the last chance for the 31 year old Rosicky to make an impact on the international stage. If the Czech's have any chance of getting out of this weak group, they will need Rosicky at the top of his game providing useful passes to Milan Baros and the other Czech strikers.   

Can Baros reclaim his Euro 2004 form?

PREDICTION: 3rd in Group A (Eliminated at Group Stage).

Up Next: Greece

The Off Season Begins: Tiny Tweaks or a Complete Restructure for the Canucks?

The Vancouver Canucks season and Stanley Cup hopes came to a sudden end on Sunday evening. The planned cup parade was sidetracked by Darryl Sutter and his youthful band of Los Angeles Kings. How could this happen? The Vancouver Canucks were practically shoe-ins to make it back to the Stanley Cup final after falling short last year. Yet, a lack of cohesiveness on both the offensive and defensive end and an inept scoring punch provided Vigneault's boys a chance to get a head start on securing early tee times this spring. Yet, while Canucks players will be on golf courses across the continent, the team's brass have some colossal decisions ahead of them this summer. Over the coming days, I'll go over each of these conundrums over the next few days. We start at the top with Mike Gillis!

FIRE MIKE GILLIS?

Some will demand that Mike Gillis be fired for his handling of the Cody Hodgson fiasco at the trade deadline or his inability to properly improve last year's team by adding more punch and grit. Let there be no question that Mike Gillis certainly holds a lion's share of the blame in the team's early exit. After all, as he mentioned in during his press conference on Tuesday, Gillis is the primary decision maker for the organization when it comes to hockey operations. So, if mistakes were made in constructing the "right" type of team, they are Gillis' mistakes.

That being said, the players still play the game. Let's not forget that Gillis (with a little help of Brian Burke and Dave Nonis before him) has constructed a 2-time President's Trophy team, that was one game away from winning the Stanley Cup. Critics will say that the President's Trophy is a meaningless accomplishment, but if the Canucks' plan is to build a healthy and powerful organization in the mold of Ken Holland's Detroit Red Wings, regular season consistency is required. Gillis has helped to put the Canucks on the map as a perennial Cup contender. Even legendary Canucks coach and GM Pat Quinn was not able to do that in his tenure with the team.

Feeling the heat from the media & fans

Despite this year's colossal disappointment, Mike Gillis has built a Western Conference power. Any turnover at the GM position at this point in time would undoubtedly be a step backwards, as a new GM would bring in his own people and style of play to the organization. All of this would take patience, something that Canucks' fans are quickly running out of. 2012-13 will be a make or break season for Gillis' Canucks, so, expect Gillis to enter next year without a contract extension. The team will need to produce and avoid their annual slow start, or otherwise the Aquilini family will be looking for a new President and GM around the end of 2012.

The Beckham Experiment: A Resounding Success or a Dismal Failure?

It seems as though the David Beckham era in Major League Soccer may be nearing an end. The iconic English midfielder officially completed his 5-year contract with the LA Galaxy after a victory over the Houston Dynamo in the MLS Cup Final earlier tonight. If British newspapers and giddy French soccer club executives are to believed, Beckham could be joining heavily funded Paris Saint-Germain of France in the coming days. With North America's lease of 'Posh & Becks' now coming to an end, the question that arises from the mind's of most soccer fanatics is: did the Beckham Experiment work?

PSG's Parc Des Princes: David Beckham's New Home?

David Beckham will never be mentioned in the same breath as the Michel Platini's or Pele's of the world when it comes to his on-field play. He has never had the fantastic footwork of Ronaldinho, the amazing vision of Zinedine Zidane or the innovation of Franz Beckenbauer. Beckham is known as a dead ball expert, but so were Jay Jay Okocha and Juninho Pernambucano and the casual soccer fan has never heard of them.

Despite his shortcomings on the field compared to some of his contemporaries, David Beckham's greatest work for the sport of soccer has been as the greatest ambassador that the sport has seen since Pele. He has thrilled billions all over the world for his play on the pitch, but his effect off of it has been much more significant. Following Beckham's arrival to the North American game, the sport has seen its fan base expand substantially with the addition of more male fans, more children playing the game and the introduction of more female fans to the game. Some ardent North American soccer fans have seen the introduction of these new fans as a step back for the sport, where the game has lost a part of its soul at the expense of growth. Yet, for the longevity of the sport in North America, these new groups of fans are necessary. In this sense, David Beckham has played a major role in making soccer an inclusive sport in North America.

Courtesy: MLS

Beckham's playing career in the United States has often courted controversy. Most North American soccer fans appeared annoyed with Beckham over the years as it seemed like he longed for a return to Europe and looked to leave the MLS behind, despite being locked in to a multi-year deal. The situation hit a boiling point two years ago when he was even booed by his own LA Galaxy fans.

But in the last two years, Beckham changed. He focused on Major League Soccer and the LA Galaxy. He distanced himself from links with European clubs, despite the obvious interest shown by them. A focused Beckham, a rejuvenated Landon Donovan and a hungry Robbie Keane guided the LA Galaxy to this year's MLS Cup.

In the short-term, the Beckham Experiment can be deemed a success with a MLS Cup victory for the Galaxy, but the long-term benefits of Becks' stay in the United States will be remembered for years to come. The real gain of the Beckham Experiment will be seen in the next decade, as those young North American kids that David Beckham turned toward soccer during the last 5 years will continue to develop and push the United States and Canada ahead as footballing nations.