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1. Mike Trout, Angels - Last season Trout set career highs in on-base percentage (.460), HR (39), walks (122) and OPS + (199) and still finished runner-up in the MVP voting because we have become accustomed to how great he really is.  By far the best player in the game right now and perhaps ever when all is said and done.  If Trout played on the east coast he would already have 5 MVP Awards to his name and if he played on a playoff team it would be 6.

2. Mookie Betts, Red Sox - Not the biggest guy on the baseball diamond but Betts played like a giant last season in getting his first MVP Award.  While his postseason stats weren't great he still helped the Red Sox win the World Series, won a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger along with his MVP hardware and a ridiculous 10.9 WAR season (21st best all-time) to boot.

3. Francisco Lindor, Indians - I'll always admit I got a soft spot for short stops because to me it's the 2nd hardest position to play in the game after catcher.  What Lindor has been doing his first 4 seasons at SS is mind boggling.  Last season he set career highs in runs (MLB leading 129), HRs (38), RBI (92), SB (25), OPS (.871) and WAR (7.9) and he hasn't even reached his mid 20's.  It's gonna be scary to see what kind of numbers Lindor puts up when he reaches his peak (age 26-29).

4. Max Scherzer, Nationals - Since Scherzer joined the Nationals the two-eyed cyclop has been the game's best pitcher.  Scherzer almost joined Greg Maddux/Randy Johnson elite status last season by winning his 3rd straight Cy Young but finished 2nd to deGrom.  Not many pitchers ever live up to their big contracts in their mid 30's but Scherzer has been a bargain for the Nats.

5. Nolan Arenado, Rockies - Baseball's newest member of the $200 million club might be the most underrated superstar in the game.  Arenado has won a Gold Glove in all 6 of his MLB seasons while averaging 40 HR, 130 RBI, and 350 total bases.  The games best 3B will be looking to win his first MVP Award this season after finishing the top 8 the past 4 seasons.

6. Jacob deGrom, Mets -  deGrom was more known for his long hair and being Thor's teammate before his Cy Young performance last season.  With his new hair cut deGrom put up an incredible 1.70 ERA, 10 WAR, while striking out 269 batters in 217 innings.

7. Christian Yelich, Brewers - Yelich 1st season in Milwaukee was a rousing success as he captured his first MVP Award while helping the Brewers reach the postseason by winning the NL Central.  Yelich won his first batting title (.326) and also led the league in SLG (.598) and OPS (1.000) while hitting a career high 36 HRs, 110 RBI, and 22 SB.  Just entering his prime the Brewers have Yelich locked up till his 30's hit at a bargain price tag.

8. Manny Machado, Padres - Manny used his free agency year to put up career highs in HR (37), RBI (107), OPS (.905) and get a huge contract with the Padres where he will go back to 3B to play platinum glove defense.  While he isn't known for his hustle Machado will be looked upon to lead a young Padres club that is loaded with young talent.

9. Corey Kluber, Indians - I feel almost ashamed to have the "Klubot" this low on the list.  The 2-time Cy Young winner won 20 games for the first time last season while leading the league in innings pitched (215), striking out 222 and only walking 34 batters.  He's finished in the top 3 in Cy Young voting 4 of the last 5 seasons and only getting stronger.

10. Ronald Acuna Jr, Braves - Our youngest player on the list (20) Acuna took the major leagues by storm and won the Rookie of the Year while hitting 26 HR and posting a .917 OPS.  Only greats like Mike Trout and Ken Griffey Jr. whom Acuna has been compared to put up similar numbers at a young age.

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🚨BREAKING NEWS🚨

The @MTLAlouettes have released QB Johnny Manziel.

FOR MORE | https://t.co/IbobgzO908 pic.twitter.com/mzVY5dn4BK

— CFL (@CFL) February 27, 2019

I'll be honest I completely forgot Johnny Manziel was even playing football. I just figured at this point after he burned all his bridges in the NFL that Johnny Football had resigned to living a raging lifestyle with his left over Cleveland Browns rookie signing bonus.  Or he could fall back on daddies trust fund money lasting for at least a few years. But boy was I wrong. He was actually "playing" for the Montreal Alouttes (what the fuck is an aloutte?) in the CFL until apparently today. Not only was Johnny Football released but apparently he's not welcomed back to the league because of some secret probation terms he failed to live up to.

But don't shed any tears because this should open up Manziel's triumphant return to America.  Right?  He doesn't need the NFL anymore.  Johnny can go play for the new AAF league.  Hell he can instantly start for the Atlanta Legends team. It would be a marketing dream.  The Legends team has two shitty QBs apparently as they are off to a dismal 0-3 start with Matt Simms and Aaron Murray and need a name to start selling tickets much less win some games.  Manziel for all his faults would at the very least bring legit interest that neither Simms or Murray can provide.  Let Johnny Football have an open mic at all times.  He was the most popular football player when he won the Heisman.  Yes the most popular by far.  We sold a shitload of Johnny Football shirts! 

Do it Atlanta!  Bring Johnny Football to the ATL and let's see him have some LEGENDary performances in the Dirty South.  Give us a reason to actually give a shit about the AAF league before baseball starts in the spring.  Johnny Football Manziel would sell tickets.  Otherwise Johnny will have to live the awful life of hanging out on a beach with his "model" wife.

For scientific purposes only I had to take a closer look at model Emily Ratajkowski's new Instagram posts and I can in fact confirm her gluteus maximus is stretching.  Think I'm crazy well take a look for yourself.  Again this is for scientific purposes.

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NBD but all new stuff is hitting the site next week. Stay tuned. @inamoratawoman

A post shared by Emily Ratajkowski (@emrata) on Nov 7, 2018 at 11:12am PST

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🖤@inamoratawoman

A post shared by Emily Ratajkowski (@emrata) on Nov 29, 2018 at 4:35am PST

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Feliz Navidad

A post shared by Emily Ratajkowski (@emrata) on Dec 23, 2018 at 10:17am PST

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next week.

A post shared by Emily Ratajkowski (@emrata) on Feb 21, 2019 at 6:26am PST

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Pam Springs by @livincool for @inamoratawoman

A post shared by Emily Ratajkowski (@emrata) on Oct 17, 2018 at 8:53pm PDT

So proud you Chris! @chris_tyree4 Chris won States this weekend in the 55m dash. His time of 6.30 is currently the #1 time in the US!! Chris also placed 2nd in the LJ at states. Stay humble and keep grinding!! @milesplit @RivalsFriedman @SWiltfong247 @HamiltonESPN pic.twitter.com/bLUfWwRrvd

— Richard Tyree (@RichardTyree) February 25, 2019

The nation's top  2020 high school runningback, Chris Tyree out of Virginia, competed in his state's 55 meter dash this past weekend.  As you can see in his dad's clip on his Twitter page Tyree is smoking fast.  Elite fast.  Tyree not only smoked the competition but he ran a nation's best 6.3.  To put it in perspective that equates to running a 4.189 in the 40 yard dash.  Deion Sanders ran a 4.21 at the 1989 NFL Combine.  Does that mean Primetime wears Chris Tyree's pajamas?

Chris Tyree is the 6A 55m dash STATE CHAMPION! He is also currently ranked US #1 !!! pic.twitter.com/wEEMETHVz0

— Thomas Dale TF/XC (@TDKnightsTFXC) February 23, 2019

All joking aside Tyree has Olympic elite track speed that every college football program would love to have on their team.  Tyree has the speed you only see come around once in a while.  Bo Jackson had it.  Rocket Ismail had it and obviously Deion had it.  The question remains which college football team will be strutting out Tyree as a true freshman in 2020?

Right now Tyree has more than 31 D1 offers and that will only go up after this past weekend.  So far Tyree has visited Penn State and Happy Valley 5 times and they are seen as the early favorites for his commitment.  Coming in second with visits is the in-state Virginia Tech Hokies with 3.  Tyree recently visited Oklahoma in early February.  In December Tyree visited Notre Dame and is scheduled to return for an official to South Bend on June 21-23 with the whole family.  Michigan got a visit last month.  Alabama is getting a visit next month and FSU is pushing hard for Tyree's services.

Listed at 5'10 and 185 lbs Tyree isn't an every down back.  He's seen as an all-purpose back who can split out and catch the ball when not lining up in the backfield.  He's too small right now to be an every down back and will clearly need to bulk up in a college football weight program to take the beating on fall Saturdays.  With that being said Tyree is an elite RB who can change the fortunes of any football program.

If you watched the college football playoffs you could see the difference an elite freshman playmaker can have on a program.  Clemson used freshmen QB Trevor Lawrence and WR Justyn Ross (both 5-Stars) to shred both Notre Dame and Alabama defenses in route to a perfect 15-0 record and a National Championship.  Without those two true freshmen Clemson would probably be home shaking their heads about what could have been like the year before when they got smoked by Alabama in the playoffs.  Getting Tyree could be on the same level as getting a Ross out of Alabama was for Clemson.

The only team in the playoffs without those true game day play makers was Notre Dame.  Right now the Fighting Irish don't have an elite talent at RB on their roster.  Don't get me wrong they have some good backs in Jafar Armstrong and Tony Jones Jr but neither of those guys are "5-star can change a game with the ball in their hands" type of players.  Or as some would call them home run backs.  Which is why new ND RB coach Lance Taylor's #1 priority is to get Chris Tyree to sign his letter of intent for the Fighting Irish.  If Notre Dame wants to compete with the big boys in Alabama and Clemson they need to have a play maker with Tyree's speed on the field.  Taylor's recruiting prowess was a deciding factor for his hire because the man he replaced, Autry Denson, simply wasn't getting the recruiting job done by ND standards.

With about 10 months to go till signing day Tyree's recruitment is still wide open.  Penn State is the presumptive favorite but anyone from Alabama to Notre Dame to Oklahoma to Michigan to Virginia Tech could woo the top RB prospect in the nation.  Getting somebody with Tyree's speed could make the difference between not only a playoff appearance but actually winning the whole thing.  Just ask Dabo.

For the past 15 something years the University of Miami has tried to back away from their swagger and "Convicts" days when Da U was dominating college football in the 80's and 90's.  Yesterday new head coach Manny Diaz (the creator of the Turnover Chain) announced it loud and clear he isn't gonna back down from the swagger for the Convicts.  In fact he's returning it ten fold if this story at a Nike Coaches Clinic is true...

For this asking lol pic.twitter.com/EtQta5a8PY

— Revenge Tour 😈👹 (R|E) (@mitch_purdue) February 23, 2019

Listen I'm a self admitted Miami hater.  I hated the Convicts with a passion back in the "Catholics vs Convicts" days when Jimmy Johnson and his punk ass team would showboat and strut all over the field.  But as much as I hated them I gotta admit I missed them these past 15 something years.  Much like college football  is better when Notre Dame is kicking the shit out of Michigan every year the sport is a hell of a lot better when Miami is strutting all over the field, starting fights outside the locker room while getting off the plane in army fatigues.  That's the fucking Miami Hurricanes I remember and loathed.  This is why I absolutely fucking love Diaz dropping his nuts on Taggart at a Nike camp in Orlando.  He's doing his best to change the culture back to the Convicts.  Granted if this story is true Diaz committed multiple NCAA rule infractions not to mention real life laws but that is neither here or there.

Diaz is a Miami boy who has seen Da U's powerful Hurricane like attitude decline to not even a brisk fart in the wind.  Diaz has already turned Miami into Transfer Portal U this off season by convincing 5-star recruits to come to Coral Gables such as UCLA's Jaelan Phillips and his teammate defensive tackle Chigozie Nnoruka, as well as Ohio State quarterback Tate Martell and USC safety Bubba Bolden.  It remains to be seen if any of the former 5-stars will pan out or even be eligible this season but if Diaz can attack their development like he has their recruitment we could very well see the return of the swagger and most importantly the W's to Da U.

This happened on live television pic.twitter.com/P5t6R1JYFw

— RA$OR RAMON (@NewJetJoe_12) February 22, 2019

Perfectly normal for a grown man to say he wants to taste another man's load. Absolutely nothing gay about it all. Not gay at all Mr. Paul Peter Puffer Pierce.

You do you.

Not a great look for Nike shoes https://t.co/Lvkqo7w1QK

— SportsCrack Apparel (@sportscrack) February 21, 2019

Not a good look for Nike here. The sure fire #1 pick in the NBA Draft Zion Williamson going down 30 seconds into the game because his fucking Nikes shredded faster than sweet Carolina BBQ. Zion is done for the night because of a knee injury and Duke is getting their asses handed to them by their hated rival North Carolina in the most watched basketball game of the year. Not good. Duke season could be done before March. Nike stock could plummet tomorrow. Prayers to Zion's knee.

The Tobacco Road rivalry gets it's first 2019 installment tonight in Durham as the 8th ranked Tarheels take the short bus to play #1 Duke in what should be a classic game on ESPN at 9pm.

I was somewhat shocked to hear UNC is a 9 point dog tonight.  I know Duke is a powerhouse right now with freshmen Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish (all top 5 projected NBA picks) leading the way but it's not like this Duke team is unbeatable.  They have already lost twice to Gonzaga and a shitty Syracuse team. They should have lost to Louisville (came back from 23 down in 2nd half) last week and Virginia earlier in the season not to mention barely escaping by 2 points vs FSU.

Let's get into the numbers and I'm not talking about the ticket market for this game reaching Super Bowl levels.  Duke is averaging 88.4 points per game at home.  North Carolina averages 87.5 points per game this season.  While Duke has been led by their outstanding freshman trio UNC has been led by their outstanding backcourt with senior guard (I know what a crazy concept to have an actual senior starter these days) Cameron Johnson and freshman Coby White playing lights out.  UNC coach Roy Williams leads all active coaches with wins over #1 ranked teams with 7.  #8 would be great tonight.  Coach Roy also knows how to win at Cameron Indoors and will have his team prepared to take out an amped up Duke crowd early on.

9 points is a ridiculous spread this late in the season between two top 10 rivals.  Either one of these teams could win the whole thing in March and the ACC regular season championship basically comes down to tonight.  Duke has been struggling behind the arc and Coach K hasn't shown much if any adjustments for his team despite the size advantages of Zion, Barrett and Reddish.  Duke continues to rely on the 3 when they really shouldn't.  When Duke is playing their game they are pressing on defense, playing fast break basketball and driving to the hoop.  When they struggle they go half court offense and start chucking up 3's.  Duke is currently 317th in the country in 3 pt shooting percentage.  I shit you not.

Both teams are extremely athletic because they are littered with McDonald's All-Americans and in some cases don't even have real classes to take.  Both play good defense because of their athleticism so I'm expecting that 166.5 total to go UNDER.  We all know Zion is gonna put on a show tonight in primetime.  The only way to stop him is to poke him in the eye like FSU did.  But I don't see Zion and the Cameron crazies overwhelming UNC on the big stage.  I think it's gonna be a close game with it more than likely being a last possession shot coming down as the deciding factor.  For that reason I like UNC at +9.

While I'm not exactly ready to call North Carolina +9 vs Duke the lock of the century I'm also not ready to not not call it the lock of the century.  It's well worth the gamble in my sports book.  

Don’t be throwing intramural screens on Lord Trevor Lawrence. Know your role kid. https://t.co/UmILQbS99s

— SportsCrack Apparel (@sportscrack) February 19, 2019

Just waiting for confirmation that this Clemson bro who stupidly screened Trevor Lawrence on the other side of the basketball court risking the Lord's knee and 9 months of future rehab took his life with two bullets to the back of the head last night. Now some Clemson haters want to say this was clearly a side effect of "Orange Juice" aka ostarine aka roid rage in Trevor Lawrence's system but that's just conjecture and hearsay.

I mean granted like 25% of the Clemson players who were tested before the Cotton Bowl failed their drug test but that doesn't mean Lord Trevor is guilty by association. I mean yeah he basically single handily destroyed two top 10 defenses in Notre Dame and Alabama in the playoffs as a true freshman in route to leading Clemson to a perfect record and conveniently wasn't tested but that doesn't mean anything.

If you had a glorious manes of Sunshine hair would you give up a single follicle for the NCAA? I didn't think so.