FIFA Ballon d'or

As we come to the close of year 5 of the Messi/ Cristiano Ronaldo debate I figured I’d throw in my 2 cents.  Not to try to determine who is better, you can debate that until the cows come home, but more as a reminder of how ridiculously lucky we are to have both of these brilliant players at the height of their abilities at the same time.  And I don’t mean brilliant in the British way as in “wow, that gravy is brilliant”, I mean brilliant as in, they are doing things that I have not seen before and will only see again in half-as-good copy cat ways.

The Ballon d’or is very rarely a contest.  The very fact that it is decided upon by journalists makes it suspect to serious questioning, but for the sake of argument let’s forget that.  Instead, let’s look at who has won the award that could be considered as good as these two and then let’s look at their competition that year.  Keep in mind a couple of things:  1.The Ballon d’or used to be only available to players playing in Europe, since 2010 it’s been combined with a FIFA award so it can now go to anyone playing anywhere in the world.  2.  The award almost never goes to a defensive player much less a goal keeper.  Lev Yashin is the only keeper to ever bring the award home.  3.  If you are the best offensive player on the team that wins the European cup/Champions league, you are a shoe in regardless of what other players may have accomplished.

If you don't know about Lev Yashin you seriously need to look him up.

Of the players who have won the award since the inception of the Champions League I would consider Ronaldinho, Zidane, Ronaldo, and Van Basten at the same level as Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Let’s start with Marco Van Basten, one of the few players to ever win this award three times and, many would argue, if it hadn’t been for injury one of the best players to ever play the game.  In 1992 he led Milan to their first Serie A title in four years which would allow them to qualify for the Champions League (remember when only champions got to participate in it?).  He then fought an ankle injury for 2 years but ended up retiring when he couldn’t overcome it.

His main competition in 1992 was Hristo Stoichkov the Bulgarian who would eventually win the trophy in 1994.  But Stoichkov had good seasons here and there, not a sustained career where he was always good like Van Basten.  He also had the misfortune of playing for Bulgaria so his national career would never leave the ground.

Other notable players that year:  Dennis Bergkamp, also from the Netherlands, Tomas Hassler, Peter Schmeichel and the Laudrup brothers.  All of these players are fantastic, but not as good as Van Basten, Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.

Next on the list is Ronaldo Luiz Nazario de Lima, otherwise known as the fat Ronaldo.  His story is fairly similar to Van Basten’s in that he dominated when he was young but his memory will be tarnished by debilitating injuries.  From 1994-96 he ripped up the Eredivisie and suffered his first bad injury (half of a season), he was then bought by Barcelona and had one of those seasons (1996-97) that you should tell your grandkids about.  He then moved to Inter Milan where he spent one and a half years making defenders look silly and about three years injured.  During this spell he won the Ballon d’or (1997) and came in second by a single point in 1996, losing to Matthias Sammer who had the benefit of playing for Germany who had won the 1996 Euro.

You remember Matthias Sammer right...right.

Zinedine Zidane won the award in 1998 while playing with Juventus.  As a midfielder he scored remarkably few goals but had technical ability that few people can match.  He was aided by France winning the World Cup in 1998 but never pleased the journalists enough to win it again.

After recovering from his injury (and winning the world cup for Brazil) Ronaldo moved to Real Madrid where he would team up with Ballon d’or rivals Roberto Carlos and Zidane.  The most interesting part of his career in the Ballon d’or is how he and Zidane only had one season where they both could have won it.  In 2002 Ronaldo led Brazil to World Cup glory and then had a remarkable season for Madrid so he won the award, Zidane also had a remarkable season for Madrid but was injured for most of the World Cup which prevented him from getting votes he otherwise would have.  Again, one of the few situations where there was a legitimate competition between two great players.

His hair had nothing to do the winning.

Ronaldinho simply had no peers during a two year stint at the top during 2005 and 2006.  His ball control was almost unparalleled during this time and he was able to use it to take over games and show us things not seen before.  Unfortunately no one else could really compete with him during this time.  Thierry Henry and Andriy Shevchenko are the two players that got closest to him during that time but neither of them will be spoken of in the same breath as the other greats that we’re talking about here.

So I guess that’s my point here.  Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are amazing players, better than Stoichkov, better than Kaka, better than Deco, Baggio, Sammer or Figo.  And they’ve both been doing it for five years now.  They rarely get injured, are always battling for trophies and each have their staunch defenders who stand up and say they’re the best.

What might be the strangest part is that they could still do this for another 3-4 years barring injury.  Cristiano Ronaldo is 27, Messi 25 and to tell you the truth I don’t see another up and coming player of their caliber.

Do you?

NTN 2012

2012 Theory on NFL Success

This is my third year in determining the NFL Theory of Nate (NTN).  I am currently ranking the NFL season of 2012. There are a couple of changes from last year, in which I correctly picked 9 of the 12 NFL teams to make the playoffs. 

Here is a synopsis of how I come up with the rankings:

20/20/20 – I rate three sections of an organization on a scale from 1-20.  1 constitutes a team that needs an immediate concentration of improvement for that position.  20 represent the best at their position for their time.  I did some research on the greatest collection of NFL teams, and the average score for a Super Bowl Champion was 17.3.  The average score for a Super Bowl runner-up was a 15.7.  The greatest team of all-time according to NTN was the 2007 New England Patriots with a score of 19.3.(20,19,19)  Eli Manning beat them.  The worst team to make a Super Bowl in the NTN era were the 1994 San Diego Chargers with a score of 10.6. (9,9,14) ( The NTN era starts in 1985)

The first section is Quarterback Presentation.  This rates everything including: a quarterback’s arm strength and accuracy, to leading his teammates to victory, and how capable they can be the face of the franchise.  I believe that this is the most important position in sports, and therefore the difference between having a 1 or a 20 can mean multiple championships, and larger revenue streams. 

The second section is Front Office Efficiency.  This rates everything including: game day preparation, media and fan involvement, draft and scouting success, motivational tactics, and general managing skills.  A front office that can provide a large number in this category can give teams the expectation of a super bowl appearance year in and year out, and give any organization credibility with their arrival. 

The final section is defensive schematics.  This rates everything including: talent level, discipline, awareness, evolution of defensive tactics, turnover capability, and leadership skills.  A team that can shut down both aspects of an opposing offense, while giving their team the best opportunity to win a game is going to rate very highly in this category.

QB

1 – Immediate opportunity to improve.  Playoffs are likely impossible.

5 – Capable of flashes of success.  Should improve position as soon as possible.

10 – Solid starter.  Playoffs wouldn’t be a surprise.  Super Bowl would.

15 – Team can begin to have Super Bowl expectations.  Can continue with this guy.

20 – Super Bowl or bust.  This guy makes team and organization better.

Coach/Front Office

1 – Fired no later than season’s end.  Lost both players and organizations faith.  Move on.

5 – Capable of winning games.  May hit on draft picks periodically.  Keeps job for 2+ yrs

10 – Doesn’t give away football games.  Good eye for talent.  Playoff potential.

15 – Winner.  Gets to the playoffs about 50-75% of the time.  Teams covet these types.

20 – These guys can be face of organization.  They leave on their own terms.  Instant credibility.

Defense

1 – A mess everywhere.  Gives up both big plays and long drives. Doesn’t change games.

5 – Might help the offense, but generally hurts organization.  No long-term value.

10 – Can stop most QB’s from great success.  Must game plan for some of the talent.

15 – Quality and depth.  Force’s offensive to make many adjustments.  Can win games.

20 – Very difficult to move ball against.  Terrific vs both pass and run.  Generates turnovers and scores points.

QB Rating – A 20 rating typifies as Joe Montana in his prime, 1 is JaMarcus Russell, Ryan Leaf and/or Akili Smith after a few seasons in the league. Even their potential should generate as a 2+, because technically, Russell really did have a cannon.

Front Office – 20 is the Jerry Jones/Jimmy Johnson tandem of the 90’s, 1 is Cincinnati through all those issues in the past decade.

Defensive personality – The teams that can make a QB and a Front Office look like Ryan Leaf on the Bengals score a 20, and the teams that need a 12^th defensive player to tackle Marshawn Lynch get a 1. 

^ designates upward potential

v designates a decline in quality

AFC East

1. New England Patriots

Q 18v F 17 D 11 = 15.3 Super Bowl quality

2. Buffalo Bills

Q 10 F 8 D 12 = 10.0 The NFL Average

3. New York Jets

Q 7 F 8 D 11v = 8.7 Something needs to change quickly

4. Miami Dolphins

Q 5^ F 9 D 10^ = 8.0 Getting better quickly (Last year 5.7)

AFC North

1. Pittsburgh Steelers

Q 14 F 19 D 16 = 16.3 Front Office keeps them great year after year

2. Baltimore Ravens

Q 12 F 17 D 17 = 15.3 Could also easily make the Super Bowl

3. Cincinnati Bengals

Q 12^ F 12^ D 12 = 12.0 Drafted very well recently, upper echelon soon?

4. Cleveland Browns

Q 6^ F 5v D 7 = 6.0 A long ways to go toward respectability

AFC West

1. Denver Broncos

Q 18 F 15^ D 15 = 16.0 Made the biggest improvement from last year (11.6)

2. Kansas City Chiefs

Q 8 F 13v D13v = 11.3 Close to the playoffs, better get a QB soon. 

3. San Diego Chargers

Q 14 F 6v D 12 = 10.7 The FO has ruined this team’s opportunity for stability.

4. Oakland Raiders

Q 10 F 3 D 8 = 7.0 It’s getting better here, but no Super Bowl in short-term.

AFC South

1. Houston Texans

Q 13 F 17^ D 14 = 14.7 We’ll see what happens when they play the 15+ teams.

2. Indianapolis Colts

Q 10^ F10^ D 12 = 10.7 Could have a 20 in the near future...

3. Tennessee Titans

Q 8^ F 9 D 10 = 9.0 Hard to recognize an identity; better get Locker right.

4. Jacksonville Jaguars

Q 4v F 4v D 6 = 4.7 No hope for years to come.

Playoff 6

1. Pittsburgh Steelers 16.3

2. Denver Broncos 16.0

3. New England Patriots 15.3

4. Houston Texans 14.7

5. Baltimore Ravens 15.3

6. Cincinnati Bengals 12.0

10 week summary (AFC): I could see any of the top 5 teams making it to the Super Bowl.  After 10 games though, I sure overrated the Kansas City Chiefs QB and Defense. I think Denver’s FO has been the best so far this year, they won’t miss Willis McGahee one bit.

NFC East

1. New York Giants

Q 17 F 17 D 17 = 17.0 At the peak of their powers.

2. Philadelphia Eagles

Q 13v F 15 D 14 = 14.0 Could make the playoffs.

3. Dallas Cowboys

Q 11v F 11v D 13^ = 11.7 At a crossroads in my opinion.

4. Washington Redskins

Q 8^ F 9 D 10 = 9.0 If I’m right, RG3 will be +15 as early as next season.

NFC North

1. Green Bay Packers

Q 18^ F 18 D 11 = 15.7 Defense starting to show cracks.

2. Chicago Bears

Q 13 F 13 D 17^ = 14.3 Hard to believe, but their defense could get better.

3. Detroit Lions

Q 13 F 10 D 12 = 11.7 Jim Schwartz isn’t likeable, but he can win football games.

4. Minnesota Vikings

Q 7^ F 9 D 12 = 9.3 Ponder isn’t the worst thing; FO needs to find some depth.

NFC West

1. San Francisco 49ers

Q 9 F 17 D 18^ = 14.7 Imagine if they could’ve signed Peyton.

2. Arizona Cardinals

Q 6v F 14 D 14^ = 11.3 Wasting all this NFL talent without a legit NFL starter

3. Seattle Seahawks

Q 6^ F 12 D 15^ = 11.0 Wilson appears to win job, likeability potential sky high.

4. Saint Louis Rams

Q 8^ F 8^ D 8 = 8.0 Finally after years of substandard quality, they’re on the upswing.

NFC South

1. Atlanta Falcons

Q 15^ F 18^ D 13^ = 15.3 The new Patriots?  Julio Jones trade was brilliant.

2. New Orleans Saints

Q 19v F 13 D 11 = 14.3 FO messed up big time, too talented of a team to scam like that.

3. Carolina Panthers

Q 11^ F 11^ D 10v = 10.7 Proved me wrong w/ Newton pick, time to fix defense.

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Q 11^ F 8^ D 11 = 10.0 Schiano was a sneaky pick, Freeman could join elite.

Playoff 6

1. New York Giants 17.0

2. Green Bay Packers 15.7

3. Atlanta Falcons 15.3

4. San Francisco 49ers 14.7

5. New Orleans Saints 14.3

6. Chicago Bears 14.3

10 week summary (NFC): Very balanced conference, but no one stands out.  I assumed the Giants would.  Vikings, Buccaneers and Seahawks all exceeding expectations, or possibly proving a flawed theory.  Winning with special teams and power running games, while however infrequent in today’s NFL, could cause my theory to implode.  All three teams have great ground attacks.  Carolina’s FO was my worst pick of the year; trade one of your running backs! May have overrated Philly a bit, but this also doesn’t account for confidence of which the Eagles have none.

Playoff predictability: I’d say 10 out of 12.  I’m not sure if the Saints can overcome that start, and the Bengals could lose out to the Colts or Chargers.  Giants vs Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl?  I don’t think it’s too far fetched, as long as Big Ben comes back to play. 

Fun Fact:  The Buffalo Bills that lost 4 Super Bowls in a row?  17.3,17.3,17, and 16.6.  They would run the roast in today’s NFL!  

NHL Fun

I don’t really touch on the NHL that frequently, but with there being a lock out and everything, I thought it would be a great time to include hockey in discussions.  What better way then to pick a greatest all-time team?  There’s literally hundreds of good hockey players to choose from, and with three lines, it’s a little deeper than choosing line-ups vs. the NBA. 

G Dominik Hasek – For me the greatest.  Had some terrible teams until he got to Detroit.

G Curtis Joseph – Roy wouldn’t have the humility to be a 2, CuJo did it once.

Line 1

C Wayne Gretzky – Have to.

LW Pavel Bure – Fastest I’ve ever seen.

RW Theo Fleury– Always been a big fan and creates an all speed line.

Line 2

C Mario Lemieux – See what I mean?

LW Kevin Stevens – Might as well.

RW Jaromir Jagr – Complete the dynasty

Line 3

C Steve Yzerman – Extremely underrated. 6^th most pts all time.

LW Luc Robitaille – Just scored goals.

RW Alexander Ovechkin – Beast on this line.

Grind Line

C Bob Probert – Never saw him lose.

LW Derek Boogaard – Miss this man.

RW Tie Domi – The trifecta of animals.

Defensive Pairing 1

D Ray Bourque – This will be insane.

D Chris Chelios – The other half of insanity.

Defensive Pairing 2

D Paul Coffey – So many good all-time defensemen.

D Phil Housley – My Minnesota touch.

Defensive Pairing 3

D Bobby Orr – Because I feel that people would be upset if I didn’t.

D Rob Blake – The Stevie Y of defensemen.

You can see when I became a hockey fan, and when I lost interest in the sport.  In my defense though, those twenty years from the early 1980’s until the end of the 20^th century, there were some fantastic hockey players, and some really great teams.  I’m still missing Messier, Leetch, Roenick, MacInnis, Roy, Belfour, among many others.  What a great generation.   

Wolves vs Magic

Wolves will look to end two losing streaks at the Target Center tonight (7:10CST).

The Wolves have not defeated the Magic at the Target Center since November 11th 2006.  George Bush was President.

Magic have defeated the Wolves in their last seven meetings.  Dwight Howard played in all of those games.

Blurbs:

Pek will go against Nikola Vucevic in the paint, Montenegro Style. Expect them both to, yes, GO HARD in the paint.

Magic will be without Veteran Hedu Turkoglu and Al Harrington.  Jameer Nelson has a strained hamstring and groin and will most likely not see the floor.

Arron Afflalo is coming off 28 points in a loss to the Bulls.

Purdue's own E'Twaun Moore will start in place on Nelson.

AK47 averages 14ppg against the Magic, his highest total against any NBA team.

Wolves may have a harder time rebounding than against Brooklyn (46-30) as Glen (Big Baby) Davis will be playing motivated with the departure of Howard.

Keys:

Play disciplined - limit turnovers, and don't let injury ridden team stay in the game late.  Players like Afflalo will   make it hurt.

Stay Big - Going at Glen Davis and putting him in early foul trouble will force Orlando into a game-plan that more than likely just doesn't exist.

THIS GAME IS IMPORTANT. 

We need to take early season match-ups such as these with a sense of urgency.  Win now without a fully healthy Roy, Rubio, and Love and we won't need to catch up later.

United We Run.

HOWL.

Some Brooklyn Recap

Wolves turned some heads Monday as they battled back from 22 to defeat the Brooklyn Nets for the first time at Barclay's Arena. 

96 - 96 with a little over a minute, Alexi Shved gets a bucket.  Wolves get a steal, JJ hits a flying Pek in the lane for a layup.  Wolves get another stop, Chase nails a dagger to make the score 103 - 96 with 50 seconds remaining in the game.

The fans remained in their seats and were not a factor in the final two minutes of play.  

"..In the second half, we just talked to each other and did not worry about the losing quarter. We had to just improve our game because since the beginning of the season we had good stretches and bad stretches, but we have to stay in the game with consistency." 

AK47 (16 points, 10 boards, and 6 assists in 32 Minutes)

JJ Barea, who was questionable with a concussion, played 29 minutes (6 points, 6 assists) after the team was unsure about his status (concussion).

JJ will be huge both on the court as a pivotal role as a play-maker but also in the locker room as one of the teams Veteran Leaders.

Daunte Cunningham played Tolliver like hustle minutes with countless additions that will not show in the box score.

Wolves vs Nets

The Wolves will showcase their depth tonight in Brooklyn. 


Still Hibernating:

Rubio and Love are still recovering and hope for them to see the floor in by mid-December.

Rubio is set to start cutting in practice.

Love has not hinted that the set 6 - 8 recovery period has fluctuated.

Brandon Roy, as to be expected, has not caught up with the pace of the league he said goodbye to just last  year.  He had 5 turnovers and did not take any shots, in the first half, of Sunday's loss to the Raptors.
 
 Just Pups:

Alexey Shved, Will Conroy, and Malcolm Lee will all see extended minutes.


Wildcats to Wolves:

Chase Budinger and Derrick Williams will need to show why the feline species isn't all that bad on the hardwood either.  Derrick starts are sure to be limited as the year moves on and needs to show he has the ability to be a make plays when called upon.

Brooklyn:

Gerald Wallace and Josh Childress are inactive.

Second game played in new Barclay's Center.

Defeated Raptors 107 - 100 Saturday.

Wolves must keep their Alpha-Males (Pek, AK47,Stiemsma) out of foul trouble. 

Contain Deron Williams or he'll go all Kyle Lowry on us. (22-7-5)

HOWL

Spurs

Anybody got any nicknames for the Spurs?  Preferably degrading..

Brooklyn

Basketball is back in Brooklyn, if you were not already aware. 

No reason the Nets should let this remain close, but MAN, Melo is lickin' his chops to play under this kind of atmosphere. 

Nets will compete all year which will add some more Flavor that is lacking out East.

Finally....

@xZaCh