Archive | July 2014

By Alex Winston

10. Alexis Sanchez
Sanchez was a key player to Barcelona throughout the years that he played there. In the 2013-14 season, he scored 19 goals with 10 assists in La Liga. Alexis Sanchez has accepted a deal of £250,000 a week to join Arsenal in the Barclays Premier League.

9. Ivan Rakitic
Rakitic had a fantastic 2013-14 season for Sevilla. He led his team to the club’s third Europa League championship in nine years. Ivan Rakitic came to an agreement with FC Barcelona on a five year deal, but they haven’t made a agreement on price yet.

8. Mario Mandzukic
Mandzukic was a key player for Bayern Munich in the 2013-14 season. He had 18 goals and four assists. It was tough for Bayern to let go of such a key player but Atletico Madrid offered a deal he couldn’t resist. Mandzukic agreed with Atletico on a five year, £17.5 million deal.

7. Luke Shaw
Shaw is only 18 years old but is unbelievable and has showed that he has high potential. Luke Shaw agreed with Manchester Untied for £30 million for four years and he will be getting £100,000 a week.

6. Thibaut Courtois
After playing great as a starting goalie for Atletico Madrid, Courtois will return back to Chelsea from a season loan. Courtois is only 22 years of age and already has 100 clean sheets. It should be interesting to see how Courtois fits back in to Chelsea, as he’ll have to fight with Petr Cech for the starting goalie spot.

5. Toni Kroos
The German phenom Kroos was on his last year of his contract, and everybody and their grandmother knew he was gonna leave Bayern Munich. Toni Kroos is a 24 year old brilliant midfielder. In the 2013-14 season, Toni was a brilliant passer, more specifically on his long lob passes. Toni Kroos will leave Bayern Munich and will move to Real Madrid on a six year, £24 million deal.

4. Cesc Fabregas
Fabregas played in the 2013-14 season with FC Barcelona. Last season he scored eight goals with four assists. With phenomenal passing ability and quick touches, he was one of the best midfielders on the club. Barcelona decided to move him to Chelsea on a five year, £30 million deal.

3. Diego Costa
Costa was last season’s second leading scorer on Atletico Madrid. In the 2013-14 season he scored 27 goals and had three assists. Costa was a excellent passer and had a curving shot. He is leaving Atletico and is heading to Chelsea for £32 million for five years.

2. James Rodriguez
This arguably can be placed as number one, but I’ve decided to pick it here. When Real Madrid sees a player that they like, they throw money at his team and buy him. This was surely the case with James Rodriguez. In the 2014 World Cup, James Rodriguez was a stand out player as he lead Columbia to the quarterfinals. He also won the Golden Boot, scoring the most goals in the tournament with six. The 23 year old fútbol player played well for AC Monaco. He mostly plays midfielder and is very quick with the ball. He is one of the most expensive young transfers in the history of FIFA. He will be leaving AC Monaco to head to the powerhouse that is Real Madrid for six years and £63 million.

James Rodriguez made an impact on the World Cup and now will hope to do the same in La Liga (Via Goal News)

1. Luis Suarez
James Rodriguez is great and should make an immediate impact in La Liga with Real Madrid. But there’s no denying that their arch-rivals FC Barcelona got better. In the 2013-14 season, Suarez was named the PFA player of the year. He was the leading scorer on Liverpool with 31 goals in 33 games. The 27 year old is currently one of the best strikers in the world. In the 2014 World Cup, Suarez bit Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini and was suspended for four months in the regular season. Suarez is leaving Liverpool to go to FC Barcelona for £75 million on a 5 year deal.

Honorable Mentions:

1. Robert Lewandowski: Dortmund –>Bayern

2. David Luiz: Chelsea –> PSG

3. Didier Drogba: Galatasaray –> Chelsea

4 David Villa: Althetico Madrid –> New York City FC

5. Nemanja Vidić: Manchester United –> Inter Milan

Alex Winston is an avid sports fan. His favorite teams include the Boston Bruins and PSG. He also enjoys playing and watching hockey

07/27/14

Belief In Queens?

By Jack Allen
Going into the 2014 season, New York Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson expected 90 wins coming from his ball club. As a fan, your mindset is very different. Since 2008 (The last winning season for the Mets) the Mets have struggled. They have made few strides and have had some, but extremely memorable glorious moments. First, the inaugural season at Citi Field in 2009, Johan Santana throwing their first no-hitter, and some great young starting pitching such as Matt Harvey, Jon Niese, Zack Wheeler, Jacob deGrom and Jeremy Hefner.

In 2009 the Mets finished 70-92. In 2010 they finished 79-83, 2011 they finished 77-85, in 2012 they finished 74-88 and the same in 2013. So if you’re a fan you might expect the team to get to .500, maybe clinch a wild card playoff birth. 90 wins might seem like a stretch. On July 2nd, the Mets were sitting at 37-48. Since then they’ve gone 12-7. Putting them at 49-55 giving them a realistic chance for a possible wild card birth. They currently sit 7.0 games back in the wild card to their division rival Atlanta Braves. With plenty of baseball to be played (58 games), the Mets having small margin for error. They turn to Jacob deGrom today to go for the series split in Milwaukee to close out a ten game road trip

Jack Allen is a writer for dabuzzza.com. He is a fan of the New York Mets, New York Islanders, New York Knicks, New York Jets, Seattle Seahawks, Seattle Mariners, Queens Park Rangers, and West Virginia Mountaineer football and basketball. His favorite athletes are David Wright, John Tavares, Geno Smith, Allen Iverson and Charlie Austin. He is a very passionate and determined fan. You can follow him on twitter @JackAllen99.

07/24/14

Jets Add Another Defensive Weapon

By Dan Lagnado

The New York Jets announced Wednesday that they have signed veteran defensive end Jason Babin. Babin played last season with the Jaguars but was released in the offseason. Babin had 7.5 sacks in his first season with the Jags after coming over from the Philadelphia Eagles.
Babin will join an already formidable group up front with New York. The Jets mainly run a 3-4 defense with Muhammad Wilkerson, Defensive Rookie of the Year Sheldon Richardson and Damon Harrison starting up front. Babin will join those three and Kenrick Ellis to provide depth as well as pass rushing ability.
Combining Babin’s skillset with Wilkerson’s breakout season last year (10.5 sacks), and Richardson’s growth as a presence in the pass defense along with outside linebackers Calvin Pace (10 sacks) and Quinton Coples means the Jets could wreak havoc on opposing offensive lines.
At this stage in his career Babin will likely not be an every down player but instead will come in for passing situations or if Rex Ryan chooses to run a 4-3 at certain times to give a different look.
This move also could indirectly help the biggest question area on the defense-the secondary. The more formidable the pass rush for the Jets, the less time the defensive backs have to cover and the more likely there is to be a bad pass or a tipped ball.
At first glance this move doesn’t make sense for a team with a young and impressive defensive line but if anyone can find a way to make Babin fit in and be effective, it’s Rex Ryan.

Dan Lagnado is studying communications, law economics and government at American University. He’s a fan of both the Mets and Jets and has been writing about sports for four years. You can follow him on twitter at @dlag1995

07/10/14

LeBron Agrees to Deal with Cleveland Cavaliers

By Brett Malamud
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Kingdom is restored. LeBron James has agreed to rejoin the Cleveland Cavaliers. The move was made official on Lebron James’ Instagram today. The Akron native LeBron has some unfinished business to take care of, as he never won a title with Cleveland in the seven seasons that he was there. He will team up with a championship caliber lineup that includes Kyrie Irving and Andrew Wiggins. It should be interesting to see how the fans treat LeBron. The way he turned on the Cavs four years ago will not be easily forgotten by the fans. But I still believe that they’ll welcome him back with open arms.

All in all, the Cavs are back. And they’ll be better than they ever were.

LeBron is back in Cleveland and will try to finish what he started.

Brett Malamud is a Computer Science Major at Binghamton University. He is the co-founder of dabuzzza.com. His favorite athletes are Derek Jeter and Todd Bertuzzi. You can follow him on twitter at @brettnyy

07/10/14

Carmelo Re-signs with Knicks

By Brett Malamud
Carmelo Anthony has announced on thisismelo.com that he has re-signed with the New York Knicks. The 30 year old chose New York over Houston, Chicago and Los Angeles.

Carmelo Anthony will head back to the Big Apple

Let’s get this straight, the news comes as a huge blow to Chicago and a huge sigh of relief in New York. Knicks president Phil Jackson pushed hard to retain Anthony, and keep him away from his other options. Phil needed Carmelo and honestly, Carmelo needed Phil. The Knicks were Melo’s best option for teaming up next season with a big name free agent. Speaking of free agents, Melo was spotted with Kevin Love and Kevin Durant at UCLA a few days ago. Love and Durant will be free agents in 2015 and 2016, respectfully. You can bet that Carmelo was in their ear about a possible change of scenery for them. With an attractive option like the Big Apple, Phil will continue to recruit into the future but for now, Knicks fans can rejoice. Their top dog is on his way back.

07/01/14

2014 NHL Free Agency Preview

By Brett Malamud

Forwards

Thomas Vanek- 30 Years Old- LW (2013-14: 27 G, 41 A, 68 Pts.)

Possible Destinations: Wild

Vanek has narrowed his list to “4 or 5 teams” and I’d be shocked if the final decision wasn’t Minnesota.

Jarome Iginla- 36 Years Old- RW (2013-14: 30 G, 31 A, 61 Pts.)

Possible Destinations: Bruins, Wild, Canucks, Red Wings, Lightning

Unless Iginla decides that he’ll take a pay cut to return to Boston, I’m not quite sure how the Bruins will find salary cap space to sign him. This should be an exciting bidding war.

Paul Stastny- 28 Years Old- C (2013-14: 25 G, 35 A, 60 Pts.)

Possible Destinations: Blues, Predators, Maple Leafs, Red Wings, Avalanche

Speaking of bidding wars, the most pursued free agent out there is none other than Paul Stastny. Stastny grew up in St. Louis and so the Blues are certainly intriguing. I think that they’ll make a good offer. Colorado would like to keep him but could very well be outbid by a team that’ll overpay for him.

Paul Stastny will be reeling in the offers when free agency opens (Via Getty)

Matt Moulson- 30 Years Old- LW (2013-14: 23 G, 28 A, 51 Pts.)

Possible Destinations: Islanders, Sabres, Senators, Stars, Predators

Let’s get this out of the way: Don’t doubt a Moulson return to Long Island. The 30 year old still remains close with one of his best friends John Tavares. Moulson loved being an Islander. Isles GM Garth Snow made his mistake when he dealt Moulson to Buffalo for Thomas Vanek, who told the team a few months later that he wouldn’t re-sign. I’m sure Tavares will be chirping in Snow’s ear.

Mike Ribeiro- 34 Years Old- C (2013-14: 16 G, 31 A, 52 Pts.)

Possible Destinations: Flames, Blackhawks, Predators

The Coyotes bought out Ribeiro for his behavior off the ice. Should be interesting to see who will take a chance on him.

Daniel Alfredsson- 41 Years Old- RW (2013-14: 18 G, 31 A, 49 Pts.)

Possible Destinations: Red Wings

Alfredsson has indicated that his two options are the Detroit Red Wings and retirement.

Defensemen

Matt Niskanen- 27 Years Old- (2013-14: 10 G, 36 A, 46 Pts.)

Possible Destinations: Wild, Islanders, Capitals, Lightning,

Niskanen is the top all around defenseman on the market in my opinion. The Lightning cleared a ton of cap space and I think signing Niskanen is the reason why they did.

Dan Boyle- 37 Years Old- (2013-14: 12 G, 24 A, 36 Pts.)

Possible Destinations: Islanders, Lightning, Rangers, Canadiens, Red Wings, Maple Leafs

Boyle’s rights were traded to the Islanders, but they couldn’t nail down a deal so he’ll hit the FA market. His age will effect his contract so don’t expect anyone to break the bank on Boyle.

Christian Ehrhoff- 31 Years Old- (2013-14: 6 G, 27 A, 33 Pts.) Possible Destinations: Islanders, Lightning, Red Wings

Ehrhoff was bought out of his remaining seven years of his 10-year deal with Buffalo. Detroit showed a lot of interest at the trade deadline, so keep an eye on them.

Michael Del Zotto- 24 Years Old- (2013-14: 3 G, 13 A, 16 Pts.)

Possible Destinations: Islanders, Maple Leafs

Del Zotto was not given a qualifying offer by the Nashville Predators, making him an unrestricted free agent. The question with Del Zotto is: can this be a good value pickup? He won’t get paid as much as the others, so a low spending team like the Islanders may take a good look at him.

Brooks Orpik- 33 Years Old- (2013-14: 2 G, 1 A, 13 Pts.)

Possible Destinations: Islanders, Capitals, Blues, Sabres

If you notice, the Islanders were listed on each of the defensemen’s free agents possible destinations. Yes, they need a defenseman and so they’ll look at each one. I believe that they should sign Orpik but don’t think they will. He has a blistering shot and is a force on defense. A hard hitter, Orpik will be a good fit wherever he goes.

Goaltenders

Jonas Hiller- 32 Years Old- (2013-14: 29-13, 5 SO, 2.48 GAA)

Possible Destinations: Lightning, Jets, Canucks

This is a rough spot for Hiller here, sharing the market with Brodeur, Miller and Nabokov. But he could go to a team such as the Lightning and Jets who have a shaky situation when it comes to a plan B in net.

Martin Brodeur- 42 Years Old- (2013-14: 19-14, 3 SO, 2.51 GAA)

Possible Destinations: Maple Leafs, Devils, Lightning, Bruins, Blackhawks, Penguins

Instead of retiring, Brodeur will explore his options outside of New Jersey. I don’t expect him to be signed on the first day of free agency.

Ryan Miller- 33 Years Old- (2013-14: 15-22, 3 SO, 2.72 GAA)

Possible Destinations: Canucks, Sharks

Miller already met with Vancouver officials and my belief is that he’ll be signed by them.

Evgeni Nabokov- 38 Years Old- (2013-14: 15-14, 4 SO, 2.74 GAA)

Possible Destinations: Islanders, Capitals, Flyers

Another interesting signing will be Nabokov. He wasn’t close on a deal with the Isles and so he’ll go out to free agency. The Capitals need a backup for Braden Holtby. Philly is over the cap and so I think Nabokov will end up with the Caps.