World Cup Preview: Group G
By Vishnu Nagaraj
This is the group that I and most of the country will have their eyes on. The United States, Germany, Portugal, and Ghana make up this group. One of the favorites to win the entire thing, Germany will most certainly bring their A-game to this year’s World Cup. With a stunning midfield comprised of Bastian Schweinsteiger, Mesut Ozil, Mario Gotze, and Marco Reus, Germany will be one of the best teams to watch. German players have an incredible work-ethic and they very rarely make careless mistakes which is what makes them so hard to defeat. In order for Germany to win this group, they will have to stop the world’s most physically dominant player, Cristiano Ronaldo and his Portugal squad. Ronaldo’s incredible combination of speed and power make him the most entertaining player in the world. He has a strong supporting cast and he will look to them to play at the same level that he plays at. Portugal are a very strong side that will be sure to challenge Germany at the top of this group. Next we have Ghana. They are side filled with passion and intense pride. They never give up and are always running and hoping to create chances. Ghana will be led by flamboyant midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng. They will look to him to run the game from the midfield. Lastly, we have the United States of America. I would have given the USA a much better chance of causing some damage in the group but with the omission of their all-time leading goal-scorer Landon Donovan, I believe that advancing to the knockout round from this group will be extremely difficult. The USA will look to Clint Dempsey to be the talisman for them and inspire them. Someone to look out for is young winger Julian Green. Not too many people know about him but he has the potential to be a special player for the Americans. This is group that promises to create fireworks and there could be a surprise or two.
It should be a little strange seeing Landon Donovan sitting in an ESPN studio rather than playing on the field. (Via AP)
Vishnu Nagaraj is a finance major at Binghamton University. He is a self-taught DJ and sports fanatic. His favorite teams are the Yankees, Brooklyn Nets, San Diego Chargers, and FC Barcelona. You can follow him on twitter at @DJVishMusic.
World Cup Preview: Group F
By Vishnu Nagaraj
Group F consists of Argentina, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Iran, and Nigeria. This has the potential to be a very interesting group as Argentina could fail to live up to expectations. They have the best attacking arsenal in the world with the likes of Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Angel Di Maria among others. Even with the shocking omission of striker Carlos Tevez, Argentina definitely has the skill to win the whole thing but they will most certainly be tested. Bosnia & Herzegovina were an under-the-radar team to qualify for the World Cup, they have a core of Edin Dzeko, Miralem Pjanic, and Asmir Begovic, who all can change a game instantly. Next, is Nigeria. The reigning African champions have a very physical side who can present problems to anybody they face. This is where I believe they can challenge for a place in the knockout by using their sheer physical power to bully their opponents. Look for the weakest side in this group, Iran, to leave to everything on the pitch and make the other teams earn a win. They have nothing to lose and I am sure that they will give it their all. This is a group that could surprise most of us due to unpredictability and inconsistency. Watch for this to be one of the most watched groups especially with the presence of the world’s best player, Lionel Messi.
Messi is Argentina’s top weapon and he hopes to prove that during the World Cup. (Via AP)
Vishnu Nagaraj is a finance major at Binghamton University. He is a self-taught DJ and sports fanatic. His favorite teams are the Yankees, Brooklyn Nets, San Diego Chargers, and FC Barcelona. You can follow him on twitter at @DJVishMusic.
World Cup Preview: Group E
By Vishnu Nagaraj
Group E:
Group E consists of France, Switzerland, Ecuador, and Honduras. In my opinion this is the weakest among all of the groups. The clear-cut favorite to win this group is France. They possess a complete team that can give many of the other favorites a run for their money. France is led by Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery and Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema. These two along with a physically powerful midfield and defense have the opportunity to help France go far in this tournament. One of the most notible omissions from any of the world cup squads was French midfielder Samir Nasri. A regular starter and a key figure in his club team Manchester City’s run to the Premier League title. Nasri and French manager Didier Deschamps do not see eye to eye and this had to be the reason for Nasri’s omission. Ecuador and Switzerland will be battling to advance from this group to the knockout rounds. I believe that both teams are fairly equal on a talent perspective and this could provide for an interesting encounter when these two sides meet. Lastly, we have Honduras who are one of the weaker teams in the tournament. Lack of quality when it comes to scoring goals and preventing the opposition from scoring will lead to the Honduran downfall which could see them fail to win a single game.
Karim Benzema hopes to make an impact at this year’s World Cup (Via Reuters)
Vishnu Nagaraj is a finance major at Binghamton University. He is a self-taught DJ and sports fanatic. His favorite teams are the Yankees, Brooklyn Nets, San Diego Chargers, and FC Barcelona. You can follow him on twitter at @DJVishMusic.
2014 Stanley Cup Preview
By Brett Malamud
The puck drops in Los Angeles tonight as the New York Rangers and Los Angeles Kings will battle it out for all the marbles. It should be a great series, as both teams deserve to be there. After missing out on the finals berth last year, the Kings return to hockey’s biggest stage for the second time in three years. At the same time, the Rangers return to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1994.
The Goalies
An interesting matchup to say the least, the series will feature two of the top goalies in the league going head to head. Henrik Lundqvist has stood on his head, making some pretty acrobatic stops these playoffs. If it weren’t for him, the Rangers would probably not be playing in this series. With a 2.03 goals against average, he has carried them the distance and hopes to continue that over the coming games. On the other side of the rink is Jonathan Quick, who will look to capture his second Stanley Cup. He’s had quite the experience in net, and that should help as he has been playing well this playoffs.
Edge: Rangers
Henrik Lundqvist must be on his game for the Rangers to take home their first cup in 20 years (Via ISN)
The Defense
Defense should be a huge part of this series. The Kings can score in a blink of an eye, and the Rangers…well let’s just say they can thank the opponent’s lack of defense for a handful of their goals during the playoffs. The Rangers shot blocking may be the storyline going into this one. Dan Girardi, Marc Staal and Ryan McDonagh have led the charge on that front. The Rangers did a good job holding down PK Subban, but it’ll be interesting to see how they do with the quicker Jake Muzzin and Drew Doughty.
Edge: Kings
The Offense
Well not a lot of debate here. The Kings average 3.48 goals per game. The Rangers average 2.70. The Kings scored 28 goals in their seven-game Western Conference Finals series. The Rangers scored 19 goals in their six-game Eastern Conference Finals series. It’ll be interesting to see Marian Gaborik this series. The former Rangers forward leads all playoffs scorers with 12 goals. Jeff Carter, Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams will all play a major role as well. For the Rangers, the newly acquired Martin St. Louis leads the way, as well as Rick Nash, who hasn’t done much this postseason
Edge: Kings
Verdict
At the end of the day, the Kings are the better team. Don’t think that the Rangers will go down easy though.
Prediction: Kings in 6
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
World Cup Preview: Group D
By Vishnu Nagaraj
Group D consists of Uruguay, Italy, England, and Costa Rica. This group is loaded with talent. Uruguay could quite possess the best striking partnership in the world with Liverpool forward Luis Suarez and PSG forward Edinson Cavani. Uruguay will look to the two of them to lead the line against some very formidable competition. Veteran forward Diego Forlan will also be making a return to the national team and he could be a key player for the Uruguayans. Next we have Italy. They have been one of the most consistent national teams in the past few years. Just like Spain, Italy possess an extremely talented midfield with the likes of Andrea Pirlo, Daniele De Rossi, and Claudio Marchisio. They also have one of the most scrutinized players in the world, AC Milan striker Mario Balotelli. He is mainly known for his hot-headed nature but also for his incredible ability to score goals. Another name to keep an eye out for is New Jersey-born forward Giuseppe Rossi who has recovered from several terrible injuries to make the Italian team. Next is probably the most talked-about team in the world, England. They have the talent and they have the leadership to make a deep run but inconsistency and drama from the players could threaten to wreck their ambitions. Manager Roy Hodgson has placed an emphasis on youth as he has selected six players who are 22 years of age or younger. This team, however, will be lead by their veterans. Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, and Wayne Rooney will be tasked with moving this team as far as possible. Lastly, we have Costa Rica. They are without a doubt the biggest underdogs of this tournament. Most experts have given Costa Rica a zero percent chance of advancing from this group and I would have to agree with that. As big a soccer fan as I am, I can only name one player of the top of my head who plays for Costa Rica and that is easily their best player, Bryan Ruiz. My hope for the Costa Ricans is that they play with pride, enjoy the experience, and have fun. This, in my opinion, is the true “group of death” as I believe that three out of the four teams have a legitimate chance of advancing to the knockout round.
Wanye Rooney hopes to bring the World Cup trophy back to England for the first time since 1966 (Via PA Images)
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Vishnu Nagaraj is a finance major at Binghamton University. He is a self-taught DJ and sports fanatic. His favorite teams are the Yankees, Brooklyn Nets, San Diego Chargers, and FC Barcelona. You can follow him on twitter at @DJVishMusic.
World Cup Preview: Group C
By Vishnu Nagaraj
Group C consists of Colombia, Greece, The Ivory Coast, and Japan. This could be the most wide-open groups in the entire tournament. All four teams can make a legitimate case to advance to the knockout stage. Colombia are led by one of the best strikers in the world, Radamel Falcao, but there is a problem with that. Falcao suffered a horrific knee injury while playing for French club AS Monaco. He was not expected to recover in time to play in the World Cup but modern rehabilitation methods have sped up his recovery process and he has been named in Colombia’s provisional squad. However, this does not guarantee that he will be fully fit in time for Colombia’s first match. His recovery could be the difference for Colombia and how far they advance in this tournament. Greece always seems to find a way to perform at a high level in these types of tournaments and they should definitely be in contention to advance from this group. They have a core of veterans who have been together for the last two world cups and they know how to play with each other, which could be a huge advantage for them. When it comes to star power within this group, look no further than the Ivory Coast. With iconic striker Didier Drogba and powerful midfield anchor Yaya Toure leading them, they could be primed to make a deep run this year. The wildcard in this group has to be Japan. They have a talented duo of midfielders in Keisuke Honda and Shinji Kagawa who will be expected to run the show for the Japanese. This group will be exciting to watch with each team believing that have a chance to win the group and advance to the knockout rounds.
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Vishnu Nagaraj is a finance major at Binghamton University. He is a self-taught DJ and sports fanatic. His favorite teams are the Yankees, Brooklyn Nets, San Diego Chargers, and FC Barcelona. You can follow him on twitter at @DJVishMusic.
World Cup Preview: Group B
By Vishnu Nagaraj
Group B: Group B consists of Spain, The Netherlands, Chile, and Australia. If you remember, Spain and Netherlands were the two finalists in the 2010 World Cup with Spain emerging as the winner. Spain will be heavily favored to win it all once again and truly cement themselves as one of, if not the greatest national team of all time. They have an ace up their sleeves this year with Brazilian-born striker Diego Costa who was recently nationalized and is now eligible to play for the Spanish team. He brings an element of physicality and power that Spain did not have at the last World Cup. Their incredible arsenal of midfielders cannot be forgotten as the likes of Andres Iniesta, David Silva, Cesc Fabregas, and Juan Mata will be sure the run the game like they so often do. Their number one rival in this group is the very team that they defeated in the 2010 final. The Netherlands, led by outgoing manager Louis Van Gaal, are determined to avenge the emotional defeat in 2010. They are led by the explosive attacking trio of Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder, and Robin Van Persie. Look for the Netherlands attack to make up for their inexperience on the defensive end. Chile are also a force to be reckoned with in this group as they possess a complete squad with the ability to score plenty of goals and concede very few. They will look to Juventus’ midfield star Arturo Vidal to run the game from midfield and provide assists to their number one goal scorer Alexis Sanchez. This is a team that could pull off a surprise if they play at their peak level. Lastly, we have Australia. The Aussies aren’t known to be the strongest team in the world but they have enough quality to give the bigger teams headaches on the pitch.
Robin Van Persie leads a Netherlands squad into this year’s World Cup (Via AP)
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Vishnu Nagaraj is a finance major at Binghamton University. He is a self-taught DJ and sports fanatic. His favorite teams are the Yankees, Brooklyn Nets, San Diego Chargers, and FC Barcelona. You can follow him on twitter at @DJVishMusic.
World Cup Preview: Group A
By Vishnu Nagaraj
The 20th FIFA World Cup begins on the twentieth of June from Brazil and it promises to be a spectacular event. Fans from around the world will flock to the so-called “home of soccer” to cheer for their home country. This year’s tournament features an incredible amount of talent, both young and old, that promise to entertain everyone. In the days leading up to tournament, Dabuzzza will release a preview for each group every day following up with my final predictions.
Group A:
Group A consists of Brazil, Croatia, Mexico, and Cameroon. The team to watch in this group is without a doubt the hosts of the tournament, Brazil. Led by Captain and top defender Thiago Silva and exciting young winger Neymar, this team has the talent, the leadership, and hometown advantage to make a strong push to win it all. Croatia are a dark-horse contender in this group. With their big three of midfielders Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic, and Striker Mario Mandzukic, this team can be expected to score plenty of goals. Next we have Mexico and Cameroon. Both teams are led by their star strikers, Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez for Mexico and Samuel Eto’o for Cameroon. These two teams have the potential to advance to the knockout round from this group but will need big time results to make that happen. Many people will say that Brazil are locks to advance deep in the tournament but they will be under immense pressure to play well. They will be going against teams that have serious talent so keep an eye out on the matches in this group.
Neymar will be a huge key to winning the World Cup for a Brazil team that will possess a home field advantage for the tournament (Via Clive Rose/Getty Images)
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Vishnu Nagaraj is a finance major at Binghamton University. He is a self-taught DJ and sports fanatic. His favorite teams are the Yankees, Brooklyn Nets, San Diego Chargers, and FC Barcelona. You can follow him on twitter at @DJVishMusic.
Two Top Mets Prospects To Debut Against Yankees
By Dan Lagnado
The Mets have decided that the time is right to begin bringing up their top young pitchers. Rafael Montero and Jacob deGrom will start the two Subway Series games at Citi Field. Montero was recalled and Jenrry Mejia pushed to the bullpen when Gonzalez Germen was placed on the DL with a virus. deGrom was supposed to make his debut out of the bullpen but in a surprising twist, the Mets placed Dillon Gee on the disabled list as well, creating an opening for deGrom in the rotation. These decisions are both aggressive and surprising.
In years past, the Mets have lasted into later in the season before calling up their top pitcher. This was the case in both 2012 and 2013 when the team was handling Matt Harvey and Zack Wheeler very carefully. In addition to potential innings limits, the delayed call-ups also delayed free agency for the player by a year. With both Montero and deGrom coming up in mid-May it is likely that they will both face arbitration a year early.
These moves, along with the promotions of Wilmer Flores and Eric Campbell show that the Mets want to be competitive this year. This is another stark difference from the past few years. There was no reason to rush Harvey or Wheeler to the bigs because there was nothing to play for. So despite the team’s struggles (though the permanent struggles didn’t set in until later in the year) were not as big of a deal. The Mets have been planning for the future for a long time and the facts are that the future is almost here.
Despite the arrivals of Montero and deGrom, don’t expect to see the biggest gun around Queens just yet. With the arrivals of two young pitchers, the need for arms has been filled. That means Noah Syndergaard is destined for a few more months in Las Vegas. Of course his arrival could be accelerated if an injury occurs, even then it is unlikely as the Mets have both Mejia and Daisuke Matsuzaka who are capable of starting in an emergency.
When Gee and Germen return from the DL, the Mets will have a decision to make. Two players will need to be removed from the roster if to make room for Montero and deGrom. The likely targets will be the struggling veterans in the bullpen: Jose Valverde and Kyle Farnsworth. They earned an extra two weeks in Queens but only time will tell what Terry Collins and Sandy Alderson choose to do.
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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
2014 NFL DRAFT
The NFL Draft starts at 8:00 PM EST tonight. You can follow the draft coverage here
| Pick | Team | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | Houston Texans | Jadeveon Clowney | DE | South Carolina |
| 2 | St. Louis Rams (From WSH) | Greg Robinson | OT | Auburn |
| 3 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Blake Bortles | QB | Central Florida |
| 4 | Buffalo Bills (From CLE) | Sammy Watkins | WR | Clemson |
| 5 | Oakland Raiders | Khalil Mack | OLB | Buffalo |
| 6 | Atlanta Falcons | Jake Matthews | OT | Texas A&M |
| 7 | Tampa Bay Buccanners | Mike Evans | WR | Texas A&M |
| 8 | Cleveland Browns (From MIN) | Justin Gilbert | CB | Oklahoma State |
| 9 | Minnesota Vikings (From CLE) (Via BUF) | Anthony Barr | OLB | UCLA |
| 10 | Detroit Lions | Eric Ebron | TE | UNC |
| 11 | Tennessee Titans | Taylor Lewan | OT | Michigan |
| 12 | New York Giants | Odell Beckham Jr. | WR | LSU |
| 13 | St. Louis Rams | Aaron Donald | DT | Pittsburgh |
| 14 | Chicago Bears | Kyle Fuller | CB | VA. Tech |
| 15 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Ryan Shazier | LB | Ohio State |
| 16 | Dallas Cowboys | Zack Martin | OT | Notre Dame |
| 17 | Baltimore Ravens | CJ Mosley | LB | Alabama |
| 18 | New York Jets | Calvin Pryor | S | Louisville |
| 19 | Miami Dolphins | Ja’wuan James | OT | Tennessee |
| 20 | New Orleans Saints (From ARI) | Brandin Cooks | WR | Oregon State |
| 21 | Green Bay Packers | Ha-Ha Clinton Dix | S | Alabama |
| 22 | Cleveland Browns (From PHI) | Johnny Manziel | QB | Texas A&M |
| 23 | Kansas City Chiefs | Dee Ford | DE | Auburn |
| 24 | Cincinnati Bengals | Darqueze Dennard | CB | Michigan State |
| 25 | San Diego Chargers | Jason Verrett | CB | TCU |
| 26 | Philadelphia Eagles (Via CLE) (From IND) | Marcus Smith | DE | Louisville |
| 27 | Arizona Cardinals (From NO) | Deone Bucannon | S | Washington St. |
| 28 | Carolina Panthers | Kelvin Benjamin | WR | FSU |
| 29 | New England Patriots | Dominique Easley | DT | Florida |
| 30 | San Francisco 49ers | Jimmie Ward | S | Northern Illinois |
| 31 | Denver Broncos | Brandon Roby | CB | Ohio State |
| 32 | Minnesota Vikings (Via SEA) | Teddy Bridgewater | QB | Louisville |
Draft Day Trades:
- Bills acquire No. 4 Pick (Sammy Watkins) from Browns for No. 9 pick (Anthony Barr), plus 2015 1st & 4th round picks
- Browns acquire 8th pick (Justin Gilbert) from Minnesota for 9th pick (Anthony Barr)
- The Cardinals traded No. 20 (Brandin Cooks) to New Orleans for No. 27 (Deone Bucannon) and their third-rounder, Pick No. 91.
- The Browns traded Pick No. 26 (Marcus Smith), and their third-rounder, Pick No. 83, to move up to No. 22 (Johnny Manziel)
- Vikings acquire the 32th pick (Teddy Bridgewater) for the 40th pick and 108th pick
Amid all of the hype for other players this season, expect Clowney’s name to be called first at the NFL Draft (Via Jeff Blake/US Presswire)
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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
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