Is Eleven year old Lucy Li What's Best for Golf?

     Last Monday, golfer Lucy Li became the youngest to qualify from California for the U.S. Women's Open, clinching the qualification at eleven years old. She will compete against women mainly three times older than her. Previously, Lexi Thompson was the youngest to qualify at the age of twelve years old. Li is a great story for the game of golf, but is this what is best for the game of golf?

     Is Lucy Li giving up her childhood for golf?

     Eleven is extremely young to be playing on the biggest stage. I don't believe that an eleven year old is mature enough to compete mentally. There is a point when a child experiences too much at one time and will become overwhelmed mentally. Eleven is too young to be going through this.

     Also at eleven, children should be playing, gaining knowledge, and learning how to become and make friends. It is a critical part and age in the transition of child to young adolescent. I think Li misses out on this critical point.

     Li has golfed since seven years old, working with some of the best trainers ever since. She also has great composure while playing, rarely ever getting upset, always staying calm. Is this usual? I don't believe it is normal for a seven year old to never get upset, scream, throw things, etc. She has the credentials however. She has won many tournaments already, which include a Drive, Putt, and Chip Championship, a national competition of skills. The time and effort have definitely paid off skills wise for Li.

     But I still remain critical of allowing her to play, regardless if she plays just as well as any one else on the LPGA tour. I think it would be uncomfortable for a 30 year old women to play against her. And what happens if Li is in the hunt to win? What would that 30 year old feel facing them? I'm not sure how comfortable it would be to beat an eleven year old on the last hole, last round, last putt...

     Maybe it is just me, but I don't think letting Lucy Li is what is best for the LPGA. People have played who are relatively the same age as Li and no one made a big deal of it, but I just would not feel comfortable having her playing in one of the most prestigious tournaments against women three times her age.

Red Alert: Possible Crisis at Hand for the Red Sox

     My main point to this post is to discuss the Red Sox signing of shortstop Stephen Drew. But first I would like to compose a rant of a naive sports fan/Boston fan. HOW DOES CLEVELAND WIN LAST NIGHT'S LOTTERY!? They had 17 ping pong balls out of 1,001 and they win. How? There is no way that this happens without rigging the lottery! The NBA is just trying to compensate the Cavaliers for allowing Lebron James to leave and hand pick what team he plays for. The lottery system is definitely rigged.
     Now, the real objective of this post is to analyze the signing of Stephen Drew. It raises a good point: Are the Red Sox now in panic mode? They have now lost five straight games, their young talent is disappointing, and the veterans are complaining about playing time.
     During the offseason, the Red Sox went with young talent over proven talent. They went with minimal free agent signings in order to give Xander Bogaerts, Jackie Bradley Jr, and Will Middlebrooks opportunities. So far, they are all disappointing. Bogaerts has been sub-par defensively and has produced very little offense. Bradley Jr. started off strong and now he does not even come close to hitting major league pitchers. Middlebrooks has hit .190 and now faces a second disable list stint. Was this the right choice? They have forgone moving Bogaerts to third, giving up on him at short in the meantime, and brought back Stephen Drew, a guy they would not sign during the offseason because they believed in their young talent. This move shows they misjudged their talent. They reek of desperation with the resigning of Stephen Drew.
    However, it is a mistake if they completely give up on these players. Bogaerts will be a force a couple of years down the road. Signing Stephen Drew has just shattered his confidence. He had two errors last night, a shear sign of distraught. But to give up on him? Why? Moving Bogaerts to third is a risk. It could destroy him. What if he then thinks he is not good enough for short or the majors? It seems the same as Middlebrooks. Last year they sent Middlebrooks to triple A, which I think destroyed his confidence. And Bradley Jr., I am unsure about him. Maybe he is a fourth outfielder at best. I was never that high on him, but I just assumed that the Red Sox saw something I never saw myself. Signing Sizemore and also winning the starting job could have had the same affect as what happened to Bogaerts and Middlebrooks...
     If the Red Sox give up on Middlebrooks entirely, I would be shocked. He does have a good bat, as he showed two seasons ago when he hit 15 home runs and batted .280 before breaking his hand. I have always been an advocate of moving Middlebrooks to first. It would be like Kevin Youkilis. He had minimum power at third, moved to first, and became an offensive threat. I see that in Middlebrooks as well.
     The Red Sox need to fix this team. They cannot go on with no middle of the order production and Bradley Jr. in center field. I suggest cutting ties with Grady Sizemore. He was good to start and now he has zero production. They need to bring in an actual center fielder and make it clear that Bradley Jr. is just a fourth outfielder. Next, move Bogaerts to batting leadoff. He still gets on base and gets some hits, but he has no production (two home runs and seven RBI). Put him in a spot were he doesn't have to knock in runs. Lastly, send Middlebrooks to triple A and turn him into a designated hitter/first baseman. He will have the best production at first base or DH.
     The Red Sox have a potential crisis at hand, and they need to fix it ASAP.

Boston Bruins Offseason Outlook

     Six days ago the Montreal Canadiens took down the big bad Boston Bruins in seven games. The Bruins were a major disappointment in the series. They looked slow, aggravated, and did not play like a Presidents' trophy winning team. The finished disappoints me-as well as many others-as they were the favorites to make it to Lord Stanley's Cup. During the offseason, the Bruins will need to shake things up if they want to stay favorites for the Cup.

     The Bruins have little room under the salary cap. They have roughly 8.6 million untied dollars and about 4.5 million in cap hits (per thehockeyguys.net). Their number one need of address is speed. The Bruins looked painfully slow during the Montreal series. They need to get younger as well. The average age of the Bruins is 28 years old, good enough for 10th oldest team in the NHL. I propose two off season trades that would make the Bruins faster and younger.

1. Milan Lucic to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Winger Nail Yakupov

     During the playoffs, Lucic looked rattled. The Canadiens planted a seed into his head that got to him. It showed in his comments when shaking the Canadiens's hands after the series ended. Lucic hits the Bruins hard on the cap-a six million dollar salary-for an average player. I know Bruins fans bark and scream at that statement but it is true. Lucic is a good player, but not an elite. 

     The Oilers also had another poor season. Year in and year out they enter the lottery, only to show no progress. They need to make a splash during the offseason. They need to acquire a leader. Lucic would provide the Oilers a leader for all of their young, offensive stars.

     Yakupov also had a poor sophomore season. But he still skated fast. Game-changing fast. The Bruins need a player with his speed. Regardless of their tough, defensive play style, a player like Yakupov would instantly improve the Bruins next year and into the future. He could play on the same line as Krejci, making a great dynamic duo.

2. Zdeno Chara and Jordan Caron to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Defensemen Duncan Siemens, Center Brad Malone, a 1st round pick, and a 3rd round pick.

     Bruins trading their Captain? Never! Chara played extremely slow and old during the playoffs. The Bruins can not keep Chara if they want to be a threat in the playoffs. Again, they need speed and youth to complement their stars. Siemens becomes a physical defender with good scoring capabilities that would be a great fit next to Johnny Boychuk. Siemens has versatility. He can play on the power play and on the penalty kill. Malone is a big guy how can also score. At 6'2'' and 207 pounds, he can check, and score 15+ goals. He is older at 25 which comes as a minus for acquiring him, but I believe he would help the Bruins out. Then they get a first and a third pick, which helps counteract what they give up in Chara. The return would not be the best for Chara, but it could help plug in some needs the Bruins have in acquiring youth and speed.

MLB's Cure to Arm Injuries is Throw more and harder?

Arm injuries have plagued Major League Baseball, and I mean plagued. With some of the best pitchers going down to injury (Fernandez, Moore, Strasburg, Sale just to name a few), there seems like no end to the problem. On average 40 percent of major league pitchers will be on the disabled list to some extent in their career.
Being a power pitcher now means one pitches for a couple years and then their arm falls off. But does this have to happen?
In an article I read in Sports Illustrated magazine, it discussed pitcher Masahiro Tanaka and his ability to pitch endlessly in Japan. It coincided with how Japanese pitchers never go through arm injuries like how American pitchers go through. It describes how Japanese pitchers constantly pitch from a small age, way more than American pitchers do. At the ages of 10-12 they will throw every day endlessly. They will throw hundreds of pitches everyday in little league and pitch every inning of every game. In high school they will pitch every game as well, if they get that far.
What the article also described is how japanese pitchers will face arm injuries at as early as 12 years old. In Japan, their pitchers do not "never face arm injuries." but they just speed up the process. In Japan, only the best arms and the most fit arms will make it to their version of major league baseball. They dwindle out all of those unequipped to pitch fade out before they get to this stage, and sometimes before they even get to high school.
In America, it is different. Americans like to preserve everything they can in their pitchers. They limit the amount a child can throw in little league. They don't pitch everyday, and american little leaguers are to refrain from throwing curveballs and splitters where in Japan they allow the kids to throw them. In high school, America has pitching rotations and pitchers will throw in game once a week, maybe twice a week. In Japan, they will throw three to four times a week excluding any pitching outside of games.
The result is that pitchers in America suffer arm injuries later in life.
Instead of facing arm injuries at 12 or 13, Americans face arm injuries at 24 or 25. All of the pitchers I previously mentioned fall roughly into this age group. In the MLB, it is more common to see a 25 year old face Tommy John surgery for elbow stiffness than a 33 year old. Savoring these pitchers' arms might be causing these arm injuries early in the pitchers' careers.
Is there a way to fix this?
I am unsure. But I have some suggestions to aid it. First one is to stop bullpen sessions. Pitchers do not need to be throwing 50 pitches or more every off day for them, 50 pitches in pregame warm ups, then over 100 pitches in game. Six men rotations might help as well. In Japan, they use six men rotations. This allows for more rest and less starts expected out of pitchers. In Japan, they pitch roughly 26-28 starts. In America, if you make every start, it is roughly 30-32. That is between 40-50 more innings out of American Pitchers.
Arm injuries will always occur when people are super humanly throwing baseballs as hard as they can day in and day out. But it can be curbed. If the MLB wants to start protecting their pitchers, they need to implement more pitcher friendly regulations.

NFL Draft: Winners and Losers

With this year's draft coming to an end today, there have been many surprises. With Cleveland trading three times in the first round, grabbing Manziel, Patriots taking a quarterback in the second round, Michael Sam being drafted, all around there were many surprises that make people keep watching. With that, here are my winners and losers from this year's NFL Draft.
Winners:
Jacksonville Jaguars
     The Jaguars got their franchise quarterback with the third overall pick in Blake Bortles. They also got Wide Receivers Allen Robinson and Marqise Lee. Many thought Lee was first round talent as well, which gives the pick more upside. There defense was decent as well. Jacksonville definitely got the most out of this year's draft.
Oakland Raiders
     The Raiders got a huge upgrade grabbing Khalil Mack, who I believe was the second best prospect in the draft next to Clowney. They also got their quarterback of the future in Derek Carr, who Oakland did say they believed was the best quarterback in this year's class. Not to mention, they also got him in the second round. They also got some help on their offensive line in Gabe Jackson, who has amazing size. Oakland definitely looks like a much improved team when including their offseason acquisitions.
Michael Sam
     Sam is a good story. The first openly gay player was drafted in the seventh round by the St. Louis Rams. I thought he wouldn't get drafted just because of the media that would go along with the pick and him. For fourth round talent, I personally thought it would cause this guy to go undrafted. Good from Sam and the Rams though. The Rams showed that no bias could stand in the way of his openness, and a great story in the pick.
Losers
Washington Redskins
     The Redskins did not have a pick in the first round. Then they traded down with a divisional rival, making their first selection at pick 47. Then they take Trent Murphy, a guy that I have never heard of and most put him at mid-third round in mock drafts. Then they reach again for Spencer Long in the third round. I'm not really sure what Washington was thinking.
Philadelphia Eagles
     The Eagles had a sub-par pick in Linebacker Marcus Smith during the first round. Also, the Eagles had major secondary needs and they did not take a single player in the secondary. They took two wide receivers. When they took Matthews in the second round, there were far better receivers available, especially in Cody Latimer, who fits the system almost exactly. They definitely made some interesting picks.
Johnny Manziel
     The Cleveland Browns traded up to take Manziel with the 22nd pick. The Browns also took Brady Quinn and Brandon Weeden at the same pick, two major busts. Now Wide Receiver Josh Gordon is also going to face a suspension, probably the entire season. Burleson also has a broken arm. The Browns did not take a receiver either during the draft. Manziel's career might be over before it even starts...

Tune into the NFL Draft Round One Live Tonight! Some updates on our coverage

Hey guys, I wanted to check in to make sure everybody tunes into the NFL Draft tonight starting at 8 p.m. eastern time! Also, for those of you still partaking in college finals (myself as well), good luck! Due to finals,most of my time is taken up at the moment. But no worries,  Lewis and sports will be providing you coverage on the event. Here is how it is going to work:
1. Tune into Twitter Tonight for live coverage
     Tonight on twitter, live coverage of the draft will happen from my personal twitter handle. Follow my twitter handle @Mr_AdamLewis to get my coverage of the event. I plan on providing some updates on picks, some thoughts and analysis of players as it happens. Stay tuned in for that.
2. Watch out for stories on this Blog
     Right now, I am trying to acquire a storify feed that will log my tweets directly into a story on lewisandsports.blogspot.com. What that will do is allow anybody to view my live tweets directly on the blog. If this does not happen. I will see if I can acquire a storify feed that I will be able to post following the end of the NFL Draft Round One. Right now this is a work in progress.
3. Stay tuned after the draft for analysis
     Following round one of the draft, the next couple of days I will be providing analysis on the picks, including some analysis on picks in the next rounds to come. Again with finals, bare with the lag you would get from a source such as ESPN.com but I guarantee you the coverage is just as good. I hope to give some analysis either Friday night or Saturday morning.
4. Watch the Draft Live Tonight, play along with my mock draft, and have fun
     Make sure you keep my mock draft next to yours! You can hold me to my word. Bash me for all the wrong picks I make, the dumb reaches I predicted, and my naivety for leaving Teddy Bridgewater still available after tonight. Have fun with it!

Again, tune into Round One tonight, look out for live coverage on my twitter handle, and watch out for some analysis. May the draft bring the best for your team!
And a little heads up for the future. Following the end of finals, I will be trying to cover as much sports as I can. Following tonight's portion of the draft, We will be trying to get some coverage of the NHL Playoffs up.

Lewis' NFL Mock Draft Part 2

Round one picks 17-32
17.Baltimore Ravens- Odell Beckham Jr., WR, LSU
     Ravens needed a wide out. They just signed Steve Smith, but I think Baltimore looks further down the road and sees a Torrey Smith and Beckham Jr. duo.
18.New York Jets- Darqueze Dennard, CB, Michigan State
     The Jets absolutely need help at corner. Signing Dimitri Patterson is not the answer. Dennard fits as a confident defender right in with the Jets locker room.
19.Miami Dolphins- Xavier Su'a Filo, OG, UCLA
     The Dolphins must rebuild their offensive line in order to protect Tannehill. Filo fits right into their needs on day one. If the Dolphins cannot trade up, they select Filo.
20.Arizona Cardinals- Calvin Pryor, S, Louisville
     Many suggest Cardinals taking a quarterback here, but I just don't see it. Cardinals really need an upgrade in the backfield next to Peterson and neither Cromartie nor is 36 year old Yeremiah Bell the solution.
21.Green Bay Packers- Dee Ford, DE, Auburn
     I think Green Bay reaches a little here knowing the Raji will become a free agent and they need a long term replacement. He has great size and strength, a really underrated prospect.
22.Philadelphia Eagles- Cody Latimer, WR, Indiana
     Another reach here, this guy fits right into Chip Kelly's offense and replaces DeSean Jackson. He is big and fast, just what the Eagles need.
23.Kansas City Chiefs- C.J. Mosley, ILB, Alabama
     Mosley falls to the Chiefs here. Another Roll Tide product, the Chiefs need some help down the road at this position. The slide here is too much to pass on.
24.Cincinnati Bengals- Jason Verret, CB, TCU
     With Leon Hall tearing his Achilles twice and getting lucky with Newman and Pac Man Jones, the Bengals have to use this pick on a Cornerback. I've seen Bradley Roby here a lot, but I think the Bengals smarten up here and stray away from his arrest.
25.San Diego Chargers- Timmy Jernigan, DT, Florida State
     The Chargers do need an upgrade here, and there are no good Corners to take either, their biggest problem. I think Chargers go with the safety pick and take Jernigan. I think they will go for the Florida product over Nix, the better product because typically Florida produces better players.
26.Cleveland Browns- Derek Carr, QB, Fresno State
     I recently said Carr would go fourth to the Browns. I think they wise up and take him at 26. They immediately upgrade their offense with a new QB and WR, along with having Josh Gordon.
27.New Orleans Saints- Ryan Shazier, OLB, Ohio State
     Shazier here makes the most economical sense here. They need upgrades at other positions, but taking Shazier is the better prospect than any other pick they could make.
28.Carolina Panthers- Brandin Cooks, WR, Oregon State
     The Panther's wide receivers are a complete joke. They have to take one with this pick. Cooks has good movement, speed, and will fit nicely with Cam Newton. Also a good pick due to his special teams play.
29.New England Patriots- Louis Nix, DT, Notre Dame
     Nix fits into the Patriots system. He will become the replacement to Wilfork, built similarly as well. He is a big guy that will get the job done.
30.San Francisco 49ers- Marqise Lee, WR, Southern California
     The 49ers definitely need a long term solution to wide receiver. The skinny Lee would be a good investment. He has ability that San Fran could groom for 2-3 years down the road.
31.Denver Broncos- Cyrus Kouandjio, OT, Alabama
     After overhauling their defense, I think Denver makes a pick for their offensive line. With Beadles gone, I think they make this pick to replace him in the future. Kouandjio is a good prospect and fits the bill.
32.Seattle Seahawks- Ra'Shede Hageman, DE, Minnesota
     He has the size and speed that Seattle always likes. They also love their pass rushers. Hageman would be a safe pick to make at this position.

Lewis' NFL Mock Draft Part One

Round one picks 1-16
1.  Houston Texans- Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina
     Latest reports have Texans saying that they are taking Clowney with this pick. A great player with great skill. The only thing in his way is motivation.
2.St. Louis Rams- Khalil Mack, OLB, Buffalo
     Sources also say that the Rams are falling in love with Mack's ability. A big guy who is very aware and very versatile is what the Rams need from this pick.
3.Jacksonville Jaguars- Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson
     With Justin Blackmon suspended, the Jaguars have no good receivers. Watkins steps right into wide receiver slot one and the Jags take a QB in the second round.
4.Cleveland Browns- Mike Evans, WR, Texas A&M
     Another Wide Receiver slot one, I previously said Derek Carr would be taken here. I think Cleveland needs a Wide Receiver more and they will take a quarter back later on in the draft. They can't get Evans talent later, so it makes sense to grab a wide out here.
5.Oakland Raiders- Greg Robinson, OT, Auburn
     Robinson has great size and control. He has a great physique for being a great OT in the NFL. He is too much for Oakland to pass up here.
6.Atlanta Falcons- Jake Matthews, OT, Texas A&M
     The Falcons get the worst end of the draft here, losing out on Clowney, Mack, and Robinson. Matthews has good ability that the Falcons need. Matthews would be an upgrade as a best available option.
7.Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M
     Back to Back picks go to Texas A&M and three out of the top seven. The Buccaneers need an upgrade at quarterback and Manziel is there man.
8.Minnesota Vikings- Blake Bortles, QB, Central Florida
     Bortles has been the Vikings QB of choice. He goes nicely with their game plan and he has the build of a typical quarterback. Good pick here for the Vikings.
9.Buffalo Bills- Eric Ebron, TE, North Carolina
     Buffalo reached last year with E.J. Manuel and they reach again this year with Eric Ebron. He has talent and is also good at catching passes when he is dropping them. He would still be a developing pick, but an interesting one.
10. Detroit Lions- Anthony Barr, DE, UCLA
     Barr fits into the system perfectly, provides an impact for the Lions, and is ultimately a solid pick here.
11.Tennessee Titans- Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, S, Alabama
     An Alabama defense product, Clinton-Dix is a great player that will help the Titans no matter who is in their backfield. Titans make the pick due to ability and where they are in the draft.
12.New York Giants- Taylor Lewin,OT, Michigan
     In desperate need to protect Eli Manning, the Giants take the Michigan product. A great player, he fits into the Giants needs nicely.
13.St. Louis Rams- Zack Martin, OT, Notre Dame
     The Rams always seem to take OTs to help their prized possession Sam Bradford. He will be an upgrade for the Rams, but they have to worry about his attitude. High Risk- High Reward pick here.
14.Chicago Bears- Kyle Fuller, CB, Virginia Tech
     The Bears need some help in their back field and Fuller does the job. He can play multiple positions, which the Bears always like. He helps against the Packers as well.
15.Pittsburgh Steelers- Justin Gilbert, CB, Oklahoma State
     A prospect with a good combine, not much buzz surrounds him. I think the Steelers will go for his prospects and combine and end up with a steal at this pick.
16.Dallas Cowboys- Aaron Donald, DT, Pittsburgh
     Fans complained about Taylor Lewan all the time. Now they get a huge upgrade in Donald. He fits right into their system and will immediately prove to be an upgrade.

Picks 17-32 coming soon!