#NerdsUnite: Play on playa! (Breaking down the world of sports so you don't have to!)
<editorsnote> Nerds, meet my buddy Derek - I met him when I was professor for a day at CSF. Really rad dude, and he wants to come on board to help explain to us nerdy folk the wild world of sports. Smart dude, and knows his shizzy shiznat. I only have one more thing left to say ... HIT IT DEREK!!! </editorsnote>
#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @DerekJ_AllDay
Hello again everyone! Well, baseball fans came home from work to some startling news yesterday. The great Ichiro Suzuki was traded from the Mariners to the Yankees. Ichiro is in the last year of his contract, so he will presumably be a free agent after this season ends, but in the mean time the Yankees get an above average defender and leadoff hitter to help them make a push for another World Series championship.
Ichiro is one of the greatest baseball imports of all time. He holds the MLB record for most hits in a single season with 262, and he owns the longest season streak of having 200 hits a year with ten. He came to the majors in 2001 and fans immediately noticed how special of a player Suzuki was going to be. He won the American League rookie of the year award in '01 along with Albert Pujols who won the same award in the National League.
What is truly unbelievable about Ichiro is how well he adjusted to Major League pitching. For most new players, it takes a serious amount of time before they get a rhythm going at the major league level; sometimes players never get it at all. Ichiro on the other hand looked like he never missed a beat during his league transition. In his relatively short time in the majors (12 seasons) he has almost reached the epic mark of 3,000 hits, even though he "wasted" nine of those years playing in Japan. If he played his entire career in the United States, there is no doubt in anyones mind that he would easily get 3,000 hits and possibly have a chance to break the all time record for hits. Considering he is only 466 hits away from 3,000 as it is, this guys is obviously something special.
It bums me out that such a great and iconic player is going over to the dark side just so he can have a chance to win a championship, but at the same time he really does deserve a serious run in the playoffs. I wish he was with any other team, but I couldn't be happier for Ichiro.
In other news, Chad Ochocinco finally decided that he was going to change his name back to what his mother chose, Chad Johnson. Don't ask me why, but this guy was a hell of a lot better at wide receiver as Mr. Johnson rather than Mr. Ochocinco. The reason I am making this point is because I may have him back on my fantasy radar now that he is attempting to pull his head out of his ass. He has been pathetic in his last few seasons, of that there is no doubt, but that is why he would be called a sleeper pick.
I have been starting my serious fantasy football research over the last few weeks, my favorite tool is the mock drafts on ESPN.com. I have been creating my own rankings and I will be releasing them along with all of my secrets to you guys at some point as we approach football season.
If anyone is interested in playing fantasy football with me, then just tweet me @DerekJ_AllDay! We have 5 open spots. Thanks for reading!