4/22/13 Top Performers: Moore & Roberts, Napoli, van Persie,

Here are your top performers from Monday, April 22nd …

Matt Moore & Ryan Roberts

Thanks to their starting pitcher and second baseman, the Tampa Bay Rays took down the hot New York Yankees by a score of 5-1 on Monday night.

Lefty youngster Matt Moore of the Rays became the first pitcher in franchise history to win his first four starts of the regular season. He was dominant, letting up just two hits (one run) while striking out nine Bronx Bombers.

The offense was fueled by second baseman Ryan Roberts, who had his third career multi-homer game, his first in a Tampa Bay uniform.

I think it’s safe to say Matt Moore is enjoying his hot streak. Credit: Getty Images

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Mike Napoli

Not much was expected from the Boston Red Sox in 2013. And though it’s early, they’re certainly proving people wrong in the early goings. They currently have the American League’s best record at 10-6.

On Monday night, they continued to give the grieving city something to cheer for, defeating the Oakland A’s, 9-6.

They were led by new acquisition Mike Napoli, who drove in five of the team’s nine runs. His night was highlighted by a grand slam that had many Bostonians smiling, as they deserve to be after such a rough week.

Napoli couldn’t have been happier to give grieving Boston a happy moment. Credit: The Boston Globe

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Robin van Persie

Stepping overseas, we go to England’s Barclay’s Premier League. With a win on Monday, Manchester United would win the league for the 13th time, which is astounding considering no other club has won it more than three times.

They came out firing against Aston Villa, led by striker Robin van Persie. Robin had all three goals in the club’s 3-0 victory.

The three goals give him 24 on the season, now back in the lead over Liverpool’s Luis Suarez and his 23.

Manchester United may have been eliminated from the Champions League recently, but this League win gives them a lot of momentum going forward.

Robin celebrating, and deservingly so. Credit: REUTERS

Carmelo Anthony Wins NBA Scoring Title

For the first time since the 1984-85 NBA season, a New York Knick has won the league’s scoring title. When Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant decided to sit out Wednesday’s regular season finale, it cemented New York’s Carmelo Anthony as this year’s scoring champion.

Durant would’ve needed 70 points in his final game to surpass Anthony, as he was behind by 0.6 PPG. In the month of April, ‘Melo dominated, averaging 36.9 PPG to raise his season total to 28.7.

‘Melo going head to head with KD earlier in the season. Credit: gamedayr.com

Although winning the league’s scoring title isn’t as big of an honor as it used to be, it still is a great way to honor a phenomenal and well-deserved season in which Carmelo did it all for the Knicks, leading them to their 2nd place finish in the NBA’s Eastern Conference behind only the Miami Heat.

And, in my opinion, it’s great to see someone like ‘Melo win a prestigious award. Frankly, his career deserves some recognition.

Although he hasn’t been able to do much in the playoffs, Carmelo has put together an elite career that is far from over. For the Nuggets and Knicks, he’s averaged 25.0 PPG over his ten-year career, a number that should continue to grow considering the more consistent play we’ve seen from him in the second half of his career thus far.

In fact, with almost 18,000 points to his name already, he could very well finish as one of the top twenty or-so scorers in NBA history, passing names that are already or will soon be in the basketball hall of fame.

Although we may take someone like Carmelo Anthony for granted in the LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Kevin Durant age, we should realize that he too will go down as one of the NBA’s best offensive forces of all-time.

4/12/13 Top Performers: Day, Curry, Jefferson, Fowler

Jason Day

The best performance at The Masters on Friday came from Aussie Jason Day, who is trying to become the first Australian to ever win the prestigious event.

He fired off an impressive 4-under par 68 to take the lead at 6-under through 36 holes. He has a decent history at Augusta National having finished tied for 2nd place back in 2011. Obviously, there’s a lot of golf left to be played, but Day has been in some very big tournaments throughout his young career, so he’s more experienced than many may think.

Jason Day acknowledging the fans. Credit: The Australian

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Stephen Curry

Although his Golden State Warriors couldn’t pull off the victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, Stephen Curry had another one of his patented dominant shooting performances, finishing with 47 points on the night.

Curry went 17-31 from the field, including a great 9-for-15 from 3-point range. He’s now sitting comfortably as the 7th leading scorer in the NBA at 22.84 points per contest with only big-name superstars in front of him.

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Al Jefferson

Not too far behind Curry on Friday night was the Utah Jazz’s Al Jefferson, who had 40 points, 13 rebounds, and 6 assists in his squad’s win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Jefferson continues to be one of the NBA’s most underrated players, scoring almost 18 points and grabbing over 9 boards per contest despite there not being a lot else that opposing defenses have to hone in on when playing the Jazz.

If the 28 year-old former 1st round draft pick out of high school could definitely garner more attention, though, if he has big nights like tonight once in a while.

Jefferson standing with his point guard Mo Williams. Credit: NBA.com

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Dexter Fowler

The Colorado Rockies picked up a win over division foe San Diego Friday night thanks large-in-part to outfielder Dexter Fowler’s two home runs.

His 2nd home run came off of Padres’ closer Huston Street in the 9th inning to give his Rockies the lead, as they went on to win in the bottom half of the inning by a score of 7-5. The 27 year-old with a world of talent looks like he may finally be breaking through, as he’s off to a monstrous start in 2013. Through 10 games played, he’s hitting .325 with 6 home runs and 9 RBI’s.

4/11/13 Top Performers: Robinson, Guan, Leishman & Garcia

Here are your top performers from around the entire world of sports from Thursday, April 11th …

Nate Robinson

Yes, the streak ending continues for the pesky Chicago Bulls, as they knocked off the red hot New York Knicks at the Madhouse on Madison Thursday night.

They were led by their 5’9 point guard, Nate Robinson, who’s still getting extensive minutes with Derrick Rose out and Kirk Hinrich having been in and out of the lineup all year. Robinson scored a season-high 35 points against Carmelo’s (who had a 20/20 game) Knicks, who still look poised to lock up the 2nd seed in the NBA’s Eastern Conference Playoffs.

Robinson now averages over 13 PPG. Credit: ESPN

It was Nate, who Bulls fans have nicknamed ‘Love-Hate Nate,’ who spearheaded Chicago’s 15-point 2nd half comeback and surge in overtime, when Nate scored 8 quick points.

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Marc Leishman & Sergio Garcia

The spotlight at the top of The Masters leader board was taken by two foreigners in the legendary tournament’s first round: Marc Leishman and Sergio Garcia.

Garcia, one of the more talked-about golfers throughout the past decade who hasn’t been able to win a major tournament, is playing in The Masters for his 15th time, while Leishman is only making his 2nd appearance. They both posted a very solid 6-under par 66 to propel them into a tie for the lead after 1 day.

It’ll be interesting to see if they can hang on going into the weekend, though, with many talented guys on their tail.

Sergio giving the fans the tip of his cap. Credit: telegraph.co.uk

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Tianlang Guan

He’s fourteen years old and competing at Augusta National in The Masters. That’s right; fourteen years old. Tianlang Guan is the Asian Amateur Champion, which in recent years can get you a bid to compete in The Masters.

After one day, Guan was just one over par, well on track to make Friday’s cut and compete with the best over the weekend.

He’s the youngest amateur to compete in a major PGA tournament, so if he makes the cut, he’ll be the youngest to do so by a couple of years. In just a few hours, Tianlang went from “the 14 year-old kid from China” to “Tianlang Guan: one of the best stories of the 2013 Masters.”

Tianlang staring down one of his drives. Credit: CBS Sports

4/6/13 Top Performers: Hancock, Wall, Duncan, Pujols, Upton

Luke Hancock

As most sports fans around the world saw, the Louisville Cardinals won a squeaker over the Wichita State Shockers Saturday night in the Final 4, and will advance to take on the Michigan Wolverines in the Nat’l Championship game on Monday.

While team leader Russ Smith led the way for the Cardinals with 21 points, it was Andrew Hancock, a little-known bench player’s 20 points who really ignited the team. Considering he only averaged 7 PPG this season, his versatile play, especially the shot from long range, was what put UofL over the top Saturday night.

Will this be Hancock’s one shining moment, or does he have more to give? Credit: USA Today

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John Wall

Finally emerging with consistent results is former no.1 overall draft pick out of UK, the Washington Wizards’ point guard John Wall.

Wall had 37 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 steals in his stat-stuffing performance as his Wizards took down the Indiana Pacers. He now averages 18.0 PPG, 7.8 APG, and 4.o RPG as Washington continues to stay hot (18-12 over their last 30 games).

Wall, with his 6’4 size and blazing speed, is starting to really show why he’s a max contract type of player that could one day be an NBA MVP and play at the elite level we hear discussed on this list so often.

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Tim Duncan

At the ripe age of 36 with 15+ years of NBA experience under his belt, Tim Duncan continues to be one of the most under appreciated athletes of all-time.

Who many consider to be the best power forward of all-time, Duncan had 31 points and 14 rebounds as his short-handed Spurs 57th win of the season on Saturday.

He also tied Dallas Mavericks’ star Dirk Nowitzki with the most 30 & 10 games among active players.

Duncan is as underrated as they come. Credit: SportingNews

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Albert Pujols

Yep, Albert is still around.

Although you may not have heard from him as much as normal last season, Albert Pujols is still playing at a very high level. Last year, despite getting off to a terribly slow start, finished with 30 home runs and 105 RBI’s after receiving his massive contract from the Angels.

So this year, fans are expecting him to be great from beginning to end, and rightfully so. Well on Saturday, he was just that, leading the Halos to a win over the division-rival Texas Rangers thanks to his two home runs.

It probably wouldn’t be wise to rule Pujols out of the AL MVP race this year despite him already being 33 years old.

Pujols watching the ball fly. Credit: LA Times

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Justin Upton

While B.J. Upton is off to a very slow start on his new team, the Atlanta Braves, you can’t say the same about his brother Justin, who’s really leading the charge for the ball club.

After B.J. led off the bottom of the 9th inning against Cubs’ closer Carlos Marmol, Justin followed him with a long ball of his own, but of the walk-off variety.

J. Upton now has already 5 home runs on the young season after the two he hit Saturday night. It looks like it’s safe to say he’s back to his form of old with the D’Backs after having somewhat of a disappointing 2012 season out in the desert.

It’s fair to say Justin Upton has been worth it so far for the Braves. Credit: Atlanta Blackstar

4/5/13 Top Performers: Thompson, Anthony, Fielder, Cozart & Frazier

Here are your top sports performers from Friday, April 5th, 2013 …

Tristan Thompson

The Cleveland Cavaliers young big man Tristan Thompson set a career high for points in a game Friday night, going off for 29 as his Cavs ended their 10-game losing streak by beating the Boston Celtics.

Thompson going up for a vicious slam. Credit: NBA.com

Thompson also grabbed 17 rebounds, 7 of which were on the offensive glass. He’s already one of the NBA’s best rebounders (9.5 RPG), so Cleveland faithful are just waiting for him to find some consistency on offense. He does average 11.5 PPG, which ain’t too shabby considering there are usually natural scorers like Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters on the floor with him. Regardless, Thompson’s emergence is huge for the Cavaliers going forward.

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Carmelo Anthony

While there were a few other NBA superstars who had nice offensive nights, it was Carmelo who stole the show yet again.

Carmelo had 41 points and 14 rebounds as his streak of phenomenal play continues. In fact, his NY Knicks now have 11 straight wins and look poised to claim the number 2 seed in the NBA’s Eastern Conference Playoffs. While their play hasn’t been the most consistent throughout the year, it certainly looks like they’re figuring it out once again at the right time with the playoffs around the corner.

Although it’ll be tough to dethrone LeBron James, Carmelo’s case for NBA MVP keeps getting stronger. He leads the conference in scoring at 28.3 PPG.

Carmelo driving baseline Friday night. Credit: USA Today

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Prince Fielder

While there were a handful of very nice performances from starting pitchers around baseball on Friday, there was a fair share of offense, too. And since chicks dig the long ball, that’s what we’ll focus on.

The Detroit Tigers looked very good in taking down the New York Yankees Friday afternoon behind their cleanup hitter Prince Fielder, who smacked his first two home runs of the season in the 8-3 victory. He drove in 5 runs in total, increasing his previous season total by 500%.

Although most of the talk surrounding the Tigers will usually be focused on Justin Verlander and Miguel Cabrera, Prince has what it takes to be an MVP candidate on the loaded Detroit squad, too.

Fielder celebrating emphatically for the crowd. Credit: ToledoBlade.com

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Zack Cozart and Todd Frazier

The Cincinnati Reds demolished the Washington Nationals Friday night by a score of 15-0. Pretty much everybody chipped in throughout their lineup, but it was Zack Cozart and Todd Frazier who stole the show, each hitting two home runs.

Shin Soo Choo and Xavier Paul also had long balls for the Reds, with starting pitcher Homer Bailey pitching in a nice performance of 2-hit ball through his 6 innings pitched.

Sure, the Nationals could be very good this season, but don’t overlook the Reds to win another division title and make a push for the NL Pennant, somewhere we haven’t seen the MLB’s oldest franchise in quite some time.

April Fool’s Day Top Performers: Harper, Kershaw, Hernandez, Ware

Here are your top performers from the entire world of sports from Monday, April 1st, 2013 (MLB Opening Day) …

Bryce Harper

Silencing the talks of a possible sophomore slump, at least for now, was Washington Nationals superstar outfielder Bryce Harper, who hit two home runs in his first two at bats of the season Monday afternoon.

Harper, who was overshadowed at times last year despite being an All-Star, by LA Angels star rookie Mike Trout, may be poised for a breakout season in 2013. Let’s not forget how hyped up Harper has been for years already, and for a good reason. He’s got a world of potential, which is apparent considering some were disappointed by his rookie season last year even though he had 57 XBH in just 139 games.

His two homers were all the Nationals pitching staff would need, as Stephen Strasburg, Tyler Clippard, and Rafael Soriano nailed down the shutout.

Harper giving the fans a curtain call. Credit: USA Today

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Clayton Kershaw

Simply put, the LA Dodgers lefty ace Clayton Kershaw was dominant in his team’s 4-0 win over the defending World Series Champion San Francisco Giants on Monday.

Kershaw, who has made over 30 starts and had a sub-3.00 ERA in each of the last 4 big league seasons, pitched a complete game shutout at Dodger Stadium to get his club, which has drawn a lot of attention for their aggressive offseason, out of the gates strong. He surrendered only 4 hits while striking out 7 in his 9 innings of work.

But it wasn’t just his performance on the mound that was so special … that’s right, he also did it at the plate, connecting for his first career home run (now has 264 career AB’s).

Kershaw really did it all for the Dodgers on Monday. Credit: ESPN

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Felix Hernandez

Moving just a bit north, we go to another dominant ace, the Seattle Mariners’ Felix Hernandez. “King Felix” did what we all know he can do any given night on Monday: dominate.

Specifically, he blanked the defending AL West Champion Oakland Athletics for 7.2 scoreless innings to help the M’s move to 1-0.

Back in February, Hernandez signed a monstrous 7-year, $175M contract extension to stay in Seattle for the foreseeable future, and so far it doesn’t look like the pressure of the big bucks are going to get to him. Felix, still only 26 years old, has put together solid season after solid season (some of which have been dominant) dating all the way back to his teenage years … and so far, it looks like Seattle made the right decision by locking him up until he’s about 33.

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Kevin Ware

Although we’re a couple days removed from Louisville’s Elite 8 win over the powerhouse Duke Blue Devils, we still feel their injured guard Kevin Ware deserves mention.

In case you missed it, Ware suffered a tragic injury on Sunday … frankly, it was about as bad as you’ll see on a basketball floor. He has received support from the entire nation through social media (#PrayForWare), and deservingly so.

He’s reportedly already on crutches after a successful surgery, which is great news considering the severity of the gruesome injury. His teammates brought the Midwest Regional Champs trophy to him in the hospital after their win, but all Ware can think about, even now, is his team winning a national championship next Monday.

Ware being carried off the court minutes after the horrific injury. Credit: CBS

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Honorable Mentions

• Chris Sale: W, 7.2 IP, 0 ER, 7 K’s
• Jeff Samardzija: W, 8 IP, 0 ER
• Stephen Strasburg: W, 7 IP, 0 ER

3/30/13 Top Performers: Nowitzki, Westbrook & Durant, Curry, Kadri

Although the sports scene was dominated by the Syracuse Orange and Wichita State Shockers advancing to the Final Four in the NCAAB Tournament, it was the professionals who had the best individual performances on Saturday …

Dirk Nowitzki

Although it took him a while to get going this season after coming back from injury, it seems that Dallas Mavericks’ superstar Dirk Nowitzki is finally back.

Dirk shot 14-15 in the Mavericks 100-98 win over the Chicago Bulls, including an impressive game winner with the clock ticking down.

Nowitzki now averages 17.4 PPG and 6.9 RPG, numbers helped immensely by his last few very impressive contests.

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Russell Westbrook & Kevin Durant

As happens so often, the Oklahoma City Thunder pulled out an impressive win (109-99 on the road in Milwaukee) led by their two superstars.

Kevin Durant had 30 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists while point guard Russell Westbrook had a triple double with 23, 13, and 10. While Miami’s trio continues to dominate the NBA, it’s these two youngsters who may be the best duo in the game.

Credit: Grantland.com

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Stephen Curry

Becoming one of the newer regulars to the list is the Golden State Warriors’ star guard Stephen Curry, who dropped in 39 points to go along with 6 assists and 5 rebounds in the 125-98 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.

Although Curry has gotten steady attention since his memorable days at Davidson, he still isn’t getting superstar attention despite averaging almost 23 points per game on one of the Western Conference’s best teams. And the scary thing is the fact that most people agree his numbers will only continue to get better & better through the coming seasons.

Credit: Kevin C. Cox via Getty Images

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Nazem Kadri

Despite being one of two players to record 3 goals on Saturday, it’s the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Nazem Kadri, who finished with 4 points, representing the NHL on our list today.

Kadri’s 3 goals and 1 assist led Toronto to a 4-0 win over the Ottawa Senators. With the win, the Maple Leafs now have 44 points, tied with Ottawa for 3rd in the Northeast division. So needless to say, Kadri’s performance could be crucial in the long run and really get Toronto going in their Stanley Cup Playoff push.

Kadri now has an impressive 39 points on the season. Credit: CBC.CA

3/22/13 Top Performers: Wyatt, McDermott, Henderson, Brown

Here are your top performers from the NCAA Tournament on Friday, March 22nd, 2013:

Khalif Wyatt

Not only does he have a cool name, but he’s got serious game, too. Khalif Wyatt, Temple’s 6’4 senior overcame an in-game thumb injury to score 31 points and dish out 5 assists in the Owls’ upset win over the NC State Wolfpack.

Wyatt grimacing due to serious pain after the injury. Credit: NY Daily News

Wyatt, a Norristown, PA native has had a very nice college career in Philly, averaging double digits in each of the past 3 seasons. His best was this past year, in which he had a 19.8 PPG average for the 24-9 Owls.

Their reward for the impressive win? A date with the Indiana Hoosiers on Sunday.

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Doug McDermott

In one of the more evenly-matched games to this point in the NCAA tournament, the Creighton Blue Jays took down one of the Big East’s best, the Cincinnati Bearcats. They were led, of course, by their superstar senior Doug McDermott.

Scoring 27 points in the 67-63 win that went down to the wire. He also grabbed 11 rebounds and went a perfect 11-11 from the free throw line, helping to seal the deal late in the contest.

They’ll face the Duke Blue Devils next for a chance to make it to the Sweet 16 on Sunday. No matter how overmatched they may be on paper, McDermott is the type of player that can keep you in any given ball game.

Credit: Getty Images // Via Newsday

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Marshall Henderson

Although he may not have had quite as impressive statistics as the others on the list, the next guy on our list played just as big of a role as any. Ole Miss’ hotly-debated guard and the SEC’s leading scorer, Marshall Henderson, was key in the Rebels’ big upset win over the hot Wisconsin Badgers.

In the third 12-5 (seeds) upset of the tournament, Henderson scored 19 of his team’s 57 highlighted by a great 2nd half to follow up an abysmal 1st half.

Known for his taunting and celebratory acts on the court, Henderson is usually loved or hated … nowhere in between the two. After the game early Friday afternoon, that’s likely to stay the same. Although America usually loves to root for the underdog, Henderson ruined quite a few brackets already.

Yes … even this is normal for Henderson. Credit: Business Insider

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Sherwood Brown

First, it should be noted that if this weren’t a list devoted to individuals, the entire Florida Gulf Coast University community would be the recipient of the spot. But after pulling off the historical upset of the 2-seeded Georgetown Hoyas, Sherwood Brown gets the nod on our list.

Although fellow guards Brett Comer and Bernard Thompson also had phenomenal games, it was Sherwood who stole the show. He had 24 points and 9 rebounds, but was also the ‘poster child’ of the win (large in part because he went to press row and shook each of the broadcasters’ hands).

Before this year, there had only been 4 upsets of 15 seeds over 2 seeds in NCAA history. In the last 2 years, though? Three.

(Below is a GIF of the dunk that seemed to seal the win for FGCU)

3/19/13 Top Performers: Crosby, Miller, Dellavedova

Sidney Crosby

Although he wasn’t the NHL’s high point-scorer Tuesday evening, “Sid the Kid” is making our list today because, frankly, he deserves to.

Crosby has finally found his form after suffering head injuries. Credit: Bloguin

Somehow, the superstar is putting together a dominant, yet quiet, season. He’s the NHL’s leading scorer by a decent margin (10), as he’s now gotten his point tally up to 50. The Pittsburgh Penguins are now 23-8-0, and could make some serious noise in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Who knows, maybe it’ll be Crosby’s efforts this season that help the NHL get back in the America’s public eye after the lockout earlier this year.

Oh yeah, Crosby did have a nice game last night, too. He had 2 assists, as the Pen’s beat the Washington Capitals, 2-1.

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Andre Miller

No, it’s not Ty Lawson (25 points) or Kenneth Faried (13 points, 15 rebounds), but the Denver Nuggets’ backup point guard, Andre Miller who’s making the list tonight. The Nuggets have now pulled off 13 straight wins, extending the longest win streak in franchise history.

Miller scored 20 points, had 7 rebounds, and dished out 9 assists in just 23 minutes against the OKC Thunder in his team’s 114-104 win. When you win a close game over a team as good as the Thunder, you have to figure you need that ‘X-Factor’ to put you over the top … and that’s exactly what Miller was Tuesday night.

Miller calling out plays for his team. Credit: ASM Sports

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Matthew Dellavedova

In a play-in game consisting of 11 seeds, St. Mary’s took down Middle Tennessee State Tuesday night easily, 67-54. The Gaels were led by their point guard, Matthew Dellavedova, who had 22 points, 4 assists, and 6 rebounds all of which led the team.

Dellavedova isn’t a well-known name, but he should be; the 6’4 22 year-old senior averages an impressive 16.5 PPG and may be a borderline NBA talent.

The Gaels earned the right to face off with the Memphis Tigers, who are the 6th ranked team in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament’s midwest region.

Credit: NBA Mate