(I Just want to say, this is the third time I have had to write this, for some reason I keep losing my train of thought and click on to another website and then of course I lose all that I have typed.  It's getting a little rediculous.)

Is Carlos Lee...

After tonight's game in which he hit a home run, doubled to deep left center and then scored the winning run, he is hitting .293 with 15 home runs, 28 RBI's and 27 runs.  He is trailing only Pujols in home runs, who somehow has hit 17. 

Although the above title may be a little exaggerated, he has proven he can consistently hit for average, power and in the clutch.  Tonight's double to deep left center in the top of the tenth was hit off of Trevor Hoffman, a future Hall of Fame closer, not to shabby.  If the Milwaukee Brewers are unable to hold on to Carlos Lee, some big time teams will come calling, and Lee could blossom into a superstar.  While the Brewers have a very good and young team, he may not receive the exposure in Milwaukee that he would receive as a Yankee or Red Sox.  However, I feel if Carlos Lee wants to really become a superstar, he should stay in Milwaukee and help turn that franchise into a dominant one.   

Carlos Lee may not be the third best player in the game yet, but it is something that may not be too far off.  He is definitely no longer just a quiet superstar(see post below.)

Clinton Portis of the Washington Redskins...

 Of course I don't think Portis is the only back that could reach 2000 yards next.  However, compared to the rest of the backs in the NFL his chances are pretty good, and considering he is only 24, he may be one of the very few current backs in the NFL with a chance to approach Emmitt Smith's record of 18,355 career rushing yards.

Before I get carried away with why I feel Portis could approach Emmitt's record, I will address why I feel Portis could be the next running back to reach 2000 yards.  The biggest reason for his chance at 2000 are the additions the Redskins have made on offense, starting with new Offensive Coordinator Al Saunders.  Last year Larry Johnson amassed 1750 yards in just nine starts, and would have most likely reached 2000 with ease had he started the whole year.  Although the Chiefs have a very good offensive line, their offensive success the past few seasons is because of Al Saunders.  With even more weapons in Washington than he had in Kansas City, Saunders will be create more through the passing game, allowing for Portis to have more open holes than ever before. 

With receiving threats Santana Moss, Chris Cooley, Brandon Lloyd, Antwaan Randle El, and David Patten occupying opposing defensive coordinators thoughts, it will be very hard for teams to put eight or nine in the box and focus on the run game.  For the past two seasons Portis has been able to run for a combined 2,831 yards, and that is without many receiving threats to worry other teams.  The first year Portis was here the passing game was beyond terrible and everyone knew what the Redskins were going to try and do.  Last season two receiving threats emerged and made it a little more difficult for opponents, but next season Portis will have more help than he has ever had in his career.  With teams unable to focus on one aspect of the offense, Portis will be able to get more yards on less carries, allowing his body to take less of a beating than it has the past two years.  By the end of last season Portis was worn down, physically beaten from the long season, next year Clinton won't be required to carry the whole offense, and will be able to stay fresh for the majority of the season.  

With all the talent on the offense, and great coaching, Portis will be able to challenge for 2000 yards and may even reach that goal.  Washington Redskins Running Back's Coach, Ernest Byner, has already stated it is Clinton's goal next year to reach 2000 yards.  While it may be every running back's goal to reach that mark, he is one of the few backs with a real chance to do it.   For Portis to reach this goal, he will have to average 30.25 yards more per game than he did last year, when he ran for 1,516.  A very reachable number for a talented running back on a good offense with great coaching.          

Now on to an even bolder statement, Portis will challenge Emmitt Smith's record.  Before I am called a homer for this one, I would like to say that I have been claiming this since he was a Bronco and ran for 3,099 yards in his first two seasons.  Little did I know he would soon be coming to Washington in a blockbuster trade.     

I know that this is a very tough record to reach, and Portis will have to be very consistent and even improve, but out of all the running backs in the NFL he has perhaps the best chance to do it.  Through his first four seasons in the NFL Clinton Portis has run for a total of 5,930 yards.  Through Emmitt Smith's first four years he ran for 5,699 yards.  At the end of their fourth seasons, both Portis and Smith were 24 years old.  Emmitt's first season is the difference here, as he ran for only 937 yards and Portis ran for 1,508.  Portis has a very good team and the opportunity for big time yards should be ther.  If he can stay healthy and have a lengthy career, two very big IF's, he will have an opportunity to close in on Emmitt's record and possibly even break it. 

Now wouldn't that be ashame, A Redskin taking a record from a Cowboy.  I'm not saying either of these predictions will actually come to pass.  But what I am saying is this....keep your eye on Clinton Portis and the rest of the Washington Redskins. 

After tonight's disgusting outing by the Los Angeles Lakers, the arguments of Kobe Bryant shooting too much and not involving his teammates can be thrown out the window.  Right along with the 3-1 series lead they had after Kobe buried the game winning shot. 

Early on in this series the Lakers used team basketball and the triangle offense to take games from the Suns.  However, it was that same mentality tonight that got them run off the court and back home to Los Angeles.  All of the starters not named Kobe Bryant missed most of the shots they were hitting in the first 4 games, and allowed Phoenix to blow the game wide open early on. 

Phoenix scored 30 points in the first quarter and were hot right from the start.  This is nothing new as it is what they did all series long.  What the Lakers had been doing, was slowing the game down just enough to stay in it, by moving the ball frequently and making open shots at the end of the shot clock.  Tonight however, their shots weren't falling and they looked exactly like what they are, the youngest team in the NBA.

The dominance in the paint that had been there was gone.  With Kwame Brown missing easy jumpers in the paint and Lamar Odom driving to the basket and either missing a shot or making a bad pass, the Lakers had no chance to knock off the Phoenix Suns in game seven.  Everything that Phil Jackson tried, failed, and the game turned in to a blowout. 

Kobe Bryant was criticized for shooting to much and not involving his teammates, but tonight.....He proved he has to score 35 a game for the Lakers to truly be successful.     

My knowledge of the Kentucky Derby, Triple Crown and horse racing in general, is severly lacking.  But when it comes time for the race, I get excited and nervous.  There is something magical about the tradition at the Kentucky Derby, and the effort these trainers, jockeys and owners put into this race.  But that is not why I am fascinated, I am fascinated by the horses.

Not only are they beautiful, but they are the best athletes on the face of the Earth.  Their speed and grace can be compared to no animal, human or any other species, and it shows from the moment they are released from the gates.  However, this is not what intrigues me about these horses, what intrigues me is what's going on in their mind.  Do they know they are competing against the best of the best in their sport? Or do they just run when they are told?  I do not know the real answer, and maybe no one does, but when I watch the Triple Crown every year I like to believe that these horses know what they are involved in and know how much the race means.  It is fun to imagine the horses with butterflies in their stomach before the gates open, going over in their mind how they are to run the race, and anxiously waiting the bell.  It is most likely just instinct, they run and may not know why, but they run as hard as they possibly can without thinking about it.  

Barbaro is the winner this year, winning the Kentucky Derby by seven lengths, blowing away the competition starting with a quarter of a mile to go in the race.  He will now move on to the Preakness Stakes as the favorite, and if he wins their, he will head to the Belmont Stakes with an opportunity to win the first Triple Crown since Affirmed won it in 1978. 

And just think, these horses do all of this, at the age of only three. 

Late in overtime of game six between the Cavaliers and Wizards, Gilbert Arenas was at the free throw line waiting to attempt his second free throw after missing the first.  Lebron James stepped to the free throw line, put his hand on Arenas and began to say something in a very calm manner.  Arenas clanked the second free throw off back iron and the Cavaliers won the game and series off a shot by Damon Jones.  What James said to Arenas is a mystery,  but it obviously affected Arenas, and he walked off the court after two straight misses shaking his head.  If all the big time shots these two hit throughout the series didn't spark a rivalry, then those few words by Lebron at the end of game six, definitely did.   

In a series in which Lebron James and Gilbert Arenas battled back and forth for six straight games and combined for 418 total points, one has to ponder the idea of a big time rivalry forming between these two young stars for years to come.  James is only 21 and Gilbert is only 24, leaving plenty of time for a rivalry to form.   

King James got the best of Gilbert Arenas this series, coming up with two game winning shots, and taking on a double team that left Jones open for the series clincher on Friday night.  While James only outscored Arenas by 10 points (214-204) those points proved to be the difference in the series.  Gilbert and Lebron took over for their teams late in the fourth quarter, and carried their respective teams.  However,  King James seemed to be just one step ahead of Arenas the entire series, and led his team to a series victory. 

Don't worry Arenas, you will get your chance again, because for you and Lebron, It's only the beginning.