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About the Author
Eric Quiñones is from Miami, Florida. He graduated from Palm Beach Atlantic University with a major in journalism. He has a strong passion for being a sports writer and wants to pursue a career covering sports such as baseball, basketball and football.

The New England Patriots Stand The Best Chance To Go Undefeated This Season Out Of Anyone

There are four NFL teams that are currently undefeated as we near the midway point in this season. But as history shows us, none of them stand much of a chance to finish the season without a loss.

Coming into play yesterday, there were five undefeated teams in the NFL. The New England Patriots, Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, Cincinnati Bengals, and Carolina Panthers were all perfect through the first 7 weeks of the season.

The Packers and Broncos had to face each other on Sunday Night Football, which meant that one of those teams would certainly have their first loss of the season once Monday morning came around. The Packers ended up suffering their first loss as they were defeated 29 -10.

The big win improved Peyton Manning and his Broncos to 7 – 0. The Carolina Panthers play on Monday Night Football against the Indianapolis Colts. With a win on Monday night, the Panthers will also become 7 – 0, which will leave 4 perfect teams remaining through the first 8 weeks of the season.

Although these teams would all like to remain perfect through the entire season, it is very unlikely that it will happen for any of them.

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The last team to have a perfect season was the 1972 Miami Dolphins as they finished 17 – 0. The team that came the closest to accomplishing perfection was the 2007 edition of the New England Patriots that went 17 – 1, with their loss coming in the Super Bowl in a classic game against the New York Giants.

With that being said, if I had to choose a team that has the best shot to go undefeated I would choose the Patriots.

Although this team is very different from the team that went 17 – 1 in 2007, there are two main constants. Bill Belichick and Tom Brady.

Through the first 8 weeks of the season, the Patriots have looked close to unstoppable as a team (other than some struggles against the New York Jets).

Coming off their Super Bowl win against the Seattle Seahawks last season, the Patriots look like they haven’t missed a beat. They lead the NFL with 35.3 points per game. Their defense allows 19 points per game through their first 7 games, which is 9th in the NFL.

Tom Brady at age 38 is having one of the best, if not the best statistical season in his career so far. He’s thrown for 2,410 passing yards through 7 games this season with 20 touchdown passes and only 1 interception. He is also completing 68.9% of his passes which is better than his career average of 63.7%. Remarkable.

As for the rest of the team, Rob Gronkowski has been phenomenal with over 600 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns.

Julian Edelman has been his same old reliable self, and the rest of the team is just following the lead of the Head Coach and star QB.

With all the early success so far this season, the team still has 9 games remaining on their regular season schedule. Although they should be favored in all of their games, they still have some tough games coming up. On November 15, they go into New York to face a tough Giants team lead by Eli Manning who has beaten the Patriots in two Super Bowls, 2008 and 2012.

As I stated before, in 2007 they ended the Patriots chances at an undefeated season with a classic Super Bowl win.

On November 29, the Patriots have to go into Denver to play a potentially undefeated Broncos team as well, which will be a showdown that can’t be missed. If the Patriots can make it to January 3 undefeated, the Miami Dolphins will be the final regular season game for the Patriots in Miami. The Dolphins will do everything that they can to not allow the Patriots to head into the playoffs with an undefeated record, because they want to remain the only franchise in history to have an undefeated team.

The talk of any team going undefeated this season is still premature. There is half a season left to play and so much can take place from now until the final week of the season.

It’s a long season, with many ups and downs for each team and a lot factors into being perfect. Besides having to be great every game you have to also hope for great team health, because one injury to a key player can really hurt a team’s chances in winning at all.

There is still a lot of time before we really should start talking about a team going undefeated, but it should be a fun second half of the season. One thing is for sure, the closer each team gets to being perfect the more pressure the team will face. And not every team shines bright under pressure.

Like this piece? Rise News just launched a few weeks ago and is only getting started. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date with global news. Have a news tip? (No matter how big or small!) Send it to us- [email protected] 

Cover Photo Credit: Keith Allison/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)

Why Josh Donaldson Should Totally Be The AL MVP

The Major League Baseball regular season is about a week away from wrapping up. With just a few regular season games left before the playoffs start, certain players look to end the season in strong fashion as they make their final statements in order to be recognized as the most deserving players for the season awards.

These awards include the Most Valuable Player Award for each league, Cy Young Award which is given to one pitcher of each league, and the Rookie Of The Year Award for each league.

Here’s our best guess as to who will win the top awards:

American League Most Valuable Player (MVP): Josh Donaldson

In his first season with the Toronto Blue Jays, since being traded by the Oakland A’s, Josh Donaldson has been arguably the best player in the American League since the beginning of the season. Donaldson and the Blue Jays are in first place in the American League East, and he has been the leader of the MLB’s top offense. He has a batting average of .299 and has slugged 41 home runs, which is good for third in the American League. The third baseman also leads the American League with 122 runs batted in. Donaldson made the All Star team this season and has been the one player who has consistently been the most valuable for his team. The two time All Star should be a lock to win the AL MVP Award and he has already won it in the hearts of many fans.

Photo Credit: Keith Allison/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)

Photo Credit: Keith Allison/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)

National League Most Valuable Player (MVP): Bryce Harper

The Washington Nationals star Bryce Harper is only 22 years old and has had one of the best seasons ever by a player of his age. Harper, who was an All Star this season, leads the National League in the chase for the batting title, which is given to the player with the league’s highest batting average. The young star has a batting average of .336. He is tied for first in the National League in home runs with 41 and has 96 RBI’s which is fifth in the league. Although his team has fallen to second place in the National League East, Harper is the main reason the Nats stayed in the hunt for the playoffs late into the season. Although his team will not make the playoffs, it is very likely that Harper will win the NL MVP Award.

Photo Credit: Arturo Pardavila III/Flick (CC By 2.0)

Photo Credit: Arturo Pardavila III/Flick (CC By 2.0)

American League Cy Young Award: David Price

The 2012 Cy Young Award winner David Price has a good chance of winning the award for the second time in his career. Price, who began the season as the ace for the Detroit Tigers, has since become the ace for the first place Toronto Blue Jays after being acquired in a trade. The hard throwing lefty has a record of 18 wins and only 5 losses. The 18 wins put him second in the American League. Price leads the AL starting pitchers with an earned run average (era) of 2.45. He is also fourth in the league in strikeouts with 225. Since being acquired by the Blue Jays at the trade deadline Price has 9 wins and only 1 loss with an era. of 2.30. He has been everything that the Blue Jays hoped he would be when they traded for him.

Photo Credit: Arturo Pardavila III/Flickr (CC By 2.0)

Photo Credit: Arturo Pardavila III/Flickr (CC By 2.0)

National League Cy Young Award: Zack Greinke

In 2009 Zack Greinke was the Cy Young Award winner in the American League for the Kansas City Royals. In 2015 the Los Angeles Dodger’s star should win the Cy Young Award, but this time in the National League. Greinke has had an overall better season this year than he had in 2009. He has 18 wins and only 3 losses. His 18 wins this season is good for second place in the National League. The All Star righty leads all starting pitchers in the MLB with a 1.65 era. Greinke has pitched over 200 innings this season for the Dodgers and has struck out 185 batters. He has been the most consistent Dodger’s starting pitcher all year and has helped the team maintain a first place lead in the National League West throughout the season. This season for Greinke has been a pretty historic one for a starting pitcher, which is why he should be the NL Cy Young Award winner when the season comes to an end.

American League Rookie Of The Year: Carlos Correa

As a 20-year-old this season, Carlos Correa was promoted to the MLB by the Houston Astros. The rookie shortstop has since turned 21 years of age and has been a huge factor in the success of the Astros this season. He is one of the keys of why the Astros could in fact make the playoffs this season in the American League. Correa is batting .282 with 21 home runs and 61 rbi in just 93 games played this season. His 21 home runs lead all rookies in the American League. His 61 rbi is good enough for second place among all rookies in the American League. He plays the most important position on the field, and the impact that he’s made on his team’s success should be the reason why he wins the American League Rookie Of The Year Award.

Photo Credit: Arturo Pardavila III/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)

Photo Credit: Arturo Pardavila III/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)

National League Rookie Of The Year: Kris Bryant

Kris Bryant of the Chicago Cubs has been one of the more popular players talked about throughout the 2015 season. As a rookie this season, Bryant was selected as a reserve to his first All Star Game. The rookie sensation has been a big reason for the Chicago Cubs resurgence in 2015. He is hitting .282 with 26 home runs and 99 rbi. His 26 home runs put him first among all Major League rookies. His 99 rbi leads all Major League rookies as well. He’s helped the Chicago Cubs make it back to the playoffs after years of disappointment. The overall good season that the All Star has had should be good enough for him to win the NL Rookie Of The Year Award.

The 2015 MLB season has been a very exciting one. A lot of players have made a positive impact for their teams this season, but only a few guys have made a big enough impact to be considered for these awards.

Like this piece? Rise News just launched a few weeks ago and is only getting started. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date with global news. Have a news tip? Send it to us- [email protected] 

Cover Photo Credit: Keith Allison/ Flickr (CC By 2.0)

Four Good Reasons To Keep Watching The Miami Marlins This Year

By Eric Quinones

The 2015 season for the Miami Marlins has been a long one to say the least. It’s been a season filled with disappointment as the team has the 5th worst record in the Major Leagues.

Injuries have been a big factor as to why the team has struggled so much this season, but with the final month of the season upon us here are a few reasons to keep watching the Marlins through their final game.

Reason #1: Dee Gordon
Although the Marlins may be out of the playoff picture and don’t have much to play for but their pride, Dee Gordon is in a battle to try and win the National League batting title.

Gordon came into play today hitting .328, which puts him second in the league behind the Washington National’s slugger Bryce Harper who is hitting .336. Although Gordon has some ground to make up and needs Harper to fall off a bit, it will be fun to watch each one of Gordon’s at-bats through the end of the season.

Reason #2: The return of Giancarlo Stanton
The return of Giancarlo Stanton, one of the best players in the Major Leagues, is right around the corner and something that Fish fans should be excited about. Stanton has been on the disabled list for the last two months with a broken bone in his left hand. Stanton is due back in mid-September with an eye on finishing the season in strong fashion.

Stanton, the most prolific power hitter in all of baseball, was leading the MLB in homeruns with 27 at the time that he broke the bone in his left hand. He’s one of the most exciting players to watch play, especially when he’s up to bat. Earlier this season, Stanton hit a homerun literally out of Dodger Stadium. That’s an example of why he is considered the most powerful hitter in the Major Leagues.

Reason #3: The return of Jose Fernandez
Jose Fernandez will have a few more starts for the Fish. Fernandez, who came back this season from Tommy John surgery was 4 – 0 with a 2.30 ERA., before being put back on the disabled list with a right biceps strain. Fernandez looks to join the starting rotation once again on September 19th against the Washington Nationals .

Every time Fernandez pitches, especially at the home ballpark, he seems to lift his team to a high level of play. His teammates feed off of his energy, and he always puts fans in the stands. If everything goes as planned, Fernandez should be the Marlins ace going into the 2016 season.

Reason #4: Getting a closer look at Nicolino and Conley
As the Marlins look to close out their 2015 season on a high note, starting pitchers Justin Nicolino and Adam Conley look to show the Marlins why each of them should be considered for the Marlins’ starting rotation for the 2016 season. Both left-handed pitchers were two of the team’s top pitching prospects coming up from the minor leagues this season. Nicolino has been the more consistent of the two. He is 3 – 2 with a 3.07 era. Conley on the other hand has struggled a bit more in his stint with the Fish. He is 3 – 1, but his ERA is 5.02. With that being said, both have shown promise and have also shown that if they can consistently command their pitches they will have a good shot at being considered for the team’s rotation next season.

The 2015 season hasn’t always been fun to watch. The team has struggled throughout the year, but that doesn’t mean that fans should give up on watching this team until the very end. Although they won’t be making the playoffs, there are still players to watch that could impact the team next season.

Photo Credit: Arturo Pardavila III/Flickr (CC By 2.0)

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