2015/16 UEFA Champions League Group Stage: My predictions for who will advance to the knockout stages

The Champions League group stages were announced last Thursday. Let's get right into who I think will get out of their groups and advance to the next stage of the most important domestic tournament in the world.

Group A: PSG, Real Madrid, Malmo FF, FC Shankhtar Donetsk
In Group A, we have a case of the Haves and the Have Nots. 2 of the 4 teams in this group have a realistic chance to win Europe's biggest prize, while the other 2 have 0 chance of getting to the Round of 16. Paris Saint-Germain advanced to the Quarterfinals last season and became a better club over the summer when they signed Angel Di Maria from Manchester United. Having established themselves as a fixture in Europe, PSG hopes that this will be the season that they finally break through and win their first ever Champions League. Spanish giants Real Madrid are always a fixture in Europe, and they again have a strong squad that could get even stronger if they are able to sign goalkeeper David De Gea away from Manchester United. New manager Rafa Benetiz has a lot of talent on his club, and he will be hoping to give Real it's 11th champions league title. The Swedish club Malmo went through to the group stage after beating Celtic, 4-3, on aggregate in the playoff round, but I do not see them finishing in the top 2 of this group. Shankhtar Donetsk, from the Ukraine, fall into the same boat as Malmo. So the 2 teams to advance to the knockout stages will almost certainly be PSG and Real Madrid, with Real topping the group due to their unreal level of talent.

Group B: PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United, Wolfsburg, CSKA Moscow 
This is a very balanced group as all 4 teams have the potential to cause trouble for their group counterparts. PSV Eindhoven was the best team in the respectable Eredivisie, the top domestic league in Holland, and they remain capable despite losing their best player, Memphis Depay, to Man United over the summer. Manchester United is always a tough out, and in spite of their unimpressive start to the English Premier League campaign, Old Trafford is still a venue that can cause trouble for any opponent. Wolfsburg finished 2nd to Bayren Munich in the always competitive Bundesliga last season, and despite recently losing star midfielder Kevin De Bryune to Manchester City, the club still has plenty of talent and recently bolstered their back line by singing Dante from Bayern Munich. CSKA Moscow is the least known club in this group, but they are a potential sleeper and will provide a tough road trip for any team that they play.  I predict that United will top this group, with Wolfsburg beating out PSV for 2nd. CSKA will finish bottom of the group, while Wolfsburg and United will both progress to the knockout stages

Group C: Benefica, Atletico Madrid, Galatasaray, Astana
Atletico Madrid are the favorites in Group C. The 2014 champions of La Liga came within minutes of hoisting the European Cup that same year, and have received a boost up front by singing star Striker Jackson Martinez away from FC Porto. The 2nd team in this group to advance to the knockout stages will be a battle between the Portuguese champions Benefica and the Turkish champions Glatasaray. Benefica beat out Porto to win the 2015 Primeira Liga, while Galatasaray has been a force in Europe in the past, making a Quarterfinal appearance in 2015. It will be a battle, but I think that Benefica will join Atletico in the Round of 16. Astana made history by becoming the first club from Kazakhstan to ever earn a spot in the group stage, and they will almost certainly finish bottom of Group C. 

Group D: Juventus, Manchester City, Sevilla, Borussia Monchengladbach 
4 of the most historic leagues in Europe are represented here in Group D. Jeuventus were again the kings of Italy last season, winning Serie A for the 4th year in a row, and were runner-ups to Barcelona in the Champions League. Manchester City has been impressive in the young English Premier League season, winning their first 4 games while not yet conceding a goal, and recently became even stronger with the addition of Kevin De Bryune from Wolfsburg. These 2 clubs are heavy favorites to advance to the knockout stages. The other 2 clubs, Sevilla and Monchengladbach, are both quality teams in La Liga and Bundesliga, respectively. However, I do not see either of these 2 teams overtaking Jeuventus or Manchester City. I expect Manchester City to slightly beat out Jeuventus for the top spot in Group D, as caption Vincent Kompany looks like a man possessed to lead his team to new heights.

Group E: Barcelona, Bayer Leverkusen, Roma, Bate Borisov
Barcelona is clearly the favorites to top this group. The defending European Champions have not lost a step since defeating Jeuventus in Berlin for the title on June 6th, and they seem to have a fairly easy group that should not give them too many problems. The biggest question in this group is who will join Barca in progressing to the Round of 16. It will be a battle between Leverkusen and Roma, and I believe that Leverkusen will be the ones who move on, while Roma will earn a place in the Europa League. Leverkusen almost upset Atletico Madrid in the Round of 16 last season, and they recently received what could be a huge boost when they acquired Striker Javier Hernandz from Manchester United. Bate Borisov, the best team in Belarus, will finish bottom. 

Group F: Arsenal, Bayren Munich, Olympiacos, Dinamo Zagreb 
This is, in my opinion, the strongest group of all. Arsenal has been picked by some to win the English Premier League, and they just may have the talent to do so. Bayren Munich most recently won the Champions League in 2013, and reached the semi finals of the competition last year as the German Champions. I believe that Bayren will top this group, with Arsenal finishing 2nd. The Greek club Olympiacos have been a tough out on the European scene, but I think that they will finish 3rd in the group and end up in the Europa League. Dinamo Zagreb, the champions of Croatia, will finish 4th in the group. 

Group G: Chelsea, Porto, Dynamo Kiev, Maccabi
Chelsea is the clear favorite to top this group, while Porto is expected to finish 2nd. Although the defending English champions have gotten off to a slow start in the Premier League campaign, Jose Mourinho is the best manager in the world, and Chelsea is still a force in Europe. Porto advanced to the Quarterfinals last season, and they will almost surely finish 2nd, as Dynamo Kiev and Maccabi will not provide very stiff competition. 

Group H: Zenit St. Petersburg, Lyon, Valencia, Gent
This is probably the most uninteresting group of all. It will be a battle, as Lyon, Valencia and Zenit are all capable, in my opinion, of finishing in the top half of this group. If I had to bet, I'd say that Lyon, on the back of star Striker Alexander Lacazette, would finish at the top of this group, with Zenit, who I think could be a sleeper in Europe as a very solid team, finishing in 2nd and progressing to the knockout stage. Valencia will miss out and move on to Europa, while the Belgian champions Gent will finish bottom.

So, as of right now, I see the round of 16 looking like this:
Real Madrid, PSG, Man United, Wolfsburg, Atletico Madrid, Benefica, Jeuventas, Manchester City, Barcalona, Bayer Leverkusen, Arsenal, Bayren Munich, Chelsea, Porto, Zenit and Lyon. I hope you enjoyed my predictions and thank you for the read!

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Pirates-Rockies: Series Review/Awards

Another series is in the books, and as has been the case most of the time this season, it was a successful 3-game set for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Although the Pirates were not able to complete a 3-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies on Sunday, losing 5-0, Pittsburgh was still able to take a respectable 2 out of 3 games, moving it's season record to an impressive 79-50. Although the Cardinals are still 4.5 games ahead in the NL Central race, all the Pirates can do is play competitive baseball, and the club is showing no signs of slowing down.

Every series has it's ups and downs, and this one was no different. I will sum up the series hi-lows in my ''series awards'', which is my way of reveling what I think the biggest hits and misses were of this 3 game set.

Series MVP: Gregory Polanco

It's hard as a non-pitcher to be named Most Valuable Player of a 3 game set based solely on 1 game, but Polanco did just that with a fantastic performance on Friday night. Polanco was 3 for 5 at the plate, scored twice and had an RBI, but his star shined the brightest in the field. where he contributed 2 outfield assists, which can be seen here. http://m.mlb.com/video/v423927383/colpit-polancos-throw-tops-92-mph-as-he-nabs-reyes/?game_pk=415563
http://m.mlb.com/video/v422091683/colpit-polanco-cuts-down-hundley-with-great-throw/?game_pk=415563
Polanco dazzled more than anybody else on the field, and for this dazzling performance, he is my series MVP.

Bum of the Series: Charlie Morton
In a series where the Bucs only lost one game, I have to choose the biggest dud of that game as my bum of the series. Although Morton's stat line of 3 earned runs, 6 hits, 2 walks allowed and 6 strikeouts over 6 innings of work does not look awful, the other 2 runs that the Rockies scored while Morton was on the mound were Morton's fault. With 2 outs, runners on 1st and 2nd and Dustin Garneau at the plate for Colorado, Morton first fielded a ball that he should have let go past him, which would have allowed either Jordy Mercer or Josh Harrison to make a play, and then threw wildly past first baseman Mike Morse, allowing both runners to score, making it 5-0 Rockies and putting the game out of reach. Morton's season has been hit or miss, and today was a miss for the Bucco hurler.

Play of the Series: Polanco nails Reyes at home
I have the link for the video of this play above, so I do not feel I need to explain how great this throw was or the significance it had on the Pirates eventual 5-3 win on Friday night,

The Pirates will now travel to Milwaukee to face the dreadful Brewers in a 3-game set starting Tuesday night. Gerrit Cole will be on the bump for the Bucs, taking on Jeff Nelson. First pitch is at 8:10.

Pirates 4, Rockies 3: 30 games over .500

For the first time since 1992, the Pittsburgh Pirates are 30 games over .500. It is an accomplishment that fans thought that they might never see when the Bucs were marred in their historic 20 year streak without a winning season, spanning from 1993-2012. But that day is here, and Pirate fans have a lot to cheer about as their team continues to play good baseball, winning their 4th straight game on Saturday night.

Aramis Ramirez made sure J.A. Happ would have some run support, as he belted a 3-run first inning homer over the left field wall to give the Bucs an early 3-0 lead. It was Ramirez's 2nd home run since joining the Bucs and 13th overall this season. The Rockies would make it 3-1 in the top of the 3rd when Charlie Blackmon hit into a force out, scoring Barrett Barnes from 3rd. That's all the scoring that would be done off of Happ, who had his 4th straight solid outing for the Bucs, pitching 5.2 innings, allowing 1 earned run on 5 hits while walking just 2, improving his record to 3-1 since joining the club. Pittsburgh would add an insurance run in the bottom of the 7th when Gregory Polanco grounded into a force out, scoring Starling Marte to push the lead to 4-1. Mark Melancon made things interesting in the 9th when he allowed a 2-run blast by Nick Hundly to cut the lead to 4-3. But Melancon barred down to pick up his 43rd save of the season, tying Jose Mesa for 2nd on the all time list for saves in a season by a Pirate. 

Aramis Rameriz had the biggest hit of the night, and for that he wins my award for both play and player of the game. Despite being 30 games over .500, the Bucs are still 3.5 games back of the St. Louis Cardinals for 1st in the NL Central. Charlie Morton will oppose Jorge De La Rosa on the mound at PNC Park tomorrow as the Bucs look for a sweep. The Rockies are the only NL West team that the Pirates have not swept yet this season, as the Bucs have a fantastic 21-4 record against that division. First pitch is at 1:35. 

Steelers Sign Mike Vick: My Thoughts

Today, the Pittsburgh Steelers made giant headlines. They signed Michael Vick to be a back-up quarterback for Ben Roethlisberger. There isn't a whole lot to say about this from a football standpoint because frankly, it's not a big deal at all. Yes, Vick was a superstar in the past but those days are over. He is 35 years old and does not have a whole lot left in the tank, as is the case with most football players whose names are not Manning or Brady. What Vick will be able to bring is a dependable insurance policy in the case of Big Ben missing a few games due to injury, as he is more than capable of holding down the fort in the event of a crisis. Vick will fit the role that Mike Tomlin will put him in very well, and he would be, in my opinion, a better substitute teacher than either Landry Jones or Bruce Gradkoswki. So from a football standpoint, it is nothing more than a smart, low-key move that, if all goes well for the Steelers, will not come into play at all during this season, as Roethlisberger being healthy for a full season isn't an unreasonable expectation based on the past two seasons.

Now for the reason that this is a huge story: Bad Newz Kennels. I will not get into too much detail about what Michael Vick and his gang have done to countless dogs in the past because the facts are much too graphic and terrible than anything I would talk about on my sports blog. Long story short: Vick's dog fighting operation landed him in jail for 2 years, before he was given a 2nd chance with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2009. After 5 seasons in Philadelphia, Vick signed with the Jets in 2014 and played in New York for a season, bringing us to August 25th, 2015, where he signed with the Steelers. Because of Vick's off-the-field past, many people aren't too happy about this, as you will easily be able to see if you type Vick's name into the Twitter search bar. There are people who claim to be die-hard fans of the Black and Gold who now say that they will either A: Never support the team again, or B:. Root for any team in the league that plays against them. While I am not naive to what Vick did and am understanding of how awful the whole thing was, I believe that most of these people are exaggerating. 

If the level of outrage in Pittsburgh is so high in 2015, 8 years after Vick began his prison sentence, one can imagine what it was in Philly 6 years ago. I am certain that many die hard Eagle fans were threatening to throw their team away the same way Steelers fans are now. I am also curious as to how many of these same fans got a sick feeling in the pit of their stomachs in 2010, when Vick led the Eagles to a playoff berth and played like an MVP for much of the season. I'm sure there were plenty of outraged citizens around New York City who were saying ''down with the Jets'' in 2014 when Vick signed with their team. I wonder how many bricks were thrown through living room television sets when Vick led the 1-6 and hopeless Jets to a 20-13 upset over the playoff bound Steelers in one of his 3 starts of the season.  

I have a difficult time believing, in a city where the ''most popular team in the world'' plays and where ''football is religion'', that people who have rooted for the Steelers since birth would throw it all away because of a man holding a clipboard on the sidelines. 

Now for my final and most debated point of this post: Forgiveness. What Vick did was awful, and I will never condone or defend any of it. But ever since serving his prison term (and losing millions of dollars all the while), Vick has done everything that he has needed to do to reshape his image. He no longer hangs around his old crew, no longer has a poor work ethic on the field, and has worked hard to raise awareness for dog abuse by working with the Humane Society in an effort to end dog fighting in the United States, which in my opinion is comparable to a former drug addict speaking to raise awareness about the effects of drug abuse, in that Vick uses his past mistakes to try to prevent future mistakes by others.

Maybe Vick's rehabilitation is a charade, but he sure has not done anything to lead me to believe that it is. Until he does that, I think it is time to forgive Vick, but not forget the mistakes that he has made. Vick has made great strides since leaving prison in 2009, and I believe that he deserves to be rewarded with a chance to help a historic franchise reach the promised land. I believe that forgiveness should be available to anybody, no matter what they have done in the past. 

Bucs 5, Mets 3: Too Amazing for the Amazins

Well, this was one hard-fought win. The Pittsburgh Pirates took their 2nd straight extra-inning game in this 3 game set with the New York Mets at Citi Field with a thrilling 5-3 win in 14 innings.

Just like the night before, the Bucs got the scoring started in the top of the 1st, this time via Aramis Ramirez's 2 run homer, his first since returning to the Steel City. The Bucs added one more run in the top of the 3rd on another dinger, this time by Gregory Polanco, his 7th of the season, increasing the lead to 3-0. That's how it stayed until the bottom of the 7th. Charlie Morton had been stellar on the mound for 6 innings, but he ran out of gas in the 7th.

Juan Uribe led off the inning with his 12th home-run, closing the gap to 3-1. Later in the inning, with one man on and 1 out, Michael Conforto tied things up with his 2nd homer of the year, chasing Charlie Morton in the process. Aside from the 7th inning, Morton was fantastic, finishing with a line of 6.1 innings pitched, 4 hits, 1 walk, 9 strikeouts, and 2 earned runs (one run was a result of a throwing error from Ramirez). Joakim Soria relieved Morton and finished the inning without allowing any additional damage. 

The game remained tied at 3 for quite some time after that. In the bottom of the 11th, Clint Hurdle called on middle reliever Joe Blanton, and Blanton had what is to this point his best game in a Pirate uniform. Blanton pitched 3 innings, allowing 1 hit, 1 walk and striking out an impressive 6 batters while keeping the game tied. Blanton ran into little trouble in the 12th when, with 2 outs, Lucas Duda drew a pinch-hit walk and Ruben Tejada singled, bringing Wilmer Flores to the plate. With no room for error, Blanton struck out Flores to end the threat, in what is my pick for play of the game. As for my game MVP, it was a very close race between Blanton and Gregroy Polanco, who was 3-6 with a home run, but I'm picking Blanton, who did everything that he needed to do when one mistake would have wrecked the whole night.

The Bucs broke through in the 14th. The inning started on a lead off double from Francisco Cervelli. What happened next would best be described as a way to teach little league baseball players what NOT to do. Starling Marte grounded a ball to the right side, and rather than throwing to 1st base like he should have, Mets 2nd baseman Daniel Murphy decided to go 3rd base to try to get Cervelli, even though there was nobody out and Murphy had very slim odds to get Cervelli at 3rd. Cervelli easily beat out the wide throw, bringing pinch-hitter Chris Stewart to the plate with no outs and runners on 1st and 3rd. Stewart delivered with a single to center field, scoring pinch-runner Pedro Florimon for the go-ahead run. The Bucs added insurance later that inning when Sean Rodriguez's bloop single scored Marte. Mark Melancon shut the door in the 9th for his 37th save of the season and the Bucs won their 3rd game in a row, by a score of 5-3.

Joe Blanton got the much deserved win, improving to 2-0 since joining the team in late July. Sean Gilmartin got the loss out of relief, falling to 1-1 on the year. The Cards and Cubs refuse to lose, so the Pirates are still 6 games back of St. Louis in the NL Central standings and 1.5 games ahead of the Cubs for the 1st wildcard spot. The Pirates will conclude their series with the Mets on Sunday at 1:10. Jeff Locke will take the hill for the Bucs, opposing Matt Harvey for the Mets.