The Fifth Liners

The 2014 season has been one of sheer inconsistency for the Chicago White Sox , who currently sit in 4th place in the American League Central Division and seem set to miss the Wild Card Slot for a sixth year in a row. But one area that has been a bright spot has been the impressive form of rookie First-Baseman and Designated Hitter Jose Abreu , who seems certain to be named the franchise first Rookie of the Year in almost 30 years. After defecting from his native Cuba in the off season, where had a previously starred playing for Cienfuegos of the Cuban National Division, Abreu almost immediately raised eyebrows when he signed a massive $68 million dollar contract with the White Sox. This amount was unheard of for a rookie, but Abreu has shown he has been worth every penny and his batting average stands at .308 including 138 hits and 33 home runs (second only behind Cruz of the Orioles)! 94 RBI's have also come from his swings at the plate and standing at 6 foot 3, this guy is pro

The Hockey World was set alight today on the internet as we viewed 20 year old Swiss Hockey Player, Vincent Praplan score this beauty in a Champions League Hockey Game! Last season he turned out for North Bay Battalion in the OHL, but he keeps showcasing these skills then the NHL won't be far away! Keep an eye for this one.

With yesterday's news that Mario Balotelli might be returning to the Premier League, this time with Liverpool FC , the North West of England is now on high alert! His last outing with Manchester City caused more headlines for his outrageous off the field antics than the ones on them. But with the departure of 'El Vampire' aka Luis Suarez to Barcelona for an astounding £75 Million, a void therefore needs to be filled at centre forward. Will Balotelli provide a suitable replacement for Luis Suarez? Here are a list of reasons for and against his pending transfer Reasons For: Natural Goalscorer: Mario's time at Man City may not have ended happily, but you cannot deny that his goalscoring touch hadn't deserted him and his previous record of 20 goals from just 54 premier league games reads quite well.  Style Could Suit Sturridge: His pacy and agile style of play along with his great strength could make him a formidable partner for Daniel Sturridge . None though

Is the Washington Redskins' name offensive? I can't say, but then I'm not Native American. I do however think that question doesn't matter any more. It's no longer 'should', but 'when'. I say that because whatever your view is on the whole situation, mine is that it's gone on too long and I don't think the team has any choice but to change the name. Why? Well when it gets to the point when the Commander in Chief weighs in on the matter, the controversy is well out of control. Some commentators are now refusing to say the word.  The campaign to change the name has been steadily building for decades and it's going to come to a head soon. The buck has stop somewhere. Polls have shown that the vast majority of people don't really care either way, and the team has no problem selling out seats.  That said, as pressure continues to mount, and it will, the only stories people will be writing won't be about what's happening

Soon both the American and National League Division series will be upon us in the MLB, currently the Baltimore Orioles, Oakland A's and Kansas City Royals are currently tearing up the American League and are almost assured to feature in the playoffs. Meanwhile in the National League the LA Dodgers led by the dynamite pitching of Clayton Kershaw are dominating the West Division and are set be joined by a resurgent Milwaukee Brewers and the Washington Nationals (Expo fans go wild!). But who will make up the other four teams contending for a final playoff slot? Fans we have ourselves a wild card race! American League Wild Card Standings LA Angels Detroit Tigers Seattle Mariners Toronto Blue Jays New York Yankees  Prediction: This league is one the more closely contested one with five teams who are only 3.5 games away from causing an upset to each other. The LA Angels are always a consistent team and they would have to be my first pick for a wild card slot, particularly a

Being a Southampton FC fan, I like many others knew this may well be a summer of big changes, but little did we know that the knife would be slid in and we would be gutted like a fish. So far in the transfer window, the Saints have lost no less than five key players and one of our better managers in the last 10 years. Mauricio Pochettino wasn't a popular managerial replacement after the dismissal of Nigel Adkins back in 2012, but nonetheless he had proven to be the right choice and led us from the foot of the Premier League, to an impressive 8th place finish last season where they won many plaudits for their fine offensive style and Saints fans began to believe. But his position became uncertain after the departure of chairman Nicola Cortese in January this year, the man had been bold and decisive but his methods didn't sit well with new owner Katherina Liebherr- who seemed to secretly fear a repeat of the old Rupert Lowe days which drove us to near financial ruin. The Arg

It may have taken arbitration, but PK Subban and the Montreal Canadiens have finally agreed terms and the blueliner will be sporting that Habs jersey for another eight years.  Yay. It's fair to say that reaction has been mixed, Subban's $9 million per season cap hit makes him the third most expensive skater in the league, that's the equivalent of just over nine entry level contracts, two Niklas Kronwalls or one ticket in the nosebleeds at the Air Canada Centre. Alex's Edit  After reading about the sizeable settlement that the Habs were forced to pay for their star blueliner, I have to admit I am slightly bothered with how easily they rolled over for Subban! Being an Olympic gold medallist would have meant that he would have been in high demand come the end of next season and through this it was only a matter of finding a team desperate enough to pay what he wants. Subban does make a different in Montreal and without him the Canadiens would most likely sink, bu

Ever since long time star, Jarome Iginla packed his bags and said goodbye to the circus, fans of the Calgary Flames have endured a bleak season in Alberta. Last season was truly one to forget because aside from surprising yet massively amusing line brawl that broke out against Vancouver, they finished only 6th in the Pacific Division with a depressingly low goal total of 209 and a whopping 241 goals against! Along with the retirement of hero goalie Miikka Kiprusoff , the atmosphere at the Canadian Tire Centre had turned barren and many experts wrote the Flames off as a lost cause. But in this off season, a few key acquisitions have paved the way for a possibly brighter 2014-15 season. The first step was drafting young star centre Sam Bennett fourth overall at the 2014 Draft. Touted by many as 1st overall pick, Bennett surprisingly was passed over by Florida in favour of defense-man Aaron Ekblad . Although he may have been disappointed at being denied this distinction, the Flames h

Things between P.K Subban and the Montreal Canadiens are beginning to look slightly difficult currently after a meeting over his contract on Friday morning. Both sides have been unable to agree a deal which means the process has been forwarded to Arbitration to be decided. A restricted free agent, Subban allegedly wants a new deal worth $8.5 Million whereas the Habs are only willing to go as high as $5.25 million. It does beg the question of whether PK should be demanding this kind of money so early in his career? Yes he has been one of the rocks in the Montreal defense and was a key figure during their run to the Eastern Conference final last year- but surely this doesn't give him the right make these sort of demands now? Problem for the Habs is that losing this guy will be a thought not worth considering since it would severely reduce the quality gap at the blue line. After a rocky 21 year gap of winning trophies, Subban represents the closest shot they have had to returning