1) Adrian Gonzalez, San Diego Padres
Considering that he hits in a pitchers ballpark, it’s amazing the type of power numbers Adrian Gonzalez has so far in 2009. The Padres first baseman already has 22 homers in 52 games. To put that in perspective, he hit 36 homers last year in 162 games. He’s also hitting .292 with 43 RBI.

2) Raul Ibanez, Philadelphia Phillies
In the offseason, the Phillies didn’t make too many moves after winning the 2008 World Series championship. However, the one big move they made has worked out wonderfully. Raul Ibanez, who the Phillies signed as a free agent, has 19 homers to go along with a .340 batting average and 51 RBIs.

3) Carlos Pena, Tampa Bay Rays
In the American League, Carlos Pena has been leading the league in homers virtually the entire 2009 season. The native of the Dominican Republic has 17 dingers and 41 RBIs. The only bad news for the Rays is that Pena is sporting an anemic .228 ERA.

4) Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals
When you think of dangerous sluggers, the name that probably pops to mind is Albert Pujols. He’s probably the last batters that pitchers want to see at the plate. So far this season, Pujols is batting .339 with 16 homers and 45 RBIs. Those stats and his overall presence in the lineup have him as an early MVP favorite in the NL.

5) Mark Teixeira, New York Yankees
After starting off slowly, it’s now obvious why the Yankees gave Mark Teixeira a $180 million contract this past offseason. He can definitely swing the bat. He has 16 homers and 33 RBIs. Following an April that saw him hit just .200, his batting average soared to .330 in May.

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In a recent interview, Beckham put those worries to rest. He said that he’s very committed to the Galaxy specifically and soccer in the United States in general. Beckham explained that his stint in Italy was mostly due to him trying to better his chances of making England’s next World Cup team.

One of Beckham’s biggest goals is getting the Galaxy back into the playoffs. The team is on a drought of three years of no playoff action. This season, the Galaxy are once again struggling.

After 11 games, Los Angeles has one win. The good news is that they only have one loss. Amazingly, the team has finished in a tie in nine of their 11 outing. Their 1-9-1 record is good enough for fifth place in the Western Conference of the MLS.

Without Beckham, who said he will be returning at some point next month if everything goes as planned, the Galaxy has leaned heavily on their other superstar — Landon Donovan. The native of California has six goals and four assists in 11 games.

Once he returns, Beckham said that he’s confident that the Los Angeles Galaxy fans won’t have any hard feeling and will cheer him and his teammates to victory. Considering that the 34-year-old from London is one of the most popular athletes in the world, he’ll undoubtedly get his wish.

Married to Victoria Beckham, who rose to fame as a member of the Spice Girls, Beckham started for Manchester United from 1993-2003 before moving onto Real Madrid from 2003-2007. When he signed with the Galaxy in 2007, rumors indicate that Beckham was given a deal worth $250 million.

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1. Pittsburgh Steelers
After winning the Super Bowl last season, the Steelers will be able to bring back nearly all of their most important pieces. Add in a bunch of solid young players who could make a splash this season and the Steelers could very well make a repeat run at Super Bowl titles. As always, the key will be whether or not the Steelers can remain an elite defensive unit.

2. New England Patriots
With Tom Brady back at the helm of the offensive ship, the Patriots will once again be a very good team in 2009. They should be able to score a bunch of points, with Brady and Randy Moss doing most of the heavy lifting. On defense, they have a few question marks but chances are that Bill Belichick will be able to figure it out on that side of the ball.

3. Indianapolis Colts
The Colts have been somewhat forgotten heading into the 2009 season. Without Tony Dungy and Marvin Harrison, these Colts were be a totally different team. That said, they still have Peyton Manning and he should be enough to keep the franchise elite. Last year, Manning struggled with a knee injury to begin the year. If he can return to 100%, the Colts should win 10-12 games once again.

4. Atlanta Falcons
With Matt Ryan going into his second year and a number of talented players around him, who isn’t excited to watch the Falcons this year? Michael Turner is a very good running back and Tony Gonzalez should make their offense even more devastating. The questions will be on defense because the offense looks deadly.

5. Arizona Cardinals
The losers of the Super Bowl last year, the Cardinals should be feared. As long as Kurt Warner can stay healthy, he can help this team put a lot of touchdowns on the board. Larry Fitzgerald is blossoming into a superstar wideout and the defense got better and better last year. If Arizona can continue their momentum, they could make another run at winning a Super Bowl.

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However, what was supposed to be the last stepping stone to the finals has turned out to be a nightmare for the Cavs. Trailing 3-1 in the best of seven series, the only reason the Cavs weren’t swept was a miraculous shot by LeBron James at the buzzer of Game 2. If that shot didn’t go in, Cleveland would have gone from sweeping two teams to getting swept in the matter of days.

So, what is wrong with the Cavaliers? One player who can’t be blamed is LeBron James. Against the Magic, the superstar for the Cavs is averaging 42.3 points, 7.3 assists, 7.3 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks per game. He’s also shooting better than 50% from the floor and his defense has been above average.

One player who definitely deserves some of the blame is Mo Williams. The All-Star point guard for the Cavs is shooting just 32.4% from the field and 22.2% from beyond the three-point line. Those are huge drops from his regular season numbers of 46.7% from the floor and 43.6% on three-pointers.

Not only has Williams hurt his team on the floor, his mouth has hurt his team off the floor. The talkative point guard guaranteed a series win for the Cavs, which managed to add even more pressure to a team that was expected to reach the finals after winning 66 games in the regular season.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas hasn’t been very good in these Eastern Conference Finals. Anderson Varejao has been inconsistent. Ben Wallace doesn’t appear to be healthy and the rest of the bench unit is shaky. The only player who seems to have joined LeBron James is Delonte West. The team’s starting shooting guard is averaging 13 points on 43.5% field goal shooting.

If the Cavs want a chance to win the series, they’ll need to win Game 5 at home. If not, they will join us in spending the rest of the summer trying to figure out what went wrong.

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1. Washington Nationals
The Nationals win the prize for being the worst team in all of baseball. They not only sport by far the worst record in the major leagues, they have gotten outscored by more runs than any other team. Their biggest flaw is a horrible pitching staff. At the plate, they are actually decent.

2. Houston Astros
Although the Astros aren’t as bad as the Nationals, they are in a very bad place. Not only is the team not any good, they have a roster filled with veterans — and expensive veterans, at that. Although their batting order consists of a lot of big names, they simply aren’t able to put enough runs on the board to compete on a daily basis.

3. Baltimore Orioles
Swinging the bat, the Orioles are actually a very explosive unit. The problem is the pitching. Outside of the Nationals, there’s not a worse pitching staff in either league. Their starters are underperforming and their bullpen isn’t anything to write home to Baltimore about. The silver lining is that the Orioles have a young team that should continue to improve.

4. Florida Marlins
Although the Marlins got off to a really good start and had a long winning streak, the truth of the matter is starting to show through. This team is just not very good. Like the Orioles, their future is bright due to a lot of young talent. However, after looking like a potential playoff team earlier in the season, those dreams are rapidly ending.

5. Colorado Rockies
A couple years ago, the Rockies were in the World Series. But now, the playoffs already look like a long-shot. The problem is that their young players didn’t really develop in recent years and their older veterans are nearing the end of the line. It appears as if the Rockies may need an overhaul to return to the top.

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Two teams that could use him right away at the quarterback position are the San Francisco 49ers and the Minnesota Vikings. The 49ers are likely to start the season with Shaun Hill at quarterback and could definitely use an upgrade. With Mike Singletary calling the coaching shots, Vick could prove himself under a respected NFL legend.

In Minnesota, the team is currently trying to coax Brett Favre out of retirement. However, if Favre remains retired, they’ll still need a quarterback. How about Vick? He could pair with running back Adrian Peterson to form a fearsome running threat in the backfield for the Vikings. Vick would also be able to hide in one of the NFL’s smaller markets.

If Vick is ready for prime time and doesn’t necessarily want to be a quarterback in his return to the NFL, the Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins and the New England Patriots make sense. On each team, Vick could be the backup at quarterback and also see touches at running back and wide receiver. He’d get to be on a big stage and possibly quicken the recovery of his reputation.

Even though Vick is out of prison, it’ll be interesting to see how soon it is before he can return to the NFL. He hasn’t served any sort of suspension and with as heavy-handed as commissioner Roger Goodell has been since he took over that role with the league, it’d be surprising for Goodell not to further punish Vick. 

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1. Los Angeles Clippers - Blake Griffin
Griffin is the best player in the NBA draft and he’ll go number one overall.

2. Memphis Grizzlies - Ricky Rubio
Ricky Rubio and O.J. Mayo could form a dynamic backcourt for the next decade.

3. Oklahoma City Thunder - Hasheem Thabeet
The Thunder still need more size and Thabeet has a massive amount of size.

4. Sacramento Kings - Brandon Jennings
The Kings desperately need a point guard and Jennings is the best on the board.

5. Washington Wizards - Jordan Hill
The Wizards need bigs and Hill is a very capable bigman who should do well in the NBA.

6. Minnesota Timberwolves - Jrue Holiday
With Randy Foye at point guard, Jrue Holiday fits at point guard.

7. Golden State Warriors - DeMar DeRozan
The Warriors will roll the dice on DeRozan being a star.

8. New York Knicks - Stephen Curry
Curry is a perfect fit for Mike D’Antoni’s offense.

9. Toronto Raptors - James Harden
The Raptors will be thrilled that Harden tumbled down the draft.

10. Milwaukee Bucks - Tyreke Evans
The Bucks need more depth on the perimeter and Evans is a good fit.

11. New Jersey Nets - Earl Clark
Clark is a very good pairing for the Nets’ fast pace style.

12. Charlotte Bobcats - James Johnson
Larry Brown loves size and Johnson is 245 of beef.

13. Indiana Pacers - DeJuan Blair
The Pacers need toughness and Blair might be the toughest player in the NBA draft.

14. Phoenix Suns - Austin Daye
The Suns need an eventual Grant Hill replacement and Daye could be that man.

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1. Chivas USA
With a record of 7-1-2, Chivas has three more wins than any other team in the MLS. They are looking like a real contender this season and no team is looking forward to a match against this squad. Eduardo Lillingston and Paulo Nagamura lead the team with three goals apiece.

2. Chicago Fire
The Fire are undefeated — but their record is 3-0-6. It’d be helpful if they were relying so much on ties but it’s difficult for Chicago to complain. It’s no surprise that Brian McBride is leading the way with six goals. He’s easily the best goal scorer on the team.

3. Seattle Sounders FC
The expansion Sounders are looking anything like a team that should lack chemistry. They have an excited fan base behind them and a number of players with something to prove. The only worrisome thing about their start is that Seattle doesn’t have much depth and probably couldn’t survive an injury to a key player.

4. DC United
The United aren’t the most talented squad in the MLS but they have tons of heart. Their 3-1-6 record could actually be much worse but they seemingly refuse to lose. Luciano Emilio’s five goals lead the way for the club.

5. Colorado Rapids
Not much was expected from the Rapids this year but they’ve surprised many MLS experts with their rugged play and surprisingly good talent level. Conor Casey has five goals and is the only player to have more than two. He’ll need some help if this good start to the season is to last for Colorado.

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1) Zack Greinke, Kansas City Royals
In the American League, there isn’t a starting pitcher anywhere near as good as Zack Greinke at this point in the 2009 season. After seven starts, he has six wins and a miniscule ERA of 0.51. In 53 innings of work, he has 59 strikeouts while allowing only 34 hits and eight walks. Greinke by himself could keep Kansas City in the playoff race for the duration of the year.

2) Johan Santana, New York Mets
Johan Santana makes a ton of money. This year, he’s showing exactly why that’s the case. Over the course of seven starts and 46 innings, Santana has an ERA of 0.78, 60 strikeouts and four wins. While his numbers aren’t as impressive as Greinke’s, he’s easily the best pitcher so far in the National League.

3) Wandy Rodriguez, Houston Astros
Although Rodriguez isn’t exactly a young prospect, he’s finally blossoming into the player scouts always believed he could be throughout his career. After eight starts, Rodriguez has a 1.90 ERA to go with 48 strikeouts in 52 innings. So far this season, he’s the only pitcher giving Santana a race for the NL Cy Young Award.

4) Frank Francisco, Texas Rangers
Of all the closers in the major leagues, Frank Francisco has the most impressive stats. He has nine saves and hasn’t even given up an earned run this season. To go along with his 0.00 ERA, Francisco has a 0.75 WHIP and the 29-year-old has emerged as a top-flight closer.

5) Johnny Cueto, Cincinnati Reds
At only 23, Johnny Cueto is starting to become one of the best pitchers in baseball. He got off to a little bit of a shaky start this season but he’s gotten it together and is now mowing down hitters. After seven starts, the native of the Dominican Republic has a 1.93 ERA and a record of 4-1.

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Now 39 years old, Favre doesn’t have much gas left in his tank. But the latest news has Favre considering coming out of retirement to join the Minnesota Vikings. Right now, Favre is a free agent and can sign with any team he wishes. The Vikings seem to be the only team willing to sign him and give him a starting position.

While Favre may relish the drama, he’s still a very good quarterback. Last year with the New York Jets, he got off to a very good start and looked like the Favre of old. An injury derailed his season and suddenly he looked like an old Brett Favre.

The Vikings are hoping that Favre can bounce back and give them a year or two of healthy quarterbacking. For Minnesota, having Favre at the reins makes a lot of sense. The team has a very good defense, however their offense has been lacking in recent years. If Favre doesn’t join the Vikings, they’d be forced to let Tarvaris Jackson run the show and while Jackson is talented, he’s also extremely raw.

Favre has shown an ability to make plays and with as good as Minnesota’s defense is, he won’t even have to carry the load. If he can make one or two big plays a game, that should be good enough to make the Vikings a playoff team.

When all is said and done during this offseason, expect Favre to join the Vikings for the 2009 NFL season. And if he’s healthy, expect him to show why he’s a future Hall of Famer while he leads Minnesota to the playoffs.

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