2013 Playoff Series NBA Preview: Los Angeles Lakers vs. San Antonio Spurs

All eyes of basketball fans and aficionados all over the world will surely be glued on this much-awaited series between the San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Lakers. The Spurs is headed to the 2013 NBA Playoffs as the second seed in the Western Conference and will battle one of the tournament’s surprise packages – the streaking Los Angeles Lakers.

The Spurs which finish the regular season with an impressive 58-24 win-loss mark, made it into the conference finals last year but was denied of a chance to advance into the NBA Finals as they were waylaid and eliminated by the Oklahoma Thunder 4-2.

As a second seed the Spurs enjoy home court advantage through the second round if ever it will overcome the pesky and relentless Lakers side.

Tim Duncan will be a thorn in the middle for the Lakers. The battle-scarred and seasoned Duncan has vast playoff experience and his offense is expected to be firing on all cylinders. He is also a force to reckon with in defense specially in swatting away enemy missiles and his presence alone in the shaded lane will inevitably stir fear and intimidation. Duncan is perhaps the reason why his team is ranked third in defense in NBA.

The Spurs is not 100% battle-ready as the recent playing time of Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker was trimmed because of injuries. With the Spurs playing wounded the team was just 3-7 on its last 10 games.

The Spurs team may seem formidable in the playoffs, well, think twice. Though San Antonio barged into the Western Conference Finals last season, the four time NBA Champions has history of getting eliminated in the first round and second round for the past few years. The Spurs failed to advance into the second round in 2009 and 2011 and was swept by the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference Semifinals in 2010.

The Spurs is erratic in the playoff as they can be brilliant at times and at some point not. For sure, the Spurs under its versatile coach Gregg Popovich is excellent when it comes to shuffling players (especially the veterans), making adjustments and exploiting mismatches.

The Spurs won its regular series against the Lakers 2-1 this season, but the team’s recent loss was instrumental to the Lakers’ success in snaring a playoff berth and the 7^th seeding in the West.

The Lakers on the other hand, will be missing its leader and main gunner Kobe Bryant for the rest of the season but the team still impressed fans worldwide with their accomplishment of gate crashing in the playoffs because of their impressive run in the second half of the season.

Veteran Steve Nash may miss the early games of the series but the Lakers is prepared to go all-out without him.

The Lakers’ twin tower composed of Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol is potent. The duo is very capable of neutralizing the offensive and defensive game of Duncan. Howard is a feisty rebounder and decent defender while Gasol has championship experience and variety of offensive moves to keep Duncan going throughout the series.

2013 Playoff Series NBA Verdict: San Antonio wins this series in 6 or 7 games.

Wesley So joint first in Rejkjavik Open 2013 and reached the 2700 elo rating

Young chess lion Wesley So made his country the Philippines proud anew as he snatched a joint first finish in the relatively tough Rejkjavik Chess Open 2013 in Iceland. The 7th seeded Wesley drew his 10^th round game against Ukrainian Pavel Eljanov in just three moves to notch his 8 points and assured him of a share of the first spot. Eljanov also has similar 8 points but has a superior tiebreak points than So.

Up to three more players may tie Eljanov and So for a share of first place provided that they hurdle their respective last round assignments as matches are still played as of press time in boards 2 to 4.

Wesley’s most memorable game in the tournament is his crafty and brilliant game in the 9^th round where he sacrificed a queen for a rook and bishop against Dziuba Marcin of Poland en route to a devastating win 20 moves later.

In the 6^th round, Wesley taught young Chinese prodigy Yi Wei a neat lesson as he escaped with a win with the white pieces in 75 moves. The promising Yi later clinched his third and last Grandmaster norm in the 9^th round of the tournament making him the youngest player to do so.

Wesley also carved out draws against some of the toughest players that are entered in the tournament like France’s top player Vachier-Lagrave Maxime (2715) and one of the top Chinese woodpushers, Yu Yangyi (2688).

Wesley also had a stellar performance last month as he annexed one of the two slots to the World Cup at stake in the 3.3 Zonal Chess Championship Open Division in Tagaytay City, Philippines by finishing second to Vietnamese Grandmaster Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son.

With his remarkable performance in the tourney Wesley became the first ever Filipino to breach the dizzying 2700 elo rating and improved further on his 66^th world rank. He earned 12.3 points in Rejkjavik and 5 points in Tagaytay to hike his live elo rating to 2701.3.

Thousands and thousands of Filipinos watched Wesley’s game online even at dawn and at the end everything just worth it.

Wesley So of the Philippines offered a draw after just 3 moves which Pavel Eljanov accepted in the last round of the Rejkjavik Open 2013. Picture from https://www.facebook.com/wesleyso

Here are the complete games results of Wesley in the Rejkjavik Open 2013:

Round 1 February 19, 2013

Wesley So (PHI) 2684 Vs Palmqvist Fredrik (SWE) 2050: 1-0

Round 2 February 20, 2013

Kislik Erik Andrew (USA) 2359 Vs Wesley So (PHI) 2684: 0-1

Round 3 February 21, 2013

Wesley So (PHI) 2684 Vs Andersen Mads (DEN) 2462: 1-0

Round 4 February 22, 2013

Gretarsson Hjorvar Steinn (ISL) 2509 Vs Wesley So (PHI) 2684:½-½

Round 5 February 23, 2013

Wesley So (PHI) 2684 Vs Yi Wei (CHN) 2501: 1-0

Round 6 February 24, 2013

Vachier-Lagrave Maxime (FRA) 2715 Vs Wesley So (PHI) 2684: ½-½

Round 7 February 25, 2013

Wesley So (PHI) 2684 Vs Halkias Stelios (GRE) 2566: 1-0

Round 8 February 26, 2013

Yu Yangyi (CHN) 2688 Vs Wesley So (PHI) 2684: ½-½

Round 9 February 27, 2013

Wesley So (PHI) 2684 Vs Dziuba Marcin (POL) 2602: 1-0

Round 10 February 28, 2013

Pavel Eljanov (UKR) 2678 Vs Wesley So (PHI) 2684: ½-½

The complete games of Wesley So in the Rejkjavik Open 2013 will be posted asap.

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Wesley Copped a slot in the 2012 FIDE World Cup

So won here with the black pieces.

Wesley So made his country proud as he nailed one of the two slots in World Cup by piling up 7 points in the recently concluded 3.3 Zonal Chess Championship Open Division. The tournament was held from January 22 to January 29 ,2013.

The world 66^th-ranked So drew with Sang Cao of Vietnam in the last round to secure the slot. With his fine performance in the tournament So is tipped to raise his live ELO rating to 2689 just 11 points shy of the much-touted 2700 mark and improve further on in the world ranking.

Wesley So rocked the  2009 edition of the FIDE World Cup as he eliminated Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine and Gata Kamsky of the United States.

Here are the opponents of Wesley So in the tournament with results. The +/- indicates ELO gain and loss.

Round 1: Wesley So (PHI) 2682 vs Rustum Tolentino (PHI) 2364 : 1-0 : +1.3
Round 2: Eugenio Torre (PHI) 2485 vs Wesley So(PHI) 2682:  0-1 : +2.5
Round 3: Wesley So (PHI) 2682 vs Mark Paragua (PHI) 2519: 1-0 : +2.8
Round 4: Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son  (VIE) 2631 vs Wesley So (PHI) 2682: ½-½: -0.7
Round 5: Wesley So (PHI) 2682 vs Gundavaa Bayarsaikhan (MGL) 2522: 1-0: +2.9
Round 6: Megaranto Susanto (INA) 2529 vs Wesley So (PHI) 2682: ½-½: -2.0
Round 7: Wesley So (PHI) 2682 vs Nguyen Duc Hoa (VIE) 2495: 1-0 : +2.6
Round 8: Rogelio Antonio Jr. (PHI) 2541 vs Wesley So (PHI) 2682: ½-½: -1.9
Rund 9o: Sang Cao(VIE)  2488 vs Wesley So (PHI) 2682 : ½-½ : -2.5

Here are the games of Wesley So from https://www.facebook.com/wesleyso

Round 2

1. d4 ♘f6 2. ♘f3 g6 3. c3 ♗g7 4. ♗g5 O‑O 5. ♘bd2 d5 6. e3 b6 7. b4 c5 8. bxc5 bxc5 9. ♕a4 ♗f5 10. ♗e2 ♘bd7 11. O‑O ♕b6 12. ♕a3 ♖ab8 13. ♗f4 ♕b2 14. ♕a5 e5 15. ♘xe5 ♕xd2 16. ♘xd7 ♘xd7 17. ♗xb8 ♘xb8 18. ♗f3 cxd4 19. exd4 ♗xd4 20. ♖ad1 ♕xc3 21. ♕xc3 ♗xc3 22. ♗xd5 ♘d7 23. ♖c1 ♗a5 24. ♖fd1 ♘e5 25. h3 ♘d3 26. ♖c6 ♘b4 27. ♖cc1 ♘d3 28. ♖c6 ♘f4 29. ♗c4 ♗b6 30. ♖e1 ♘e6 31. ♖d6 ♖c8 32. ♗b3 ♘d4 33. ♗a4 ♗e6 34. a3 ♗c5 35. ♖a6 ♗b6 36. ♗d1 ♗c4 37. ♖a4 ♗b5 38. ♖b4 ♗a5 0-1 Eugene Torre, Philippines (white) – Wesley So, Philippines (black)

Round 3

1. e4 c5 2. ♘f3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. ♘xd4 ♘f6 5. ♘c3 a6 6. ♗g5 e6 7. f4 ♘bd7 8. ♕f3 ♕c7 9. O‑O‑O b5 10. ♗d3 ♗b7 11. ♖he1 ♕b6 12. ♘d5 exd5 13. ♘c6 ♗xc6 14. exd5+ ♗e7 15. dxc6 ♘c5 16. ♗xf6 gxf6 17. ♗f5 ♖d8 18. b4 ♘a4 19. ♕e4 ♕c7 20. ♗d7+ ♖xd7 21. cxd7+ ♕xd7 22. ♕a8+ ♕d8 23. ♖xe7+ 1-0 Wesley So, Philippines  (white) vs Mark Paragua, Philippines (black)

Round 4

1.d4 ♘f6 2. c4 e6 3. ♘c3 ♗b4 4. ♕c2 O‑O 5. ♘f3 d5 6. cxd5 ♕xd5 7. e3 b6 8. a3 ♗xc3+ 9. bxc3 ♗b7 10. ♗b2 ♕a5 11. ♘d2 ♘bd7 12. e4 ♕g5 13. f3 c5 14. ♘c4 cxd4 15. cxd4 ♖fc8 16. ♕d2 ♕h4+ 17. ♕f2 ♕xf2+ 18. ♔xf2 ♗a6 19. ♖c1 ♖c6 20. ♗d3 ♖ac8 21. ♘d6 ♖xc1 22. ♗xc1 ♖xc1 23. ♖xc1 ♗xd3 24. ♔e3 ♗a6 25. ♖c7 ♘f8 26. ♖xa7 ♗f1 27. ♔f2 ♗d3 28. ♘xf7 ♘6d7 29. ♘d6 h6 30. h4 h5 31. a4 ♗c2 32. ♔e2 ♗b3 33. a5 bxa5 34. ♖xa5 e5 35. d5 ♘b6 36. ♔d3 ♘fd7 37. ♔c3 ♗d1 38. ♘f5 ♗a4 39. ♘e3 1-0 Wesley So, Philippines (white) vs Gundavaa Bayarsaikhan, Mongolia (black)

Round 5

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.g3 c6 5.Bg2 d5 6.Qb3 0-0 7.0-0 Qb6 8.Nc3 Bf5 9.cxd5 Qxb3 10.axb3 Nxd5 11.Bg5 Re8 12.Nxd5 cxd5 13.b4 Nc6 14.b5 Nd8 15.Rfc1 Ne6 16.Be3 Be4 17.Ra4 a6 18.bxa6 Rxa6 19.Rb4 Rc6 20.Ra1 Rb8 21.Ng5 Nxg5 22.Bxg5 Bxg2 23.Kxg2 f6 24.Bf4 e5 25.Be3 Rc2 26.Ra5 exd4 27.Bxd4 Re2 28.Ba7 Bf8 29.Rb3 Ra8 30.Rb7 Be7 31.Bb6 Rxa5 32.Bxa5 Kf7 33.Kf3 Ke6 34.Bb6 Bd6 35.Bd4 h5 36.h3 g5 37.Ke3 g4 38.hxg4 hxg4 39.Kd3 f5 40.Be3 Be7 41.Bf4 Bc5 42.Be3 Be7 Draw Truong Son, Vietnam – Wesley So, Philippines (black)

Round 6

1. d4 ♘f6 2. ♘f3 d5 3. c4 c6 4. ♘c3 e6 5. ♗g5 ♘bd7 6. cxd5 exd5 7. e3 ♗e7 8. ♗d3 ♘f8 9. ♕c2 g6 10. O‑O ♘e6 11. ♗h4 O‑O 12. ♖ab1 ♘g7 13. b4 a6 14. a4 ♗f5 15. b5 axb5 16. axb5 ♗xd3 17. ♕xd3 ♘f5 18. ♗xf6 ♗xf6 19. bxc6 bxc6 20. ♕c2 ♕a5 21. ♘e2 ♖fc8 22. ♖fc1 ♘d6 23. ♘d2 ♘b5 24. ♕d1 ♗e7 25. ♖a1 ♗a3 26. ♖c2 ♕b6 27. ♖ca2 ♕b7 28. ♕b3 ♗d6 29. g3 ♖xa2 30. ♖xa2 ♖a8 31. ♖xa8+ ♕xa8 32. ♔g2 ♕a5 33. ♘f3 ♕a3 34. ♕c2 ♕a6 35. ♘c1 ♘a3 36. ♕d1 ♘c4 37. ♕e2 c5 38. ♕d3 ♕b6 39. ♘e2 cxd4 40. ♘fxd4 ♕c5 41. ♕b3 ♘d2 42. ♕b5 ♘e4 43. ♕e8+ ♗f8 44. ♘f4 ♘f6 45. ♕e5 ♕d6 46. ♕xd6 ♗xd6 47. ♘d3 ♔f8 48. h3 h5 49. f4 ♘e4 50. g4 hxg4 51. hxg4 ♗c5 Draw Susanto Megaranto, Indonesia (white) – Wesley So, Philippines (black)

Round  7

c4 e6 2. ♘c3 d5 3. d4 ♗e7 4. cxd5 exd5 5. ♗f4 ♘f6 6. e3 c6 7. ♗d3 ♘bd7 8. h3 ♘f8 9. ♘f3 ♘g6 10. ♗h2 O‑O 11. O‑O ♖e8 12. ♘e5 ♘xe5 13. dxe5 ♘d7 14. ♗c2 ♗c5 15. e4 d4 16. ♘a4 ♗b6 17. ♘xb6 ♕xb6 18. ♗b3 ♘c5 19. ♕xd4 ♘xb3 20. ♕xb6 axb6 21. axb3 ♗e6 22. b4 ♖ad8 23. ♖fd1 g5 24. ♗g3 ♖xd1+ 25. ♖xd1 ♖a8 26. f3 ♖a2 27. ♗f2 ♖xb2 28. ♗xb6 h5 29. ♗c5 g4 30. hxg4 hxg4 31. ♗e7 ♔h7 32. ♖d8 g3 33. ♖d1 b6 34. ♖c1 ♗c4 35. ♗h4 ♖xb4 36. ♗xg3 b5 37. ♗h4 ♖b2 38. ♗f6 ♖d2 39. ♔h2 ♖f2 40. ♔g3 ♖f1 41. ♖c2 ♖e1 42. ♗e7 ♖d1 43. ♔f4 ♔g6 44. g4 ♖h1 45. ♖d2 ♖h3 46. ♗f6 ♗f1 47. ♗e7 ♔h7 48. ♖d8 ♗g2 49. ♔g5 ♖xf3 50. ♗f6 ♖xf6 51. ♔xf6 ♗xe4 52. ♔xf7 b4 53. e6 b3 54. ♖b8 1-0 Wesley So, Philippines (white) vs Nguyen Duc Hoa, Vietnam (black)

Nice win by Wesley

Round 8

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. ♘c3 ♘f6 4. ♗g5 dxe4 5. ♘xe4 ♘bd7 6. ♘xf6+ ♘xf6 7. ♘f3 c5 8. ♗b5+ ♗d7 9. ♗xd7+ ♕xd7 10. O‑O cxd4 11. ♕xd4 ♕xd4 12. ♘xd4 ♗c5 13. ♖ad1 O‑O‑O 14. ♗xf6 gxf6 15. ♘b3 ♗b6 16. ♖fe1 f5 17. ♔f1 ♖d7 18. ♖xd7 ♔xd7 19. ♖d1+ ♔e7 20. ♔e2 ♖g8 21. g3 h5 22. ♖d3 h4 23. ♘d2 hxg3 24. hxg3 ♖c8 25. c3 ♗c5 26. ♘b3 ♗b6 27. ♘d2 ♗c5 28. ♘b3 ♗b6 29. ♘d2 ♗c5 30. ♘b3 ♗b6 Draw Rogelio Antonio Jr., Philippines (white) – Wesley So , Philippines (black)

Round 9

1. e4 e5 2. ♘f3 ♘f6 3. ♘c3 ♘c6 4. ♗c4 ♗c5 5. O‑O d6 6. h3 O‑O 7. d3 h6 8. ♘d5 ♗e6 9. ♗e3 ♗xe3 10. ♘xe3 ♗xc4 11. ♘xc4 ♖e8 12. ♖e1 d5 13. ♘cd2 dxe4 14. ♘xe4 ♘xe4 15. dxe4 ♕xd1 16. ♖axd1 ♖ad8 17. c3 f6 18. ♔f1 ♔f7 19. ♔e2 ♖xd1 20. ♖xd1 ♖d8 21. ♖xd8 ♘xd8 22. ♘e1 ♘e6 23. ♘d3 a5 24. a4 b6 25. f3 ♔e7 26. ♔d2 ♔d7 27. b3 ♔d6 28. ♔c2 ♘c5 29. ♘b2 ♘e6 30. ♘d3 ♘c5 Draw GM Cao Sang Vietnam (white) – GM Wesley So Philippines (Black)

The value or importance of sportsmanship

In any field of expertise especially in the sports, one is expected to partake in many battles.  There are many participants that are entered in a competition, but unfortunately only the lucky few are cinched to make it to the winners’ circle or in the medal podium.

It is indeed tough to pull through in a battle that is teeming with a very tough field for only the mightiest and the best are projected to clinch all of the honors that are stake.

During the course of competition many factors will come into play such as experience, wit, guts, home court advantage, breaks, exposure and the list goes on. Records are broken, upsets are posted, and stinging losses are all over the place while the athletes whip up performances to the best of their abilities.

And when the smoke of battle cleared out and at last the winners are determined and proclaimed, the strong and wise bask on their hard-earned victories.

The vast majority of the losers, meanwhile, is consumed with loneliness and regrets and would resort to pinpointing, faultfinding and complaining. Worse, some will not even give a handshake or tap on the back on their tormentors. The sore losers might even hurl tirades on how the officiating materialized and more than willing to trade barbs.

These deeds are of course not acceptable, since sportsmanship will just display immaturity on the bitter losers. Excuses and hurtful attacks will not change the outcome of the game and will not cover unsatisfactory showing or lackadaisical finish.

But it is always wise to accept a loss then move on. Learn from your mistake and do your best next time.

It is not yet the end of the world when you lose and instead make something worthwhile on your defeat. There are a lot of things that you can get from your setback like getting exposure and experience, knowing the key to victory and standing on your feet when you stumble and fall. The lessons from a loss are very valuable in garnering success in your daily life particularly with your career or work.

Instead absorbing a numbing loss and getting sad, why not value sportsmanship. Give your smile, warm handshake and kind words to the winners and even to the losing participants.

Refrain from making lame excuses but instead vow to make a better performance the next time around.

Keep in mind that sportsmanship is one of the highest forms of understanding and ripeness. It fosters rapport and camaraderie among the athletes, it displays kindness and great personality and exhibit the best side of being a human.

Robert Griffin III and his endorsements deals

The nation goes agog and gaga as its favorite sporting league, which is the National Football League, is nearing the much-anticipated Pro-bowl and the conclusion of the playoffs. This is just a testament that the National Football League is continuously enjoyed by the vast majority of the Americans than any other major sporting leagues in the country.

With the influx of myriads and myriads of fans and support from all corners of the nation into the sport and the league as a whole, companies who are keen on marketing their products and services to bolster sales and maximize exposure in the market, are whipping up endorsement deals for players with star value and immense popularity.

One of the lucky persons that is receiving endorsement contracts worth whopping millions from various companies is Robert Griffin III (also known as RG3), the number 2 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft and a proud Heisman Trophy recipient. Of course these are just huge bonuses as he inked a jaw-dropping $21.1 million dollars including the $13.8 million signing bonus he received upfront with the Washington Redskins last July 18, 2012.

The mercuric rise to fame and stardom of Griffin started when he steered the underdog Baylor University to rousing victories over favored teams on his senior year with his impeccable passing touchdowns, uncanny offensive attacks and superb completion rate percentage, completed passing yards and average yards per pass attempt.

His exploits in high school also helped him earn the elusive and much-coveted Heisman Trophy in 2011 and the attention of many NFL teams’ scouts.

The outstanding performance of Griffin in high school made him the apple of the eyes of many teams in the NFL and by the time he stepped up in the professional rank where the toughest and roughest gladiators convenes, the Washington Redskins tabbed him with their second overall pick.

Since then Griffin continuous to mesmerize the sports’ fans and aficionados across the nation and didn’t escaped the prying eyes of companies that linger to have their products and services endorsed by a revered athlete that commands throngs of followers and supporters.

It’s actually a symbiosis relationship as Griffin made his team even more popular and spurs an increase in revenues on sales of tickets and merchandise. The team is also getting the better end of advertisements and live game telecasts.

There is no doubt that Griffin is very deserving of every blessings he is enjoying such as the endorsements and very fat paycheck that are given to him in a silver platter, since he is not only a record-setting and exciting football player but a truly charismatic, pleasant and bright individual as well.

Griffin signed groundbreaking and noisemaking endorsement deals with well-known companies such as Castrol Motor Oil, EA Sports, Subway, Gatorade, EvoShield and Adidas. These awesome deals just imply that his star shines very bright as he supplanted Peyton Manning as the league’s most marketable players.

According to Nielsen’s Senior Vice President for Sports, Stephen Master, “Griffin, in particular, has quickly broken through with a lot of attention and endorsement spots since joining the Washington Redskins.”

In a survey conducted by the joint collaboration of Nielsen and E-Poll Market Research will show that Griffin III is one of the five most liked quarterbacks in the league as he finished decent fourth on the poll with a rating of 57% behind Drew Brees (62%), Peyton Manning (59%),  Aaron Rodgers (58%), and ahead of Matthew Stafford (56%).

The endorsements that are signed are win-win situation for Griffin and its benefactors. While Griffin is dangled with contracts worth sizeable amount of money because of his innate athleticism and pleasant personality, in turn he provide his sponsors with the opportunity to ride on the crest of his popularity and stardom, to boost sales and exposure in millions and millions of households in the nation.

I hope this article also answered the question why Robert Griffin is very popular.

The phenomenal Robert Lee Griffin III (RG3)

Robert Lee Griffin III is a feisty quarterback and plays for the Washington Redskins in the National Football League. Griffin was born on February 12, 1990 and carries the moniker RG3.

In college, Griffin suited up for Baylor University, a school which is also a force to reckon with in athletics. In 2011, Griffin was bestowed with the much-coveted Heisman Trophy for his outstanding performance during his senior year in college.

Griffin was chosen by the Redskins with their second pick in the 2012 National Football League (NFL).

Robert Lee Griffin III during his high school years

In 2008, aside from being a football player Robert Griffin III was part of the vaunted athletics team of Baylor University as he copped first place in the 400-m hurdles in both Big 12 Conference Championship and in the NCAA Midwest Regional Meet in a record-setting fashion. He later took part in the U.S. Olympic trial where he reached the semifinal round.

Griffin can be best described with the cliché, “brawn and brains,” as he doesn’t only excel in sports but in academics as well. Griffin earned his degree in political science in just three years with an impressive 3.67 GPA and made it to the Dean’s List twice. He is now currently on a pursuit to finish his Masters degree in Mass Communications.

During his first year with the Baylor Bears football squad, Griffin made his presence felt as he captured the Big 12 Conference Offensive Freshman of the Year Award. He started on 11 of 12 games for the Bears. In one of his game as a rookie he piled-up 13 of 23 completions for 241 yards and 2 touchdowns to lead the Bears to a rousing 41-21 victory over highly-favored Texas A&M Aggies .

In 2009, Griffin played only three times. He sustained an injury on his ACL on his third game against the Northwestern State Demons.

In 2010, Griffin was given the status of a redshirt second-year player by his team.

In 2011, Griffin put up a remarkable performance on this season that catapulted him to national fame and glory. He guided the Bears in wielding the upset axe on several tough teams in the nation.

With his uncanny passing ability, fearsome offensive plays and impressive completion rate percentage and yards per pass attempt rate, Griffin to notched the prestigious Heisman Trophy as he piloted the Bears to a 10-3 overall record and posted wins over 15^th ranked TCU, Stephen Austin State University , Rice University, Iowa State and the Washington Huskies in the Alamo Bowl.

Griffin III as a NFL player

The Washington Redskins exercised its drafting rights by opting for Robert Griffin III with its number 2 pick in the 2010 National Football League (NFL). Griffin thus tied Jason Smith with the distinction of becoming the highest drafted player from Baylor University.

Griffin’s name on his back of his jersey, which read as, “Griffin III,” actually made a record in the history of professional sporting leagues in the U.S., since this is the first time that Roman Numerals were added after a surname of a player. This is essential so as to distinguish him from the other Robert Griffin that also came from Baylor University.

On July 18, 2012, Griffin inked a 4-years contract worth a whopping $21.1 million dollars with $13.8 million signing bonus.

During his first year with the Redskins, Griffin had a stellar performance in guiding his team to a 40-32 victory over the New Orleans Saints. Ha made 19 of 26 passes for 330 yards and 2 touchdowns to bag the NFC’s Offensive Player of the Week. This is the first time that a rookie quarterback annexed such an accolade.  Moreover, he also seized the NFL Rookie of the Week distinction.

He took his second NFL Rookie of the Week plum by piloting his team to a victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in week 4. His rousing performance for the month of September enabled him to nail the Offensive Rookie of the Month distinction.

Last October 4, 2012, however, Griffin sustained a mild concussion after absorbing a blow to the head by Sean Weatherspoon when his team was up against the Atlanta Falcons.

He was given the permission to play against the Minnesota Vikings in week 6, as he whipped up another sterling performance to snap his team’s home-game losing streak and grab his third Rookie of the Week distinction.

On November 14, 201, Griffin was voted by his team as co-captain, which is a testament of his growing influence and popularity in the league.

In week 8, Griffin steered the Redskins to a 31-6 drubbing of the Philadelphia Eagles to earn his second Offensive Player of the Week distinction. His performance against the Eagles made him the youngest player in NFL to come up with a perfect passer rating in a game.

After sustaining a knee injury, Griffin rose like a Phoenix on week 16 as he spearheaded his team to another victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.

In the NFC wildcard battle with the Seattle Seahawks, Griffin reinjured his knee as his team lost steam and eventually lost and kissed their playoffs bid goodbye.

Although the Redskins is out of the playoff picture, Griffin was still selected to play in the prestigious 2013 Pro Bowl, but is replaced by Drew Brees because of his injury.

All in all on his first fruitful season with the Redskins, Griffin played 15 games, made 258 completions, had a 65.6% completion rate, completed 3,200 passing yards, collected 20 passing touchdowns and averaged 8.14 yards per pass attempt.

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Sample sports article about MLB game preview submitted to a client in oDesk

At long last after almost two weeks of long waiting I was able to secure a writing gig in oDesk thanks to this sample article I submitted to a client. This article is actually a game preview of a match between the Atlanta Braves and the Washington Nationals and it is sprinkled with tips and picks.

Here’s the content:

The Atlanta Braves (28-24) will attempt to extend its winning streak to four as it collides again with its division rival and the current top team in the NL East which is the Washington Nationals (29-21) on their second series game.

The Braves was handed out a stinging 0-3 series swept by the Nats last week but bounced back by winning the last two of their three games on their series meeting with the St Louis Saints.

The Nats on the other hand, has a bitter result on its last series meeting with the Miami Marlins last week. The Nats failed to secure a win against the Marlins in three games.

The Nats will try to pounce on its home-field advantage as well as on its top players like Michael Morse and Stephen Strasburg. Morse will finally suit up for the Nats after sustaining a strained lat during the spring training. Morse is the Nats’ leader in home runs (31) and RBIs (95) last year.

Strasburg on the other hand had so far piled-up an impressive 5-1 win-loss record and boasts of an impressive 2.64 ERA. He is NL’s third best in strikeouts (70) and seventh in number of wins (5) and winning percentage (83.33%). Ironically, he seemed to be struggling every time he suits up against the Braves. He only totes a career 1-2 record against the Braves, while posting an awful 5.28 ERA which is his worst over any team he met in more than one game.

In Nats’ last outing against the Braves, Strasburg gave up four runs, six hits and a season-high four walks in five innings but his effort was good enough as his team relied on its high-octane offense en route to escaping with an unassailable 8-4 victory.

The Nats also piled-up 22 runs against the Braves on their last series meeting and it is still the team to beat on its division.

Braves shortstop rookie, Andrelton Simmons, will most likely make his first appearance on the league for the Braves as he relieves fellow newcomer Tyler Pastornicky.

Trends at a glance:

Current Streak: The Braves lead on this department since it is riding on a two-game winning streak while the Nats lost three consecutive games.

Head to Head Games: The Nats are poised to duplicate its 3-0 series romp of the Braves on their second series meeting.

Home Court Advantage: There is no place like home and the Nats know this very well. The Nats currently has the best record playing at home in the league at 15-8. But you cannot count out the Braves just as yet, since it is 3 games over 0.500 and it has one of the best records while playing outside their turf.

Pitching: It is a tussle between one of the best pitchers in the league versus one of the worst. Verdict: Nats ace pitcher Stephen Strasburg has the edge.

Batting: with Ryan Zimmerman, Danny Espinosa, Ian Desmond and Adam LaRoche carrying the offensive cudgels for the Nats, the team definitely has more firepower in securing more runs than its opponent. The testament of this is the 22 runs the team collected while cruising through with a resounding sweep of the Braves on their first series meeting.

Eugene’s Pick: Nationals -136