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Is Albert Pujols the best hitter that we’ve ever known? That is a question that has been asked hundreds of times, and the debate doesn’t look like it’s going to go away any time soon.

So that we all know who I’m talking about, I’m not going to go to players from days gone by, only from the 1980 onwards.

Players from the past such as Mays and Williams were great in their day, but the game has changed so much since then comparisons can’t really be made. Conditions and even equipment are completely different in the modern game.

Would Albert Pujols have been so formidable in a different era? How would Ted Williams have played in today’s game? These questions are unanswerable, so let’s just look at what Pujols has going for him in the modern game.

As he is still only 29, he can stay at the level he is at, or even improve further, in the years to come. The key to his success is how consistent he is, week in, week out. Here are just a few stats that other players would die for. The .334 career average of Albert Pujols is outstanding.

When you consider that you have to go way back to find a low average of .312 in the second year of his career, and his lowest since has been .327, this really is a guy to be reckoned with.

Pujols is an MLB player and has now played 9 seasons in this league. During 5 of those he has hit 40 home runs. The lowest amount he has ever hit in a season is 32; this is an outstanding stat by anyone’s standards.

As every new season starts, we hold our breath to see if Pujols can maintain his stunning form, and he never lets us down. Is he the greatest hitter of our generation? That we can only answer when he finishes playing, but I wouldn’t bet against him.

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Things took an interesting turn for the Detroit Pistons this past year. Gone are the days of the Eastern Conference supremacy, and gone are many of the familiar names we’ve been accustomed to seeing in a Pistons uniform over the years.

Being 39-43, most people agree doesn’t deserve a playoff birth but since they haven’t changed the rules the Pistons had to face the number one team in the East at the time.

The Pistons were 28th in scoring out of 30 NBA teams. This is why the Pistons went after Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva.

Ben Gordon should help their scoring issues. He put up some very respectable numbers in the past for the Bulls and even came up big in several playoff games.

Villanueva comes in with some size. He can score points as well and with his presence on defense, he should help improve both sides of the ball.

This is the year nobody really knows what they will see from the Detroit Pistons. When teams get new faces people automatically assume the team will improve, that doesn’t always happen. Yes, the Detroit Pistons are a playoff team but can they compete with Boston? Cleveland? Orlando? The Pistons hope Rodney Stuckey is their franchise point guard for years to come. The Pistons still have Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince who have many playoff game experience.

There’s some talented youth in Rodney Stuckey, and he’ll finally have the opportunity to shine at the point guard position. Additionally, Jason Maxiell will continue to develop, and Chris Wilcox will provide the team with some solid minutes at the forward and center positions.

This season for the Detroit Pistons will be very interesting because when people speak about the front runners in the East the pistons aren’t mentioned. We will see how the new acquisitions work out.

For more on the Detroit Pistons, head on over to the Pistons forumss at RootZoo Sports. Enjoy free trivia and much more.

They came oh so close in 2007. Having made their first NBA finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers appeared to be destined for greatness.

The general assumption for most NBA fans was the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers – the Lakers fulfilled their end of the bargain, Cavs did not. Instead, the Magic took their place.

The Cavs were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals by the Orlando Magic, and relatively easy to. If it wasn’t for Lebron James miracle shot at the buzzer, the Cavs would have been embarrassed at their performance.

The last few seasons the Cavs have been a great regular season team – 08-09′ 66-16 – winning the Central division by more the 25 games. The regular season gives teams the chance to build chemistry and acquire home court advantage – the Cavs seemed to have excellent chemistry during the regular season (taking fake photos during the pre-game introduction).

Unfortunately, the team’s run was spoiled by the Orlando Magic. This left Cleveland fans wondering if Dwight Howard and the Magic had the Cavs’ number, and what could be done about this.

Surely, the team was lacking in the big man department. Enter Shaquille O’Neal. The Cavs now enjoy the presence of the big man on their roster, and will look to use his physical prowess and playoff experience to bring home an NBA title.

In basketball, more then in any other professional team sport – one player can take a team to the Finals but typically those “one man band” teams don’t win the championship. Jordan didn’t win a title until he got Scottie Pippen.

If the Cavs expect to win the title in 10′ they must get more from Mo, Delonte West, and Daniel Gibson. The Cavs added Leon Powe and Jamario Moon – hopefully they can contribute to a championship winning team.

Check out the Cleveland Cavaliers forum at RootZoo and stay up to date with the latest NBA fantasy basketball news.

The Tampa Buccaneers are one of the many teams in the NFL trying to start from the ground up and rebuild their franchise. After the Super Bowl win in 02′ the Buccaneers haven’t had much success.

This was a strong team that made the playoffs in 2007, but one that faltered a bit in 2008, slipping in terms of both offense and defense.

Former head coach Jon Gruden is now broadcasting for Monday Night Football – he doesn’t have to deal with the Bucs team anymore. He’s probably pretty happy about this though.

Not scoring any points in an NFL game just shows you how offensively challenged the Bucs are – that is what happened to the Bucs in week 3 against the New York Giants. The Giants did what they wanted and the Bucs had no answers the entire game. The defense is just as bad as the offense giving up more then 30 points a game.

RB Cadillac Williams was a rising star in the NFL a few seasons ago. In 05′ Williams ran for over 1,100 yards in– games but injuries have put his progression as a RB on hold. 07′ – 08′ Williams only played in 10 games, scored 7 touchdowns and rushed for 441 yards.

The main WR on the Bucs is Kellen Winslow – who in his best year in 07′ caught for over 1,000 yards with 5 touchdowns for the Cleveland Browns.

The Bucs play in the NFC South, which has a different winner every year. The Bucs won’t be contending for a division title in 09′ but hopefully they can find some sort of offense as the years progresses.

The Bucs defense is one of the worst in the league – if not THE worst – the Bucs have given up more the 30 points more times then many teams give up the entire season. It will be a long season for the Bucs in 09′.

Head on over to the most exciting Buccaneers forumss at RootZoo Sports. Check out their trivia questions questions with over 60,000 questions.

The San Diego Chargers are one of the most talented teams in the NFL that has yet to win a Super Bowl. They have all the right pieces in place but have yet to get over the hump.

The Chargers have found some success over the course of the last few seasons and their offense is one of the most potent in the NFL. They’ve been strong defensively in the past, but it doesn’t seem like they’re going to be one of the top defensive units in the league this year.

Philip Rivers – a contender for the MVP award this season in the minds of many – Darren Sproles a stud in the making, and more should propel a highly effective offensive team to a great place this season. Although LT is on the wrong side of 30 now, if he can stay healthy, he’s still got potential for a dangerous year.

The defense hasn’t lived up to their potential just yet though. Things could turn around and in order for the Chargers to have a big year, it must happen soon.

Whatever the reasons are that the Chargers haven’t won the Super Bowl, they could be the classic underachievers. But 09′ should prove to be a make or break year for head coach Norv Turner.

So maybe the Ravens are one of the better teams in the NFL. After all, they made the playoffs last year and their youth has improved this year.

Still, the obvious flaw in this Chargers team seems to be its defense. Can the team clean up its defensive unit from here? It may need to.

I do believe their offense is powerful, but not enough to make up for the weak defense. For this team to compete and live up to their expectations, the defense needs to improve immediately.

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