Top 10 Right Now: Wide Receivers

     Not as many diva wide receivers as their use to be, but the receivers have gotten better than they use to be as well.  So the only question is, who tops the list?  Well, we know who tops the list, but which order should they be in?

   10. Percy Harvin, Seahawks
   9. Wes Welker, Broncos
   8. Torrey Smith, Ravens
   7. Demaryius Thomas, Broncos
   6. Dez Bryant, Cowboys
   5.Greg Jennings, Vikings
   4. Julio Jones, Falcons
   3. AJ Green, Bengals
   2. Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals
   1. Calvin Johnson, Lions

Top 10 Presidents of the United States

     I have decided to revise my list of the top ten presidents that I put together around Presidents' Day.  Not many changes were made, just an add and subtract with one spot and reshuffling a little bit on the rankings. Enjoy.


10. William McKinley/Woodrow Wilson
9.Calvin Coolidge
8. James Madison
7. James Monroe
6. Franklin Roosevelt
5. Ronald Reagan
4. George Washington
3. Thomas Jefferson
2. Theodore Roosevelt
1. Abraham Lincoln

     Not as difficult to pick the members of this list, as there were the obvious names that had to be on this list, and the fact that there were many useless presidents in office from 1837-1860 and again from 1865-1896.

     We start out the countdown with a tie. William McKinley was the president just at the turn of the twentieth century.  His term was best known for the Spanish-American War and the annexation of the islands of Hawaii and Guam.  The war was more of a cause of yellow journalism and propaganda against Spain, but the public doesn't ask for a declaration of war, the president does.  The victory allowed the US to be more seen as a world power that was further brought up from his successor, Teddy Roosevelt. Wilson is part of my little mantra for war presidents getting the benefit as the leaders during conflicts as such. Wilson was president in 1917, the year the United States entered World War I in Europe. Wilson will also get credit for being among the first US presidents to call for a united world, which many of his ideas would evolve into building the United Nations.

     Calvin Coolidge led the nation through its greatest economic period in the Roaring Twenties.  Not just that, Coolidge repaired the image of the presidency from the previous regime of Warren Harding. Coolidge's presidency proves that being a great speaker doesn't make a great leader, as described by his nickname "Silent Cal."

       James Madison was another of many war presidents, leading the nation through the War of 1812, which did help lead us to complete independence, if you want to call it that, from Great Britain and led the country into "The Era of Good Feelings" which gave the nation its first real taste of economic prominence. James Monroe was the fifth President of United States, following Madison, and made the first steps to making the US into a world power with the Monroe Doctrine. The doctrine made the US into a police state to aid the Central American countries that just declared independence, and also prevented from European countries to create any new colonies in the area.
 
     Franklin Roosevelt is considered by many to be the best president.  However, many of his policies were unconstitutional and were in the socialist ideals.  The Civil Conservation Corps and sending the Japanese to interment camps are among those unconstitutional policies.  Though, leading the nation through one of the darkest times in world history with the Great Depression and World War II does redeem him greatly. However, the significant root of what makes FDR great is that he was what a president should be, a leader. A man the country can look up to in dark times and see his great strength and bravery. Ronald Reagan's policies also led the nation back into economic growth.  Reagan also gave the steps for the Cold War to end.

     George Washington deserves the title "Father of the Country." Washington did an excellent job building the US from the early years. The greatest achievement of his presidency was building the government that followed the idea of the government for the people. Washington set precedents for the presidency that are still followed today. Thomas Jefferson began the first real expansion in America after purchasing the Louisiana Territory from France.  Jefferson was the top advocate for the freedoms that the country is built on.

     If James Monroe began to make the country a world power, Theodore Roosevelt completed that idea.  Ironically, Roosevelt accomplished that feat by adding a corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, making the US to exercise the police action to aid the smaller countries. Roosevelt also built the Panama Canal to help increase trade and helped the navy by making faster routes between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Speaking of the navy, Roosevelt built a stronger standing army to make the United States the power that it is. A big issue occurring in the country at the time was the power of monopolies in corporate business. Businesses like Standard Oil and US Steel were running the economy on their own, and eliminated all competition. Roosevelt took the battle to the business tycoons with his anti-trust suits, taking down monopolies and creating opportunities for competition to build on the free market system. Other policies include reforming the workplace and creating restrictions on child labor. Roosevelt should not have been president, but the assassination of William McKinley forced him into office, but he took the opportunity and ran with it.

     Finally, the greatest president in American history: Abraham Lincoln.  Lincoln led the nation through a crisis greater than both the Great Depression and the Cold War combined.  Lincoln dealt with the country splitting right in half with the southern states seceding from the Union.  The difference between war time presidents like Wilson and FDR, Lincoln had to fight a war against his own country.  In doing so, Lincoln was forced to do something that has rarely happened, he took total control of the country.  Many would describe this as an abuse of power, especially with Lincoln suspending Habeas Corpus.  This action is justified though, as Lincoln's main objective was to preserve the Union.  During these acts, Lincoln also abolished slavery by signing the Emancipation Proclamation.  Unfortunately, Lincoln was assassinated before history can see what type of president he would be in a time of peace.  However, Lincoln's ability to lead during crisis and his actions to keep a nation together makes him the greatest president in American history.

     It is not just coincidence that the top four presidents on this list are the presidents on Mt. Rushmore.  The fact is is that those four men earned the image of greatness, as is the other men on this list.  All ten of these men shaped one of the greatest nations in the world.

Top 10 Right Now: Running Backs

    With the quarterbacks out of the way, the next will be the running backs.


   10. Darren McFadden, Raiders
   9. Marshawn Lynch, Seahawks
   8. Jamaal Charles, Chiefs
   7. Chris Johnson, Titans
   6. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars
   5. Matt Forte, Bears
   4. Arian Foster, Texans
   3. Ray Rice, Ravens
   2. Lesean McCoy, Eagles
   1. Adrian Peterson, Vikings


     If Darren McFadden and Jamaal Charles can stay healthy, they would easily be higher on this list.  Same goes for not playing up to par, looking at you Chris Johnson.

Top 10 Right Now: Quarterbacks

     Now that I have listed the perfect roster for three of the big four sports, I will turn my attention back to the NFL.  Quite simply, this will be just a list of the top ten current players at each position on a football field.  I will stray from explaining my picks for this series because explaining these over and over again tends to get a little tiring.  So without further adieu, my top ten quarterbacks currently in the NFL:


   10. Jay Cutler, Bears
   9. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers
   8. Matt Ryan, Falcons
   7. Russell Wilson, Seahawks
   6. Robert Griffin, Redskins
   5. Eli Manning, Giants
   4. Peyton Manning, Broncos
   3. Joe Flacco, Ravens
   2. Drew Brees, Saints
   1. Aaron Rodgers, Packers

The Perfect Team: NHL

     Now that I have listed the rosters for the two sports that I actually pay close attention to for their rosters for the perfect teams.  So with the NFL and MLB rosters out of the way, I allowed Andrew Welch, one of my many twitter buddies, create a roster for the NHL's perfect team.
 
     So without further adieu, here is word for word his roster and arguments for these players that he emailed me:

NHL Roster:

by Andrew Welch

     When I saw Thomas saying that he was looking for someone to make a dream NHL team, I jumped at the bit. I love trying to make dream teams in both the NHL and MLB as it’s always entertaining. Unlike the MLB though, NHL dream teams are going to have to contain one thing unlike the other, chemistry. Chemistry plays an integral part of any team. Chemistry allows the players to know where their linemates are without having to look around the ice.

                 

     To make the perfect dream team, you look for two more important factors, playmaking and scoring. You want the passers and stickhandlers coupled with the best snipers in the game who aren’t selfish, *cough* *cough* Ovechkin.  So without further adieu, your perfect dream team.

LW James Neal                  C Sidney Crosby                RW Evgeni Malkin

Not much of a surprise with this line, Neal has shown himself to be a premier scorer the last two years playing alongside Malkin. Sidney is arguably the best player in the NHL and Malkin is in the same conversation. Malkin does have experience playing the right wing alongside Crosby and that makes this the top line for the dream team.

LW Zach Parise                  C Steven Stamkos            RW Martin St. Louis

            

         It’s a bit difficult to find the perfect match for Stamkos and St. Louis because you want to find a line that’s likely to be used in Sochi for the 2014 Winter Olympics. Although Parise is not Canadian, it shouldn’t be a hindrance to this line. Parise was the most coveted Unrestricted Free Agent last year and is one of the better scorers in the NHL. Stamkos and St.Louis are the example of perfect chemistry. They always play on the same line and each player knows where the other is at all times. St. Louis is one of the best playmakers in the NHL as he led the league in points and assists, 60 and 43 respectively. This is St. Louis’s second Art Ross trophy in his career as the highest scorer in the NHL. Steven Stamkos is the most feared goal scorer too. He’s already won two Rocket Richard trophies as the player with the most goals in the NHL and he almost won a third this year. He’s got his own patented shot, called the Stamkos shot, which is a one timer from the left circle, which he releases on the Power Play. He also isn’t afraid to go into the crease and pick up the garbage goals and tip-ins, he’s exactly what you’d wish for when looking for the perfect scorer.

LW Daniel Sedin                C Henrik Sedin                   RW Henrik Zetterberg

Your all Sweden line. Henrik and Daniel are twin brothers playing for the Vancouver Canucks. These two are some of the most fun to watch in the NHL as they literally know where each other is all the time. It’s like some sort of telepathy! SERIOUSLY, you’ll never see more no look tape to tape passes end up in the back of the twine than when you’re watching these two play. It’s just mesmerizing and absolutely fantastic. Henrik Zetterberg is their perfect compadre. He does it all, he scores, he passes, he leads, he dekes. He’s the perfect recipient for the passes from Henrik and Daniel while being the perfect setup guy for either two. This line is seriously the one you’ll never want to ever see coming at you on a three on one or three on two.

LW Pavel Datysuk            C Ryan Getzlaf                   RW Corey Perry

It’s hard to argue against this line, most people will fight you about whether Pavel Datysuk is the best player in the league or not but he’s obviously the best puck handler. The things he does with puck should be illegal and get you put in jail. He’s also one of the best passes as he always goes tape to tape and puts them through and over players. Getzlaf and Perry are two very good tandems too. Getzlaf is a bigger, tougher, and more physical forward but he has a certain finesse in his game when it comes to passing. Perry is still regarded as one of the top goal scorers in the league as he also has a Richard Trophy to his name.

Defense: Key to defense isn’t so much chemistry as it is the ability to recognize the plays from forwards and their tendencies along with having a good sense of offensive attack

LD: Erik Karlsson               RD Alex Pietrangelo

Two of the best defenseman on the face of the Earth and the best offensive defenseman period. Both have the ability to be forwards if they wanted but they play defense at such a high level it’s hard to ignore. They both feature active sticks in their own zone and are able to knock away pucks with ease.

LD Duncan Keith               RD Brent Seabrook

Teammates and usual partners on the Blackhawks blueline, Keith and Seabrook are one of the best pairings in the game. They can both score while playing fantastic defense and their awareness is close to unparalled as a tandem.

LD Victor Hedman            RD Zdeno Chara

This past season saw Victor Hedman vault himself into the top ten of defenseman in the league.  His ability to join forwards on the rush made a noticeable difference in the Tampa attack as Hedman scored 3  goals on the rush. He was head and shoulders above any defenseman in Tampa, and without him, Tampa’s putrid defense would’ve been among the worst in the league. Zdeno Chara is the tallest player in the NHL, standing 6’10, his stick is close to being as big as Marty St. Louis and it likely reaches blue line to blue line. He also contains the fastest shot in the league and knows how to use it. Hard to argue leaving him off of a perfect dream team.

Scratches: Jonathon Toews, Patrick Kane, PK Subban.

Goalies

Starter: Henrik Lundqvist

Backup: Pekka Rinne

Don’t get me started on goalies, it’s too hard to pick who’s better than who with some of the top goalies in the league. Henrik and Pekka are recognized as being two of the best in the league at stopping the puck but there many others worthy of being on this team.