Where the Men go from here: U.S. Swimming after Michael Phelps

   Clearly the greatest swimmer and arguably the greatest Olympian of all time is gone from swimming. Though some cling to hopes that Michael Phelps will find some kindling to restart his fire for the sport he has blessed for so many years, the truth of the matter is that he will not be returning to a competitive pool let alone an Olympic pool four years from now. 

   So who exactly will pick up the slack for men's swimming? Who will draw Americans to their TVs to watch guys swim a few laps in that first week of the quadrennial world event?

   One has already tried, and although he was highly successful for a normal Olympian, Ryan Lochte failed miserably in his goal to dethrone Phelps. In fact, if anything he reaffirmed the greatness Phelps had displayed in Beijing (2008) and Athens (2004) as he paled in comparison to the performances of Phelps while swimming a similar program. 

   The fact of the matter may be that no one man will be able to. It will take a combination of all the members of the 2016 Olympic team, including the will be 31 year old Lochte, break through sprinter Nathan Adrian, as well as promising Conor Dwyer and veterans like sprinter Cullen Jones and backstroke specialist Matt Grevers.  These men and others that will no doubt rise before Rio will have to carry the torch. 

   Two ways they can do this:

1. Continue American domination of relays (2 of 3 this in London and a sweep in Beijing).

2. Specialize in your event. Yes, Ryan Lochte that means you. He and Grevers could win their respective distances in Rio, Nathan Adrian looks poised to become a powerhouse in the 100m freestyle and will most likely anchor both the 4x100 Medley and Free relays. Tyler Clary may be the next butterfly champ in the U.S. now that Phelps is gone and will also be the returning Olympic champ in the 200m backstroke. The cabinet looks a little bare in the breaststroke as Brendan Hansen career is also most likely over but who knows what can happen in four years.

   There will most likely never be another swimmer like Michael Phelps, but just because the man that won 4+ gold medals in three different Olympics doesn't mean the Americans can't win just as many golds without him. But they will have to do it collectively, with each man starring in one or two events rather than trying to do it all like only swimming's renaissance man Phelps could.

Baseball's New Age: Center Fielders take Center Stage

   There has been a shift in baseball... not one brought on by a pull-happy lefty slugger but rather a change in philosophy.
   A generic mantra of youth, high school and collegiate, and professional baseball teams throughout the United States and other baseball playing nations (let's just refer to them from now on as the 'Baseball World') is to put your best defensive player at the shortstop position, the captain of the infield, where the most balls are hit (assists leader has come from SS 8 of past 10 years in NL and 8 of 10 in the AL as well according to baseball-reference.com ).
   Although there were a few big hitting shortstops through the '50s and '60s including one Ernie Banks, the position was revolutionized by guys like baseball's iron man Cal Ripken, who at 6 feet 4 inches and 200 lbs. was a giant at  the spot compared to predecessors  like Ozzie Smith (5'11", 150 lbs.) and Luis Aparacio (5'9", 160 lbs) who were stars because of their slick fielding ways. Ripken, though, brought the idea of offense to the position as he slugged double digit homers in every season he played besides his very first in which he only played 23 games. Additionally he hit over 20 homers in twelve of of his 20 full seasons and 80+ RBI in 14 of 20 seasons.
   He essentially began the Golden Age of the Shortstop, which saw offensive minded stars such as Nomar Garciaparra, Alex Rodriguez, Miguel Tejada and Derek Jeter revolutionize the spot to the top offensive position in the MLB which has led to more contemporary players such as Troy Tulowitzki and Starlin Castro  carrying the torch.
   Although there is no doubt that the guys between third and second base still play in intricate part in the offensive output in the majors, a different position is entering its own 'Golden Age' and may overtake shortstop as the premier position in Major League Baseball, if it hasn't already.
Center Field. This is the spot where stars are rising. The true spot on the field where you want the "five-tool" player and those five-toolers are more prevalent now than ever before. Let me name a few that you may know, Andrew Mccutchen, Mike Trout, Matt Kemp, Adam Jones... any of these sound familiar? Not to mention Curtis Granderson, Josh Hamilton(has only played 12 fewer games in center than in left to this point in the season) and hell we will throw Austin Jackson in there as well (hitting .319, 3rd among CFs, and showing improved power this season) and how not to forget the prodigy Bryce Harper who could end up in center as his skills progress.
   These guys are the future of Major League Baseball, Gold Gloves, Silver Sluggers, MVPs, these 7 or 8 guys will be in the hunt for all of these awards every year for years to come. How many years? Well for the just 21 year old Trout and the 19 year old Harper, we will enjoy those two for nearly two decades and as for the others they are no gomers (Scrubs reference, btw what happened to Zach Braff?). Mccutchen and Jackson are only 25, and Jones and Kemp are just 27 meaning that they all still have at least 5-8 years left in their primes, and with their talent most likely more. Even the grandpas of the group, Hamilton and Granderson are both just 31 years old.
   Never has this position been so stacked across the league. Furthermore, there may be no position in the modern era that has ever been so loaded with talent. Even the shortstop golden agers weren't as complete of players as these guys, were not true 5-toolers.
   To exemplify the impact of these guys I will utilize one of the most popular statistics used in today's game, WAR or OWAR (offensive wins above replacement), in the American League 3 of the top 5 in WAR are centerfielders. Trout is first, Jones is fourth and Jackson is fifth. In the National League Mccutchen holds down the top spot by a staggering amount, and although Kemp missed considerable time with injury, he still ranks in the top 15 and led the league in the stat last year.
   Unfortunately there is not a perfect system to quantify defensive impact but highlights of all these players can clearly show the greatness of all of them. In my opinion, Trout and Jackson have the best range and gloves in general while Kemp and Jones have the strongest arms. But none of the guys are slouches in any of the tools.
   In the speed category Trout once again is at the top of the list as he is already an accomplished base stealer, Jones, Mccutchen, Granderson and Jackson use their speed more on the defensive side but all have the ability to steal a base. Jackson, the low man on the steals list of these four has shown improvement but his game breaking speed has been more prevalent on extra base opportunities as both a hitter and once he is on base for the sluggers following him. Also, Jackson may not steal as much because of the extra-base capability of Cabrera and Fielder, just a thought. Jones and Mccutchen totals could be higher as well if not for their spots in the middle of their respective lineups.
   Very rarely does a talent such as Matt Kemp come along, same goes for Mccutchen, Jones and the rest. Even more rare is the prospect of a player legitimately being compared to the incomparable Willie Mays,  but that's what the World of Baseball has in front of them with Trout. But what's possibly most impressive of all is that all of the players mentioned are under the age of 32, the best six in my opinion are all no older than 27, and with this level and depth of talent at such a young age, center field is the new premium position in the MLB and will be for some time.