Is Javier Hernandez the best Mexican soccer player since Hugo Sanchez?

         Hugo Sanchez is undoubtedly the best Mexican soccer player in history.  Although he did not accomplish great things with the national team, Sanchez had more success playing in Europe than any other Mexican player.  Sanchez was the star striker for one of Europe’s premier teams, Real Madrid.  He was Spain’s best goal scorer in five seasons (1 with Atletico Madrid, 4 with Real Madrid).  No other player in Spanish league history has accomplished this feat.  In addition to this, Sanchez shares the record for the most goals scored in a single season in Spain (38).  Thanks to his great success in Spain, Mexican soccer fans idolize Sanchez.  Yet, Sanchez retired almost 20 years ago.  Mexican soccer has lacked a hero for a long time.  Mexican soccer fans have long awaited for the successor to Hugo’s crown.  I personally think that Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez has the most potential to succeed Sanchez.

            Mexican soccer is at a low point.  The national team’s uninspired performance in last year’s World Cup showed this.  The team was crushed by a stronger Argentinian team in the round of 16.  The match was not close.  Mexico’s team looked old, tired, and without confidence.  Yet even worse, Mexico does not have many talented young players.  There are several young Mexican players in Europe, but most of them never play.  Carlos Vela and Giovani Dos Santos were once thought to be the future of Mexican soccer.  However, they have both remained bench players in their particular teams and have still not proven much in Europe.  The situation for Mexican soccer appears grim.

            In spite of this, Javier Hernandez appears as a ray of light.  Manchester United bought the 22 year old last summer from Chivas de Guadalajara.  Hernandez has played incredibly this year.  Despite playing limited minutes on the pitch, Hernandez has scored fourteen goals.  He is the second highest scorer on Manchester United’s squad.  He has scored more than some of the best players in the world like fellow teammate Wayne Rooney.  Hernandez is still not a starter, but coach Sir Alex Ferguson has promised to begin playing Hernandez more thanks to his incredible talent.

            Hernandez has still by no means matched Hugo’s success, yet he appears to have the best shot at it out of all the Mexican players in Europe.  Hernandez is still young and, in some ways, unproven.   However, his talent cannot be questioned.  He is playing alongside the best players in the world, and seems to be just as capable as any of them on the field.  Also, Ferguson has always been one of the best managers at helping develop young players.  Ferguson has managed historic players like Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo in their youth.  Ferguson will help Hernandez maximize his talents and reach his potential.  This will help Mexican soccer fans once again have an Aztec hero dominating in Europe.

http://www.click-manchester.com/sport/manchester-united/1212180-manchester-united-boss-sir-alex-ferguson-hails-javier-hernandez.html

 Ferguson's Comments About Hernandez

Law School Applications...Not Sweet

           Applying to law school has undoubtedly been the most stressful period of my life.  I am certain of this.  The LSAT, letters of recommendation, personal statements, and resumes make it seem like the process never ends.  I am not even in law school yet, but I already have reasons to dislike it.  This is somewhat depressing.

            I have found that applying to law school, or any graduate school for that matter, is much more stressful and time consuming than applying to college.  Competition is much more intense and cut-throat to get into graduate school.  There are more factors at play.  It is no longer just about your gpa and SAT score.  Graduate schools weigh many more factors, such as work experience, in making admissions decisions.

            Still, the LSAT has been the most stressful part of the entire process.  I find it absurd that schools measure a candidate’s level of intelligence with one test.  How can this be proper measurement?  How can one sitting to take a test be the most important determinant of what law school someone will get into. 

I realize that the LSAT is a good test, but it has its share of problems.  It measures important abilities, such as logical reasoning and reading comprehension, that are essential to lawyers.  However, this does not seem to be the best predictor of what kind of law school student an individual will be.  There are many factors that could influence a candidate’s performance unrelated to his or her intelligence and potential.  Stress, nerves, or a bad night of sleep all could prevent an applicant from performing his or her best on the LSAT. 

Therefore, I believe that other factors, such as grade point average are better indicators of an applicant’s future potential.  Grade point average actually demonstrates what kind of student someone is because it represents the work of four years as an undergraduate.  Grade point average allows for individuals to make up for possible factors, like stress, because it is more long term.  Even if an applicant did badly on an exam or essay due to nerves, four years of work allows him or her to make up for it.  Thus, gpa is a more consistent and effective method of measuring candidates for admission.

Like grade point average, letters of recommendation also better predict the potential of a candidate than the LSAT does.  This is because letters of recommendation actually discuss what a person is really like.  People who truly know a candidate for admission give their honest opinion of these individuals in letters of recommendation.  These are therefore more reflective of what an individual will be like in law school.

Regardless of the many who feel the same way as me about the LSAT, law schools continue to use it as the most important factor in admissions decisions.  It does not seem like this will change any time soon.  For now, candidates will have to continue to play the admissions game and pray that they will perform well on the LSAT.

Who is the best soccer player in the world?

           It 

is not very easy to answer this question.  There are several candidates that deserve to be part of the discussion.  Cristiano Ronaldo, Iker  Casillas, Lionel Messi, Xavi, and Andres Iniesta all are contenders for the tittle of the best.  Although there are more players who also deserve consideration, I am going to limit the debate to these five players.

 

Cristiano Ronaldo is undoubtedly the most charismatic and well-known player in the world.  Ronaldo’s charisma and talent have made him the most expensive player in the world.  Spanish team Real Madrid bought him from Manchester United in the summer of 2009 for a transfer fee of over $130 million.  This is the largest transfer fee in soccer history.  Ronaldo won several league titles and a Champions League tittle during his time with Manchester United.  He has also won FIFA’s Best Player of the Year award once.  Yet, he has failed to capture any major titles with Real Madrid.  He has also not had significant success with the Portuguese national team.  Does Ronaldo prove that the most charismatic player is not always the best on the field?

Ronaldo’s Real Madrid teammate, Iker Casillas, is the best goalkeeper in the world.  He won the World Cup in 2010 with Spain.  His incredible play was one of the biggest factors that helped Spain win its first World Cup.  Casillas has also won several league tittles and one Champions League tittle with Real Madrid.  In addition, Casillas is the captain of both Real Madrid and the Spanish national team.  Yet, is his position in the debate over the best player in the world limited by the fact that he is a goalkeeper?

Xavi and Andres Iniesta both also were part of the Spanish team that won the World Cup in 2010.  Both of them also have won several league championships and two Champions League tittles with FC Barcelona.  Both of these players were integral to the Spanish victory this summer.  Xavi led the midfield and provided assists in several of Spain’s goals.  Iniesta scored the goal in the World Cup final that granted Spain the victory.  Nevertheless, does the fact that these players are so similar cancel both of them out in the discussion?

Finally, Lionel Messi also presents a strong case for being considered the best.  Messi won FIFA’s Best Player Award this past year.  He has won several league tittles with Barcelona and two Champions League tittles.  He also won the pichichi award last year, granted to the top goal scorer in the Spanish league.  He is currently tied with Cristiano Ronaldo as the top goal scorers of this season.  Yet, Messi has failed to win any major competitions with the Argentinian national team.  His performance with Argentina in the last World Cup was a failure.  Argentina had more than enough talent to win, but they failed to go far in the competition.  Messi was the star of the team so he has received great amounts of criticism for failing to win anything with his national team.  Do Messi’s struggles with Argentina overshadow his incredible achievements with Barcelona?

           

All of these players have incredible talents.  They all deserve consideration in the debate over the best player in the world.  However, critics find faults with some part of all of their games.  I guess in the end, it all comes down to every individual’s favorite team.  People often think that one of the stars of their favorite team is the best in the world.  Real Madrid is my favorite team.  Thus, I personally think that Ronaldo is the best.  Still, the debate is open.

What is wrong with the Lakers?

The Lakers are not the same this season.  They look old.  They lack motivation, enthusiasm, and the killer instinct that an NBA champion needs.  The team chemistry that the Lakers showed in the last three seasons seems long gone.  The Celtics, Heat, Mavericks, and Spurs all have played better throughout the season.  They appear to be better candidates for the championship than the Lakers.

The Lakers currently stand in the third position in the Western Conference with a record of 38 wins and 19 losses.  They are 8.5 games behind the Spurs in the West.  Although they still have a winning record, they do not look like the Lakers teams of the past.  They have lost almost every game against the top teams in the League, including a home loss to the Heat on Christmas.  It appeared like they would turn their season around when they recently defeated the Celtics in Boston.  Yet, this moment of triumph was only a flash.  The Lakers followed this victory with a couple of losses to some of the worst teams in the league, such as the Cavaliers.

The situation appears dim.  The Lakers are not playing well, even though all of their star players are healthy.  It seems like the Lakers simply forgot how to play together and win. 

Despite this, Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson still think that the Lakers are the team to beat.  Bryant and Jackson continually downplay the team’s regular season struggles, and say that they are confident that the team will improve by the beginning of the playoffs.  The Lakers feel that they will magically be able to “turn it on” in the playoffs.

Is this true, though?  Can a team struggle throughout an entire season and then just rise to the occasion when the moment of truth presents itself.  Are the Lakers just so good that they can decide when they will start shinning?

This seems unlikely.  For the most part, a team has to come together and play well during the regular season to have any chance of winning the championship.

Nevertheless, Phil Jackson, Kobe Bryant, and the Lakers organization deserve the benefit of the doubt.  Jackson has won 11 championships (more than any other coach in league history).  Bryant has won 5 championships, and is one of the best players of all time.  The Lakers have won 16 championships, second only to the Celtics.  If anybody can do it, the Lakers can.  They will have to make several changes and probably trade for new talent in order to have a shot at turning the season around.  It won’t be easy.  Yet, a sleeping giant may be on the verge of waking and changing the course of the NBA season.