Premier League Offseason Outlook

NBC 2 Videographer and soccer aficionado Jon Moore takes a look at the upcoming offseason in the Premier League 

Courtesy: thescratchingshed.com

The circus that is the summer transfer window of the Barclay’s Premier League is underway. If you are unfamiliar with how the transfer period works, basically teams are only allowed to bring in new players twice a year. The window occurs during the summer off season and in January for a short time. Unlike most American professional sports, transactions almost rarely include a player for player trade. Instead, teams offer a transfer fee for specific players. Rarely will a player be included along with the fee. Players who are no longer under contract like free agency in American sports are free to sign with any team they deem fit.

The Liverpool Football Club has agreed to terms with former Arsenal and Manchester City defender Kolo Toure. This marked the first move of the summer for the club on Merseyside. Toure will most likely be the first of a couple defenders brought in by second year manager Brendan Rodgers. With the retirement of longtime defender Jamie Carragher, Liverpool's back four will definitely need some reinforcement. There are whisperings that current Liverpool defender Martin Sktrel, who lost his starting job to Carragher midway through the 12'/13' campaign, is on his way out.

Courtesy: guardian.co.uk

Toure may be the first of multiple signings to strengthen the Liverpool defense. The 32 year Ivory Coast international will not only add plenty of skill to the Redmen defense, but plenty of experience and a winning mentality. He also adds many leadership qualities as he wore the captains armband on multiple occasions for 2011/2012 Premier League champions Manchester City. Some are skeptical that Toure's best years are behind him, but many of the skeptics also wrote off the 35 year-old Carragher. In the second half of the 2012/2013 season the veteran became arguably Liverpool's most consistent defender. Though Toure should not be viewed as a long term fixture, he will make plenty of appearances and add much needed depth. It should also be noted that Toure's contract with Manchester City expired, so no transfer fee was required of Liverpool's owners, Fenway Sports Group.

Courtesy: footytube.com

Also in the Liverpool transfer rumor mill is current Schalke defender of the German Bundesliga, Greek international Kyriakos Papadopoulos. The 21 year-old Papadopoulos is coming off a rough year, where he only made ten appearances for Schalke in the 2012/2013 season due to illness and knee surgery. Liverpool fans should not let this worry them too much; Papadopoulos had a great 2011/2012 campaign and added seven goals from a defensive position. Many scouts have said that one of many Papadopoulos's strengths is in the air which could really help Liverpool who were vulnerable against free kicks and corners in 2012/2013. Many Liverpool supporters look at the big man from Greece as a long term replacement for the recently retired Carragher. He is under contract for a rumored price tag of £12million. If Liverpool finds themselves in a bidding war with deep pocketed clubs such as Manchester City, the Redmen may need to start looking elsewhere for defensive reinforcements. It has already been a busy summer for Liverpool and the rest of world football....better known as soccer here in the states.

Mayer: Kanaan Win at Indy Well Deserved

I had no clue who Tony Kanaan was before covering my first Indianapolis 500 four years ago. I would think the majority of non racing fans may have heard the Brazilian driver's name for the first time after his Indianapolis 500 victory on Sunday. In the racing community though, Kanaan is beloved and his victory may be the most celebrated in recent memory.

Courtesy King5.com

I'm not going to pretend to be some kind of Indy Car aficionado...far from it. But in covering the 500 for a couple of years now and interacting with Kanaan, it seems simple why he is so popular. Kanaan is a really great guy. Seriously, you couldn't find a nicer driver who constantly shares his love of racing and expresses how grateful he is to fans.

The Brazilian has had way too many close but no cigar moments at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He finished second in 2004, third last year and in 2003, fourth in 2011, and fifth in 2006. In 04' he ran one of the better races and even led for 28 laps, but did not get a chance to make a late run when rain stopped the race 20 laps short. In 2007, Kanaan was leading when rain caused a delay, but the race resumed and a crash knocked him out. The whole rain thing is even more interesting when considering weather was expected to be a major factor on Sunday, but the storms stayed away. Kanaan has experienced a couple of other "oh not again moments" and many thought he would never grab the checkered flag at IMS.

Courtesy courier-journal.com

One thing I've always noticed is when Kanaan makes a charge or grabs a lead the cheers are significantly louder. During driver intros he always receives one of the biggest rounds of applause. Every Indy 500, fans want Tony Kanaan to win. They feel like he deserves to win. I remember interviewing Kanaan at the last row party (a banquet of sorts thrown for the last three qualifying drivers). Some veterans might want to get the somewhat embarrassing process over with, but not Kanaan. He was jovial, confident, and per usual respectful to everyone involved.

The veteran racer was not really a popular pick to win The Greatest Spectacle in Racing this year. He started in the 12th spot. As it became evident he would have a chance at victory you could feel the emotion building in the crowd. I was in the KV Racing Technology pit when the final yellow flag went up and when Kanaan finally grabbed the checkered flag. There was so much joy by all those involved. Yes, winning the 500 for anyone is a monumental achievement, but for Kanaan it meant a little bit more.

Courtesy cbsnews.com

The circus surrounding the winning driver is always interesting. This year because of how big a deal the Brazilian's victory was it got out of hand. In victory lane, network cameras from ESPN were blocking the photographers and videographers who had assigned spots on a set of bleachers facing the winning car. Many people missed the money shot of Kanaan drinking the milk. There was yelling, commotion, and even an object thrown. It got ugly. Kanaan was asked to come back after kissing the bricks and replicate the entire process. Of course, he abided and then went through hours of interviews. He answered the same questions over and over with a smile that could not be wiped clean.

In a race that had so many variables; 68 lead changes which was double the record and a threat of weather, the racing Gods finally shined down on Kanaan. Indy Car fans could not be happier.

Mayer: Can the Pacers Upset the Heat?

Yes, the Pacers can upset the Miami Heat and stun the world taking the Eastern Conference crown. It's also theoretically possible for me to dunk a basketball, but that hasn't happened in about 207,541 attempts. While the Pacers have a much better chance at moving on to the NBA Finals than me magically gaining massive hops, both remain doubtful.

Courtesy si.com

I don't mean to take anything away from the Miami Heat because there are some fantastic pieces on the roster and obviously basketball remains a team game. But let's be serious. The reason the Pacers are such underdogs is because of LeBron James. The King is in his career peak and is playing on another level. Really, we have never seen anything like this; as in the way LeBron is actually playing the game. He's able to guard 1-5, drive between and over multiple defenders, post up at most any spot, and hit three pointers. #BEASTMODE

The Pacers are about defense and truly team basketball. I have enjoyed watching this squad play immensely. Roy Hibbert anchors the defense and Paul George is the main offensive threat, but they are by no means counted on to carry the full load.

George will have the unenviable task of attempting to guard LeBron for a great deal of this series. Even if he is able to limit the greatest player in the world, all the energy expended on defense will surely impact George's offense. After Game 5 of the Pacers vs Knicks series I was in the Pacers locker room and heard George talking to a ball boy about how much guarding Carmelo Anthony took out of him. Get ready young fella because guarding Carmelo as opposed to LeBron is like fighting a mountain lion instead of a grizzly bear.

With that said, if Paul George is able to limit (and limit is stressed because LeBron will get his numbers), but not allow him to totally dominate, the Pacers have a shot. I'm not forgetting that George will not be alone. Surely, there will be double teams and having Hibbert clog the middle should stop LeBron from driving....sometimes. So, let's assume the limiting of the King happens. What do the Pacers need to do to win?

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We'll go right back to Roy Hibbert, who had struggled offensively for so much of the season before turning it around. The Pacers will need to feed the big man and he will need to convert. Miami is known to have issues with physical teams that can rely on a back to the basket big guy. The Pacers fit that description if Hibbert can be counted on .

Another area I'm really looking at is the guard match ups. I'm not expecting to see the Dwayne Wade that caused so much havoc last year. Wade is still a top player, but he's hurting and has not been himself for a while now. Lance Stephenson has emerged and after the display he put on against the Knicks, may be counted on even more. If Stepehenson can play up to his potential and George Hill can provide a solid compliment (and remain healthy) the Pacers will have an advantage at guard.

Chris Bosh is a major match up nightmare for many teams, but I could see David West pushing him around. I won't say the Pacers have an advantage there, but it seems pretty equal. I would take the Indiana bench over the Heat without a doubt when comparing depth. That will become a big factor if the series extends to six or seven games.

Courtesy epsportsmag.com

So, the Heat have the best player and best combination of three players (even if Wade is not 100%). They are also more dynamic offensively (by a pretty good margin). The Pacers have a better defense (though Miami is still a good defensive team) and more depth. There are also more individual and positional match ups for the Pacers to exploit. However, the Heat have LeBron and it really is that simple. There's no reason to doubt the best player alive. I expect a good series that goes six or seven games. The Pacers very well could win...and I very well could dunk.