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A graduate of Columbia College with a BA in Sports Journalism/Sports Marketing Nello Rubio is an aspiring sports journalist who freelance writes for SLAMonline and the Forest Park Post. Nello is very passionate about sports and has been since he was real young. As most young boys did growing up he started off in the traditional little league baseball, then karate, recreational basketball and flag football. He even ran cross country and track for 3 years of high school. Nello also has had a passion for music in particular Hip-Hop since he was about 12-13 years old. This site of his is aimed as everybody's one stop spot for all his thoughts on Sports & Hip-Hop. Thus the name Sports Hop. So look for Nello's views on different sports topics as well as new Hip-Hop music be it new songs, videos or whatever as well as interviews. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-20047835-1']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();

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2018 World Series Preview!

    One of the greatest times of the year for baseball fans and most sports fans alike is finally here, as the 2018 World Series gets underway later tonight.  In a matchup of the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers, we have two of the more storied franchises in not only baseball, but sports history set to face each other.  This is set to be the Dodgers 20th World Series appearance, while it will be the Red Sox 15th World Series appearance.  

     This is what has for a third year in a row the makings of a possibly classic and memorable series too that can be just as good, if not better than either of the last two Fall Classic's.  For those who may have short memories both those series went to the wire and taking a deciding winner-take-all Game 7 to decide the champion.

    This year’s series has plenty of storylines too.  Whether it be the Red Sox trying to finish what has already been a historically great season for them with their fourth World Series in 15 years or the Dodgers, who will be looking for redemption from last year’s World Series loss to complete what they couldn’t last year by ending their 30 year drought without a World Series title.  Something a lot of Boston fans are familiar with.  As before 2004, it took them 86 years to win the series after the famed, “Curse of the Bambino.”  Also both Red Sox manager Alex Cora and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts played for both teams and were teammates with the Dodgers from 2002-2004.  With both managers winning the series in different years for the Red Sox too.

    For two teams that were separated by as many as 16 wins in the regular season, this is a lot closer matchup than you would initially think.  As both teams have very deep and powerful lineups and benches led by the likes of Mookie Betts, J.D. Martinez for the Red Sox and Manny Machado and Justin Turner for the Dodgers.  Both teams also have very great rotations with two of the greatest aces of their eras respectively in Clayton Kershaw and Chris Sale, as well as strong bullpen’s anchored by the likes of Kenley Jansen and Craig Kimbrel.  

    In a series featuring two managers who are creativitly unafraid to use all their resources, I expect the series to not only go the distance, but come down to the very final outs on Halloween night and I wouldn’t be surprised to even last into extra innings and possibly even into past the stroke of midnight into November.  With home-field advantage and a slightly better rotation top to bottom from the Red Sox being the difference though, I see Boston helping make Cora just one of only a few select managers to win the World Series in their first year managing to help cap a truly great and historic season.

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2018 MLB Playoffs Preview!

    We have reached one of the best times of the year if you’re a sports fan with the very start of Fall and the start of Major League Baseball’s postseason, plus the beginning of training camp and on the verge of the start of the NBA and the start of the NHL Playoffs.  Almost none are more greater than the start of the playoffs of America’s past time and easily the best playoffs and/or postseason of all of the Major Sports with the MLB Postseason.

    Starting just a couple of days ago and not getting to include both the Wild Card Game’s among my predictions as I would have loved to, the Colorado Rockies beat the Chicago Cubs in a record-setting 13-inning, 2-1 pitcher’s duel on the National League side.  A game many expected the Cubs to win, while last night, on the American League side the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium had a pretty lopsided 7-2 victory over the Oakland Athletics.  

    Thus setting up the Division Series matchups that start today with the Milwaukee Brewers hosting the Rockies in the NLDS and two of the most surprise teams all year in baseball.  Which I see the Brewers winning in four games in what can be a just as surprisingly good series.  In the other NL matchup, which gets underway later tonight, two of the more great and storied franchises in NL history over the past 20-30 years, the Los Angeles Dodgers host the Atlanta Braves.  A very young team with a lot of inexperience, the current Braves incarnation will get some much-needed postseason experience, but ultimately the Dodgers will be to much and sweep the series in three.  While the AL side of things gets started tommorrow.  First in the afternoon with the defending World Series Champion, Houston Astros hosting the Cleveland Indians in what can be a good series despite the Indians being the only team in the AL to not win 100 games.  Having a rotation of Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer, Carlos Carrasco and Mike Clevinger that became the first foursome to top 200 strikeouts apiece.  Also adding former AL MVP Josh Donaldson definitely helps what before his acquisition wasn’t a really great offense for the Indians.  Still this Astros team with Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole at the top of rotation and one of the best rotations in all of baseball, as well as players like Carlos Correa and José Altuve getting back to full health at just the right time for what’s arguably the deepest team from top to bottom in all of baseball, is scarily even better than last year’s team.  That and you add the fact they have that they have a strong bullpen, hit when needed and play good defense to make what’s easily the most well-rounded team in all of baseball toow is why I have the Astros moving on to their second straight ALCS after beating Cleveland in four games in a matchup of the last two AL pennant winners.  All games will be close though and dedided by only two to three runs and I wouldn’t be surpised if it even did end up going all five games.  In the other AL matchup, one of the most storied and heated rivalries in all of Sports or ever period is renewed with the Boston Red Sox taking on the Yankees.  Surprisingly just the fourth time both teams have faced each other in the postseason and first since the epic back-to-back American League Championship Series battles of 2003 and 2004, it promises to be another good one, as series between the two teams usually are.  With this being the first time both are 100-win or more teams, this isn’t a lopsided matchup like some people would have you think.  The Red Sox only won the regular season series just barely at 10-9 and only outscored the Yankees 116-102.  Plus New York is the healthiest they’ve been all year.  Still the Red Sox have home-field advantage and continue to play great baseball, as one of the most complete teams from pitching to hitting and defense in all of baseball and why I think Boston just edges out their long-hated rivals in five games in what has a chance to be one of the most historic Division Series and I wouldn’t be surprised to see come down to the final outs or even final pitches to decide the winner.  Meanwhile in the final division series matchup,.

    Both championship series would then be setup with the Red Sox and Astros set to face each other in the ALCS.  While in a matchup of big city versus little city, the Dodgers and Brewers would be set to face each other in the NLCS.  The first time all four teams faced each other in the playoffs.  The Astros moving on in a very epic seven-game series, which has the possibility of being one of the best ALCS or postseason series ever, while the Dodgers will win a very hard-fought six game series in the NLCS.

    That would setup a World Series rematch of last year’s epic seven-game series between the Astros and Dodgers.  In what would be another very epic hard-fought seven game series once again coming down to the final pitches and outs, the Astros would become the first team to repeat as World Series champions since the Yankees won three straight from 1998 to 2000.

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     It's been awhile since we heard new music from Grammy Award-winning, singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Elle Varner. While that changed earlier today, as the singer gifted us with new music on her birthday In the soulful, Casanova. It doesn't disappoint either. As the new record shows off Varner's amazingly lush vocals and songwriting abilities that made us all such huge fans from the jump. Hopefully this means her long-delayed and highly-anticipated sophomore album, 4 Letter Word, will finally drop this year too.

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BJ the Chicago Kid is sorry and apologetic to a significant other for breaking their heart on his very soulfully smooth and somber new ballad, I'm Sorry featuring Lawrence Jones.  Where over soulfully gentle guitar strings, he hopes for forgiveness on the very soulfully somber and honest, new record.

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With today marking 10 years since his critically-acclaimed debut album, Love Hate, singer/songwriter and producer, The-Dream celebrates with the release of the sensual new record, It's Yo Birthday.

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With baseball and MLB's annual Winter Meetings recently underway, the most successful team in the biggest market for the game, the New York Yankees made the biggest splash so far. As thanks in part to another former Yankee great, Derek Jeter, who's now part owner of the Miami Marlins, the Yankees made official their acquisition of defending NL MVP, Giancarlo Stanton to the Bronx Bombers in an official press conference to introduce him for the first time as a member of the ballclub.

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Singer Kehlani is back with a smooth new single, Already Won. The boisterous new record finds the talented singer/songwriter over the triumphant production boosting about her accomplishments she has already had in such a short career and even getting a little somewhat cocky rap in towards the middle to latter part of the song. You can listen to the dope new single from the young Bay area native above and lookout for a possible announcement on an upcoming sophomore album soon.

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Today on her birthday, K. Michelle gifts her fans with the very dark and sensual new video for, what else, but one of her crazy dopest latest singles, Birthday. Which finds the very sexy and talented singer/songwriter showing off her amazingly sexy curves while celebrating her birthday in various different looks throughout the visual. The new visual comes not only on her birthday, but exactly a month from the release of her highly-anticipated new album, Kimberly: The People I Use To Know on Dec. 8th.

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2017 World Series Preview!

    The top two teams in all of baseball for much of the year, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Astros are set to face each other starting Tuesday evening for the World Series in what has the makings of a possibly classic series that can be just as good, if not better than last year’s Fall Classic between the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians.  

   Like last year, this year’s series features two teams with long series droughts and where one will finally be broken.  As the Dodgers haven’t won a championship in nearly 30 years and the Astros have never won a title in franchise history.  

   In a series that’s sure to have plenty of headlines and storylines.  Whether it be the first warm weather series to the Astros trying to complete the infamous SI prediction cover story made three years ago about them winning the series this year or Houston being the sentimental underdog many will root for cause of all they have gone through and are still going through after Hurricane Harvey and the Dodgers trying to finally bank their payroll to a long-awaited championship, after so many failures in the playoffs, this has the makings of not only what will be a truly classic and memorable series, but one where there will be plenty to talk about throughout the series as well.

    You couldn’t ask for a much better matchup.  As both teams are virtually even in almost every major category, from starting pitching to hitting, defense and everything in between.  With the Astros boasting co-aces, Dallas Keuchel and the otherwordly dominant Justin Verlander, while the Dodgers have arguably the best pitcher in all of baseball in Clayton Kershaw, it will most likely come down to pitching and not hitting to decide a champion.  Even with a lineup that was the best in the Majors in the Astros and lead by likely AL MVP, Jose Altuve along with Carlos Correa and a Dodgers lineup that there’s virtually no weakness from top to bottom, whether it be Corey Seager, Justin Turner and Cody Bellinger towards the top and heart of the order or Yasiel Puig at the bottom, this is still a series that will likely be decided more by pitching and with a lot of very close games throughout.  

   Which is why in a series that’s the first in awhile where homefield advantage was earned by the team with the best overall record, it will play a huge part along with pitching in who will ultimately raise that World Series trophy.  Especially with home teams being 23-8 so far this postseason and that including a 10-0 mark from both the Dodgers and Astros.  

   While Houston is the sentimental underdog a lot will be rooting for, I think the Dodgers will ultimately pull things out in a very classic and truly memorable World Series that goes all seven games.  Sure the Astros have the much more high-powered offense and two true aces in Keuchel and Verlander and wouldn’t be easy to beat, but the Dodgers were the best team in the Majors in the regular season and have gotten even scarily better in the postseason.  With Los Angeles balance and depth, as well as their slight edge in starting pitching and light-years ahead better bullpen, led by closer Kenley Jansen being the ultimate deciding factor in the Dodgers winning their first World Series in nearly 30 years and I just think with the way they have played all year and even this postseason, it’s truly finally the Dodgers year to once again bring back a World Series trophy to Los Angeles.

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     Legendary soul singer, Syleena Johnson, has teamed up with her legendary soul singing father, Syl Johnson for a collaborative new album, Rebirth of Soul. Due out exactly a month from today on Nov. 10th the two legendary Chicago natives team up with live musicians from their hometown, who helped them record the album. Which has Syleena giving her very own soaring interpretations of mainly classic R&B songs from the 50's and 60's. The very first single being Syleena's very classic and soulful rendition of Bettye Swann’s, Make Me Yours, which you can listen to above.

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Singer Kehlani likes her women, just like honey. As she admits on her very amazing newest record, the appropriately titled, Honey. Which finds the Oakland native singing over nothing but an acoustic guitar about a former friend-turned-girlfriend. Like a lot of Kehlani's music it shows her honesty, through her eyes, as only she can tell. The smooth as honey record really allowing her to showcase her amazing soft smooth vocals too.

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Rising new singer/songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist, Josh Jacobson is in need for love on his very soulfully amazing new latest single, I Need You. Which finds the Itacha, New York native, showing off his soft gentle, yet amazing vocals over the soulful carefully perfectly placed piano backdrop he plays along with chants on the thunderous production of the record. With a voice that sounds like the future of soul, this is the latest from Jacobson's just today released debut EP, First Light.

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After first being reported over the weekend, it's now official that the Carmelo Anthony era in New York is over. As the Knicks announced the shocking trade of Anthony to the Oklahoma City Thunder early this morning. Ending a tumultuous tenure by the former superstar with the Knicks, who looked all summer to try and trade their star player. Who many thought was going to be traded to the Houston Rockets to team with James Harden and newly acquired Chris Paul to form their own Big 3. Instead though, Anthony, after waiving his no-trade clause goes to the Thunder, where he will form OKC's second incarnation of their own Big 3. The former Thunder Big 3 featuring current MVP, Russell Westbrook, former MVP, Kevin Durant and Harden, this newest incarnation for OKC will feature Westbrook, Anthony and the recently not long ago acquired, former All-Star, Paul George. The move makes things even more interesting and competitive, in what was already believed to be a very competitive and interesting Western Conference. The move also brings Melo back to the West, where he spent much of his career, before he was acquired by the Knicks from Denver in a blockbuster trade nearly eight years ago.

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Singer/songwriter Snoh Aalegra drops her very soulful new latest single, Fool For You. A record that over the thumping drums finds Snoh singing so seamlessly about a new love she's falling a fool for. The melody and chorus really capturing the singers lyrics so well.

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As you would expect a bunch of fine young women, grind and wind their summer bodies with The-Dream and Fabolous for the hitmaker's new A1 Vision-directed video for his sizzling single, Summer Body. Premiered on Vevo earlier today, you can watch the fun new visual above.

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The Buffalo Bills just made over their whole roster with two trades earlier today. When the team acquired wide receiver, Jordan Matthews from the Philadelphia Eagles and traded their former first-round pick and wide receiver, Sammy Watkins to the Los Angeles Rams in two separate trades.

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Ne-Yo hits the dance floor at a restaurant for his feel-good new dance-heavy video for his also feel-good, dance-ready latest single, Another Love Song.