History of Halo Esports, Part 1

With the start of a new competitive Halo season beginning this weekend, I decided to write a brief history of the esport’s tournament placings.

The early history of competitive Halo goes hand in hand with the careers of some of the scene’s most decorated players, Ogre 1, Ogre 2, and Walshy.

In the early days of 2002 and 2003, some initial Halo: Combat Evolved tournaments rose up,attracting the attention of many halo players. Often referred to as the first official competitive tournament prior to MLG taking over the scene, Halo50k was won by The Dream Team lead by Zyos. Zyos would go on to win seven total Halo: CE events in his career and was later a member of Team FFA and Str8 Rippin.

Though Halo 50k resulted in a third place finish for the Ogre twins, the following tourney (Halo50k2) saw them win under the Shoot to Kill (STK) banner, beginning their first reign over competitive Halo by winning 4 tourneys in a row.

This success prompted the formation of Team FFA, a collection of individually skilled players who came together solely to dethrone STK. Team FFA was headlined by Walshy and included Zyos, KillerN and Gintron.

Team FFA succeeded in their goal, winning back to back tournaments over STK. Following MLG Atlanta 2004, Walshy and KillerN left Team FFA to team with Ogre 1 and 2 forming Team Domination for the rest of competitive Halo: CE. Team Domination closed out the season winning the final four tourneys, culminating in the 2004 New York Championships. This was to be the first of multiple national championships for the core three of Walshy and the Ogres.

The 2005 season started off with a roster change for the squad, with Saiyan getting picked up over KillerN. The team also went back to referring to themselves as Shoot to Kill.

2005 was the inaugural season of competitive Halo 2, marking the start of the golden age of professional Halo.

This roster would win the first eight events of Halo 2 (switching their name to Team 3D in the middle of their run) before finally dropping in the grand finals to Str8 Rippin at MLG Philadelphia 2005. Though Team 3D quickly regained their footing, this win for Str8 gave famed Halo pro Tsquared his first event victory (that Ogre 1, Ogre 2 and Walshy also attended). Tsquared would remain a top player throughout most his Halo 1, 2 and 3 career, being the only competitive Halo player to have double digit first, second, and third place finishes*.

Team 3D followed this loss by winning the final six events of the season, including the championships at MLG New York. The core three of Walshy and the Ogres had won back to back Halo National championships and 18 of the previous 19 events they attended.

The 2006 season started off as if the dominance of this roster would continue. Walshy, Ogre 1, Ogre 2 and Saiyan, now playing under the famous Final Boss moniker, would win the first four tournaments of the year.

For the first time in a long time however, the Final Boss roster finally met their match. At MLG Orlando, team Carbon consisting of Karma, GH057ayame, Ghandi and Shockwav3. Carbon had consistently been the second and third place team during Final Boss’s unprecedented run, losing to them in the previous five events.

This event win was not a fluke for Carbon however. The next tournament, MLG New York Playoffs 2006, Carbon backed up their performance with another win for the season. This marked the first time a team other than those consisting of the core three of Walshy and the Ogres had won back to back tournaments in Halo esports since Walshy did so against the Ogres back on Team FFA in Halo CE.

The next tournament was the 2006 Championships in Las Vegas. The event hosted the largest prize pool to that point in Halo esports history with $180,000 up for grabs on the 4v4 side of things.

Carbon and Final Boss breezed their way to the Winners Finals to face each other. Carbon yet again got the best of FB, winning the series 3-1. In the Grand Final, Carbon held off Final Boss in a grueling 10 game series that saw Carbon win 6-4 and walk away with $100,000. (*disclaimer: Grand finals back then used to be a continuation series, best of 11. So the grand finals started 3-1 Carbon up, with both squads each winning 3 games in the finale).

In the off-season, Final Boss dropped Saiyan from their team in place of Strongside. Strongside had previously been a member of Carbon, getting dropped right before Carbon went on their 3-peat of tournament wins. Carbon on the other hand kept the same roster heading into next season.

2007 Final Boss is often hailed as one of, if not the best competitive Halo team ever. Though the team did not have the same level dominance that the Ogre twins and Walshy enjoyed during the 2004 and 2005 seasons, finishing second 2nd at two events, the squad absolutely dismantled the competition when it mattered most.

To begin the 2007 season, FB put their 3-peat of second place finishes behind them, winning back to back tournaments at MLG Charlotte and MLG Meadowlands. Carbon would not sit down however, defeating Final Boss in the finals at MLG Dallas. FB returned to form immediately, winning MLG Chicago over Str8 Rippin in the grand finals while Carbon dropped to fourth. Str8 would flip the result in MLG Orlando though, beating Final Boss in the last event before Nationals (Carbon had yet another fourth place finish).

MLG Las Vegas Championships 2007 is where Final Boss cemented their legacy as the best Halo 2 team, and possibly the greatest Halo team ever. While Str8 Rippin and Carbon battled one another in a tough 10 game loser’s bracket final, FB cruised their way to the grand finals. When Carbon emerged as Final Boss’s challenger yet again, the famous roster completed the sweep, winning the 2007 Championships without dropping a single game during the entire tournament. Watching that squad at that event was insane. Ogre 1, Ogre 2, Walshy and Strongside played practically perfect Halo and blew even their top competition out of the venue.

Halo 2 would feature one more bonus event following Las Vegas Championships, where Final Boss would yet again prevail, this time over the Str8 Rippin squad.

With the first Halo 3 event months away, Final Boss looked to be the clear favorites to continue their dominance of the esport.

*Counting events where some top players did not attend as well as including 3rd/4th place finishes

The Boston Celtics and the Future of the Eastern Conference

The Boston Celtics are one win away from their first Finals appearance since 2010. Boston finds themselves against LeBron in a winner-take-all game 7 yet again. Tonight’s game will determine whether it works out for the Celtics like in 2008, or for LeBron more recently in 2012 with the Heat.

No matter the result of tonight's game, the future of the NBA looks ripe for change, at least in the Eastern Conference. The young squads featured on the Celtics and 76ers finished as 2nd and 3rd seeds respectively this year, both topping the win count of LeBron’s Cavaliers.

Of course regular season wins alone doesn’t mean anything in the playoffs, as the Cavaliers themselves showed in their second round matchup against the top seeded Raptors. But both the Celtics and 76ers backed up the solid seasons they had with at least one playoff series win already under their belts.

The expected rookie of the year, Ben Simmons, and best big man in the East, Joel Embiid look primed to turn into a dynamic duo for years to come. Pair these two with first overall pick Markelle Fultz, and Philadelphia could be in the beginning of their best era in well over a decade. Admittedly, Fultz is still an unknown, but anyone drafted as number one overall talent shouldn’t be easily dismissed.

The way Philadelphia closed out the regular season, winning 16 straight and holding off the Cavaliers to capture the 3rd seed was impressive in itself. It was playoff atmosphere down the stretch, and the young core showed up. The 76ers made quick work of the Heat in the opening round, before falling to the Celtics in 5 games. Though only getting a single win in the series, three of the games were decided by five points or less. A couple of those losses came down to late game execution failures by the 76ers, nothing to do with skill or talent. Fixing crunch time turnovers comes with experience, which the 76ers will be getting plenty of in the years to come.

The Celtics meanwhile are the current challengers to LeBron’s throne in the East. The greatest part about this run by Boston is how far they’ve gone while being shorthanded. The injuries surrounding the Celtics have been well covered throughout the season. And its this fact that makes Boston such a dangerous team for the future.

Even when this Celtics roster was completely healthy to start the season, expecting them to be a game away from ending LeBron’s seven consecutive NBA Finals appearances would be a stretch. When it was Kyrie Irving leading the way through the months, being in this position wasn’t even a thought, nevermind once he went down too. Yet here we are, a team missing it’s two best players (at least to begin the year) has been the biggest threat to LeBron’s reign since the Big 3 era in Boston.

Whatever happens tonight in TD Garden, the Celtics 2018-19 roster will arguably be the most formidable team in the Eastern Conference. Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward returning to action, alongside Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford and Terry Rozier. If the Celtics could manage to retain Marcus Smart and Marcus Morris too, I don’t see any team in the East standing in their way.

Tatum and Brown will continue to make strides toward greatness that they’ve both already demonstrated in prolonged flashes. Becoming starters this season, though at the expense of Hayward, was important for their hastened development that has them both knocking at the door of stardom.

Irving and Hayward are already proven stars who haven’t even reached their prime yet. When these two return to the court, the Celtics, proven by this season’s postseason run without them, will certainly be contending for a championship.

While bench players on the Celtics, Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier could each be starting point guards in the NBA. Luckily for Boston, Rozier is under contract for at least another season. Smart however, the epitome of the heart and grit of this Celtics team, is a restricted free agent this offseason. Boston would be wise to keep Smart, but if another team offers the point guard too high a price to match, he’ll be a huge asset to lose.

A player I think the Celtics have up their sleeve though is Semi Ojeleye. Though Ojeleye played sparingly throughout the Celtics season, he has shown toughness and potential in the playoffs. Against the Bucks specifically, Ojeleye played great defense against one of the best players in the NBA in Giannis Antetokounmpo. Ojeleye is quite an athlete as well, and proved to be a solid shooter in college at SMU. Given the chance, just like the young guns of this year’s Celtic squad, I predict Semi Ojeleye to rise in Boston.

Between the final buzzer at this year’s Finals and the first tip off of next season in October, a lot can happen to shake up teams in the NBA. Three of the four remaining teams in the postseason all underwent some type of major roster change to get where they’re at now. With Danny Ainge at the helm in Boston, things rarely stay stagnant in his pursuit to always improve his squad. Still, I wouldn’t expect anything too dramatic in Boston’s offseason considering the quality of their players.

The real unknown that will determine the future of the Eastern Conference is where LeBron James will end up. If James departs for the West, then the East becomes a battle between the Celtics and 76ers for years to come. If he stays in the Eastern Conference though, will he have enough to compete for more championships? James has yet again willed his team to the brink of another Finals with his worse supporting cast in quite awhile. But a fully healthy Celtics team would blitz through this roster next year. If LeBron James gets some help in Cleveland, or joins another Eastern squad that has more pieces to work with, perhaps he can remain atop his perch.

No matter what James does though, Boston (and Philadelphia) are coming, with the Celtics giving an early taste of what is to come in future seasons through this year’s playoff run.

Whatever happens in tonight’s game, Boston has already outdone all expectations. The 17x NBA champions may soon find themselves in familiar territory for the franchise: atop the Eastern Conference, and even the entire NBA.

Mookie Betts is The Best Player in Baseball

Mookie Betts is the best player in baseball currently and has been among the top players for the last few seasons.

Coming into tonight's game at Tampa Bay, Betts is leading Major League Baseball in batting average, home runs, runs, slugging percentage, total bases, on base percentage, doubles and OPS. He is also second in the American League in stolen bases and has almost as many walks (20) as strikeouts (21) this season.

Betts came out of the gate firing this season, and hasn’t let up as we near the conclusion of May baseball. In terms of overall productivity this season, no player has done it all like Betts has.

Looking beyond Mookie’s stolen bases alone, the intelligence that Betts runs with on the bases is among the best in baseball. On multiple occasions this season and over Betts’s career, he finds a way to gain an extra base or two that could be invaluable when it comes toward trying to win a game. This skill is evident when seeing that Betts leads the MLB in total bases and runs, but even those accolades don’t do justice to his base-running ability.

Mookie Betts is also the 2x reigning Gold Glove award winner out in right field who has already shown this season that he’s still atop the best defensive outfielders in the MLB.

Betts has led the way for the Red Sox this season, being an integral part of Boston’s best start in franchise history. The Red Sox currently sit a half game ahead of the Yankees in the AL East with the best record in the Major League Baseball.

His Wins Above Replacement rating (WAR) is 3.9, barely behind Mike Trout’s MLB leading 4.0 rating despite Betts leading Trout by a significant margin in most statistical categories.

Mookie is no stranger to being ripped off by the WAR stat. In 2016, Betts had a higher batting average, more home runs, RBIs and hits than Trout; along with similar numbers with stolen bases and runs. Betts also won his first Gold Glove out in right that season, helping to lead Boston to the AL East division title. Trout didn’t win a Gold Glove himself in the 2016 campaign, and his team failed to make the playoffs. Yet Trout sported a 0.8 better WAR rating and beat out Betts to take the MVP.

WAR is a statistic that unfortunately punishes players for having good teammates. Betts is leading all of baseball in most of the major statistical categories, never mind the contribution put forth into elements of the game that don’t show up on the stat sheet. How that doesn’t translate into the best WAR in the MLB is beyond me. Baseball already has established a precedent of awarding the MVP to the best player regardless of how the team does, such as with Cal Ripken Jr. in 1991. This mindset contributes to a skewed viewpoint on players who are among the best in the MLB who happen to also be apart of one of the League’s best teams. Discounting the services of a player such as Betts on the voting ballot for MVP because his team is also good is not conducive to the sport or the award.

Even so, Betts just trails Trout for top WAR in baseball. Yet according to an article by Sam Miller of ESPN.com, it is Trout who is “on pace for the greatest season in MLB history.” Considering Betts has been the front runner all season, setting the bar for all other batters and fielders, it is the Red Sox right fielder that should be receiving said consideration; especially with practically the same WAR.

Mookie had a down year batting average wise last season, yet still managed 24 home runs, over 100 RBI’s and 46 doubles. His 16 bombs already this season put Betts on pace to top his career high 31 homers during his 2016 campaign. The way #50 has been playing puts him clearly atop the running for this year’s AL MVP.

The baseball season is still young, with months to go which could feature slumps and streaks for many of the MLB’s best, Betts included. But if the production of these first two months and last three seasons for Betts is any indication, the 25-year-old will surely remain among the best in baseball. To this point, he has shown to be the best. Only time will tell whether the rest of the League takes notice.

Sources-

Trout article:

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/23520017/los-angeles-angels-mike-trout-pace-greatest-season-mlb-history

2016 Awards Voting:

https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_2016.shtml

Betts Stats:

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bettsmo01.shtml

Trout Stats:

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/troutmi01.shtml

League Wide Stats:

http://www.espn.com/mlb/statistics