reas fortress.The North American LCS could be terrible. But so could the LPL, LMS, and EU LCS. TSM might go on

HAZLETON, Pa. -- Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon has helped workers break ground on a $250,000 playground for his Pennsylvania hometown.The playground is part of the Hazleton One Community Center, the brainchild of Maddon and his cousin, Elaine Maddon Curry, and her husband, Robert Curry.Maddon helped create the Hazleton Integration Project to unite people of different cultures in the town, which has a growing Hispanic population.The community center opened in a former Catholic school about four years ago, and the playground is the latest addition.Maddon says the poorer immigrant families in Hazleton are exactly what we looked like in the late `50s and early `60s ... when there were four families living in an apartment.Local developer William Rinaldi is paying for the playground.Wholesale NHL Jerseys . Numbers Game examines the deal that sees Michael Del Zotto and Kevin Klein switch places. The Predators Get: D Michael Del Zotto. Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic . 9. Price, heading to the 2014 Olympics for Canada, was named the First Star after posting wins in three starts with a 1.00 goals-against average and a .971 save percentage. http://www.jerseysnhlfromchina.us/ . After a first half in which he thought "the lid was on the basket," the Toronto Raptors coach watched his squad mount a second half surge to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 98-91. Cheap NHL Jerseys China . -- Arizona knocked off some quality opponents, rolled over a few overmatched ones and grinded out victories even when things didnt go so well. Cheap Jerseys . -- Tony Stewart is 20 pounds lighter and has a titanium rod in his surgically repaired right leg.Alright, its time to sit down and discuss Team SoloMids placement on the Global Power Rankings before the community collapses into chaos.First off, can we stop acting like anyone knows which region is truly the second best in the world? From the two major international tournaments weve had this year -- we really do need more of these -- there has only been one undeniable trend: SK Telecom T1 are the best team in the world, and South Korea, for the umpteeth year straight, is the best overall region in the world with the deepest lineup of elite teams.There is no basis for putting China second. While I agree Royal Never Give Up and Edward Gaming are world contenders, there is nothing proving they are automatically better or worse than North Americas current cream of the crop, TSM and Immortals. Sure, you can use the patented eye test to pick which team looks better, but that isnt the only case. If we were to go off the Intel Extreme Masters Katowice and Mid-Season Invitational, the pair of major international tournaments, the other four regions (NA, Europe, China, and Taiwan) all look inconsistent.So when looking at teams solely based on their domestic play, how could we not rate TSM this highly? Its 14-0 in best-of-three matches. It has a stunning record of 28 map wins and only three losses. After losing its worst game of the season to last-place Echo Fox, TSM have gone to a new level, reeling off sixteen straight map victories. This is a team that is dominating more now than it did early in the season, something you couldnt say about NAs juggernaut last season, Immortals.Come Worlds, yes, there is obviously a chance of TSM and the rest of North America falling on its faces like last year. But Europe failed to get a single team to the quarterfinals in 2014 (NA got two teams) which was quickly forgotten when Origen and Fnatic got to the semifinals last year. Unless youre a team qualifying from South Korea or a Chinese team with Jian Uzi Zi-Hao, the World Champions can be a shot in the dark.When people see a North American team ranked highly on our rankings, many sigh in exasperation or frustration or disbelief. But, maybe, just maybe, Team SoloMid, and North America for that matter, arent jokes? Maybe TSM and Immorttals are strong teams.ddddddddddddIf CLG and TSM failed to do anything at IEM Katowice and MSI, then I could see the basis of saying North American teams shouldnt be ranked highly. While NA didnt do amazingly at IEM, TSM still made the semifinals and CLG were debatably the second or third best team at MSI along with Royal Never Give Up behind the dominating SK Telecom T1.If we were to go solely off the starting lineups on paper heading into the World Championships last split, a final between two of the trio, Edward Gaming, LGD Gaming, and SK Telecom T1 was highly likely. Instead, LGDs lack of coaching and practice had the star studded lineup fall in the group stages, and Edward Gaming disappointed by only advancing to the quarterfinals before getting bounced by Fnatic, a squad from a region that failed to send a single team to the bracket stage a year prior. The only favorite to actually show up and do well was SK Telecom T1.Without more international tournaments between not only the top teams from each region but the middle tier clubs as well, were left in this purgatory where we dont really know how strong a league truly is outside South Koreas fortress.The North American LCS could be terrible. But so could the LPL, LMS, and EU LCS. TSM might go on to make a semifinal run at Worlds this year, but without seeing the likes of NRG Esports or Team Envy at an international competition, we cant really say NA is better than the EU LCS or vice versa. One or two outliers could change the perception of an entire region.Frankly, we need more international competition with more teams able to compete from across the world. Thats the only way well ever start to form any sort of ranking between regions not from the LCK, the league where the other four major regions take talent from to create mixed-language squads.Until then, I stand behind my ranking of Team SoloMid. Sixteen straight map victories, a perfect match record, and an experienced squad with legitimate proven all star talent in the likes of S?ren Bjergsen Bjerg and Yiliang Doublelift Peng. You cant ask for much more from a non-LCK team. ' ' '