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March 30, 2008 by editor.
Part of the allure of the NCAA tournament is trying to predict the upsets and the number one seed that will go down first. On a whole, the underdogs, like the Davidson’s and Western Kentucky’s, make for great storylines, and great players get exposure that they would not have gotten otherwise. We want to know about the Stephen Currys, and the other great players that are not playing in the power conferences, and we have a penchant for rooting for them.
That being said, we also want to know who is really the best college basketball team in the nation. When it comes down to it, I want to see the highest seeded teams in the tournament playing in the elite 8 and final 4. This is the closest thing we have to a real playoff.
As much as we enjoy the upsets I believe we look forward to crowning a clear cut champion at year’s end. The only way for that to happen is for the 1 seeds, and the 2 seeds to go deep into the tournament.
In effect, what we have now is a full-fledged playoff. UCLA vs. Memphis, and Kansas vs. North Carolina. It doesn’t get any better than that. All four 1 seeds made it to the final four for the first time.
You have to install North Carolina as the favorite to win it all at this point. On offense they can beat you with finesse, or power. Ty Lawson is key because he sets the pace of the game and I have yet to see a team effectively trap him in the open court. Danny Green and Wayne Ellington not only provide scoring from outside, but are dangerous going to the basket and in transition. They are all superlative defenders as well.
Tyler Hansbrough completes them as a team. He provides toughness and an interior presense that makes them almost unguardable. When their up tempo game is not working, they always have the option to dump it into Hansbrough and let him go to work.
He is unrelenting on the boards and is always around the ball. They are the most dangerous team and have no weaknesses.
Louisville was a good test for them because they play a similar style to North Carolina, and they come at you in waves. Louiville’s athletes matched up well, but were too error prone late in the game to pull off the upset.
Kansas is the most vulnerable final four team. They get after you on defense with their perimeter players and Darrell Arthur is a beast inside. They are deep, and everyone contributes offensively.
Their defense and rebounding give them a lot of easy transition baskets normally, but if that isn’t happening, then they will be in trouble against North Carolina. Brandon Rush and Mario Chalmers will have to shoot well to over-come that, and that will be difficult with N.C.’s defense.
For Kansas to have a chance to win, it will be with their defense leading the way, not their offense.
UCLA comes in to the final four with momentum, but with question marks also. Darren Collison played well against Xavier, but has had an inconsistent tournament. He has been up and down. Josh Shipp is not confident with his shooting and seems to pass up open looks. He hasn’t looked that good.
Kevin Love is the straw that stirs UCLA’s drink. They all feed off of him. He scores inside and outside and sets up everyone else.
When Texas beat UCLA earlier in the season they played a lot of zone to neutralize Love and force the other Bruins to beat them. It will be interesting to see what Memphis will do because they don’t play a lot of zone defense. Love will have to put the team on his back in order for them to get to the final.
The only team that can challenge North Carolina in my eyes is Memphis. They are very deep, they are very active and quick on defense. They have power inside with Joey Dorsey, Robert Dozier, and Shawn Taggart coming off the bench. Their outside shooting is good enough, if not great.
The length of their perimeter players makes it easier to shoot over the top of the defense, and they are excellent at slashing to the basket. It makes them very difficult to score against as well.
Derrick Rose is their stud point guard and the key to their team. He has the ball in his hands most of the time and he makes everything work. Rose beats everyone up the floor on the break, and knows when to slow it down and get the half-court offense going.
Not only does Rose run the offense, at times he becomes the offense. He has a better than average jump shot, and when he goes to the hoop he has the strength and jumping ability to finish with no problem.
Their is no end to the talent that Rose has. He showed it off against Texas with a break-away double pump backwards dunk. D.J. Augustin looked ordinary against the long Memphis defenders and it was obvious who the best point guard was on the floor.
Memphis handled Texas as if they weren’t in their league, and they embarrassed a pretty good Michigan State team previously by posting a 50-20 halftime score.
I don’t thing Memphis will have too much of a problem with UCLA. I see them winning and playing North Carolina in the final, which is the game I have wanted to see since the tournament began.
This couldn’t have worked out better if you planned it. We still had our upsets and surprises, but we have all the 1 seeds duking it out for the championship. Too bad it will never happen in college football. Oh well, we can dream can’t we?
Posted in College Sports | Print | No Comments »
March 23, 2008 by editor.
This has been a banner season for the NBA. Great story-lines abound: Who will make the playoffs in the West, who will win the MVP award, can Chris Paul lead the Hornets deep into the playoffs, the resurgence of the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, the Houston Rockets, and I could go on and on.
The sad thing is that one constant remains: The New York Knicks are still pathetic from top to bottom. While there are other bad teams in the league there are other mitigating factors involved in their losing ways. The Knicks have the resources, loyal and enthusiastic fans, the lure of playing at the Garden, and endorsement opportunities. What they don’t have is an organization made up of good basketball minds with a vision for the future.
The problems start in the front office. James Dolan has made a series of decisions that have led New York down a path of destruction. The biggest mistake he made was bringing in Isiah Thomas to be the President. Thomas, following suit, was responsible for hiring Larry Brown to coach, which was a total disaster. When you bring in someone to run your operation you also bring in their vision for the team.
Thomas’ vision was not to rebuild, but to make trade after trade until he gathered together enough players with individual talent, and hope they mesh well. That is what Dolan bought. That philosophy has driven the team into the ground.
Thomas has always felt you can’t rebuild in New York, which is not true. The fans will show patience if they see progress and a good product. His strategy and mindset led to a series of moves that sabotaged their future. He brings in players with individual talent without any thought given to whether the chemistry will work (Steve Francis and Stephon Marbury in the same backcourt).
Marbury is a talented player, but hasn’t won anywhere he has been and is not the greatest floor leader, to say the least. The most success he has had was in Minnesota, and that was because he was with Kevin Garnett. Jamal Crawford is talented as well, but never saw a shot he didn’t like.
Eddy Curry has regressed after last year and has not been a factor. For a center, he doesn’t rebound or defend well. Zach Randolph is another player that is talented offensively but can’t defend.
Thomas has specialized in bringing in players that need the ball to be effective, are not defensive-minded and can’t make others around them better. Included in some of these deals, have been unprotected lottery picks that could have been used to change the face of the team.
First, a new General Manager and President need to be brought in with a fresh vision for the team going forward. Their mindset can’t be to go for the quick fix, but to build a team with a good foundation that can grow together and win over the fans with their style of play. They need a product that the people of New York can root for.
Second, they need a stud young player that can be the face of the franchise. It would help if they could get into the top 2 or 3 positions in the draft so they could have a shot at Derrick Rose. What the Knicks have lacked for a lot of years is a true top flight point guard to lead the team. Rose would fit that bill, and they could build around him.
Third, they need to bring in players that will lay it on the line defensively every night, like the Knicks of the past. The other players in the league never looked forward to playing those defensive-minded Knick teams in the Patrick Ewing era, but everyone looks forward to playing New York now because they know it won’t be a physical game.
Even if the new look Knicks don’t win right away and need to develop, the fans will get behind them. The Garden was packed when they were not winning years ago. They had a franchise player in the past, and their style of play appealed to the city they played in.
Fourth, they need a coach who can instill confidence in the players and put in systems and schemes that fit their skills. Jerry Sloan of the Utah Jazz is a good example. He was a hard-nosed player in his day, and the team that he coaches has been that way year in and year out. The players have changed but the intensity of his teams hasn’t. That is what the Knicks need.
New York needs a new GM in place before the next draft and they should have a fire sale. I would keep David Lee, Renaldo Balkman, and Wilson Chandler, but everyone else would be available. Loading up on draft picks with an eye toward developing them, and then mixing in a few veterans that fit down the line should be the goal.
It is not far fetched to think that 2 seasons from now New York could be one of the story lines in the NBA. The Knicks seem to be preparing for change already, with rumors of front office changes and salary dumps abounding. It is a minor miracle Isiah Thomas is still in charge. When David Stern says that he anticipates big changes in New York, you have to believe it will happen.
Posted in Basketball | Print | No Comments »
March 19, 2008 by editor.
What do you call Cinderella, when she doesn’t really look like a Cinderella? You call her the Marquette Golden Eagles. It is not hard to figure out why. Even though they are playing in the South Region which is pretty loaded, they are primed to go at least 2 rounds.
First off, they play in the rough and ready Big East. Their conference record was 11-7 which was good. A look at their key wins tells us more. They beat a good Wisconsin team on the road, and they also took out Notre Dame twice. Notre Dame is a 5 seed in the East, and Wisconsin is a 3 seed in the Midwest. They have beaten Pittsburgh who won the Big East Tournament and is a very physical team. They did lose to Louisville twice, which is nothing to be ashamed of, and Louisville got a 3 seed.
Can we go a little deeper? Marquette excels at small ball and excellent defense. They are led by junior guard Dominic James, and Jerel McNeil. James has had some injury problems that kept his scoring average down, but he soared in the Big East tournament. He put up 25 and 23 against Villanova and Notre Dame respectively. The real story has been the play of McNeil. He led the team in scoring and was the Big East defensive player of the year.
Wes Mathews is also playing well and is a key part of their 3 headed monster at guard. Marquette doesn’t have a true big man, but their forwards have improved their rebounding as the season went on.
They struggled earlier in the year because teams out-muscled them inside, but they have come a long way since then. Ousmane Barro has stepped up his play in the latter half, and Lazar Hayward, their power forward, averages 13 points per game at 6 foot 6.
First up for the Golden Eagles is Kentucky. They rely on their guards also. Ramel Bradley and Joe Crawford provide a lot of the offense for Kentucky. Marquette matches up well because it will be easier for them to guard their perimeter players. The only team that gave them problems was Louisville because their skilled players are a little better.
Kentucky had a hard time slowing Georgia down, and they will have a harder time with Marquette.
Stanford will be up next for Marquette and that will be an interesting match-up, and a contrast in styles. Stanford will try to beat up Marquette with their 7 foot twins, Brook and Robin Lopez who reek havoc on opposing teams on both ends of the court. Pressure can bother them (Stanford) and take them out of their half court sets, which Marquette will have to do while playing up-tempo basketball to make it a track meet.
They must also make shots and rebound defensively so Stanford’s bigs don’t take over the game. I like Marquette because of their style, and the conference they play in.
The Cinderella slipper will fit just fine.
Posted in College Sports | Print | 2 Comments »
March 16, 2008 by editor.
Let’s take a look at the NL Central division and see how the teams stack up for the 2008 season as Chicago tries to defend their division crown.
National League Central
Chicago Cubs
The Cubs’ pitching rotation will be anchored by their ace Carlos Zambrano. Zambrano can be somewhat temperamental and may not be a favorite in the clubhouse, but he can pitch. They need him to perform well for them to contend and defend their title. Ted Lilly and Rich Hill pitched well last year and will add depth to their rotation. Lilly won 15 games and Hill won 11, and they both finished with ERA’s under 4.00. The 4 and 5 spots in the rotation are up for grabs this spring as Lou Piniella decides between Jason Marquis, Jon Lieber, Sean Marshall and Ryan Dempster. Marshall pitched pretty well last year and is left-handed, so if he pitches well this spring he has a good chance to get in the rotation. However it shakes out, Chicago will be left with some depth in their starting pitching in case of injury.
A big storyline for the Cubs is whether Kerry Wood will be durable enough to handle the closer duties this year. Lou Piniella is also considering Kevin Hart for those duties as well. Carlos Marmol, Bob Howry, and Michael Wurtz pitched well last year out of the bullpen, and they shouldn’t have problems getting through the middle innings.
Settling their closer situation and the back side of the rotation is key for Chicago.
There is no shortage of power in their lineup as Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramiriz, and Alphonso Soriano pack a lot of punch. Lee will have to find a way to stay healthy and return to his 2005 form where he hit 46 home runs vs. 22 last year.
Everyone is anxious to see how their new right field import from Japan does in his first year in the majors. Kosuke Fukudome has displayed good defense and a good bat this spring and it will be interesting to see where Pinella puts him in the every day line up. He was a career .305 hitter in Japan.
The Cubs have some unsettled issues with their starting pitching, and the closer role. If they get those settled in a positive manner they should be fine.
Projected finish - 1st place.
St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals hope to bounce back after finishing 6 games under .500 last year. They will look to Adam Wainwright and Brandon Looper to bolster the top of the rotation. After that, they have a lot of question marks. Matt Clement is still not all the way back yet and didn’t pitch last year, and Joel Pineiro has shoulder problems and is coming along slowly. Brad Thompson and Todd Wellemeyer are in competition for a spot in the rotation. Wellemeyer pitched 63 innings last year with a 3.11 ERA. Their rotation is thin in general, and Wainwright and Looper are really not solid number 1 and 2 guys.
Jason Isringhausen will close this year and be effective as he normally is. Ryan Franklin and Russ Springer are their best middle to late inning relievers, and there is not much depth after that.
The main question for the Cards with regard to their every day lineup is the health of Albert Pujos. They can’t do without his regular production if they expect to contend. Scott Rolen is gone, and Troy Glaus takes his place at third base.
He only played 115 games last year and has had injury problems in the past, just like Rolen did, so it remains to be seen how effective he can be.
Cesar Izturis takes over at shortstop for David Eckstein, and Rick Ankiel is slated to be the everyday centerfielder. If Ankiel can put up the same numbers he did in 47 games last year on a consistent basis throughout the season, it will make a huge difference in their lineup.
Skip Schumaker will get an opportunity to be the everyday right fielder and has done well this spring.
The Cardinals will have to have a healthy Albert Pujos and their lineup will have to exceed expectations and stay healthy in order for them to protect their pitchers and contend. I don’t think they can do that over the whole season.
The rotation is average at best, but their bullpen isn’t bad; so if their starters can keep them in the game, they can win quite a few close ones.
Projected finish - 4th place.
Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers come in to this season knowing that if they can get steady starting pitching, they can win their division. Jeff Suppan disappointed last year coming over from the Cardinals, Yovani Gallardo is recovering from knee surgery and was one of their most consistent starters, and Dave Bush’s, and Chris Capuano’s ERAs were both over 5.
Ben Sheets is a legitimate ace and is the one sure thing in their rotation, if he can stay healthy, which he didn’t last season.
There will be competition for rotation spots as Manny Parra and Claudio Vargas try to win a spot as well as young righty Carlos Villanueva, who is considered a favorite.
Milwaukee will probably have an excess of starters when the season starts and may use them as trading chips to plug other holes.
Eric Gagne will close and it remains to be seen whether he can be effective throughout the year; so there are questions there. David Riske comes over from the White Sox and will help sure up their bullpen.
They also picked up Guillermo Mota to add depth, but I consider that a negative given how he did with the Mets last season.
There are no questions about the Brewers as far as their hitters go. Prince Fielder, J.J. Hardy, and Bill Hall round out a pretty good infield. Corey Hart and Ryan Braun supply a lot of power in the outfield. Braun hit 34 homers in 113 games last year and hit over .300, and Hart hit 24 dingers and batted .295 in 140 games.
In between them is Mike Cameron, who is a very good centerfielder and will help their defense.
I don’t think the Brewers’ pitching is good enough from top to bottom to win the division, but they can contend for a wild card. They have the bats, and their fielding should be better as well. They were close to the bottom of the league in that category.
Projected finish - 2nd place.
Houston Astros
The Astros are trying to improve on their 4th place finish of last year and have made changes to their team. Roy Oswalt is unquestionably the ace of the staff and they are hoping that Brandon Backe (only 43 innings pitched last year) and Wandy Williams can improve and give them more stability in their rotation. They are also expecting Chris Sampson to improve from his 4.59 ERA from last season.
Jose Valverde saved 47 games for them in 2007, so they are set there. Doug Brocail, Oscar Villarreal, and Geoff Geary will handle the rest of the relief duties. Brocail is the best of the group, and if Villarreal and Geary can be better this year, their bullpen will be set.
Miguel Tejada joins Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee to make a formidable middle of the lineup for Houston.
Ty Wiggington will occupy third base, and they will go with youngsters Hunter Pence (.322 avg., 17 homers and 69 RBI’s in 108 games) and Michael Bourn in the outfield. How that pans out over the course of the season will have a big effect on Houston’s record.
I think the Astros will surprise some this year and win more games than expected. They have some young talent mixed in with their veterans, and although their pitching should be better, they probably won’t win the division.
Projected finish - 3rd place
Cincinnati Reds
The Reds come into this season looking to improve upon their 5th place finish of last year. For that to happen Bronson Arroyo has to have a bounce back season, and Aaron Harang has to pitch like he did last year to strengthen the top of their rotation.
After that, the pitching is weak. Jeremy Affeldt probably won’t get a spot following an awful spring. Josh Fogg and Matt Belisle both had ERA’s over 5.00 last year, and there is really no one else that is proven.
If Harang and Arroyo don’t perform, then they are in trouble once again.
Francisco Cordero is a proven closer, and David Weathers will handle a lot of the set up duties. Weathers was pretty effective closing last year so they do have some insurance in case Cordero goes down. After Jered Burton, they are pretty thin and untested in the bullpen.
Once again they will depend on the bats of Ken Griffey Jr, Adam Dunn, and Brandon Phillips to bail them out of anything their pitchers get them into, which has not been a winning formula.
The Reds just don’t have the pitching depth to get over the hump, and their relievers will not be able to bridge the gap in the middle innings over the long haul to make up for that. They will need surprising performances from players I am not expecting it from in order to improve.
Projected finish - 6th place
Pittsburg Pirates
The Pirates hope to avoid the cellar this year, and they will be depending on some of their young arms to make sure that doesn’t happen again. Tom Gorzelanny heads up the rotation and he was 14-10 with a 3.88 ERA. Ian Snell pitched well and logged over 200 innings with a 3.76 ERA.
They need Zach Duke and Paul Maholm to step up and be more effective than they have been. Matt Morris returning to the form he had in St. Louis in 2005 would help also.
Matt Capps did an adequate job closing last year. Demaso Marte posted good numbers out of the bullpen and looks to build on that. After that they will need some of their young and inexperienced arms to come through. This is the weakest part of their team and it has to improve if they are going to finish higher than last year.
Their lineup is actually pretty good. Jason Bay looks to be more of a force this year as his numbers tailed off last season. Jack Wilson and Freddie Sanchez are solid, and Adam Laroche won’t hurt them at first base.
Another speedy youngster, Nyjer Morgan, looks like he will get his shot in centerfield. Technically it is a competition between he and Nate McLouth, but Morgan should prevail as the starter, and he looks like he is going to be a good major leaguer.
If the Pirates get a little pitching, and I think they will, they can avoid the cellar; but I don’t think they will do much better.
Projected finish - 5th place
On deck, the AL Central Preview
Posted in Baseball | Print | No Comments »
March 9, 2008 by editor.
March Madness is finally here, as teams make their final push to shine and qualify for the NCAA tournament. Many of the usual suspects will be there, but there are a number of teams whose fate depend on how well they do this coming week. Let’s look at the conferences and take a peek at how the field is stacking up.
Big East
The Big East will probably get 7 teams in as it stands now. Georgetown is the regular season champion, but they are no lock to win the tournament. This year they won quite a few close games that could have gone either way, which speaks to their experience and composure in pressure situations. If they can run the table this coming week in New York, they have a shot at a 2 seed. If not, they will be a 3 seed.
Syracuse got a big win at home against Marquette (in the top 25 at the time) but that is not going to be enough to get them in. They will need to win 3 more games and make it to the conference finals to impress the committee. The fact that this conference is so strong will work in their favor if they take care of business at Madison Square Garden.
West Virginia is 11-7 in the conference, which should be good enough to get them in. Notre Dame and Connecticut are definitely in, and Pittsburg should be in as well if they do the right thing in New York. 10-8 in the Big East and 22-9 over all, should be good enough.
I like the way Louisville is playing even though they lost to Georgetown with the regular season championship at stake. Their style of play bothers Georgetown, and if they can get through to play them again, I would favor them to win.
ACC
North Carolina and Duke are the cream of this conference, and NC will get a 1 seed. Duke is more balanced in their attack than they have been in the past. They penetrate and kick to open three point shooters very well, but if they are not making them, they are in trouble because they don’t have a consistent low post option on offense. NC is as athletic and quick as ever, but their bread and butter is Tyler Hansborough, who is a beast on the inside. He opens it up for their talented perimeter players.
Miami (FL.) has been a suprise this year and is on the cusp of getting an unexpected at large bid. They also need another win in their conference tournament to complete their resume.
Clemson is in at 9-6 in the conference and ranked inside the top 25. Virginia Tech is at 9-6 as well, and should get the benefit of playing in the ACC. Maryland is firmly on the bubble. They need a good showing in the coming week.
They should get 5 teams in, but a 6th team is not a lock. Many times it comes down to strength of the conference as to whether a border line team gets in.
Big 12
The Big 12 has been very competitive this year. Kansas and Texas both have 12-3 conference records and are in the top 10, but it doesn’t end there. Kansas State, and Baylor have played pretty well, but Texas A&M has been somewhat of a mystery. They are losers of 5 of their last 7 after starting the year with 7 straight wins. They did beat Texas this year, but they have lost to Texas Tech and Nebraska as well. Other than Texas, they have no wins against ranked opponents and much of their wins came against lower level division 1 teams.
Considering their coaching situation with Kelvin Sampson and the circumstances around him leaving, Oklahoma has performed well, and I am betting that they make the cut.
There is not that much separating the 4 teams after Texas and Kansas. I don’t think the Big 12 will get 6 teams in, so a good showing this coming week will be critical for Oklahoma and Texas A&M.
Big Ten
Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan State, and Purdue are definitely in. Ohio State is on the bubble, but have beaten Purdue and, most recently, Michigan State to make their case. It’s going to come down to how the committee views the Big 10 as a whole. At 19-12, it is going to be a close call.
SEC
Tennessee is the class of the SEC this year and showed why in their epic battle with Memphis earlier this year. They are fighting for a 1 seed. After the Vols, the only locks I see are Vanderbilt, and Mississippi State. Kentucky has won 5 of 6 and beat Florida, another bubble team, to put them back in the mix. They are now 12-4 in the conference.
If Kentucky wins 2 games in Atlanta this week, it will be difficult to keep them out. Florida is at .500 in the conference which won’t help because the SEC is having a down year. Short of running the table in Atlanta, they will not make it in this year.
Arkansas has wins over Baylor, Vanderbilt, and Mississippi State. They have also lost to South Carolina, Georgia, and Appalachian State. They are no lock either even though they have had a 20 win season.
Conference USA
Memphis went undefeated in conference play for the second year in a row and will secure a 1 seed in the NCAA’s. They are the class of that league, and I think the loss to Tennessee when they were ranked number 1 was the best thing that could have happened to them. It took the pressure off of them going undefeated and now they can play under the radar. Derrick Rose is the most important piece of that team. He sets tempo and doesn’t shrink in pressure situations and, from baseline to baseline, there may not be anyone faster in the college ranks.
UAB is firmly on the bubble after getting blown out by Memphis, even though they have 12 conference wins and 22 wins overall. The rest of the conference is just too weak to say UAB will definitely get an at large bid. If they beat Memphis in their tournament then they will get in. If not, I don’t think they will.
Atlantic 10
Xavier is the class of the Atlantic 10 and will be a factor in the NCAA’s. They are ranked in the top 10 and are for real. They boast a balanced attack and will be a tough out. They will probably be the lone representative.
Pac 10
UCLA is in line to be a 1 seed, and Stanford is not far behind. They are a top 10 team and should get a 2, no worst than a 3 seed. Washington State is in as well as USC, punctuating their regular season with a win over Stanford. Arizona State has a chance to make it into the dance, and have wins against Xavier and Stanford on their resume. It would help if they added a couple of wins in their conference tournament. Oregon has a chance but is on the bubble.
West Coast Conference
Gonzaga, as usual, is the class of this conference. St. Mary’s did sneak into the AP top 25 for a while this year, but will be in the hands of the committee if they don’t win their tournament. Their conference is weak as a whole, so they need to get to the finals and put up a good fight against Gonzaga.
We always look forward to the conference tournaments and the NCAA’s because of the drama and the finality of it, and it is the one major college tournament where the smaller schools and the mid majors get to line up against the power conferences and prove they belong. The Austin Peay’s, Drake’s and Belmont’s will get their share of love and support as they attempt to knock off the big boys. We also want to see best teams square off against each other as well. Let the games begin!
Posted in College Sports | Print | No Comments »
March 7, 2008 by editor.
Toronto BlueJays
Toronto finished last year 4 games over .500, good for 3rd place behind the Yankees and Redsox. They are not that far away from really contending in their division, and they add a couple of new faces that will go a long way toward helping them get there. David Eckstein is their new shortstop, and Scott Rolen is their new third baseman. The question is whether Rolen can stay healthy enough to stay in the line-up on a regular basis. His well documented injury problems prevented him from being a difference maker 2 out of the last 3 years with St. Louis. David Eckstein still gets on base at about a .350 clip so he will be a spark plug for Toronto. Alex Rios had a good year last year but Vernon Wells is looking to have a bounce-back season after hitting just .245 and posting an on base percentage of .304, which are far below his standards. Factor in Frank Thomas as the DH and their lineup has a lot of power. The big question for them is whether they can stay healthy.
Roy Halladay and A.J. Burnett anchor the starting rotation, and are a good 1, 2 combination. Burnett finished 10 - 8 the last 2 years with an ERA under 4.00. They need to get more innings out of him for the money they put up to get him in free agency. His health will be key. Jesse Litsch and Shaun Marcum are adequate back-of-the-rotation guys. Marcum won 12 games last year and Litsch finished with an ERA under 4. B.J. Ryan will continue to close, and they have a very deep bullpen. Scott Downs, Jeremy Accardo, Casey Janssen, and Brian Wolfe all pitched effectively last year coming out of the pen, so they shouldn’t be pressured to over use their starters.
If Toronto stays reasonably healthy and pitches like they are capable of, it is not inconceivable that they could finish second in the division and challenge for a wild card spot. Everything has to fall right for them, or they will be an also ran, just like previous years.
Projected finish - 3rd Place.
Tampa Bay Rays
If the Rays finish at, or close to the bottom of their division this year it won’t be because they don’t have an interesting lineup. Akinori Iwamura is likely to lead off with Carl Crawford hitting second. If they get on base at a good clip, Carlos Pena and B.J. Upton are going to drive in a lot of runs. They will be looking for Pena to at least duplicate his production from last year (46 homers and 121 RBI’s) in order for them to score a good amount of runs. He supplies most of the power. Cliff Floyd is with the Rays via the Cubs and he should be able to supply some power if he can stay healthy, which is a long shot. He has a history of frequent trips to the DL.
Scott Kazmir continues to work his way back from injury and is the ace of the staff. James Shields and Matt Garza will try to hold down some of the starting duties, but their rotation is pretty thin overall. Troy Percival is penciled in as the closer, and he should be ok, but the rest of their bullpen is pretty much hit and miss. They have some experience, but they didn’t perform well last year and unless that changes, they won’t be a security blanket for their starters this year either. Their hitters will be the most exciting part of this team. Unless they suprise on the mound, it looks like a long season again for the Rays.
Projected finish - 4th Place
Posted in Baseball | Print | No Comments »
March 5, 2008 by editor.
Much to the chagrin of the Packer faithful, Brett Favre will no longer be under center when they open up the 2008 season. We all know Brett can still play, and he is respected and loved by his teammates and many of the other players in the league. He played many times when he was hurt and probably shouldn’t have and never gave up on a play. There were times he should have given up, but that wasn’t in him. It wasn’t a part of his game. One of the great things about Favre was that he never played scared and I think that translated over to the rest of his teammates. He has a Super Bowl, MVP trophies, and every passing record that means something. Every time he laced up his cleats he laid it on the line. Even when Brett was wrong, no one wanted to call him out on it because he is loved that much. Loved by his city, his state, and pretty much the whole sporting world. He deserves all the accolades and honors due to a player of his stature.
Let’s look at the flip side of this. How long has Green Bay wanted to move on to life without Favre in the last 5 years? How long have they wanted to know whether Aaron Rodgers can handle being the new franchise quarterback? It has been exacerbated by the fact that Favre had 2 very sub par seasons in 2005 and 2006, and held his team hostage while he made up his mind about whether he was going to come back or not - 29 interceptions in 2005 and 18 more in 2006 (only 18 TD’s that year), as he made bad throw after bad throw, and bad read after bad read. He didn’t have a lot of talent around him, but he wasn’t helping matters any as well. I can’t help but think management, especially the ones who decided to draft Rodgers, is happy Brett is retiring so they can turn the page and get their team ready for life without him. If management had the guts to ask Brett to step aside for the good of the team a couple of years ago, then Rodgers would have had those years to develop and be right on time to excel when Green Bay turned the corner in 2007. I don’t blame Favre for wanting to continue his career. It’s management’s fault for letting Favre call his own shots at the expense of the team. Don’t get me wrong. Favre has done a lot for the franchise, but management can’t let everyone’s emotions cloud their business judgement and get in the way of what is best for the organization going forward. Remember, Favre’s agent said that Green Bay didn’t exactly roll out the red carpet for him to play in 2008.
Congratulations to Brett Favre for a great career and a very meaningful and exciting 2007 season, but it is time to step aside and retire. It is written, To every thing there is a season and a time to every prupose under the heaven. A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to keep and a time to cast away. And that is the Last Word!
Stay Tuned For Mock Draft!
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March 3, 2008 by editor.
1. Los Angeles Lakers - the Lakers have clearly established themselves as championship contenders with the addition of Pau Gasol. It has been impressive to watch how quickly he has assimilated into their lineup as if he was there all along. Another key is the fact that Lamar Odom doesn’t have the pressure of being their number 2 next to Kobe with Pau there. He can now play without that pressure.
2. Boston Celtics - They have cooled after their incredible start. Garnett has missed time due to injury, and they lost 3 in a row coming out after the all star break. They have since returned to their winning ways, and the key for them will be getting to the playoffs without any major injuries.
3. San Antonio Spurs - They survived the loss of Tony Parker without losing much ground, thanks to the superlative play of Manu Ginobili. He put up over 40 points twice, and has controlled the tempo and run the team in Parker’s absence. He has proven to be the most valuable player on this team. Earlier in the season Ginobili put up 37 points against Utah and Dallas in back to back games without Tim Duncan. They will be in the thick of things come playoff time.
4. Detroit Pistons - The Pistons keep rolling along, and they are getting good bench play from their second unit. They are still in the mix for the top seed in the East, and I wouldn’t bet against them come playoff time because of their experience and their willingness to play lock-down defense.
5. Houston Rockets - Houston has won 15 straight including their game against Denver, so they deserve to be in this spot even though they have lost Yau Ming for the season. This will actually give them a chance to reinvent themselves. Yau has been great, but if he is going to be injury prone they need to see how well they do without him and build their team accordingly. It will be interesting to see how they do.
6. New Orleans Hornets
Still one of the surprise teams in the West, they keep humming along just a game and a half behind the Spurs. Chris Paul is the straw that stirs their drink. As he goes, so do they. They lost a couple of games to the Wizards that they shouldn’t have, but they have not fallen apart like many thought they would. Paul is a reminder to all how much of a difference a multi talented floor general can make to a team not over-run with talent.
7. Utah Jazz
The Jazz have only lost 3 games at home this year, but have struggled on the road. As long as their MVP Derron Williams is healthy and running the team as he does and Carlos Boozer continues to be a stud, they will be a tough out in the playoffs. Kyle Korver has been a good addition to their team and gives them more outside shooting.
8. Orlando Magic
If the season ended today, the Magic would be the 3 seed out of the East, and deservedly so. They have played consistently at home as well as on the road, even with the rash of injuries to their point guards. Turkoglu has stepped up his play this year and that has helped take some of the presure off of Dwight Howard and Rashard Lewis. It will be interesting to see how they would stack up against Detroit or Boston in a 7 game series.
9. Golden State Warriors
Golden State is 8 and 2 in their last 10, and have climbed into the last playoff spot in the West. They are only a game behind Dallas for the 7th spot as well. Nelly ball is still thriving and Baron Davis and crew show no signs of slowing down. Their main problem is that if they make the playoffs they won’t play Dallas again.
10. Dallas Mavericks
I hesitate to put the Mavericks in this spot because they have played unimaginative, uninspired basketball against the better teams in the league. I thought they gave up too much to get Jason Kidd and even though he has energized them, they are still not much better than they were before. Maybe they are bored with the regular season and are waiting for the playoffs. The way they are playing lately, it is not a lock that they make it.
There is my top ten, and that is the last word!
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