Sunday Reflections (on a Monday): Time to Walk the Mountains

Hey everyone, sorry that the Sunday Reflections are on a Monday but I got caught up in some things last night and that prevented me from writing them. So, here they are now. First…

Music to listen to: Natural Science by Rush



This came up on my Pandora this morning and you know that I always go war for Rush so enjoy.

The past week has been interesting for me in several ways and I’ll probably get to all of them through my timeline of it.

First, I found out on Thursday that my time at my current job will end in mid-May. Its disappointing because I like working at that place and have made some good connections but that’s the world of sports business and you have to accept it.

It’s never enjoyable to lose your job, whether it was for something you did or the company. There are some things that I could have done better and that goes both ways but this post isn’t about that. Its about me reflecting on the action and taking action upon it.

The initial reaction was frustration for the reasons stated above but if you stay angry about the situation, that’s not productive for anybody, especially yourself.

The next thing was about the business of Marcel, Inc. (you like how I did that?). Losing your job is incredibly taxing on your finances, especially when I was struggling financially before my release. So, you look at what your income is, your expenses and figure out a way to hold on until the next job comes along. I’m at that stage right now.

Notice how the reflection of what went right and wrong hasn’t taken place yet. All of my writers out there will be able to relate to this. Its like when you write a long form paper and immediately edit it for errors. You are entranced in the work so you miss the mistakes that you made. You write the paper, take your eyes off of it for a few hours and then review it. That’s why if a paper was due on a Friday, I would finish it by Wednesday night and then review it on Thursday night or write it Thursday night and review it Friday morning, that distance of time is very important.

I know what my positive attributes are as an employee and where improvements can be made but in relation to this current job, I’ll have to take some time before that happens. However, sitting around doesn’t pay the bills or advance your career so we keep it moving.

Most of that stuff happened on Thursday night into Friday morning. On Friday afternoon, I went to the Strikeforce: Nashville event weigh-in. For those of you unfamiliar with that, Strikeforce is a mixed martial arts organization that was holding a fighting event at Bridgestone Arena here in town on Saturday night. The day before the event, competitors are weighed to make sure that they fit the proper criteria to fight in the weight class.

This weigh-in took place outside of the Bridgestone Arena and it made a gloomy past 24 hours lighten up. I’ll get into the particulars of Friday afternoon and even Saturday night in my MMA Review post later but being in that environment reminded me that this current job isn’t the end of the line for me.

I will be the president or commissioner of a major sports organization in my lifetime, its destined to happen, it has to happen and it will happen. Whenever I’m at a sporting event, whether its an MMA event, a baseball contest, a tennis match, etc. I always look at the organization of it and analyze what steps I would take to enhance, improve, edit, change.

Outside of spending time with my friends and family or dominating my young nephew in video games, this is the most enjoyment I have in my life, viewing live sporting events, the preparations behind them and seeing the execution.

I saw the weigh-ins and that made me excited and the fights on Saturday were entertaining as well. It was the first time that I saw an MMA event of that magnitude and it has inspired me to not give up on my goals.

And that’s what this is all about in the end. We all have setbacks in our life, personal, professional, physical and they stink. However, its how we recover from these that tests your character and ultimately makes you who you are.

When I reach my goal, it will be even better knowing the struggles that I had to go through to reach it.

Furthermore, its also about prospective. I went shopping in Kroger yesterday afternoon and I saw a gentleman that put all of this in its proper place.

He was someone who has been stricken with a sickness, probably cancer. He has no hair, was wearing a surgeon mask and wearing batting gloves that you would use for baseball. Furthermore, he had a thin frame, which as those of you know who have unfortunately dealt with disease, know that he was not doing well health-wise.

I wanted to tell him to stay strong and that he was in my prayers but I didn’t want to approach him, scare him or possibly make him even more sick. I kept my distance and saw him shopping just like the rest of us in the store, not intimidated by his physical limitations.

It showed me that despite all of the stuff that I’m going through in my life, I have so many positives and am truly blessed to be where I am today. If that gentleman in the store can strive forward with his life, I have NOTHING to complain about.

I’ll find another job, learn from my missteps and emerge as a stronger individual from this. It has to happen, it must happen, it will happen.

Plus this will finally give me the chance to go walk the mountains like I keep saying I will do.

NBA Regular Season Awards and First-Round Playoff Predictions

The NBA playoffs start tomorrow and I’m very, very excited about them. This is usually my favorite time of year sports wise because you have the NHL playoffs, NBA playoffs, Wrestlemania from WWE, Lockdown from TNA Wrestling, the beginning of MLB, college baseball, solid MMA fights, even some early tennis and golf majors. However the favorite is the NBA playoffs.

For those of you who hate on the NBA for various reasons, a lot of those dislikes are eliminated in the playoffs, accept for the fact there a few too many games. Return the best-of-five format to the first round, please!

Forgot…

Music to listen to: Vicera Eyes by The Mars Volta



Before I get to my first-round playoff predictions, here are my awards:

OK, Cleveland beats Los Angeles in the NBA Finals, LeBron is the MVP, fun times in the city before he contemplates leaving and then…stays in Cleveland and signs a three-year deal. More on this during the summer.

MVP: Lebron James, Cleveland

I know that its easy to hate on LeBron because of his constant non-commitment to his future and openly accepting the ovatures of the New York Knicks, the media love affair, the dancing, etc. but he’s clearly the best player in the league. Kobe Bryant made a nice claim last year but its Lebron’s crown now.

Similar to last year, LeBron covers all fronts. If you believe in the notion of the best player on the best team, its LeBron. If you’re a stats geek, he averaged 29/9/7 while shooting over 50% from the field. He’s the most efficient player in the league and just had one of the 10 best individual seasons ever and he took some games off at the end to rest. He’s in year two of a seven to eight year run of being arguably the most dominant player in his sport for his era, maybe only Wayne Gretzky, Jim Brown, Bobby Orr, Gordie Howe, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods and Babe Ruth joining him at the table. He’s an athlete that is almost lapping the field with his individual brilliance.

Kevin Durant would be second in my vote. Not only did he mature and lead his team to 50 wins, something no one, I don’t care who you are saw coming, but he evolved his game beyond just scoring points. OK, the points are big for him. Youngest scoring champ ever, the only possible guy who can average 35+ points in the next two to three years, unstoppable if he’s on point. The thing I like about him is that he shoots 90% from the free throw line, averages more than 10 attempts a game and shots 3-pointers efficiently. A year ago Bill Simmons said that he could average 40 per game. I laughed but not anymore. He also gave a darn on defense and rebounding. He’s never going to be a first-team All-Defense member but his effort propelled them to 50 wins.

Rounding out my top five would be Steve Nash, who defies age and has gone from underrated in Dallas, to slightly overrated with the two MVPs in Phoenix, to underrated again the past three years. He’s a lock Hall of Famer and off the top of my head, Magic, Isiah Thomas, Oscar Robinson and John Stockton are the only point guards I’m taking over him all-time. That’s major company.

Fourth would be Deron Williams who is making his debate against Chris Paul even more interesting as the years pass and Dwight Howard, who continues to play defense and rebound but lacks offensive and leadership qualities to contend for the top spot.

I didn’t leave Kobe of the top-five on purpose. Just looked at the other guys and put them ahead.

Rook of the year: Steph Curry, Golden State

I really, really wanted to show love to Brandon Jennings of Milwaukee for being the starting point guard on a playoff team and Tyreke Evans for putting up a 20/5/5 season. Only Jordan, Robertson and James have done what Evans did so that’s heady company.

However, I think that Curry was a better overall player this season. You may say that the Golden State system makes him better and that’s a fair critique but I look at this award as the best pure player, not just stats and that nod goes to Curry.

OK, I’ll get to some other stuff during the predictions so lets get started

Cleveland vs. Chicago

Prediction: Cleveland in five

Thoughts: Maybe Noah will close line James as he drives to the basket. Other than Rose averaging 25 points, eight assists and five rebounds in this series, Chicago doesn’t have much to look forward to other than the general manager John Paxson and head coach Vinnie Del Negro slapping each other in the hallway. Hinrich will have a nice series for the Bulls and Noah will show his all-defensive skills but this round for Cleveland is all about getting Shaq in shape to face Orlando down the line.

Orlando vs. Charlotte

Prediction: Orlando in six

Thoughts: Sure Charlotte plays excellent defense and anytime you have Stephen Jackson in a pressure situation its fun for the whole family but outside of that, what do the Bobcats offer that Orlando can’t overcome?

Atlanta vs. Milwaukee

Prediction: Atlanta in six

Thoughts: If Andrew Bogut was healthy, I would take the Bucks in a walk. However, seeing how Atlanta’s strenghs is the front court play of Josh Smith and Al Hoford, Milwaukee can’t compete with that. Jennings starting his first playoff series is tough to bet on as well. He’ll outplay Mike Bibby but with Joe Johnson establishing himself as a borderline elite NBA player, this too much for the Bucks to overcome.

Boston vs. Miami

Prediction: Boston in seven

Thoughts: Wade is the best player on the floor. He was the best player on the floor last year when the Heat faced Atlanta last year in the playoffs. Who won that series, you can figure it out. I’ve never been a fan of one-man gangs in the playoffs (Cleveland is different because that one player is that darn good). While Boston will get smoked in the next round, they have the better overall team than Miami. Wade will put up sick numbers and the Celtics will look very old but they will find a way to get this series.

Western Conference

Los Angeles vs. Oklahoma City

Prediction: Lakers in six

Thoughts: The battle of two of the three best pure players in the league in the first round of the playoffs, young vs. older and experienced. The NBA couldn’t have scripted it any better. As much love as I have for Durant as you’ve read above and becoming more enamored by Russell Westbrook’s skills at point guard where he will destroy Derek Fisher, the Lakers are the better overall team. Durant will go for 40 in one of the games and Thabo Sefolosha may curtail Kobe from scoring a lot of points but Gasol and Odom will be too much inside. This series is about the Lakers getting Artest and Bynum right for the next series coming up.

Dallas vs. San Antonio

Prediction: Dallas in six

Thoughts: Duncan can only do so much. Richard Jefferson has been a bust, Tony Parker and Ginobili are too worn down, this can get ugly for the Spurs. However, they’re a game bunch and will get two games in this series, in fact it wouldn’t surprise me to see them take it to seven games. However, the best player on the floor is Nowitzki, the bigs of Haywood, Dampier and even Marion to some degree will be too much for San Antonio.

Phoenix vs. Portland

Prediction: Phoenix in six

Thoughts: Without Brandon Roy, you have to take Phoenix. This will be a fun series to watch but the two best players are Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudemire. In a more even series than you would think, I usually take the team with the best players.

Denver vs. Utah

Prediction: Denver in seven

Thoughts: Excellent series, maybe the best one on the docket for the first round. I’ve gone both ways with this series mentally but I jus think that Carmelo Anthony will find a way to win a seventh game at home. Love the point guard matchup between Williams and Chauncy Billups, both guys play the position properly. I would be more confident in Denver if Kenyon Martin was in form but I’m always fearful of older players coming back from knee injuries. The Jazz have a healthy Andrei Kirilenko, Boozer in a contract year, positive things going. Plus, I’ll take Jerry Sloan over darn near any other coach in the NBA. All of that stuff and I still come back to Carmelo.

Your opinions are welcomed.

Do I "Hate" Duke or not?

What’s going on folks, time for me to review why people may not be fans of Duke, the new NCAA men’s basketball national champs. But first…

Music to listen to: Illumination by Thievery Corporation



So, Duke won another national title last night and normally I would be pissed about it because like most of America, I’ve developed a dislike for that team over the years. Hate is a strong word but I’ll admit that I’ve had that emotion for them over the years. So, the best way to do that would be to go over the chronological breakdown.

I started to follow college basketball on a consistent basis in the early 1990’s and my favorite team besides Syracuse was UNLV. I was a big Larry Johnson and Greg Anthony fan. I dug the uniforms, Tark, the black sneakers, the whole deal. So when they won the title in 1990, I was feeling it, especially when they laid the smack down to Duke in the title game.

In the 1991 Final Four, Duke had a rematch against UNLV in the semifinals and pulled one of the biggest upsets in history. Of course, calling that dumb foul against Anthony to foul him out of the game changed everything, not that I remember it or anything. So Duke beat Kansas in the title game and the dislike for Duke began.

First it was Christian Laettner. Now that was a dude I hated and he was from my home state. Part of it was racial. He was an annoying white basketball player who was very arrogant and thought he was better than everyone. But to be honest, he was a beast at the college level. But it wasn’t racial because I was a big fan of Bobby Hurley, who was also white.

After UNLV dissolved, my next team of choice was Michigan. I bought into the whole swagger of the Fab Five. However, while Michigan would do some arrogant things, I would feel it but if Duke did the same thing, I wouldn’t like it. It’s a thin line between arrogance and swagger I guess.

When Duke and Michigan met in the title game of 1992, you know who I was cheering for. Of course Duke won and my distain increased.

After that, Laettner and Hurley moved on but I became a fan of Grant Hill, which still exists to this day. He didn’t seem to carry that arrogance that I disliked, if anything he had a humility to his game that was very enjoyable to see. He would score the quietest 20 points you could imagine, throw in eight rebounds and six assists and make it look beautiful.

So this was a quiet lull for me and Duke until the emergence of the most disliked player I’ve ever felt towards in maybe any sport.

Steve Wojohowski

This piece of crap player was insufferable on the highest order. First, he was below-average player who did play hard but would over exaggerate EVERYTHING. Everytime he would dive for a ball, he would make sure that he would take extra long to get back up. Every time he took a charge, and by the way, people talk about how Shane Battier, who I will get to later, trust me, would flop all the time. Well, he had nothing on ole Wojo.

Then there was the floor slapping. We know that you like to play defense because your offense was terrible, but Jesus Christmas, stop with the floor slapping. It doesn’t inspire anyone and it made him look like a donkey and I don’t want to call him the other name for that animal out of kindness, if you get what I’m saying.

Wojo was also a prime example and the first in my experience as a sports fan to fit the role of the scrappy White basketball player.

Wojo would do all of the things above and the media would fawn over him like he was the only player on the floor that was giving his best effort which is crap because the majority of the players out there are working their hardest, they just didn’t stoop to the antics of Wojo to gain extra attention. Plus, the fact that he was an unathletic White basketball player portrayed the image to the sports media, who are mostly White males, that hey, we could be out there too. Awful.

So my hate for Duke was very strong with Wojo but unfortunately for my thirst for distain, he graduated. Thankfully, he’s on their current coaching staff and every time I see him, a little hate come out.

Then in the late 1990’s to early 2000’s, it was hit and miss for me. Liked Elton Brand, didn’t like Mike Dunleavy. Felt neutral on Jay Williams, for some reason really didn’t like Carlos Boozer.

Finally, another person came along to return the hate.

Shane Battier.

Unlike Wojo, Battier was actually a talented player, dare I say one of the best players of that decade, but the love for him reached overkill during Duke’s 2001 national title year.

He was a flopper who would acting would reach overkill as well. But there were two things about his portrayal that wrinkled me wrong way. First, when he decided to stay for his senior year, it was hailed as a gutsy decision that showed his true commitment to college athletics.

I follow the NBA just as much, if not more than NCAA men’s basketball, and he would have been a late first rounder in the draft if he left after his junior year. It was a smart financial decision. If Battier was guaranteed to be a top-five pick, he would have packed up his bags in Durham so quick that Coach K wouldn’t have known what to do.

The second thing was that he was the single force leading that team to a title. So I guess Dunleavy, Boozer, Williams and Chris Duhon COMING OFF THE BENCH had nothing to do with the success.

Plus, a new adopted men’s basketball team of mine, Arizona, lost that title game in 2001 to them so three teams that I followed on a consistent basis, UNLV in 1991, Michigan in 1992 and Arizona in 2001, all lost chances to win a national title because of Duke.

Oh, forgot maybe the largest factor in my original distain for Duke.

I was rejected by the school when I applied in 1999.

I applied to 13 schools and got into 11 of them. Duke and Emory rejected me, not that I still remember that or anything.

Looking back, I’m glad that I didn’t get in because even when I visited Duke in 1998, I didn’t feel a good vibe about it and applied anyway because it’s a really good school. But if I ended up going there, I probably wouldn’t have been happy there.

So after Battier graduated, some players came and went that I didn’t care about. JJ Reddick was overrated, Sheldon Williams was bad, Greg Paulus was dislikeable but everyone didn’t care for him.

It became less about hating Duke but more disliking the portrayal of what the school was supposed to be.

Behind sports media members like Dick Vitale, Duke represents everything that we would want from an elite college athletic program. Strong academics, disciplined mentality, “good” players on and off the court, etc.

I don’t have specific examples of this but I will say that when you reach the level of program like Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, Kentucky, etc., some lines are blurred. Package deals take place. Players grades are manipulated to keep eligibility. Relatives find good jobs in the same city so that they can attend all of the home games and find the money to travel on the road.

The point is that we shouldn’t be so trustworthy that everything is on the up and up at Duke. You have to be cynical of what you see at that level.

In the end, I guess I just matured and stopped wasting my time hating a college basketball team. Things like employment, family, God and other things became more of a priority.

Sure, I have my moments with Tennessee athletics, especially men’s basketball and football, but it hasn’t reached a level of hate that I had for Duke in the early 1990’s.

So when they won the title last night, I was OK with it. But when I saw the celebration and Wojo jumping up and down, the hate returned for a moment and I liked it because passion for sports is good.

My 2010 MLB Predictions

Well folks, its time for those Sunday Reflections…

Actually, since the MLB season has officially kicked off tonight, its time to preview the season.

First…

Music to listen to: Fixed Income by DJ Shadow



For those of you who don’t like to read my long and winding writing, here are my predictions in cheat form so you can memorize them and ridicule me in early July when they are wrong.

AL East: Yankees
AL Central: Minnesota
AL West: Seattle (third year in a row picking them to win division, has to happen one day)
AL Wild Card: Texas
AL Champs: Yankees

AL MVP: 1) Joe Mauer, Minnesota 2) Evan Longoria, Tampa 3) Mark Teixeira, Yankees
Sleeper MVP: Josh Hamilton, Texas
AL Cy Young: 1) Felix Hernandez, Seattle 2) Jon Lester, Boston 3) CC Sabathia, Yankees
Sleeper Cy Young: Justin Verlander, Detroit
AL Best team: Yankees
AL Worst team: Kansas City
Overrated: Boston
Underrated: Texas

NL East: Philadelphia
NL Central: Cincinnati (going with them for a third year in a row as well)
NL West: Colorado
NL Wild Card: Atlanta
NL Champs: Philly

NL MVP (not named Albert Pujols): 1) Hanley Ramirez, Florida 2) Justin Upton, Arizona 3) Chase Utley, Philadelphia
Sleeper MVP: Brian McCann, Atlanta & Roy Halladay, Philadelphia
NL Cy Young: 1) Roy Halladay, Philadelphia (if Brad Lidge doesn’t implode, he can win 25 games this year, seriously) 2) Tim Lincecum, San Francisco 3) Johan Santana, Mets
Sleeper Cy Young: Tommy Hanson, Atlanta
NL Best team: Philadelphia
NL Worst team: Pittsburgh
Overrated: Los Angeles
Underrated: Cincinnati

If I was betting money World Series: New York over Philly, again (sorry for the easy prediction, but it is what it is)
Second-safest bet: Minnesota vs. St Louis
Taking a chance World Series: Seattle vs. Atlanta

Division breakdowns:

AL East:

1) Yankees- Clearly the best team on paper in all of baseball. Age of core, especially Posada, Jeter and Rivera can break down on them. If Sabathia DOESN’T win 20 games, I’ll be shocked. The outfield can be better but no one beats these guys if all things are equal.

2) Boston- Arguably the best pitching staff in MLB. Dice-K HAS to return to form if these guys have any chance of competing for any titles. Adrian Beltre will either be the biggest bargain deal in the past five years or a colossal bust. I’m leaning for in-between. David Ortiz, have NO clue how he’s going to do this year.

3) Tampa- What does 85 wins get you in the NL Central? A division title. In the AL East, third place. A lot will be determined in the first three months. If they’re in it, they can win the division. If they’re out of it, Crawford, Pena, etc may be gone. If that happens, problems. Love Longoria for MVP contention, Price to win 15 games and Garza to emerge as a top-five AL starting pitcher.

4) Baltimore- Optimism in Charm City? Adam Jones, not Pacman, will become a perennial All-Star for these guys, Matt Wieters may be the third-best catcher in MLB by the end of the year and have a lot of young pitching that will take lumps this year but can improve. Reaching 75-80 wins would be nice.

5) Toronto- Have Aaron Hill and Adam Lind, that is all. Rough times for them

AL Central:

1) Minnesota- They win this weak division by default. When you have Mauer and Morneau, that’s a good start. Will gain a boost from playing in new stadium. Major question for them is whether Liriano can return to form off of Tommy John surgery. Its been over a year now and that’s usually the time guys get better.

2) White Sox- Like the pitching staff, especially if Peavy is on point. Where do the runs come from besides Beckham, Konerko and maybe Quentin if he’s healthy?

3) Detroit- Similar to White Sox, have beast pitchers in Verlander and Porcello, but once again, where do the runs come from? Johnny Damon, don’t make me laugh.

4) Cleveland- Such a mess. Even if LaPorta becomes a superstar, Sizemore returns to All-Star form, Jhonny Peralta bounces back, Travis Hafner learns to hit again pre-big contract signing, these guys don’t win more than 75 games. At least they’re not…

5) Kansas City- Love Zack Grinke, who doesn’t. I honestly have nothing else for you on these guys

AL West:

1) Seattle- Obviously banking on a monster year from Felix Hernandez and Cliff Lee to shake off this early DL stint. Both can be good for 20 wins. Like Ichiro and addition of Figgins.

2) Texas- Taking another chance with these guys. We know that they can score runs and the addition of Vlad Guerrero as a DH was smart, but the youth of the pitching is a concern. I think that it will figure itself out and they contend for the division with Seattle

3) Anaheim- Once again, I refuse to call them by their full name because it’s the dumbest one in all of professional sports, at least in MLB. The run of division titles end. Losing Lackey hurts, even though Weaver and Santana are good pitchers. Need to see more from Kazmir and since he’s on my fantasy baseball team, I already know he’s hurt.

4) Oakland- According to people who follow this stuff, the best young pitchers in the minors and under a full year of service in MLB are Oakland and Texas. At least the Rangers can score some runs.

NL East

1) Philly- Its their League to lose. Have the best pitcher in Halladay, best top to bottom lineup, Howard may hit 50 home runs, Utley can put together a 35/100/.295 year, which is sick for a second baseman, you get the idea. Very, very worried about the bullpen especially Brad Lidge, you literally don’t know what version you’re going to get from him day-to-day. Best reliever in MLB in 2008, benched in 2009, that says it all.

2) Atlanta- Very bullish on the Braves. Always liked Lowe, Jurrjens is going to be a star and I have frickin Tommy Hanson on my short list for the Cy Young award, he’s winning close to 20 if they can score runs and that’s the rub. I think that Glaus will be decent at first, Larry Jones cobbles together a decent season, McCann becomes an MVP candidate. Prediction for Jason Haywood, 25/85/.280 and runaway Rook of the Year. If Billy Wagner’s arm stays attached, they’re the wild card of the NL.

3) Florida- Having the second-best player in the league in Hanley Ramirez is a nice start. Also like Josh Johnson, Ricky Nolasco, Dan Uggla, Chris Coghlan, etc. but just don’t have enough depth to hold up against Philly and Atlanta.

4) Mets- If Washington was worth anything, I would have put it ahead of the Mets. Beltran and Reyes are starting the season on the DL, Wright has to bounce back this year, Jason Bay is whatever and Johan Santana is coming off of elbow surgery, good times. They’re a mess.

5) Washington- Just bring Stephen Strasburg up in May or whenever you have to for contract purposes and pray for the best.

NL Central:

1) Cincinnati: OK, hear me out. I’m banking on major seasons from Brandon Phillips, Jay Bruce, Joey Votto on the field. 30 home runs from each this season, lets say yes. Pitching staff isn’t bad, especially Volquez and the natural talent of Cueto. O-dog will give them some much needed offense at short. Plus, if Chapman can come up in the middle of the year, that’s another power arm. You have to take chances in this prediction game and I’m willing to do it. I don’t like putting my hopes in Dusty Baker though. Plus they’re my adopted MLB team here in Nashville, I have to show them some love. This is for my peeps like Mr. Ingram and Jared C.

2) St. Louis: Honestly, they’re the class of the division. A grouping of Pujols and Matt Holliday is nice and the top two pitchers of Carpenter and Wainwright can be Cy Young contenders. I’m banking on the rest of the team taking a step back allowing the Reds to sneak in there…it can happen.

3) Chicago- The expectations are low, by Cubs standards, and this may be a good thing. I’ve given up on trying to figure out Zambrano and Soriano. Maybe Meggie or you Cubs fans can help me on this one.

4) Milwaukee- Love Braun and Fielder on the field, Gallardo as its top starter, and nothing else. Trevor Hoffman can’t do it again this year.

5) Houston- Pence is OK, El Cabayo (Carlos Lee) is fun at times and Berkman is good but already injured and on my fantasy team, not good. Oswalt will probably break down.

6) Pittsburgh- This is going to be another rough year for them and they’re lineup isn’t even worth discussing, even though I’m looking forward to Pedro Alvarez coming up this season from a selfish Vandy angle. OK, McCutchen is fun to watch but that’s really it. When you’re hanging your hat on Zack Duke and Octavio Dotel, you need to find another hat stand or a new set of hats, you get what I’m saying.

NL West:

1) Colorado- Its split between them and the Dodgers with the slight nod going to the Rockies. Like Tulowitzki to emerge as an MVP candidate and Jimenez to be one of the top pitchers in the NL. Pitching has depth and bullpen is solid. Soft buy on the Rockies.

2) Los Angeles- Actually think that they’re better than the Rockies on paper but won’t come together. Starting lineup is stacked with up to five all-stars, including all three outfielders and top-level catcher. Like Billingsley and Kershaw a lot and Broxton is a solid closer.

3) San Francisco- Can pitch their butts off but outside of Sandoval, can’t score a lick. Have arguably the top two out of five pitchers in entire NL with Lincecum and Cain and Wilson is a decent closer, but slapping the ball around isn’t going to get you more than third in this division.

4) Arizona- Love Upton to make a big leap this year, think Drew is underrated at shortstop, Reynolds can mash it when he isn’t striking out, Haren is an excellent starter and like Edwin Jackson in the National League, but outside of that, not much else.

5) San Diego- How long do Gonzalez and Heath Bell stay on this team? Both are gone by All-star break.