My Final Review of my MLB Predictions

Well, its finally time to review my preseason MLB predictions for this season. Not so good in some parts, decent on some others.

First, some quick playoff thoughts. At this moment, Tampa is beating Chicago and will probably move on the ALCS. Baseball story of the decade so far, Red Sox included. If any of you obsessive loser Red Sox Nation losers want to battle me, bring it on.

In the NL, we have the Dodgers against Phillies. Decent match up, damn Cubs didn’t show up.

Let’s get to the picks.

Here were my choices before the season started for the National League:

NL East- Phillies (Unfortunately for me, the Mets fan, this one was correct)
NL Central- Milwaukee (Cubs ended up taking care of business in this division but not after a decent run by the Brewers)
NL West- Arizona (I called this division terrible throughout the entire season, yet its division champion just swept the best team in the league, so what can you do. You can try to not mention that team based in Phoenix.)
Wild Card- Colorado (Finished eight games out of wild card, which is not really good. Let’s keep it moving.)
NL Champions- Arizona (Not a good choice)
NL MVP- Prince Fielder/Ryan Howard (I can make an argument for Howard, but this one should go to Albert Pujols. That guy is a warrior.)
NL Cy Young- Johan Santana (I can make an argument for Johan. That bullpen screwed him out of some more wins. His performance against Florida in the next-to-last game of the season, the three-hitter shutout on a bum knee was inspiring. Give it to Tim Lincecum or CC Sabathia. )
NL Manager of the Year- Bob Melvin (I still think that Lou Pinella should get this one because it’s a regular season award.)
NL Surprise Team- Cincinnati (The Natti are progressing, but its gotta be the Cardinals or even Houston, who actually finished with a better record. )
NL Disappointment- Chicago and San Diego (This Cubs pick looked worse during the regular season but I guess they evened out in the postseason. The Padres stunk).
NL Worst Team- San Francisco (even worse than Pittsburgh) They weren’t the worst team in the league, that honor goes to the Nationals, but the Giants did have a better record than Atlanta, Pittsburgh and San Diego.

My standings predictions for each division and the current ones:

My NL East:

1) Philadelphia
2) New York
3) Atlanta
4) Washington
5) Florida

Final NL East:

1) Philadelphia
2) New York
3) Florida
4) Atlanta
5) Washington

Here’s what I wrote about this division in the beginning of the season:
NL East- 1) Philadelphia- I don't understand why people are lukewarm on this team. I think they have the best lineup in the division top to bottom and the pitching staff is solid. I would worry about Brad Lidge in the bullpen though and I know losing Rowland won't help the team. I still like them to at least win the division. 2) New York- Ah, my beloved Mets. I have such a love/hate relationship with them. Starting Pitching is ok. Santana speaks for himself and he will have a monster year. Pedro is hurt as usual and Maine and Perez are up and down. Fifth starter won't bring much to the table. Lineup is good but not as great as people make it out to be. There are some major holes in it, especially in the corner outfield positions and catcher. Bullpen is good. I think that they will not win the division in the end. 3) Atlanta- I really wanted to pick them ahead of New York, but I like the Mets rotation a little bit more. Besides that, Braves are going to be a good team this year. 4) Washington- Going to a new ballpark will give them a few extra wins and they are getting some young talent. Why the Mets traded Milledge, I don't know. 5) Florida: Ramirez is good, Uggla is solid and I like Andrew Miller. Everything else you can keep. We'll see these guys around in a few years and they will contend for a world series at that point.

I liked the Phillies, which was nice for me. The Mets did what they do. I was wise to be lukewarm on Atlanta. The Braves crappiness has been a personal highlight and joy for me. Washington doesn’t even exist to me and Florida surprised in a positive way.

My NL Central:

1) Milwaukee
2) Cincinnati
3) Chicago
4) St. Louis
5) Houston
6) Pittsburgh

Final NL Central:

1) Chicago
2) Milwaukee
3) Houston
4) St. Louis
5) Cincinnati
6) Pittsburgh

My thoughts earlier in the season:
NL Central- 1) Milwaukee- I love the experience that these young guys gained last season. These guys are ready to make the leap and take this surprisingly competitive division. 2) Cincinnati- I love to take chances in my predictions and this is a big one. I like their young arms and the lineup isn't bad at all. Dusty Baker brings them some credibility and I think they will finish second. 3) Chicago- Cubs fans don't want to see this. Honestly, I think the Cubs are better then Cincinnati and maybe even Milwaukee on paper, but I see them taking a major step back this season. 4) St. Louis- Pujols is a beast but doesn't have much support. Injuries and age have taken a toll on this team the last few years accept for the world championship in '06. 5) Houston- Oswalt, Berkman and El Cabayo (Carlos Lee) are solid, but not much else. Pence is good to and Tejada may be washed up. 6) Pittsburgh- I watched a Pirates/Marlins game on TV last night and only knew one or two Pirates. They're going to be bad.

The Cubs were a bad prediction for me. Also, the Natti let me down. Props to St. Louis and Houston for going above expectations. The Brewers made the playoffs which was big for that franchise. Pittsburgh, well, at least you have good food, the Penguins and Steelers.

My NL West:

1) Arizona
2) Colorado
3) Los Angeles
4) San Diego
5) San Francisco

Current NL West:

1) Los Angeles
2) Arizona
3) Colorado
4) San Francisco
5) San Diego

Thoughts at the beginning of the season:

NL West- 1) Arizona- The Diamondbacks win the most competitive division in baseball. The pitching is outstanding and the lineup will improve because everyone is a year older. They win a lot of close games and that wins divisions. 2) Colorado- I love the lineup and they have the experience. I still just don't trust the pitching long-term. Good enough to win the wildcard but not good enough to repeat a pennent. 3) Los Angeles-Torre, play the young guys and you may sneak into a wild-card spot. 4) San Diego- Money Pitching + Cheap Hitting = No success and an angry Jake Peavy 5) San Francisco- No Bonds + Old as Dirt Lineup + Young Pitchers still learning + Crappy Barry Zito = Last place in division and possibly worst record in league and baseball.

The Dogdes rode Manny Ramirez to a division title, good times for them. Furthermore, props to Joe Torre as well. Even though I grew up despising the Yankees during their glory days, the only three guys I never had beefs with were Torre, Derek Jeter and David Wells. I had times where I disliked Paul O’Neill, Mariano Rivera, Bernie Williams and many of the other guys. So congrats to Torre.

Arizona disappointed me, Colorado even more but I shouldn’t have been so quick to give them a playoff spot after doing something last season that won’t be done again for another generation. The Giants are going to have tough times for a few more years and San Diego is probably the same.

On to the American League:

AL East- Boston (Tampa won it but Boston held their own)
AL Central- Cleveland (not a good pick)
AL West- Seattle (terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible, and one more time, terrible pick)
Wild Card- Toronto (Another 85+ win season, another missed playoff spot)
AL Champs- Cleveland (let’s just move on)
AL MVP- Manny Ramirez (This can still happen right?)
AL Cy Young- Roy Halladay (Roy should still get some consideration but Cliff Lee gets this award.)
AL Manager of the Year- Terry Francona (this is Joe Maddon’s award, manager of Tampa Bay. Terry has done a good job and you have to consider that loser manager of Anaheim, the manager of the Twins and Ozzie.)
AL Surprise Team- Kansas City (Not the best choice but not as bad as Seattle. I wonder who this award should go to…)
AL Disappointment Team- Yankees and Anaheim (Yankees, yes…Anaheim did well.)
AL Worst Team- Baltimore (I was worried about this pick, but the Orioles failed enough to have the second-worst record behind…frickin Seattle!)

My AL East:

1) Boston
2) Toronto
3) New York
4) Tampa Bay
5) Baltimore

Final AL East:

1) Tampa Bay
2) Boston
3) New York
4) Toronto
5) Baltimore

Thoughts in May:

Here's how the AL East breaks down: 1) Boston- They are the most complete team in the division. 2) Toronto- They have the tools to overtake New York, they just have to stay healthy. 3) New York- They will still win around 85 games, but their pitching staff is too young and too old at the same time, which is hard to do. 4) Tampa Bay- The Rays are going to not finish in the cellar, congrats. They have some young talent. 5) Baltimore- Its going to be a long year at Charm City.

I was on point with the Yankees. No one had Tampa doing what they did.

My AL Central:

1) Cleveland
2) Detroit
3) Kansas City
4) Chicago
5) Minnesota
Current AL Central:

1) Chicago
2) Minnesota
3) Cleveland
4) Kansas City
5) Detroit

May Thouhgts:

AL Central- 1) Cleveland- Most complete team in the division. I'm banking on Pronk finding his stroke again and C.C not eating himself out of a big contract. 2) Detroit- World Championship lineup, Pennent starting pitching, .500 Bullpen. This won't be Detroit's year. 3) Kansas City- I think these guys can surprise some people this season. I've seen their first few games and like what I've seen from them. 4) Chicago- I just have a bad vibe about this team and their overall chances. 5) Minnesota- They still have Mauer and Morneau, but they lost too much this off-season. As a general baseball fan, I hope Liriano comes back healthy, because he's a joy to watch.

Completely off with these predictions. Cleveland has been documented well enough, but what the heck happened in Detroit? First the Tigers, the Lions are actually worse than the Raiders this year and the Pistons are not even going to make the Eastern Conference Finals this year, you heard it here first.

Once again, my apologies to the fine people of Minnesota for saying that your team would be terrible. My bad.

My AL West:

1) Seattle
2) Anaheim
3) Oakland
4) Texas

Current AL West:

1) Anaheim
2) Texas
3) Oakland
4) Seattle

My May Thoughts:

AL West- 1) Seattle- Bedard will be the difference maker in this division. The lineup is solid, but not great. King Felix is a special pitcher if he stays healthy and I'm banking on a decent season from him health-wise. He stays healthy the whole season and he's winning the Cy Young award, its that simple. 2) Anaheim- I know they are the Los Angeles Angels of whatever. Anyway, their starting rotation is banged up, which I don't like at all. They will score some runs, but in the long run, they won't make the postseason. 3) Oakland- They blown up their team once again and are going with the youngsters. I trust Billy Beane's knowledge, but its going to be a rough year for them. 4) Texas- I like nothing about this team accept Josh Hamilton. The pitching is awful. Nothing else to say here.

Well, Seattle is terrible. I talked bad about the sports scene in Detroit, but what about Seattle? Seahawks stink, Mariners were awful and now in one of the worst sports moves I’ve ever seen, the Sonics are out of town. Hold on Seattle. The Grizzlies are going to move to Seattle in a few years, the Mariners have to get better one day and the Seahawks, well, at least you have good coffee.

Those are my predictions. Mock me completely about them, I welcome it. Until then, stay up and you will never stay down.

MLB Predictions Update

First, happy Labor Day! Always a good holiday to celebrate. It’s a time to reflect on the end of the summer and prepare for the fall. It’s also the start of the best period of the sports season. I mentioned this in my Reflections yesterday, but there are so many sports active right now or or going to start up in a few weeks. Football, both pro and college, dominates this time of year, but don’t forget about baseball.

At this stage, if you’re a team like the Yankees or Dodgers, you are what you are and no more excuses can be made. This goes the other way. We shouldn’t be shocked by the Rays or Twins anymore, they are legit playoff teams.

As usual, at the beginning of every month, I review my MLB picks and seeing how I did.

Let’s get to the picks.

Here were my choices before the season started for the National League:

NL East- Phillies (The Mets are actually a game up right now, but that frickin bullpen will give this division to the Phillies)

NL Central- Milwaukee (They’re still only four games out, but I think that the Cubs take this one. The Brewers get the wild card)

NL West- Arizona (Terrible division, but the pitching of Arizona wins out) Wild Card- Colorado (They aren’t going to win the wild-card, but they are only six games out of the division. They need to go on a major winning streak now.)

NL Champions- Arizona (All signs point to a battle between Milwaukee and Chicago for the NL pennent. However, Arizona can throw some major pitchers out there for a short playoff series, so whoever gets them in the first round needs to be careful.)

NL MVP- Prince Fielder/Ryan Howard (It can go to almost anybody right now.)

NL Cy Young- Johan Santana (Johan has had a good year, he just has so many games get blown by that awful bullpen. Brandon Webb is going to have his 20 wins and he’s good, but I would seriously consider CC Sabathia. He’s been the best pitcher in the NL for the last few months.)

NL Manager of the Year- Bob Melvin (Arizona is doing well, but the Cubs are rolling right now and you have to make Pinella the favorite. I also think that Tony LaRussa, Gonozalez at Florida and Ned Yost of Milwaukee)

NL Surprise Team- Cincinnati (The natti has moved on to next year and that’s a good thing. The Marlins and Cardinals have had solid seasons )

NL Disappointment- Chicago and San Diego (This Cubs pick continues to look worse and worse by the day. I was on with San Diego)

NL Worst Team- San Francisco (even worse than Pittsburgh) The Giants still stink and are making me look good. Only the Braves, Washington, Pittsburgh and San Diego have worse records. Wow, bad times for Atlanta and San Diego. The National League is terrible overall.

My standings predictions for each division and the current ones:

My NL East:

1) Philadelphia
2) New York
3) Atlanta
4) Washington
5) Florida

Current NL East:

1) New York
2) Philadelphia
3) Florida
4) Atlanta
5) Washington

Thoughts: The only thing that has changed in the past month is the flip between the Mets and Phillies. It seems like either team can just take a stranglehold on this division if they won a few games in a row and weren’t so inconsistent. I still think Philly takes this in the end, I gotta stick with my pick.

Florida has been a nice surprise. The crappiness of Atlanta has been a personal highlight for me. I love that Atlanta sucks right now, it makes me so, so happy. I wish I was still living in Atlanta so see how terrible they are up close. I absolutely hate the Braves and am a happy fan right now. How’s Jeff Francoeur doing right now? Yeah, I thought so bitches!

I don’t even acknowledge the Nationals right now. They need to change the direction of that franchise immediately.

My NL Central:

1) Milwaukee
2) Cincinnati
3) Chicago
4) St. Louis
5) Houston
6) Pittsburgh

Current NL Central:

1) Chicago
2) Milwaukee
3) St. Louis
4) Houston
5) Cincinnati
6) Pittsburgh

Thoughts: The Brewers can win the division technically but the Cubs are rolling. The Natti isn’t finishing second. Houston is actually a few games over .500 but get no attention. St. Louis has done well and I see hope for Pittsburgh, if they can sign their first-round draft picks.

Look, I don’t know Pedro Alvarez personally but have followed his career being a Vanderbilt fan and I’ve heard he’s a good guy. The minute that he signed with Scott Boras, I knew that problems would develop. Boras is a bad influence and I know some of you out there are saying that Scott’s main job is to get the most money for his client.

I agree and most of the time he does his job. However, there’s a better way of doing it then he does.

Here’s my major problem with this situation. If Boras and Alvarez didn’t want to sign with Pittsburgh by the deadline, Aug. 15, that’s fine. He can then play independent baseball, reenter the draft and keep it moving.

However, don’t make a verbal agreement with the Pirates before the deadline and then go back on the promise after the deadline. You screw with the Pirates in that regard.

Now, Pedro looks like a conceited money-grabber, pretty much screwing over the early good will he would have had with the Pirates organizations and fans. Boras looks like Boras which I don’t think he minds.

Pedro gets blame too because he needs to handle his business better as well. Some players tend to forget that the agent works for you and not the reverse. I hope Pedro realizes that Boras needs to act in his client’s best interest and not the reverse.

Even the Pirates look unprofessional in this regard by not taking care of business. No one is a winner.

My NL West:

1) Arizona
2) Colorado
3) Los Angeles
4) San Diego
5) San Francisco

Current NL West:

1) Arizona
2) Los Angeles
3) Colorado
4) San Francisco
5) San Diego

Thoughts: Ramirez has been playing great for the Dodgers, yet they’re still below .500. Don’t look now, but Colorado is only six games back. Can they make another run like last year? Probably not. San Fran and San Diego, just playing out the string.

On to the American League:

AL East- Boston (Tampa takes it)

AL Central- Cleveland (The Indians are playing well right now, just like they should have been doing since the beginning. They should have never been this bad.)

AL West- Seattle (terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible pick)

Wild Card- Toronto (They’re another team that should be better but their division is stacked. Put them in the NL and they contend for a championship)

AL Champs- Cleveland (let’s just move on)

AL MVP- Manny Ramirez (Yeah, no chance of this happening. It’s a wide open race.)

AL Cy Young- Roy Halladay (Cliff Lee should win it but the Indians are below average and that’s going to hurt him. I can see K-Rod getting the award because the Angels are so good. Halladay should still get consideration as well.)

AL Manager of the Year- Terry Francona (this is Joe Maddon’s award, manager of Tampa Bay, right now. Terry has done a good job and you have to consider that loser manager of Anaheim, the manager of the Twins and Ozzie.)

AL Surprise Team- Kansas City (Not the best choice. I wonder who this award should go to…)

AL Disappointment Team- Yankees and Anaheim (Yankees, yes…Anaheim’s in first place and cruising. Mixed bag.)

AL Worst Team- Baltimore (the Orioles aren’t that bad. Oakland, Kansas City and darn Seattle have worse records.)

My AL East:

1) Boston
2) Toronto
3) New York
4) Tampa Bay
5) Baltimore

Current AL East:

1) Tampa Bay
2) Boston
3) New York
4) Toronto
5) Baltimore

Thoughts: Nothing has changed in this division. Tampa is amazing. Boston is having a decent season as well.

Let’s talk about the possibility of the Yanks and Red Sox not making the playoffs. I know that ESPN would be mad because they can’t overkill us with coverage of those two teams, but I think it would be refreshing.

I get so tired of hearing about the Red Sox and Yankees. Don’t get it twisted. I get tired of hearing about the Mets and to a lesser extent the Cubs also.

I have no beef with the Red Sox and I used to hate the Yankees but really care less about them now.

If both teams miss the playoffs, it would be cool to see teams like Tampa and Milwaukee get some coverage.

My AL Central:

1) Cleveland
2) Detroit
3) Kansas City
4) Chicago
5) Minnesota
Current AL Central:

1) Chicago
2) Minnesota
3) Detroit
4) Cleveland
5) Kansas City

Thoughts: I still think that Boston wins the wild card so only one team from this division makes the playoffs. I’m going with Chicago.

Detroit has been underwhelming. Cleveland is starting to play better but it’s too late. Kansas City, well, they’re Kansas City.

My AL West:

1) Seattle
2) Anaheim
3) Oakland
4) Texas

Current AL West:

1) Anaheim
2) Texas
3) Oakland
4) Seattle

Thoughts: I have no thoughts on this division.

That’s it for now. I was catching up on some General Hospital while doing this post, so I know that none of you want me to embed some of that video on here. See y’all around.

My MLB Predictions Update (you were right Meggie, Jonathan, Noth, you Twins and Cardinals fans and me, the Mets stink...longest post title ever!)

August is always a fun time for me. School starts up, summer is coming towards and end and I can finally focus on watching baseball and preparing for the NFL season.

However, with the Olympics taking up all of my sports viewing along with July being a huge month in mixed martial arts, I’ve fallen behind on my baseball viewing.

I wrote about the Manny Ramirez trade so I haven’t been totally out of the loop. I continue to see my Mets blow any chances of making the playoffs, good times, but besides that, I haven’t watched a full MLB game in a month. It’s been so bad that I had to look at the calendar and realize that I haven’t done an update on my MLB predictions.

As you will see, my prediction skills aren’t the best, but its always fun to look back

Let’s get to the picks.

Here were my choices before the season started for the National League:

NL East- Phillies (They’re going to win this division by default. The Mets disgust me.)
NL Central- Milwaukee (They’re only four games out, but I think that the Cubs take this one.)
NL West- Arizona (Talk about winning a division by default. I think that the first team to win five games in a row in the next month is going to win it)
Wild Card- Colorado (Terrible choice, seeing how they’re 15 games out. When I did this a month ago, St. Louis was in the lead. However, the Brewers have it now and I think that they hold on.)
NL Champions- Arizona (If the Cubs or the Brewers aren’t in the Series this season, I’ll be surprised)
NL MVP- Prince Fielder/Ryan Howard (This race is so wide open right now. Chase Utley has hit the tank. I would look at Chase, Henley Ramirez and of course, the Hebrew Hammer, Ryan Braun!)
NL Cy Young- Johan Santana (I guess this goes to Brandon Webb, especially if the Backs win the West. I still like Volquez but the Reds are so far out of it right now. Look out for CC Sabathia to maybe get consideration at the pace he’s going.)
NL Manager of the Year- Bob Melvin (Arizona was doing well but they have been below average. I think it comes down to Tony LaRussa and Gonozalez at Florida.)
NL Surprise Team- Cincinnati (They started off well, stumbled a little bit and were only a few games below .500 in early July. Not anymore. They’re definitely going for the future and it was nice to see them get rid of Dunn and Griffy. Those two guys are professionals, but it was time for a change. I like the youth movement led by Jay Bruce, Cueto and Volquez, who’s a stud. They’re not going to make the playoffs, but if they may have a future. The Marlins and Cardinals have to get looks in this one.)
NL Disappointment- Chicago and San Diego (This Cubs pick continues to look worse and worse by the day. I was on with San Diego).
NL Worst Team- San Francisco (even worse than Pittsburgh) The Giants are still terrible and getting worse by the day, making my pick look better. I’m actually cheering for them to lose more and more to make me look better. Go Nationals and Padres. The National League is terrible.

My standings predictions for each division and the current ones:

My NL East:

1) Philadelphia
2) New York
3) Atlanta
4) Washington
5) Florida

Current NL East:

1) Philadelphia
2) New York
3) Florida
4) Atlanta
5) Washington

Thoughts: The standings haven’t changed in a month and I think this is how the season is going to finish out. None of these teams are great, but I guess Philly has the best one of the lot. I’m not saying that I expected the Mets to win the World Series. Heck, I predicted that they wouldn’t make the playoffs. However, seeing how average Philly is, the Mets should win this but keep finding ways to lose. I don’t even get mad at it anymore. The Marlins have been a pleasant surprise. Washington is Washington.

I have to place the Braves in a separate category. The run is over and I couldn’t be happier. Now those spoiled Braves fans can get a taste of losing and like it! They just aren’t a good team. Their fans have been getting mad with their performance the past two and a half years, but they should save their anger. They want to blame injuries, but if the entire Braves roster was healthy the whole season, which is not possible, the Phillies and Mets are still better. Braves fans, it isn’t going to get better. Expect this for another few years. And one more thing. I love McCann, but to all of you idiots who told me that Jeff Francoeur was better than David Wright a few years ago, who’s laughing now bitch!!!! Suck on that losers!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Moving on…

My NL Central:

1) Milwaukee
2) Cincinnati
3) Chicago
4) St. Louis
5) Houston
6) Pittsburgh

Current NL Central:

1) Chicago
2) Milwaukee
3) St. Louis
4) Houston
5) Pittsburgh
6) Cincinnati

Thoughts: Milwaukee may actually finish in first, so not too bad there. The Natti’, not so much.

Much love to the Cubs. I thought that they would be a disappointment, but they have delivered.

I’ve said this every time I do a review and I know that she reads this blog, so, once again Meggie, you were right.

The Cubs are going to make the playoffs, that much is certain. What they do afterwards is the key. St. Louis has continued to surprise. Houston and Pittsburgh aren’t worth discussing.

Actually, I’ll take that back. I like what the Pirates are doing. They are going to stink for a while but they have hope. There is no reason that they couldn’t have some successful moments like the Twins and A’s have had the past few years.

My NL West:

1) Arizona
2) Colorado
3) Los Angeles
4) San Diego
5) San Francisco

Current NL West:

1) Arizona
2) Los Angeles
3) Colorado
4) San Francisco
5) San Diego

Thoughts: Arizona was doing so well and then something happened. The Dodgers are the team that I think is going to pull this division out especially with Manny playing hard all of a sudden. This is the worst division in baseball, pathetic play and I don’t want to discuss it anymore.

On to the American League:

AL East- Boston (Tampa is for real. No one saw that coming)
AL Central- Cleveland (oy vey as in the second worst record in the AL. Same as last month. There’s no excuse for this.)
AL West- Seattle (terrible, terrible, terrible pick)
Wild Card- Toronto (They’re only eight games out, they can do it right? Yeah, I know, terrible pick)
AL Champs- Cleveland (my AL picks were terrible, weren’t they!)
AL MVP- Manny Ramirez (Well, seeing how he’s in another league right now and quit on the Red Sox, this pick is probably not going to happen. This race is wide open as well. It can go to anyone on the Angels, Red Sox or Rays. K-Rod from Anaheim is still a sleeper here.)
AL Cy Young- Roy Halladay (Another open race but watch out for K-Rod once again.)
AL Manager of the Year- Terry Francona (this is Joe Maddon’s award, manager of Tampa Bay, right now. Terry has done a good job and you have to consider that loser manager of Anaheim, the manager of the Twins and wait for it…Ozzie Guillen! Oz can pull this one out. Gotta love it. He’ll probably curse at everyone while accepting the award, looking forward to it.)
AL Surprise Team- Kansas City (terrible choice by me and I thought that they would show some signs of life for the future like Cincinnati. Not happening.)
AL Disappointment Team- Yankees and Anaheim (Yankees, yes…Anaheim’s in first place and cruising. Mixed bag.)
AL Worst Team- Baltimore (the Orioles aren’t that bad. Oakland, Kansas City, Cleveland and Jesus Christmas Seattle have worse records.)

My AL East:

1) Boston
2) Toronto
3) New York
4) Tampa Bay
5) Baltimore

Current AL East:

1) Tampa Bay
2) Boston
3) New York
4) Toronto
5) Baltimore

Thoughts: Last month, I said that the Rays are the story of baseball, but the season is long. Not only are the Rays still the story, they are for real. I still hold out hope that Boston will catch them and win the division but that’s just for my predictions.

I LOVE THE RAYS!

The Yankees weren’t going to make the playoffs before the season started and I’m sticking to it. They are too old and too young at the same time. Toronto has disappointed me a little and Baltimore is actually not a terrible team.

My AL Central:

1) Cleveland
2) Detroit
3) Kansas City
4) Chicago
5) Minnesota

Current AL Central:

1) Chicago
2) Minnesota
3) Detroit
4) Kansas City
5) Cleveland

Thoughts: The White Sox are doing well right now, so respect to Jonathan and Noth.

The Twins continue to surprise me. I thought that they would be terrible this year, but respect to them. If Liriano can come in and make a major contribution, watch out for these guys.

Detroit, Kansas City and Cleveland, nothing more needs to be said.

My AL West:

1) Seattle
2) Anaheim
3) Oakland
4) Texas

Current AL West:

1) Anaheim
2) Texas
3) Oakland
4) Seattle

Thoughts: First, they will always be Anaheim or California and not this LA crap. Next, you know that I will always resent the Angels and hope that they lose because of their manager. If you need a reminder, http://pourtoutpancakes.blogspot.com/2008/07/my-five-saddest-moments-as-sports-fan.html. God, I dislike that manager. They are the strongest team in the league and should make the World Series. However, they seem to have trouble with Boston in the playoffs, so look out for that.

Seattle sucks, its that simple.

Texas is a fun team to watch because they can score some runs. The pitching just isn’t enough. Oakland is whatever.

That’s all. I was listening to some Mars Volta and Evanescence. BTW, Amy Lee. Let's see, rocker, dark hair, beautiful eyes, great voice, she can get it anytime if you know what I'm saying!

Enjoy some of their music below:

Sunday Reflections (Josh Hamilton edition)

I was going to write a post on the amazing season that Josh Hamilton is having this past week for the Texas Rangers.

For those of you unfamiliar with Hamilton, here’s a quick recap. He was drafted out of high school first overall in the 1999 draft by the Tampa Devil Rays. He was a five-tool player who was projected to be one of the best players ever. However, he dealt with drug addiction and alcoholism and was out of the game for a few years. He hit rock bottom, but found religion and cleaned his life up. Slowly he started playing baseball again and made a nice impact with the Cincinnati Reds last year. He was then traded to the Rangers in the off-season and is leading the major in RBI’s and is having an MVP caliber season. As an exclamation point to his great start to this season, he had a record-setting performance in the Home Run Derby at Yankee Stadium earlier this week.

OK, you’re caught up. It’s a great story that has inspired a lot of people, even those who don’t follow baseball. However, there are some haters out there.

Some want to see Hamilton stick it out for a while longer before we completely say that he’s cured of his addictions. That’s fair I guess, but those people need to realize that he’s going to be an addict his entire life and he will never be completely cured.

Some are saying that he plays in a hitter’s park and Ian Kinsler and Michael Young are just as valuable to the team. That can also be a fair estimation.

Some are saying that Milton Bradley is having a better season and isn’t receiving the same attention because he’s Black. J.A. Adande of ESPN.com had the nerve to make this statement on First Take.

First, here’s a fair prospective on Milton’s and Josh’s story here: http://www.latimes.com/sports/printedition/la-sp-star14-2008jul14,0,546313.story

In the end, I realized something.

First, even though a successful Vandy alum, Skip Bayless, is on the show, I need to stop watching First Take.

But I think this is a general commentary on my sports viewing.

I’ve watched less ESPN, CSS, Fox Sports and other sports networks right now than ever in my life and I’m enjoying it a lot. That’s why I want no part of the ESPY’s tonight.

I still go to my five or six sports Web sites, which are usually cnnsi.com, espn.com, foxsports.com, deadspin.com, biglead.com, sherdog.com, mmaweekly.com and a few others. I’ll maybe catch SportsNite on CSS, SportsCenter, PTI and Jim Rome is Burning on ESPN. That’s it.

I used to watch sports channels for hours and hours, but its overkill. I value the opinions of others, but I get overwhelmed. I also got tired of hearing about the steroids in sports and all of the negative things in sports getting way too much coverage.

I understand why all of these shows exist. There’s an interest in it and everyone has an opinion. Heck, some of you are reading my blog for my opinion on sports topics.
This does relate to Hamilton.

Instead of watching the over analysis of a good story, I’m going to just enjoy it on my own and you should too.

For now, here’s Josh doing his thing at the Home Run Derby.

Deadspin_July15
by bsap11

My MLB Predictions (July edition)

Since we’ve reached July, its time for me to review my baseball picks, this should be interesting…

First a quick thought on the All-Star game. The home run derby was solid, even though it took way too long. How did Josh Hamilton not win that after hitting 28 home runs? They need to change the rules. The actual game was also way too long. I actually stayed up and watched that thing.

The problem is that now that since the game has an affect on who is going to have home field advantage in the playoffs, there’s no room for a tie, which wouldn’t have been the worst thing to happen in this year’s game.

Remember, this game is SUPPOSED TO BE AN EXHIBITION!

I usually don’t watch the all star game and will definitely not do it now.

Let’s get to the picks.

Here were my choices before the season started for the National League:

NL East- Phillies (So far, so good, but barely)
NL Central- Milwaukee (a month ago, this looked like a bad pick. They still have some work to do for this to happen.)
NL West- Arizona (They looked good in the beginning of the season but have struggled)
Wild Card- Colorado (not a good choice.) The current wild card leader is St. Louis with Milwaukee right there. One of these two teams will be the wild card team at the end of the season, I’m calling it now.)
NL Champions- Arizona (I have to stick with this pick, even though I like some other teams more now)
NL MVP- Prince Fielder/Ryan Howard (neither one of them is winning it, even though both of them are good players. This is still an open race with lots of candidates. Bring on Chase Utley, Lance Berkman and Larry Jones, among others)
NL Cy Young- Johan Santana (Johan is doing well and may actually steal this award if he has a monster second half, but I still think this is Brandon Webb’s award to lose, maybe Volquez)
NL Manager of the Year- Bob Melvin (The Diamondbacks were doing so well, but they’ve hit some tough times. I don’t like the guy’s attitude, but you have to look at LaRussa at St. Louis for this award at this stage.)
NL Surprise Team- Cincinnati (They started off well, stumbled a little bit and are only a few games below .500. I like the youth movement led by Jay Bruce, Cueto and Volquez, who’s a stud. They’re not going to make the playoffs, but if they may have a future. All they need to do now is get rid of Griffy and Dunn and just start over. The Marlins were the obvious choice here a month ago, but you have to look at the Cardinals as well.)
NL Disappointment- Chicago and San Diego (I was wrong on the Cubs of course, but San Diego was a good call. I’ll get to the rest of the disappointments later.)
NL Worst Team- San Francisco (even worse than Pittsburgh) The Giants are still terrible. The scary thing is that they aren’t the worse team in the league. They have a better record than Washington, San Diego and Colorado. The National League is terrible.

My standings predictions for each division and the current ones:

My NL East:

1) Philadelphia
2) New York
3) Atlanta
4) Washington
5) Florida

Current NL East:

1) Philadelphia
2) New York
3) Florida
4) Atlanta
5) Washington

Thoughts: I’m starting to get somewhat closer with this division. I think Philly will still win the division. They have good pitching, the best lineup and a solid bullpen. The Mets are still confusing to me just as much now as ever. They fire a manager unfairly and are now currently on a nine-game winning streak and half a game out of first place. I still say that the Mets don’t make the playoffs. Florida has been surprising, but it’s a long season. I always thought Atlanta would be an average team and they are doing that. Washington is Washington.

My NL Central:

1) Milwaukee
2) Cincinnati
3) Chicago
4) St. Louis
5) Houston
6) Pittsburgh

Current NL Central:

1) Chicago
2) St. Louis
3) Milwaukee
4) Cincinnati
5) Pittsburgh
6) Houston

Thoughts: Brewers, I go out on a limb for you and you do this to me? Actually, they are playing much better now and with the pickup of Sabathia, things are looking up. The Natti’, well, they aren’t going to finish in second place. However, as stated earlier, I like their future. St. Louis has been a shocker for me, because I thought that they would be terrible this season. Respect to them. Houston and Pittsburgh have done nothing special worth discussing.

Much love to the Cubs. I thought that they would be a disappointment, but they have delivered. Once again Meggie, you were right. However, there’s a long way to go and the Cubs tend to find a way to blow it. Not to show bias, the Mets do the same thing. However, I’m looking forward to Cubs vs. Mets in the first round. Sometimes hope is all that you have.

My NL West:

1) Arizona
2) Colorado
3) Los Angeles
4) San Diego
5) San Francisco

Current NL West:

1) Arizona
2) Los Angeles
3) San Francisco
4) Colorado
5) San Diego

Thoughts: Arizona was doing so well and then something happened. The Dodgers are the team that I think is going to pull this division out. This is the worst division in baseball, pathetic play and I don’t want to discuss it anymore.

On to the American League:

AL East- Boston (good call and I’m sticking with them)
AL Central- Cleveland (oy vey as in the second worst record in the AL)
AL West- Seattle (terrible pick)Wild Card- Toronto (bad pick as well)
AL Champs- Cleveland (my AL picks were terrible, weren’t they!)
AL MVP- Manny Ramirez (Manny is too inconsistent and J.D. Drew has actually been more valuable to them since Ortiz has been hurt. Josh Hamilton is doing great right now and no one else has been distinguishing themselves. K-Rod from Anaheim is a sleeper here.)
AL Cy Young- Roy Halladay (this is an open race so far, but watch out for K-Rod once again. )
AL Manager of the Year- Terry Francona (this is Joe Maddon’s award, manager of Tampa Bay, right now)
AL Surprise Team- Kansas City (terrible choice by me)
AL Disappointment Team- Yankees and Anaheim (Yankees, yes…Anaheim’s in first place and cruising. Mixed bag.)
AL Worst Team- Baltimore (the Orioles are showing some spunk, not much but something. Plus, Cleveland, Kansas City and Seattle each have worse records)

My AL East:

1) Boston
2) Toronto
3) New York
4) Tampa Bay
5) Baltimore

Current AL East:

1) Boston
2) Tampa Bay
3) New York
4) Toronto
5) Baltimore

Thoughts: The story of baseball has been Tampa Bay, however, as I’ve said, it’s a long season. I think they will stick around through the whole race and from a selfish prospective, I want them to do well because David Price is probably going to be pitching for them in the next few weeks and I always represent for my Commodores. Boston is still going to win this division.

The Yankees weren’t going to make the playoffs before the season started and I’m sticking to it. Toronto has disappointed me a little and Baltimore is actually not a terrible team.

My AL Central:

1) Cleveland
2) Detroit
3) Kansas City
4) Chicago
5) Minnesota
Current AL Central:

1) Chicago
2) Minnesota
3) Detroit
4) Kansas City
5) Cleveland

Thoughts: The White Sox are doing well right now, but how about the Twins! I thought that they would be terrible this year, but respect to them. The Twins have been doing all of this without Liriano and if he can make any positive contribution this season, they can definitely make the playoffs. Detroit seems to be an enigma. I don’t know if they have enough to make a major run. Kansas City is acting like they always to and Cleveland, well there’s always hope…maybe.

My AL West:

1) Seattle
2) Anaheim
3) Oakland
4) Texas

Current AL West:

1) Anaheim
2) Oakland
3) Texas
4) Seattle

Thoughts: First, they will always be Anaheim or California and not this LA crap. Next, you know that I will always resent the Angels and hope that they lose because of their manager. If you need a reminder, http://pourtoutpancakes.blogspot.com/2008/07/my-five-saddest-moments-as-sports-fan.html

Second, I was wrong about Seattle, way wrong. They have talent on that roster, but I don’t know what the heck has happened to them. I thought that Anaheim’s pitching would be weak but they have been good, especially the bullpen. K-Rod is no joke. Oakland has been a surprise, Billy Beane does it again. I just think that they aren’t going to win the division, even though they are only six games out of first place.

Texas is a fun team to watch because they can score some runs. I hope that Josh Hamilton can keep it up because it’s a great story. I liked Josh before the season began, but I didn’t expect this. I’ll have a more detailed post about Josh tomorrow.

I’ll keep reviewing my picks every month and see where I’m at.

I watching BET while doing this post and the new Ashanti video, Good Good, came on. She’s definitely a winner because of this:




Her performance in John Tucker Must Die was tremendous and now this video. The message of the song may be post-worthy. I’ll have to think about it. Until then, enjoy the video.

Sunday Reflections

Another award winning edition of Sunday Reflections...

-Busy and slow weekend overall. I spend a lot of time writing for the blog. Friday night was an evening out with the boys and a lady that was detailed in a post. I spend yesterday afternoon at Green Hills Mall, which was cool. Then I spent all of last night writing my advice post, which was the most enjoyable thing that I’ve written so far. Today was a lazy day doing laundry and watching the European Championship finals. Speaking of which…

-Viva Espana! I’m so glad that Spain beat Germany today. I have no beefs against any of the European teams, so I’m completely neutral. However, I want to see open action and aggressive soccer play. Teams like Germany and Italy play in that old school, passive defensive style that turns off potential soccer fans. Those two teams have tons of international tournament success, so you can’t knock it too much.

However, I want to see progressive play get rewarded and the Spaniards winning Euro confirmed this. Spain also played solid defense in today’s final, something Espana has been weak at in the past.

When I think of Euro, I will think of how Holland played the best soccer I’ve ever seen from a national team in their first two matches and then wet the bed in the quarterfinals against Russia. I’ll think of Spain finally breaking through. I’ll think of the classic penalty kick shootout between Spain and Italy. I’ll think of the surprising Russians. I’ll think about how Portugal can have such talent and promise, yet forget how to do fundamental thinks like defensive marking against Germany and that will always be their downfall.

The main thing that I will think about however, is the Turks. Their never give up attitude was inspiring to watch. Turkey went through so many injuries and suspensions, yet kept fighting and made an excellent run. Their wins against the Czech Republic and Croatia were thrilling. Even in defeat against Germany, they tied the score late before the Germans scored in the final minute. I’m now a lifetime fan of the Turks!

-At Green Hills Mall, I saw Vanessa Williams and that was a good sight. She’s smaller and shorter then I thought she would be. It was so weird because I was just walking to the Brookstone store next the Apple store and I see her in a white dress, really no makeup, with her small daughter I’m assuming and two other women. I guess she’s in town filming a movie or something like that.

Anyway, I didn’t place her at first and then I said to myself, is that Vanessa Williams? Very attractive and you know the love I have for older women. I’m supposed to say that she could get it or CGI at this point, even though I’ve never turned down a girl. She actually may crack the bench on my top-five, speaking of which…

I recently saw this picture of Ciara and she once again confirmed why she will always be a member of the top-five. Ashley is still the GM/head coach. For old time’s sake…




I will have an updated top-five list soon.

-As sucky as the Mets have been playing lately, they are only four games out of first place. That’s the beauty of baseball, the season is so darn long. The Mets have fired a manager, the clubhouse doesn’t get along, players want to get out and they are still in contention. Good stuff. Also…

-The Rays are coming on strong and are in it for the long haul. I LOVE that the Rays are contending and are actually in first place now. I get so, so tired of hearing about the Yankees and the Red Sox all of the time. I don’t have a big beef against either team, I just get tired of the media coverage of them. Detroit is also only five games out as well. Maybe my AL West champions Seattle can recover and make a run…maybe not.

-I’ll have my updated MLB predictions/review at the All-Star game in a few weeks.

-I must tell you that I’m a sucker for the Olympics, both Winter and Summer. I’m going to elaborate on this more in a future post. For now, I was watching the trials for Track and Field as well as Swimming. I don’t know all of the athletes names right now, but I just love the competition. Tyson Gay and Michael Phelps are freaks, btw. I also checked out the gymnastics one a few weeks ago as well.

-I was driving around town over the weekend and I began to thing about my career and what I would like to do with it. It was a reflective moment and I was glad to have it.

-I recently joined a cool Facebook group called “If you remember the 90’s…” Great group and going over the information on there brought back so many memories. Here’s the link: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2204285338

-I watched 60 Minutes today and there was a story on Will Smith in anticipation of his new movie, Hancock. Such a down to earth guy. I’m a big fan of his and Fresh Prince of Bel Air was essential viewing. In West Philadelphia born and raised, on the playground is where I spend most of my days…Y’all know what I’m talking about.

Here are some potential post topics for the next week (I will try to not write a post about women or dating.)

-Does this offend me, Part 3. Its coming, I promise
-Olympics
-Fourth of July memories
-So Black people don’t like rock music?

I heard this Bush song at a bar on Friday night and it brought back some memories. Actually, it was the cover band at Tin Roof. I was a HUGE fan of Bush back in the day. Have a good week.

Sunday Reflections

This was an interesting week for me because I spent the entire time away from Nashville and in Atlanta and South Carolina seeing the family. I will say that I’m looking forward to heading back to Nashville and getting back into my routine. However, it’s important to see your loved ones when you have a chance in the sports industry because once August comes around, I’ll be back on the grind, which I like.

I want to talk about funerals, but I have to hit on some other thoughts.

-I haven’t followed baseball as much as I usually do because I’ve been away from home dealing with family stuff, but I like the balance of things right now. I get tired of hearing about the Yankees and the Red Sox all the time. I like seeing the Rays, the White Sox, Angels, A’s, Phillies, Cubs, Brewers and Diamondbacks having solid seasons. Hopefully the sports networks will acknowledge this and cover these teams more.

I have a cousin who lives in Tampa and if the Rays make the playoffs, it’s on. War Rays!

-Euro 2008 has been an excellent tournament, but the quarterfinals had some interesting results. Germany took care of business against Portugal because Portugal forgot to play defense. I haven’t seen an elite team mark so bad defensively in my life in a major tournament. Also, why don’t you look around and fake another ankle injury Ronaldo, you Wanker. I actually missed the Turkey game, but I heard it was a classic. The Turks find another way to comeback and get a win. Russia made Holland look like amateurs. What is it about the Netherlands that they look like the best team in the world for two matches and then they play like ass in the next one. Holland has so much talent but they always underachieve. I will never trust them again in a major tournament.

I was so happy that Spain beat Italy today. I have no beef against the Italians, but the way that they played today was pathetic. It was so bad that I fell asleep during the game. That’s how uninspired I was watching the game. Italy has always been a boring squad to watch as a fan, but they win a lot of times obviously. However, if this tournament has taught us anything is that aggressive play is usually awarded. Italy just played passive and in the end, the aggressive and more deserving Spaniards won the game on penalties.

Good riddance to Greece, Italy and boring soccer in general.

-One show that I’ve gotten into this week is America’s Best Dance Crew on MTV. I just like seeing those crews dancing and showing off their skills. Mario Lopez is earning a paycheck, which is always good. A.C. Slater needs the work. BTW, Mario, how do you break up with Karina Smirnoff, she’s a winner. Also, how do you screw up that relationship with Ali Landry? Questions that I will never receive the answer to.

I’m going to place my funeral post separately. I leave you with some Mars Volta. Have a good week.

Meet the Mess, Meet the Mess, Get to the park and Meet the Mess...

Mr. Met isn’t smiling tonight…

There is a saying in sports that you can’t fire the owner and you can’t fire the players. A certain baseball team in New York is showing this rule applies.

First was the embarrassing events that took place this week with my favorite baseball team, the New York Mets. Quick back story on the situation. The Mets fired their manager Willie Randolph after about a month of speculation about his job tenure. Managers get fired all of the time, no biggie there. I personally don’t think the terrible play was completely Willie’s fault, which I’ll get to later.

The problem was the way that the situation was handled. The Mets were about to head to California for a road trip and Randolph told Omar Minaya, his boss and general manager of the team, that he didn’t want to go on the trip if he was going to be fired. Randolph wanted to leave the job with dignity, if it was possible. According to speculations, Minaya told him that he wasn’t going to get fired and the team headed to California. Then after the Mets win three out of four games, things seem well. However, after the Mets won a game against Anaheim, Minaya fired Randolph and announced it on a press release at 3 a.m. in the morning.

What a joke. I see how the Mets were working, from a PR prospective. They wanted to sweep this firing under the rug so that no one would notice. That’s why they did it during a road series, to avoid the New York media. However, that move may have worked twenty years ago, but not now in our current digital age.

The problem with that organization is a lack of accountability. The Mets collapse towards the end of last season and their uninspired play to start this season comes down to everyone. Randolph deserved some blame but Minaya deserves blame for putting together an old, slow and injury prone team as well.

It seems like if you’re an old, Latin ballplayer, Minaya has you on speed dial. Enough with the old guys. I’ve always said that I would rather see my teams lose with young players than old players. Just ask the San Francisco Giants how having an old team has been the past few years.

The Mets have the budget and the resources to have a good player development organization, yet they seem to be stuck with old guys. Delgado, Castillo, Alou, Pedro Martinez, Fernando frickin Tatis. Really?

Let’s look at the top teams over the last few years and some teams that have emerged this season. All of them have embraced young players that have developed properly in their systems. Some teams like the Red Sox, Yankees, Angels and Cubs bring in some veterans but still have acknowledged that they need to mix in some young players to stay on top. Then you have teams like the Rays, Indians, A’s, Twins, Phillies, Marlins, Brewers and Diamondbacks who have overhauled their teams with young players and have bright futures. I don’t see that with the Mets. Minaya is a blame for this.

However, someone had to hire Minaya and this is where ownership comes into play.

They need to just overhaul everything and start over and only keep Reyes, Wright, Beltran and maybe Wagner even though he’s older.

It is what it is and resident Mets fan Jon Stewart summarized it best below.

My Updated MLB Predictions and why Meggie, Jonathan, Noth and the rest of Chicago is Happy

Since we’ve reached June, its time for me to review my baseball picks, this should be interesting…

Here were my choices before the season started for the National League:

NL East- Phillies (So far, so good)
NL Central- Milwaukee (oy!)
NL West- Arizona (solid so far)
Wild Card- Colorado (not a good choice)
NL Champions- Arizona (sticking with my pick even though Philly is good)
NL MVP- Prince Fielder/Ryan Howard (neither one is bringing it. Bring on Chase Utley, Lance Berkman and Larry Jones)
NL Cy Young- Johan Santana (Johan is doing well, but its Brandon Webb award to lose)
NL Manager of the Year- Bob Melvin (The Diamondbacks are doing their thing, good job Bob)
NL Suprise Team- Cincinnati (They started off well, stumbled a little bit, but the Jay Bruce era is in full effect. I love their young pitching like Cueto and Volquez, whose a stud. They’re not going to make the playoffs, but if they may have a future. The Marlins are obviously the choice here.)
NL Disappointment- Chicago and San Diego (I was wrong on the Cubs of course, but San Diego was a good call. I’ll get to the rest of the disappointments later.)
NL Worst Team- San Francisco, even worse than Pittsburgh (The Giants are awful, but they actually have a better record than Washington, San Diego and Colorado).

My standings predictions for each division and the current ones:

My NL East:

1) Philadelphia
2) New York
3) Atlanta
4) Washington
5) Florida

Current NL East:

1) Philadelphia
2) Florida
3) Atlanta
4) New York
5) Washington

Thoughts: I still love Philly. I thought this before the season started and Howard hasn’t gotten off yet. Utley is playing out of his mind and Rollins is going to continue to get healthy and better. The Marlins are a surprise. I though Atlanta would meddle around .500 all year and that’s what they’re doing. I never liked the Mets and they’re pathetic play and internal bullcrap with Willie Randolph. Washington is Washington.

My NL Central:

1) Milwaukee
2) Cincinnati
3) Chicago
4) St. Louis
5) Houston
6) Pittsburgh

Current NL Central:

1) Chicago
2) St. Louis
3) Houston
4) Milwaukee
5) Cincinnati
6) Pittsburgh

Thoughts: Brewers, what’s going on. I go out on a limb for you and you show your appreciation with this? The Natti’ isn’t in second, so that’s a no for me. Houston is showing some spunk, which is good. I thought St. Louis was going to be horrible and they have been more than respectful. The Cubs are the story of the National League right now, maybe all of baseball. You were right Meggie. To be fair though, I did say that I thought that the Cubs were better than everyone else in the division on paper, I just didn’t trust them. I should have trusted them, but its still early.

My NL West:

1) Arizona
2) Colorado
3) Los Angeles
4) San Diego
5) San Francisco

Current NL West:

1) Arizona
2) Los Angeles
3) San Francisco
4) San Diego
5) Colorado

Thoughts: Arizona is looking good, even though they have cooled off some. Colorado is the shocker. I thought they would contend for the playoffs and they stink right now. The Dodgers may actually win this division.

On to the American League:

AL East- Boston (good call)
AL Central- Cleveland (oy again, but there’s still hope)
AL West- Seattle (no hope here)
Wild Card- Toronto (this can still happen)
AL Champs- Cleveland (I’m being stubborn and sticking with them)
AL MVP- Manny Ramirez (I can still see Manny winning this even though Josh Hamilton is doing great right now)
AL Cy Young- Roy Halladay (this is an open race so far)
AL Manager of the Year- Terry Francona (this is Joe Maddon’s award, manager of Tampa Bay, right now)
AL Surprise Team- Kansas City (terrible choice by me)
AL Disappintment Team- Yankees and Anaheim (Yankees, yes…Anaheim’s in first place. Mixed bag)
AL Worst Team- Baltimore (the Orioles are showing something and Cleveland, Detroit, Kansas City and Seattle each have worse records)

My AL East:

1) Boston
2) Toronto
3) New York
4) Tampa Bay
5) Baltimore

Current AL East:

1) Tampa Bay
2) Boston
3) Toronto
4) New York
5) Baltimore

Thoughts: The story of baseball has been Tampa Bay. To be fair, I thought these guys had young talent but I didn’t expect this. Boston is doing its thing, even though Ortiz’s injury is cause for concern. I hated the Yankees before the season and don’t like them now. I still like Toronto and Baltimore may be in last place, but they are actually playing better then they have in years. Maybe the best division in baseball.

My AL Central:

1) Cleveland
2) Detroit
3) Kansas City
4) Chicago
5) Minnesota

Current AL Central:

1) Chicago
2) Minnesota
3) Cleveland
4) Detroit
5) Kansas City

Thoughts: The White Sox are doing well right now, which should make Jonathan and Noth feel better. But none of these teams has separated themselves from each other, so this is anyone’s guess. I still like Cleveland. I never trusted Detroit, I didn’t like their bullpen, but I expected their hitting to be better. Minnesota has been a pleasant surprise because I thought they would be awful. Kansas City, I’m shaking my head in shame.

My AL West:

1) Seattle
2) Anaheim
3) Oakland
4) Texas

Current AL West:

1) Anaheim
2) Oakland
3) Texas
4) Seattle

Thoughts: First, they will always be Anaheim and not this LA crap. Second, I was wrong about Seattle, way wrong. Like the worst choice that I made in my entire predictions wrong. Wasn’t expecting that. I thought that Anaheim’s pitching would be weak but they have been good. Oakland has been a surprise, Billy Beane does it again. I hope that Josh Hamilton can keep it up because it’s a great story. I liked Josh before the season began, but I didn’t expect this.

I’ll keep reviewing my picks every month and see where I’m at.

I didn’t listen to any music while doing this post, but I was watching Family Guy. Here’s a clip.

NBA and general sports musings

Some quick thoughts on the Conference Finals of the NBA and other sports musings on a Saturday afternoon:

Lakers/Spurs: This series has gone how I thought it would. The Spurs are finally starting to look old and a team is taking advantage of it. New Orleans had a chance to do it, but they weren’t ready. The Lakers have a good mix of veterans and a young bench that is ready to step up.

I’m not going to say that this series is going to be a sweep; I have too much respect for the Spurs. However, as Barkley said last night, Horry and Finley are done and that’s going to be the downfall of the team. Duncan and Parker are going to give you a good effort and Ginobili is a talented player, but it’s over for them being a championship caliber team. They just can’t score.

Celtics/Pistons: Now Boston, you are in a world of crap. I picked Detroit in this series before it even started and I’m even more confident in my pick now. The Pistons are just too grimey, too grumpy and too smart to get intimidated on the road. If Boston thought that they could just keep winning all of their home games that was foolish.

Now the series goes to Detroit, which will be problems for the Celtics. The only way that Boston has a chance is if the Pistons do their usual cruising and lose focus for game 3. This can happen. However, I actually think the Pistons realize that they are close to finally returning to the Finals.

On to other sports:

-The Mets are going through a rough stretch right now, losing a lot of games and people want Randolph or Minaya to get fired. I think it’s too early to push the panic button and fire the manager or GM. Who are you going to replace those guys with? Also, I think the problems are more with the players then the front office. Is it Willie’s fault that the pitching has been sub par or that the guys aren’t hustling and making routine plays?

I’m not saying that Willie is completely innocent. I disliked how at the end of last season when the Mets were losing their lead in the standings Randolph has a lax attitude about it and acted like nothing was wrong with losing games. That may work in the Joe Torre, Yankees school of thought, where Willie was a coach for a long time, but the Yanks had a veteran crew that knew to stay focused and take care of business. Unfortunately, the Mets don’t have those types of guys.

Also, it’s May. Do I really care about May MLB baseball? Not really. If the Mets are still playing like this in July, then changes need to be made.

-I love college baseball conference tournament season. I’ve been following the SEC Tournament for Vandy, the ACC Tournament for Georgia Tech, the SoCon Tournament for College of Charleston and of course the A-Sun Tournament, because its my job and I’m here with Belmont. It’s just good seeing all of these games taking place at the same time.

My MLB Predictions

Its that time again kids...spring is in the air...I still have to do my taxes...The ladies are starting to wear less cloting...its time for my MLB preview/predictions.

First, I'm a terrible but honest predictor. I show no favortism and am actually extra hard on teams that I like, especially the Mets. I treat it like my money is on the line and messing with my money is messing with my emotions, its all about the principalities of the situation.
Anyway, here's the condensed version of my predictions and I'll break down he divisions individually after that.

NL East- Phillies
NL Central- Milwaukee
NL West- Arizona
Wild Card- Colorado
NL Champions- Arizona
NL MVP- Prince Fielder/Ryan Howard (I can't choose). Ok, I'll take Prince
NL Cy Young- Johan Santana
NL Manager of the Year- Bob Melvin (Arizona)
NL Suprise Team- Cincinnati
NL Disappointment- Chicago and San Diego
NL Worst Team- San Francisco (even worse than Pittsburgh)

AL East- Boston
AL Central- Cleveland
AL West- Seattle
Wild Card- Toronto
AL Champs- Cleveland
AL MVP- Manny Ramirez
AL Cy Young- Roy Halladay
AL Manager of the Year- Terry Francona
AL Surprise Team- Kansas City (yeah, that's right)
AL Disappintment Team- Yankees and Anaheim (both by their standards)
AL Worst Team- Baltimore

World Series: Cleveland over Arizona

Here's how the AL East breaks down: 1) Boston- They are the most complete team in the division. 2) Toronto- They have the tools to overtake New York, they just have to stay healthy. 3) New York- They will still win around 85 games, but their pitching staff is too young and too old at the same time, which is hard to do. 4) Tampa Bay- The Rays are going to not finish in the cellar, congrats. They have some young talent. 5) Baltimore- Its going to be a long year at Charm City.

AL Central- 1) Cleveland- Most complete team in the division. I'm banking on Pronk finding his stroke again and C.C not eating himself out of a big contract. 2) Detroit- World Championship lineup, Pennent starting pitching, .500 Bullpen. This won't be Detroit's year. 3) Kansas City- I think these guys can surprise some people this season. I've seen their first few games and like what I've seen from them. 4) Chicago- I just have a bad vibe about this team and their overall chances. 5) Minnesota- They still have Mauer and Morneau, but they lost too much this off-season. As a general baseball fan, I hope Liriano comes back healthy, because he's a joy to watch.

AL West- 1) Seattle- Bedard will be the difference maker in this division. The lineup is solid, but not great. King Felix is a special pitcher if he stays healthy and I'm banking on a decent season from him health-wise. He stays healthy the whole season and he's winning the Cy Young award, its that simple. 2) Anaheim- I know they are the Los Angeles Angels of whatever. Anyway, their starting rotation is banged up, which I don't like at all. They will score some runs, but in the long run, they won't make the postseason. 3) Oakland- They blown up their team once again and are going with the youngsters. I trust Billy Beane's knowledge, but its going to be a rough year for them. 4) Texas- I like nothing about this team accept Josh Hamilton. The pitching is awful. Nothing else to say here.

NL East- 1) Philadelphia- I don't understand why people are lukewarm on this team. I think they have the best lineup in the division top to bottom and the pitching staff is solid. I would worry about Brad Lidge in the bullpen though and I know losing Rowland won't help the team. I still like them to at least win the division. 2) New York- Ah, my beloved Mets. I have such a love/hate relationship with them. Starting Pitching is ok. Santana speaks for himself and he will have a monster year. Pedro is hurt as usual and Maine and Perez are up and down. Fifth starter won't bring much to the table. Lineup is good but not as great as people make it out to be. There are some major holes in it, especially in the corner outfield positions and catcher. Bullpen is good. I think that they will not win the division in the end. 3) Atlanta- I really wanted to pick them ahead of New York, but I like the Mets rotation a little bit more. Besides that, Braves are going to be a good team this year. 4) Washington- Going to a new ballpark will give them a few extra wins and they are getting some young talent. Why the Mets traded Milledge, I don't know. 5) Florida: Ramirez is good, Uggla is solid and I like Andrew Miller. Everything else you can keep. We'll see these guys around in a few years and they will contend for a world series at that point.

NL Central- 1) Milwaukee- I love the experience that these young guys gained last season. These guys are ready to make the leap and take this surprisingly competitive division. 2) Cincinnati- I love to take chances in my predictions and this is a big one. I like their young arms and the lineup isn't bad at all. Dusty Baker brings them some credibility and I think they will finish second. 3) Chicago- Cubs fans don't want to see this. Honestly, I think the Cubs are better then Cincinnati and maybe even Milwaukee on paper, but I see them taking a major step back this season. 4) St. Louis- Pujols is a beast but doesn't have much support. Injuries and age have taken a toll on this team the last few years accept for the world championship in '06. 5) Houston- Oswalt, Berkman and El Cabayo (Carlos Lee) are solid, but not much else. Pence is good to and Tejada may be washed up. 6) Pittsburgh- I watched a Pirates/Marlins game on TV last night and only knew one or two Pirates. They're going to be bad.

NL West- 1) Arizona- The Diamondbacks win the most competitive division in baseball. The pitching is outstanding and the lineup will improve because everyone is a year older. They win a lot of close games and that wins divisions. 2) Colorado- I love the lineup and they have the experience. I still just don't trust the pitching long-term. Good enough to win the wildcard but not good enough to repeat a pennent. 3) Los Angeles-Torre, play the young guys and you may sneak into a wild-card spot. 4) San Diego- Money Pitching + Cheap Hitting = No success and an angry Jake Peavy 5) San Francisco- No Bonds + Old as Dirt Lineup + Young Pitchers still learning + Crappy Barry Zito = Last place in division and possibly worst record in league and baseball.

Those are the predictions. I would love to hear yours.