Hallelujah! A great day. My favorite ASU player, Kyle Williams, was drafted in the 6th round and the Cardinals traded the awful Bryant McFadden back to the Steelers.
Draft analysis to come soon...
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
2010 Arizona Cardinal Draft Needs
So we’re now entering Ken Whisenhunt’s fourth draft as the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals and looking at what he’s accomplished in the draft so far; Steve Breaston (1000 yard receiver), Levi Brown (2009 Probowl reserve), Tim Hightower (5th round choice), Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (Probowler), etc. And not to mention, he’ll have Rod Graves, the Cards general manager, who is notorious for having very successful drafts with this organization in the pre-Whiz era.
This year is should be fun though. The Cards have an established offense (Minus a hall of fame QB) but have a lot of holes on the defensive end of things. That makes the first few picks a lot easier, as far as picking positions go. From what I saw last year and from what was lost during the offseason due to trade, free agency of retirement, I have ranked each position from 1-10, one being that the position is set and reserves or starters don’t need to be drafted and 10 meaning that drafting this position is a must.
• Quarterback - 4: The Cardinals are paying Matt Leinart too much to draft another QB right now and the fact that they signed former probowler Derek Anderson from the Cleveland Browns shows that the Cardinals have no intention of developing a new quarterback this season. Unless that certain quarterback’s name is Tim Tebow.
• Runningback - 3: I put this at a three because the Cardinals have two above average runners in the backfield but in this new, stronger, faster NFL, players are getting hurt all the time. It wouldn’t hurt to add a small, flashy back much like Darren Sproles to help out on third down. I know LaRod Stephens-Howlings fits this role but they could definitely use an upgrade there.
• Wide Receivers - 3: This is very similar to the runningback situation. They already have their big three; Larry Fitzgerald, Breaston and Early Doucet; but they did lose Jerheme Urban and Sean Morey to Seattle so I wouldn’t be surprised to see a late pick to be used on a wide out.
• Tight End - 10: If you’ve been around me during a Cardinals game, you know that Ben Patrick is one of ‘my boys.’ The problem is he isn’t very good – not to mention he tested positive for steroids last year and was suspended for four games. Also on the depth chart is Anthony Becht and Stephen Spach, but they’re pretty much lineman who wear jerseys in the 80’s and their hands show it. And with the great depth at the tight end position in this year’s draft, I really expect to see a high pick go towards a tight end. My preference would have to be Jermaine Gresham of Oklahoma. The guy is big, fast, athletic and has good hands. His negative is that he missed all of last year due to a knee injury and missed a year of high school football with an injury in his other knee. I still would really consider taking him in the first round. It will help Matt Leinart settle in nicely.
• Offensive Lineman - 6: You can always use depth on the o-line so expect a pick or two to be a guard or tackle.
• Defensive Front Seven - 10: I know this isn’t a position but with a 3-4 defense, guys can play anywhere. And with the losses of Karlos Dansby and Bertrand Berry, the team desperately needs some quality depth to throw in there. Luckily the team still has Darnell Dockett to dominate the line. And the Cards did make an effort to help fill some of those holes with the signing of sack master Joey Porter but he is an aged man and they could still use some youth. And the Cardinals also need to draft a defensive tackle. Alan Branch, Bryan Robinson and Gabe Watson just really aren’t cutting it anymore – or ever.
• Defensive Secondary - 8: The Cards are set at both safety positions and at one corner position but Bryant McFadden needs to go. I was unfortunate enough to watch the early 2000 Cardinals and saw the worst of the worst but never have I seen a corner as worthless as McFadden. I’ll give him credit, he plays a very genius style of defense. What he does is he runs down the field with the receiver and when he sees the receivers eyes look up at the ball, McFadden throws his arms in the air and just tries to smother the receiver from seeing and catching the ball, making zero attempt to make a catch himself. The problem is that it never works. If the ball doesn’t end up in the receivers hand and then in the end zone, it would have been the easiest interception in McFadden’s life except that because he plays the wideout instead of the ball, he never looks back. I just hate seeing DRC making these incredible plays and then seeing McFadden just look silly out there. Please Cardinals, please draft a new corner to put opposite of Rodgers-Cromartie.
So, what I expect from this draft is for the Cardinals to draft a 3-4 hybrid player or a tight end in the first round and expect the team to stack up on more hybrid players through the weekend.
I’ll write something up after the draft and depending on where I watch the draft, I might try to put some of my thoughts down during the draft.
This year is should be fun though. The Cards have an established offense (Minus a hall of fame QB) but have a lot of holes on the defensive end of things. That makes the first few picks a lot easier, as far as picking positions go. From what I saw last year and from what was lost during the offseason due to trade, free agency of retirement, I have ranked each position from 1-10, one being that the position is set and reserves or starters don’t need to be drafted and 10 meaning that drafting this position is a must.
• Quarterback - 4: The Cardinals are paying Matt Leinart too much to draft another QB right now and the fact that they signed former probowler Derek Anderson from the Cleveland Browns shows that the Cardinals have no intention of developing a new quarterback this season. Unless that certain quarterback’s name is Tim Tebow.
• Runningback - 3: I put this at a three because the Cardinals have two above average runners in the backfield but in this new, stronger, faster NFL, players are getting hurt all the time. It wouldn’t hurt to add a small, flashy back much like Darren Sproles to help out on third down. I know LaRod Stephens-Howlings fits this role but they could definitely use an upgrade there.
• Wide Receivers - 3: This is very similar to the runningback situation. They already have their big three; Larry Fitzgerald, Breaston and Early Doucet; but they did lose Jerheme Urban and Sean Morey to Seattle so I wouldn’t be surprised to see a late pick to be used on a wide out.
• Tight End - 10: If you’ve been around me during a Cardinals game, you know that Ben Patrick is one of ‘my boys.’ The problem is he isn’t very good – not to mention he tested positive for steroids last year and was suspended for four games. Also on the depth chart is Anthony Becht and Stephen Spach, but they’re pretty much lineman who wear jerseys in the 80’s and their hands show it. And with the great depth at the tight end position in this year’s draft, I really expect to see a high pick go towards a tight end. My preference would have to be Jermaine Gresham of Oklahoma. The guy is big, fast, athletic and has good hands. His negative is that he missed all of last year due to a knee injury and missed a year of high school football with an injury in his other knee. I still would really consider taking him in the first round. It will help Matt Leinart settle in nicely.
• Offensive Lineman - 6: You can always use depth on the o-line so expect a pick or two to be a guard or tackle.
• Defensive Front Seven - 10: I know this isn’t a position but with a 3-4 defense, guys can play anywhere. And with the losses of Karlos Dansby and Bertrand Berry, the team desperately needs some quality depth to throw in there. Luckily the team still has Darnell Dockett to dominate the line. And the Cards did make an effort to help fill some of those holes with the signing of sack master Joey Porter but he is an aged man and they could still use some youth. And the Cardinals also need to draft a defensive tackle. Alan Branch, Bryan Robinson and Gabe Watson just really aren’t cutting it anymore – or ever.
• Defensive Secondary - 8: The Cards are set at both safety positions and at one corner position but Bryant McFadden needs to go. I was unfortunate enough to watch the early 2000 Cardinals and saw the worst of the worst but never have I seen a corner as worthless as McFadden. I’ll give him credit, he plays a very genius style of defense. What he does is he runs down the field with the receiver and when he sees the receivers eyes look up at the ball, McFadden throws his arms in the air and just tries to smother the receiver from seeing and catching the ball, making zero attempt to make a catch himself. The problem is that it never works. If the ball doesn’t end up in the receivers hand and then in the end zone, it would have been the easiest interception in McFadden’s life except that because he plays the wideout instead of the ball, he never looks back. I just hate seeing DRC making these incredible plays and then seeing McFadden just look silly out there. Please Cardinals, please draft a new corner to put opposite of Rodgers-Cromartie.
So, what I expect from this draft is for the Cardinals to draft a 3-4 hybrid player or a tight end in the first round and expect the team to stack up on more hybrid players through the weekend.
I’ll write something up after the draft and depending on where I watch the draft, I might try to put some of my thoughts down during the draft.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Greenman!!!
Now I know I said I was 86'ing the video of the day but this is worth posting. Enjoy.
PS: Watch It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia!
PS: Watch It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia!
The Second Coming
Sorry for the long delay. Just got caught up in a bunch of things. I'm slashing video of the day due to it's suckiness. I'm gonna write a Cardinals pre-draft outlook this week in preparation for this Thursday's draft. Hope you enjoy my Pujols article I wrote last year. Sorry if it's outdated, I tried updating some of it.
“I believe in the Church of Baseball. I've tried all the major religions, and most of the minor ones. I've worshiped Buddha, Allah, Brahma, Vishnu, Siva, trees, mushrooms and Isadora Duncan. I gave Jesus a chance, but it just didn't work out between us. The Lord laid too much guilt on me. I prefer metaphysics to theology. You see, there's no guilt in baseball. I've tried 'em all, I really have, and the only church that truly feeds the soul - day in, day out - is the Church of Baseball.”
- Annie Savoy, Bull Durham
Ever since Manny Ramirez tested positive for steroids last year, I have been feeling like a Tim Wakefield knuckleball. And after the verification of Sammy Sosa's steroid use, my whole baseball world has been turned upside down and I'm slowly becoming a believer that every player that has found success for the past decade has cheated one way or another. I know this was/is pretty much common knowledge but for some reason, I had way too much faith in the game of baseball.
But due to the semi-recent problems that baseball has had to deal with (i.e. steroids, corked bats, cocaine user, and Roger Clemens' fetish for underage girls.), I have begun to lose my faith in the game. I have always defended a select few players who I truly thought played the game like it was suppose to be played and stayed clean. A few of these players include Ken Griffey Jr., Mike Piazza and Chipper Jones. Man-Ram was also included on this list up until his positive test of a female hormone drug early last season resulting in a 50 game suspension. This is where I began doubting all of these players and I starting thinking about those guys more seriously and I realized it wasn't too far fetched to think these guys were on something illegal.
Kenny G, since 2001, has only averaged 98 games a season and only made three all-star teams. A far stretch from his 141 game per year average between 1990-2000, where he made the all-star team every year and won an MVP in the process. For Mike Piazza, I can see how age might be an excuse but since 2003, his last five years in the league, he only averaged 102 games a year and his batting averaged was 37 points lower that his lifetime average. And Chipper, who is averaging 123 games a year since 2004, had never played less that 153 games since his rookie year. Now, I know you could argue their power number have remained pretty consistent for the games they did play but I just don't think a guy like Griffey, who might have been the best athlete in the game of baseball during his hay-day could have become such an injury-proned player overnight like that. I'm not insinuating that he or the other two players have done steroids but in this era, anything shady like that will make a rational person like me question everyone and everything.
In the quote at the beginning of this whole rant, it talks about the Church of Baseball. That got me thinking about religion and baseball. If you know me, you know that I'm not religious at all and have no affiliation with any religion. So, when I saw that, I immediately adopted the Church of Baseball as my official religion. But that wasn't enough for me. I wanted to really try and find parallels between the Church of Baseball and Christianity. A ironic similarity would have to be that there are 108 beads on a Rosary and 108 stitches on a baseball. Coincidence, I think not. But the main question that came to my head had to have to been, “who is the 'Jesus' of baseball?”
If you go back into time, you can look at a lot of players who were in the game that displayed God-like abilities, such as the season Hack Wilson had in 1930 where he batted .356, hit 56 homeruns, and had a major league record 191 runs batted in. Or during the Yankees' historic 1927 season, teammates' Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth combined to bat an astonishing .365, hit 107 homeruns and knocked in 339 runs, more than half of the Red Sox's 597 runs scored that entire season. Or Ted Williams season were he batted .407 and only struck out 27 times in 606 plate appearances. That's a strike out a little over every 22 at-bats. Or you can look at Rickey Henderson's modern day record of 130 stolen bases in a season. The really amazing part about this is that Rickey only had 143 hits that season and was thrown out a major league record 42 times.
But in our era, these achievements aren't as impressive or heralded (minus the stolen base record) due to the prominent use of steroids in the past 20-30 years. Most notably, Mark McGwire's 62nd homerun to pass Roger Maris and Barry Bonds's 71st homerun followed by his 756th career homerun to pass Hammerin' Hank Aaron. Though I cannot speak from my own personal memory, I believe that when Aaron broke Babe Ruth's homerun record of 714 career homeruns, besides the outspoken racists and direct descendants of Babe Ruth, I believe everyone was generally excited and elated by the fact that such a beloved record was being broken in front of their eyes. But watching Bonds break Aaron's record was quite the opposite. People immediately put the infamous asterisk on the record and pretended that it never happened, still giving the rightful record holder, Aaron, the recognition he rightfully deserved. This isn't how baseball should be treated though. Yes, I know, there is always a bad guy, but never has the bad guy been so truly hated. Not everyone liked Pete Rose, but when he broke the hits record, people tipped their hat. Not everyone liked Pedro Martinez, but when he finished the season with a 1.74 earned run average, you better believe Yankee fans respected it even though they probably didn't show it. But when guys like Barry Bonds were winning MVP's, no one was happy about it.
Getting back to my original point, as mentioned before, I had the question put in my head, “who is the 'Jesus' of baseball?” I listed some all-time greats and even some recent legends but I had to find a player who displayed God-like traits and was capable of being a savior of this great game. And as I searched through the all the players, only one truly stood out. That player would be none other than the Machine, Albert Pujols. Why, you ask? Well, it's quite simple really. If my instincts are right (and I will admit that they have lead me astray. Ex. Manny Ramirez being clean, the Diamondbacks doing well the last few seasons, how the Break-Up was going to end, etc...), I believe Fat Albert is clean of the juices. I know you're saying, 'of all people, why would he be clean?' I agree with you. In this era, how can a man of his size and ability be playing baseball without the added help of steroids? Well, I like to think I can read a persons character by the demeanor they display on and off the field. The man has been nothing but a fantastic ambassador to the game of baseball and is loved by everyone (except Cubs fans). The man just goes out there everyday and puts up unbelievable numbers. I could use the argument as well, that he hasn't been caught or accused of anything yet so that makes me believe a little more that he's done nothing wrong. And some might argue that his numbers are too inflated for him not to be taking steroids or some form of HGH. I counter that with the fact that guys in the 20's, 30's, 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's and the 2000's all included players who put up numbers equivalent to Albert's and I'd have a hard time believing that guys during the Ruth, Mantle and DiMaggio eras were juicing. Albert is, in my mind, undoubtedly, the best player I have and probably ever will see play the game of baseball. He was sent here by the baseball Gods to right the ship. He will die, well not literally die but metaphorically die, for the sins of his brothers before him that tainted the game of baseball. He will be harassed, questioned, verbally abused, hated and put down (In other words, crucified) but through it all, he will rise above and save the game of baseball. He will do what Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa did in '98 until they ruined it all and dug an even bigger grave for the game we all so dearly love. Pujols will never truly get the recognition he deserves due to the era he was forced to play in but in years to come, we will begin to understand how he salvaged baseball. He has never asked for anything. He has always played the game with modesty and pride. He is nothing less than a godsend and I hope that one day, when the steroid mess clears itself up, Albert will rise with it and not be attached to this dreadful era of baseball that can only be titled the dark ages. Please, stand up to the popular belief that 'everyone in baseball is using steroids.' Use your best judgment. Sometimes you are wrong and sometimes you aren't. But Albert is the surest thing left in the game and we need to wrap ourselves around it and embrace it and frown upon everything else that makes this sport seem so evil and dreary.
Plus, anyone that can hit a ball as far as he hit it against Brad Lidge in Game 5 against the Astros in the 2005 NLCS should be praised.
My only goal with this is to promote baseball and make it America's Game again. As my friends and I like to say, “Here we go baseball, here we go!”
“I believe in the Church of Baseball. I've tried all the major religions, and most of the minor ones. I've worshiped Buddha, Allah, Brahma, Vishnu, Siva, trees, mushrooms and Isadora Duncan. I gave Jesus a chance, but it just didn't work out between us. The Lord laid too much guilt on me. I prefer metaphysics to theology. You see, there's no guilt in baseball. I've tried 'em all, I really have, and the only church that truly feeds the soul - day in, day out - is the Church of Baseball.”
- Annie Savoy, Bull Durham
Ever since Manny Ramirez tested positive for steroids last year, I have been feeling like a Tim Wakefield knuckleball. And after the verification of Sammy Sosa's steroid use, my whole baseball world has been turned upside down and I'm slowly becoming a believer that every player that has found success for the past decade has cheated one way or another. I know this was/is pretty much common knowledge but for some reason, I had way too much faith in the game of baseball.
But due to the semi-recent problems that baseball has had to deal with (i.e. steroids, corked bats, cocaine user, and Roger Clemens' fetish for underage girls.), I have begun to lose my faith in the game. I have always defended a select few players who I truly thought played the game like it was suppose to be played and stayed clean. A few of these players include Ken Griffey Jr., Mike Piazza and Chipper Jones. Man-Ram was also included on this list up until his positive test of a female hormone drug early last season resulting in a 50 game suspension. This is where I began doubting all of these players and I starting thinking about those guys more seriously and I realized it wasn't too far fetched to think these guys were on something illegal.
Kenny G, since 2001, has only averaged 98 games a season and only made three all-star teams. A far stretch from his 141 game per year average between 1990-2000, where he made the all-star team every year and won an MVP in the process. For Mike Piazza, I can see how age might be an excuse but since 2003, his last five years in the league, he only averaged 102 games a year and his batting averaged was 37 points lower that his lifetime average. And Chipper, who is averaging 123 games a year since 2004, had never played less that 153 games since his rookie year. Now, I know you could argue their power number have remained pretty consistent for the games they did play but I just don't think a guy like Griffey, who might have been the best athlete in the game of baseball during his hay-day could have become such an injury-proned player overnight like that. I'm not insinuating that he or the other two players have done steroids but in this era, anything shady like that will make a rational person like me question everyone and everything.
In the quote at the beginning of this whole rant, it talks about the Church of Baseball. That got me thinking about religion and baseball. If you know me, you know that I'm not religious at all and have no affiliation with any religion. So, when I saw that, I immediately adopted the Church of Baseball as my official religion. But that wasn't enough for me. I wanted to really try and find parallels between the Church of Baseball and Christianity. A ironic similarity would have to be that there are 108 beads on a Rosary and 108 stitches on a baseball. Coincidence, I think not. But the main question that came to my head had to have to been, “who is the 'Jesus' of baseball?”
If you go back into time, you can look at a lot of players who were in the game that displayed God-like abilities, such as the season Hack Wilson had in 1930 where he batted .356, hit 56 homeruns, and had a major league record 191 runs batted in. Or during the Yankees' historic 1927 season, teammates' Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth combined to bat an astonishing .365, hit 107 homeruns and knocked in 339 runs, more than half of the Red Sox's 597 runs scored that entire season. Or Ted Williams season were he batted .407 and only struck out 27 times in 606 plate appearances. That's a strike out a little over every 22 at-bats. Or you can look at Rickey Henderson's modern day record of 130 stolen bases in a season. The really amazing part about this is that Rickey only had 143 hits that season and was thrown out a major league record 42 times.
But in our era, these achievements aren't as impressive or heralded (minus the stolen base record) due to the prominent use of steroids in the past 20-30 years. Most notably, Mark McGwire's 62nd homerun to pass Roger Maris and Barry Bonds's 71st homerun followed by his 756th career homerun to pass Hammerin' Hank Aaron. Though I cannot speak from my own personal memory, I believe that when Aaron broke Babe Ruth's homerun record of 714 career homeruns, besides the outspoken racists and direct descendants of Babe Ruth, I believe everyone was generally excited and elated by the fact that such a beloved record was being broken in front of their eyes. But watching Bonds break Aaron's record was quite the opposite. People immediately put the infamous asterisk on the record and pretended that it never happened, still giving the rightful record holder, Aaron, the recognition he rightfully deserved. This isn't how baseball should be treated though. Yes, I know, there is always a bad guy, but never has the bad guy been so truly hated. Not everyone liked Pete Rose, but when he broke the hits record, people tipped their hat. Not everyone liked Pedro Martinez, but when he finished the season with a 1.74 earned run average, you better believe Yankee fans respected it even though they probably didn't show it. But when guys like Barry Bonds were winning MVP's, no one was happy about it.
Getting back to my original point, as mentioned before, I had the question put in my head, “who is the 'Jesus' of baseball?” I listed some all-time greats and even some recent legends but I had to find a player who displayed God-like traits and was capable of being a savior of this great game. And as I searched through the all the players, only one truly stood out. That player would be none other than the Machine, Albert Pujols. Why, you ask? Well, it's quite simple really. If my instincts are right (and I will admit that they have lead me astray. Ex. Manny Ramirez being clean, the Diamondbacks doing well the last few seasons, how the Break-Up was going to end, etc...), I believe Fat Albert is clean of the juices. I know you're saying, 'of all people, why would he be clean?' I agree with you. In this era, how can a man of his size and ability be playing baseball without the added help of steroids? Well, I like to think I can read a persons character by the demeanor they display on and off the field. The man has been nothing but a fantastic ambassador to the game of baseball and is loved by everyone (except Cubs fans). The man just goes out there everyday and puts up unbelievable numbers. I could use the argument as well, that he hasn't been caught or accused of anything yet so that makes me believe a little more that he's done nothing wrong. And some might argue that his numbers are too inflated for him not to be taking steroids or some form of HGH. I counter that with the fact that guys in the 20's, 30's, 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's and the 2000's all included players who put up numbers equivalent to Albert's and I'd have a hard time believing that guys during the Ruth, Mantle and DiMaggio eras were juicing. Albert is, in my mind, undoubtedly, the best player I have and probably ever will see play the game of baseball. He was sent here by the baseball Gods to right the ship. He will die, well not literally die but metaphorically die, for the sins of his brothers before him that tainted the game of baseball. He will be harassed, questioned, verbally abused, hated and put down (In other words, crucified) but through it all, he will rise above and save the game of baseball. He will do what Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa did in '98 until they ruined it all and dug an even bigger grave for the game we all so dearly love. Pujols will never truly get the recognition he deserves due to the era he was forced to play in but in years to come, we will begin to understand how he salvaged baseball. He has never asked for anything. He has always played the game with modesty and pride. He is nothing less than a godsend and I hope that one day, when the steroid mess clears itself up, Albert will rise with it and not be attached to this dreadful era of baseball that can only be titled the dark ages. Please, stand up to the popular belief that 'everyone in baseball is using steroids.' Use your best judgment. Sometimes you are wrong and sometimes you aren't. But Albert is the surest thing left in the game and we need to wrap ourselves around it and embrace it and frown upon everything else that makes this sport seem so evil and dreary.
Plus, anyone that can hit a ball as far as he hit it against Brad Lidge in Game 5 against the Astros in the 2005 NLCS should be praised.
My only goal with this is to promote baseball and make it America's Game again. As my friends and I like to say, “Here we go baseball, here we go!”
Monday, April 12, 2010
VOTD: 4-12-10
In honor of ASU alum Phil Mickelson winning the Masters, today's video of the day will be dedicated to everyone's favorite Lefty. Congrats, Mick! Go Devils!
PS: You should expect a new blog in the next few days.
PS: You should expect a new blog in the next few days.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Video of the day - 4-11-10
So I figured I should probably post more often and this is a good way for me to do it. I will try my hardest to post a video everyday and hopefully it's worth your while. The first video had to be a good one so I decided on this one. Thought it was time appropiate...
Friday, April 9, 2010
Thursday, April 8, 2010
2010 MLB Predictions
***I understand the season is already underway but I figured that having the advantage of knowing 1.85% of the season wouldn’t be too much.
It’s that time of year again. It’s time for me to inaccurately pick the final standings of Major League Baseball. I should probably dedicate more time to this but it feel that it would become futile after so long because in the end, you can’t really predict a team like Tampa Bay coming out of nowhere or a team like the Cubs not winning another World Series (One of those sounds wrong, doesn’t it?).
Nevertheless, I will give it a go and we can see how well I do come October.
We’ll start in the AL since that’s my least favorite league.
•AL West
1. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (of California of the United States of the World)
• The defending division champs lost a lot this offseason. Most notably, they lost their ace John Lackey and former all-star Vladimir Guerrero. I know this would lead most to believe they have lost what made them the best team in the division for so many years but I still think behind the leadership of what I consider to be the best manager in baseball, Mike Scioscia, they will once again make their annual trip to the postseason.
2. Texas Rangers
•The Rangers made huge strides last year as far as being competitive goes. The one major component missing for them is pitching and they went out and signed Rich Harden, who has a lifetime 3.39 ERA and is 50-29 overall. What the Rangers excel in is offense. My favorite part of that offense is Michael Young. Everyone likes to give Derek Jeter credit as one of the best hitting shortstops in baseball but everyone forgets about Michael Young. Since his first full major league season in 2002, he has had 1566 hits, compared to Jeter’s 1548.
3. Seattle Mariners
• Similar to the Rangers, this team is teetering on the brink of being a contender. Their strength will be their two aces at the top of their rotation. They have “King” Felix Hernandez and former Phillies postseason ace, Cliff Lee (Lee went 4-0 with a 1.56 ERA last year in the playoffs for Philadelphia). But we have to remember that this will be a tough division and someone has to be the odd team out and depending on the AL East, it’s conceivable to think that once again the Rangers and Mariners could both miss the postseason with 85+ wins.
4. Oakland Athletics
• Nothing really to say here. This team is in a rebuilding phase and they are just going to get beat up by this strong division. I will, however, pay attention to them because their outfield contains former Sun Devil, Travis Buck, and they also have former first round pick from Arizona State, Brett Wallace floating around in the minors waiting to be called up. But no matter who gets called up, the team finishes fourth.
•AL Central
1. Minnesota Twins
• This is a fun division because you can never truly feel confident about who is going to win it (Since 2004, no team has won back-to-back division titles). It’s easy to say the Twins will win it after last year’s showing and they didn’t lose much this offseason but the White Sox did add a lot at the trade deadline last year and that could prevent the Twins from repeating. But I just can’t bet against the game’s best catcher and current MVP, Joe Mauer, and former MVP Justin Morneau. The loss of Joe Nathan will hurt but someone will step up and close out the games for them.
2. Chicago White Sox
• Yeah, they added former Cy Young award winner Jake Peavy. Yeah, they added former two-time all-star Alex Rios. They also retained last year’s perfect game pitcher Mark Buehrle. This team is talented and they have a good coach who the players love and respect in Ozzie Guillen. It’s just not enough to top the Twinkies. On a side note, expect Alexei Ramirez to have a pretty good year.
3. Detroit Tigers
• I can’t see why the Tigers traded away Curtis Granderson. It doesn’t make sense. The guy is a potential 30/30 outfielder and he’s a good defended to boot. The Yankees got a steal there. As for their actual roster, the team is good, not great. Verlander can be a CY Young contender or a bust. And other than Miguel Cabrera, I’m really not terrified by their line-up. They will contend for most of the season but fall off around September.
4. Cleveland Indians
• I love this organization. They make baseball so much better. They are the league’s farm system. If you go back to their glory days in the 90’s, they have allocated so much of their home grown talent across the league (ex. Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome, C.C. Sabathia, Cliff Lee, Victor Martinez, etc…). So it is just a matter of time before they trade Grady Sizemore, Travis Hafner and Fausto Carmona. This team struggles to get 70 wins.
5. Kansas City Royals
• The Royals really only have one objective this year. Win Zack Grienke another Cy Young award. They have no other bright spot on the team. And if the team gives him a little more run support, he could be a twenty game winner. That’s if they don’t trade him at the deadline…
•AL East
1. New York Yankees
• Ugh, the Yankees. I hate the Yankees. I’ve always hated the Yankees. But for the sake of my blog keeping its validity, I have to crown them potential 2010 AL East Champions. You know what you’re going to get from a majority of their roster. You know C.C. will have a work horse year with around 200 innings pitched and 16-20 wins, A-Rod will bat .300, get 30-40 bombs and plate 120 runs, Jeter will get 200 hits and break up with a super model. This team is good. I don’t have to be happy about it though.
2. Boston Red Sox
• The Sox will compete with the Yanks but when push comes to shove, the Red Sox won’t have Manny Ramirez to bail them out and I think the loss of such a potent bat, albeit he was juicing like crazy, will be significant to keep them behind the Bronx Bombers. The addition of John Lackey, Marco Scutaro, Adrian Beltre and Mike Cameron should be enough to stay in wild card contention and most likely, win it.
3. Tampa Bay Rays
• I feel bad for this team. They would probably either win the division or get the wild card spot in any other division but since they play in the AL East against the two toughest teams in baseball, they get bumped and it’s a shame. This team has so much potential with David Price, B.J. Upton, Evan Longoria, Ben Zobrist, etc. But who knows, maybe they can shock the world like they did in 2008.
4. Baltimore Orioles
• This might be my favorite team outside the Diamondbacks. This team is so young and fun to watch. Matt Weiters is the next Joe Mauer, Nick Markakis and Adam Jones are fantastic outfielders, and their infield, although mostly aged veterans, could be quite effective. But again, this is a tough division and you can’t expect much of this team in the win-loss department
5. Toronto Blue Jays
•I’ll keep this pretty simple. Roy Halladay leaving for Philadelphia = last place.
• NL West
1. San Francisco Giants
• This is really tough for me because this is me picking against my team, the Arizona Diamondbacks, but how can you pick against the Giants pitching staff. Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain could each finish with 200 strikeouts and 15+ wins and not to mention they have Barry Zito, a former Cy Young winner, and Jonathan Sanchez, who pitched a no hitter last season and had 177 k’s. They also enter this season with Pablo Sandoval, Bengie Molina and Edgar Renteria helping out their weak offense. I just think that the pitching will make up for what they can’t do at plate.
2. Arizona Diamondbacks
• I might be putting the D’Backs higher than I should but who cares, they’re my team and these are my rankings! And I hate the Dodgers! But this team isn’t a joke so don’t think I’m completely full of it. They might have the best offensive lineup in the NL West and if – and this is a big IF – Brandon Webb can come back healthy and effective, the Diamondbacks could be a contender in the National League. But like I said, it all depends on Webb’s elbow and how it recovers. In addition, both Mark Reynolds and Justin Upton have career years.
3. Los Angeles Dodgers
• The Dodgers still have a good team but without Manny taking steroid injections in his butt, their offense is pretty dormant. I know Matt Kemp is their new ‘guy’ but it won’t matter. The Dodgers take a step back this year.
4. Colorado Rockies
• I can’t foresee the Rockies winning their last 73 games (An exaggeration, I know but they did have two historic runs to make the playoffs.) like they have had the last two times they made the postseason. I give credit to the Rockies but they have been the luckiest team ever…twice. Helton is getting old, their pitching staff is going to come back to reality and it’s just not in their cards.
5. San Diego Padres
• This team is bad. Bad, bad, bad. Their opening day starter was Jon Garland! Really!? Garland!? He was the Diamondbacks fourth starter last year and they only won 70 games and had the worst record in the West! Too bad Adrian Gonzales is going to get traded this season.
• NL Central
1. St. Louis Cardinals
• Albert Pujols + Matt Holliday = NL Central Champs. Let’s not forget to mention their two Cy Young runner up pitchers, Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright. The Cards are a major contender to win the pennant.
2. Chicago Cubs
• When will this team accidentally win a title? I mean, after over 100 years, you think a Steve Bartman knocks down a fly ball in their favor or a black cat runs across someone else’s field. But until then, they are going to have to deal with Alfonso Soriano’s jumping catches, Lou Pinella’s tirades and finishing behind the Cardinals. Hey Cubs fans, there’s always next year.
3. Milwaukee Brewers
• This is a really fun team to watch. Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder are pretty special players who are going to be good for a long time but their pitching, outside of Yovani Gallardo, is horrendous. They win some games but not enough to be challenging for a division crown.
4. Cincinnati Reds
• A lot of young talent here. Maybe they can have legitimate aspirations of making a postseason next year but as of right now, they’re youth is too raw and their pitching rotation has a lot of work to do. Shout out to former Sun Devil pitcher, Mike Leake, who is the Reds’ fifth starter.
5. Pittsburgh Pirates
• Probably the worst franchise over the past 25 years, the Pirates will continue their losing ways. The team has a good young core of hitters but like a lot of other teams struggling to make it over the top, sub-par pitching will keep them grounded.
6. Houston Astros
• What happened to this team? They were in the World Series in 2005 and now they are struggling to get 75 wins. Astros need a jolt to turn this franchise around. Bring back the killer B’s!
•NL East
1. Philadelphia Phillies
• This is probably the easiest one for me. The Phillies enter this year as back-to-back NL Champions and one year removed from their World Series title and for the most part, they’ve kept their entire lineup intact. Except for the fact that they added Roy Halladay to the pitching rotation. Phillies roll in the division.
2.Atlanta Braves
• I don’t know if you can call the Braves a dark horse but I am. The Braves won 86 games last year and that was without Tommy Hanson, my favorite young pitcher, pitching an entire full season. Add that to the fact that they have Bobby Cox managing their roster and you have a pretty interesting team. And they have Jason Hayward too.
3.New York Mets
• I want to pick this team to finish higher but I just can’t trust them. After their injury plagued 2009 season, I won’t get fooled again. Besides, Jose Reyes is still a wildcard to make it back, health wise and performance wise. I still do love David Wright to have a solid year though.
4.Florida Marlins
• The Marlins are a good team. Problem is that this is a better-than-good division. A good young rotation and lineup will keep them competitive but in the end they’ll fall short. Expect Hanley Ramirez to have another fantastic year.
5. Washington Nationals
• Call me crazy but this team isn’t that bad. I know I have them finishing last but I don’t think they’re going to be as bad as usual (That’s not saying much). They have a Chipper Jones-esque third baseman in Ryan Zimmerman, an improving slugger in Adam Dunn, possibly the greatest catcher ever in Ivan Rodriguez and my favorite young player last year, Nyjer Morgan. Expect great things from Morgan.
MLB Playoffs
•Divisional Series
o New York Yankees v. LA Angels of Anaheim – Winner: Yankees
o Minnesota Twins v. (WC) Boston Red Sox – Winner: Twins
o Philadelphia Phillies v. San Francisco Giants – Winner: Phillies
o St. Louis Cardinals v. (WC) Atlanta Braves – Winner: Cardinals
•Championship Series
o Yankees v. Twins – Winner: Yankees
o Phillies v. Cardinals – Winner: Cardinals
•World Series
o Yankees v. Cardinals – Winner: Cardinals
Awards
• AL MVP - Mark Texeria
• NL MVP - Albert Pujols
• AL Cy Young - Felix Hernandez
• NL Cy Young - Roy Halladay
It’s that time of year again. It’s time for me to inaccurately pick the final standings of Major League Baseball. I should probably dedicate more time to this but it feel that it would become futile after so long because in the end, you can’t really predict a team like Tampa Bay coming out of nowhere or a team like the Cubs not winning another World Series (One of those sounds wrong, doesn’t it?).
Nevertheless, I will give it a go and we can see how well I do come October.
We’ll start in the AL since that’s my least favorite league.
•AL West
1. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (of California of the United States of the World)
• The defending division champs lost a lot this offseason. Most notably, they lost their ace John Lackey and former all-star Vladimir Guerrero. I know this would lead most to believe they have lost what made them the best team in the division for so many years but I still think behind the leadership of what I consider to be the best manager in baseball, Mike Scioscia, they will once again make their annual trip to the postseason.
2. Texas Rangers
•The Rangers made huge strides last year as far as being competitive goes. The one major component missing for them is pitching and they went out and signed Rich Harden, who has a lifetime 3.39 ERA and is 50-29 overall. What the Rangers excel in is offense. My favorite part of that offense is Michael Young. Everyone likes to give Derek Jeter credit as one of the best hitting shortstops in baseball but everyone forgets about Michael Young. Since his first full major league season in 2002, he has had 1566 hits, compared to Jeter’s 1548.
3. Seattle Mariners
• Similar to the Rangers, this team is teetering on the brink of being a contender. Their strength will be their two aces at the top of their rotation. They have “King” Felix Hernandez and former Phillies postseason ace, Cliff Lee (Lee went 4-0 with a 1.56 ERA last year in the playoffs for Philadelphia). But we have to remember that this will be a tough division and someone has to be the odd team out and depending on the AL East, it’s conceivable to think that once again the Rangers and Mariners could both miss the postseason with 85+ wins.
4. Oakland Athletics
• Nothing really to say here. This team is in a rebuilding phase and they are just going to get beat up by this strong division. I will, however, pay attention to them because their outfield contains former Sun Devil, Travis Buck, and they also have former first round pick from Arizona State, Brett Wallace floating around in the minors waiting to be called up. But no matter who gets called up, the team finishes fourth.
•AL Central
1. Minnesota Twins
• This is a fun division because you can never truly feel confident about who is going to win it (Since 2004, no team has won back-to-back division titles). It’s easy to say the Twins will win it after last year’s showing and they didn’t lose much this offseason but the White Sox did add a lot at the trade deadline last year and that could prevent the Twins from repeating. But I just can’t bet against the game’s best catcher and current MVP, Joe Mauer, and former MVP Justin Morneau. The loss of Joe Nathan will hurt but someone will step up and close out the games for them.
2. Chicago White Sox
• Yeah, they added former Cy Young award winner Jake Peavy. Yeah, they added former two-time all-star Alex Rios. They also retained last year’s perfect game pitcher Mark Buehrle. This team is talented and they have a good coach who the players love and respect in Ozzie Guillen. It’s just not enough to top the Twinkies. On a side note, expect Alexei Ramirez to have a pretty good year.
3. Detroit Tigers
• I can’t see why the Tigers traded away Curtis Granderson. It doesn’t make sense. The guy is a potential 30/30 outfielder and he’s a good defended to boot. The Yankees got a steal there. As for their actual roster, the team is good, not great. Verlander can be a CY Young contender or a bust. And other than Miguel Cabrera, I’m really not terrified by their line-up. They will contend for most of the season but fall off around September.
4. Cleveland Indians
• I love this organization. They make baseball so much better. They are the league’s farm system. If you go back to their glory days in the 90’s, they have allocated so much of their home grown talent across the league (ex. Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome, C.C. Sabathia, Cliff Lee, Victor Martinez, etc…). So it is just a matter of time before they trade Grady Sizemore, Travis Hafner and Fausto Carmona. This team struggles to get 70 wins.
5. Kansas City Royals
• The Royals really only have one objective this year. Win Zack Grienke another Cy Young award. They have no other bright spot on the team. And if the team gives him a little more run support, he could be a twenty game winner. That’s if they don’t trade him at the deadline…
•AL East
1. New York Yankees
• Ugh, the Yankees. I hate the Yankees. I’ve always hated the Yankees. But for the sake of my blog keeping its validity, I have to crown them potential 2010 AL East Champions. You know what you’re going to get from a majority of their roster. You know C.C. will have a work horse year with around 200 innings pitched and 16-20 wins, A-Rod will bat .300, get 30-40 bombs and plate 120 runs, Jeter will get 200 hits and break up with a super model. This team is good. I don’t have to be happy about it though.
2. Boston Red Sox
• The Sox will compete with the Yanks but when push comes to shove, the Red Sox won’t have Manny Ramirez to bail them out and I think the loss of such a potent bat, albeit he was juicing like crazy, will be significant to keep them behind the Bronx Bombers. The addition of John Lackey, Marco Scutaro, Adrian Beltre and Mike Cameron should be enough to stay in wild card contention and most likely, win it.
3. Tampa Bay Rays
• I feel bad for this team. They would probably either win the division or get the wild card spot in any other division but since they play in the AL East against the two toughest teams in baseball, they get bumped and it’s a shame. This team has so much potential with David Price, B.J. Upton, Evan Longoria, Ben Zobrist, etc. But who knows, maybe they can shock the world like they did in 2008.
4. Baltimore Orioles
• This might be my favorite team outside the Diamondbacks. This team is so young and fun to watch. Matt Weiters is the next Joe Mauer, Nick Markakis and Adam Jones are fantastic outfielders, and their infield, although mostly aged veterans, could be quite effective. But again, this is a tough division and you can’t expect much of this team in the win-loss department
5. Toronto Blue Jays
•I’ll keep this pretty simple. Roy Halladay leaving for Philadelphia = last place.
• NL West
1. San Francisco Giants
• This is really tough for me because this is me picking against my team, the Arizona Diamondbacks, but how can you pick against the Giants pitching staff. Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain could each finish with 200 strikeouts and 15+ wins and not to mention they have Barry Zito, a former Cy Young winner, and Jonathan Sanchez, who pitched a no hitter last season and had 177 k’s. They also enter this season with Pablo Sandoval, Bengie Molina and Edgar Renteria helping out their weak offense. I just think that the pitching will make up for what they can’t do at plate.
2. Arizona Diamondbacks
• I might be putting the D’Backs higher than I should but who cares, they’re my team and these are my rankings! And I hate the Dodgers! But this team isn’t a joke so don’t think I’m completely full of it. They might have the best offensive lineup in the NL West and if – and this is a big IF – Brandon Webb can come back healthy and effective, the Diamondbacks could be a contender in the National League. But like I said, it all depends on Webb’s elbow and how it recovers. In addition, both Mark Reynolds and Justin Upton have career years.
3. Los Angeles Dodgers
• The Dodgers still have a good team but without Manny taking steroid injections in his butt, their offense is pretty dormant. I know Matt Kemp is their new ‘guy’ but it won’t matter. The Dodgers take a step back this year.
4. Colorado Rockies
• I can’t foresee the Rockies winning their last 73 games (An exaggeration, I know but they did have two historic runs to make the playoffs.) like they have had the last two times they made the postseason. I give credit to the Rockies but they have been the luckiest team ever…twice. Helton is getting old, their pitching staff is going to come back to reality and it’s just not in their cards.
5. San Diego Padres
• This team is bad. Bad, bad, bad. Their opening day starter was Jon Garland! Really!? Garland!? He was the Diamondbacks fourth starter last year and they only won 70 games and had the worst record in the West! Too bad Adrian Gonzales is going to get traded this season.
• NL Central
1. St. Louis Cardinals
• Albert Pujols + Matt Holliday = NL Central Champs. Let’s not forget to mention their two Cy Young runner up pitchers, Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright. The Cards are a major contender to win the pennant.
2. Chicago Cubs
• When will this team accidentally win a title? I mean, after over 100 years, you think a Steve Bartman knocks down a fly ball in their favor or a black cat runs across someone else’s field. But until then, they are going to have to deal with Alfonso Soriano’s jumping catches, Lou Pinella’s tirades and finishing behind the Cardinals. Hey Cubs fans, there’s always next year.
3. Milwaukee Brewers
• This is a really fun team to watch. Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder are pretty special players who are going to be good for a long time but their pitching, outside of Yovani Gallardo, is horrendous. They win some games but not enough to be challenging for a division crown.
4. Cincinnati Reds
• A lot of young talent here. Maybe they can have legitimate aspirations of making a postseason next year but as of right now, they’re youth is too raw and their pitching rotation has a lot of work to do. Shout out to former Sun Devil pitcher, Mike Leake, who is the Reds’ fifth starter.
5. Pittsburgh Pirates
• Probably the worst franchise over the past 25 years, the Pirates will continue their losing ways. The team has a good young core of hitters but like a lot of other teams struggling to make it over the top, sub-par pitching will keep them grounded.
6. Houston Astros
• What happened to this team? They were in the World Series in 2005 and now they are struggling to get 75 wins. Astros need a jolt to turn this franchise around. Bring back the killer B’s!
•NL East
1. Philadelphia Phillies
• This is probably the easiest one for me. The Phillies enter this year as back-to-back NL Champions and one year removed from their World Series title and for the most part, they’ve kept their entire lineup intact. Except for the fact that they added Roy Halladay to the pitching rotation. Phillies roll in the division.
2.Atlanta Braves
• I don’t know if you can call the Braves a dark horse but I am. The Braves won 86 games last year and that was without Tommy Hanson, my favorite young pitcher, pitching an entire full season. Add that to the fact that they have Bobby Cox managing their roster and you have a pretty interesting team. And they have Jason Hayward too.
3.New York Mets
• I want to pick this team to finish higher but I just can’t trust them. After their injury plagued 2009 season, I won’t get fooled again. Besides, Jose Reyes is still a wildcard to make it back, health wise and performance wise. I still do love David Wright to have a solid year though.
4.Florida Marlins
• The Marlins are a good team. Problem is that this is a better-than-good division. A good young rotation and lineup will keep them competitive but in the end they’ll fall short. Expect Hanley Ramirez to have another fantastic year.
5. Washington Nationals
• Call me crazy but this team isn’t that bad. I know I have them finishing last but I don’t think they’re going to be as bad as usual (That’s not saying much). They have a Chipper Jones-esque third baseman in Ryan Zimmerman, an improving slugger in Adam Dunn, possibly the greatest catcher ever in Ivan Rodriguez and my favorite young player last year, Nyjer Morgan. Expect great things from Morgan.
MLB Playoffs
•Divisional Series
o New York Yankees v. LA Angels of Anaheim – Winner: Yankees
o Minnesota Twins v. (WC) Boston Red Sox – Winner: Twins
o Philadelphia Phillies v. San Francisco Giants – Winner: Phillies
o St. Louis Cardinals v. (WC) Atlanta Braves – Winner: Cardinals
•Championship Series
o Yankees v. Twins – Winner: Yankees
o Phillies v. Cardinals – Winner: Cardinals
•World Series
o Yankees v. Cardinals – Winner: Cardinals
Awards
• AL MVP - Mark Texeria
• NL MVP - Albert Pujols
• AL Cy Young - Felix Hernandez
• NL Cy Young - Roy Halladay
Monday, April 5, 2010
Hello blogging world.
So, I'll keep this short and sweet since it's my first post. My name is Zack Jones, I love sports and comedy and with any luck, I will involve both in my writing.
I know today is opening day for baseball but I'll post my baseball predictions later this week and as far as tonight's title game goes, Duke handles Butler. Cinderella stories don't happen that often and tonight's no exception. Don't get me wrong, they exceeded all expectations, especially as a mid-major but the dream ends tonight.
I'll try to post about Tiger Woods's press conference later and give my opinion on his responses.
Hope you all enjoy my future posts and I look forward to blogging regularly.
I know today is opening day for baseball but I'll post my baseball predictions later this week and as far as tonight's title game goes, Duke handles Butler. Cinderella stories don't happen that often and tonight's no exception. Don't get me wrong, they exceeded all expectations, especially as a mid-major but the dream ends tonight.
I'll try to post about Tiger Woods's press conference later and give my opinion on his responses.
Hope you all enjoy my future posts and I look forward to blogging regularly.
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