30 In 30 Part 7: Kansas City Royals

In Kansas City, where national media coverage does not exist,
Eric Hosmer has gotten off to one of the  best offensive stats to a career since Albert Pujols.

If you didn't catch my first post for "30 In 30", you may be confused about why I listed a team's prospects and call it the "Royal List."  This list is merely Baseball America's Top 100 prospects list.  Anybody who knows even a little about the immense amount of young players in the Royals' farm system knows why I've been using the term, "Royal List."  The Royals have such an influx of young talent, that there is a strong possibility that they are a force in baseball before any of these kids play well enough to warrant a trade.

This is what make this group potentially lethal to any and all challengers.

Unfortunately for the Royals, they are going to have to play at least one more trying season.  This is, in part, due to the Royals' atrocious pitching staff.  To the Royals credit, they made an effort by taking in The Jonathans Sanchez and Broxton in hope that they will come back from their injuries to make a big contribution to the staff.  Closer Joakim Soria deviated from the script last season.  One could point out the irony that when he asks to stop being called the *Mexicutioner, he stopped Mexicutioning.

The Royals did manage to find some new contributors to the staff last season in Bruce Chen, Greg Holland and Aaron Crow.  In his third season with the Royals, Chen started 20 or more games for the third time in his career.  He posted similar win and strikeout totals to his 2010 campaign with eight fewer starts.  Holland posted a sub 2 ERA in 60 innings of relief.  Mizzou's own Aaron Crow represented the Royals at the All-Star Game.  He will be transitioned to the rotation this year. 

Fortunately for Royal fans, Eric Hosmer, Billy Butler andAlex Gordon are in the lineup.  If this team isn't winning, they at least get to witness a good display of offense.  Gordon, who was branded the next George Brett, finally put up some good numbers last year and avoided the"bust" label.  Hosmer put up numbers that a  kid his age shouldn't.  Butler  Watching these three hit in 2012 will serve as an appetizer while the rest of the kids form around these two.

The rest of the lineup is going to be kids, journeymen and question marks.

X-FACTORS:
Lineup: Billy Butler.  If he can show off this 30+ HR power that scouts told us about when he gets into the league, the Royals may be in business.

Rotation: Aaron Crow.  A successful transition to the rotation will give the Royals a cornerstone in their rotation that they can ride for the next decade.

Bullpen: Jonathan Broxton/Joakim Soria.  This is the 2nd time I'm assigning this two a Closer AND a Set Up Man.  These two can make a lethal 8th/9th inning combo.  Add Greg Holland in the 7th inning and the Royals could take six solid innings from a starter to the bank.

The Kids: Mike Moustakas.  After Hosmer bursted on the scene, it's Moustakas's job to build on that and show major progress in the Royals youth revolution.

ROYAL LIST: 
#23 LHP Mike Montgomery.  Expect to see him this season.  Expect this kid to measure up to Jeremy Hellickson.
#24 OF Bubba Starling.  Don't expect to see the Gardner-Edgerton grad this season.  Expect him to be the last to the Royal party.
#28 OF Wil Myers.  Coming of an injury-plagued 2011 campaign.  Will be a top 15 prospect going into 2013.
#68 RHP Jake Odorizzi.  Odorizzi and Montgomery could make a hell of a 1-2 punch in KC's rotation.
#84 3B Cheslor Cuthbert.  If he hits the bigs, who plays third base?

PROJECTION: 4th Place AL Central
I feel the Royals are going to best the Indians this season.  Second place is a distinct possibility.











*For the record, you can buy said Mexicutioner shirt for $17.99 at press time

30 In 30 Part 6: Chicago Cubs

Dale Sveum (left) and Theo Epstein (left) are two
of the main characters in a new chapter of Cubdom.
Is this the chapter where the Cubs bring a title
to the part of Chicago north of Madison Street?

Welcome to the Chi Theo.

Don't get me wrong Theo, you have a lot of work to do on the North Side.  The good news is that you have a potent double play combo that includes a franchise player in Starlin Castro.  I can gush about this kid all day.  I think this kid is going to get 3,000 hits and he is going to be the leader on this Cubs squad for years to come.  I expect the other side of the middle infield, Darwin Barney, to be around long enough to see the Cubs make their run that they go on every decade.

This year, however, pitching is going to be the Cubs strong suit.  Despite the fact that four of the six pitchers that are competing for a spot in the rotation are coming off poor seasons, I still have a strong feeling that the Cubs are going to have at least three solid starters.  The Cubs went out and bolstered their pitching staff this offseason by picking up Travis Wood from the Reds and Paul Maholm from Pittsburgh.  Young pitchers such as Casey Coleman may be good for a spot start or two this season, but these acquisitions will keep the Cubs for having to shove younger guys who are not ready, like they did with Coleman last season.  If these guys fail to make a formidable rotation, then the loss of Carlos Zambrano will be as big of a curse as it is a blessing.

The front end of the bullpen is going to be up for grabs this season.  Closer Carlos Marmol is coming off a rough season, blowing 10 saves and registering an ERA just north of 4.  Kerry Wood and Jeff Samardzija are going to attempt to give the Cubs stability in the 7th and 8th inning while Marmol works out the kinks in 2012.

Theo's first offseason in Chicago was defined by two acquisitions.  The signing of David DeJesus, who is coming off a poor season in Oakland and the trade of young arm Andrew Cashner to San Diego for Anthony Rizzo.

DeJesus is coming off a poor season in Oakland, but otherwise has a good track record.  Rizzo for Cashner is one of the more intriguing trades of the offseason.  Rizzo is solid prospect that had a rough go-round at Petco in 2011, hitting .141 in 128 AB's.  Hitting at Wrigley Field can fix a lot of these problems.  Cashner also saw limited action last season in Chicago, but based on that action I can see him thriving at Petco.

The challenges facing the Cubs this season in the lineup is solidifying their corner infield.  The loss of Aramis Ramirez takes some stability out of their lineup.  Currently, Bryan LaHair and Ian Stewart are projected to start and first and third.  Comeback seasons from Byrd, DeJesus and Soto would energize this lineup.

Surprisingly enough, Alfonso Soriano has become one of the more consistent things the Cubs have in their lineup coming into 2012. Soriano has become a "what you see is what you get" player.  He is by no means an effort player, but he will be good enough to hit .250/25/85 and play everyday this season.  Reed Johnson will continue to be one of the best fourth outfielders in baseball.

All of that being said, the Cubs do not have the team to compete in the NL Central this season.  However, Rome wasn't built in a day.  In the case of the Cubs, Rome wasn't built in 104 years either.  Maybe titles come quicker when you have a bonafide hard-ass like Dale Sveum serving as the contractor.

X-FACTORS:

Rotation: Randy Wells.  As of now, he is listed as the third starter.  He needs to get to where he was in 2009 to back up my claim that pitching will be the the strong suit of the Cubs.

Lineup: David DeJesus.  If he can play like he did in Kansas City, then he will be the Cubs best free agent signing since Marlon Byrd.

Bullpen: Carlos Marmol.  If Carlos does not blow ten saves this season and has an ERA under 3, the Cubs have may finish third.

The Kids: Anthony Rizzo.  He needs to make an impact on this lineup this season to make Theo Epstein look smart for dealing Andrew Cashner.

ROYAL LIST:

#32 OF Brett Jackson.  Another kid that, like Rizzo, could have an impact on the Cubs' 2012 campaign.

#47 1B Anthony Rizzo.  Could have first base locked down by the end of May.

#61 SS Javier Baez.  19-year old who, if not traded away before hitting the majors, will have to find a new position.

#64 OF Matt Szczur.  Joins Jeff Samardzija on the list of Cubs' Wide Receivers.  

PROJECTION: 5th Place NL Central.  There are four good teams in the NL Central this season.  The Cubs are not one of them.  Theo Epstein's efforts will assist Cubs in following seasons.  The important thing is that Epstein is building the farm system and has his manager in Dale Sveum.

I also project that like myself, many people in Chicago will notice that Sveum bears a resemblance to a familiar face.

30 In 30 Part 5: Oakland Athletics

This man will be Oakland's ace this season
and contrary to popular belief, that isn't a bad thing.

As a baseball fan, I really hope the A's move to San Jose.  Then we can see Billy Beane at his best.

Also, I would have a hell of a lot of fun calling this team the "San JosA's," but that's besides the point.

San Jose or Oakland, the biggest issue facing Oakland is that injuries decimated their pitching staff in 2011.  Brett Anderson underwent Tommy John surgery in July and is not expected to return to the rotation until August. Of course if his return doesn't go well, I have a feeling he would make a great video guy.  Dallas "Get Off My Mound" Braden was also bitten by the injury bug, when he suffered a shoulder injury last season that limited him to three starts.

After Anderson, I see a roster full of Oakland's identify crisis between being buyers and sellers.  Oh, and of after 50 games there's Manny Ramirez.  Beane has made moves to pick up players such as Brian Fuentes, Grant Balfour and Matt Holliday over recent seasons in hopes to make a run at the pennant.  On the other hand, the remnants of trades of popular players constitute a healthy portion of the roster.

At the beginning of last season, Beane was the architect of a rotation that could make one cry at the beauty of.  Four young arms with ace potential.  Two of those four arms, as I mentioned earlier, are on the mend and the other two are out of town.  Trevor Cahill is a Diamondback and Gio Gonzalez is a National.  Gio was an All-Star last year and before last season, I considered him the A's fourth best pitcher.  

This is where Billy Beane's genius comes into effect.  Two words.  Brandon McCarthy.

As a Sox fan, I was happy with the result of trading him to Texas and having John Danks as a return on that trade.  However, the 2011 leader in FIP may be the best pitcher on this Oakland staff until Brett Anderson comes back from the DL.  In 2011, McCarthy went 9-9 with a 3.32 ERA and 123 Strikeouts in 25 starts.  

I like the team speed they have with Jemile Weeks, Coco Crisp, Scott Sizemore and Cliff Pennington.  Aside from that, they lineup is very underwhelming.  Perhaps Beane can finally strike international gold with Yoenis Cespedes.

Like the Padres in SoCal, the A's are also struggling with a loss of multiple All-Star caliber players after losing Cahill, Andrew Bailey and Gonzalez.  If Braden and McCarthy can't anchor the rotation, the A's are well on their way to losing 100 games.  With the way things have been going for Beane and the A's, I would not be the least surprised if that happened.

X-FACTORS:

Rotation: Brandon McCarthy.  I could just as easily say Dallas Braden, but Brandon has shown a lot last season.  If he can keep it up this season, it will go a long way toward elevating the A's into respectability.

Lineup: Jemile Weeks.  This kid is an explosive baseball player.  He has the potential to be the best player in the A's lineup this season.  While that may not be enough to carry the club, it will give the rotation a little more room for error.

Bullpen: Grant Balfour AND Brian Fuentes.  They A's need these two to be a lethal setup/closer combination for this team to even think about any success.  

The Kids: Yoenis Cespedes.  I know age-wise, it would make sense for me to switch Cespedes with Weeks, but Weeks is more of a sure thing for the opening day lineup.  If Beane can finally hit a home run in with an international player in Cespedes, the A's will have a solid nucleus to build the lineup around.

ROYAL LIST:

#14 OF Yoenis Cespedes.  Billy Beane needs to say his prayers with this Cuban import.

#26 RHP Jarrod Parker.  The A's reward for parting with Trevor Cahill

#36 RHP Brad Peacock.  The A's reward for parting with Gio Gonzalez

#57 RHP A.J. Cole.  Also the A's reward for parting with Gio Gonzalez

#65 RHP Sonny Gray.  So much pitching on this list.  Kudos to Billy on beefing up the pitching staff that he takes to San Jose.

#80 OF Michael Choice.  Mark Reynolds-esque prospect only gives you three choices when he steps up to the plate.

PROJECTION: 4th Place AL West

This team will have some bad breaks this season.  They will struggle to the finish and Beane will have at least one more person to add to his Royal list.  If Billy Beane moves to San Jose, the A's and the Royals will be two of the top teams in the AL comes 2016.

30 In 30 Part 4: San Diego Padres

Meet Yonder Alonso: The new face of the San Diego Padres

I honestly cannot make heads or tails of this team except that they will not compete for a division title this season.

That being said, I applaud their moves this offseason.  Acquiring Yonder Alonso for Mat Latos was a sound decision and made Anthony Rizzo expendable to trade away.  They used Rizzo to pick up pitching in the form of Andrew Cashner.  They also acquired a middle of the lineup presence in Carlos Quentin.  I also like the move to pick up Huston Street from Colorado.  Between him and Micah Owings, San Diego added a good presence in their bullpen to account for the loss of Heath Bell.

On the other hand, the Padres picked up Mark Kotsay.  Let me be one to say that he has played past the point of being a productive major leaguer.  If the Padres   They also picked up Edinson Volquez who has the makings to be a hell of a reclamation project.

The Padres are working on building a team that is built around their ballpark.  The notorious death-trap for hitters should play into the hands of this pitching staff, particularly the newcomers.  Between Tim Stauffer, Cory Leubke, Clayton Richard, Luke Gregerson, Dustin Moseley, Andrew Cashner, Huston Street, Ernesto Frieri and Micah Owings; the Padres have a pitching staff chock full of pitchers who are perfectly capable of putting up solid numbers at Petco.  The issue with this staff, as well as the lineup, is the lack of star power that would put this team over the top.

As for the lineup, there's enough there to surprise some people.  However, this is a lineup full of role players.  This comes as no slight to these guys, who are all solid in their own right.  I like the guys that are projected to be on this team and would love to see them compete into July.  I can see it now.  Kyle Blanks  starts mashing homers like people thought he would when he came into the league.  Carlos Quentin plays like he did in 2008.  Yonder Alonso is all that and a bag of chips and combines with Blanks and Quentin to be a force in the middle of the lineup.  Cameron Maybin steals bases like nobody's business.  Orlando Hudson and Jason Bartlett puts up numbers akin to their 2009 campaigns.  Nick Hundley plays a whole season.  Chase Headley hits .300 and takes charge of the clubhouse.

That would be a fun team to watch, but that is not how things work in this league.  All the last paragraph validates is that I have watched too many sports movies.

I commend Josh Byrnes on a great offseason that involved trading for some of the players he traded away as GM in Arizona.  Byrnes has had a bad track record as a GM, but I feel that he is getting on the right track.  I feel that despite losing Heath Bell and Mat Latos, he compensated by putting a product on the field that I can only consider progress.  Unfortunately, San Diego is going to miss that star power more than a kid who is bad at Guitar Hero.

X-FACTORS:
Rotation: Edinson Volquez.  If this man can have a good season without the use of PED's, the Padres have a new ace.  If not, they have a new man to designate for assignment.

Lineup: Carlos Quentin.  Honestly, there's about five X-Factors in this lineup.  However, Quentin is the only one who has shown flashes of MVP-type production.

Bullpen: Huston Street.  This could be Edinson Volquez as well, but he is currently projected to be in the rotation.  Street will benefit the most coming from Denver to San Diego.  I really like the idea of him pitching in Petco.

The Kids: 1B/OF Yonder Alonso.  Now that he is out form under Joey Votto's thumb, he has a legitimate opportunity to be the franchise player in San Diego.

ROYAL LIST: 
#33 1B Yonder Alonso.  Refer to what I said in the "X-Factors" section.
#53 C Yasmani Grandal.  Alonso's teammate at Miami.  In 2013, the Padres will have the presence of Miami Hurricanes with none of the rap videos to boot. (NSFW)
#76 RHP Casey Kelly.  This kid looks like a bust waiting to happen.
#78 2B Cory Spangenburg.  No Scranton-Wilkes Barre, not that Cory Spangenburg.  On a serious note, this kid has a lot of tools that are expected from an everyday second basemen.
#98 3B Jedd Gyorko.  This name has the personality of a Forrest Gump haircut.

PROJECTION: 4th Place NL West
Intriguing moves make this Padres team enough to do better than Colorado.  I was tempted to say they would finish better than the Dodgers, but I remember that Matt Kemp is going 50-50 this season.

The Sinking Pit In My Stomach That Is The Border War.

I don't know what makes me more upset.
The fact that the rivalry is ending or the may it may
have ended on the court tonight.

Mizzou had no business winning the first game.  Kansas had no business winning the second game.

That's the beauty of sports.  For any of you who have read my wrap up of the first game, you understand what I mean.  Sports can take a fan on a roller coaster ride.  A ride to the greatest of highs and the lowest of lows.  They can define one's career and one's memories.  The people in Lawrence and Columbia will remember both of these contests because they were both instant classics.

A game like this will take a fan on the highest, fastest and most broken down broken down roller coaster you can find.  They will take analysts down memory lane.  Journalistic gold.  The type of rivalry games that typically involve Blue Devils and Tar Heels.

I can attest to this because of the sickening feeling I have in my stomach right now.  Missouri went into one of the most intimidating environments in college sports and led by 12 at the half.  Slowly but surely, that lead evaporated.  Kansas did not tie the game til the end of regulation or lead until the beginning of overtime.  From there began an emotional frenzy full of baskets, free throws and what the majority of my twitter followers would consider bad calls.  I'll even admit that the last Robinson call was non-existent.  That being said, it should have never come down to a bad call.

Smart fans will acknowledge the fact that we had that game well in hand.  We had a chance at the parting shot.  The big "F-U" on the way out of The Phog.  It just did not work out like that.  As a Mizzou guy, it kills me to say it.

The sad part of all of this is that there had to be a goat.  There always has to be a goat.  In this case, people will look at Michael Dixon.  Fans may remember him as the guy that strolled down the court with eight seconds left in overtime.  That is true, but as most smart fans can tell you, this loss is not entirely his fault.

This loss is on Michael, Kim, Matt, Phil, Ricardo, Steve, Marcus and Frank.  That being said, this has still been a hell of a season.  No matter how much faith you may or may not have had in Haith, nobody expected Mizzou to be on this level.  If you did, you may or may not be a big time. homer.

I'm confident that Mike, Kim, Matt, Phil, Ricard, Steve, Marcus and Frank will fix this problem.  Senior night is Wednesday against Iowa State and it is going to be even more emotional after this game.  I am truly going to miss this team and the players that are leaving.  This may be the last time the Kansas Jayhawks play the Missouri Tigers.

I will tell you this.  From my experiences watching Lovie Smith football, I knew that they would come back if we were not aggressive with a huge lead.  I believe Haith should have called timeout in the second half when KU was making a run.

Growing up in Chicago, I have experienced this more than I would have liked.  As a child, my White Sox would come up just short in our division most years.  We were usually in it in September.  The funny thing was that the North Side knew more heartbreaking.

My Bulls have had two stretches of solid play since Jordan has retired.  In game 3 of the 2007 Conference Semifinals, the Bulls led the Detroit Pistons 55-38 before blowing that lead and ultimately losing the series in six games.  They then took a the best record into the playoffs last season and got smoked by Miami in the Conference Finals.

As a Blackhawks fan, it was painful to see Detroit go to 2 consecutive Stanley Cups Finals, one at our expense.  Those Bulls and Blackhawks teams were mediocre at best for most my childhood.

Then there's the Bears.  I will know more pain with this team than any other.  I will remember losing to Peyton Manning in the Super Bowl.  Rainy day against a dome Quarterback.  Devin Hester taking the opening kick off to the house.  Nothing a Tampa 2 defense, Cedric Benson and Rex Grossman can't screw you out of.

I thought that would be the worst it could be as a Bears fan, but then the Packers came to Soldier Field in January of 2011.  Jay Cutler gets hurt and Caleb Hanie comes close to beating the Packers but it didn't happen.  I then witnessed my third least favorite team in sports win a Lombardi Trophy two weeks later.  Of course, Cutler finally got the hang of running a toned down version of the Mike Martz offense and the Bears get on a roll the next season before Cutler and Matt Forte both suffer season ending injuries in consecutive games and the Bears finish 8-8.

On top of that, I grew up watching Notre Dame football.

So I know how this goes.  So do Mizzou fans who saw their team win the Big 12 North in 2008 while the second place Jayhawks won an Orange Bowl.  The same ones that cried with joy after the first basketball game with KU this season.  The same ones with the sinking pit in their stomach right now.  The same ones that will "ride or die" with their team.

Now the discussion turns to three things.  The Big 12 tournament, The NCAA tournament, and the Border War.  I have three things to say to Kansas: I hope to meet you in the first.  I hope to do better than you in the second.  I hope to meet you again in the third.

But first I must throw up for awhile.

30 In 30 Part 3: Baltimore Orioles

This season is the last stand for Brian Matusz.

Going into last season, I had a positive outlook on the Orioles.  Brian Matusz, Vlad Guerrero, Derek Lee, Mark Reynolds and some promise.  They were destined to rise up and be the third best team in the AL East.

But that is not how reality works.

Brian Matusz hit a major road bump in his career.  If he cannot turn it around this year, he will be labeled a bust.  Jake Arrieta was less than impressive last year, and he was supposed to make a solid 1-2 punch with Matusz.  After those two, the Baltimore Orioles of 2012 supply us with more less than impressive starting pitchers complemented by Asian imports, Wey-Yin Chen and Tsuyoshi Wada.  The bullpen is solid but leaves a lot to be desired.  Luis Ayala, Matt Lindstrom, Jim Johnson and Troy Patton are not the worst pitchers to have in your bullpen.  As for Kevin Gregg, the quicker any Major League club that he serves realizes that he is not a legitimate closer, the better.

As for the lineup, they Orioles have a core that could make some noise.  Matt Wieters, now devoid of all hype thanks in part to Bryce Harper, was one of the better power hitting Catchers in baseball in 2011.  J.J. Hardy bounced back in a big way last season.  Mark Reynolds was Mark Reynolds last season.  Adam Jones and Nick Markakis can still hit.  Maybe Brian Roberts can prove that he can still in the big leagues.

Good for the Orioles, this is a team that can be respectable if they are firing on all cylinders.  That was the same thing I said last year and they lost 93 games.  So I expect something to go wrong next year.  It has been all downhill since Ripken left this club, which is sad because the Orioles have great fans and play in a beautiful ballpark.  Unfortunately, they play in a division with the Yanks, Rays, Sox and Jays.  That leaves them to hang out in the basement.

X-FACTORS: 
Rotation: Brian Matusz.  This guy can anchor the rotation.  He can also quietly wind up in another uniform by the deadline.  I've liked this kid for years, so I hope for this kid to rise up to the occasion.

Lineup: 2B Brian Roberts.  This is a do-or-die season for him as well.  His presence means everything to this Oriole offense.

Bullpen: Kevin Gregg.  Do we get 2009 Cubs and 2011 Orioles Kevin Gregg or Do we get 2008 Marlins and 2010 Blue Jays Kevin Gregg.

The Kids: SP Dylan Bundy.  He's next in line after Orioles recent history of failed pitching prospects

ROYAL LIST:
#10: RHP Dylan Bundy.  The next wave of young Orioles pitching has made its way over.
#11: SS Manny Machado.  Hell yes, the Orioles should be excited for this kid.
#82: INF Jonathan Schoop: This inspired me to put on this Salt-N-Pepa song.

PROJECTION: 5th Place AL East
-This team has a ton of potential.  More highly touted minor league prospects would be nice.  For this Orioles team to break 75 wins, a lot needs to swing their way.  No question that team is finishing last in the AL East in 2012.

UPDATE: Am I the only one for the O's returning to the cartoon bird?  While you're at it Orioles, can you bring back Earl Weaver? (Warning: NSFW)

30 In 30 Part 2: Houston Astros

Houston, we have 99 problems.

If you havin' baseball problems, I feel bad for you son.
I've got 99 problems but a pitch ain't one.

This edition of 30 in 30 will go through the 99 Problems of the Houston Astros.

1. That fact that I burst out laughing when I first saw the Astros projected starting lineup.

2. The elder statesmen of the Astros are Wandy Rodriguez and Humberto Quintero.

3. The return from trading Roy Oswalt.

4. A problem that I have is that Spring Valley native, J.A. Happ, struggled the way he did last season.  Way to make the Prairie State look bad.

5. White Sox reject, Lucas Harrell, will be making an appearance at Spring Training.  Yes, he will be competing for a spot in the rotation.

6. The only recognizable players here are over the hill, failed prospects and marginal role players from other squads.

7. If a star emerges this season, he will be traded sooner than later.

8. The return that the Astros received on Lance Berkman.  On the bright side, Jimmy Paredes is competing for a spot in the lineup.

9. All spots but seven in the lineup and pitching staff are open.  Yeah.

10. Three prospects in the top 100 according to Baseball America.  None cracked the top 20.

11. Finishing the tail end of Carlos Lee's $100 Million contract.  In all fairness, if he played up to his contract he would be elsewhere.

12. No gun on the "throwback" Colt 45's jersey.  Not that your average Astros diehard is going to want to reach for one this season.

13. 2003 had the Detroit Tigers.  2012 has the Houston Astros.

14. The fact that you could make a better baseball team out of players that grew up in Houston.  Said team would include Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford, Michael Bourn and Adam Dunn.  Three of which have commemorated Houston's poor performance with poor performances of their own.

15. Major League Baseball's 200,000th regular season game was played last season at Minute Maid Park.  Nobody cared.

16. After more than 50 years in existence, the Astros have no championships.  They are almost halfway to Cub-dom.

17. Second fiddle to the Rangers in the state of Texas.

18. Second fiddle to the Texans in Houston.

19. They were third fiddle until Case Keenum played his last game at Houston.

20. The Astros had the Bagwell-Biggio teams, the Berkman-Oswalt teams and were robbed of the Pence-Bourn teams.  These are the suck-suck teams.  I would feel bad calling these the Rodriguez-Quintero years.  They have suffered enough.

21. Drayton McLane took the team to hell as a parting gift.

22. Their eventual move to the American League

23. All that losing the Astros are going to do against the Cubs.

24. In the wise words of *Drake,

"Carlos Lee's gettin' old.  Burns.  

Jack Cust in it to win the softball title.  Byrnes."

25. Having to take a flier on Livan Hernandez.

26. ML rank in runs scored last season

27. ML rank in fielding last season

28. ML rank in ERA last season

29. ML rank in Home Runs last season

30. If one of these no-names carries the team to respectability by the All-Star Break, ESPN will ruin him too.  Refer to Jeremy Lin and Tim Tebow.

31. Having Brett Myers on the team gives the Astros a leg up on the league in wife beaters.

32. Fans like this guy.  Note to all men out there, letting a foul ball hit your girlfriend goes against everything manhood and Texas stand ford.

33. The worst team in the worst division in baseball.  Also the worst team in baseball.

34. Jim Crane is considering changing the uniforms and team name.  It worked for the Devil Rays, but the Devil Rays had terrible uniforms.

35. Best Free Agent Acquisition: Zach Duke.  A non-roster Spring Training Invite.

36. Ryan Braun's test got overturned.  That's two more losses.

37. The media actually has to cover this team for 162 games.

38. The team is almost bad enough that you expect them to be good all of a sudden.  See Bad News Bears, Major League.

39. 2 million fans were treated to the 2011 Houston Astros.

40. Bad timing.  These next top draft picks are no Strasburg/Harper.

41. Just an observation.  Mariner pride runs deeper than Astro pride in Columbia, Missouri.
People I know here from Washington: 1
People I know here from Texas: 100

42. Thanks to you, Pittsburgh is not the laughing stock of the division.

43. Astros fans, remember Jason Castro?  The Astros bring failed prospects of their own, not just other organizations.

44. It cost the Rays roughly 41 million dollars to win the wild card.  It cost the Astros roughly 70 million to lose 106 games.

45. Brett Myers made approximately 20 percent of Tampa Bay's payroll last season.  He posted a 7-14 record with a 4.46 ERA in Houston in 2011.

46. For all my Missouri readers out there, do you think Jordan Schafer supports "Show Me Cannabis?"

47. Milo Hamilton is calling it quits after 2012.  I don't cuss on this blog often, but that's a shitty way to go out.

48. Winners never cheat.  Cheaters never win.  The Astros may not do either this season.

49. One year deals.  One year deals everywhere.

50. Thanks to Spring Training, you get to give a demonstration of how bad this season will be.

51. Places your players go to honeymoon: Africa

52. New GM Jeff Luhnow compared Center Field Jordan "Show Me Cannabis" Schafer to Jacoby Ellsbury.  I see disappointment in your future, sir.

53. The wrist of one Jimmy Paredes.

54. Dead last in arbitration spending.  Because money doesn't win titles in baseball.

55. The expectation that the Houston Dynamo will be more a more compelling use of time this summer than the Houston Astros.

56. Jeff Bagwell is still believed to be a juicer.

57. The thought that this stretch of losing may be karma paying Houston back for the success they had in the mid-aughts that may or may not have been attributed to steroids. See Roger Clemens, Andy Pettite.  The A's are suffering, perhaps for the same reason.  How do I know this?  Because they're still in Oakland.

58. The Home Run ball Albert Pujols hit off of Brad Lidge in the 2005 NLCS still hasn't landed.

59. To this day they are the only team to lose a World Series game because of their inability to get Geoff Blum out.

60. Like all of us, Astro fans will be subjected to corny M-V-Freese chants.  Of course, David Freese is a Mizzou guy, which means that I don't mind said chants.

61. Knowing that no Astro will homer to straightaway center field.

62. Kids might pass on baseball this summer to take in Houston's breathtaking museum scene.

63. The Astros have two excellent pitchers in Bud Norris and Wandy Rodriguez.  My money is on Norris going to Miami and Rodriguez finishing 2012 in San Francisco.

64. In 2004, the Royals traded Carlos Beltran to Houston, where he helped aid a playoff push en route to a big deal in New York.  In 2014, look for a star outfielder to go from Houston to Kansas City.  Man, the 2014 Royals are gonna be loaded.

65. Fans of the Chicago Cubs can enjoy their team when they don't win.  Fans of the Astros must resort to doing kick-ass Texas stuff.

66. It will be a long time until Houston hosts an All-Star Game.

67. They lack the far superior farm system of the almighty Kansas City Royals.

68. Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell have no rings.  Bagwell had to take the doggy door into a World Series at-bat.

69. Lance Berkman won a title.  A title in St. Louis.

70. Speaking of St. Louis.  The NL Central may follow up the Cards 11 in 11 season with the Astros achieving 112 in 12.  By the tone of this list, I hope you know that does not mean wins.

71. With baseball out of the way, Houston Area residents have more time to dedicate to their favorite past time.  Eating.

72. More bad "Houston we have a problem" jokes like the one I made prior to this list.

73. More time for Houston residents to dedicate to their flourishing rap scene.  Or rap sheet.  I forget which one.

74. The thought that if each batter comes up to "Niggas in Paris," you will have heard the song as many times sitting through nine innings at Minute Maid Park as you would have live for pennies on the dollar.

75. The Harrisburg Senators will have a better player this April than the Astros do.  All Harris County residents are thinking the same thing after reading that last sentence.

76. Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols are now out of their division and league.  In 2013, you will be moved to their league and The Machine's division.

77. What makes it even more sad is that you will be going from getting spanked by the Cubs to being spanked by the Mariners.

78. There is nothing underrated about this team.  Seattle has a bullpen.  The Cubs have Theo Epstein.  The Astros owe Carlos Lee one more year of big money.

79. If music videos were still cool, Houston area rappers would be sporting your digs in videos that I would most likely see and laugh at in a not-so-subtle manner.

80. If you're a baseball lifer from the Houston Area, you could probably name at least 15 high school teams that you're more excited to watch this year than the Astros.

81. Thanks to McDonalds, the Houston Astros have a shot at becoming "The Egg McMuffin of Losing."

82. They have the coolest ballpark in baseball.  The coolest ballpark in baseball will occupy the worst team.  All abord the losing train.

83. If you show up to a game, people may still be complaining about the roof fiasco in 2005.

84. They only Houston you're going to hear about this summer is Whitney.

85. God forbid the Astros drive people to go see Joel Osteen.

86. Houston is looking at a potential platoon at Catcher.

87. Too many players competing for the closer role.

88. Houston may be taking a Stanford guy from Houston with the first pick this year.  Unfortunately for them, it's not Andrew Luck.

89. Junction Jack is still one of the worst mascots in baseball

90. Scott Steiner, I'ma let you finish, but "Hop to It" is one of the worst catch phrases of all time.

91. Big 12 baseball is shaping up to be more exciting than the National League Central.

92. El Paso won't be the most brutal thing in Texas this summer.

93. Either will a July day game in Arlington.

94. Either will the 5th Ward.

95. The fourth largest city in the United States by population plays host to a small baseball market.

96. You know Minute Maid Field was once Enron Field.

97. Everything is bigger in Texas.  Losing is no exception.

98. From Houston came Destiny's Child.  From Destiny's Child came Beyonce.  Beyonce married Jay-Z.  Jay-Z released "99 Problems."  That song inspired me to write about Houston's 99 problems.  One of those problems is that six degrees of separation can help explain how bad this team is.

99. Somewhere in Central Missouri, a freelance blogger is writing about 99 problems that your team has.

*I constructed this rhyme, if that wasn't obvious enough.

X-FACTORS:

Rotation: Wandy Rodriguez.  If he can get hot in the first half, he's bound to bring a decent prospect to Houston.
Lineup: Carlos Lee.  Same reason as Wandy.
Bullpen: Everyone.  We have no idea who is going to constitute this bullpen.
The Kids: 3B Jimmy Parades.  All jokes aside, this may be his team in four years.

ROYAL LIST:
#34 1B Jonathan Singleton - Perhaps the best thing they have received from the Phillies since Michael Bourn
#50 SP Jarred Cosart - Live arm.  Another trade piece that you will probably get to meet in September
#59 OF George Springer - Insert UConn baseball joke here.

PROJECTION: 6th Place NL Central and may God have mercy on our souls.
-This has been the worst I have seen a team look going into a season.  At least those old Devil Rays teams had Aubrey Huff and a rotating cast of old stars who were playing out the stretch.

30 In 30 Part 1: Seattle Mariners

I have not posted in almost two weeks.  Since then, the subject of my last post has become a controversial figure.  Honestly, I have not felt that there were any stories that were of more importance than my time with family and school work.

This article starts 30 in 30, in which over 30 days which I cannot promise will be consecutive, I analyze all 30 Major League Baseball teams before the season starts which was something I tried on tumblr before last season.

Today's topic: The Seattle Mariners

The Seattle Mariners are part of a group I like to call the "If Only Teams."  This list includes the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cleveland Indians and Oakland A's.  This of course means that if they were financially able to hold on to certain players, they would have a great team.

In the last two seasons, they had Felix Hernandez, Cliff Lee, Michael Pineda and Doug Fister in their rotation.  This was a formidable group of pitchers, three of which were traded to patch up holes in the M's terrible lineup.  Erik Bedard was also a Mariner in this period of time.  Injuries made the investment in him a colossal waste of money.

Time will tell who won the Pineda-Montero trade.

That being said, I have some terrible news for Seattle.  Jason Vargas might be your #2.

Projected Rotation
1. Felix Hernandez 14-14 3.47 ERA 222 K in Seattle
2. Jason Vargas 10-13 4.25 ERA 131 K in Seattle
3. Hisashi Iwakuma 6-7 2.42 ERA 90 K in Rakuten (Japan)
4. Hector Noesi 2-2 4.47 ERA 45 K in New York (Michael Pineda Trade)
5. Blake Beavan 5-6 4.27 ERA 42 K in Seattle
In The Mix
6. Charlie Furbush 4-10 5.48 ERA 67 K between Detroit and Seattle

As was the case with David Aardsma, who racked up 69 saves in two seasons for the M's, the Mariners latest middle relief reclamation project, Brandon League, has emerged as a solid closer.  He is followed in the bullpen Tom Wilhelmsen, Shawn Camp, Shawn Kelley, Hong Chih-Kuo and George Sherrill.  If two things are going to propel the Mariners into the pennant race, they would be the magic of youth and this underrated bullpen.

The Mariners need a better plan in Left Field, Third Base and Shortstop.  Aside from that, the Mariners lineup is filled with a combination of touted young players and proven veterans who are not looking at their best seasons such as Ichiro and Chone Figgins.  For that reason, I see no great strength in this lineup.  Not yet, at least.

X-FACTORS:
Rotation: Hisashi Iwakuma.  Japanese imports are always a wild card.
Lineup: 3B Chone Figgins.  If he can get on base this season, life will be easier for the kids in the lineup.
Bullpen: Hong-Chih Kuo.  A turn around season for Kuo could make Seattle's bullpen one of the best in baseball
The Kids: C/DH Jesus Montero.  A big year can absolve any criticism as a result of the Pineda trade.

TOP 100 Prospects: (Or what I will now refer to as the Royal list)
#6 C Jesus Montero: Comes to Seattle bearing more expectations than a kid should.  This year will be telling of Montero's resolve.
#20 RHP Tijuan Walker: Won't see MLB action this season.  You may get a taste of him in the Futures game this year or in 2013.
#21 LHP Danny Hultzen: Look for him to be up and in the rotation by the All-Star Break.
#52 LHP James Paxton: If Hultzen and Paxton can crack the rotation this season, it will make the Mariners look very smart.
#77 SS/2B Nick Franklin: Brendan Ryan's a solid shortstop, but not a long term solution.  If Franklin works out, it goes a long way toward long term success and shores up a middle infield with Dustin Ackley at 2nd.

PROJECTION: 3rd Place AL West, No Playoffs.
-I am not completely disqualifying this team from making noise this season.  This team is going to see more success this year as a result of being a year older and more complete.  This is definitely not a team that can compete with Texas or Anaheim for the division or the top teams in the AL East for a playoff spot.  However, look for this team to put up 80 wins this season.  I would give them a fighting chance in the NL Central.

Meet Jeremy Lin

The Jeremy Lin tongue wag.  It's a thing.

In 2006, Jeremy Lin's Palo Alto Vikings went 32-1 and won state.  He was the Northern California Division II player of the year.

No scholarship offers.

He was offered to walk on to his dream school, UCLA.  He was only guaranteed spots on the team at Harvard and Brown.  However, Ivy League schools do not offer athletic scholarships.  Lin chose Harvard.

In his four years at Harvard, the team started to gain national recognition.  Lin's biggest performance, arguably, was a 30 point performance on the road against 12th ranked UConn in his senior season.  His four year run at Harvard ended with a first team selection in his senior season and numerous team and individual records set.

But like every other California-bred Asian who graduated from Harvard in 2010, Lin went undrafted.

Before the season started, he signed with the Golden State Warriors.  He spent the season back in forth between Oakland and Reno, where Golden State's development team play.  During the 2010-11 season, Lin playing sparingly when he was in Oakland.  However, he did gain a cult following among Asian American fans, being the first American in the NBA of Chinese or Taiwanese decent.  His game was praised by the likes of Derek Fisher.  He received nearly as many interview requests as fellow Warriors, Stephen Curry.  He was approached by people wanting to make him the subject of documentaries.

However, the first day day of training camp after the lockout Lin was released by Golden State.  In the next three weeks, he was picked up by Houston, waived by Houston and signed by New York.  A month later he was sent down to Erie for another stint in the D-League.  He was called up a week later and he is here to stay.

He was in the D-League fifteen days ago.  If you do not know the name Jeremy Lin, you have been living under a rock.

I know it is a long basketball season and this kid has only shined in three games.  He went off for 28, 25 and 23 points in his last three games and the Knicks are 3-0 in that stretch.  He has warranted all of the headlines on a team with Carmelo Anthony, Amar'e Stoudemire, Iman Shumpert and Tyson Chandler.

He has warranted almost Tebow-like coverage from ESPN and appears to be on an even-keel.  Tonight he plays the Lakers.  We can see Jeremy Lin on the court with Kobe Bryant.

We might not hear about Tim Tebow for an entire week.  Maybe for a few months if "Linsanity" could tongue wag his way to an NBA title.



UPDATE:  Tonight at MSG, Lin led the Knicks to a 92-85 win over the Lake Show.  This game was marked by weak guard play on LA's part.  As a result, Lin put up 38 points en route to the victory.

I will now often refer to Lin as the "Yellow Mamba."

Austin Rivers Provides Signature Moment

Austin Rivers emerges from the Dean E. Smith Center
in Chapel Hill for the first time,
taking with him 29 points and a place in Duke lore.

Tonight, Austin Rivers added to the lore of the Duke/UNC rivalry.

After we thought we had seen it all on Saturday night in Columbia, it turns out that it was just a warm up for Duke/UNC.

College Basketball's greatest rivalry took center stage tonight.  Duke beat North Carolina 85-84 and were down by 10 with 2:20 left in the game.  That was not what will be remembered about this game in ten.   What will be remembered, however, is the final shot that gave Duke the win.

Austin Rivers, a Duke freshman, went to Chapel Hill and hit a three to win at the buzzer.

Repeat: Austin Rivers, a Duke FRESHMAN, went to CHAPEL HILL and hit a THREE to WIN at the BUZZER.

Or to put it another way, my Consumer Ed teacher's nephew just went to Chapel Hill and beat the Tar Heels.

This will be in Duke/Carolina montages for years to come.  People will remember that shot as an important moment in College Basketball's best rivalry.  Put that together with the fact that Duke went on a 13-2 run to close out Carolina, that makes this the game of the year.

That being said, the only real bearing this game has is conference tournament seeding, bragging rights and potentially NCAA tournament seeding.  But that game was something more than that.  It's not every year a freshman wearing a Blue Devils uniform puts up 29 and hits a game-winning shot at the buzzer.  But in the world of college basketball when Miami can beat Duke and Deividas Dulkys can beat UNC by themselves, Murray State can be undefeated in February, Missouri is an elite team, the National Player of the Year may be a Perspectives grad with a unibrow.

So far, this has been the craziest start of a College Basketball season that I can remember.  Every week there's a new hero.  From Brandon Paul, to Deividas Dulkys, to Marcus Denmon to Austin Rivers.  This weekend there will most certainly be a new hero and a new hero.

Who knows.  Maybe the Pac-12 will have a legitimate team come tournament time.

Crazier things have happened this year.

Kobe Surpasses Shaq For Fifth On Scoring List

Michael Jordan passed the torch to Kobe Bryant.  
Kobe might just carry that torch to the
top of the NBA's scoring list.

Following a 90-95 loss to the 76ers, in which Kobe Bryant put up 28 points, Kobe passed Shaquille O'Neal for 5th on the NBA's all time scoring list with 28,061.  Here's the scary part about it, Kobe is not cashed.  He can still put up 40 points in a given night.  He is still the league's best closer.  He can still hang with Derrick Rose and LeBron James.  He can still go out there and win at least one more title.  He could pass Kareem.

Kobe Bryant is only 33.

Now history aside, Shaquille O'Neal used this as an opportunity to ask Kobe how his ass tastes personally congratulate Bryant.  After the game, Shaq told ESPN's Stephen A. Smith,  "I want to personally congratulate Kobe on being the greatest Laker ever.  His accomplishment is great and well deserved, and I'm really proud of him.  He told me when he was 18 years old that he'd go down as the greatest Laker ever, and one of the greatest players of all time.  And he wasn't lying."

For Kobe's thoughts on his achievement and O'Neal's comments, watch his interview with Stephen A. Smith below.

Kobe Bryant SportsCenter (TM) Interview with Stephen A. Smith (02/06/2012)

Now people are coming around to the fact that Kobe Bryant is this generation's Michael Jordan.  He is not as great as Jordan and will never be, but at the end of the day, his resume might be just as great.

But for now, Kobe needs to play out the string of his career and then his case will be open to the court of public opinion.  Congrats to Kobe Bryant, the best player in the NBA of the 2000's.  One of the best players this game has ever seen.

A Perfect Ending To A Fairytale Week In Tiger Nation

Marcus Denmon scored 9 straight points to
give Missouri the lead for good.
Consider this a parting shot.

Let me preface this post by saying that no amount of words can properly put Saturday night's Missouri/Kansas game.  If you were not there, I apologize for the fact that I could not make this event come alive on to your computer screen.

Having said that, I have attended two great games in my life.  Wheaton-Warrenville South Tigers 31 Glenbard West Hilltoppers 24: Champaign, Illinois November 28th, 2009.  Missouri Tigers 74 Kansas Jayhawks 71: Columbia, Missouri February 4th, 2012.  The latter one easily outdid the former.

As a Mizzou student, the lead up to this game started last semester when my roommate and I camped out with one of his friends overnight to secure tickets to the game.  It was a cold and wet night.  Steve Moore came into our tent.  I picked up my ticket in time to get to my first class at 9 A.M..  Afterwards, I took a nap and woke up at 6 P.M to find out that the last ticket had been claimed roughly ten hours after I had claimed mine.  It did not matter because it was Kansas and therefore, it was the most important game of the year.

What was not expected, was that Mizzou would finish their non-conference schedule undefeated.  The Missouri Tigers had become all of the rage by the time Hate Week started.  They were 19-2 with their only losses coming on the road against a hot Kansas State team and a fluke against lowly Oklahoma State.  They had knocked off Baylor in Waco, who currently holds a 21-2 record and was undefeated just days before they had to play Missouri until losing to Kansas.

Now before I go any further, if you told me four years ago that Missouri would beat Texas in football and basketball AND beat Texas and Kansas in basketball in the same week, I would have called you crazy.

Not so much this year.

In a game that the Tigers almost threw away, they knocked off a down Longhorn team in Austin and had five days to prepare for Kansas.

Two days later was national signing day.  A day in which Dorial Green-Beckham, arguably the best football prospect, signed with Gary Pinkel and the Missouri Tigers.  The M-I-Z...D-G-B sign is still hanging from the facade of the Sigma Nu fraternity house on College Avenue in Columbia.  Later that night, the first tent was set up in anticipation of College Gameday.

The next day, I had a Political Science class with friend and Mizzou superfan, Steve Goldberg.  After class finished at approximately 1:45 P.M. that afternoon, he left to help a group of students set up a tent and wait in line for College Gameday, 55 hours before tip off.  For his efforts, he was interviewed by several media outlets.  Most notably, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

College Gameday came to Columbia on Saturday morning before the game.  ESPN had fallen for the Missouri Tigers basketball team.  The analysts picked four Tigers in a College Basketball fantasy draft. Digger gave the crowd the obligatory "best fans" line.  Kim English put Michael Dixon Jr.  as well as the Delta Gamma and Tri Delta (Delta Delta Delta) sororities on the spot during the show.

As for the game itself, this was the last Mizzou/Kansas game in Columbia before the Tigers leave the Big 12 for the SEC.  It may be the last time these two would ever play in Columbia.  This was an opportunity for the Tigers to make another big statement on the national stage.  Mizzou has been on the rise in football and basketball for the better part of the last decade.  In 2010, Mizzou celebrated their 99th homecoming by knocking off #1 ranked Oklahoma in football.  In 2011, Mizzou celebrated their 100th Homecoming (a tradition that had been invented at Mizzou) by beating Iowa State 52-17.  The next month, amidst rumors that they were going to leave the Big 12 for the SEC, did just that.  Less than a week ago, Dorial Green-Beckham signed a letter of intent to play for the Tigers.  Now they had their chance at a parting shot at their most bitter rivals from the west.  A rivalry that dates back to the Civil War.  One of the most hate-filled rivalries in Columbia.  The start of Rivalry Week.  College Gameday.  Kansas brought their storied program and national champions and Missouri brought a team hungry for success on a national stage and a fan base hungry for national recognition.  Both teams brought Top 10 rankings.

All of the talk between fans.  No Mom Tom.  Brendan Hudson.  The time for all of the fanfare was over.  At 8 P.M. Saturday night on February 4th, 2012, it was time to play basketball.

The game had an Ali-Frazier vibe to it.  Missouri took a 5 point edge into the locker room.  The game continued to go back and forth.  Kansas made a run, Missouri responded with a run of their own.  With 6 minutes left in the contest it was 64-63 Jayhawks

Cue Kansas.

Conner Teahen stole the ball Matt Pressey and made a three pointer on the other side of the court.  Kansas 67 Missouri 63.  Michael Dixon and Matt Pressey both missed three pointers on the next possession and Thomas Robinson made a jumper at the other end of the court.  Kansas 69 Missouri 63. Marcus Denmon then turned the ball over and Tyshawn Taylor dunked it with authority.  Kansas 71 Missouri 63.  Marcus Denmon would miss a three-point shot on the next possession.  The game was over.  Kansas had found a way to rain on Missouri's parade.  Rock Chalk Jayhawk.

Or at least that's what it seemed like.

Thomas Robinson would miss, get his own rebound and turn the ball over on the next Jayhawk possession.  Denmon made a layup and "T-Rob" would send Denmon to the line soon after.  He would make 1 of 2 shots.  Missouri's poor free throw shooting in the second half would have been a major gripe of fans had the outcome been different.  Kansas held a five point lead.

Robinson would turn the ball over on KU's next possession.  Marcus Denmon, then jacked up a three-point shot and without regards to the laws of physics, the ball went into the net.  Kansas 71 Missouri 69.  Was this really happening?  Missouri had come back from the dead to make it a game.  The crowd was split between screaming at deafening volumes and having a collective heart attack.  Phil Pressey then stole the ball from Tyshawn Taylor and Denmon would hit a three from the corner to take the lead.  The crowd erupted.  Missouri 72 Kansas 71 with 56 seconds left in the game.  Marcus Denmon had just gone on a 9-0 run.

Kansas would get their chance to win.  This is where Tyshawn Taylor earns his status as the goat.  On the Jayhawks' next two possessions, Taylor would miss two free throws and turn the ball over.  Michael Dixon made two free throws with 10 seconds left in the game and Elijah Johnson missed a desperation three at the end of the game to seal a 74-71 victory for the Missouri Tigers.

To their credit, Missouris' fans acted like a Top 10 crowd by not storming the court.  They were too busy watching Kansas standout, Thomas Robinson cry.

I could go on talking about the scene after the game.  The honking horns, the after-party and the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity blasting "Black Betty" from their porch on Maryland Avenue after the game.  I can talk about the guy who brought the Quantrill flag to the game and College Gameday.  I can talk about how Frank Haith boarded his team up in a hotel after the game so they would not party too hard and overlook Oklahoma, who they play on Monday.  I can talk about the guy who got his "Digger Please" sign taken away.  I can talk about how the crowd did the Missouri Waltz over and over again throughout the day.  I could talk about how I laughed to myself when the crowd said "STEEEEEEVEEEEEE" whenever Steve Moore was introduced or made a big play because of an inside joke I have with a friend.  I can talk about how I get goosebumps and tears in my eyes watching Denmon hit the shot to bring the Tigers within two points on their final run.  I can talk about how I will still be describing every aspect of this day, night, week, weekend and game for the rest of my life.  I can talk about how proud I am to be a Missouri Tiger.  I could recruit thousands of Tigers to recall every detail of the game and the events leading up to the game.

But none of these words will completely put into perspective how monumental the last seven days was for Missouri Tiger.

That's me at the far left.  

An Unremarkably Giant Super Bowl in Indy

Ahmad Bradshaw takes a seat in the end zone for the
game winning touchdown in Super Bowl XLVI

Giants 2 Patriots 0.  This is the head-to-head advantage the New York Giants have in Super Bowls against the New England Patriots.  It was also the score of last nights game New England ran their first play from scrimmage.

That being said, what was the story of this Super Bowl?

Having watched the whole game, I fail to see what the big story to take from this was.  Of course, we could take Eli Manning besting Tom Brady for the second time.  We could take Eli having passed up Peyton in the "titles won" department.  We could talk about the role Rob Gronkowski's injury had to do with the outcome of the game.  We could talk about the defensive prowess of Jason Pierre-Paul.  We could talk about how the Patriots and Giants could have played a more disciplined football game.  We could talk about what New England could have done differently on their last drive.

Honestly, it did not feel like anything special.  This was not Santonio making a catch in the corner of the endzone, it was not a ravaged city having their day in the sun, it was not Justin Timberlake sticking gum on David Tyree's helmet and it was not Peyton Manning or John Elway getting the title monkey off their back.

Ladies and gentlemen, this year's Super Bowl was nothing special.

I will remember this game as another failure for Tom Brady and Bill Belichick as well of the group of people I watched the game with.  The game itself was not special, for it lacked that signature moment.

Aside from that, congratulations to Eli Manning on winning his second Super Bowl MVP award.  Congrats to M.I.A. for your middle finger during the halftime show will provide us with stale, boring halftime shows for another seven Super Bowls.  You are truly the goat of the night.  I would also like to wish the best of luck and a speedy recovery to Giants Tight End Travis Beckum who tore his ACL in the second quarter of tonights game.

Now it is time for ESPN to tell us what to think of this game and First Take to spend 5 more days on Tim Tebow.

UPDATE:  ESPN has told us that Eli Manning is now a future Hall of Fame Quarterback and now a better Quarterback than Peyton.  He also told us that Mario Manningham made the catch of the game on the last drive on the sideline.  I can agree with that, but I can not fathom why they would compare that to David Tyree's catch.  As for Eli Manning, I can see him as a Hall of Famer but he's not better than Peyton and/or Brady.  Not yet.  Brady's receivers did not make plays.  People are already forgetting Peyton in his prime.

If you think that Eli is better than Peyton, Trent Dilfer has more Super Bowl trophies than Dan Marino. Rex Grossman has appeared in as many Super Bowls than Dan Marino.  That's the beauty of sports, ladies and gentlemen.  With every Super Bowl, a new sensation and a new hero is born.  That's the beauty of sports.

What this proves to me is that Eli Manning has lived up to every bit of the hype around him coming out of Ole Miss and more.  He is most likely a Hall of Fame Quarterback.  He is a hero in New York City.

As for Brady, his legacy should not be questioned.  If you question his legacy, shame on you (I'm looking at you Rob Parker).  Tom Brady won three Super Bowls and appeared in five.  He has spent the better part of his careers making players like Danny Woodhead and Julian Edelman better.  He was the only Quarterback since the 1970's to lead an undefeated regular season.  2 MVPs, 7 Pro Bowls and 2 Super Bowl MVPs.  He's 16-6 in the postseason.

Now Skip Bayless (yes, Skip Bayless) said something that made sense today.  His legacy took a "small hit."  That small hit is that Joe Montana will go down as a better Quarterback than Brady.  Brady is not Montana and will never be better than Montana.

Now Peyton Manning, he's a surgeon in the pocket.  He runs the Peyton Manning offense.  People are going to forget how he took the Pierre Garcons and the Austin Collies of the world and turned them into household names.  Peyton Manning has the greatest brain in NFL history.  Eli has not surpassed him.  Not yet.

Again, congrats to Eli Manning and the New York Giants.  Congrats to Tom Coughlin who might actually receive his props after this game.  Last night I saw a smile on his face.  He looks like a completely different person.  Congrats to Jason Pierre-Paul who put his extraordinary talent on display on a National Stage.  Congrats to Mario Manningham for creating a signature moment of his career.  Congrats to Mark Herzlich, who even though he was inactive, has a Super Bowl Ring.  What a way to say, "Fuck You" to cancer.  Congrats to Justin Tuck who played a great game that hardly anyone seemed to notice.  Congrats to Ahmad Bradshaw for having the most swag on a game winning touchdown in Super Bowl history.

But most of all, congrats to me for calling NBC doing a J.P.P. parody of the song O.P.P. by Naughty by Nature.  Yeah, you know me.

Deploy Plan C?

Sam Gagner celebrates a goal in tonight's 8-4 win
against the visiting Chicago Blackhawks.
Gagner's 8-point performance was the first in 23 years.

The Chicago Blackhawks have hit a snag in their season.

Despite the fact that they are tied for 5th in the Western Conference with St. Louis, Chicago is in the throes of a four game losing streak marked by poor defense and poor goalie play.  This poor goalie play came to a head in an 8-4 loss to Edmonton, in which Centre Sam Gagner posted a franchise-record 8 points.  Repeat:  THE EDMONTON OILERS!

Fun Facts:
-Hawks starting Goalie Corey Crawford, is not in the top 30 in Save Percentage and Goals Allowed Average among all Goalies on pace to play in 27 games.

-The Hawks rank 19th in the league in Average Goals Allowed and 28th in Penalty Kill Percentage with 2.8 and 77.9% respectively.

-Gagner's 8-point game boasted 4 Goals and 4 Assists.  Coming into tonight, he had registered 5 Goals and 17 Assists on the season.  His 8-point performance against Chicago was more than the 7 points he scored in all of January.

-Tonight, Gagner posted the NHL's first 8-point individual performance in 23 years.

-Roughly 17.8 percent of the Oilers goals this season have come in the 4 games they have played against the Blackhawks.  They are 3-1 on the season series, boasting 9 and 8 goal games.

-Edmonton has one of the best Power Plays in the league.  The Blackhawks have one of the worst Penalty Kills in the league.  Despite that fact, the Oilers were 1-7 on Power Plays and gave up a Shorthanded Goal.

-The Blackhawks are 11-3 under backup  Goalie Ray Emery, who did his part tonight, giving up up 3 goals.

After assessing those facts, I feel that Ray Emery does indeed, deserve a crack as an everyday Goalie.  The last time the Hawks switched goalies midway through the season, they won a Stanley Cup.  As for any potential third option, they will probably have to look outside of the organization.  Carter Hutton, Alexander Salak and Alec Richards have all split time at Rockford.  Hutton has put up better numbers and Richards has played in three more games.  That being said, there is not reason to call up a third goalie based off of merit.  Therefore, the Hawks need to go with whichever one of their guys is mentally ready to play the position or look make a deal for another Goalie.

All of that being said, it would be a damn shame if they could not fix their issues in net or on defense.  Their offense has been something to marvel at this season.  In particular, Marian Hossa.  He is finally showing everyone why he was given a 10-year deal.  At the rate he is going, he will finish with one of his finer offensive seasons.  When healthy, the trio of Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp have been as productive as usual.  Toews and Sharp are in back the lineup this week, now the Hawks need the wins to start coming.

As for Edmonton, Gagner's 8-point game serves as a shining moment in a season that has become progressively disappointing.  After a hot start, the Oilers have settled in the Fourteenth Place in the Western Conference.

The Hawks are in Calgary to play the Flames tomorrow night so we will not have to wait very long to see if the Chicago's goalie goalies is are ready to play a mentally sound game.  If not, tonight could have marked the beginning of a long spring in Chicago.

Mizzou Lands DGB on Signing Day.

Dorial Green-Beckham will be playing football
for the Missouri Tigers this fall.

This is not an average year at the University of Missouri.

Adding to all of the hype around sports at Missouri, Dorial Green-Beckham has signed a Letter of Intent to play football in Columbia.  For those of you who have been living under a rock, or just do not follow recruiting, the Hillcrest (Springfield, MO) Wide Receiver is ranked 3rd in the 2012 ESPNU 150.  To put it another way, Mizzou is going to have the highest ranked true freshman in the SEC next fall.

DGB, as he's referred to, made two well-documented visits to the University of Missouri.  The first visit was over homecoming weekend, in which he attended the game against Iowa State.  Mizzou won the game and students started to chant M-I-Z...D-G-B.  A fan base hungry for national recognition wanted DGB badly.  The second visit was last weekend.  He attended the Mizzou/Texas Tech basketball game and the M-I-Z...D-G-B chants were back in full effect.  

For the duration between the basketball game to Signing Day, the media was all over any and all things DGB.  Saturday night, reports surfaced that DGB was displeased because he was carded at Harpo's in Columbia.  Monday, it was reported by a "source" that DGB would be choosing Mizzou over Arkansas.  This was denied by Green-Beckham's adoptive father, John Beckham.  This lead to DGB himself tweeting, "It's my time to make my own decision.  Dnt need anyone to tell me where to go cuz it's all on my #mytime."

In the end, however, he chose Mizzou.  He chose Pinkel's spread offense.  He chose Columbia.  He chose a rapidly growing fan base, with an even faster growing reputation.  He chose M-I-Z...D-G-B.

Not a bad deal for the Tigers, considering he was a lock to go to Arkansas last week.