30 In 30 Part 23: New York Yankees

Andy Pettite signed a minor league contract with the Yankees
and might just crack their rotation in 2012.

More Pitchers, more problems.

Every spring features a plethora of stories that involve baseball's most storied franchise.  2012 is no exception.  A lot of those stories involve pitchers so I am going to be quick in describing their offense.

Household Names.  Jeter, A-Rod, Gardner, Swisher, Andruw Jones, Eric Chavez, Russell Martin, Granderson, Cano, Teixiera, Ibanez.  These are all established players, most of which are on the decline.  They will produce a lot of runs and will power the Yankees into October.  Granderson is coming off of a 40/25 season.  Jeter is the worst bat in the starting lineup.  The addition of Raul Ibanez should only help this offense.

The issue this spring is pitching.  Coming into Spring Training the rotation was C.C. Sabathia followed by take your pick of Freddy Garcia, Huroki Kuroda, Michael Pineda, Phil Hughes and Ivan Nova.  Then the Yankees signed Andy Pettite.  Today, Michael Pineda was placed on the 15-Day Disabled List with Shoulder Tendonitis.  In the meantime, this should bump Freddy Garcia into the rotation.  He will be a spot starter this year and I love him in that role at his age.

What I gather from all of this is that C.C. is the only sure thing.  Huroki has a good track record and is penciled in as the #2.  We will see what Pineda looks like when he comes back and we may have an early winner in the Pineda/Montero trade if Montero has an All-Star season in Seattle.  Phil Hughes will be very average.  Ivan Nova has given me no reason to say that he will not have a solid season.  Like I said earlier, Garcia will amount to a spot starter this season.  He will thrive in this role.  Don't count out Andy Pettite in 2012.  Jamie Moyer made the Rockies rotation this season.  If Kuroda and Nova pitch like I expect them to, the Yankees can show up and win 95 games.

FUN FACT: If Jamie Moyer pitched for the inaugural 1993 Colorado Rockies, he would have been the oldest pitcher on the staff.  They also had a Catcher named Jayhawk Owens.  He was from Ohio so there is some Final Four irony there.

X-FACTORS:

Lineup: 3B Alex Rodriguez.  If he can stay healthy all season, it would make a world of difference for the Yankees.

Rotation: SP Phil Hughes.  He will be thrust into this rotation for now.  He needs to live up to the hype he came into the league with.

Bullpen: Freddy Garcia.  He figures to spend most of the season spot starting or fulfilling Mopup duty.  He needs to limit how often he falls apart this season.

The Kids: SP Michael Pineda.  Will he return and stay healthy?  Will he be first half Pineda or second half Pineda?  He has the tools to be a future ace of this rotation.

ROYAL LIST:

#29 LHP Manny Banuelos: Perhaps Banuelos can answer some of the Bombers' pitching questions if they are not solved by midseason

#63 RHP Dellin Betances: A late bloomer, Betances will see time on the major league roster at some point this season.  Not expected to become a permanent fixture until he is 25 or 26.

#81 C Gary Sanchez: I don't see this kid panning out as a Catcher.

#85 OF Mason Williams: A big reason that the Yankees are excited for their rookie class of 2014.

PROJECTION: 2nd Place AL East

-Red Sox have better pitching and Yankees have a more potent offense.  This will be a very interesting division race.  

30 In 30 Part 22: St. Louis Cardinals

David Freese, pictured signing autographs at Mizzou
Arena in Columbia, has been enjoying the life of a Cardinals hero
in an offseason that saw Albert Pujols leave for Anaheim.

Let me state for the record that there is no chance in hell that there is 12 in 12.

I lied.  In fact it has been the Cardinals runs in 2006 and 2011 that has proven that all that matters is reaching the postseason.  In that regard, they are the New York Football Giants of baseball.

However, there is a pink elephant under the arch.  That would be the departure of longtime First Baseman Albert Pujols.  In Missouri, I hear one of two things from people.  One is a hate-filled "how dare he."  The other is "Pujols leaving is offset by Wainwright's return."  The truth is that the Cardinals are like the Brewers.  They built a lineup around their slugger.  That is why the Brewers still have a good lineup and it is why the Cardinals will be okay.

If anything really "offsets" anything from the Cards' offseason, it was the signing of Carlos Beltran.  Beltran edged out Albert Pujols in VORP (Value Over Replacement Player) and Equivalent Average last season.  Equivalent Average is statistic measured on the same scale of batting average, but adjusted for certain variables such as venue and league.  Pujols was also bested in EqA in 2011 by current Cardinals Lance Berkman and Matt Holliday.  They also have an Elder Statesman in Yadier Molina and a bona fide postseason hero in David Freese.

What will hurt the Cards is that they lack depth in the rotation after Wainwright until Carpenter comes back in a couple of months.  This was a big reason behind the Oswalt to St. Louis rumors.  They also do not have quite the bullpen they had patched together last summer during trade season.  However, the Cards possess enough arms to compete for a division title and that is all you can ask for.

Oh, and for anybody who has not kept up with the Cardinals or Blue Jays in years past,  Rzepczynski is pronounced ZEP-CHIN-SKI.

X-FACTORS: 
Lineup: OF Carlos Beltran.  If he can put up similar numbers to last season, he can help offset the loss of Albert Pujols
Rotation: Adam Wainwright.  His return is everything to a pitching staff that is otherwise devoid of great arms at the moment.
Bullpen: Jason Motte.  This will be his first full season as the Closer.  He must be lights out in his role as the rest of the bullpen takes shape behind him.
The Kids: Nobody.  There is going to be no young blood in this clubhouse.  This will bode well for Manager Mike Matheny, who will inherit a clubhouse chock full of veteran leadership and devoid of big egos.

ROYAL LIST:
#8 RHP Shelby Miller: Should see some time in September.  Will hear a lot of jokes about his name.  You know there was a town named after him on The Simpsons?
#27 RHP Carlos Martinez: With a fastball that confuses more hitters than his documentation, Martinez will continue to tear up the minors in 2012.
#74 OF Oscar Taveras: Solid bat that has a couple more seasons in development
#88 3B Zack Cox: Projected to be a solid ballplayer.
#93 2B Kolten Wong: With Second Base being the token hole in the Cards' lineup, I would imagine they would be overjoyed if Wong pans out.
#94 RHP Tyrell Jenkins: Another sweet righty arm growing on the Cardinals farm.

PROJECTION: 2nd Place NL Central
-Pitching is what keeps this team from surpassing the Brewers.  It also might be what they pick up halfway through the season.  Don't sleep on the defending champs.

P.S. A shout out to my friend and Parkway West grad Sarah Billingsly who routinely listens to me give St. Louis crap.  Go Longhorns!

A Proud Franchise Moves On

Pierre Gauthier (right) was doomed from the moment he
introduced Randy Cunneyworth as interim coach.

No, not the Indianapolis Colts.  The Montreal Canadiens.

Today, the Habs fired General Manager Pierre Gauthier.  Aside from their awful season, Gauthier faced some heat when he appointed Randy Cunneyworth as coach.  The issue was Cunneyworth was that he did not speak French.  The move drew the ire of Quebecer nationalist groups.  As a result, Gauthier threw Cunneyworth under the bus.  Cunneyworth had no chance in his interim role and will most likely never coach an NHL team again.  Since their last deep playoff run, they have watched rival Boston Bruins win a Stanley Cup and former Goalie Jaroslav Halak make up half of one of hockey's best goaltending combinations for the Blues.  This all just makes for a bunch of pissed off French people.

They share the cellar in the Eastern Conference with the Toronto Maple Leafs.  Both are the only Original Six teams to not be in playoff contention.  The Old Guard of Canadian Hockey is down at the moment.  Kudos to the Habs for taking some action after the shit show that was this season.

The search for a new GM and a new Head Coach should be hired in the next month and a half.  Expect them both to be bilingual.  Expect a ton of rumors that the new GM will be Patrick Roy.  Also expect a few players to be moved this offseason.

But above all, expect better days in Montreal.

30 In 30 Part 21: Anaheim Angels

It's arguable the the Angels won the offseason.
But will that translate into a title?

Notice that at Coffee, we refer to the Angels as the "Anaheim Angels" and not the "Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim."

To say the Angels made a splash this offseason would be an understatement.  Leading off those big transactions would be the signing of Catcher Chris Iannetta.  Then the huge singings came in, when the Angels announced the signing of Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson in the same week.  These automatically made the Angels a playoff contender.  What almost guarantees their appearance in the playoffs is the establishment of the 5th Playoff Spot.  The Angels will be good competition for the Rangers in the AL West, as well as the Wild Card contenders in the AL East.  However, this team can separate themselves from the pack.

What jumps out at me is the Angels first three starters winning 50 combined games.  Their fourth starter, Ervin Santana, won 17 games in 2010 and bested his 2010 ERA in 2011 by over half a run.  This is the most proven rotation in baseball.

As for their bullpen, they have a young closer in Jordan Walden that is capable of saving a lot of games.  The issue is that he cannot blow 10 Saves next year and expect the Angels to be fine.  He has a 2.98 ERA that needs to be improved next season.  His cast includes LaTroy Hawkins, Scott Downs and Hisanori Takahashi.  Downs has been a reputable reliever for the past few seasons and is trying to establish himself as a prime Bishop rather than a left-handed specialist.  I would say that he, in fact, leans closer to the former.  They shouldn't be much of a problem, but Jordan Walden could potentially be an issue.

The Angels come into this season with a target on their back.  Based on their offense, they expect to contend for a title.  I expect them to merely contend for a playoff slot.

X-FACTORS:
Lineup: OF Vernon Wells.  If he produces like he did in Toronto, they will get a better return on two investments.
Rotation: Jerome Williams.  Or whoever the 5th starter is.  This rotation is stacked enough.
Bullpen: Jordan Walden.  He needs to blow less saves this season.
The Kids: OF Mike Trout.  In 2012, Trout needs to live up to the hype.  The beginning of his career is being thrust into a pennant race.

ROYAL LIST:
#3 OF Mike Trout: Best offensive prospect not named Bryce on this list.
#55 SS Jean Segura: Figures to come back from injury-slowed 2011.  Expect him in Anaheim this September.
#83 RHP Garrett Richards: Should see some appearances with the big club this season.

PROJECTION: 2nd Place AL West
-I still feel that the Rangers are too good to be bested by Offseason Super Team West this offseason.

30 In 30 Part 20: San Francisco Giants

Giants camp has been marked
by the return of Buster Posey.

Buster Posey returns to a Giants team that boasts a top notch bullpen and a rotation to boot.  The emergence of Ryan Vogelsong last season was a major topic of discussion in the bay.  As it stands, I consider him the best #4 starter in baseball.  Their pitching is what makes them World Series contenders.

Their suspect lineup is what might just keep them from the playoffs.  What bodes well for the Giants is that Kung-Fu Panda is hit the ball last year.  They just need production from Melky Cabrera, Angel Pagan, Aubrey Huff and Freddy Sanchez to make the lineup complete.  The odds that even 4 of those 6 are on their game this season is very unlikely.  Having Cabrera, Pagan and Posey this season should aid a lineup who ranked in the bottom 5 for Batting Average, Runs Scored, On-Base Percentage and Slugging Percentage.

The San Francisco Baseball Giants also picked up World Series Champion Ryan Theriot this offseason.  The major concern about Theriot is his decline in stolen bases from last season.  Regardless, he will make a solid contributor if he is used as a utility infielder.  Injuries to Brandon Crawford or Freddy Sanchez may thrust Theriot into a starting role.  Speaking of Crawford, he does have a leg up on the starting Shortstop job, but he is unproven.  Manager Bruce Bochy has spoken highly about him and the work he has put in on his swing this spring, saying "He's worked on shortening up his swing and he's getting results."

Brandon Belt is another kid battling to fill a role in spring training.  He has been between the Outfield and First Base this spring and has a decent chance of making the roster.  Eventually this kid is going to start in San Francisco.  The question is when.  The answer, I would imagine, is Opening Day 2013 at First Base. I feel that Bell can put up better numbers than Huff at First Base this season, but Huff has more of a presence in the clubhouse.  That being said, Huff is only a season removed from a 26 Homer, 86 RBI season in which he helped SanFran to a World Series.

With all of the nitpicking at this lineup, this is still a team with a world class pitching staff and a chance to compete for a division title.  The lineup just needs to put up better numbers or the Diamondbacks will have them bested again.

X-FACTORS:
Lineup: C Buster Posey.  It's not a question of whether or not he will produce.  He will.  But his is coming back and that should put a charge back into the Giant's lineup.
Rotation: Ryan Vogelsong.  We all know about Lincecum, Cain and Bumgarner.  However, can Vogelsong continue the success of his 13 win 2011 campaign?
Bullpen: Santiago Casilla.  I see this guy as a better Bishop than Affeldt, who is more of a LOOGY.  I'd like to see this guy pitch more innings this season.  However, it's the Giants bullpen and you cannot go wrong.
The Kids: SS Brandon Crawford.  I'd say the chances of him starting the season at Shortstop is 92 percent, yo!

ROYAL LIST:
#38 OF Gary Brown.  Set to start playing in the upper echelon of the Minor Leagues in 2012.

PROJECTION: 2nd Place NL West
-I do not have faith in this team topping the Diamondbacks in 2012.  I could very well be wrong though.

Tebow Goes To Gotham. Payton Goes Home.

Training Camp just got a lot more interesting.

March 21st, 2012.  The day Anthony Agbabiaka stopped watching professional football.

Now let us establish something.  Mark Sanchez is an starting NFL Quarterback.  I feel that he has earned that title.  I am a fan of what he can do in Tony Sparano's offense.   He is not Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Eli Manning or Aaron Rodgers.  Not every Quarterback needs to be that.  The Jets also believe that based on the contract they gave him.

A few of my readers know that the Jets are my secondary team.  As a fan of the Jets since childhood, I may be the only fan pleased by this deal.  It gives the Jets an intriguing situation at QB.  Sanchez is the starter, but that does not mean that Tebow will ride the bench.  If there is an Offensive Coordinator that can properly use Tebow it is Tony Sparano.

What Tebow brings to the Jets is a player that defies logic in the 4th quarter, a workout machine and a guy who can push Mark Sanchez to work harder.  It is no secret that the Jets were looking for a viable backup to push Sanchez in camp.  However, it was not expected that Tim Tebow and Rex Ryan would share a locker room.  He also brings his very Christian message and his uniquely limited passing skills that he has undoubtedly worked his ass off to improve.  Both of which Tebow has been criticized for.  However, the former has been praised by many as well.

The Jets will be fine if these things can happen
1. Sanchez and Holmes mend their fences.
2. Tim Tebow can be a critical role player and is not thrust into the starting role.
3. Certain Jets can scale back the media fodder they provide.

I will be fine if I can
1. Limit how much I watch First Take anytime in the 365 days.

As for the Saints, I attempt to not focus an article on scandals.  Notice I never wrote an entire article about Bountygate or Ryan Braun's appeal.  So I will keep this short.

We are aware that Sean Payton has been suspended for the entire 2012 season and Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams indefinitely.  With apologies to any Ram fans who read Coffee, the St. Louis Rams are an irrelevant franchise for at least another season.  As for the Saints, I cannot say that their season is over because Drew Brees is still their Quarterback.  Payton's fingerprints will still be all over this team.  Believe it.  They will still win the NFC South.

30 in 30 Part 19: Boston Red Sox

A master of disguises, Bobby Valentine,
 takes over a Red Sox team who did their
best impression of the Chicago Cubs in 2012.

Bobby Valentine is the law in Boston.

No beer in the clubhouse.  No private jets.  Fundamentals.  The works.

He has also opened his mouth enough to draw comparisons to Rex Ryan.  However, the man is hell-bent on getting this team to play up to their potential.  That potential is a championship.

They have a great 1-2-3 punch in the rotation.  Provided Daniel Bard can make a successful transition from reliever to starter and the rotation stays healthy, the Red Sox will be fine in that department.  The bullpen will feature newcomers Mark Melancon and Andrew Bailey pitching the 8th and 9th.  Credit to the Red Sox for trying to piece together a competent bullpen.  With Papelbon in Philadelphia, the Red Sox managed to replace him with two closers.  Dice-K, Rich Hill and Bobby Jenks will be on the DL to start the season and John Lackey will be on the DL all season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Outfielder Carl Crawford will also start 2012 on the DL.  So that means you will see a healthy dose of Darnell McDonald and Ryan Sweeney early.  Another position of note is Shortstop.  Mike Aviles will most likely start the season there, but there have been questions him throwing to first.  Jarrod Saltalamacchia will take over at Catcher after Captain Jason Varitek retired over the offseason.

On the bright side, the Red Sox have David Ortiz, Kevin Youkilis, Adrian Gonzalez, Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury in the lineup to start 2012.  There is no excuse for this team to miss the playoffs, yet they are among the most fallible of the contending teams this season.

This is the most talented team in the AL.  They need to go prove it to everyone.

X-FACTORS:
Lineup: OF Carl Crawford.  He'll be back from injury at some point and he will need to make a difference.
Rotation: Daniel Bard.  Like I mentioned earlier, a successful transition to the rotation will keep the staff afloat.
Bullpen: Matt Albers.  Right now, Albers seems like the best candidate for a Bishop in the Sox bullpen.
The Kids: None.  The Red Sox literally have no Backstreet Boys.

ROYAL LIST:
#51 3B Will Middlebrooks: I have the urge to call him "Mill Widdlebrooks."
#38 SS Xander Bogaerts: Finally seeing what the cast of Drawn Together is doing post-series.
#72 C Blake Swihart: Expect this kid to come up and be the best Sox catcher since Jason Varitek.  Yes, I pulled that line out already.


PROJECTION: 1st Place AL East
-I don't see why they shouldn't be.  Most talented team in the division is cleaning up their act a little bit, while fixing their bullpen.

Changing Horses: The Theme Of The Offseason.

In a move that any 8-year old girl can understand, all Peyton Manning wanted this week was a new horse.

Peyton Manning is a Denver Bronco now.  The Broncos wanted a horse that can take them the distance.  So where does that leave us in our QB carousel. 

Manning to Tebow: "Thanks for keeping the seat warm, buddy."

NFC NORTH

1. Packers: Aaron Rodgers

2. Bears: Jay Cutler

3. Lions: Matt Stafford

4. Vikings: Christian Ponder (for now)

NFC EAST

1. Giants: Eli Manning

2. Eagles: Michael Vick

3. Redskins: Robert Griffin III (presumably)

4. Cowboys: Tony Romo

NFC SOUTH

1. Saints: Drew Brees

2. Panthers: Cam Newton

3. Falcons: Matt Ryan

4. Buccaneers: Josh Freeman (depending on how this season goes)

NFC WEST

1. Rams: Sam Bradford

2. Seahawks: Matt Flynn

3. Cardinals: Kevin Kolb (for now, for money)

4. 49ers: UP IN THE AIR

AFC NORTH

1. Bengals: Andy Dalton

2. Steelers: Ben Roethlisberger

3. Ravens: Joe Flacco

4. Browns: UP IN THE AIR (might have to stick with McCoy

AFC EAST

1. Patriots: Tom Brady

2. Jets: Mark Sanchez

3. Bills: Ryan Fitzpatrick

4. Dolphins: WAY UP IN THE AIR

AFC SOUTH

1. Texans: Matt Schaub

2. Colts: Andrew Luck (presumably)

3. Titans: Competition (After Manning sweepstakes, Hasselbeck and Locker will probably compete in camp)

4. Jaguars: UP IN THE AIR (Most likely Tebow, Gabbert or Henne)

AFC WEST

1. Broncos: Peyton Manning

2. Chargers: Phillip Rivers

3. Raiders: Carson Palmer

4. Chiefs: Matt Cassel (for now)

Now the players in the rest of the offseason are Ryan Tannehill, Tim Tebow, Blaine Gabbert, Colt McCoy, Alex Smith and Chad Henne.

Alex Smith and Tim Tebow are the biggest players here.  Tebow-mania has ended in Denver prematurely for the same reason Manning had to leave Indy.  A front office with a chance too good to pass on.  But Tebow is going to be shopped, as Denver sees him as a legitimate NFL quarterback.  I am on the Tebow to Jacksonville bandwagon.  Gabbert has not impressed me in his first season.  

As for the Broncos, they now will undergo the media circus that involves putting Peyton Manning and Tim Tebow in the same sentence.  However, the 2012 Broncos will feature less close games with bad teams.  Tim Tebow will start on a team with an inferior defense to Denver and will ahve less success.  The offseason has a little more unfolding to do, but let this story occupy your television set for about three weeks.  

So About Last Night...

Carlon Brown and the Buffaloes were the biggest surprise of night one's action.   

Well if you're reading this blog, there's a good chance that you're pissed off at Colorado.  If you actually watched the end of the game, you felt the rush of an exciting comeback and UNLV's 14-0 run.  You were disappointed when Colorado slammed to door.

Or you were one of the few that took Colorado.  Welcome to the NCAA tournament.  

Colorado had to make a statement about their conference and they wound up making one about the Mountain West.  It's overrated.  It's not the A10.  It's not the Colonial.  It's not the MVC.  They played better for 35 minutes and as a result, hung on to win the game.  

For every Colorado that happens, there's a VCU.  In my case, that was a game in which a lot of people took Wichita and I didn't.  The CAA, in my opinion, is the best mid-major conference.  However, this game was the toss up it was advertised to be.  So far, this was the most exciting game of the tournament.

The Big 12 had a good day yesterday.  They went 2-0, or if you're still counting Coloroado, 3-0.  Royce White and Iowa State knocked off UConn last night.  As a guy who has watched Big 12 basketball all year, I saw this one coming.  Iowa State was good all season.  They beat Kansas and Baylor once and were not the easiest games for Missouri this season.  They also played Kansas tough at Allen Fieldhouse and finished 3rd in the conference over Baylor.  The defending champion had been missing their Head Coach for parts of the season.  They were also one of those teams that made the tournament based on the fact that they were solid in Big East play.  Baylor, the 3 seed that finished 4th in the Big 12, was contested by South Dakota State but pulled out a 68-60.  

In the other swing games of the afternoon, Long Beach was knocked off by New Mexico and Vanderbilt knocked off Harvard.  Long Beach was hampered by Larry Anderson's sprained ankle.  In losing, however, "The Beach" donned the best uniforms last night.  Harvard made a late charge at Vanderbilt, but it was not enough to stop the SEC tournament champion Commodores.

As for UNC-Asheville, they were the 16 seed to make a run at a 1 seed this year.  Syracuse ultimately prevailed, but there were some questionable calls that affected the game.  Something that my ex-roommate had said that Syracuse has been the benefactor of all year.

As for my bracket, I went 12-4 last night.  I called Ohio State, Wisconsin, Vanderbilt, VCU, Kansas State, Iowa State, Syracuse, Baylor, Indiana, Kentucky, Marquette and Murray State correctly.  I picked Long Beach, Davidson, UNLV and West Virginia.  Three mid-majors and a homer pick.  I'll accept it.  I'm only two games behind in my bracket pool and Long Beach is my only Sweet 16 team out. 

Murray State Races Away In First "Real" Tournament Game

 

A solid second half effort from Peyton Siva (above)
helped lead the Cardinals over Davidson.

In the first "real" tournament game, the Murray State Racers raced away from Colorado State in the 2nd half.  In fact, the first four games were all top seeds.  Wisconsin, Kansas State and Louisville all grabbed first round victories against upset-minded teams.  Wisconsin trounced Montana, Louisville thumped Davidson and Kansas State won a hard fought battle with Southern Miss.  3 seed Marquette was up 15 on 14 seed BYU.  That lead is now 8.

For the 7th time in history, a 16 seed has taken a lead into the locker room against a 1 seed.  UNC Asheville took a 34-30 team against Syracuse.

So far, the only loss in my bracket is Davidson, as Peyton Siva led Louisville over the Wildcats.  We have a plethora of games to get through today, so keep watching!

Here's to hoping for 31-1.

30 In 30 Part 18: Atlanta Braves

(From Left) Craig Kimbrel, Jonny Venters and
Eric O'Flaherty comprise the best bullpen trio in baseball.
Call them "The Untouchables."

The Florida State Seminoles Atlanta Braves come into this season trying to come back from their major letdown last season that left them out of the playoffs on the final day of the season.  The problem for the Atlanta Braves is that their division just became significantly more difficult.

I had mentioned that Washington is better and we all know that Miami improved.  The NL East is now the best division in baseball.  What the Braves have that will keep them in the race is pitching.  They have two established starters under the age of 27 in Tommy Hanson and Jair Jurrjens.  They also boast the best bishop/setup/closer combo in baseball in Eric O'Flaherty, Jonny Venters and Craig Kimbrel.  The key to their rotation is that at the start of the season it will consist of five pitchers younger than 27.  Their bullpen will be greatly aided if Kris Medlen can transition from Tommy John surgery to be an effective Mopup Man for the Braves.  Medlen can take a lot of the stress off of the back of the bullpen, an element that the Braves sorely missed last season.  Speaking of injuries, the Braves hope to have Tim Hudson back by May 1st.

Chipper Jones has been a lot of the focus at Braves camp so far.  If he made it this far, it is highly unlikely he will be retiring during the season.  Jones is still capable of putting up the proper offensive numbers for an offensive third basemen and is invaluable as a clubhouse leader.

The rest of the Braves lineup is full of players that won't be fun to face.  Seven spots in the lineup will be filled with guys that can hit.  Prado, Jones, Heyward, Bourn, Uggla, McCann and Freeman will give pitchers fits this season.  This will be even more so if Heyward can adjust to how he was being pitched to in 2011.  He clearly had a sophomore slump and this season will go a long way in determining whether or not this kid will attain his lofty expectations.

Tyler Pastornicky is the favorite to get the starting nod at Shortstop.  If he starts at Shortstop on Opening Day, he will take over for Alex Gonzalez who the Braves declined arbitration for last fall.  Pastornicky is struggling at the plate in Spring Training, but expect that to change.  Last season, he hit .314 between AA and AAA.  He should serve as a speed threat who can hit for contact well enough to possibly become the #2 hitter sometime in the next few seasons.

The Atlanta Braves are a complete team.  The issue for them is that there are three other complete teams in their division.  Look for them to be in the race til' the bitter end.

X-FACTORS:
Lineup: RF Jason Heyward.  Heyward has the tools and supporting cast to go off this year.  However, if .227 and 14 Homers happens again, the Braves lineup will be hurt substantially.
Rotation: Mike Minor.  The Braves need a clear cut stud to pitch after Jurrjens, Hanson and eventually Hudson.  Minor has the best shot at being just that this season.  That is of course, if Julio Teheran doesn't come up and do it first.
Bullpen: Kris Medlen.  Coming off of Tommy John surgery, he'll need to spell the starters and the back of the bullpen.  He is expected to spot start and pitch in a mopup role to help preserve the arms of their Bishop, Setup Man and Closer.  That's a lot of pressure given his situation.
The Kids: Tyler Pastornicky.  If he is the #2 hitter in September, then the Braves were either really bad or really good in the first five months of the season

ROYAL LIST:
#5 RHP Julio Teheran: Should come up in June and round out the Braves' rotation.
#40 RHP Arodys Vizcaino: Also expected to come up in 2012.  Just another demonstration of the magic of youth in the Braves' pitching staff.
#46 RHP Randall Delgado: Really now?  Another one?
#92 SS Andrelton Simmons: Could start the season at shortstop if Pastornicky still has issues at the plate.

PROJECTION: 3rd Place NL East
-This should be good enough to net the Braves a Wild Card game appearance.  But don't count out Miami, St. Louis, Cincy or Miami.

Mormon Magic In Dayton

Noah Hartsock (right) was the spark plug that BYU
needed to overcome the Iona Gaels on Tuesday night.

BYU doesn't need Jimmer for their basketball team to make headlines.

BYU rallied from down 25 to beat Iona 78-72 and in doing so gave the Cougars the biggest comeback in NCAA tournament history.  The Gaels led 49-24 after fourteen minutes and seemed to be cruising to a victory.  However, BYU went on a 16-6 run to end the half and Iona continued to be cold in the second half.

Noah Hartsock led all scorers with 23 points and was instrumental in BYU's comeback effort.  His three-pointer late capped their rally.  Afterward, Brandon Davies hit two free throws and Brock Zylstra hit a three to clinch the game for the Cougars.  I have to commend BYU for playing their hearts out to win this game and both teams for providing a better game than the first one.

I feel that tonight was a referendum on playing four play-in games.  Tonight there two 14 seeds and two 16 seeds playing each other.  There were two large comebacks that you may or may not have found to be exciting.  I felt that it was just poor basketball.  I would personally rather see 8 and 9 seed type teams in Dayton.  It's good basketball and if all of the 8 and 9 seed games are play-ins, then there is no leg up to either team playing in their "second" round game.  There would be 72 teams in the tournament and better teams would get in.  You would be spared the Western Kentucky/Mississippi Valley State type games.  It also adds to the advantages of securing a 1 seed.  You play a 16 seed and the winner of an 8/9 game that has play two tough opponents in the last week.

That's all I have to say on that subject.

I'm pretty sure Jim Boeheim is giving Fab Melo a "stern talking-to."

Earlier today, Syracuse Center Fab Melo was declared ineligible for the NCAA tournament.  This could put them at a serious disadvantage over the weekend against the winner of Kansas State/Southern Miss.  The Orange would not have won twenty fucking games without Melo.  Not twenty.  They will have their hands full trying to make a run without Melo.

At least I had them going down to K-State in the 2nd round.  Celebratory Wabash anyone?

...And It Was The Worst Start To An NCAA Tournament

St. Patrick (NJ) alum, Derrick Gordon,
 came off the bench to lead the Hilltoppers in scoring.
Past teammates include Kentucky's Mike Kidd-Gilchrist
and the Cleveland Cavalier's Kyrie Irving.

Here a turnover.  There a turnover.  Everywhere a turnover.

The best basketball player in the building, Barrack Obama, could only shake his head after watching Western Kentucky's 59-58 win over Mississippi Valley State in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament.  The game can be summed up by the stupidity of MVSU in the final minute.  Particularly, Cor-J Cox tipping in the ball down by three at the last second.

27 of the game's 43 turnovers were Western Kentucky's.  The Toppers were down by 15 before they outscored the Devils 23-9 in the last minute of the game.  This may have been the worst game to kick off a tournament that I have ever witnessed.  However, the NCAA tournament has one game in the books.  Two more days until complete madness.

That being said, congrats to the Hilltoppers and Devils for good seasons.  For the Toppers, best of luck against Kentucky.  Common sense and history is against you guys but I really want UK to lose.

Bears Pick Up Legitimate #1 Receiver In Marshall

Brandon Marshall and Jay Cutler will be reunited in Chicago

League sources have said that the Miami Dolphins have traded Wideout Brandon Marshall to the Chicago Bears for two third round picks.

The vision for the Miami Dolphins is a lot different than the one that I had imagined last Wednesday when Peyton Manning was released by the Indianapolis Colts.  Marshall is gone and Peyton is likely to sign elsewhere.  In fact, a Denver radio announcer announced that Manning to the Broncos is a done deal.  My reaction to this move and any others that arise in the next couple of hours to come later tonight.    

30 In 30 Part 17: Tampa Bay Rays

Matt Moore is the latest stud pitcher to come out of the Rays farm system.

Never count these guys out.

The fact that nobody is going to discount the Rays in 2012 might be their downfall.  This team is going to be the best that they can be, but their destiny has a lot to do with how the Yankees, Red Sox, Angels and Rangers play this season.  The biggest variable here seems to be the Red Sox.  Their manager from 2011 underwent a vocational paradigm shift.  As a result, Bobby Valentine is in Boston running a tight ship.  This tight ship could take them from third place to the to the best team in the league.  More on those guys Thursday.

These Rays suffered major losses between 2010 and 2011.  The defending Wild Card winner's major loss was Casey Kotchman.  They replace him with Carlos Pena.  Fernando Rodney and Luke Scott were added to the Rays after rough seasons.  Scott is the front runner to occupy the DH spot.  Rodney figures to be the 7th inning guy, a role he has excelled in over his career.

This Rays pitching staff makes me salivate.  There are three pitchers with ace potential in the rotation.  David Price, Jeremy Hellickson and Matt Moore.  Yet, it was James Shields who put up the best numbers last season.  Wade Davis and Jeff Niemann are two very capable pitchers that are competing over the 5th spot in the rotation.  Alex Cobb was in the mix for the spot but was sent down to minor-league camp.  He will be called up at some point in the season when the Rays need an arm.  As for the Bullpen, the Rays have a stellar group of 7th-8th-9th inning men.  From here on out I will call the 7th inning guy a "Bishop" similar to a bishop in chess who holds less value than a rook or a queen.  As I mentioned earlier, the Rays' bishop is Rodney.  They also have Joel Peralta setting up Kyle Farnsworth.  This makes for one of the best back bullpens in sports.  The Rays have dealt with the loss of Grant Balfour and Rafael Soriano very well.

The Rays' lineup as a whole could improve this season.  I had mentioned the offensive changes Tampa Bay has made.  Reid Brignac is projected to start the season at shortstop.  Expect Desmond Jennings to show off more of his tools this season.  You should also expect B.J. Upton and Evan Longoria to hit for higher averages this season.  Catcher will be a weakness for the Rays this season as they are likely to break camp with Jose Molina and Jose Lobaton.

X-FACTORS:
The Boston Red Sox: I can sit here and write that Desmond Jennings and the 5th starter will determine the Rays season, but as it was in 2011, the Red Sox will determine the Rays season.  The Red Sox can be the best team in baseball or they can fall far enough to let the Rays into the Wild Card game.

ROYAL LIST:
#2 RHP Matt Moore: It's a tie between him and Yu Darvish for the best pitchers on this list
#44 SS Hak-Ju Lee: In 2013-14 the Rays Shortstop woes may be solved.  Or they just might have another Reid Brignac on their hands.
#89 RHP Chris Archer: Could close when Farnsworth calls it a day
#90 RHP Taylor Guerreri: The fact that he is growing on Tampa Bay's farm might make his career.

PREDICTION: 3rd Place AL East
-I'm not sleeping on this team.  It's just that the Bobby Valentine and the Red Sox are not.

30 In 30 Part 16: Washington Nationals

Now that I am finally over the hump with 30 in 30, I would like to extend a special thanks to my readers.  I have been working to improve this blog in various capacities.  You may have noticed my "team bar" on the left with the logos of my favorite teams from high school through professional leagues.  I also removed that gaudy video strip and added a sources section to my links page.  I advise you to check it out.  I pride myself on the fact that I use sources from various local and national news outlets, as well as some sites that are either odd or a site that is trying to sell you some sort of t-shirt.  Thank you to my readers around the world.  Your feedback is very encouraging.  Now let's get down to business

Can Michael Morse lead the Nationals to their first playoff appearance?

The Washington Nationals picked the right time time to suck.  Everybody has known this for years as their two number one overall selections gave them Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper.  The hype around these two is what makes Washington a place free agents want to play in.  Strasburg is the Cam Newton of pitchers.  He came to San Diego State with raw talent and he came out of college as one of the most hyped pitchers in the history of the draft.  He will head the rotation this year.  Bryce Harper, meanwhile, is a month older than I am and is participating in his second Spring Training.  Bitch Boy is expected to crack the big league roster in June and stay there.  Anybody who follows baseball enough knows his backstory.  What surprised me about his story is that I thought it would be a basketball player who finds a loophole to get out of their senior year of high school.  Now I am done talking about these kids until I finish the article.

If you know me, I love to bust on failed Chicago prospects.  From Curtis Enis and Cade McNown to Arnie Munoz and Danny Richar.  If it is not a tragic case such as Rocco Baldelli or Hideki Irabu, I like to get a laugh at their expense.  One that I joke about a lot is Jeremy Reed.  We traded Reed to the Mariners as part of a deal to acquire Freddy Garcia.  Reed, the centerpiece of the deal, turned out to be the least productive of the three players we traded.  We also traded Miguel Olivo and a kid by the name of Michael Morse.  Morse who had a relatively unproductive career with the Mariners, broke out last year in Washington.  He quietly had a stellar offensive season hitting .303/31/95.  Morse was easily Washington's biggest offensive threat last season.

Washington has doled out big bucks already to Ryan Zimmerman and Jayson Werth.  Signing Werth was almost as big of a mistake as the White Sox signing Adam Dunn.  He may even be benched if anybody in the Nats' farm system plays their way up to The Show.  If not Werth, than Morse moves to First Base and Adam LaRoche takes a seat.

Going into the rest of their lineup, Danny Espinosa and Ian Desmond are a perfectly capable double play combination.  It is always big to have your middle infield spoken for.  As for Wilson Ramos, everyone's just happy he's okay.

A few of Washington's arms really blossomed last season as John Lannan, Jordan Zimmerman, Tyler Clippard and Drew Storen are coming off tremendous seasons.  Joining them will be Brad Lidge, Edwin Jackson and Gio Gonzalez.  These additions might just be enough to secure a Wild Card slot.

X-FACTORS:
Lineup: OF Jayson Werth/1B Adam LaRoche. Both came in as coveted free agents and both have disappointed.  They both might be playing for their jobs with Bryce Harper expected to hit the big leagues in June.
Rotation: Edwin Jackson.  Is there a more helter skelter pitcher in this rotation?
Bullpen: Brad Lidge.  Pujols's Home Run ball from the 2004 NLCS still hasn't landed.
The Kids: Bryce Harper.  At 19, he could debut to a pennant race.  No better way to live the All-American Dream than to be baptized by fire.

ROYAL LIST:
#1 OF Bryce Harper: I didn't even have to check the list.
#19 3B Anthony Rendon: Unless Zimmerman has injury issues, I guarantee a position change is in this man's future.

PROJECTION: 2nd Place NL East
-I know this is going to sound strange considering the moves Miami made and how good Atlanta was last year.  However, this team was 80-81 in 2011.  That was with Ryan Zimmerman and Adam LaRoche not being healthy the whole season and an ineffective Jayson Werth.  Stephen Strasburg was recovering from Tommy John surgery and was limited to five starts.  The Nationals add Gio Gonzalez, Brad Lidge and Edwin Jackson.  They will also debut Bryce Harper.  This team, provided they stay healthy, will win 90 or more games and give the Phillies a run for their money.  Bitch Boy will be in the middle of it all.

-P.S. This is the Kansas City Royals in five years but with a slightly bigger market and great draft fortune.

My Initial Reaction To The NCAA Tournament Bracket

The Missouri Tigers were the first power conference
team to win 30 games and not get a one seed.

South Region - Atlanta

Kentucky fronts the South region with Duke, Baylor and Indiana at the next three seeds.  Iowa State/UConn and Wichita State/VCU are going to be two of the more interesting match-ups in this tournament.  Honestly Shockers/Shaka is going to be really hard to call.  UNLV takes on Pac-12 champion Colorado.  You cannot disqualify the Buffaloes here.  Notre Dame takes on Xavier in a game that is quite frankly disappointing for a 7/10.

I feel that Baylor has the easiest ride to the Sweet 16.  The UNLV/Colorado winner will provide a challenge but the winner of the other three middle games serve as more of a trap to Indiana, Duke and Kentucky.

West Region - Phoenix

Pardon my French, but holy shit.  Memphis/SLU, Mew Mexico/Long Beach State, Louisville/Davidson.

What makes this bracket notable is that Mizzou is the 2 seed, being the first 30 game winner in a power conference to not get a one seed.  They get no favors in drawing the winner of Florida and Virginia.

Murray takes on Colorado St. and that is no cake walk.  If that doesn't do them in, they will get Marquette, BYU or Iona in the second round.  Murray State will not make the sweet 16.  Michigan State will take the top seed here and they will get a wacky bracket to boot.  That being said, I feel that this region is favorable for Missouri getting to AT LEAST the Elite 8.

East Region - Boston

Syracuse takes the #1 seed.  Kansas State has a good chance at knocking off Syracuse.  Harvard and Vanderbilt have a 5/12 first round chess match.  Wisconsin has a relatively easy run to the Sweet 16.  Despite the fact that Vandy knocked off UK, I still don't think they will hang with Wisconsin in the second round.  Cincy/Texas and Gonzaga/West Virginia are going to be exciting to watch and Ohio State takes the 2 sedd.

Not as strong of a bracket as the West and South, but Syracuse will have a challenge along the way after they dispatch UNC-Asheville.

Midwest Region - St. Louis

UNC grabs the #1 seed and Kansas grabs the #2 seed.  I'd like to see Lamar win their play in game.  Watch out for this Creighton/Alabama game.  Temple gets the winner of the Cal/USF game.  This will be an interesting game, but the 12 seeds in this bracket will be hotly contested.  NC State/San Diego State should be an exciting matchup, but my money is on NC State.  Saint Mary's/Purdue is the 7/10 matchup.  I have Saint Mary's knocking off Kansas and if a 14 knocks off a 3 in 2012, it will be Belmont knocking off Georgetown.

Honestly, the only complaint I have about this case is that Drexel was left out.  You can make an argument for Miami because of their quality wins, but I would have liked to see Drexel in the field of 64.  This definitely does not make me feel any more compelled to watch the NIT.

Mizzou's Parting Shot To The Big 12

Kim English cutting down the net at the Sprint Center.
(Courtesy of KCOU Sports)

...and when the fray was through at the Sprint Center, the Tigers left K.C. with a Big 12 tournament trophy in hand.

No word on whether there was tramp, tramp, tramping around the columns with a cheer for old Mizzou.

The night after Baylor dispatched Kansas from the Big 12 tournament, Kansas's first Big 12 tournament loss since 2005, Mizzou knocked off the Bears 90-75.  This game was served as a reminder for how magical of an academic year it has been for both schools and trust me I will get to Baylor in a different article.  This magical basketball season and subsequent conference tournament was the icing on the cake for the winningest class in Missouri Tiger men's basketball history.  This will truly be a season to remember by fans, players, coaches and alumni alike.  The wonderful part is that it is not over yet.

The Missouri Tigers hired Frank Haith to coach this team after Mike Anderson has had left for Arkansas. Haith was doubted and his history did not alleviate any criticism and concerns.  Not too many people had Faith in Haith from the very beginning.  I cannot sit here and tell you that I did either.  I honestly felt that the football team had more potential than the basketball team this August.  The concerns about this year's Missouri Tigers were greater when Laurence Bowers tore his ACL.  What we did not see is that a team that was divided become united.  The story that we hear during games was the seal training that the team went through together that built trust.  This trust established roles and built a winner.

They rode that camaraderie to a Big 12 tournament championship.  They leave Kansas City, a KU and K-State town, with hardware and middle fingers directed at the rest of the conference that they are leaving.  Living in Columbia, I can tell you that I have not followed a team this fun so closely since the 2004-05 Illinois Fighting Illini.  Kim English, Ricardo Ratliffe, Michael Dixon Jr., Phil Pressey, Steve Moore, Marcus Denmon and Matt Pressey will have a special place in my heart.  So will Laurence Bowers who despite not playing this season, is every bit a part of this team as the other seven.  A place that Dee Brown, James Augustine, Deron Williams, Luther Head and Roger Powell Jr. occupy.  You have been a special group of guys to watch and the culmination of your hard work will be this tournament.  You have a shot at even more glory.  You have a legitimate opportunity to capture Missouri's third NCAA athletic national championship.  

You are a truly special group of athletes and men and I wish you the best in this tournament and the rest of your lives.

30 In 30 Part 15: Toronto Blue Jays

Jose Bautista leads the Blue Jays into 2012.
The first season of the 5th Wild Card and  realistic playoff hopes.

There were two teams in 2011 that were fun to watch.  The Texas Rangers and the Toronto Blue Jays.

This is just going to be another season of Blue Jay baseball.  That means there's going to be over 80 wins and a lot of Home Runs.  And in the Rogers Centre, you won't need a jacket.

These Blue Jays, however, possess a bullpen that has been given a facelift.  It features Sergio Santos, Francisco Cordero and Darren Oliver.  Don't be surprised if a 13-10 Blue Jays lead after 6 innings will stick for the rest of the game.

The rotation will be helter skelter as per usual.  It is headed by Ricky Romeo, who is one of the most underrated pitchers in the AL.  After that, it is all kids and question marks.  Look out for Henderson Alverez, who I feel may be the #2 starter by the end of the season.  Between Brendan Morrow, Brett Cecil, Dustin McGowan and Kyle Drabek; The Blue Jays need to fill out their rotation with quality pitching if they want to compete for the wild card in 2012.

As for the lineup, watch out for Brett Lawrie.  This kid has a steadily improving glove and has all of the offensive tools you look for.  Definitely somebody the Blue Jays want to eventually protect Jose Bautista. These two will be surrounded by J.P. Arencibia, Kelly Johnson and Adam Lind.  These three all fit into the Blue Jays offense perfectly.  Colby Rasmus now has a full spring training to get his feet under him with Toronto.  The offense will be dynamite.  The lineup will be too much fun to watch in 2012.

X-FACTORS:
Lineup: OF Colby Rasmus.  We know what the rest of this lineup is capable.  Rasmus struggled last season and must now find his niche in this Toronto offense.
Rotation: Kyle Drabek.  He may not be projected to be in the rotation on Opening Day, but he better be by the All-Star Break or the Blue Jays got robbed in that Roy Halla-Trade.
Bullpen: Sergio Santos.  The former shortstop will serve as Toronto's closer.  His ability to lock down the 9th inning goes a long way in Toronto.
The Kids: 3B Brett Lawrie.  This kid returns after a cup of coffee in 2011 with a starting job in hand.  If he gets hot this season, Jose Bautista hits 50 home runs.  Mark my words.

ROYAL LIST:
#17 C Travis d'Arnaud: More complete catching prospect than Arencibia was.
#39 OF Anthony Gose: If Rasmus doesn't pan out, Gose is a viable option for Center Field in 2013.
#67 OF Jake Marisnick: Raw prospect.  Will be in minors for at least the next year and a half working on offensive tools.
#91 LHP Daniel Norris: Never hurts to have an 18-year old lefty on this list.

PROJECTION: 4th Place AL East
-Lacks pitching depth of Tampa Bay, New York and Boston.  However, they are not the one trick pony of yesteryear. 

30 In 30 Part 14: Pittsburgh Pirates

Andrew McCutchen is the superstar that Pittsburgh
has craved since losing Barry Bonds.   The difference:
Andrew McCutchen is more concerned with winning 

The Pirates did the smartest thing they could do this offseason and locked up Andrew McCutchen to a long term deal.

They also did one of the dumbest things they could do in acquiring A.J. Burnett.

After summing up Pittsburgh's offseason in a nutshell, I will say that they got their first taste of important baseball in a long time.  With the exception of the last week of the season, the Pirates played the most important series in baseball in 2012.  This series was marked by this call that quite frankly, pisses me off to watch.  Pittsburgh's season was all downhill from there.  Milwaukee won the division and St. Louis overtook Atlanta for the wild card on the final week.  Pittsburgh finished with 72 wins and 4th Place.

Last season showed me that the Pirates have potential and a whole lot of growing up to do.  This year, the Pirates have a mix of the kids that got their first taste of big baseball in 2011 and journeymen with a chip on their shoulder.  They also have a lot of kids in the cupboard waiting to get their chance at the show.  These are all ingredients for the Pirates to make noise.  Noise is a lot better than winning 58 games like they did in 2010.  Noise is what they made in 2011.  Noise, however, does not translate into division championships, pennants and World Series titles.

This is all that Pittsburgh will amount to this season.  Noise.

However, Pittsburgh will have their day.  The Pirates and the Nationals are this decades buzz teams in the NL.  These are the Pirates of Clint Hurdle and Andrew McCutchen and their Pirates will go to the playoffs.  Just not this year.

P.S. I have to laugh at the projection of Jason Grilli on a major league roster.

X-FACTORS:
Lineup: 3B Pedro Alverez.  Disappointing does not even begin to describe this man's 2011 campaign.  For one more season, I beg of you to watch this kid break out.
Rotation: Erik Bedard.  If he can be anything like he was in Baltimore for the whole season, and he showed flashes of this in 24 starts last season, he will make Pittsburgh's rotation as solid as it has been in a long time.
Bullpen: Chris Resop.  He is projected as the primary setup men for Joel Hanrahan and must improve if he wants to shore up the 8th inning for the Bucs.  He brings with him the power of K's.
The Kids: OF Jose Tabata.  Another young Pirate who was projected to break out in 2011.  He needs to stay healthy and get the experience of a full season in 2012.

ROYAL LIST: 
#12 RHP Gerrit Cole: When you are building a winner in a small market, it always helps to have a #1 overall pick in your farm system.
#15 RHP Jameson Taillon: Having two Righty Arms in the Top 15 of the Top 100 prospects list is an indicator of future success.
#60 OF Josh Bell: Risk on Josh "Don't Draft Me" Bell may just pay off for Pirates.
#73 OF Starling Marte: 2013 will be the Year of the Starling.  Of course Bubba will have a lot to do with that as well.

PROJECTION: 4th Place NL Central
-Like I said, they will make noise.  This team does not look to be at the level of Milwaukee, Cincy or St. Louis.  They are also the only one of those four teams without playoff experience.  That usually helps in August and September.

Syracuse and Kansas Remind Us Why We Love March

Baylor's Perry Jones III goes up to
contest the shot of KU's Thomas Robinson.
This year's tournament is chock full of star players and exciting teams.

The first third of the month has giving us some crazy basketball games.  Minnesota played two consecutive overtime games, the Conference USA tournament has been sneaky exciting and NC State is making a run at the ACC title.  Notre Dame and South Florida was a fun one to watch and Virginia Tech almost knocked off Duke.  UNC did knock off Duke on their Senior Night in blowout fashion.

Tonight, however, was the first night of the tournament the one thing we have been waiting for.  It was the element of March Madness that you needed a taste of in the Conference Tournament.  Some of the top teams needed to go down.  The games that cause us to make those outrageous statements and make us postulate on who is going to make runs in our NCAA tournament brackets.

Today, our victims were the Syracuse Orange and the Kansas Jayhawks.

Cincy and Baylor provided our first important upsets of the tournament.  The first one was another reminder that even in a down year, the Big East Tournament is still be best show in town.  The second one has us talking one seeds.  Tonight, Missouri defeated Texas in the other Big 12 semifinal and will play Baylor in the championship.  If Missouri wins this tournament, they deserve the number one seed.  As for Baylor, their run in this tournament is already (and prematurely) being compared to UConn's run through the Big East and NCAA tournaments.

Granted, Saturday will not bring a "Border War" part three, which is disappointing considering that Kansas-Missouri has easily been the most exciting conference series this season.  However, college basketball has a lot more excitement to offer us.  In two weeks from Monday, we will have four teams left  in College Basketball.  We have many more giants that need to fall.  Brackets need to be made.  Articles need to be written.  Let us all put on our sports analyst cap this weekend and call in sick to work on Thursday and Friday.  March Madness has infected us and we need to get it out of our system.

Game.  By game.  By extraordinary game.

Mr. Griffin Goes To Washington

The Redskins traded four draft picks for the #2 overall pick.
Drafting Robert Griffin III here will make them
one of the most fun teams in Madden this August.

Washington needed to secure a quarterback and as we all know, this is the offseason to do it.

This offseason's edition of musical quarterbacks involved Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III and Peyton Manning.  Although none of these quarterback's destinations are set in stone, tonight's trade between the Redskins and Rams give you a more complete view of the picture.  In a Williams-esque deal, the Skins gave the Rams the sixth overall pick in this year's draft, two ones and a two for the 2nd overall pick.

Here's what we are most likely looking at coming into next year:
Colts: Andrew Luck
Redskins: Robert Griffin
Dolphins: Peyton Manning

I mentioned Peyton going to the Dolphins and this looks like the best situation for him.  He can bring his talents to South Beach.  Reggie Wayne is a free agent and Manning has a condo in Miami where he is staying right now.  The Colts are also actively shopping Dwight Freeney around.  Manning has a chance to shove this new team up Tom Brady's ass twice a year.  Manning potentially throwing to Anthony Fasano, Davone Bess, Reggie Wayne and Brandon Marshall along with any potential receivers who can Manning can turn into overnight stars.  Not to mention he has Reggie Bush in his offense.  That's illegal.

As for the city of Miami, you will need more than an island to house all of the stars in that city.  It will also put the onus on the Panthers to pick up a star, seeing that they are starting play quality hockey.  Miami will be All-Sports City #3 joining Boston and "The City of Smart Fans."

Acquiring Peyton Manning will also leave Cleveland standing up in this game of musical quarterbacks.  This means Cleveland has the choice of drafting a second tier quarterback or rolling with Colt McCoy

Miami 2 Cleveland 0

The Rams are big winners this offseason.  The Rams demanded a king's ransom for the #2 pick for two reasons.  First and foremost, the gaudy price tag on Robert Griffin that was made steeper at the combine.  Additionally, you were paying the Rams not to take USC's Matt Kalil.  Kalil is easily the third best prospect in the draft and will don a Minnesota Viking uniform if the Vikes know what is good for them.  This man would have been Sam Bradford's personal bodyguard, but holding the 6th pick and and three other high draft picks from a team that will not have immediate success is a great consolation prize.

So here's a toast to the St. Louis Rams.  The team that cemented their future this weekend.  

30 In 30 Part 13: Chicago White Sox

The waters that the White Sox are sailing are rough,
but in Paul Konerko they have one of the
best captains they could ask for to right the ship.

"Big-league players should be mentally tougher than to have that stuff bother you. And for the longest time, we were as a group. … It all came to a head. But that's how things end. If it didn't go like that, then no one would see a need to make a change. Some stuff like that has to happen to make a change."
—1B Paul Konerko, on how the problems behind the scenes last season did hurt the product on the field.


This quote, taken from Yahoo! Sports summed up the Chicago White Sox of yesteryear.  The Sox will start their 2012 campaign rid of Ozzie Guillen, Sergio Santos, Juan Pierre, Mark Buehrle and Carlos Quentin.  With all of the turnover in the clubhouse, it is fortunate for the Sox to have Paul Konerko as their captain and Don Cooper as their pitching coach.  The White Sox also have a new manager in Robin Ventura and a budding closer in Addison Reed.  As a Sox fan, I don't have the greatest memories of prospects with the name "Reed."

What you need to know about Robin Ventura is that he manned 3rd base for the Sox in the 90's, playing alongside the likes of Ozzie Guillen and Frank Thomas.  What you probably remember him from was him getting his ass beat by Nolan Ryan.  What you need to know about Addison Reed is that he was San Diego State's closer when Stephen Strasburg was an Aztec.

More changes are on the horizon in 2012 as Chris Sale is transitioning to the rotation and Dayan Viciedo will be starting the season in the lineup.  Kosuke Fukudome was brought in and is a platoon candidate with Alex Rios in Right Field.  Alejandro de Aza will start in Center Field and hit leadoff.  This will be an improvement because de Aza is less of a defensive liability than Juan D'Vaughn Pierre and will certainly get caught stealing less.

The three players who are on the hot seat going into 2012 are Adam Dunn, Alex Rios and Jake Peavy.  Dunn and Rios need to hit and Peavy needs to stay healthy for an entire season.  These three players having Comeback Player of the Year type seasons is imperative to the White Sox making any noise in 2012.  If the White Sox make it to the playoffs, the comeback player of the year will be on their squad UNLESS the Twins secure a playoff spot as well.

I do have guarded optimism that this team can make progress.  Don't count them out.  It just is not very likely that this team can do anything serious in 2012.  If they do, it takes a turnaround from everyone.

Everyone except Paul Konerko that is.

X-FACTORS:
Lineup: DH Adam Dunn.  Nobody's batting average drops 101 points overnight.  Dunn needs to figure himself out if the White Sox are even considering contending this year.
Rotation: Jake Peavy.  We've seen flashes of "Vintage Peavy."  He just needs to do that for a whole season now.
Bullpen: Matt Thornton.  This guy has no business closing.  I really hope to see him return to his role as All-Star Setup Man.
The Kids: RP Addison Reed.  This kid is the closer of the future.  He needs to work to assume that role in the near future

ROYAL LIST: 
#66 RHP Addison Reed.  I've said all I need to say about this kid for the moment.

PROJECTION: 2nd Place AL Central
-I can see this team winning around 85 games.  That will be an improvement, but I think it will take 90 to secure a berth in the Wild Card game.

These Horses Don't Ride No More

Peyton Manning will be calling the
signals elsewhere in 2012

After months of speculation, it is confirmed that Peyton Manning will not be a Colt as of tomorrow.

The Colts were in a position that was too good to pass up.  The Colts won the "Suck For Luck" sweepstakes.  They now have their pick between Baylor's Robert Griffin III and Stanford's Andrew Luck.  A selection between two franchise quarterbacks and an opportunity to build from scratch was more of a sure thing to Jim Irsay than on established superstar coming back from neck surgery to run the "Peyton Manning" offense.

The Colts fired head coach Jim Caldwell, vice chairman Bill Polian and General Manager Chris Polian after a 2-14 season without Manning.  The writing was on the wall when this happened.  That is when people grew even more suspicious that Manning would be done in Indy.  The $28 M he would be owed had the Colts chose to pick up the last four years on his contract also made people speculate on whether a new quarterback was a better option

There was a distance that grew between him and the front office.  Peyton Manning started speaking out, a trait you would expect more from his draft day counterpart Ryan Leaf.  By now, most people knew that he would not be back in Indianapolis this upcoming season.  Peyton Manning will be in a new uniform and for the second season since 1998, another quarterback will be starting in his place.  The new quarterback is presumed to be Andrew Luck, but no word on whether they intend to draft him or Griffin. Whichever one succeeds Manning in Indianapolis will bear the burden of living up to Peyton.

As for Peyton, he will most likely get no consideration in the best quarterback of all time debate.  Hell, this may be his last season depending on how his neck surgery goes.  However, he is a future first ballot Hall of Famer.  I will remember Manning's tenure for three things.  He ran his own offense, he broke Dan Marino's single-season touchdown record and he had difficulty beating New England in the postseason.

The shame in this whole ordeal is that Peyton Manning's career did not end with a teary-eyed press conference in Indianapolis.  It did not end with multiple Super Bowls.  It ended with a media affair and everyone's infatuation with a certain Stanford quarterback.  It ended with many familiar faces leaving town with him.  It ended after a lost season.

But that's life.