NL EAST
1-New York Mets (y)
2-Philadelphia Phillies (x)
3-Atlanta Braves
4-Florida Marlins
5-Washington Nationals
NL CENTRAL
1-Saint Louis Cardinals (y)
2-Chicago Cubs
3-Houston Astros
4-Milwaukee Brewers
5-Cincinnati Reds
6-Pittsburgh Pirates
NL WEST
1-Los Angeles Dodgers (y)
2-San Diego Padres
3-Arizona Diamondbacks
4-Colorado Rockies
5-San Francisco Giants
y= division champ
x= wild card
NLDS:
New York Mets over St. Louis Cardinals, 3 games to 1
Philadelphia Phillies over Los Angeles Dodgers, 3 games to 2
NLCS:
New York Mets over Philadelphia Phillies, 4 games to 2
WORLD SERIES:
New York Mets over Los Angeles Angels, 4 games to 3
AWARDS:
MVP: Carlos Beltran, New York Mets
Cy Young: Roy Oswalt, Houston Astros
Rookie of Year: Stephen Drew, Arizona Diamondbacks
Manager of Year: Willie Randolph, New York Mets
-JAB
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
2007 American League Baseball Predictions
AL EAST
1-Boston Red Sox (y)
2-New York Yankees (x)
3-Toronto Blue Jays
4-Baltimore Orioles
5-Tampa Bay Devil Rays
AL CENTRAL
1-Cleveland Indians (y)
2-Detroit Tigers
3-Minnesota Twins
4-Chicago White Sox
5-Kansas City Royals
AL WEST
1-Los Angeles Angels (y)
2-Oakland Athletics
3-Texas Rangers
4-Seattle Mariners
y= division champ
x= wild card
ALDS:
Boston Red Sox over Cleveland Indians, 3 games to 1
Los Angeles Angels over New York Yankees, 3 games to 2
ALCS:
Los Angeles Angels over Boston Red Sox, 4 games to 2
AWARDS:
MVP: Travis Hafner, Cleveland Indians
Cy Young: Johan Santana, Minnesota Twins
Rookie of Year: Daisuke Matsuzaka, Boston Red Sox
Manager of Year: Mike Scioscia, Los Angeles
-JAB
1-Boston Red Sox (y)
2-New York Yankees (x)
3-Toronto Blue Jays
4-Baltimore Orioles
5-Tampa Bay Devil Rays
AL CENTRAL
1-Cleveland Indians (y)
2-Detroit Tigers
3-Minnesota Twins
4-Chicago White Sox
5-Kansas City Royals
AL WEST
1-Los Angeles Angels (y)
2-Oakland Athletics
3-Texas Rangers
4-Seattle Mariners
y= division champ
x= wild card
ALDS:
Boston Red Sox over Cleveland Indians, 3 games to 1
Los Angeles Angels over New York Yankees, 3 games to 2
ALCS:
Los Angeles Angels over Boston Red Sox, 4 games to 2
AWARDS:
MVP: Travis Hafner, Cleveland Indians
Cy Young: Johan Santana, Minnesota Twins
Rookie of Year: Daisuke Matsuzaka, Boston Red Sox
Manager of Year: Mike Scioscia, Los Angeles
-JAB
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
The Greatest Tournament in the World
The pain of my 'Cuse missing the Dance having mildly subsided, it's time to fill out the bracket. Always one of the best sports times of the year, this year's NCAA tourney should not disappoint. An extremely even playing field in the world of college basketball should translate to a bunch of very good games, first round all the way through to the Final Four in Atlanta. I'll break it down---as I see it---by region and games of note below. Away we go....
MIDWEST
This is why all of Florida's key players came back. All year long, Billy Donovan's crew has talked about focus and chemistry and selflessness while keeping an eye on the prize that is the NCAA Tournament championship. An SEC Tournament title was nice, but it wasn't the big goal for the Gators. With Joakim Noah and Al Horford dominating up front, Corey Brewer and Lee Humphrey lighting it up on the wings and Taurean Green running the show at the point, it's hard to see these guys losing to anybody right now. Sure, it's been 15 years since anyone went back-to-back in the Big Dance (Duke's '91 and '92 clubs were the last) but very few teams have ever been as good, as balanced and as unselfish as this Florida team. No one averages more than 12 shots per game. They play defense. And they're not going to lose in this region, let alone in this tournament. Oregon should win some games and could make Florida fans nervous, but Wisconsin seems to be sputtering down the stretch. Once again, the Gators are chomping at the bit for a crown.
Upset Special:
Old Dominion over Butler
First Round Game to Watch:
Winthrop and Notre Dame
Key Game in the Bracket:
Florida and Oregon
SOUTH
You could argue that the South is open as any of the four regions in this year's tournament. Ohio State---the #1 team in the polls---is rolling along with Greg Oden and Mike Conley Jr. doing tons of damage, but can the Buckeyes get it done against more seasoned teams in its own region? Tennessee and Virginia loom as possible knockout punchers, while Texas A & M and Memphis both have their respective believers. Don't forget Lousiville or Nevada as teams that could make some serious noise here either. All that being said, I'm going to give the edge to A & M in this bracket, if only because of their extremely talented depth. It doesn't hurt having sensational senior guard Acie Law on your side either: he truly is the definition of a "clutch" basketball player. When the chips are down and it's all on the line, I like Billy Gillespie's Aggies to run through this region all the way to Atlanta.
Upset Special:
Albany over Virginia
First Round Game to Watch:
Louisville and Stanford
Key Game in Bracket:
Texas A & M and Memphis
EAST
This is my personal favorite region in this year's tournament. With Roy Williams' highly-talented Tar Heels as the top seed, the red-hot Georgetown Hoyas as the number two, underrated Washington State as the three and Kevin Durant (the best college player in America) leading his Texas crew to the number four seed here, there's no doubt a lot of competitive games between seriously tough teams sit on the immediate horizon. And yet, with Roy Hibbert anchoring the middle and the electric Jeff Green doing his thing from the outside all the way in, I think Georgetown has the been the best team in the country for the last six weeks. The Hoyas play rugged defense, they hit the glass and they were the only club that even challenged Florida in last year's tournament. Patrick Ewing isn't the man in the middle for Georgetown anymore, but his son---the aptly name Patrick Ewing Jr.---is a good player off the bench for John Thompson III, the son of the Hoya Destroya's legendary coach. Georgetown is scary to match up with and I don't think anyone in the East wants a piece of them right now.
Upset Special:
Arkansas over USC
First Round Game to Watch:
Boston College and Texas Tech
Key Game in Bracket:
North Carolina and Texas
WEST
Clearly this is the weakest of the four regions in this year's tournament. Kansas is the most talented team here, with Julian Wright, Mario Chalmers and Brandon Rush leading the way. But that doesn't necessarily mean Bill Self is over his tourney jitters of the last two years. The Jayhawks need to come out in attack mode, or they'll get bounced by Villanova in round two. Elsewhere, Southern Illinois, a four seed, has its highest rank ever, but the Salukis don't look like they're going to be here beyond the second weekend at the latest. Meanwhile, Duke, Pittsburgh and UCLA sit on the bottom of the half of the bracket, which would usually mean a tough region, but all three of those teams have struggled to varying degrees down the stretch. Even without suspended leading scorer Josh Heytfeldt, Gonzaga could bust some brackets as well, especially against the Bruins in the second round. I'm banking on Kansas and its heaps of talent to prevail.
Upset Special:
Virginia Commonwealth over Duke
First Round Game to Watch:
Kentucky and Villanova
Key Game in Bracket:
Gonzaga and UCLA
_______________________________________
Josh's 2007 Final Four:
Florida, Texas A & M, Georgetown, Kansas
NCAA Championship Prediction:
Florida over Georgetown, 72-67
-JAB
MIDWEST
This is why all of Florida's key players came back. All year long, Billy Donovan's crew has talked about focus and chemistry and selflessness while keeping an eye on the prize that is the NCAA Tournament championship. An SEC Tournament title was nice, but it wasn't the big goal for the Gators. With Joakim Noah and Al Horford dominating up front, Corey Brewer and Lee Humphrey lighting it up on the wings and Taurean Green running the show at the point, it's hard to see these guys losing to anybody right now. Sure, it's been 15 years since anyone went back-to-back in the Big Dance (Duke's '91 and '92 clubs were the last) but very few teams have ever been as good, as balanced and as unselfish as this Florida team. No one averages more than 12 shots per game. They play defense. And they're not going to lose in this region, let alone in this tournament. Oregon should win some games and could make Florida fans nervous, but Wisconsin seems to be sputtering down the stretch. Once again, the Gators are chomping at the bit for a crown.
Upset Special:
Old Dominion over Butler
First Round Game to Watch:
Winthrop and Notre Dame
Key Game in the Bracket:
Florida and Oregon
SOUTH
You could argue that the South is open as any of the four regions in this year's tournament. Ohio State---the #1 team in the polls---is rolling along with Greg Oden and Mike Conley Jr. doing tons of damage, but can the Buckeyes get it done against more seasoned teams in its own region? Tennessee and Virginia loom as possible knockout punchers, while Texas A & M and Memphis both have their respective believers. Don't forget Lousiville or Nevada as teams that could make some serious noise here either. All that being said, I'm going to give the edge to A & M in this bracket, if only because of their extremely talented depth. It doesn't hurt having sensational senior guard Acie Law on your side either: he truly is the definition of a "clutch" basketball player. When the chips are down and it's all on the line, I like Billy Gillespie's Aggies to run through this region all the way to Atlanta.
Upset Special:
Albany over Virginia
First Round Game to Watch:
Louisville and Stanford
Key Game in Bracket:
Texas A & M and Memphis
EAST
This is my personal favorite region in this year's tournament. With Roy Williams' highly-talented Tar Heels as the top seed, the red-hot Georgetown Hoyas as the number two, underrated Washington State as the three and Kevin Durant (the best college player in America) leading his Texas crew to the number four seed here, there's no doubt a lot of competitive games between seriously tough teams sit on the immediate horizon. And yet, with Roy Hibbert anchoring the middle and the electric Jeff Green doing his thing from the outside all the way in, I think Georgetown has the been the best team in the country for the last six weeks. The Hoyas play rugged defense, they hit the glass and they were the only club that even challenged Florida in last year's tournament. Patrick Ewing isn't the man in the middle for Georgetown anymore, but his son---the aptly name Patrick Ewing Jr.---is a good player off the bench for John Thompson III, the son of the Hoya Destroya's legendary coach. Georgetown is scary to match up with and I don't think anyone in the East wants a piece of them right now.
Upset Special:
Arkansas over USC
First Round Game to Watch:
Boston College and Texas Tech
Key Game in Bracket:
North Carolina and Texas
WEST
Clearly this is the weakest of the four regions in this year's tournament. Kansas is the most talented team here, with Julian Wright, Mario Chalmers and Brandon Rush leading the way. But that doesn't necessarily mean Bill Self is over his tourney jitters of the last two years. The Jayhawks need to come out in attack mode, or they'll get bounced by Villanova in round two. Elsewhere, Southern Illinois, a four seed, has its highest rank ever, but the Salukis don't look like they're going to be here beyond the second weekend at the latest. Meanwhile, Duke, Pittsburgh and UCLA sit on the bottom of the half of the bracket, which would usually mean a tough region, but all three of those teams have struggled to varying degrees down the stretch. Even without suspended leading scorer Josh Heytfeldt, Gonzaga could bust some brackets as well, especially against the Bruins in the second round. I'm banking on Kansas and its heaps of talent to prevail.
Upset Special:
Virginia Commonwealth over Duke
First Round Game to Watch:
Kentucky and Villanova
Key Game in Bracket:
Gonzaga and UCLA
_______________________________________
Josh's 2007 Final Four:
Florida, Texas A & M, Georgetown, Kansas
NCAA Championship Prediction:
Florida over Georgetown, 72-67
-JAB
Monday, March 05, 2007
The Madness Looms, Heath Lays It On the Line
Wins over Mississippi State and Vanderbilt in the final week of the regular season were nice, but they're far from resounding enough to put the Razorbacks into the NCAA Tournament field. No, it's going to take quite the showing in Atlanta later this week for Arkansas to get there now. Which isn't to say it's impossible; it's just not all that likely.
A lot of people around these parts have argued for Stan Heath to be fired at the end of the year, claiming he's had his run with the school and that it's time for a change. (Isn't it amazing how the fans clamor for a coach with integrity, class and intelligence, when they have a guy with all of that already?) I'm going to reserve my judgment on Heath's future for now, pending the outcome of this week's conference tournament.
But clearly, a lot rides on the line for the Hogs this weekend. There's no question Arkansas was a young team this year, folks. Without Ronnie Brewer, Eric Ferguson or Jonathan Modica, the Hogs had very little experience on the perimeter going into the season, and it showed with major troubles in the ballhandling department.
Of late, things seem to have changed. It took a little pushing and shoving with Mississippi State last Wednesday to pull it out of them, but it appears the Razorbacks are finally showing the toughness, tenacity and togetherness that eluded them all season. Getting it to translate to the Georgia Dome this week will be Stan Heath's major task.
Which brings us back to Stan and the question of whether or not he'll return as coach next year. This much I know: you better have the replacement lined up and ready to roll before you make a move here. Heath increased his win total in each of his first four years before a bit of sidestep this year. But his team was mostly young, inexperienced and lacking a leader. It's taken almost the entire season, but of late, freshmen Michael Washington and Stefan Welsh have stepped up their games and now combine with Patrick Beverley to give Arkansas a talented corps foundation for the next few years.
I don't think Arkansas should have to win the SEC tournament for Stan Heath to return next year. Three wins and a trip to the SEC Final would probably leave Arkansas just a bit short in its quest for a Big Dance berth this year, but it ought to be enough to show folks that this team is headed in the right direction. And for Arkansas, that's what this week in Atlanta is all about: showing the Razorback faithful that the future is bright by giving them a taste of it right now.
_________________________________________________________
Now for the fun stuff....
Josh's Projected Top 16 Seeds:
#1 seeds: Ohio State, UCLA, Florida, Kansas
#2 seeds: North Carolina, Wisconsin, Texas A & M, Georgetown
#3 seeds: Memphis, Southern Illinois, Pittsburgh, Nevada
#4 seeds: Texas, Virginia, Butler, Washington State
Josh's All-America First Team
F- Nick Fazekas, Nevada
F- Kevin Durant, Texas
C- Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina
G- Acie Law, Texas A & M
G- Alando Tucker, Wisconsin
All-America Second Team
F- Mario Boggan, Oklahoma State
F- Derrick Byars, Vanderbilt
C- Greg Oden, Ohio State
G- Chris Lofton, Tennessee
G- Sean Singletary, Virginia
Honorable Mentions: Glen Davis, LSU; Brandon Rush, Kansas; Arron Afflalo, UCLA; Jarrius Jackson, Texas Tech; Aaron Gray, Pittsburgh; Roy Hibbert, Georgetown; Demetris Nichols, Syracuse; Aaron Brooks, Oregon; Joakim Noah, Florida; A.J. Graves, Butler
____________________________________________________________
-JAB
A lot of people around these parts have argued for Stan Heath to be fired at the end of the year, claiming he's had his run with the school and that it's time for a change. (Isn't it amazing how the fans clamor for a coach with integrity, class and intelligence, when they have a guy with all of that already?) I'm going to reserve my judgment on Heath's future for now, pending the outcome of this week's conference tournament.
But clearly, a lot rides on the line for the Hogs this weekend. There's no question Arkansas was a young team this year, folks. Without Ronnie Brewer, Eric Ferguson or Jonathan Modica, the Hogs had very little experience on the perimeter going into the season, and it showed with major troubles in the ballhandling department.
Of late, things seem to have changed. It took a little pushing and shoving with Mississippi State last Wednesday to pull it out of them, but it appears the Razorbacks are finally showing the toughness, tenacity and togetherness that eluded them all season. Getting it to translate to the Georgia Dome this week will be Stan Heath's major task.
Which brings us back to Stan and the question of whether or not he'll return as coach next year. This much I know: you better have the replacement lined up and ready to roll before you make a move here. Heath increased his win total in each of his first four years before a bit of sidestep this year. But his team was mostly young, inexperienced and lacking a leader. It's taken almost the entire season, but of late, freshmen Michael Washington and Stefan Welsh have stepped up their games and now combine with Patrick Beverley to give Arkansas a talented corps foundation for the next few years.
I don't think Arkansas should have to win the SEC tournament for Stan Heath to return next year. Three wins and a trip to the SEC Final would probably leave Arkansas just a bit short in its quest for a Big Dance berth this year, but it ought to be enough to show folks that this team is headed in the right direction. And for Arkansas, that's what this week in Atlanta is all about: showing the Razorback faithful that the future is bright by giving them a taste of it right now.
_________________________________________________________
Now for the fun stuff....
Josh's Projected Top 16 Seeds:
#1 seeds: Ohio State, UCLA, Florida, Kansas
#2 seeds: North Carolina, Wisconsin, Texas A & M, Georgetown
#3 seeds: Memphis, Southern Illinois, Pittsburgh, Nevada
#4 seeds: Texas, Virginia, Butler, Washington State
Josh's All-America First Team
F- Nick Fazekas, Nevada
F- Kevin Durant, Texas
C- Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina
G- Acie Law, Texas A & M
G- Alando Tucker, Wisconsin
All-America Second Team
F- Mario Boggan, Oklahoma State
F- Derrick Byars, Vanderbilt
C- Greg Oden, Ohio State
G- Chris Lofton, Tennessee
G- Sean Singletary, Virginia
Honorable Mentions: Glen Davis, LSU; Brandon Rush, Kansas; Arron Afflalo, UCLA; Jarrius Jackson, Texas Tech; Aaron Gray, Pittsburgh; Roy Hibbert, Georgetown; Demetris Nichols, Syracuse; Aaron Brooks, Oregon; Joakim Noah, Florida; A.J. Graves, Butler
____________________________________________________________
-JAB
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