2010 MLB Predictions

This is going to be a shortened version of my MLB predictions, hope you enjoy.

NL East:
1. Philadelphia Phillies - Last year's World Series runner ups only got better in the offseason. They traded away Cliff Lee but they gained Roy Halladay and Placido Polanco. The back end of their rotation worries me but their offense will make up for it.

2. Atlanta Braves - They traded away Javier Vazquez in the offseason but the Braves are talented and young. Rookie phenom Jason Heyward made the team and look for big things out of the 20-year old who stands 6'5" and 245 lbs.

3. New York Mets - The New York Mets are a mess. David Wright and newly acquired Jason Bay should have big years but that's it. Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran are starting the season on the DL. I'm not sold on starters 2-5 either.

4. Florida Marlins - The Marlins are an interesting team. They have young talent (Cameron Maybin, Gaby Sanchez and Chris Coghlan) to go with Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla. Pitching is their weakness though, outside of Cy Young contender Josh Johnson their starters are injury prone or unproven.

5. Washington Nationals - They're moving in the right direction but the Nats are still a mess. A few years away from contention. Steven Strasburg should be up in May or June.

NL Central:
1. St. Louis Cardinals - It's hard to pick against Albert Pujols, he's a beast. And it looks like he finally has some help in Matt Holliday. Yadier Molina and Brendan Ryan should come into a groove offensively. Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright are one of the best 1-2 duos in the game.

2. Milwaukee Brewers - I love the Brewers but Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun can't carry this team into the playoffs. Rickie Weeks needs to stay healthy to help give the Brew Crew a chance, but their starting rotation isn't strong enough to compete for first.

3. Chicago Cubs - Let's be real, the Cubs haven't won in over 100 years and that streak is going to continue to grow. The Cubs have too many overpaid players leaving guys like Derrek Lee and Geo Soto to fend for themselves. Big Z is done.

4. Cincinnati Reds - The Reds have great talent in Brandon Phillips, Joey Votto, Chris Dickerson and Jay Bruce. But those four guys can't carry these guys to where they need to be. Aroldis Chapman, the Cuban defector will start in Triple-A but he'll be in the show soon.

5. Pittsburgh Pirates - The Pirates won't finish over .500 for the 18th year in a row but they will come close I feel. They have tons of young talent in Ryan Doumit, Garrett Jones, Andrew McCutchen, Lastings Milledge and Jeff Clement. Their rotation needs help but Paul Maholm and Zach Duke are solid pitchers.

6. Houston Astros - The Astros are a mess. Carlos Lee is their best player while Hunter Pence shows promise. But this team is going to struggle all year, especially with Roy Oswalt on the decline.

NL West:
1. Colorado Rockies - The Rockies are by far the best team in the West. Troy Tulowitzki will make a run for MVP this year with Carlos Gonzalez, Dexter Fowler and Todd Helton hitting in front of him. Their rotation is good and will get better once Jeff Francis gets healthy.

2. San Francisco Giants - The Giants will push the Rockies but they won't have the offense to compete. Their pitching is going to keep them in the race but Pablo Sandoval can't carry this team on his own for 162 games.

3. Los Angeles Dodgers - The Dodgers have talent but I just don't see it being enough for second, they'll finish a game or two behind the Giants. Kemp, Ethier and Loney won't be enough. And the Dodgers are counting on Chad Billingsley and Clayton Kershaw to anchor their rotation with nothing else to show.

4. Arizona Diamondbacks - Dan Haren could win a Cy Young if he gets offensive support. The D'backs have talent in Justin Upton, Stephen Drew, Mark Reynolds and Miguel Montero. But outside of Haren and Jackson their pitching is bleak.

5. San Diego Padres - The only question here is will the Padres trade Adrian Gonzalez at the deadline or keep him and get nothing in return when he leaves after the season?

AL East:
1. Tampa Bay Rays - The Rays are in a win now mode with Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena gone at the season's end. Guys like Evan Longoria, Ben Zobrist and B.J. Upton will help keep this team atop the East. The back end of the rotation is unproven but talented.

2. Boston Red Sox - The Sox brought in Adrian Beltre, Marco Scutaro and Mike Cameron to shore up their defense. Then they went out and got John Lackey to join their rotation. This team is too talented but will it play well together?

3. New York Yankees - A payroll over $200 million and they still finish third? You best believe it. Yeah they have Big Tex, ARod and Jeter but don't buy into the hype. Vazquez was a bust his first time here, things won't change.

4. Baltimore Orioles - I love where this team is headed if they keep their young talent. Guys like Matt Wieters, Adam Jones, Nolan Reimold and Nick Markakis are gonna be good. They have a good, young rotation too in Jeremy Guthrie, Brian Matusz and Brad Bergesen. They compete outside of the division but the top 3 will still beat up on them.

5. Toronto Blue Jays - The Jays are a mess. They have talent in Aaron Hill, Adam Lind, Vernon Wells and Travis Snider but not enough. Starting pitching will be their Achilles all year.

AL Central:
1. Chicago White Sox - It pains me to put them here but the White Sox have possibly one of the best 5 man rotations in the game. Their offense won't be great but pitching is going to win their games for them. Gordon Beckham is a stud and will be for years to come.

2. Detroit Tigers - Too many question marks on this team. How will rookies Austin Jackson and Scott Sizemore handle starting? How will Willis and Bonderman bounce back? Can Laird and Everett hit over .220? Will Damon and Ordonez hold up? If yes or well is the answer to most of these question the Tigers could sneak out the AL Central crown but it won't be easy.

3. Minnesota Twins - Leaving the Metrodome will hurt the Twins and their slap-n-boogie hitters (Span, Hudson, Punto) and even Mauer who relied on that turf for grounders getting through fast or high choppers hanging in the air. I'm gonna dub it, the Curse of the Metrodome or the Curse of Target Field.

4. Kansas City Royals - Zack Grienke won the Cy Young and could repeat if guys like Billy Butler and Rick Ankiel step up. If not Zack will be on his own again.

5. Cleveland Indians - The Indians have some talent (Sizemore, Cabrera and LaPorta) but not enough. This roster is bad.

AL West:
1. Seattle Mariners - Imagine having to face Felix Hernandez and then Cliff Lee the next night, that's scary. Well the Mariners made us imagine no more. Assuming the back end of the rotation holds up the Mariners run away with this thing. Ichiro, Figgins, Gutierrez will lead the way.

2. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim - This team is good but has pitching problems. Can Jared Weaver be an ace? Kendry Morales and Bobby Abreu can't carry this team to a division title this year.

3. Texas Rangers - They're good just not good enough. Young, Hamilton and Cruz won't have the talent around them to support them. While Feldman and Harden will be bright spots in the rotation.

4. Oakland A's - This team might hit the least home runs and have the worst slugging percentage in all of baseball. Kurt Suzuki and Brett Anderson are stars on a bad team.

Playoffs:
NL - Phillies, Cardinals, Rockies and Braves(wild card). Rockies over Phillies

AL - Rays, White Sox, Mariners and Red Sox(wild card). Rays over Mariners

World Series - Rockies over Rays in 6.

Awards:
NL MVP - Albert Pujols edges out Troy Tulowitzki
AL MVP- Evan Longoria

NL Cy Young - Roy Halladay
AL Cy Young - Felix Hernandez

NL Rookie of the Year - Jason Heyward
AL Rookie of the Year - Brian Matusz

Top 10 March Madness Buzzer Beaters

To get everyone in the mood for March Madness I put together what I feel is ten of the best buzzer beaters in March Madness history, enjoy!

10. U.S. Reed, Arkansas v Louisville 2nd round 1981. Arkansas 74, Louisville 73


I rank it tenth because although it was a great shot, let's be honest it's old. By the way, U.S. went by that because he was named Ulysses, after the president.

9. James Forrest, Georgia Tech v USC 1992 2nd round. GT 79, USC 78


"Holy Mackeral" indeed. The 7th seeded Yellows Jackets upset the 2nd seeded Trojans thanks to Forrest's first and only three that year. More impressive, he only 0.8 seconds to work with!

8. Mike Miller, Florida v Butler, 2000 1st round. Florida 69, Butler 68 OT
I couldn't find any video of it on the internet but this will do, click the link it comes on at the 0:25 mark on the video.


The Gators would go all the way to the National Championship after nearly being knocked out in the first round. Of course they lost to Michigan State which broke my heart because I hate MSU.

7. Kenton Paulino, Texas v WVU 2006 Sweet 16. Texas 74, WVU 71


Hey John Beilein, buzzer beaters and the month of March just don't go well with you do they? The 2nd seeded Longhorns would knock off the 6th seeded Mountaineers to move on to the Elite 8.

6. Tyus Edney, UCLA v Missouri 1995 2nd round. UCLA 75, Mizzou 74


5'10" Tyus Edney goes the length of the floor in 4.8 seconds to hit the game winning shot for the number 1 overall team in the tourney in UCLA. The Bruins would go on to win the National Championship and this would be the first time in my life I picked the winner of the tournament (I'm up to 5 now), but at the time I was only 8. So what if I got some help from my dad, I still wrote it in!

5. Bryce Drew, Valparaiso v Ole Miss 1998 1st round. Valpo 70, Ole Miss 69


Bryce who? Bryce Drew, the coach's son hit a the game winning 3 to move Valpo forward and is responsible for hitting "The Shot". A replay you're assured to see at least during the tournament if not a 100 times. Did you know, Bryce Drew was selected in the first round by the Houston Rockets? He was and didn't do much there, sorry Houston? Or sorry Drew?

4. Drew Nicholas, Maryland v UNC-Wilmington 2003 1st round. Maryland 75, UNCW 73


Coming off winning the National Championship in 2002 (which I called and earned me the nickname of Juan Dixon when I was playing hoops down south with my cousins and their friends) Maryland was about to become the first defending champs to be knocked out in the first round since UCLA did it in 1996. But that's when "the Juan Dixon impersonator" Drew Nicholas stepped up. I love how he hit that running 3 and just kept on running right into the locker room. Aaaaaaaand BOOM goes the dynamite!

3. Richard Hamilton, UConn v Washington 1998 Sweet 16. UConn 75, Washington 74


Sean McDonough's call on this is priceless to start with. Richard "Rip" Hamilton knocked down one of the greatest buzzer beaters in my opinion and he saved the 2nd seeded Huskies from elimination at the hands of the 11th seeded Huskies? That's right in the Huskies v Huskies match-up UConn came out top dog. They'd lose by 11 to UNC later in the tournament but the next year they'd make me look like a genius as they won the National Championship and bonus points they beat Duke. Suck on that Duke!

2. Lorenzo Charles, North Carolina State v Houston 1983 National Championship. NC State 54, Houston 52


The team and maybe the play that got the whole "cinderella story" to stick, the team that gives teams the will to go out there and get them that upset. They won the ACC tourney as a long shot and entered the tourney as a 6 seed. They knocked off the #1 overall team in the nation on the biggest stage, the National Championship game. Lorenzo Charles threw down a timely dunk and I love watching Jim Valvano run around like a mad man. This play almost got the #1 billing, just missed out.

1. Christian Laettner, Duke v Kentucky 1992 Elite Eight. Duke 104, Kentucky 103


Where to begin? Hell of pass by Grant Hill and a nice catch by Laettner but can you believe he dribbled and pivoted with 2.1 seconds and still got that shot off? Well believe it because he did. I hate Duke with a passion but this is the greatest buzzer beater ever in March Madness history. Christian Laettner was a cold-blooded assassin back in college, incase you don't know he hit a similar March Madness buzzer beater in 1990 against UConn in the Elite Eight. He must love that Elite Eight.

Well I hope y'all enjoyed MY Top Ten March Madness Buzzer Beaters. Leave your opinions!

Canada v USA For Gold: Why The NHL Needed This!

Regardless of who wins gold and who gets silver in today's game between Canada and USA the NHL ultimately becomes the real winner. The NHL needed this game more than ever to try and put itself back the on the map. Given the fact that Gary Bettman has pretty much ruined the sport in the last 7 years this game could boost popularity to those fans on the fence about hockey. Since the 04-05 lockout hockey has been struggling to get back onto mainstream TV.

They lost their deal with ESPN, ESPN 2, ABC and FOX. They were forced to agree to terms with Versus who wasn't carried by all providers when hockey came back in 05-06. NBC agreed to broadcast a Sunday games after the NFL's regular season was over and select playoff games. Then came the Winter Classic which was a huge game for NBC but it's not enough. Hockey highlights hardly make SportsCenter when football and basketball or basketball and baseball are going at the same time.

The NHL needs to win back those fans they lost from the lockout because many of them have left for football, baseball or basketball. It needs Canada and USA to put on thriller and blow up the rating charts. It needs to see a fast game full of crushing checks, slick passing, spectacular saves and pretty goals all while avoiding a blowout. The NHL needs this game to show the EPSNs, ABC, FOX and NBC that there is a market out there for hockey.

A good showing and good rating could give the NHL some upper hand come 2011 when there could be possible lockouts in both the NFL and NBA, which is another story for another day.