it's march, so there's no better time to talk about baseball, and college basketball.
here's a look at my
predictions for the big ncaa tournament:
some notes:
let's start in the east region.
there's no doubt in my mind that kentucky is going all the way.
i normally try to avoid picking kentucky to win, because we all know that picking with your heart doesn't win you office march madness bracket selection glory.
but, this year i can't NOT pick them. future #1 overall pick, john wall, is going to take them all the way to the promised land.
sorry, i digress...
look for the temple/wisconsin game to be a good one.
west virginia, on paper, looks to be a contender in the east, but look for an upset in the opening round against morgan state. morgan st. in OT. i've just got a feeling.
also, look for new mexico to make unexpected moves.
the midwest region.
welcome to kansas' house.
i don't think there's a single person who doesn't have them going all the way to the final four.
look for upsets against georgetown and tennessee, with san diego state being an actual cinderella potential, and ohio state being a one hit wonder.
kansas/ohio midwest final seems the most realistic.
the west region.
there's something about me that likes to pick 2 seed/15 seed upsets. look for north texas to upset kansas state. their offense is just too horrible to win.
many people have syracuse marching all the way to the final four, and i'm no different.
look for BYU to have a good tournament.
but, look for pittsburgh to surprise people and have a better tournament to meet syracuse in the west final.
the south region.
aka: the cinderella region.
sorry duke.
look for utah state, old dominion, sam houston state and st. mary's to surprise everyone with early successes, but ultimately, i think the consistent purdue and villanova will make it to the south final.
final four: kansas, kentucky, villanova and syracuse.
ncca final: kentucky, syracuse
winner: kentucky.
mvp: john wall
ughn!
now, let's talk baseball...
it's still too early to really be able to tell who will do what...but here's my 'spring training edition' division/wild card winner predictions:
AMERICAN LEAGUE:
EAST - boston red sox.
acquired: john lackey, marco scutaro, adrian beltre and mike cameron
notes: with the acquisition of ace, john lackey, the red sox are going to have one of the most dominant starting rotations in the league. lackey, beckett, lester, matsuzaka (when healthy)...yikes. adding marco scutaro to the lineup instantly improves their on base percentage, and the addition of mike cameron gives them a little more pop in the middle of their already powerful lineup. scutaro provides more runs for kids like pedroia, youkillis to bat in, while lackey will reduce the team's era. seems like a winning combination to me.
CENTRAL - chicago white sox.
acquired: jake peavy, juan pierre
notes: this is a tough call, and in reality, i struggled to choose between them and the tigers, so we'll see if i change my mind before the season starts. the addition of peavy to an already pretty solid rotation seems to set them apart from the rest of the division. sure, detroit's rick porcello impressed us last year, but i think peavy/buherle > verlander/porcello.
what else? hmm...
minnesota being out of the comfort of their dome worries me a bit, their weak starting rotation and the seemingly season ending injury to their closer, joe nathan, it seems like they're more than likely going to find themselves in 3rd place come october.
the tigers added johnny damon, which should add some pop to their lineup, but the lack of the 'short porch' in right field, like he had in new york, should decrease his homerun number.
long story short...i think whoevers' bullpen is stronger this year, will win the central.
i give the edge to the white sox because bobby jenks > jose valverde.
phewf...
WEST - seattle mariners.
yes, the seattle mariners.
acquired: cliff lee, chone figgins, milton bradley, casey kotchman
notes: king felix + cliff lee = domination. the addition of chone figgins improves the speed on the bases, which will improve run production. milton bradley is capable of playing pretty good ball, if he can finally keep his life in order. and ichiro is still the greatest ever.
i like their chances.
WILD CARD - new york yankees.
acquired: curtis granderson, javier vasqueuz, nick johnson
lost: johnny damon, hideki matsui
notes: it's the new york yankees. the team you love to hate. of course they'll make the post season. their team hasn't changed all that drastically. sabathia, burnett, riviera, posada, jeter, rodriguez...nuff said.
NATIONAL LEAGUE:
EAST - philadelphia phillies.
aquired: roy halladay, placido polanco
notes: halladay. utley. howard. ibanez. werth. victorino. polanco. game over. ultimately, their bullpen needs to be better, and brad lidge needs to find his 2008 form, but the phillies are without a doubt the east champs this year.
CENTRAL - st. louis cardinals.
re-signed: matt holliday
notes: adam wainwright/chris carpenter one-two punch is one of the best in the league, coupled with albert pujols' sheer ridiculousness = central champs. having holliday isn't gonna hurt either, i guess.
WEST - los angeles dodgers.
signings...none.
notes: they're pretty much the same team as last year, minus randy wolf. their rotation is the biggest question mark, however, clayton kershaw and chad billingsley have definitely come along quite nicely. their outfield boasts two 2009 silver sluggers in, andre ethier, and matt kemp...and who can ignore that guy manny ramirez? all that, coupled with a pretty solid bullpen, including a pretty solid 8th, 9th combo in george sherrill and jonathan broxton...
i like their chances.
WILD CARD - san fransisco giants.
acquired: mark derosa
notes: back to back cy young winner tim lincecum and matt cain at the top of the rotation makes them a contender automatically. and the addition of mark derosa definitely adds some much needed offense to their lineup. they may not be a lock for the wild card, with those pesky colorado rockies floating around in the west, but i still like their chances.
did i mention that i liked sports?
