MLB: Early Season NL Predictions

We’ve covered the AL, now it’s time to move to the NL.

East:

Current Leader: Florida Marlins (18-14)

Challengers:

• Philadelphia Phillies (19-15)
• Atlanta Braves (16-15)
• New York Mets (16-15)
• Washington Nationals (14-19)

Prediction: New York Mets

Expect a 3-way race between the Mets, Phillies, and Braves, but the Mets are too good not to win the East this year.

Central:

Current Leader: St. Louis Cardinals (22-12)

Challengers:

• Chicago Cubs (19-14)
• Houston Astros (17-16)
• Milwaukee Brewers (16-16)

Prediction: Chicago Cubs

The NL Central is probably the toughest division to predict this year, with no clear stand-out team. Each team has major flaws: The Cardinals are relying on great production from very inexperienced hitters and a rotation outperforming itself, the Astros don’t have a deep enough rotation, and the Brewers are simply not hitting and their rotation might have taken a huge hit with the loss of Yovani Gallardo. The Cubs have a decent rotation and a dynamic offense that should carry them to the top of the Central.

West:

Current Leader: Arizona Diamondbacks (22-11)

Challengers:

• Los Angeles Dodgers (19-14)

Prediction: Arizona Diamondbacks

Wow, the Diamondbacks have been superb the first part of the season. Their young lineup is really mashing, and I’m pretty sure any manager would be thrilled having Randy Johnson as his 4th starter. Brandon Webb looks to be the frontrunner for the Cy Young, and Dan Haren is settling right in to the National League.

Wild Card: Philadelphia Phillies

No clear cut favorite emerges from Wild Card contenders. It could go to the Dodgers, the loser of the Cardinals/Cubs battle, or the loser of the Mets/Phillies battle. Bottom line: it’s completely up for grabs.

MLB: Early Season AL Predictions

Ok, we’re about 5 weeks into the season. Now it’s time to figure out who’s for real in the American League and who’s gonna flop:

East:

Current Leader: Boston Red Sox (22-13)

Challengers:

• Tampa Bay Devil Rays (17-15)
• New York Yankees (17-17)
• Baltimore Orioles (16-17)

Prediction: Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox are the best all-around team in the East. The defending champions aren’t going away anytime soon, especially with the way the entire lineup is hitting right now.

Central:

Current Leader: Minnesota Twins (16-15)

Challengers:

• Chicago White Sox (15-16)
• Cleveland Indians (15-17)
• Kansas City Royals (14-18)
• Detroit Tigers (14-20)

Prediction: Detroit Tigers

Don’t count them out. Last time they were slumping this badly, the Tigers turned it around and almost got back to .500. They’ll do it again; they’re too talented not to. Expect stiff competition from Cleveland, though.

West

Current Leader: Los Angeles Angels (22-13)

Challengers:

• Oakland Athletics (21-14)

Prediction: Los Angeles Angels

They just may be the best team in baseball. And that’s without John Lackey, and Vlad Guerrero’s barely hitting. Oakland is bound to fade quickly, and the Angels should win the West by a landslide.

Wild Card: New York Yankees

Yeah, I’m really going out on a whim here. Unless Cleveland puts up a fight, the Yankees won’t face much competition for the wild card.

Celtics only score 76… And Win!

Ok, that might have been the most pitiful offensive performance I’ve seen from the Celtics this year. Paul Pierce and Ray Allen accounted for a whopping 4 points (all from Pierce) when they averaged a combined 37 points a game during the season. Kevin Garnett was the only bright spot for the C’s, scoring 28 on 13 of 22 shooting. 

How did they win? LeBron James went 2 for 18 from the field and scored only 12 points, while turning the ball over 10 times. For a player averaging 30 points a game, this was a terrible performance.

Yes, the defense was good on both sides. But both teams, the Celtics especially, looked very sluggish and displayed very little offensive rhythm throughout the game.

So, the question arises: Are the Celtics good enough to win the NBA title?

My answer is no. They barely squeaked by Atlanta, the worst team to make the playoffs, in 7 games. They have not yet won a playoff game on the road. The only bright spot they had was beating Atlanta by wide margins at home, but they could only pull off 76 points and beat Cleveland by 4 at home in Game 1, when LeBron had probably the most miserable playoff game he will ever have. Yes, they might get past Cleveland. But what happens when they have to play a team as talented as Detroit or the Hornets, Spurs, or Lakers?

I’d love to see the Celtics win it all. But I just don’t see it happening.

Kobe Bryant’s MVP: Deserved?

Kobe Bryant won his first NBA MVP in his 12th season. Kobe, one of the best players in NBA history, has been an MVP-caliber player throughout his entire career. But was this one deserved?

Kobe averaged 28.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 5.4 assists in the 2007-2008 season, all the while leading the Lakers to first place in the West with a 57-25 record, a 15-game improvement over the 2006-2007 record of 42-40 in which the Lakers finished 7th in the West. Kobe did have a phenomenal year, but was his MVP truly deserved? He had the help of Andrew Bynum until his injury and Pau Gasol when acquired in the trade, not to mention Lamar Odom. Let’s look at the MVP runner-ups and I’ll give you my 2007-2008 MVP. (Note: Kobe finished with 1100 votes and 82 1st-place votes)

2. Chris Paul (894 votes, 28 1st-place votes)

CP3 absolutely transformed the Hornets from a playoff-unworthy team to a powerhouse in one of the toughest Western Conferences in NBA history. He turned a no-name player, David West, into an All-Star. Paul averaged 21.1 points and led the NBA with 11.6 assists per game! He added 4 rebounds and 2.7 steals per game. The Hornets ended the 2006-2007 season 10th in the West with a 39-43 record, but with Paul’s leadership, the Hornets finished 2nd in the West in 2007-2008 with a 56-26 record (one game behind the Lakers), an improvement of 17 wins from the previous season! In my opinion, CHRIS PAUL DESERVED THE MVP!

3. Kevin Garnett (670 Votes, 15 1st-place votes)

Yes, Garnett was probably what helped push the Celtics from being a 26-win team to having the league’s best record, and compiling the best turnaround in NBA history. But he didn’t do it himself. He averaged 18.8 points and 9.2 rebounds a game, but was well aided by Paul Pierce (19.6 PPG) and Ray Allen (17.4 PPG). Garnett did not deserve the MVP.

4. LeBron James (438 Votes, 1 1st-place vote)

What do you say about a player who averaged 30.0 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 7.2 assists a game and single-handedly led his team to 4th place in the East? Sounds like a 4th-place MVP candidate to me. Actually, it doesn’t.

5. Dwight Howard (60 Votes)

Someone, please give this guy credit. He led the NBA with 14.2 rebounds a game, and also scored 20.7 a game. Orlando improved 12 games and moved from 8th in the East last year to 3rd this year. Howard deserves all the credit in the world for that turnaround.

 

So there you have it: Your 2007-2008 NBA MVP should be… Chris Paul!

I want to know what you think. Leave your comments about who deserved the MVP.

Surprises and Disappointments

We’re 4 weeks into the major league baseball season. Some teams and players have surprised us in good and bad ways:

Most Surprising Team: Arizona Diamondbacks

Did we expect them to be good? Yes. 17-6? No. The D-backs are 1st in the MLB in both runs (139) and ERA (3.00), and their rotation is far and away the best in the majors right now.

Most Disappointing Team: Detroit Tigers/San Diego Padres

Add Miguel Cabrera, Edgar Renteria, and Dontrelle Willis. The result? A 10-14 start.

Jake Peavy and Chris Young are one of the best duos in the league. Young has been decent and Peavy has not disappointed, but the offense has. With no hitter batting over .280, the offense as a whole is hitting .230. 9-15 is not the start the Padres had in mind.

Most Surprising Player: Cliff Lee

Are you kidding me? Cliff Lee, a pitcher most had given up on, is 4-0 with a 0.28 ERA?

Most Disappointing Player: Ryan Howard

Howard, recently benched, is hitting just .174 with 4 HR and 9 RBI

 

NFL Draft- 1 hour to go

Just about 1 hour to go before the start of the NFL draft, and here are some recent developments:

• 1st pick will be Jake Long, signed by the Dolphins several days ago
• 2nd pick will be Chris Long by the Rams
• 3rd pick will most likely be Matt Ryan by the Falcons
• 4th pick will most likely be Darren McFadden by the Raiders
• Glenn Dorsey appears to be slipping through the top 4. Where will he go? Kansas City at #5 looks like a possible destination
• Jeremy Shockey may be traded to the Saints for a 2nd round draft pick (40th overall) and possibly another player

First Post

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