2014 NBA Playoff Preview

Photo from stupiddope.com

It's time for the probably the best time of the year, as both the NBA and NHL playoffs kick off this week, giving us two months of wild finishes, great comebacks, and of course, the glory of winning. I'm not nearly informed enough about the NHL outside of New York to write a playoff preview (Let's go Rangers!) But, I've got you covered on basketball. Yes, that's right, I will be breaking down the first round matchups, and predicting what we will be seeing for the rest of the postseason. At the beginning of every round, I'll be previewing the upcoming series, leading up to the Finals, when I will post a preview or recap everyday throughout the series. Hopefully I'll be able to throw in another live blog, as I have in the last two years.

First, we have to look back at the beginning of the year, and my season preview. I got twelve of the sixteen playoff teams correctly, leaving the Wizards in the ninth seed in the East, while missing the Raptors, Bobcats, and Mavs as well. I also predicted that the Bulls would win the championship, but, without Derrick Rose, that looks almost impossible. I still stand by my prediction of the Heat finishing third in the conference had Rose played a full season, but we'll never know.

So, I'll take my 75% accuracy into the playoffs and see what happens.

2014 MLB Preview

We're nearing the end of March, which means...

It's baseball time ladies and gentlemen!

The season already kicked off this past weekend in Australia when the Los Angeles Dodgers swept the Arizona Diamondbacks in a two game series that absolutely no one watched. But, the season truly began last night in a matchup between the Dodgers and the barn burning....San Diego Padres? Yes, the Dads were in a nationally televised game that is meant to kick off the season. I don't know how the MLB decided to let that happen. Also, what made the Dodgers the Kings of the league? Why'd they get the privilege of being the team to start off the season in two different countries? The league is full of many options that would have been a lot more interesting to see in place of the Dodgers, both in Australia and in the featured Opening Night game.

Why not the Houston Astros? They could have really set the tone for the year, making sure that we all have very low expectations for this baseball season. From there, literally anything remotely competent will be considered a miracle. So that only rules out all things related to the Astros, including their uniforms, logos, stadium, players, former players, or, really, anything tangentially related to the brand of the Houston Astros. It also rules out all trades made by Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers, Rickie Weeks, Jonathon Niese's bones, tendons, and ligaments, the elbow of any Atlanta Braves pitcher, UCLs in general, the contracts that Giants GM Brian Sabean dished out this winter, contract values as a whole, and the very existence of Dee Gordon. Otherwise, thanks to the 'Stros setting the bar at negative 15 on Opening Night, even a pop fly will be riveting TV. It will also make their opponents look like Murderer's Row...on steroids. Though, showing the Astros off to Australia might not give them the best opinion of the sport.

Los Angeles Angels, anyone? Trout. That would have been an excuse to show Mike Trout on national TV. And that's always a good thing. More Trout. Yes, the rest of the team is bad, but all around the country, we'd be able to see Trout. Also, Bud Selig would have all sorts of cash flowing in after introducing Trout to Australia firsthand. Think of all the young, future baseball players down under that would have been able to look back on the time that they saw Michael Nelson Trout in action as the moment when they fell in love with the sport. Now they'll just talk about Paul Goldschmidt and Yasiel Puig. Certainly not a bad duo, but not at the level of Trout.

What about the St. Louis Cardinals? Who wouldn't want to see the best team in baseball in action? A team that is beautifully constructed, beautifully run, and beautiful to watch. Easily the most complete team in the game. How could the MLB deny us, and Australia, of seeing them in action, for the entire country to see?

Most importantly, did the league forget about the Boston Red Sox? They would have been the perfect team to throw into those two slots. But not because they're the reigning World Champions. It's because of one player on their team. One man that's going to take the league by storm, and remind us why we all love sports.

Photo from flickr.com

The one on the left. Stop looking at Xander Bogaerts and his smile, this is all about Grady Sizemore. His presence alone warrants the entire team taking a trip to Australia. The Aussies would have loved watching him live. And what American wouldn't love to spend their Sunday night watching the MLB return of the Great Grady. Not only is his story of redemption amazing, he was a great player when he was healthy many years ago. He's still only 31 years old, which means that he's still technically in his prime. You may have forgotten how good he was back in Cleveland, but he's back. What better way to kick off America's pasttime in 2014 with the personification of 'Murican perseverance?

Just a warning, is not at all the last time the name Grady Sizemore will appear in this article. He'll be all over it. He was Mike Trout before Mike Trout for me; the first player that I ever fell in love with. Surprisingly, it wasn't Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, or David Wright, but rather, a Cleveland Indian that caught my attention. Soon he was joined by then-Marlin Carlos Delgado, so of course when Delgado jumped ship to the Mets, Sizemore was no longer clearly my favorite baseball player. But he'll always be an important part of my love of baseball.

And now he hath returned. Is he going to challenge Mike Trout in my heart? Probably not, but we'll see.

As for the rest of the league, here are my projected standings, along with my thoughts on every team, in some cases, much longer than others:

The Big Name Acquisitions

With the NFL's free agency period now two weeks old, we've seen a lot of important moves that will have a major bearing on the upcoming season and beyond. In a later post, I'll get to the signings that garnered less attention from the general public, but for now, here's my take on the moves that I loved (or hated) involving the household names. I'll also be grading each deal on Albert Haynesworth(less)/Jason Bay/Jerome James/Wade Redden Scale for disaster potential.

DeMarcus Ware, DE/OLB Denver Broncos (3 Years/$30 Million)- I don't really understand what the Cowboys were thinking in getting rid of Ware, who despite injury issues was still a pretty productive player last year. He has more than enough left in the tank, and in Denver he will give a major boost to this defense. He'll fill the Elvis Dumervil role from 2012, which the Broncos really missed last year. Paired with Von Miller, Ware gives this team almost unquestionably the best pass rushing linebackers in the NFL, which will really make up for their now deficient secondary.

Photo form denver.cbslocal.com

AHJBJJWR Scale: 1 out of 5.

Aqib Talib, CB Denver Broncos (6 Years/$57 Million)- Another way to fix the pass defense is by directly augmenting the secondary. This Talib singing was almost necessary since it's now clear that Champ Bailey is not returning to the Mile High City, Chris Harris will be coming off of a knee injury, and the Broncos had no plans to retain Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Talib has played extremely well over the last couple of seasons, being a shutdown corner when healthy. But that's the key. He has had notable injuries in the past, and struggled to stay on the field last year. The contract is a bit...large to say the least, especially when compared to the money they other corners (specifically Tampa's Alterraun Verner, which I'll get to in a later article) receiver, but it fills a need for the Broncos and can pay off huge dividends in the end.

Photo from veooz.com 

AHJBJJWR Scale: 3.5 out of 5. The injury concerns are an issue. And yet, I still don't totally disagree with this deal.

NFL Picks: Super Bowl

Photo from socialnewsdaily.com

Finally, it's that day. The moment we've all been waiting for. Teams and players on these two teams have been working for a year towards this goal, and it's only 60 minutes away for either the Seahawks or the Broncos.

But, you already know that. You also know that, in terms of the spread, I got both of my picks wrong last week (I did pick the Broncos to win outright, but not in the fashion in which they did). But that's all in the past, and it's time to play the most important game in all of sports.

UPSET ALERT if I think the underdog will win outright, not just cover.

NFL Picks: Championship Round

In  a closely contested battle, Jim Harbaugh and Colin Kaepernick will reach the Super Bowl for the second straight season. Photo from zimbio.com

Despite Marques Colston literally throwing away any chance the Saints had to tie last week's game in Seattle, I must thank him for sealing a backdoor cover with his onside kick recovery. Had the Seahawks recovered that kick, the most likely would have at least kicked a field goal to ice the game, and win by a margin of 11 points, rather than 8. So thanks Colston, the entire state of Louisiana may have shunned you, but everyone who jumped on the Saints when the line shot up to 9.5 will love you forever.

I can understand being way off on my Colts pick. I expected them to win, but I was not in any way shocked by the blowout that transpired. They are one of the most inconsistent teams I've ever watched, and nothing would have surprised me by that point. Oh well...

Once again, I correctly forecasted a generally predictable 49ers team. I thought the Panthers would put up a bit more of a fight, but it is what it is.

Yet another thank you goes to Quentin Jammer for his incredible performance, or lack thereof last week against the Chargers. Once Denver's top corner Chris Harris went down with an injury, Jammer came in and got beat by Keenan Allen repeatedly, allowing San Diego to climb back into the game, and cover the spread, just as I thought they would.

And now, for this week. These are probably the best pairing of Championship round games in my lifetime. On the NFC side, the matchup is between the top two teams in football, as expected by me and...pretty much everyone during the preseason. These are two teams that are built much like one another, especially at the quaterback position, with both my boy Colin Kaepernick and Russell Wilson being big parts of the "New Breed" of quarterbacks. In Denver, we see the epitome of the "Old Guard," with two of the best sow, unathletic, smart, accurate white guys to ever play the game of football. And it may must be the final time that Tom Brady and Peyton Manning face off against one another in the playoffs. It's going to be a fun day of football.

UPSET ALERT next to  games in which I think the underdog will win outright, not just cover. Home team in CAPS.

NFL Picks: Divisional Round

Coming off of last week's thrilling comeback, can Andrew Luck pull out another one in New England? Photo from usatoday.com

So, last week, the Chiefs started off well. They jumped out to a 38-10 lead at the start of the third, even though Jamaal Charles, who was their entire offense all year, at the beginning of the game. But, all of a sudden, their offense stalled, and were only able to muster two field goals for the rest of the game. Early in the fourth, they lost their second string running back, and the guy who won me my fantasy league, Knile Davis, and the offense stalled. I'm not saying that Charles is replaceable, but Davis was certainly able to mask Kansas City's deficiencies pretty well. The drop off from him to Cyrus Gray was awful, and spelled doom for the Chiefs, especially since they had already lost WR Donnie Avery, and CB Brandon Flowers for the game.

That game also illustrated the inconsistency of the Colts, who started off horribly, allowing all sorts of big plays down the field in the first half, but neutralized the deep passing game as the game went along. The same thing happened to their offense, they got a lot better in the second half. It's hard to explain this, and it makes the Colts an almost impossible team to forecast.

While I predicted the Chiefs to win, my pick was still right, as they covered the spread by half a point. Yeah, I know, I got lucky. I'll take it.

As for the next game, my loss was also pretty reasonable. The Saints played better defense than I expected, which I considered a possibility. Oh well.

I'll get back to the Chargers-Bengals game.

The Niners-Packers game went almost exactly as I thought it would. I had the score as 24-20, so I was just a single point off the actual final. It was a great game to watch.

Okay, now, it's time. What the hell Cincinnati? They saved their worst game of the season for last week. Yeah, the Chargers defense played a lot better than it had for most of the year, but that's not why they won. There were so many stupid offensive mistakes, and that's so inexcusable. I can't believe what I saw. I do still believe that they are the better team, and, 9 out of 10 times, they would have won that game.

I do still believe that Andy Dalton can be a Super Bowl quarterback. Obviously, he's not ideal, and it;s up to the Bengals to try to find a better option than him, but, for now, if he's their leader, they're fine. He can win in the playoffs. That game was an anomaly. And a disgusting anomaly at that.

So, now, it's time for this week's picks.

UPSET ALERT next to games in which I think the underdog will win outright, not just cover. Home team in CAPS.

NFL Picks: Wild Card Round and Playoff Preview

While it won't quite be a repeat of last year's Divisional Playoffs, Colin Kaepernick and the Niners will win this week's game over the Packers. Photo from sfgate.com

We have reached the playoffs! Finally! It's time for all the non-football fans in your life to be completely shocked that the NFL has now taken over both Saturday and Sunday. It's time for you to randomly and nonsensically adopt a team for the next month, going through the ups and downs that come with being a devoted fan of theirs, and you can't explain why your mind selected that team.

First, we should take a quick look back at my preseason predictions. I got 7 out of the 12 playoff teams correct, but, I'd like to credit myself for the Panthers as well. I know you may not believe me, but, the day before I posted that article, I had the Panthers at 11-5 winning the NFC South. But, my ex boyfriend Josh Freeman sent me a long, drunken text about why I should trust him again, and how he's sorry for the mistakes he's made in the past.

So, he went out and got benched before Week 4, and released the week after. Thanks a lot Josh. He talked me out of supporting the Panthers. But that's my fault for listening to him, so I'll accept that, and know to never put my faith in Josh Freeman. Ever again.

(Smash cut to him in a Jets uniform and me begging that they start him over Geno Smith)

Anyway, I wasn't surprised by the Panthers suddenly rising to the top of the NFC. I was surprised by the Texans and Falcons completely falling apart, which, frankly, surprised everyone. Where I made one of my bigger mistakes, was on the Chargers. A lot of people thought they'd be fine, maybe even a little worse, but of course, I went to the extreme, pegging them as the 29th best team in the NFL. And now, of course, they are playing in the playoffs. My bad.

Coming off a much improved season in terms of my weekly picks, in which I ended the year at 132-119-5, I'm feeling good about making a run much like my 9-2 playoff outing last year. Some of this week's games are kind of hard to predict, but don't worry, I'm here. I will also have my revised predictions for the rest of the postseason.

UPSET ALERT next to games in which I think the underdog will win outright, not just cover. Home team in CAPS. 

What to Expect from Zack Wheeler in 2014

After a nice rookie season, will Zack Wheeler fall victim to the dreaded sophomore slump? Photo from metro.us

After a pretty good showing in his rookie season, the most important piece to look for in a young baseball player is development. Even within the context of his first season, Wheeler improved from his debut on June 18, through the end of the year. When he first came up, there was concern amongst fans about his control problems.

For those, like myself, who followed him throughout his minor league career, the walks weren't a huge surprise. In fact, that was expected to be a part of the deal with him. He's a hard thrower who may occasionally be too wild.

But again, the key is improvement. Because walks were his biggest issue, we'll take a quick look at how that changed throughout the year. He pitched 100 innings before being shut down at the end of the year. Over the first nine starts, in which he pitched 50.2 innings, he pitched 41 strikeouts, and allowed 28 walks. From August 10 on, he had 8 starts, pitched 49.1 innings, and had 43 strikeouts, while only giving up 18 walks. As you can see, his Cholula flamethrowing abilities didn't dissipate, but he was able to spot those fastballs properly as he gained more experience in the majors.

Overall, he ended up with pretty good numbers. A 3.42 ERA is nothing to sneeze at. He's a pretty good pitcher, who should only get better as time passes. The more chemistry he builds with Travis UpsideDownP'Arnaud, the easier it will be for him to improve. Even without Matt Harvey, with the addition of Bartolo Colon, less will be expected of him than towards the end of the year. He'll probably be the third starter, behind Colon and Jonathon Niese. Maybe the lessened pressure can translate to some success this year as he shows himself to be the player the Mets thought he would be.

2013 Awards

Photo from clintsalter.com

Ah, we've reached the end of 2013. Finally. After 12 long months. 365 grueling days of failure and triumph, winning and losing. It's been quite the ride in the world of sports this year, and it's time to look back on the best, and the worst moments and performances over the past calendar year in the world of sports.

Let's begin with some of the smaller awards.

Worst Team

• Houston Texans. Everything just fell apart for this team which looked like a Super Bowl contender in the preseason. Matt Schaub regressed mightily, and the team had to eventually bench him for undrafted Case Keenum. After starting 2-0, they lost 14 straight, even having to fire their coach, Gary Kubiak after their Week 14 loss. 
• Charlotte Bobcats. They didn't have the worst record in the 2012-13 NBA season, but they certainly were less talented than the Orlando Magic. They were just bad; there wasn't much talent, at least before Al Jefferson showed up, and the pieces didn't fit well at all. Fun times. 
• Florida Panthers. Awful goaltending and defense and, outside of Kris Versteeg, Tomas Kopecky, and Jonathan Huberdeau, inept offense led to the Panthers having the fewest points in last year's lockout shortened NHL season. 
• Houston Astros. Wow, tough year for Houston! Not only did their football team fall apart at the seams, their baseball team was far and away the worst. But at least there's a direction for this franchise...

And the winner is...

NFL Picks: Week 17

Receivers Brandon Marshall (FANTASY TEAM ALERT!) and Alshon Jeffery (FANTASY TEAM ALERT!) will help the Bears surprise the returning Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in Chicago this week, propelling them into the playoffs. Photo from philadelphiaeagles.com 

So, I picked the Dolphins last week in Buffalo. I had a bit of trepidation as I was writing that, but, I felt better about them than taking the Bills to cover. So what do you know? They decided to score 0 points. Thanks.

In usual Cowboys fashion, they won, but figured out a way not to cover against an awful Washington team.

I came out with a one point win in Carolina, which also propelled them to the second seed in the NFC playoffs. Once again, rolling with the Jaguars had great results for me, as they got me a one point victory as well.

I'm so incredibly done with the 2013 Lions. At least the Cowboys have a chance to salvage their season, and they didn't benefit from having the starting quarterbacks of both the Giants and Eagles get hurt for a good amount of the stretch run (well, Eli Manning may as well be hurt the way he's playing). Jim Schwartz should never get another head coaching job in the NFL. It's a disgrace that this Lions team, with all of its offensive talent, and one of the best defensive lines in football, should be 7-8. With their playoff hopes on the line, they lost in the Giants. Wow.

I'm not saying I called the Cardinals beating the Seahawks in Seattle last week, but I did say that they should keep it close. And that deserves some credit, right?

Speaking of keeping it close, the Ravens didn't against the Patriots. Unfortunately, I picked the Ravens in that contest. But, to balance it out, I picked the Eagles in what turned out to be a complete blowout.

I went 8-8 last week, putting me at 123-112-5 on the season. Let's end the year on a high note, and send it into the playoffs with some momentum!

UPSET ALERT next to games in which I think the underdog will win outright, not just cover. Home team in CAPS.