Here's a newsflash to all the Yankee haters out there that have been killing the Yankees rotation this season and saying that it will be the downfall of there season, the Yankees rotation is better this year than last.

Same Assets Different Year

Here are the constants of the Yankees rotation, Mike Mussina, Andy Pettite and Chien-Ming Wang. If you make the case that Mike Mussina blows I can understand that. He does blow. But he did last season as well. Why is it any different this year? Pettitte had an ERA around 4, no reason to expect worse this season. And Wang had an ERA of 3.70, really no reason to think he will be much different this season either.

2007 Scraps and Steroid Users

People will point to the loss of Roger Clemens and say that is the major difference between the 2007 Yanks and the 2008 Yanks but really is it that big of a loss? Last season Clemens finished with only 6 wins. 6 Wins, that's not much. His era of 4.18 was good but not extraordinary. And he didn't even average 6 innings and appearance. He was a needed addition last year but is not need last year.

Now onto the big difference between 2007 and 2008. The Yankees pitched a lot of guys that completely sucked in 2007. Kei Igawa started 12 games and finished with an era over 6. Tyler Clippard started 6 games and also finished with an era over 6. Good ole 4 in a row Chase Wright started two games with an era over 7. Matt De Salvo started 6 games and of course had an ERA over 6. Sean Henn started a game. Darrell Rasner started 6 games. Hell even Carl Pavano started 2 games. That is a hell of a lot of starts by players that suck. Should you expect the Yankees to get all of those starts in 2008 from Minor League players? I certainly don't think that's a fair assumption.

Put it this way, at the start of the 2007 season Kei Igawa and Carl Pavano were in the starting rotation.

2008 Replacements

So onto the big question marks as skeptics would call them. Philip Hughes got 13 starts last season in those 13 starts he finished with a 4.46 era. That spread out over 30 starts is much better than the garbage I just mentioned above but in reality the expectations for Hughes should be much better. After coming back from his hamstring injury in August Hughes struggled mightily. His August era ended at a miserable 6.40 over 6 starts. However, in September Hughes was able to turn it around and finished September 3-0 over 5 starts with a 2.73 ERA. Now am I saying Hughes will have an ERA around 3? No that's not a fair assumption, but I think it is a fair assumption to say that he will be just as good as Clemens was last year if not better given the fact he is younger will start more games and will pitch more innings than Clemens.

So if the conservative assumption that Hughes will be a similar pitcher to Clemens this season than the big difference between 2007 and 2008 is Ian Kennedy compared to the scraps. Kennedy hasn't been out of college for very long but in the 2007 season Kennedy managed to pitch at all 4 levels. In A ball he went 6-1 with an era of 1.29. In AA ball he went 5-1 with a 2.59 era. In AAA ball he went 1-1 with a 2.08 era and finally in MLB he 1-0 with a 1.89 era in three starts. Notice a trend there? No era above 2.60 at any level. Of course I'm not going to say his era is going to be below three, but why shouldn't I assume his era will be in the low 4s given his success rate last season. And at the very least even the biggest Yankee hater has to admit that Kennedy will be better this season than the Igawas and Chase Wrights of the world.

And this is all assuming that at no point in time Joba joins the rotation and that he stays in the 8th inning role. I'm pretty sure he would be a better starter than Carl Pavano as well.

Conclusion

So please when you want to bring out your Yankee haterade and say that the Yanks will not make the playoffs, which is certainly a possibility, please bring up some more valid points. Like for instance there is no way that Arod and Posada will put up the same numbers this year as last. Or do a comparative analysis of the Yankees rotation to the other contenders, don't just flat out say the Yankees rotation is bad because quite simply it's better than last years. And I'm pretty sure the 2007 Yankees made the post season.

MVP - Miguel Cabrera, He already has a home run. Congrats to me for waiting until after the first pitch to put this in. But regardless he'll have a monster season and has as good a chance as any to come home with the MVP award at seasons end. His bonus is that people really give an added benefit of the doubt to new team additions when it comes to MVP award, because they make the team "different" from the previous year.

Cy Young - Erik Bedard, 2 for 2 on the chalk Cy Young picks. And guess what both will be right... Maybe.

Coach of the Year - John McClaren, The Mariners aren't much of a sleeper if you talk to an ESPN personality but amongst the teams I have making the playoffs they will be the most surprising. And thus their manager will be most likely to win the Coach of the Year.

Rookie of the Year - Clay Bucholz, A spot in the starting rotation for amongst the best teams in baseball will certainly give Bucholz a big advantage over the competition. If he could post around 12 wins with an ERA around 4 he should take home the award. The Yankees certainly will hope that Kennedy rather than Bucholz takes home this award.

Comeback Player of the Year - Richie Sexson, And the moronic pick of the season comes in this category. But really Sexson just hit over .200 last season. Say the Mariners win the division and he returns to his typical 30+ homers and .260 average. That's a pretty solid comeback right?

Just a reminder that I did absolutely miserable with these predictions last year. But alas we shall predict err make an educated guess at these things.

MVP - Aramis Ramirez, Why? Fuck if I know. I just wanted to be out there. And wanted to pick someone on a team that I think will do good. Ramirez is surrounded by great hitters and if he stays healthy could hit 40 homers and hit .310 with 120 rbis. Sure there's no speed and his glove isn't the greatest but if he puts up great numbers and the Cubs win the division, he'll have a chance. Plus, last year one of my keepers Rollins won, so perhaps

Cy Young - Johan Santana, Way to go out a limb on this one. But come on his team has a solid offense and he'll end up with about 240 strikeouts and an era at worse in the low 3s. He's a safe bet here and much like mike chalktastic bracket sometimes you just have to go with the common senser.

Coach of the Year - Lou Piniella, Again the Cubs have a big season and the awards will flow to them based on their clubs mystique. A lot of teams have high expectations and the coach of the year typically goes to a team in the playoffs so with no real under the radar teams Sweet Lou has as good a chance as any.

Rookie of the Year - Kosuke Fukudome, The NL rookies aren't very good this season and most of the impact guys got sent down so we shall go with another Cub in Fukudome. This is a tough call considering he will probably have the best numbers given his experience, yet there is a big time anti-Japanese import bias when it comes to rookie of the year voting.

Comeback Player of the Year - Nick Johnson, I think he should get bonus points for just how bad he blew out his knee two summers ago. Plus he's already got an rbi, so this is probably a pretty safe bet.

I've been slacking on getting these out, but here's a waste edition based on the tournament only. 1. Bruce Pearl - Apparently Bruce Pearl is target #1 for Indiana. I guess they didn't watch his undisciplined team play in the Sweet 16. The Vols looked like a schoolyard team for the vast majority of the game, throwing balls out of bounds, offering no help defense, gunning up covered three, and driving recklessly to the basket. The Vols played like a team that had no coach. 2. Duke - The Dukies were just 1 point away from making history and joining the past #2 seeds to be eliminated in the first round. Regardless it didn't take the Blue Devils much longer to exit the tournament as everyones favorite team to hate got slugged by an ok West Virginia team. 3. Pool Braggers - I'm not talking about anyone who is necessarily leading your bracket, I am talking about if someone like me or Clark Kellogg bragged about picking the correct final four. You didn't do anything special, congrats you picked like a robot and it just so happened that this year the robot worked out for you. Good for you, no one cares. 4. Hansbrough Strokers - From the announcers, to the experts, to the refs everyone on TV seems to like stroking Hansbrough's cock. It really is unbearable. I get it, he's a great college basketball player, but he isn't exactly the second coming of anybody. He isn't all that great at all. Everything he does is godly. And the god damn refs seem to think he never fouls on any play. Even if he cross checks his man, no foul. Annoying.

Opinion Polls & Market Research

Before the tournament started I filled out a bunch of brackets on ESPN.com. One of which I filled out as a test to see how a mindless bracket would work out, a bracket involving one single thought and one decision maker. If the team has a lower seed than they win. Thus the 1 seed makes the final four, the 2 seed makes the elite 8, the 3 and 4 seeds make the sweet 16, etc. Well after two weeks, this is my best bracket and chances are good that its better than your bracket as well.

As of the end of the elite 8, after all #1 seeds made history, the 100% Chalk Bracket currently sits at the 96th percentile of all brackets. After 4 rounds the bracket has only gotten 16 games wrong, eight in the first round, five in the second, and three in the sweet 16. Would this bracket win your pool? In a massive pool of thousands, most likely not. In the Deadspin pool of 3472 it sits in 85th place, so chances are someone will finish above the picks. But in a pool with 50 or so participants this bracket, the lamest of all, would most likely still give you the opportunity to run home with the cash while your bracket likely has already been thrown in the fireplace for kindling.

In the end this has truly been the tournament of the favorite. Sure Davidson made a huge run and there were some exciting #12 and #13 upsets in week one, but that has been it. In the entire South Regional there was one single upset, Michigan St. over Pittsburgh. Not exactly a big time upset. In the East Regional only 2, Arkansas over Indiana and Louisville over Tennessee. Again, not really prime upsets. In the West and Midwest regional the #12 and #13 seeds both pulled off upsets, but than the #12 seed sealed the trip to the Sweet 16 in both. At the end of the day only 11 games were won by the lower seed. That's a 49-11 record for the favorite. Not much madness in that.

Updated Playoff Predictions as of October 1st

Honestly I don't feel like writing right now but want to get out my predictions before the weekend. So here.

Overall Record Predictions

American League

	Team	Wins	Losses	Win %
1	Detroit	96	66	0.5925926
2	Boston	94	68	0.5802469
3	N.Y. Yankees	93	69	0.5740741
4	Cleveland	91	71	0.5617284
5	Seattle	91	71	0.5617284
6	L.A. Angels	90	72	0.5555556
7	Toronto	82	80	0.5061728
8	Chi. White Sox	80	82	0.4938272
9	Tampa Bay	79	83	0.4876543
10	Minnesota	73	89	0.4506173
11	Kansas City	71	91	0.4382716
12	Texas	70	92	0.4320988
13	Oakland	68	94	0.4197531
14	Baltimore	59	103	0.3641975

National League

	Team	Wins	Losses	Win %
1	N.Y. Mets	94	68	0.5802469
2	Chi. Cubs	90	72	0.5555556
3	Arizona	89	73	0.5493827
4	Philadelphia	89	73	0.5493827
5	Milwaukee	89	73	0.5493827
6	Colorado	88	74	0.5432099
7	L.A. Dodgers	88	74	0.5432099
8	Atlanta	87	75	0.537037
9	San Diego	85	77	0.5246914
10	St. Louis	76	86	0.4691358
11	Houston	77	85	0.4753086
12	Florida	75	87	0.462963
13	Cincinnati	74	88	0.4567901
14	Pittsburgh	67	95	0.4135802
15	Washington	66	96	0.4074074
16	San Francisco	59	103	0.3641975

Playoff Predictions

NL Playin Game: Phillies over Brewers

NL WildCard: Mets over DBacks, Phillies over Cubs
AL WildCard: Yankees over Tigers, Red Sox over Mariners

NLCS: Mets over Phillies
ALCS: Red Sox over Yanks

World Series: Mets over Red Sox

Everyone needs something to keep them occupied on Friday afternoons so the Friday Video Blowout was born. Spend your next few minutes, laughing, crying of laughter, pissing your self, whatever, but mostly wasting your companies time.

Videos In Order Courtesy of Fanhouse, Mirtle, Real Clear Sports, Kurtenblog, AA, Who Ate All the Pies, Fanhouse 2, AA * 2, Everybody


Way to make it uncomfortable dick.


That's loserific.


Umm ok Chuck.


They are the best team in New York.


Hmm Patrick's son is badass.


Where were the Cheese Doodles?


John is the man.


Hmm dunks are fun.


Typical Dukie scum.


People like Bogut.

This is a first, I have gotten access and found a few of Bruce Pearl's most secretive plays. He used these a lot last night so they may be out, but still to have them on paper is a thing of beauty.

Defense

Uncontested Lay Up Play

The Vols ran this play to perfection often last night. First the man guarding the ball has to get burnt. In fact sometimes you don't even need some one guarding the ball. Then next step is for every other defender to not get in the way of the ball handler. This could either be done by simply not moving, or waving half assedly at the ball, or you could even pretend to not see the ball handler. The final step is to watch the player hopefully make a wide open dunk or layup. Typically this play works 95% of the time.


The Easy Pass for a Layup

Another one of Bruce Pearl's ingenious plays. The way this works is that first the man covering the ball has to get burnt. It's a consistent theme in Pearl's plays but an essential one. The next step is for the man closest to the basket to shift off of his man for some help defense. The final step involves the rest of the defense remaining stationary and staring at the wide open man who eventually receives the pass for a wide open layup. There are other variations of this play which include not paying attention to your man on a back door screen and not fully stepping over for help defense but enough to leave your man wide open. Both are equally as effect as the original play.

Offense

The Reckless Drive to the Hoop

This play was run a lot in the 2nd half. It's pretty simple, bring the ball up the court. The first person who gets the ball past half court drives directly into the lane and throws up a wild shot. The key to this play is spacing. The Vols must make sure that on the reckless drive to the hoop that atleast 3 of the Vols if not all 4 other players are behind the 3 point line to make sure they do not get the offensive rebound. If run to perfection the play also calls for driving directly at their center who can force the shot to be even more awkward. This play also runs best if on a consistent basis. If run 4 or 5 straight possession than 60% of the time it works all the time.

The Three With a Hand in Your Face

Another terrific play is the wild three with a hand in your face. Open threes are for pussies. The three with someone covering you is essential. Now there are a few important pieces that make this play work. First all other Vols should not be in any position to gather an offensive rebound. All three opponent big men must be in perfect box out position. If run to perfection the three with a hand in your face will come from an athlete that is taller and more athletic than the shooter and preferably a high jumper. This gives the defender ample chance to block the shot which insures 100% effectiveness of the play.

I apologize for not being able to get all of Tennessee's excellent plays. I could only get my hands on four of them, but they certainly show the genius of Bruce Pearl.

And to the AL East, the division that truly matters. This year might be the deepest that the division has been in years. Obviously the Sox and Yanks haven't left, but the Blue Jays should be dangerous again this year, and even Devil Rays have potential. One could put together a good argument that this division is actually better than the AL Central and will be the best division in baseball at years end. Oh the Orioles are gonna suck though.

1. Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox currently lead the league in losses, but I think it's safe to say they should be able to recover. The question that may haunt Theo and the Sox is if they end up with an Asian hangover. The two opening months for the Sox are essential. If they get off to a typical Red Sox start than there is no doubt that they should make a run to the postseason. However, if they come back from Japan and get off to the horrendous start that other teams in the past have they may end up finding it difficult to fight through an improved division and past the Yanks, Indians and Tigers.

Key Player: Josh Beckett, The Key player for the Red Sox is pretty simple, it's Josh Beckett. He's arguably the best pitcher in baseball. He certainly is the best postseason pitcher in baseball. Any injury to him will leave the Red Sox scrambling to rely on Dice-K Version 2.0, and the youngsters.

Player to Eye: Jon Lester, Lester didn't pitch overly well during his first outing but the potential is there. The only issue is getting him to get ahead in the count. When Lester gets ahead of hitters he is dominant, when he isn't ahead of hitters than he's plain old average. If either Lester or Bucholz can emerge this season as a premium starter the Sox will again be in great shape come October.

Record Prediction:94-68

2. New York Yankees

The 2008 version of the Yankees seem to be at the biggest risk of not making the playoffs in a long time. They have a boatload of pitching question marks. They need Hughes and Kennedy to emerge. They need Mussina not to suck. They need Mo not to become mortal. But in the end is this rotation worse or better than last year? I say better. Anyway I think they still make the postseason. Call me a homer or disagree with me if you want.

Key Player: Phil Hughes, You really could pick out any pitcher in the Yankees starting rotation as their key player but to me its Hughes. He's the top of the line prospect. He's the man they refused to trade to get Johan Santana, he's the one with the pressure and he's the one that must emerge this season as a #3 or better starter. If Hughes fails than the pressure is squarely put on either Kennedy or the Ancient Moose to pick up the slack. And I don't see that happening.

Player to Eye: Kyle Farnsworth, I know this is a very very odd pick especially from a Farny hater but he's going to get innings this year. Important innings. For some reason Joe Girardi has faith in the Farny and if at any point Joba moves into the rotation than the Farny regains the 8th inning job. And that could be scary.

Record Prediction: 93 - 69


3. Toronto Blue Jays

The problems with the Blue Jays is a consistent one. They play in the American League East and every season the Red Sox and Yankees come in with larger payrolls and better overall teams. It really sucks for them but it's true. The biggest difference from the Blue Jays and the two top teams is their margin for error. If Roy or AJ goes down they're screwed. If Wells or Rios has a bad year, they're screwed. Where as the Yanks and Sox can rebound from a few key losses to still post 90+ wins.

Key Player: Vernon Wells, Vernon Wells needs to show up this season for the Blue Jays. He's basically the most inconsistent player in baseball. One year he's amongst the top five players in the American league, the next he's in the lower half of outfielders in the league. The Blue Jays don't have enough talent to overcome a bad season from Vernon Wells.

Player to Eye: Dustin McGowan, King sideburns is actually a pretty good pitcher. Who knew? Last year he improved his ERA to 4.06 from the pitiful 7.24 level it was at in 2006. Could another significant improvement happen this season? Is there a possibility that McGowan matches Roy and AJ and gives the Blue Jays three top of the line starters? Sure why not.

Record Prediction:82-80

4. Tampa Bay Devil Rays

Hey looky here the Devil Rays may actually not completely suck this year. They have some good hitters in Upton, Crawford, and Pena as well as having three young solid starters in Kazmir, Shields and Garza. Hell they could potentially go .500 this season.

Key Player: Scott Kazmir, Kazmir will not start on opening day due to lingering injuries which immediately should make all Devil Rays fans highly worried. Kazmir never has been the image of perfect health. If he goes down then they can kiss .500 goodbye.

Player to Eye: Matt Garza, The man they got for Delmon Young in a straight prospect flip will be key for the Devil Rays success. Garza had a solid spring which comes after posting a 3.69 era in 15 starts last season. Garza seems like a candidate to capatilize on his potential this season and perhaps gives the Devil Rays 3 quality arms.

Record Prediction:79-83

5. Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles summed up in a word for 2008 are awful. They have absolutely horrible pitching. They'll start Jeremy Guthrie on opening day. Guthrie was good last year but he certainly isn't a team ace. It won't help the Orioles at all to play the Red Sox, Yankees, and Blue Jays 19 times a piece. It's going to be a very very rough year for everybody in the DC area.

Key Player: Nick Markakis, Really the only young all star caliber player on the Orioles right now. Markakis should ascend to about 30HRs and 20 SBs this season while hitting around .300. He's basically amongst the best youngsters in the game but will be completely hindered by playing on such a miserable team.

Player to Eye: Adam "Not Pacman" Jones, When your traded for a person who easily could turn out to be this years Cy Young, there is a lot of pressure. Thankfully for Not Pacman, he will be playing for a miserable team completely under the radar. But it will still be interesting to watch to see how he emerges as a player now that he should receive every day at bats.

Record Prediction: 75-87

*Note: These Record Predictions actually do add up perfectly this year. Thanks excel. I have the AL winning 6 more interleague games than the NL.

The NL East was certainly a lot more interesting in late September than it looked all season long. The Mets with the addition of Johan have once again risen to the favorite of the division.

1. New York Mets

Trading for Johan Santana give the Mets the piece they have been missing the past two seasons. An absolute stud at the top of their rotation. But was it a year too late? Will the age and injuries to the Carlos's, Alou, etc. hinder what should be the National League favorite.

Key Player: Pedro Martinez, The key player for the Mets this season is definitely Pedro. If Pedro can stay healthy for the entire season than the Mets have 4 dynamic starters with the potential of 5 if El Duque can ever be healthy. If Pedro comes down with an injury than are they really head and shoulders better than they were last season? Maybe not.

Player to Eye: John Maine, I've never been a big believer of John Maine but maybe I'm worng. Last season Maine had a solid season and this spring he's been terrific. If Maine continues to pitch like he has this spring he will once again reach the 15 win mark and likely pass it with ease.

Record Prediction: 94 - 68

2. Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies made a tremendous come back last season and then fell to the bible thumping streaking Rockies. Once again this year the Phillies come with a severely loaded offense and a very shallow starting rotation.

Key Player: Brett Myers, Last year it didn't make much sense to me when the Phillies thrust Brett Myers into the closer role. Well it worked out. He pitched well and the Phillies won the division and Myers liked the job. So naturally the Phillies threw him back in the rotation. Now we shall see if Myers blows up in his first month like he did last year, or reemerges as a front line starter.

Player to Eye: Brad Lidge, Brad Lidge will open the season on the 15 Day DL which isn't very surprising. If this trend continues than the Phillies will have to once again rely on grandpa Tom Gordon and that won't exactly be good news for their roster. Now that they've moved Myers back into the rotation, they need someone, preferably Lidge to solidify the closer role.

Record Prediction:89 - 73, WildCard

3. Atlanta Braves

Apparently the Braves are now the sheik pick to win the NL East. I'm just not seeing it. Their rotation has 3 ancient pitcher with injury risks. Smoltz is already on the DL, Hampton is bound to go on the DL, and Glavine got rocked at the end of the year last year. Their lineup will be really good, but is the offense better than last year?

Key Player: John Smoltz, An ace starting the season on the DL is never a good thing. Now when your ace is a 40 year old pitcher you're going to have to worry a lot. If Smoltz breaks down this season the Braves are left with no one that scary at the top of their rotation.

Player to Eye: Mike Hampton, Hey Mike Hampton is back (for now). Remember him? He used to be really good before he decided he didn't like the education system in the New York area so he moved his family out to Colorado. They didn't quite workout for him. But hey right now he's actually healthy and pitching well. How are those Georgia school systems by the way, cause the ones in Connecticut sure do suck?

Record Prediction: 87 -75

4. Florida Marlins

The Marlins went the rout of fire sale in the off season and for good reason. A team that has an attendence of a high school team shouldn't shell out 150 million dollars on one play. In the deal they did get rid of their two biggest faces but received talent that could once again lead them to the promise land in the future. For 2008 however these Marlins will be bad.

Key Player: Hanley Ramirez, Considering he is the lone star left on the Marlins it's obvious that Hanley Ramirez is the Marlins key player. One could argue that he is the best shortstop in major league baseball right now and if he was in a major market many more would probably make the case. It will be interesting to track what effect if any the absence of Miguel Cabrera will have on Hanley.

Player to Eye: Andrew Miller, The big lefty was one of the two jewels received in the Cabrera trade. Now Miller should get a full seasons worth of work and we shall see if he truly is an elite MLB pitcher.

Record Prediction: 75-87

5. Washington Nationals

The Nationals apparently have modeled themselves in the mold of the Texas Rangers. Minus the really good hitting. They have no pitcher to write home about. Their best pitcher two seasons ago, John Patterson, was cut this past week. So who is their opening day starter? Odalis Perez. Woo. This team just like last years team will rock out in the basement.

Key Player: Ryan Zimmerman, Zimmerman is now entering his 3rd full season with the Nationals and I bet he's pumped up that he no longer has to play in RFK. Will his numbers balloon a lot this year? Probably not. But maybe he'll challenge to be the lone Nationals representative in the all star game.

Player to Eye: Lastings Milledge, What they gave up for Lastings Milledge was a complete steal. As in they give up absolutely nothing for a player who could turn into Mike Cameron. Aka low batting average but 20+ HR/SB.

Record Prediction: 66 - 96

Last year the AL Central was arguably the best division in baseball, this year it should get a run for its money from the AL East, but they certainly have two teams to match any other division in MLB.

1. Detroit Tigers

Apparently Detroit is becoming a big market team. After a a World Series trip the Tigers missed out on the postseason due in part to some key injuries. So what does a big market team do in the offseason? They reload. They trade their best prospects (Maybin, Miller, Jurjjens) to restock with All Stars (Cabrera, Willis, Renteria). Now the Tigers have arguably the best lineup in baseball.

Key Player: Jeremy Bonderman, The Tigers really need someone to emerge as their #2 starter behind Verlander. Last season Bonderman appeared to be on the verge of a breakout season. On July 13th Bonderman moved his record to 10-1 and his ERA to 3.50, after that it was kaboom to the point where he finished the season 11-9 with a 5.01 era before being shelved. The Tigers really need Bonderman to be the 2007 pre all star break Bonderman.

Player to Eye: Miguel Cabrera, In his first season in the American League a lot will be expected from Miguel Cabrera, yet the Tigers plan on batting him in the 5 hole. Really it will be interesting to see just how much of a boost Cabrera's numbers will get now that he's hitting in the middle of one of the best lineups in baseball.

Record Prediction: 96 - 66

2. Cleveland Indians

The Indians just missed out on the World Series last year after CC Sabathia completely ran out of gas in the playoffs. This year they will most likely once again be amongst the elite American League teams challenging for a birth to the World Series.

Key Player: Travis Hafner, Last year the Indians won the division due to the strengths of their two aces at the top of the rotation. One thing lost in the shuffle was how ineffective Pronk was for the majority of the season. After the Tigers beefed up their lineup with two big bats in the offseason the Indians need Pronk back and raking in order to

Player to Eye: Joe Borowski, Borowski somehow despite being not good ended up with a ridiculous amount of saves last season. This year once again despite having better pitcher in the bullpen the Indians will turn the ball over in the 9th to Borowski. Will he be able put up a similar showing this season or will he force the Indians to replace him by getting rocked on a more consistent basis.

Record Prediction:91-71

3. Chicago White Sox

The White Sox should again be looking up at the standings for the entirety of the season. They decided to part ways with Jon Garland in the offseason which might not have been the greatest idea. Either way the White Sox don't have the pitching depth or the studs at the top to give a serious run at the division title.

Key Player: Paul Konerko, Last season was an unacceptable one for Konerko. His average fell from a career high of .313 in 2006 to .259 in 2007 which was amongst his career lows. The WHite Sox certainly won't have a stellar rotation this season and will be very reliant on Konerko as well as others to boost their run production back to an elite level.

Player to Eye: Nick Swisher, So Nick Swisher the past few seasons has been a masher for the Oakland A's floating between the corner outfield and first base. Now potentially Swisher could be the leadoff hitting center fielder for the White Sox? Does this make any sense to anybody? I can't wait to see this guy track down his first regular season gapper.

Record Prediction:80-82

4. Minnesota Twins

The Twins traded away the best pitcher in baseball and their #1 pitching prospect and also lost their clubhouse leader. So they're going to suck right? Well probably, but there is a chance if that they could actually contend for the division title. They just need the rest of their pitching prospects to light it up, the JM cornerstones to have their best seasons and some of their hitting prospects to emerge as big time players. Sure it's a lot to ask but they do have potential.

Key Player: Francisco Liriano, When you trade away the best pitcher in baseball it's pretty hard to replace him, but the Twins actually have a chance. If Liriano can regain his 2006 form when he was actually a better pitcher than Santana. A return to that form is mostly unlikely but in order for the Twins to make a run at the division they need to unlikely to happen.

Player to Eye: Delmon Young, He's always been deemed a little bit of a loose cannon, but now in Minnesota outside of the radar Delmon Young could blossom into a premier player. This season young comes in at the tender age of 22 with a full season under his belt where he hit .286 he should have a breakout season.

Record Prediction:73-89

5. Kansas City Royals

If this was the NFL or the NBA the Royals would be right there in the race to get that first pick. Too bad there are no Michael Beasley's waiting as saviors at the end of the tunnel. The good news for the Royals is they have some young talent with Gordon, Teahan and Butler waiting in the wings. The problem, they still have no pitching and they're one of the best divisions in baseball.

Key Player: Alex Gordon, Again the Royals are going to be bad this season so once again the only thing that should really matter to fans in KC is the future. And Alex Gordon is supposed to be the future of the franchise.

Player to Eye: Billy Butler, Now that Sweeney is finally gone Billy Butler can get full time PT all season long. Expect him to hit around .300 and morph into another solid career DH.

Record Prediction:71-91

In honor of Brandon Jennings busting out a money hairstyle, I bring you great moments in Flat Top / Hi-Top Fade History. Sure my memory could probably use a refresher when it comes to finding the best of the best, but here's essentially the best of what I remember. So feel free to email away any additions.

Fab Five Flat Top


Yesterday CWebb retired so of course the Fab Five is going to be on my mind. And no one quite rocked a flat top in the NCAA Finals quite like Juwan Howard.

Back to Back Flat Tops


I certainly hate Duke, but the Hill boys always rocked out a solid flat top during their dominant days at Duke.

Flat Top Dream Team

Why were they the dream team? The flat top of course. Patrick Ewing, Scottie Pippen, Chris Mulling, and the Admiral all rocked out flat tops. That's a high powered flat top squad.

Other Members of the All Flat Top Team

Kendell Gill always rocked out a solid flat top.


Detlef Schrempf adds to the contigent of white flat tops.


White guys really do look miserable in a flat top. Kind of like Eric Montross's basketball skills.


Dee Brown rocked out the Hi-Top fade blindfolded while wearing Pumps.


Back in his Prime Greg Anthony Rocked out the Hi-Top Fade with the Runnin Rebs.

I Will Crush You Flat Top

So what if Drago didn't play Basketball in Rocky, in the true story Drago was a punishing Communist Power Forward that lead the Ruskies over the US of A.

Last night I left ESPN on after the C's game and found out by accident that the McDonald's All America game was on. I left it on for a bit and really there was only one thing of note. Arizona PG recruit Brandon Jennings has an enormous Kid N' Play like Flat Top. It was phenomenal and I pray that Flat Tops / Hi-Top Fades are coming back in style.

FLAT TOPS HELP IMPROVE THE JORDAN POSE
(Do Not Actually Improve Dunking Ability)



YOU CAN CARRY THE BALL WITH A FLAT TOP
(Ref's Are Blinded by the Hair)



FLAT TOPS GIVE YOU WINGS
(Red Bull Not Included)

The ACC is often regarded as the #1 basketball conference in the country and this year the RPI rankings reflected that. Yet, the ACC mysteriously only received 4 invitations to the Big Dance. Well after a week and a half it's pretty evident that the ACC might have been a touch overrated this season. Why? Because after a week and a half there's only one team left and the conference has a combined 9-7 record.

NCAA Tourney ELIMINATED (2-3)

Clemson 0-1: Dumped in the first round to the last at large team in the dance is pretty poor. Especially when a win would have lined the Tigers up against Siena.

Duke 1-1: Barely avoided historic levels of ineptitude when they won by 1 over Belmont. Than pretty much got thumped by WVU.

Miami 1-1: Knocked off St. Mary's woooo in the first round and then closed the gap but lost to Texas in the second round. No real shame in a 7 seed losing to a 2.

NIT ELIMINATED (3-3)

Florida St. 0-1: Florida St. got dumped at home against Akron in the first round of the NIT. Piss Poor.

Maryland 1-1: Maryland won a road game against not so good Minnesota before getting dumped by Syracuse.

VaTech 2-1: The Hokies pummeled two opponents at home prior to losing to Ole Miss a game before MSG.

CBI ELIMINATED (2-1)

UVA 2-1: UVA was the last ACC team to make a tournament and the only ACC invited to the historic CBI. There they dumped instate rivals Richmond and ODU at home to make the last 4. Then they were dumped at home by Bradley.

UNC IS THE LONE SURVIVOR (2-0)

The #1 team in the country is now the last remaining ACC team. And it's not like their path has been very difficult thus far. Sure they've pummeled their opponents, but they are playing virtually at home and one of the teams they defeated was Mount St. Mary's woo. Sure UNC will probably run away with the NCAA Championship at the end of the season, but the ACC has proven itself to be an overrated conference in 07-08 and not the powerhouse everyone proclaims.

It's been a very long time since Max Kellerman quit Around the Horn to move onto his unsuccessful show IMax, but today he said something on his radio show on 1050 ESPN Radio that I found humurous. Basically when Bob Ryan was on the show, which wasn't that often, he would just agree with all of the arguments Ryan presented and intentionally placed him in the finals to piss off the other contestants. He said he would usually pit Ryan against Woody and have Ryan win, just so he could annoy the other guys.

I bet Jay Mariotti went home daily crying like a little girl. "Max doesn't like me, wah wah. Why doesn't he like me?"

Reseeding is stupid. Let me explain why...

My original tournament bracket had Bradley vs. Virginia in the finals of the CBI tournament and UVA taking it home. Well come semifinals time the CBI decides that it wants to recede teams based on some criteria that nobody knows (aka I don't care to find out) and they decided to throw my bracket for a loop and make Bradley and UVA face each other in the semifinals. So do you repick at this point? Do you leave the bracket as is? I have no idea, plus I'm lazy so I left the bracket as is. Well Bradley beat UVA, so now my champion is obviously wrong, but do I get credit for Bradley in the finals. I had them there, but I had them losing to UVA. Who knows. If you can't even do a March Madness bracket with it than why should anyone care about shit teams facing each other?

I obviously wasn't going to get the UMass trip to MSG given I had them losing to FSU long ago, but still going into last night I had 1 of 2 'Final Four' teams. And then the bracket came to an abrupt halt. VaTech had to choke on some large dong at home against Ole Miss. Sure Ole Miss has a better record, but I figured home court, playing in a better conference, plus the ability to almost beat the best team in the country would give them the ability to proclaim themselves the 66th best team in the country. Nope they got pounded in the last few minutes and my bracket was shattered. And then of course to put salt in the wounds Ohio State has to do basically the same thing to Dayton and pull away in the second half. Stupid NIT.

An odd division in which the Cubs are the odds on favorite because of their cash. The Cardinals and Astros seemingly have garnered a bunch of roster holes while the Brewers need their pitching to stay healthy and their youth to lead them over the hump they couldn't quite get to last year.

1. Chicago Cubs

Another year another failure for the 2007 Cubs. This year after the addition of Fuku and the possible return of Kerry Wood to the pitching staff the Cubs will once again be amongst the National League favorites.

Key Player: Carlos Zambrano, Big Z guaranteed a Cy Young award last year. That didn't quite pan out. This year I haven't heard much from Big Z which is probably a good thing. Shut up, go on the mound every 5th day and dominate. Your team needs it.

Player to Eye: Kosuke Fukudome, I always have fun watching Japanese imports because they are such a crap shoot. They could turn into Ichiro and become superstars or Matsui and become a good player or Kazuo 'Anal Fissures' Matsui and become a bust for a few seasons. Really you have no idea what the transition is going to be.

Record Prediction: 90-72

2. Milwaukee Brewers

The Brewers were the story of the NL Central for much of the season last year and then they quickly plummeted from grace. This season they will look for their youth (Prince, JJ, Sunglasses at Night, Weeks, Braun) to carry their offense while they hope that their rotation can stay solid and healthy. But with Capuano out for the year, Yovani already on the DL, and brittle Ben Sheets as your ace, is that a good thing to rely on?

Key Player: Ben Sheets, Ben Sheets is by far the most important person on the Brewers. The guy has ace stuff but can never stay healthy. Sheets has not pitched a full season since 2004 and now is as vital as any. With the injuries already seen in the Brewers rotation a trip to the DL for Sheets will devastate the Brewers season.

Player to Eye: Rickie Weeks, Rickie Weeks has been amongst the biggest teases of prospects in the league.

Record Prediction: 89-73

3. Houston Astros

The Astros were an ill advised division winner pick for me last year. This year no chance. The Astros have a solid lineup but after Roy Oswalt have no pitching I would remotely trust.

Key Player: Roy Oswalt, Over the past few seasons Oswalt has been in a slow but steady decline. With a team that has question marks in their starting rotation from 2-5 they really need Oswalt to return back to the form that made him amongst the top pitchers in MLB.

Player to Eye: Hunter Pence, If you don;t know the name Hunter Pence by now then you should start reading up. The 2007 rookie hit .322 with 17 HR in 456 at bats. In 2008 Pence will be a force surrounding himself with Berkman and Carlos Lee.

Record Prediction: 78 - 84

4. St. Louis Cardinals

It feels like ages ago that the Cardinals won the World Series but in reality it was only 2 seasons ago. This year the Cardinals could be in rough shape. Outside of Adam Wainwright who is not really a true ace the Cardinals have a ton of starting pitching question marks. They additionally have some holes to fill in the outfield. It could be a rough year in St. Louis.

Key Player: Albert Pujols, Pujols had an 'off' year last year which still put him amongst the best players in baseball. This year he comes into the year already with an injury. Will it effect him at all? It hasn't in the spring. But if he ever goes down the Cardinals are going to be miserable.

Player to Eye: Rick Ankiel, Rick is now the everyday centerfielder. Who saw that coming last year at this point. I've even seen some ridiculous predictions of him being a 40 HR contender. One things for certain he will be the biggest story in St. Louis all year.

Record Prediction: 75-87

5. Cincinnati Reds

Another season where the Reds have an outside chance to make an impact in the division yet another season where they probably do not have anywhere near enough pitching to do so.

Key Player: Bronson Arroyo, Arroyo came back to earth in 2007 after his superb 2006 year. Once again he will be the Reds #2 starter and they desperately need him to pitch well for the entirety of the season and not just flashes here and there.

Player to Eye: Johnny Cueto & Edison Volquez, Two young Dominicans thrust into the Reds opening day rotation, both have potential to become solid starters. Both could also completely shit the bed. The Red really could use one or both to pitch well for the entire season.

Record Prediction: 74-88

6. Pittsburgh Pirates

Perhaps the Pirates should just be renamed the Basement Dwellers. Every year they seem to just suck. This season shouldn't be much different with their lineup not providing much to be enthused about and their pitching being just middle of the pack.

Key Player: Jason Bay, Jason Bay really shat the bed last season. I have no idea what happened to him last year but he certainly wasn't the force he has been in the past. If the Pirates don't want to finish in the basement than they need their best player not to suck.

Player to Eye: Ian Snell, Snell is a pitcher completely under the radar because he throws for the Basement Dwellars. Last year Snell threw over 200 innings had over 170 strikeouts and had a 3.76 era. Yet I bet you would have no idea if you weren't a fantasy freak or a Pirates fan.

Record Prediction: 67-95

I'm 25 so I'm not exactly a child anymore anyway, but today marks the end of my sports adolescence. If you ask me the question of whom was your favorite baseball player or football player as a kid chances are you would get a different answer depending on the day. But if you asked me who was your favorite basketball player or favorite athlete in general, the answer is simple and immediate. The answer is Chris Webber.

As a kid I was always infatuated with the NCAA tournament. I used to watch all the games, fill out all the brackets and tape them on my door. Year by year the brackets would add up and that's what my door was covered in. NCAA brackets. Thus it didn't take much for me to become a fan of the Fab Five. Was there ever a better show? A better story than five freshmen dominating a team and taking them all the way to the finals? I was 9 when they made their first final four run and it was over, I was marked a Michigan fan for life and a CWebb follower. The next season I watched as many Michigan games as I could and was devastated when CWebb made the mindless mistake of calling a timeout he didn't have.

When he announced his intentions to enter the draft I was initially disappointed at the fact that the Fab Five was no more but I was pumped that my favorite player had a chance to be the #1 pick. Then on draft day I thought he might be paired with Shaq, what a combo that could have been, but instead the Magic and Warriors made a flip flop sending CWebb to the West Coast. That off season was the biggest card collecting season. I ventured off in a quest to get as many CWebb rookie cards as possible. And one day I hit the jackpot. I got a card that you sent back to the card company and got a pack which included all of the lottery picks. I will never be happier seeing a piece of shiny cardboard than I was when I opened up the mail and saw my shiny CWebb card with him in a Warriors cap.

The rest of his career I constantly rooted for 2 teams. The Celtics and whatever team CWebb played for. The first season I was pumped after Webber helped lead the Warriors back to the playoffs and won the rookie of the year. The next season I was surprised when he was dealt to the Bullets but intrigued by the matching up of him and Juwan Howard. That never really panned out, but I got a sweet CWebb bullets jersey out of the deal. Next the Bullets stupidly traded Webber to the Kings. I thought man that blows the Kings are horrible but alas I was wrong. Webber, Divac, Peja, Bibby, Christie, J-Will, etc. all of those that played while Webber was there created one of the most exciting teams in NBA history. I was extremely pissed when the Lakers pulled off a 7 game series win helped by a stupid Horry triple at the buzzer earlier in the series. That was the closest Webber would ever get to a championship. One failed team rebound attempt turned perfect outlet pass to Big Shot Bob.

After that Webber's career was down hill. Soon after he would blow out his knee attempting to jump in the playoffs and then the deadly word 'Microfracture' was uttered. He no longer had the athleticism which made him great he no longer could be the #1 player or even a premier #2 player. His trip to the 76ers with AI was a complete bust due to his inability to get off the floor. His trip to Detroit put him as a complete roll player. And his trip to Golden St. was merely a last hope that he could still play. But he couldn't.

Chris Webber's career is a career of almosts and not quites. He almost won two NCAA Titles. He almost knocked off the Lakers which would have surely given him his first NBA Title. He almost had a career to get him into the Hall of Fame but the injuries and lack of playoff success will surely keep him out. But with all these not quites there is one thing for certain, Chris Webber was, is and will always be my favorite athlete. And today I am saddened that I will never watch him play again and that the biggest sports link to my childhood is calling it a career.

Tha AL West unlike the NL West is a two horse race. The Angels have been consistently in the running for a long time now while the Mariners are a team which should once again make a serious run at the division title.

1. Seattle Mariners

The Mariners could still use an additional bat but the addition of Erik Bedard gives them 2 of the best pitchers in the American League and gives them amongst the best rotations in the American League.

Key Player: Richie Sexson, The Mariners are a team devoid of a major threat in the heart of their lineup right now. They have good bats around but no one that makes their opponents shake in their boots. Richie 'Mendoza Line' Sexson has been that bat at points of his career. Even in his previous .260 averages would be acceptable but the .205 garbage he spit out last year would once again cripple their season.

Player to Eye: Erik Bedard, the big acquisition from the offseason is now finally on a team with the potential to make the post season. Last year before Bedard was shut down one could have argued that he should have been the Cy Young award winner. This season the Mariners will desperately need Bedard to repeat his 2007 performance but this time stay healthy the entire season.

Record Prediction: 91-71

2. LAA Angels

The Angels came into spring training as easily the AL West team to beat. They may still be the team to beat in the West but they certainly are a team marred with a lot of injuries. Currently their staff consists of injuries to front line starters Kelvim Escobar as well as Jon Lackey and key 8th inning man Scot Shields. If these guys don't get back to 100% it could end up being a very very disappointing season for the Los Angeles California West Coast City Angels.

Key Player: John Lackey, When your #1 goes down in spring training it is a very very bad thing. When you're #1 and #2 go down than you are really hurting. The Angels need John Lackey to come back so that they can match the King Felix and Bedard 1,2 punch in Seattle. If Lackey bounce back and forth on the DL than the Angels will not make the playoffs.

Player to Eye: Howie Kendrick, Kendrick has always been a free swinging big time prospect for the Angels but for the past two seasons he has either been platooned or injury riddled. This season Kendrick will get all the hacks his heart can desire and in his first full season he could potentially contend for the batting crown.

Record Prediction: 90 - 72

3. Texas Rangers

The Rangers if anything are consistent. Once again they've put together one of the worst rotations in major league baseball. A rotation that consists of 2007 ERAs all about 4.5 and most way higher. The slight difference with the 2008 Rangers as opposed to past Rangers teams is that their offense might be worse.

Key Player: Kevin Millwood, I guess I'll go with Millwood considering he is the 'ACE' of their staff. Really they just need two pitchers to be good this season. Any two. And I don't mean really good, cause they don't have the talent for that, I mean like era around 4 good. That way the Rangers won't have to score 9 runs a game if they want to be over .500.

Player to Eye: Josh Hamilton, The former #1 pick had his reemergence last year and as a reward was sent to Texas to play in another favorable hitters spot. Currently Hamilton is seen destroying the baseball during Spring training and many are calling for a 30 HR season. If he can do it than at least there will be something fun to watch in Texas.

Record Prediction: 70-92

4. Oakland A's

The A's come into 2008 having trading away both their best pitcher and their best hitter, not exactly the best scenario for a successful season.

Key Player: Rich Harden, Every year Harden is pretty much the key to this team. He has amongst the best stuff of any pitcher in major league baseball yet the man can absolutely never stay healthy. If the A's want to win any games this season they need their starting pitching to be much better than average and they need Harden to help lead the way.

Player to Eye: Justin Duchscherer, The setup man turned closer during Huston Street's many injuries is now turned into a starter. He hasn't started a game since 2003 and is much older than you would think as he turned 30 in November. Once again the A's need pitching this year and will need Duchscherer to pan out as a solid bottom of the rotation guy.

Record Prediction: 68-94

So here's my first fantasy baseball draft yesterday. If you enjoy reading about fantasy baseball and want a mock draft like look at a league I say read on. Don't give a crap, then move on.

Anyway this league consists of 10 members, 30 players each, and the categories are a bit ludicrous.

Categories: R, H, 1B, 2B, 3B, HR, RBI, SB, BB, AVG, IP, W, CG, SHO, SV, K, ERA, WHIP, K/9
Positions: C, C, 1B, 1B, 2B, 2B, 3B, 3B, SS, SS, OF, OF, OF, Util, Util, Util, Util, SP, SP, SP, RP, RP, P, P, P, BN, BN, BN, BN, BN, DL

Alright now onto the analysis. My Picks are in BOLD.

Round 1
1. Álex Rodríguez MANNYS DREADS
2. José Reyes Harpoons & H...
3. Miguel Cabrera The Wall Balls
4. Chase Utley Juice Heads
5. Hanley Ramírez Deb's HGH Bu...
6. Matt Holliday Frank the Yank
7. David Wright Mclovein
8. Albert Pujols Ginzoes
9. Manny Ramírez McNamee Juic...
10. Jimmy Rollins Put it on My...

Best Pick: David Wright slipping to 7 is ridiculous.
Ballsy Pick: Miguel Cabrera should be a beast but over Hanley and David Wright is ballsy.
Stupid Pick: Manny Ramirez should no longer be a first round pick.
My Pick: I almost pissed myself when I knew I was going to get Hanley or Wright. I opted for Hanley but it was really a coin flip.

Round 2
1. Johan Santana Put it on My...
2. C.C. Sabathia McNamee Juic...
3. Prince Fielder Ginzoes
4. Ryan Howard Mclovein
5. Grady Sizemore Frank the Yank
6. Ryan Braun Deb's HGH Bu...
7. David Ortiz Juice Heads
8. Alfonso Soriano The Wall Balls
9. Jake Peavy Harpoons & H...
10. Jonathan Papelbon MANNYS DREADS

Best Pick: Soriano with pick 18 will be a beast with his surrounding lineup and now in the 2 hole.
Ballsy Pick: Papelbon in the 2nd round is probably a bit too early but nobody else in baseball currently has a save.
Stupid Pick: CC Sabathia is not a 2nd rounder. The McNamee Juice guys were apparently drunk for much of the draft.
My Pick: I came down to Braun or Ortiz but opted for Braun due to the 3B eligibility figuring it would be easy to fill UTIL later on.

Round 3
1. Brandon Webb MANNYS DREADS
2. Víctor Martínez Harpoons & H...
3. Brandon Phillips The Wall Balls
4. Carl Crawford Juice Heads
5. Ichiro Suzuki Deb's HGH Bu...
6. Magglio Ordóñez Frank the Yank
7. J.J. Putz Mclovein
8. Carlos Beltrán Ginzoes
9. Vladimir Guerrero McNamee Juic...
10. B.J. Upton Put it on My...

Best Pick: Carl Crawford usually goes in the 1st round and I laugh. But in the 3rd it's a nice pickup.
Ballsy Pick: Victor Martinez went a bit earlier than normal but in a 2 catcher league it's nice not to have to deal with 2 shitty catchers.
Stupid Pick: JJ Putz really shouldn't be getting drafted in the 3rd round.
My Pick: I took Ichiro over much deliberation completely due to the fact that Hits are such an important category in this league with H, 1B, 2B, 3B, and AVG all categories.

Round 4
1. Carlos Lee Put it on My...
2. Mark Teixeira McNamee Juic...
3. Lance Berkman Ginzoes
4. Josh Beckett Mclovein
5. Russell Martin Frank the Yank
6. Álex Ríos Deb's HGH Bu...
7. Justin Morneau Juice Heads
8. Cole Hamels The Wall Balls
9. Curtis Granderson Harpoons & H...
10. Erik Bedard MANNYS DREADS

Best Pick: With 3Bs a category if Granderson doesn't have any lingering effects jumping on him was a solid move.
Ballsy Pick: With Beckett and Granderson your dealing with current injured players.
Stupid Pick: Nothing stands out.
My Pick:Again the pickup of Rios was highly credited to the fact he gets a lot of hits. Probably a bad reach on my part.

Round 5
1. Chone Figgins MANNYS DREADS
2. Robinson Canó Harpoons & H...
3. Derek Jeter The Wall Balls
4. Dan Haren Juice Heads
5. Troy Tulowitzki Deb's HGH Bu...
6. John Lackey Frank the Yank
7. Adam Dunn Mclovein
8. Brian Roberts Ginzoes
9. Miguel Tejada McNamee Juic...
10. Aaron Harang Put it on My...

Best Pick: Cano if he stays 100% healthy this season will have over 200 hits.
Ballsy Pick: Aaron Harang needs his team to help him get some wins this season but the rest of his stats are always great.
Stupid Pick: Dunn, Lackey and Tejada all seem to be ill advised picks to me given the format.
My Pick: Wanted to get a 2nd stud SS.

Round 6
1. Derrek Lee Put it on My...
2. Chipper Jones McNamee Juic...
3. Aramis Ramírez Ginzoes
4. Justin Verlander Mclovein
5. Roy Halladay Frank the Yank
6. Garrett Atkins Deb's HGH Bu...
7. Travis Hafner Juice Heads
8. Francisco Rodríguez The Wall Balls
9. Carlos Peña Harpoons & H...
10. Joe Mauer MANNYS DREADS

Best Pick: Hafner slipping to the 6th round was probably a gift.
Ballsy Pick: Chipper over Atkins and Aramis is really banking on his health.
Stupid Pick: Carlos Pena just seems like too much of a risk for the 6th round to me.
My Pick: Went with Atkins and the comfortable confines of Coors. He'll hit .300 once again this season.

Round 7
1. Daisuke Matsuzaka MANNYS DREADS
2. Michael Young Harpoons & H...
3. Carlos Zambrano The Wall Balls
4. Eric Byrnes Juice Heads
5. Nick Markakis Deb's HGH Bu...
6. Roy Oswalt Frank the Yank
7. Joe Nathan Mclovein
8. Bobby Abreu Ginzoes
9. Ian Kinsler McNamee Juic...
10. Scott Kazmir Put it on My...

Best Pick: None really stand out.
Ballsy Pick: Eric Byrnes was a fantasy stud in 2007 but too much it's too much risk.
Stupid Pick: I think Michael Young would have lasted until a round or two longer.
My Pick: Markakis is a young free swinging hitter who will wind up with 190+ hits.

Round 8
1. Tim Lincecum Put it on My...
2. Jorge Posada McNamee Juic...
3. Carlos Guillén Ginzoes
4. Jacoby Ellsbury Mclovein
5. Fausto Carmona Frank the Yank
6. Brian McCann Deb's HGH Bu...
7. Corey Hart Juice Heads
8. Édgar Rentería The Wall Balls
9. Félix Hernández Harpoons & H...
10. Adrián González MANNYS DREADS

Best Pick: Carlos Guillen will play everyday at 1B but is SS eligible and is hitting in arguably the best lineup in the bigs.
Ballsy Pick: Tim Lincecum was selected over a lot of very good pitchers. With the Giants lineup this was probably ill advised.
Stupid Pick: Jacoby Ellsbury will get lots of steals and hits, but he might not play everyday when Coco comes back and currently he's not leading off.
My Pick: Figured I would grab the last good catcher once Posada went off the board.

Round 9
1. Rafael Furcal MANNYS DREADS
2. Francisco Liriano Harpoons & H...
3. Ryan Zimmerman The Wall Balls
4. Chris Young Juice Heads
5. Hunter Pence Deb's HGH Bu...
6. Torii Hunter Frank the Yank
7. Orlando Cabrera Mclovein
8. Gary Sheffield Ginzoes
9. Howie Kendrick McNamee Juic...
10. Dan Uggla Put it on My...

Best Pick: Howie Kendrick could be superb in this leagues format if he stays healthy and plays everyday.
Ballsy Pick: Francisco Liriano has a ton of question marks.
Stupid Pick: Not seeing the appeal of Orlando Cabrera here.
My Pick: I really can't believe Pence lasted this long. I contemplated picking him over Markakis but when he lasted 2 more rounds I jumped all over him.

Round 10
1. Vernon Wells Put it on My...
2. J.J. Hardy McNamee Juic...
3. Takashi Saito Ginzoes
4. John Smoltz Mclovein
5. Paul Konerko Frank the Yank
6. Chris Young Deb's HGH Bu...
7. Andruw Jones Juice Heads
8. Nick Swisher The Wall Balls
9. James Loney Harpoons & H...
10. Billy Wagner MANNYS DREADS

Best Pick: Paul Konerko is a safe 30 HR option at 1B.
Ballsy Pick: James Loney will get daily at bats now we shall see if he really is a .300 hitter.
Stupid Pick: In this format I was staying away from low hit producers in Andruw Jones and Nick Swisher.
My Pick: Hey it's the 10th round I figured I should draft a pitcher and the big Chris Young was the best one left.

Round 11
1. Mike Lowell MANNYS DREADS
2. James Shields Harpoons & H...
3. John Maine The Wall Balls
4. Jeremy Bonderman Juice Heads
5. José Valverde Deb's HGH Bu...
6. Chien-Ming Wang Frank the Yank
7. Willy Taveras Mclovein
8. Jason Bay Ginzoes
9. Joba Chamberlain McNamee Juic...
10. Alex Gordon Put it on My...

Best Pick: If Jason Bay can play anything like he used to he will be a steal.
Ballsy Pick: John Maine is having a lights out spring but will he be worth an 11th rounder?
Stupid Pick: Joba Chamberlain unless he gains a starters job or Mo goes down is a complete waste of a pick. But there were a lot of other bad picks this round.
My Pick: Grabbed a top notch closer so I would have atleast one 'reliable' source of saves.

READ THE REST OF THE 30 Rounds

So close to getting the perfect first CBI final 4 but instead the Utes had to blow it for me. UVA knocked off in state rival ODU to keep my title prediction alive. Senior Sean Singletary didn't want to end his career as he dropped a triple with 6 seconds left then immediately stole the ball and hit an and 1 layup. Houston pummeled Valpo to enter the Final 4. My finals loser Bradley knocked off regular Ohio after a 21-3 run in the second half. But the damn Utes had to suck it up in the 1st half and go down by 15, a margin that they could not make up.

Now the CBI can reorginize the bracket ala Hockey playoffs based on seeding. I have no idea who is seeded what but it appears as if they are keeping the bracket true and playing Tulsa vs. Bradley and Houston vs. UVA.

The NL West will be amongst the most competitive leagues and most difficult leagues to predict in 2008. 4 of the 5 teams come into the season with legitimate title dreams. The other, the Giants, could wind up the worst team in major league baseball.

1. Arizona Diamondbacks

Last season the Diamondbacks lept to the top of the division on the strength of the pitching staff and a little luck. This season the Dbacks now have 2 aces and are looking for a repeat performance. Their offense still leaves some to desire but their pitching should easily make up for it.

Key Player: Randy Johnson, Easily the most important person in the entire NL West is Randy Johnson. Over the age of 40 has for the most part been unkind to the Big Unit's back. He struggles to stay healthy the entire season. But he showed flashes last season of being his old self when healthy, so if he can stay healthy for an entire season the Diamondbacks will have the best rotation in the entire NL.

Player to Eye: Justin Upton, Another key player for the Diamondbacks is 20 year old uber prospect Justin Upton. Thrust into a full time starting role he will be given ample opportunity to show what he can do. It's a gamble for the Diamondbacks to entrust an a daily spot on him

Record Prediction: 89-73

2. Colorado Rockies

The Rockies made amongst the most remarkable runs in sports history last season but unfortunately fell just short in the end. This season they enter with most of the same pieces just now with extra experience. If they fail to make the postseason this year it will turn out to be a disappointment in Colorado.

Key Player: Ubaldo Jimenez & Franklin Morales, Both young pitchers burst onto the scene last year and helped lead the Rockies to their unprecedented run to the World Series. The Rockies will once again rely on these two heavily. If both improve from their 2007 season then the Rockies should be in contention for the NL West crown. If either implodes the Rockies could find themselves in 4th in the division.

Player to Eye: Troy Tulowitzki, Tulo started off the 2007 season slowly but went on to hit .296 with 15 homers after the all star break. This season Tulowitzki could make the progression to the elite shortstops in the National league.

Record Prediction: 88-74

3. Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers come into the season as the highest spending NL West club but with considerable question marks. Who will they play in the outfield daily? Who is going to play 3rd base with both Nomar and the young Laroche out with an injury? How will the young players on the Dodgers react to Joe Torre's coaching style?

Key Player: Andruw Jones, the big signing for the Dodgers will be thrust into the middle of an odd lineup. Some youth and some very old vets. If the Dodgers are going to be successful this season they will need to get the pop from Jones that they were lacking as a team last season. Jones will also have to provide that pop without hitting .220.

Player to Eye: Matt Kemp, Matt Kemp has shown flashes of great skill over the past few seasons but with the overload in the Dodgers outfield has never been given a full slate of at bats. This season Kemp should get daily at bats (if Joe Torre is smart enough to play him instead of Andre Ethier and Juan Pierre) and will certainly look to improve on his 10 HR and 10 steal total from 2007 but continue the .342 clip he hit at.

Record Prediction: 88 - 74

4. San Diego Padres

The Padres season ended in heart break last year with a late season and 1 game playoff collapse. The Padres were lead to the 1 game playoff based on a solid pitching staff and a just good enough lineup. Well this season their lineup just might be worse. With Jody Gerut, absent from baseball for awhile, and Scott Hairston as the projected outfielders they might need Jake Peavy to have an ERA below 1.

Key Player: Chris Young, last season Chris Young was spectacular yet somehow didn't get the benefit of too many wins. This year if the Padres want to take the division Young will again need to post superb numbers to give the a 1 2 punch which matches the DBacks 1 2 of Webb and Haren.

Player to Eye: Jim Edmonds, last year the Padres got decent but not spectacular numbers from Mike Cameron. This season the Padres bring in oft injured Jim Edmonds. Chances are Edmonds will continue along the same injured not so productive path he's been on for the past 3 seasons. The Padres however really need Edmonds to stay healthy and add some power to their overly weak lineup.

Record Prediction: 85-77

5. San Francisco Giants

The Giants spent to the offseason unloading the 2nd most storied name in their franchise history. And what did they do it for? Certainly not for the improvement of the team as the Giants come into the season with arguably the worst offense of this decade.

The Giants decided that they no longer wanted to deal with the Giant headache that is Barry Bonds and thus they did not offer him a contract. They apparently do want to deal with the headache of finishing in last place as they've assembled a team with absolutely no offense of note. They have no superior offensive prospects and their lineup consists of players 5+ years past their prime.

Key Player: Aaron Rowand, Who the hell knows who the key player for the Giants will be this season. They need someone to show up and actually make contact with the baseball. Someone who perhaps can help the team score some runs. Aaron Rowand I guess makes the most sense since he actually hit over 25 home runs last year, but to me that seems more fluky than of the norm for Rowand. And the change from home friendly Philly to windy Pac Bell, does not seem advantageous for him.

Player to Eye: Dan Ortmeier, Someone in the lineup under the age of 30. Who knew? Dan Ortmeier isn't a big name prospect and is having a rough spring, but he did hit decently in limited PT last year and the Giants will be desperate for offense all around.

Record Prediction: 59-103

Went 3 for 4 last night with only my hatred of the Buckeyes getting the best of me. Of the 4 games the Buckeyes, Hokies, and Dayton Fliers all won comfortably while Ole Miss was forced into overtime by the Cornhuskers but managed to kill them in OT. Overall the NIT bracket sits at 10 of 16 for the 1st round, 5 of 8 for the Elite 8. So mediocre.

~My bracket sucks. If I hadn't picked any upsets I would be doing better right now. In fact if you put in a 100% chalk no upsets at all bracket on ESPN.com it currently sits at 93.2% with 960 possible points remaining. That means that the vast majority of people, including me, completely outsmart themselves when picking upsets for their brackets. Sure you know they're going to happen, but 95% of you have no idea where. Only a select lucky few do. So if you're in a pool of 30, maybe it's just better to not pick ridiculous upsets. That way you don't get your upset wrong as well as the actual upset wrong.

~Now onto actual stuff.

~The 4&5 seeds bowing out on Friday was entertaining. But honestly did anyone really care about watching Nova vs. Siena or San Diego vs WKY yesterday? I don't think they showed the San Diego game for a second yesterday and I know I was disappointed watching Nova vs. Siena at noon and opted to take the dog for a walk rather than watching the game.

~The West Bracket proved itself to be the worst bracket in the history of God's Green Earth. UCLA was lucky to pull off a victory against A&M. Drake was an unproven #5 seed sunk by a miracle shot. The Huskies were one of the most inconsistent teams in the country and them getting bounced early is not surprising at all. Part of that was due to AJ Price tearing his ACL, and another lucky shot. But face it neither UConn nor Drake played particularly well or were very good. Duke could have lost to Belmont, but then laid an egg against WVU. Purdue stunk. And Xavier really is only here cause Georgia wore out and Purdue sucks. This was the worst bracket day 1 and it still is the worst bracket. I'm pulling for WVU. Why? I have no F'n idea.

~The story of the tournament is Stephen Curry. Seth Greenberg has got to be banging his bald head on maroon lockers in Blacksburg watching these games. The kid should have been a Hokie but he pulled the ole you're not big enough to play D1 ball kid, move. And now he's the coolest thing in the tournament. Fade away triples. Getting to the rack. Clutch free throws. You can't help but love the kid.

~Meanwhile one of my 2 brackets that are in a money pool is 98% on ESPN but had the choking Hoyas in the Final Four. Hibbert has got to be the most overrated college player of this decade. He's nothing more than a mediocre pro prospect. He has no killer instinct. He never demands the ball. And he disappeared all week long, including the Big East tournament. Poor job by the Hoyas blowing their enormous lead.

~All 4 number 1 seeds advanced. They threw up a number during one of the 1 seed games saying they were 82-12 making the sweet 16. Which means it's not a bright idea to pick them to lose prior to that round.

~Joey Dorsey getting a bright light shined in his eye actually helped him make a free throw. That was humorous.

~Memphis has so many god damn athletes that they should really run the train on MSU this week, but somehow someway they'll end up keeping the game close.

~Kansas and UNC had smooth sailing into the Sweet 16. Boring.

~Indiana highly let me down against Arkansas as I thought they could have given UNC a slight scare with Gordon and DJ White. Arkansas then got pummeled.

~The Big East went 7-1 in round one. And then the top seeds shat the bed. The Big East was a deep but overrated conference this year. The top seeds, UConn, ND, Georgetown etc. just weren't that good. Plus Louisville smoked Oklahoma but they did not deserve a 6 seed. The chance of any Big East team making the final four are very slim.

~The Pac 10 got completely lucky with Stanford and UCLA knocking down buckets in the closing seconds to move on.

~Butler probably didn't deserve the fate of having a 7 seed and losing to Tennessee in OT. But shit happens.

~I'm in a training session today, so this could be the last post of the day.

~I guess I underestimated Wazzu who looked pretty good in thumping ND. Perhaps they will give UNC and actual contest.

I bet you forgot that there were NIT games to be played this weekend. Didn't you? Well you missed a lot. Like Cuse pummeling Maryland. Arizona St. beating Southern Illinois and continuing to wonder why they didn't make the tournament. Florida extending their postseason win streak to 14 after killing Creighton and the Minutemen pulling it out for the Northeast. I bet you'll be tuned in for 4 games tonight, since you obviously didn't get enough basketball this weekend.

Adam Morrison now with more hippy but the same amount of sadness.

~If day 1 is any indicator of the entire tournament than we should expect a whole lot of chalk for the entire tournament. Only 2 'upsets' occured and neither were particularly surprising. Kansas St. has the most talented player in the country and has shown flashes of terrific basketball. So them beating USC is not particularly surprising. I probably picked this 50/50 in my brackets. The other 'upset' was #9 A&M over BYU. I don't think I picked BYU in a single bracket other than the one where I made every single pick chalk. That game was not surrprising at all.

~Fear not Duke haters it is simply a matter of time before the Blue Devils get knocked off. Sure it would have beehalfn great if they lost to Belmont. It would have been epically embarrasing and hilarious and forever enjoyable. Unfortuantely they decided they didn't want to stop Gerald from going coast to coast. Oh well, it's only a matter of time before Duke loses. There is 100% no chance Duke is good enough to win the National title.

~Kent St. was averaging one basket per commercial break in the first half until they finally broke out for their 10th point before the half. Perhaps next year if you make the tournament again you should put the ball in the basket a couple times.

~Speaking of scoring. 29 points? I know you were playing a #1 seed and you play in a shit conference in the SWAC, but still Miss Valley St. has to be pretty ashamed with their performance.

~To be completely honest the first day was a bit dull. The laste games didn't offer much excitement. The early games were all pulled out pretty well in the final minutes. Hopefully we get a bit more excitement today.

~Overall my picks were pretty solid. I've got two of my brackets in a pool. The first which I showed yesterday is 14-2. Losing USC who I had in the Sweet 16 and Purdon't. The other bracket is 15-1 losing only a Winthrop upset over Wazzu.

~Today will consist of all hoops watching and all boozing. So chances are the posts end now.

Since starting this ole blog, my picks have lived off of my preseason selections and subsequently died because of it. This year is no different. At the beginning of the season I made final four selections of Kansas, Georgetown, UNC and Memphis. Thus I automatically slot in Memphis and UNC. Then I make a decision as to whom I like amongst Kansas and Georgetown. Then I get the freedom of present time choice for the Western Region.

In the end I hate myself. At the beginning of the season I bounced back and forth between Kansas and Memphis for the championship. And my initial thought was that they would matchup in the title game, and thus I chose the Jayhawks over the Hoyas.

Next onto the West Region where I could choose anybody. And then looking at the bracket I vomitted. My options other than UCLA were Duke, Drake, Uconn, Xavier, or Purdon't. Is this not the worst bracket created in the history of mankind? I passionately hate two of these teams and will avoid putting either in the final four if there is rational reasoning to do so. Drake I haven't watched play a single game, possibly ever. Purdon't is in the lame Big 10. And Xavier never does that well in the tournament. The only logical option was UCLA. I couldn't convince myself to pick any of those other teams.

And thus my bracket has 4 one seeds in the Final Four. I passionately hate it. Then filling out the rest of the bracket was equally shitty. I want to pick against UConn but I can't. I want to pick against Duke but I can't. Cause they play shit teams. Other than the few first round upsets I was pretty much locked into chalk at this point. Very disappointing.

The only one gambling on this bracket is the girlfriend who for some reason trusts me more than randomly picking teams herself. She made a poor choice.

It's Fantasy Baseball Season so it's time to do some Prep Work. Bare in mind that these Preps are as much for me as they are for any other schmuck that happens to read them. If perchance you are in any of my leagues please avoid reading all of this until after our respective drafts. Thanks.

The land of the fantasy outfielder is a plentiful one. In most leagues you need a lot of them, but with some solid research you can find some steals in the latter portion of the draft. Take last year for instance. Shane Victorino and Corey Hart looked like they were finally going to get the opportunity to play every day. Both players were available in the back end of fantasy drafts. Victorino soared to 37 steals in 137 games before getting injured. While Hart who struggled initially to get playing time finished the season with 24 HRs and 23 steals. Both players I identified as late round picks. I only landed Victorino, but he helped catapult me to my championship.

This year is no different. There are always players who turn up and have a full time gig. A full time job that we allow them to blossom. So you want an example right? Here's one. Lastings Milledge. He has always been regarded as a top prospect a player with multiple talents and multiple tools. A player who can hit for power and can steal a base. Yet, with the Mets he could never get consistent playing time. Now with the Nationals he will play every day and should be able to give you close to 20/20 by the end of the season. Yet, because he has no history he will last deep into drafts.

There are always identifiable steals in the outfield at the tail end of the draft. So plan accordingly. Before the draft identify 3 or 4 guys you want to draft in the late rounds. Then while you are going through your draft make sure not to fill up your OF positions and leave yourself open to drafting these guys at the end. If the player doesn't work out, then who cares there's always a semi decent outfield on the waiver wire. Why? Because there are a ton of them.

The first round is done and I went 5-3 yet again putting me at a mediocre 10-6 for the tournament. The benefit of yesterdays losses is that I had all of those squads losing in the second round. Illinois St. lead for the majority of the game in knocking off Utah St. And then I got which Conference USA team was going to win wrong. I went with Charlotte who lost to Nebraska instead of UAB who beat VCU. Oh well. The rest of the picks were pretty much chalk picks and correct. With the closest being a close victory by Cal over New Mexico won by two free throws in the final 4 seconds.

.

3-1 for the second straight day. Only Washington let me down. The same Washington that the CBI webpage was showing off as one of the name teams in the tourney. 1 and done. Additionally, the 'name' Bearcats lost and fell to 13-19. They were definately deserving of postseason play. Finally Utah and Tulsa pummeled their opponents. Thus after round 1 I sit at a comfortable 6-2 with all of my 'Final 4' teams alive.

ESPN asked all of their 'experts' a variety of questions surrounding the tournament and it's very apparent that Dick Vitale loves chalk. He absolutely loves chalk.

What mid-major is most likely to pull a George Mason '06?
Vitale: None

What double-digit seed will make the Sweet 16?
Vitale: None

Who are your sleeper Final Four picks?
Vitale: I only consider teams seeded fifth or lower as sleepers, and I don't think any will make the Final Four.

Plus most of these are qualifying questions. Every team has a likeliness to do something. Mount St. Mary could make the final four. Is it likely? No. It would probably take several bus crashes, a tornado, and Hansbrough's legs chainsawed off. But it's possible. Would it be hard to say Drake is more likely to make the Final Four than the rest of the teams. It's not even going out on a limb. Same thing with the sleeper Final Four Picks. Just throw out a 6 seed. Is it that hard? Here we go, I'll do it for you. Marquette is a big time sleeper. Wow that was tough. And he can't possibly believe that absolutely no 10 seed or above is going to make it into the Sweet 16. Not one.

The rest of his answers are very chalky. Only 1 and 2 seeds in the Final Four. The Tarheels winning it all. All #1 seeds making the elite 8. I can't be one to complain to much as my bracket is ridiculously chalky, but I don't get paid to make picks. If tournaments were played in Dick Vitale's mind they would be incredibly boring and probably gross given the fellatio he would want to give Hansbrough.

Pryor decided to go to Ohio St. and not Michigan so he went from an 18 year old who could have turned into my favorite college athlete of all time to a player I won't mind if he suffers a season ending knee injury.

Atleast the month of useless wait time is over and I can go back to not caring about football for awhile. It does seem a little pathetic that he couldn't have made the same exact decision over a month ago. But whatever he's an 18 year old that couldn't decide whether he wanted to bang the blond or the brunette. He went with the blond who may be a little hotter but has herpes. Good for him.

Some random Philly station made Rock and Roll field of 64 which you can fill out with a chance to win a tv. I was bored so I filled it out. Click on the pick to make it bigger, in case you want to see my picks. Anyway, I had a final four of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who were in a bracket similar to that of UCLAs bracket, Rage Against the Machine, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. In the end I had Pink Floyd pulling off the upset over Led Zeppelin. I'm probably wrong. But I don't care.

After one day of the CBI I'm sitting pretty with a 3-1 record. 'Final 4' pick Houston pulled out a thrilling one point victory on a free throw with 27 seconds left over Nevada. Champion pick UVA, came back from a half time deficit to topple in state rival Richmond by 2 points. While their next opponent, another in state rival, ODU managed to hold off Rider by three. And finally my dumb pick of Brown was a failure after they choked away a 5 point half time lead to lose to Ohio by 6. Brown 'superstar' Damon Huffman dropped 39, 4 points more than the rest of his roster, in the loss.

After day 1 of the NIT my bracket has already taken a beating. I went 5-3 yesterday. Losing out on Ohio St., whom I picked against out of spite, URI who held a 15 point lead at the half but choked it away and lost to a 3 pointer with 3.2 seconds left. And finally the my Final Four Florida St. Seminoles dumped a home game in overtime. Boo to them. I'm hurting in my quest to win my NIT pool of 1 now.

My predicted winners were Umass, Maryland, Cuse, Arizona St. and Southern Illinois. Cuse and the Salukis are 'Elite 8' picks.

ESPN is giving you the opportunity to make 10 brackets, so while I concentrate on figuring out my final 'true' bracket I figured out a way to stupidly decide the games. The move was to pit the best NBA representative from each team against each other. If the team does not have an NBA rep than they used their leading scorer from their tournament team.

Check out the breakdown: Final Four, East Regional, West Regional, South Regional, Midwest Regional


Semifinals

Allen Iverson (Georgetown) over Joe Johnson (Arkansas)
I struggled over this decision for a little bit mostly due to the big height advantage held by Joe Johnson over AI. In the end AI just has too much speed. Too much explosiveness.

Dwyane Wade (Marquette) over Baron Davis (UCLA)
Baron Davis does not have the size to match Wade and his quickness is not light years better than Wade either.

Finals

Allen Iverson (Georgetown) over Dwyane Wade (Marquette)
Two Big East teams making the finals. Wade has the strength advantage over AI and should be able to get to the rim on him. In the end though AI's speed trumps all. Wade is a terrific defender but Iverson can not be covered in a 1 on 1 game. He's got too many moves, he's just too quick.

That was way more enjoyable than filling out my actual bracket which you will see is the Ben Stein of brackets. Dull, extremely dull, and more dull. Throw in bland as well.

ESPN is giving you the opportunity to make 10 brackets, so while I concentrate on figuring out my final 'true' bracket I figured out a way to stupidly decide the games. The move was to pit the best NBA representative from each team against each other. If the team does not have an NBA rep than they used their leading scorer from their tournament team.

Check out the breakdown: Final Four, East Regional, West Regional, South Regional, Midwest Regional


1st Round

Rodney Carney (Memphis) over Anthony Vereen* (Texas Arlington)
Carney is holds a marginal role with the 76ers this year.

Fred Jones (Oregon) over Erick Dampier (Miss St.)
Erick Dampier is a 6-11 stiff, while Fred Jones at the very least can dunk well.

Zach Randolph (Mich St.) over Eddie Jones (Temple)
Eddie Jones is way past his prime.

Mark Blount (Pitt) over Robert Jarvis* (Oral Roberts)
Boo to Mark Blount not playing an NBA player.

Dwyane Wade (Marquette) over Tayshaun Prince (Kentucky)
Arguably the most intriguing first round matchup of all. Wade and Prince match each other up all of the time in the NBA, but without the teammates Wade is simply better.

Josh Childress (Stanford) over Ryan Wittman* (Cornell)
High SAT scores is not the competition here.

John Salmons (Miami) over Patrick Mills* (St. Mary's)
Give the edge to the NBA player.

Kevin Durant (Texas) over Trenton Hassell (Austin Peay)
Durant has too many offensive weapons for the stronger Hassell to handle.

2nd Round

Fred Jones (Oregon) over Rodney Carney (Memphis)
Where's Penny Hardaway when you need him?

Zach Randolph (Mich St.) over Mark Blount (Pitt)
Mark Blount blows. I'm upset he lasted past the first round.

Dwyane Wade (Marquette) over Josh Childress (Stanford)
A healthy wade would abuse Childress in the paint.

Kevin Durant (Texas) over John Salmons (Miami)
Durant takes down Salmons with ease.

Sweet 16

Zach Randolph (Mich St.) over Fred Jones (Oregon)
Two Knicks in the Sweet 16. Apparently my tea at work is spiked. Randolph should win this matchup, but who knows.

Dwyane Wade (Marquette) over Kevin Durant (Texas)
Durant still needs to put on some muscle before he will be able to matchup with Wade down low.

Elite 8

Dwyane Wade (Marquette) over Zach Randolph (Mich St.)
Size, Strength and Weak competition got Zach Randolph to the elite 8. In a matchup vs. Dwyane Wade. If it was a matchup of spelling, Zach's parents would have defeated Dwyane's.

ESPN is giving you the opportunity to make 10 brackets, so while I concentrate on figuring out my final 'true' bracket I figured out a way to stupidly decide the games. The move was to pit the best NBA representative from each team against each other. If the team does not have an NBA rep than they used their leading scorer from their tournament team.

Check out the breakdown: Final Four, East Regional, West Regional, South Regional, Midwest Regional


1st Round

Baron Davis (UCLA) over Carl Lucas* (Missippi Valley St.)
BD handles college kids with ease.

Acie Law IV (Texas A&M) over Lee Cummard* (BYU)
Acie Law is essentially a College All American.

Courtney Lee* (Western Kentucky) over Josh Young* (Drake)
In an all college matchup the edge goes to the higher scoring Lee.

Ray Allen (UConn) over Brandon Johnson* (San Diego)
Ray Allen certainly wouldn't have a problem here.

Brad Miller (Purdon't) over Brian Skinner (Baylor)
Both are now past their primes, but Miller still gives his team solid minutes.

David West (Xavier) over Damien Wilkins (Georgia)
West would be able to dominate Wilkins in the post.

Gilbert Arenas (Arizona) over Joe Alexander* (West Virginia)
Joe Alexander is an entertaining player, but no match for Arenas.

Carlos Boozer (Duke) over Justin Hare* (Belmont)
Boozer gets by with ease.

2nd Round

Baron Davis (UCLA) over Acie Law IV (Texas A&M)
BD treats Acie like he's still in college.

Ray Allen (UConn) over Courtney Lee* (Western Kentucky)
Allen gets to the sweet 16 without a tester.

David West (Xavier) over Brad Miller (Purdon't)
The younger west is too much for Miller.

Gilbert Arenas (Arizona) over Carlos Boozer (Duke)
The size vs. speed matchup. The person with the ball has the significant advantage. The edge goes to Arenas because I hate Duke.

Sweet 16

Baron Davis (UCLA) over Ray Allen
The difference here is where they are in their careers, Allen is an oft injured Superstar just past his prime. Davis is an oft injured superstar smack in his prime.

Gilbert Arenas (Arizona) over David West (Xavier)
West is a slightly worse version of Boozer. Arenas handles him as well.

Elite 8

Baron Davis (UCLA) over Gilbert Arenas (Arizona)
This certainly would be an enjoyable matchup to watch. Two overly similar players with similar offensive abilities. Davis gets the slight edge due to a strength advantage.

ESPN is giving you the opportunity to make 10 brackets, so while I concentrate on figuring out my final 'true' bracket I figured out a way to stupidly decide the games. The move was to pit the best NBA representative from each team against each other. If the team does not have an NBA rep than they used their leading scorer from their tournament team.

Check out the breakdown: Final Four, East Regional, West Regional, South Regional, Midwest Regional


1st Round

Paul Pierce (Kansas) over Ime Udoka (Portland St.)
Pauly P would easily take down the underrated Udoka.

Shawn Marion (UNLV) over Al Fisher*(Kent St.)
Marion shouldn't have any problems against a kid from Kent St.

Randy Foye (Villanova) over Greg Buckner (Clemson)
Two tough players, but the edge goes to Foye's quickness.

Shan Foster*(Vandy) over Edwin Ubiles*(Siena)
Foster is a very under-hyped player in the SEC.

Michael Beasley* (K State) over Nick Young (USC)
Young is having some success in the NBA but Beasley is a beast.

Devin Harris (Wisconsin) over Bruce Bowen (CS Fullerton)
Bown is known for his defense, but Harris's quickness would still voermatch him.

Adam Morrison (Gonzaga) over Stephen Curry*(Davidson)
Mustachioed jump shooter is greater than NBA Jump Shooter's Son Jump Shooter.

Allen Iverson (Georgetown) vs. Ray Barbosa*(UMBC)
11-0 Iverson.

2nd Round

Paul Pierce (Kansas) over Shawn Marion (UNLV)
In probably the toughest 2nd round matchup of the entire tournament, the edge goes to Pierce do to his larger array of offensive moves.

Randy Foye (Villanova) over Shan Foster (Vandy)
Foye's quickness and stength outmatch Foster.

Michael Beasley* (K State) over Devin Harris (Wisconsin)
Beasley overpowers Harris in their 1 on 1 match up.

Allen Iverson (Georgetown) over Adam Morrison (Gonzaga)
AI wins 11-0 again. Morrison never touches the ball.

Sweet 16

Paul Pierce (Kansas) over Randy Foye (Villanova)
Foye is tough, but would be unable to cover Pierce consistently enough.

Allen Iverson (Georgetown) over Michael Beasley (K St.)
The youngster gets served a dose of what it's like to cover NBA superstars.

Elite 8

Allen Iverson (Georgetown) over Paul Pierce
Another tough matchup to call, but AI's innate ability to get to the rack wins out over Pierce.

ESPN is giving you the opportunity to make 10 brackets, so while I concentrate on figuring out my final 'true' bracket I figured out a way to stupidly decide the games. The move was to pit the best NBA representative from each team against each other. If the team does not have an NBA rep than they used their leading scorer from their tournament team.


1st Round

Vince Carter (UNC) over Play In
Vince Carter would certainly handle a college kid.

Joe Johnson (Arkansas) over Jared Jeffries (Indiana)
Joe Johnson is way to talented to be defeated by a Knick.

Troy Murphy (Notre Dame) over Will Thomas* (George Mason)
I'll give the edge to the person who puts up solid numbers in the NBA over the person who puts up solid numbers against mid majors.

Derrick Low* (Washington St.) over Michael Jenkins*(Winthrop)
My knowledge of both these players is limited.

Jameer Nelson (St. Joe's) over Eduardo Najera (Oklahoma)
Eduardo is a tough player, but he isn't that good.

Francisco Garcia (Louisville) over Coby Karl (Boise St.)

Mike Green* (Butler) vs. Demetric Bennett* (South Alabama)
Um I guess I'll take one of Butler's guards.

CJ Watson (Tennessee) vs. Garrison Carr* (American)
CJ Watson, that's all UT has given to the NBA. I guess he gets the edge over Carr, whom I've never seen play.

2nd Round

Joe Johnson (Arkansas) over Vince Carter (UNC)
Big time all star matchup but the edge goes to the youth in Joe Johnson's legs.

Troy Murphy (Notre Dame) over Derrick Low (Wazzu)
Again the edge to Murphy over a collegiate.

Francisco Garcia (Louisville) over Jameer Nelson (St. Joe's)
A tough matchup. Both were terrific collegiate players, the edge goes to Garcia due to his size advantage.

CJ Miles (Tennessee) over Mike Green* (Butler)
I guess I'll take the NBA scrub over a mid major all star.

Sweet 16

Joe Johnson (Arkansas) over Troy Murphy (Notre Dame)
Joe Johnson has too much athleticism for Troy Murphy to handle.

Francisco Garcia (Louisville) over DJ Miles (Tennessee)
Pretty much a no brainer that Garcia would take this matchup down.

Elite 8

Joe Johnson (Arkansas) over Francisco Garcia (Louisville)
Ya Joe Johnson would destroy Garcia in a game of 1 on 1.

It's Fantasy Baseball Season so it's time to do some Prep Work. Bare in mind that these Preps are as much for me as they are for any other schmuck that happens to read them. If perchance you are in any of my leagues please avoid reading all of this until after our respective drafts. Thanks.

Welcome to the most agonizing position in fantasy baseball. If you have ever had to draft two catchers in a fantasy league you now understand how painfully awful major league catchers are at hitting a baseball. When you're looking at the 20th catcher or worse in your starting lineup you'll certainly see guys that contribute absolutely nothing.

So the question is asked. How much should you value the top 4 catchers? Victor Martinez, Russell Martin, Brian McCann and Joe Mauer are all solid contributors to a fantasy baseball team. But all will cost a high draft pick. For myself, in a league where you need to start a single catcher, none of these players are worth their position. Why? Because the 11th and 12th catchers aren't all that bad. However, in a league where two catchers are needed a long and hard thought should be made on whether any of these players should be drafted.

So why such a negative look on catchers? First off they don't play as many games as everybody else. Even the best catchers the absolute elite typically take a game off a week. This is the advantage of Victor Martinez over all other catchers. On games that he does not catch he often plays first base. To a certain extent Joe Mauer and Jorge Posada also play a few additional games in the DH role. So look at that when drafting a player. Estimate how many games he will play this season. Does he have a solid backup who could also play a bunch of games. This will highly decrease that players value.

Don't be afraid to take risks at catcher. The backend catchers are going to suck almost certainly. So do not be afraid to roll the dice with a rookie like J.R. Towles. Will he suck? Probably. But atleast there's a chance he could be a decent contributor while in comparison players like Carlos Ruiz and Yadier Molina are proven busts.

Basically the strategy for catchers is never reach. They aren't worth as much as other positions for the reason that they don't play many games. Even the best catchers will take about 20 games off.

Thomas O'Connor, director of the tournament selection committee, was just on Mike and the Mad Dog being interrogated over any questionable decision. Most of which was completely unnecessary such as how Arizona St. didn't get in but Arizona did, why is Butler a 7 seed, why is Georgia a 14 seed, etc.

One thing that they did try to pry out was whom was eliminated because Georgia won the SEC tournament. With Georgia playing until around 5:30 the committee had to have two brackets set up. One including Georgia and one including an additional bubble team. So the O'Connor responding to the questions saying that he didn't feel comfortable revealing the team without the expressed consent of his committee. He did say that the committee will meet later in the week and he will bring up this as a topic of discussion and if they agree, he will than reveal the team that was bounced by Georgia.

Please make the common sense decision and do not reveal the last team. I understand inquisitive minds would like to know. But what good can come from finding out. Students at whichever school is named (Arizona St., VaTech, Dayton, etc.) become passionate Georgia haters for the rest of eternity. Supporters of the university become even more incensed over their lack of inclusion in the field.

It's Fantasy Baseball Season so it's time to do some Prep Work. Bare in mind that these Preps are as much for me as they are for any other schmuck that happens to read them. If perchance you are in any of my leagues please avoid reading all of this until after our respective drafts. Thanks.

The first thing you must take note of in your given leagues is who qualifies for first base. In my league I have no utility players and thus Ortiz, Sheffield and other DHs qualify as first baseman. This expands the position by a few significant contributors. Else if your league includes utility players, it's often tough to justify drafting a full time DH who will lock up your most flexible roster spot. Another thing to remember, when scanning a first baseman ranking list, is that many of the people on the list will be used at other positions. For instance the Yahoo ranking list includes Victor Martinez, Garret Atkins and others. These two players will almost certainly be used for their respective teams at Catcher and third base. In the end depending on your leagues rules and the number of first baseman your team uses the depth can shrink dramatically.

Ok now that we've laid some ground rules we can go over first baseman. There are arguably 30 players at 1B who could put up 20 home runs. Which means if you wait around for awhile before you draft your first baseman you aren't going to kill your team. The issue is how much risk are you willing to take with your draft pick. Will you wait until near the end of your draft to pick up old vets like Carlos Delgado or Richie Sexson who had very bad 2007 seasons. Or you can take a big risk with young guys like Joey Votto or Conor Jackson hoping that they emerge as solid options.

With that depth being noted, there is a vast portion of mid round guys that should be targeted for risk aversion purposes. Players like Paul Konerko, Todd Helton and Ryan Garko will all go around the same time in the middle rounds. Each will put up very predictable numbers and will be a relative bargain in comparison to Carlos Pena or Adrian Gonzalez who will likely go multiple rounds prior.

The moral of the story is that first base strategy is really a matter of league rules. In most leagues I would argue to wait for your first baseman and pick up players at more scarce positions but just like any other position if the value is there don't look past it.

Who will be the #65 #66 team in all of the land? The Hokies of course shall knock off the Gators in the finals of the NIT at MSG. Or both teams will lose in the first round and none of this bracket will come to fruition. Either are distinct possibilities.

Click on the bracket to expand if you care to note my picks so that you can make fun of me in the coming weeks.

Apparently there's another consolation tournament this year called the College Basketball Invitational Tournament. So that means I have a bracket to fill out. I picked UVA to take down the inaugural tournament with a victory over Bradley. I will probably be wrong and then I will be devastated.

~All I see is chalk. I filled out a preliminary bracket last night and all I could see was a chalk final four. This is extremely extremely disappointing to me. I think my lack of hard core following this season has lead me to not have any real sleeper team I love. There are some high seeds I don't really like much, but the one seeds all seem like pretty safe bets to me, which is a shame and very boring.

~I really don't want to hear people whining about bubble teams that didn't get in and those that did and blah blah blah. Really who cares. Do bubbles teams every make a significant impact in the tournament? Well yes I guess, but it's very limited. George Mason was a bubble team that made a historic impact but 9 out of 10 bubble teams don't do shit. So if your team didn't get in then perhaps you just should have won more games.

~For those that whine please note Georgia. They weren't very good this season, they were forced to play 4 games in their conference tournaments. They were forced to play two games on saturday alone and 3 games within 27 hours. Yet they won their tournament and are now dancing. You all had the same opportunity. You couldn't get it done. It's your own fault.

~Seeding always confuses me in these tournaments. The biggest seeding question I have is Indiana. Indiana has been ranked the entire season. They finished with an RPI of 22, a decent strength of schedule and a 25-7 overall record, yet they got an 8 seed. They got bounced early in their conference tournament simply due to a ridiculous miracle prayer shot. They had a better record than Purdon't, a much better RPI than Purdon't, beat Purdon't and yet Purdon't is a 6 seed where as Indiana will be forced to face off against UNC in the 2nd round. I don't think either Indiana or UNC is very pleased about this.

~I like most don't really respect high ranking mid major squads. Perhaps it's because every year Gonzaga gets a high seed they get bounced relatively quickly. This year it's Drake with a 5 seed. Drake garnered a 5 seed despite playing and defeating only one BCS school the entire season, that being the lousy Iowa Hawkeyes. They made their mark with a terrific record and a singular win over Butler, woo. Unfortunately they are in the same region as #4 seed UConn. I always enjoy watching UConn squirm but because of this perceived lucky draw will cruise through this weekend.

~If I had to say which #1 seed has the toughest road, I think it is North Carolina. Playing Indiana in the 2nd round blows. If they get Notre Dame in the 2nd round that could be a very physical and wearing battle. Ugly boy Harangody versus Hansbrough would be an entertaining matchup. And then landing Tennessee as the #2 seed would also be a tough game. If that's how the bracket pans out for UNC it will be a tough road to the Final 4.

~Speaking of UNC, I find the cock stroking of Hansbrough during the games almost too much to bare. I get it, he's the player of the year. He's an intense and passionate player. Everything he does is not perfection. Him getting the rebound against VaTech in the closing seconds was not about hustle or finding the right spot. It was about luck. If anything it should have been his teammate being credited for knocking the rebound away from the two Hokie players. But not it was all about Hansbrough finding the right spot and being the perfect decoy (which was BS he was walking at the top of the key when Lawson took the shot). On one possession yesterday Vitale and Patrick praised Hansbrough for getting up a shot that was swatted into the bench. And of course they don't call him out when he makes a completely boneheaded play fouling a Clemson big man 20 feet away from the basket with less than 20 to play. It's highly annoying how much they praise him during the games and for that reason I shall root against UNC for the entirety of the tournament, unless they play Duke in the finals.

~Picking out the best bracket is a tough one, but I'd lean towards the South. To me their isn't much difference in the #1 seeds so Memphis is on the same tier as the other 3 schools despite their lack of conference difficulty. If Texas had won yesterday they probably would have garnered a #1 seed. Additionally, the Longhorns probably have assembled the best wins which include Kansas, Tennessee and UCLA. The Stanford Cardinal have a lot of poise and very good post play with the twins in the middle. And then the 4 5 clash is arguably the best in the tournament. With the young and maturing Pitt Panthers coming off a stellar Big East Tournament lined up to play Michigan St. whom Tom Izzo always has ready come tournament time.

~ESPN allows you to fill out 10 entries. Which is ludicrous. Very ludicrous. But I'll probably be board enough to do it.

~I'll make my final picks on thursday. Let's hope by then I can get myself to deviate from the chalk.

We here have set up two Pick 'Em leagues if you care to join in on the fun.

Burstin Bubbles for the Men and Tourny of the 1536 Jugs for the Women. Why the name? Because 12*64*2 = 1536. I'm good at math. So what are you waiting for join up.

In honor of Steak and a BJ day we are here to salute the Great Athletic BJs of our time.

It's Fantasy Baseball Season so it's time to do some Prep Work. Bare in mind that these Preps are as much for me as they are for any other schmuck that happens to read them. If perchance you are in any of my leagues please avoid reading all of this until after our respective drafts. Thanks.

Amongst the deepest positions of all fantasy baseball is 3rd base. 3rd base also can comprise of as much as 4 first round draft picks. There is as much talent at the hot corner as ever and thus your strategy should be dictated as such.

If you have the 1st pick of the draft you should draft Arod. It really is as sample as that. The man is the best player in baseball. He has potential every year to lead baseball in HRs, RBIs, and Runs scored. He additionally hits over .300 and on top of that gets you 20+ steals. There should be no debate. If you have the #1 pick be glad and take him.

The next 3 possible first rounders are David Wright, Miguel Cabrera and Ryan Braun. The only possible knock on David Wright are his inconsistant month to month power numbers. But at the end of the year he should be locked in at around 30/30. He's terrific option in the first 5 picks. Than the debate between consistancy and 5 categories comes in with Braun and Cabrera. Personally, I will most likely avoid both in the first round due to 3B depth reasons. The unfortunate truth about Cabrera is that he will in no way impact SB. His Home Run numbers are solid but not through the roof. He's a great player but for me not a first rounder. Braun on the other hand put up stats that extrapolated over a full season would surpass David Wrights. But do you trust someone who hasn't played a full season yet? I'd think about him amongst the final picks of the first round but probably would again pass.

After that sit back a few rounds because there is a big gap. Than in the 4th or 5th or 6th contemplate round contemplate drafting either Aramis Ramirez or Garrett Atkins. Both are good for a .300 average and around 30 home runs. Terrific numbers if you can get them in the right spot. But if you find better value at those points do not hesitate to select other positions.

And at this point if you don't have anybody. Wait. Obviously if at some point you see a guy slip a few rounds later than you think he should, than pounce. Else you can find a solid 3B with some risk in the latter rounds. Old studs like Troy Glaus, Eric Chavez, and Hank Blalock all sit around the 20th slected 3B. Sure they are risky, sure they are injury proan, but they can still mash when playing. Blalock in particular hit .293 with 10 homers in 58 games last year. Additionally there are players like Evan Longoria, Josh Fields, the Kouz, etc. There's a lot of depth at 3B so there should never be a rush to select a guy early.

I did three MLB previews over at Epic Carnival this week. I've volunteered to do a bunch of the teams that suck. The first three being the Nats, Rangers, & Marlins. All are in the typical fake letter format. Feel free to check them out.

This is a quick note that doesn't have any relevance, but I really enjoy Best Ball Challenge on ESPN and every year I name my squad JJ Henry's All Stars. Of course this week I didn't choose to use JJ Henry, but rather Tiger Phil and two scrubs. Of Course JJ is -7 under right now and leading the tournament. I suck.

Everyone needs something to keep them occupied on Friday afternoons so the Friday Video Blowout was born. Spend your next few minutes, laughing, crying of laughter, pissing your self, whatever, but mostly wasting your companies time.

Videos In Order Courtesy of With Leather, Deadspin, EDSBS, Odenized, FanIQ, Hardwood Paroxysm, The Postmen, On 205th, Machochip, With Leather, AA


Those Asians get really excited over nothing.


Paul Pierce apparently had his life span shortened.


He's a cat person or an elephant person.


Dikembe wants to know who wants to sex him
He made contact. That's pretty good for a 60 year old.


Hmm, mascot fights need more blood.


Brent Petway is pretty cool, but he should probably be practicing jump shots. You know something that will help him get to the NBA.


Hooray for the Knicks.


Hmm, that looked fun.


I enjoy watching streakers get decked.


This guy should hustle people.


Apparently her brain cells have been completely eliminated.

Yesterday I threw up a post about how it sucked to be those guys that were planning on defecting from their Cuban National Team on Wednesday night after five of their teammates did so on Tuesday night. Well, apparently I was wrong. Ole Yendry Diaz and Eder Roldan bailed on their national team wednesday night.

Apparently I was wrong in the aspect of security. The Cuban National squad did not set up any kind of security to protect against defections. Thus giving all of their players pretty much the right of choice. Do I want to live in America or do I want to live in Cuba? Seems like a tough question for most.

Coming in with 18 players for the tournament Cuba was left with only 11 for their game with Honduras last night. But of course there was more. One of their players received a red card on tuesday and thus they were saddled with 10 people the entire game. So of course they lost.

Once again it seems absolutely ridiculous that Cuba hasn't figured out how to exploit their athletes rather than let them defect with ease.

After a week off for the Weekley Waste, we are back with mostly nuisances rather than criminal offenses. 1. Billy Crystal Haters - He got 1 at bat and even made contact. That was it. It took a couple of minutes and then the story was over. That's all the story should have been. But nope some stupid ass bags out there had to get enraged for no reason at all. Spend your time doing something productive please. 2. Joe Lunardi - I love College Basketball. Granted my devotion of time to the sport has been less this year than in the recent past, but I still love college basketball. Joe Lunardi on the other hand I could do without. Probably because every time you put on sportscenter he's there. Everyday his opinion changes. Thus everyday prior to sunday his opinion is completely meaningless. 3. Pat Summit - Whistle Blower Summit. First off I don't really understand why it is a recruiting violation to ask a local business to give one of your recruits a tour of their facilities. Sure ESPN may be a little different than the Jack Daniels factory, but whatever who cares. Secondly why these coaches are so eager to report these minor violations is ridiculous. 4. Mitch Williams - I guess the Wild Thing name has always been pretty accurate for Mitch Williams. He's a hot head who bombed out of the league because he couldn't keep it together. A 5th grade catholic league basketball game is pretty meaningless Mitch. Nothing really to get worked up about and certainly nothing where you need to start cursing at the officials for. You must be that embarrassing father that everyone ends up laughing at. Get Your Vote On Last Weeks Winner: George Zell

Opinion Polls & Market Research

It's Fantasy Baseball Season so it's time to do some Prep Work. Bare in mind that these Preps are as much for me as they are for any other schmuck that happens to read them. If perchance you are in any of my leagues please avoid reading all of this until after our respective drafts. Thanks.

One of the key aspects to your draft is realizing when you should just table a position. As I've discussed in both my SS and 2B there are points in each draft where it's key to realize what your basement options are and to not just draft a position to fill a need.

Many people will advocate the usage of tiers. To a certain extent this makes sense. If you group similar players together you should be basically as happy to get one player as you are an other. Part of me thinks that this over complicates things. During the draft if you have a generic view of the overall value of players than you should be drafting on that basis rather than on the basis of tiers. I prefer to print out a massive list of the typical draft order and pinpoint guys to target throughout the draft rather than a tier list by position.

What I do advocate is more of a plateau approach. A realization that the difference between drafting a player in the 14th round or the last round creates little difference. This plateau point will vastly depend on the roster depths you have in your leagues. If your league requires only 1 starting catcher than if you miss out on the top 4 stud catchers than just forget about the position entirely. Not many other teams are going to use a bench spot on a catcher. If your league uses 2 starting catchers than there is a much larger benefit to snagging a mid-tier catcher like Johjima, Pudge, or Pierzynski. Than in this case your plateau point would come when you know 8 or so catchers need to be drafted in the league. Everyone is a bum at this point, there's little difference between all of them

No matter how you plan out your draft you will always stumble over a position where you should reach this point. And it is key to not waste vital mid round picks on a player who won't be much better than the scrub you would have drafted in the last round.

One way to try to avoid reaching plateau points is planning them prior to the draft. Deciding that you are going to table catcher or 2b until one of your last draft picks should help you avoid reaching that point for other positions. The position I typically table until the final rounds is starting pitching. With starting pitching the numbers are so vast that it is much more likely to find deals in the late rounds than others. If you identify a handful of pitchers you would be willing to draft in the final rounds than you will do less scrambling throughout the draft.

Some times you just have to marvel at the fun stories that are a direct result of communism. One of these fun stories occurred yesterday. The Cuban Under 23 year old team is in Tampa competing in a tournament. The team recently drew with the USA despite a Freddy Adu goal so what do you do to celebrate such a victory? Run away of obviously.

If you're on your countries national team chances are you can make some money on your skills. Except for Cubans of course, who apparently have yet to learn from the Chinese and Yao Ming. Thus, when their athletes travel with their national teams there's no better time to run away.

My favorite part of the entire story is that now the Cuban National team is left with only 13 players. 13 players who are probably all pissed off that they didn't run away on tuesday night and will now be on lock down for the remainder of their time in Tampa. There's got to be at least one guy on the team thinking to himself "Fuck I was planning on running away on wednesday night, now I'm screwed. Those bastard."

It's Fantasy Baseball Season so it's time to do some Prep Work. Bare in mind that these Preps are as much for me as they are for any other schmuck that happens to read them. If perchance you are in any of my leagues please avoid reading all of this until after our respective drafts. Thanks.

Short Stop has a lot of similarities with 2nd base when it comes to fantasy. There certainly more depth at Short Stop than at 2b but there is once again a similar cut off line where everyone remaining is a complete scrub. If you only need 1 SS than fear not there are enough to go around. Need 2? Than you might have to jump at your 2nd short stop early.

The 1st round is littered with short stops this season. Hanley Ramirez, Jose Reyes and Jimmy Rollins will go in the first round in basically every draft. Despite owning Rollins in my keeper league, he is a clear 3rd here. If you're looking to sure up steals take Reyes if you're looking for well rounded stats take Hanley. It's pretty much that simple.

After the top three there is a significant drop off to a large group of players that aren't that far off. The list starts with Jeter whom everyone tends to overvalue. His power #s are a thing of the past. I would tend to value Tulowitzki higher than Jeter on straight power potential and the benefit of playing in Coors field. After that there are a slew of similar hitters Carlos Guillen, Tejada, Michael Young, Edgar Renteria all of whom offer similar stats.

Then there's a next level and a level which you should really try to sure up your 2nd SS if needed. JJ Hardy, Khalil Greene and Jhonny Peralta all hit over 20 home runs last year at SS. None particularly offer a stellar average or steals but the runs, rbis and homers were a nice bonus. Personally I would target Peralta above the other two due to his surrounding lineup.

One thing that you'll notice when looking at 2B and SS rankings are the cross overs such as Felipe Lopez and Ryan Theriot. These guys help with flexibility and steals and wouldn't make a terrible late round steal however their numbers are much more suited for 2B than SS. The additional thing that these players do is make the SS decline that much bigger. If you look at a typical ratings page, both are rated higher as SS than as 2B. The reason being there are a lot more mediocre but usable 2B than SS. Once you get past the previous three names I mentioned you get to a group of players that honestly you want no part in.

Over the past few days there have been two topics that people seem to be getting upset about for absolutely no reason at all. I figured now would be a good time to rant about them.

Billy Crystal Playing for the Yankees

I really think the only reason this is even slightly a story is because of the hatred many people have for the Yankees. Else it makes no sense. It's not as if this is the first time this has happened and really it effects no one at all. It's not like Billy Crystal playing the outfield for 2 innings is going to deprive Bobby Abreu practice he desperately needs. Or deprive a kid from proving he needs a roster spot. It's not as if that would be the only time available during the entire spring.

Additionally, if you haven't noticed Billy Crystal is at a ton of games. He is a renowned fan. He did make a motion picture completely about the Yankees. And it was Derek Jeter's friggin idea. It's not like they're looking for publicity or anything, they just wanted to give a birthday present to a friend and a huge fan. Who the hell cares. If you say you wouldn't want to suit up with your favorite team for a few innings in spring training than you're probably lying to yourself.

And as a whole it makes no sense why so many people care about Spring Training at all. Spring Training is televised practice that you can attend if you want to pay for it. It's practice that's it. It's honestly not different than an inter-squad game or fielding ground balls. It in the long run is meaningless. If you can name the Spring Training record of your favorite team or any other team for that matter in any previous season you are a flat out loser. Find something to do with your life.

Dwayne Wade Calling it a Season

Can we all agree that there is a major difference between vying for an NBA title or a playoff spot and being the worst team in the NBA? There's obviously an inherent benefit to playing injured or hurt if you are pushing for success and no real benefit if your team is all but eliminated from the postseason. I think this is something that everyone should be able to agree with quite easily.

With that agreement in place, how could you be upset with Dwayne Wade calling it a season and attempting to get back to play for the US team in the Olympics. The Olympics happen once every four years. Only 12 players make the team. It's not like this is an opportunity that comes along every day. Why shouldn't he try to get healthy for that? Simply because when you bought Heat tickets in November you bought them with the intention of watching Dwayne Wade? Get over yourself already. You also probably bought them to watch Shaq. He's not on the team either.

The move makes sense for both the Heat and Dwayne Wade. Even if he could play, even if he's only slightly banged up, there is absolutely no benefit for either parties. The Heat just like the Celtics last year and other miserable teams in the past are benefited by losing. The more they lose the better chance they have to garner the #1 choice in the draft.

I'm all for the retiring of jerseys for elite players. The Yankees do it, the Jets would do it if they had elite players, the Celtics do it, everyone does it. It makes sense. If he's one of the very best players of all time on your roster for a lengthy period of time than it's the best way to honor them. Hang their jersey on your stadium walls with pride and make sure no one will ever be there to tarnish that number.

I do have the occasional problem with retiring numbers however. To this point almost all of these disagreements come when players who have no business being honored to the highest degree receive this honor. I guess it's each franchises decision with which players deserve this award, but sometimes it seems that they are just embarrassing themselves. If your honoring say John Starks to the rafters you have to wonder what kind of standards your franchise truly has. Sure he was an excellent player, but there will be no great injustice if other players wear the Knick #3 jersey.

Then yesterday occurred and I had a knew retirement disagreement. This time with the University of North Carolina who for some reason or another have already declared that they will be retiring Tyler Hansbrough's jersey at the conclusion of his playing career. Maybe I'm the only one who thinks this is ridiculous, but Hansbrough isn't even a senior yet. First off I don't think you should retire a player's jersey while their still active ever. I don't care if it's their last game or not. But a year in advance? You don't see Tom Brady or Derek Jeter's #s already in the rafters. And you won't seem them raised in their last regular season game as a pro either. Why because it's stupid and it makes no sense.

Sure Tyler Hansbrough has been a superstar for North Carolina in all of his three seasons. Sure he'll win some player of the year awards. And sure he'll probably deserve the right of watching his #50 jersey raised to the roof. But he hasn't even lead the Tarheels to a Final Four yet. Hell in his freshman year they lost to George Mason in the 2nd round. Can we at least wait until he's had some kind of success during the month of March. Check that, just wait until his career is over, it's the only thing that makes sense.

It's Fantasy Baseball Season so it's time to do some Prep Work. Bare in mind that these Preps are as much for me as they are for any other schmuck that happens to read them. If perchance you are in any of my leagues please avoid reading all of this until after our respective drafts. Thanks.

The 2nd base position really is a very very boring position in fantasy baseball. Hence I get this post out of the way first. I'm a fan of drafting Chase Utley in the 1st round if you have a late round pick based on the overall position scarcity of 2nd base. After that there are players there are a group of players who will go around a similar time. Brandon Philips is universally accepted as the 2nd best 2-bagger, and I will universally avoid him in all drafts. Just not a believer on the level others are.

Two players that I would target after avoiding the 2nd tier are Ian Kinsler and Rickie Weeks. Both have week averages but both give you incredible 2nd base production in both steals and home runs. Both players had under 500 at bats with Kinsler shading towards 500 and Weeks closer to 400. Both however put up over 40 in combined steals and home runs. In roto leagues this is phenomenal. For Rickie Weeks he could be the steal of the draft. He was once deemed one of the best prospects in baseball he'll fall in your drafts and in the month of September alone last year he hit 9 home runs and had 10 steals. After these two players, in my opinion, you might as well just wait for the bottom of the barrel guys.

If you wait until the absolute end of your drafts you can still get players that will contribute significantly to a single stat. For instance players like Ryan Theriot and Kazuo Matsui will be amongst the last 2nd baseman selected but will put up around 30 stolen bases along with mediocre numbers across the board. Basically if you miss out on the top you're going to get the scraps regardless. Just wait until the absolute end of your draft, stock up else where, and deal with what you end up with.

Check out the other rosters the BCS Conferences, the High Schoolers,the Foreigners and the Non-BCS Squad.

If I'm going to do a tournament of 16 squads than I need two more. Thus these rosters are created using the players that didn't quite make the cut on their respective conference roster.

ACC, Big 12, & SEC

Starting Roster: Stephon Marbury, Corey Maggette, Mike Dunleavy, Joe Smith, Chris Wilcox
Bench Players: Al Thornton, Sean May, Raymond Felton, Jamaal Tinsley, Marvin Williams, Jerry Stackhouse, Rashad McCants

Roster Strength: Point Guard Play, For all the merciless beatdown Stephon Marbury receives from the media he's a career 20 and 8 player. Additionally the scraps have two solid NBA point guards on the bench in Felton and Tinsley who are more pass first players than Steph is.
Roster Weakness: Post Play, Chris Wilcox was the closest thing to a center to be found amongst the ACC, Big 12 and SEC scraps. Sean May is a big body in the post but can't really cover centers and Joe Smith is more a swing man than a true power forward.

Sum Up: The SEC could not get a single reserve to crack this roster. I contemplated putting Big Shot Bob on the roster but he's so damn old. Additionally, Jamaal Tinsley is the only Big 12 representative. Thus the ACC can pretty much put together two really good teams.

Big East, Big 10, Pac 10

Starting Roster: Randy Foye, Francisco Garcia, Josh Childress, Troy Murphy, Samuel Dalembert
Bench Players: Hakim Warrick, Charlie Villanueva, Tim Thomas, Mike Conley, Nate Robinson, Ryan Gomes, Brent Barry

Roster Strength: Athleticism, Sure just about all NBA players are very athletic. This roster however has some phenomenal athletes with Dalembert, Nate Robinson, Hakim Warrick, and Chucky No-Eyebrows. Men that can do athletic feats rarely seen even in the NBA.
Roster Weakness: No Studs, I'm unsure on who would actually be a team leader or take the big shot on this team. No one on this roster is their teams number 1 option. In fact most of these players aren't even the 2nd or 3rd option on their respective NBA team.

Sum Up: Each conference has representatives here, however the Big 10 lags behind the rest with only Mike Conley on the squad.

It's Fantasy Baseball Season so it's time to do some Prep Work. Bare in mind that these Preps are as much for me as they are for any other schmuck that happens to read them. If perchance you are in any of my leagues please avoid reading all of this until after our respective drafts. Thanks.

I emphasized this point last year before I went on to dominate all three of my leagues and I will emphasize it yet again, the single most important aspect to a succesful fantasy draft is knowing your league rules and applying them in the draft. There are a million different scenarios for how your leagues rules are set up and each minor adjustment should have a significant effect on how you plan on drafting your team.

The first of which is what type of league you are in. If you are in a H2H, Roto or Points league your goals should immediately be altered. In a H2H or points league it's simple and not that costly to dump a statistic. You are going to lose a stat or two every single week. If steals is only one of your 12 or so categories is it that costly to lose focus on it in entirely? Not really. Your goal in Head to Head or Points should be making a team which will win consistantly. It really doesn't matter the categories you win in, you just want to find yourself at the end of every week with more Ws than Ls. In Roto however it's a completely different story. If you want to be in first you have to be effective in every category. By dumping a single category you put yourself at a much larger disadvantage than in a H2H league. Dumping steals in a Roto league is almost always fatal if you plan on winning the league. You have to make sure your roster is at the very least middle of the pack in each category.

Next focus on the Categories of your league. Does the league emphasize OPS or include walks? Is it simply regarding Hits or average? In one league last year I had categories which included 1B, 2B, 3B, HR, Hs. That's 5 hit categories compared to one On Base Percentage Category. Thus players like Robinson Cano, Miguel Tejada and Matt Holliday, guys that just like to hack and not take too many pitchers were much more valuable than some of the players that typically go at the same spot. Every single league has nuiances that should force you to make adjustments to the typically ranking order you have out there.

Know the positions you need to fill. It's a simple concept but it often gets lost in a draft. If you can only have one utility guy each day than drafting Frank Thomas when you already have Big Papi makes no sense. If you have to play 2 catchers than perhaps you should focus on a few middle round guys to make sure you don't end up with a complete stiff like Brian Schneider playing every day. The amount of players you have to play every day will dictate the importance of both position flexibility and position scarcity.

Know the minute details of your league. In some H2H leagues there are inning minimums and maximums. If you have a season maximum than an estimate of how many innings per week should be taken. This will give you an idea of how to value starters against relievers. If you focus on starters and overuse your innings totals, than you will be sunk in the final weeks.

How many DL spots are there in your league? If you are in a H2H league than drafting a stud player who will be out the first few months is an option a significant option. But if you do not have any DL spots, will he be worth the unused bench spot for the duration of his stint on the DL? Probably not.

Basically the point is, not every league is won at the draft. But several leagues are lost at the draft. If you want to have a good draft than you must know every single rule your league has. If you have this information stored and your opponents do not you should head into opening day with a roster better suited to pull down the title.

A local bar in the Pittsburgh Area is now offering a wonderful special on Wednesday for the sweaty and hard working Pittsburgher. The deal is one worth taking up, 7 Coronas for 5 bucks as well as 75 cent tacos. Sounds like the perfect Wednesday Evening for someone who's worked up a sweat. So let's pinpoint some current Pittsburghers or Pittsburgh legends who've built up a big sweat.

Andy Van Slyke - Van Slyke was the hard worker amongst the 90s Pirates as is clearly pictured in the photo to the right.

Barry Bonds - Back in his skinny Pittsburgh days Barry used to get his Tacos and Coronas with some HGH Sour Cream.

Matt Clement - A Pittsburgh native and legend amongst the Major League DL. No one rehabs harder to not get back into playing shape than Matt Clement (Except for Perhaps Pavano). If there's a hard working sweating Pittsburgh Native that deserves 5 Coronas for 7 bucks it's Matt Clement, or not.

Tito Francona - Not Terry, but rather he's dad Tito, who has both a cooler name and has never been associated with the Red Sox. Tito's 74 now so he deserves a deal that's a steal to put him in a good mood.

George Karl - As a fat coach patrolling the sidelines there is always a way to work up a good sweat. All you have to do is start yelling and throw stuff all over the court. Than the back of your jacket is soaked through and disgusting and you need some Coronas.

Mean Joe Greene - I bet mean Joe Greene could eat 3 tacos with one bite and would probably funnel three beers immediately after.

Franco Harris - I picture Franco Harris as a sloppy taco eater. One that dumps loads of Hot Sauce all over his Tacos ends up with sauce all over his face but always refuses napkins. Cause he's Franco Harris does it really matter if his face is loaded up with Hot Sauce or not?

Alan Faneca - One of the best guards in NFL history. A 7 time Steeler Pro Bowler worked up a sweat and hunger in each of his ten seasons with the Steelers. (He just so happens to be a Jet now, so chances are he will now play like a pussy, so he should take advantage of the Taco deal while he still has time.)

Johnny Unitas - Is any quarterback in history more of a 75 Cent Taco Guy than Johnny U? Probably not.

Michael Moorer - For all I know after Michael Moorer won the heavy weight title he probably was downing 75 cent tacos daily. Man did he baloon up in weight late in his career.

Rocco Mediate - Perhaps if Rocco drinks 7 Coronas he won't try to instigate Tiger Woods anymore. Maybe it will get him to relax and not make foolish decisions. Kind of the opposite effect alcohol typically has on people.

Huh? The Special is Called Wetback Wednesday? Well that's kind of inappropriate.

These crappily pixelated camera phone pictures were taken from the exact same spot. What's located directly across a 6-lane road from the New Cowboys Stadium? A Walmart of course. Cause how are you going to impersonate a crying T.O. without purchasing a 5 dollar knockoff of his massive Sun Glasses. Honestly, who wouldn't want to tail gate in a Walmart parking lot.

The season is only a few weeks away and thus the hate is building by the day. I figure I just need a tune up before the season and this pictures will do the trick.


I feel as if Papelbon is probably the weirdest player in all of major league baseball. I don't know if you can necessarily hate him for that but what the hell goes on in this dudes head. What exactly is that shirt? And what exactly is that look on your face? He is just one very very very weird dude.


How is Pedroia a good Major League Baseball Player? Look at him, he looks like the tool that was in your fraternity that sometimes you wondered, how the hell did he get in. They have him listed at 5'9 180, and by that picture it certainly doesn't look like the vast majority of that 180 is muscle. And way to marker your chest up.

This season the NBA has listened to one of my many thoguht and has started to track a players +/- during the course of individual games. Due to my dislike of Brian Scalabrine, I am going to track he's performance in a weekly post called The Scalabrine Watch. 3 Million a year for what?

Celtics 118 Nuggets 124: DNP

Celtics 117 Warriors 119: DNP

Celtics 77 Suns 85: DNP

Celtics 112 Blazers 102: DNP

Celtics 104 Clippers 76: DNP

Celtics 92 Cavs 87: DNP

Celtics 108 Bobcats 100: DNP

Celtics 98 Hawks 88: DNP

Celtics 90 Pistons 78: DNP

Celtics 116 Bulls 93: -3
The long awaited return of Scalabrine ended with a negative +/- but one buried three. I'm certain he played a crucial role in their 23 point victory.

Game Stats: 8 Minutes, 1-2, 3 Points, 1 Rebound, 0 Assists

Celtics 119 Grizzlies 89: -6
A 30 point victory and Doc couldn't even spare more than 6 minutes for Scalabrine? Why was Doc so mean to the goofy red head? Shouldn't scrubs play in scrub time? PJ brown got 8 minutes.

Game Stats: 6 Minutes, 0-0, 0 Points, 1 Rebound, 0 Assists

Celtics 100 76ers 86: DNP

Overall Period Performance: -9
Since the All Star Break the Celtics wisely rested the injured Scalabrine. It was very crucial for him to get healthy for the stretch run, especially now with the reinforcements of PJ Brown and Sam Cassell brought in. I

Weeks Stats: 14 Minutes, 1-2, 3 Points, 1 Rebound, 0 Assists

Overall Season Performance: +23
Oh the DNPs that shall come in the future for Scalabrine. When will he actually be used other than out of reach blowouts? Will he even get enough playing time to sink his +/- to par?

Season Stats:10:24 MPG, .317 FG%, 1.9 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 0.7 APG

The 4th of the Four Part Series Analyzing the Composition of the NBA. Check out part 1, the BCS Conferences part 2, the High Schoolers and part 3, the Foreigners.

West Coast (31)

Starting Roster: Steve Nash, Bruce Bowen, Shawn Marion, Danny Granger, Andrew Bogut
Bench Players: Andre Miller, Paul Millsap, Rafer Alston, Kurt Thomas, Adam Morrison, Ronny Turiaf, Theo Ratliff

Roster Strength: Steve Nash, Steve Nash makes everybody around him better. He gives everyone the opportunity to get easy buckets.
Roster Weakness: Post Scoring, Danny Granger is really the only 'big guy' on the roster who is a true threat to score with the basketball. The rest of the Big Men are more role players / defenders / rebounders.

Conference Representation: Mountain West (13), WAC (6),WCC (5), Big Sky (2), Big West (1), Independent (1)

Leading Schools: UNLV (4), Utah (3), Gonzaga (3), Nevada (3)

Sum Up: The Western Small Schools have contributed some super stars to the NBA but not many. Not surprisingly the Mountain West and WAC dominate the representatives and equally not surprising the Runnin Rebs are leading the way.

South (23)

Starting Roster: Derek Fisher, Raja Bell, Kevin Martin, Ben Wallace, Jeff Foster
Bench Players: Jamario Moon, Damon Jones, Carlos Arroyo, Ronald Murray, Devin Brown, Anthony Johnson, Shawne Williams

Roster Strength: Defense, The SOuth's roster consists of several players whom their NBA teams rely on for defensive purposes. Ben Wallace has one defensive player of the year awards, Derek Fisher is a reliable perimeter defender, and Raja Bell has had intense battles with Kobe Bryant during his playing days.
Roster Weakness: No Studs, Kevin Martin has emerged as a very good NBA player. But being the best player on the Kings hasn't really done much for their playoff hopes.

Conference Representation: Conference USA (9), Non-D1 Schools (5), Sun Belt (3), Southland (2), Southern (2), MEAC (1), Southwestern (1)

Leading Schools: Memphis (4), Houston (2), Florida INT (2)

Sum Up: Not surprisingly the current Conference USA squads have not produced many NBA ballers. Once Cincy, Marquette, and Depaul jettisoned for the Big East the Conference has become a one pony show and this is again seen by Memphis leading the way here. Only 3 Non-BCS schools have more than a single player in the NBA.

North/Northeast(30)

Starting Roster: Jameer Nelson, Cuttino Mobley, Lamar Odom, David West, Marcus Camby
Bench Players: Wally Szczerbiak, Chris Kaman, Anthony Parker, Willie Green, Larry Hughes, Kyle Korver, James Posey

Roster Strength: Depth, The North/Northeast squad provides a solid amount of depth. From 1-12 they have players who are extremely useful to their NBA teams.
Roster Weakness: Point Guard Depth, With that being said they lack depth at point guard. The roster only has one point guard in Jameer Nelson and would have to rely on people playing out of position to handle the ball when he was one the bench.

Conference Representation: Atlantic 10 (15), MAC (4), Missouri Valley (4), Colonial (3), Patriot (1), Horizon (1), Ohio Valley (1), Non-D1 (1)

Leading Schools: St. Joe's (3), Xavier (3), URI (2), Temple (2), Miami (OH) (2), Bradley (2)

Sum Up: The Atlantic Ten leads the way amongst Non-BCS conferences with 15 total players in the NBA and dominates the East team with all 5 starters playing their college days in the A-10.

Overall NBA Sum Up

Total Non-BCS Schoolers: 84

Most Non-BCS College Players: Philadelphia with 5.

~The Celtics apparently got the OK from the AARP and were able to bring in PJ Brown and Sam "Fish Alien" Cassell last week. Anything that takes playing time away from Scalabrine makes me happy.

~Some High School kids played an 8 overtime game for their Championship. After 8 OTs the league pulled the plug and claimed them both champions. 8 Overtimes is a lot of friggin hockey for a 17 year old.

~I hope Aaron Rodgers fails miserably. There is something inherently unlikeable about him. Perhaps it was the fact that he wasn't very good in college yet people thought he might be the #1 pick.

~When did UCLA become Duke and start getting ridiculous calls?

~Chelsea lost to a team I don't know if I've ever heard of this weekend in the FA Cup. Way to do your billionaire owner proud.

~If you can hit a hawk with a golf ball, shouldn't a receive congratulations and not an animal rights charge? Endangered or not, the dude hit it with a golf ball. That's skill. Or an accident if he wants to get away with it.

~Why do the Bucs sign 90% of the free agent quarterbacks?

~Why do the Jets keep on signing free agents yet are still stuck with two quarterbacks that aren't worth shit?

~I hope the words twisted testicle are never used in a sentence that includes my name. Sorry Mr. Pie.

~Apparently Ric Flair retired, I guess that means straight to the Old Folks Home.

~Allan Houston on the other hand apparently wants to comeback again. When will it end.

~Coach K won his 800th game. That blows but at least he lost to UNC. Come on early Tournament exit.

~UConn losing to Providence was funny. As was their 30-0 run against Cincy last night.

~I think it's hilarious that Kyle Busch is in first place in NASCAR after he was dumped for Dale Jr. If there's anybody on this planet more overrated than Dale Jr. I'd like to know. Talk about living on your Daddy's name.

~Man the Heat suck.

~Making a figurine of a High School Football player is completely ridiculous. Even if the kid is so clueless about what he wants to do that this shit is entering the equation.

~Jamal Lewis taking classes at Harvard is ridiculous.

~Julius Jones to Seattle means just about nothing to me. Part of the reason Alexander sucked the past two years is because they let Hutchenson go.

~Hmm seems as if Randy Moss isn't actually signed yet, it would be cool if that deal fell through for some reason.

~I really didn't know Kobe was this ripped.

~A 13 year old qualifying for the Olympic Swimming Trials seems quite ridiculous to me. Check to see if she's on Roids.

~Beer Swigging 101 year old marathon runners are solid.

~Tommy Amaker apparently wants morons to play on his Harvard basketball team. I guess he wants the players to suck like Michigan and be as stupid.

~I wouldn't expect Red Sox scouts to be overly classy, but this might be an extreme.

~This picture is hilarious.

~So it this one of Kyle Korver playing defense.

In under a year two of my teams have found a way to trade away my favorite player. Last summer I was one of the few who opposed the Garnett deal in part because I was blinded by my loyalty to Big Al. After 3/4 of a season it's apparent that the move was right for the franchise.

Now only months later the Jets have forced me into the same fate. To watch helplessly while my favorite player has been jettisoned across the country. However, with the Jets of course bring a sadder tale. When the Celtics traded Al Jefferson and the rest of their roster they received a Hall of Famer and perennial all star. So at the very least there was some benefit from the situation and the vast majority of the country was in favor of the deal. The Vilma deal however is a deal of stubborness, an unwillingness to adjust ones system to utilizege the talent inherited.

In 2004 Vilma was drafted with the 12th selection. The Jets were in desperate need for a Linebacker and Vilma was the logical choice. Over the course of the season Vilma emerged as a steady force for the playoff bound Jets and finished the season named NFL Defensive Rookie of the year. In 2005 Vilma emerged as one of the best Linebackers in the league. Vilma lead the NFL in both Solo Tackles and overall tackles. He was by far the best player on the entire roster and was selected for the Pro Bowl. This was the good period for Jonathan Vilma.

In 2006 Eric Mangini took over the roster and decided to convert the Jets into a 3-4 defense. In the 3-4 Vilma was completely nutrilized, his stats plummeted to the point where in the offseason the rumors began to fly about possible trades to the West Coast. Perhaps the Jets came to the senses or the just didn't get enough for satisfaction but they decided to hold onto the stud linebacker. Then in 2007 the Jets sucked and Vilma got his mysterious injury which the entire franchise refused to inform the country about. And thus the rumors began flying around yet again.

Now of course the Jets have traded Vilma, a player any team should be positively thrilled to have. A player with a great work ethic, and ideal citizen, and a player who never once backlashed to the media about his misuse. The Jets trade him away, and what do they get? Well, I don't know. Why? Cause the Jets don't want to just trade away one of their best players to piss off fans, they want to leave them in limbo not knowing what they received for a player who once recorded 173 tackles in a season. Is it a 4th rounder or a 3rd rounder or a 2nd rounder? Why can't they just come out and let their damn fan base know the exact god damn details of the trade. I feel that I have a right to know what my favorite team is receiving for trading away my favorite player for a draft pick that won't happen for 14 months.

I am back at the ole cubicle this week and will be able to serve the general public with the typical amount of posts this week. But before I offer normal posts I want you to guess which Super Store is located directly across the street from the new Cowboys Stadium below. I was standing in that store's parking lot when I took that picture with my shitty camera phone. I'll post the answer later today.



But for the time being let me do the typical blogger story and post some stupid pictures from my trip. Why cause I think some of them are humurous? Mostly this Texas shaped Waffle.



Or the fact I went into Dallas and of course it snowed twice for the first time the whole god damn winter. And somehow someway it was warmer in Connecticut for the entire week.



Anyway guess away on which wonderful Store is located directly across a large 6 lane road from the Dallas Cowboys new stadium.

So I was looking to see if Pryor finally made his decision and his up google news. According to google the Detroit Free Press is the only 'expert' on Terrelle Pryor. And yet they of course provide zero insight on where or when he will actually commit. So with absolutely no new information or story ever evolving from this situation they still manage to find ways to write about him.

I spend 8 hours of no online time and of course Brett Favre retires. Why must sporting news happen when I am not tuned in? Anyway I figure I shall bring up my favorite Brett Favre moment of all time, which coincidently is my buddy Joe's 2nd favorite moment, just below Favre throwing the Int in the Conference Championship game.

The date is Sunday December 29th 2002. The New England Patriots head into Miami to face the 9-6 division leading Dolphins. At 8-6 the defending Super Bowl Champion Patriots needed two things to happen. They needed to defeat the Miami Dolphins at 1 pm and have the New York Jets lose their 4 pm game. The Dolphins get off to a hot start and held a 21-7 half time lead on the back of Ricky Williams. The Dolphins continued to hold off the Pats in the 3rd and early 4th quarter and held a 24-13 lead with 5 minutes to play.

Then Wanny and Norv Turner's lack of intelligence came into play. New England proceeded to take their next drive down the field for a touchdown followed by a 2 point conversion. The Dolphins were now up by 3 with the ball with 2:46 to play. A first down would win the game and put the Dolphins into the postseason. So what does Wanny do? He puts the ball in the Fied's hand and completely avoids utilizing Ricky Williams who was gaining 5 or 6 yards on each run. The Fied throws 2 incompletions and then runs for 7 yards on 3rd down. The Dolphins are forced to punt and Tom Brady leads to Pats to a game tying field goal. The Patriots then received the overtime kick, drove into Dolphins territory and kicked a Field Goal to defeat the Dolphins.

Now the Pats sat in the locker room hoping that the 12-3 Packers, who needed a victory to garner a playoff bye, would defeat the New York Jets. For the first half the game was back and forth with the Jets taking a 14-10 half time lead. In the third quarter the Jets broke away and after an interception by Favre and a subsequent drive took a 35-10 lead within a minute of the 4th quarter.

And then the moment happened. Down 35-10 with 14+ to go in the game and a #1 playoff seed and the Pats playoff birth on the line, Football's Ironman sat on the sideline and Doug Pederson came out to quarterback the Pack. And that's about the time my father lost it. He went into a cursory tirade which ended with I hope Favre breaks both of his legs and both of his arms during the playoffs, I f'n hate him, I hope he gets killed.

And that was the exact moment when I realized where some of my rage comes from.

I'm in the great state of Texas for work and as you should have noticed by the past two days the posting has been and will continue to be sparse if at all. Thus is the unfortunate scenario surrounding actually participating in Corporate Slavery.

So Fantasy Baseball is just around the corner and of course I'm getting amped up. My Keeper league roster is pretty much set for the draft minus a few decisions small decisions. In my personally league every team must protect a closer and have 3 relief pitchers on their roster at all times. The three relievers I currently could keep are Jeremy Accardo, whom will most likely move back into the set up role, Trevor Hoffman, a probably Hall of Famer but getting older, or Manny Corpas the Rockies closer who burst onto the scene at the All Star Break last year. I'm obviously not going to protect Accardo so it comes down to Hoffman vs. Corpas. And well I can't make up my mind.

Hoffman is, as my buddy Pete put it, the Curtis Martin of the baseball world. You never think of him as the best of the best but every single season he simply puts up numbers. In each of the last 4 seasons he's put up 40+ saves. And minus the injury plagued 2003 campaign he's put up 37+ saves in every season since 1996. That is consistent. But of course with the 40 year old Hoffman the concern lies in when will he fall off the cliff. His post All Star Break era of 4.44 and his complete blow up during the NL playoff game are a big time concern. Is that likely to carry over into this season? I don't know. Additionally Hoffman's K rate for a closer is piss poor. Last season he struck out only 44 batters in 57 innings.

On the other hand Corpas is the exact opposite as Hoffman. He's a 25 year old who received his first closing opportunity last year. After the all star break Corpas had 19 saves and two wins with only one blown save. Additionally Corpas was a beast in the postseason. In the postseason Corpas compiled 5 saves and a win in 9 games. The issue with Corpas is that the Rockies are in less close scoring games typically than the low scoring pitcher happy Padres roster.

Considering my categories are IP, K, W, ERA, S whom is the better choice. I would lean towards Corpas being more of a contributor towards IP and K and possibly ERA. Saves is the big question. As it is an entire category its what you have these closers for. If I keep Corpas and he saves 10 less games than Hoffman that could be the determining factory in winning or losing the league. However what if I keep Hoffman and Corpas emerges as the next great closer. Than I've lost my opportunity at having a superb closer every year and will need to scramble for a protected player in the future.

So who should I keep?

Can you guess which Airport I am currently bored out of my mind sitting in, by these two pictures?

Round 12
1. Khalil Greene Put it on My...
2. Jermaine Dye McNamee Juic...
3. Brad Hawpe Ginzoes
4. Francisco Cordero Mclovein
5. Juan Pierre Frank the Yank
6. Jered Weaver Deb's HGH Bu...
7. Ben Sheets Juice Heads
8. Hideki Matsui The Wall Balls
9. Bobby Jenks Harpoons & H...
10. Jason Varitek MANNYS DREADS

Best Pick: Bobby Jenks is automatic for saves.
Ballsy Pick: Ben Sheets based on the injury factory.
Stupid Pick: Juan Pierre should end up platooning by years end.
My Pick: I love Dreamweaver this year a lot mor than most pre-rankings.

Round 13
1. Josh Hamilton MANNYS DREADS
2. Todd Helton Harpoons & H...
3. Mariano Rivera The Wall Balls
4. Brett Myers Juice Heads
5. Javier Vázquez Deb's HGH Bu...
6. Yovani Gallardo Frank the Yank
7. Dustin Pedroia Mclovein
8. Jim Thome Ginzoes
9. Delmon Young McNamee Juic...
10. Evan Longoria Put it on My...

Best Pick: Jim Thome since we have 4 UTIL players does not hurt your roster flexibility at all.
Ballsy Pick: Josh Hamilton if he pans out will be a steal but there's no track record there.
Stupid Pick: Evan Longoria might end up getting sent down due to the Rays being cheap.
My Pick: I picked Vazquez for the innings and Ks.

Round 14
1. Matt Kemp Put it on My...
2. Shane Victorino McNamee Juic...
3. Kelvim Escobar Ginzoes
4. Jarrod Saltalamacchia Mclovein
5. Kevin Youkilis Frank the Yank
6. Rickie Weeks Deb's HGH Bu...
7. Kosuke Fukudome Juice Heads
8. Rich Hill The Wall Balls
9. Johnny Damon Harpoons & H...
10. Ryan Garko MANNYS DREADS

Best Pick: Shane Victorino is surrounded by Rollins, Utley and Howard. His numbers will be great.
Ballsy Pick: Fukudome cause honestly who knows what he will do.
Stupid Pick: Johnny Damon but to his defense his computer blew up.
My Pick: I desperately needed a 2nd baseman and am hoping that the guy pans out.

Round 15
1. Mark Teahen MANNYS DREADS
2. Plácido Polanco Harpoons & H...
3. Yunel Escobar The Wall Balls
4. Orlando Hudson Juice Heads
5. Jeff Francoeur Deb's HGH Bu...
6. Clay Buchholz Frank the Yank
7. Dustin McGowan Mclovein
8. Trevor Hoffman Ginzoes
9. Adrián Béltre McNamee Juic...
10. Kenji Johjima Put it on My...

Best Pick: Dustin McGowan should be a solid starter this season for a good team.
Ballsy Pick: Clay Bucholz went earlier than I expected but he could be a complete fantasy stud this season.
Stupid Pick: Orlando Hudson was a big time reach here with other mediocre 2b still on the board.
My Pick: I went with Francoeur because this league favors hits and the guy never stops swinging.

Round 16
1. Chad Billingsley Put it on My...
2. Huston Street McNamee Juic...
3. Matt Cain Ginzoes
4. Lastings Milledge Mclovein
5. Jhonny Peralta Frank the Yank
6. A.J. Burnett Deb's HGH Bu...
7. Iván Rodríguez Juice Heads
8. J.R. Towles The Wall Balls
9. Geovany Soto Harpoons & H...
10. Pedro Martínez MANNYS DREADS

Best Pick: Matt Cain should be a beast this season in atleast Ks, ERA and WHIP. The Wins will be questionable.
Ballsy Pick: JR Towles and Soto going when proven players are still on the board.
Stupid Pick: Huston Street is 1 for 1 in blown saves and will probably get hurt.
My Pick: Rolled the dice with Burnett but he'll probably burn me.

Round 17
1. Phil Hughes MANNYS DREADS
2. Ian Snell Harpoons & H...
3. Manny Corpas The Wall Balls
4. Rich Harden Juice Heads
5. Kelly Johnson Deb's HGH Bu...
6. Oliver Pérez Frank the Yank
7. Josh Fields Mclovein
8. Brad Penny Ginzoes
9. Chad Cordero McNamee Juic...
10. Edwin Encarnación Put it on My...

Best Pick: Brad Penny is a safe contributor.
Ballsy Pick: Rich Harden is drafted by the same man each year and gets injured each year.
Stupid Pick: Josh Fields was announced to be getting demoted hours prior to the draft.
My Pick: Solidified 2b with Kelly Johnson who is a better than average middle infielder.

Round 18
1. Brad Lidge Put it on My...
2. Aaron Rowand McNamee Juic...
3. Matt Capps Ginzoes
4. Kazuo Matsui Mclovein
5. Ryan Theriot Frank the Yank
6. Adam Wainwright Deb's HGH Bu...
7. Hank Blalock Juice Heads
8. Jeff Francis The Wall Balls
9. Kevin Kouzmanoff Harpoons & H...
10. Rafael Soriano MANNYS DREADS

Best Pick: Rafael Soriano should not have been drafted after Brad Lidge.
Ballsy Pick: Hank Blalock could be a beast if he stays healthy.
Stupid Pick: I thought THE RIOT was a bit of a reach here.
My Pick: I kept on passing on Wainwright hoping he would last and he did.

Round 19
1. Kevin Gregg MANNYS DREADS
2. Joakim Soria Harpoons & H...
3. Justin Upton The Wall Balls
4. Stephen Drew Juice Heads
5. Jon Lester Deb's HGH Bu...
6. Raúl Ibañez Frank the Yank
7. Andy Pettitte Mclovein
8. Carlos Mármol Ginzoes
9. Carlos Delgado McNamee Juic...
10. A.J. Pierzynski Put it on My...

Best Pick: AJ was probably a good value for a catcher here.
Ballsy Pick: Justin Upton could turn out to be an absolute stud.
Stupid Pick: Marmol just got named the set up man hours before the draft.
My Pick: I love Lester this year and somehow managed to get him in a draft with boatloads of Sox fans.

Round 20
1. Rick Ankiel Put it on My...
2. Ken Griffey Jr. McNamee Juic...
3. Ted Lilly Ginzoes
4. Yuniesky Betancourt Mclovein
5. Cameron Maybin Frank the Yank
6. Billy Butler Deb's HGH Bu...
7. Joe Borowski Juice Heads
8. Michael Bourn The Wall Balls
9. B.J. Ryan Harpoons & H...
10. Jeff Kent MANNYS DREADS

Best Pick: Ken Griffey did hit 30 home runs last year, perhaps he can stay healthy.
Ballsy Pick: BJ Ryan looks to not be the closer on day 1.
Stupid Pick: Yuniesky is a bum, probably should have waited on a SS rather than settle.
My Pick: I needed a first baseman as I had none so I went with Butler who is tearing it up this spring. Might have been able to wait it out but couldn't take the chance.

Round 21
1. Julio Lugo MANNYS DREADS
2. Troy Glaus Harpoons & H...
3. Dontrelle Willis The Wall Balls
4. Todd Jones Juice Heads
5. Kerry Wood Deb's HGH Bu...
6. Derek Lowe Frank the Yank
7. Melky Cabrera Mclovein
8. Felipe López Ginzoes
9. Jason Isringhausen McNamee Juic...
10. Adam LaRoche Put it on My...

Best Pick: Derek Lowe is always a consistent contributor.
Ballsy Pick: Julio Lugo if he gets back to his DRays form could be a steal.
Stupid Pick: Felipe Lopez is set to be a backup.
My Pick: I took another big time injury risk with Kerry Wood, but he was named the closer and if he holds he could be lights out.

Round 22
1. J.D. Drew Put it on My...
2. Tim Hudson McNamee Juic...
3. Scott Rolen Ginzoes
4. Joe Blanton Mclovein
5. Tom Gorzelanny Frank the Yank
6. Zack Greinke Deb's HGH Bu...
7. Brian Wilson Juice Heads
8. Ramón Hernández The Wall Balls
9. Aaron Hill Harpoons & H...
10. Freddy Sánchez MANNYS DREADS

Best Pick: Aaron Hill was a great selection here.
Ballsy Pick: Brian Wilson is currently the closer but will the Giants win any games?
Stupid Pick: Scott Rolen is already injured and will stay injured.
My Pick: Picked up yet another hopefully good starter.

Round 23
1. Akinori Iwamura MANNYS DREADS
2. Pat Burrell Harpoons & H...
3. Jeremy Hermida The Wall Balls
4. Asdrubal Cabrera Juice Heads
5. Melvin Mora Deb's HGH Bu...
6. Luis Castillo Frank the Yank
7. Ty Wigginton Mclovein
8. Bengie Molina Ginzoes
9. Tony Peña McNamee Juic...
10. Jeremy Guthrie Put it on My...

Best Pick: Jeremy Hermida is having a rough spring but in the 23rd round that's a good deal.
Ballsy Pick: Jeremy Guthrie is an opening day starter btu is on a bad team which plays superb offenses daily. Could end up being a bust.
Stupid Pick: Tony Pena is not the opening day closer.
My Pick: I'm hoping Mora will stay healthy the entire season and hit close to .300.

Round 24
1. Mark Buehrle Put it on My...
2. Bronson Arroyo McNamee Juic...
3. Paul Lo Duca Ginzoes
4. Garret Anderson Mclovein
5. Gil Meche Frank the Yank
6. Matt Garza Deb's HGH Bu...
7. Mark Reynolds Juice Heads
8. Randy Johnson The Wall Balls
9. Ubaldo Jiménez Harpoons & H...
10. Bill Hall MANNYS DREADS

Best Pick: Ubaldo Jimenez will probably be a K machine this season.
Ballsy Pick: Garret Anderson will need to get everyday PT to be worthwhile and I don't know if that's going to happen.
Stupid Pick: Paul Lo Duca is a juicer, past his prime, and should get eclipsed by Johnny Estrada mid season.
My Pick: Taking a gamble on a highly touted rookie.

Round 25
1. Jason Giambi MANNYS DREADS
2. Michael Cuddyer Harpoons & H...
3. Joey Votto The Wall Balls
4. Kurt Suzuki Juice Heads
5. Eric Gagne Deb's HGH Bu...
6. Casey Blake Frank the Yank
7. Ryan Doumit Mclovein
8. Tadahito Iguchi Ginzoes
9. Mike Napoli McNamee Juic...
10. David DeJesús Put it on My...

Best Pick: Mike Napoli is a soid risk reward catcher at this point in the draft.
Ballsy Pick: Joey Votto is a good gamble that could pay off.
Stupid Pick: Jason Giambi is a loser.
My Pick: Needed a closer, and with only slop remaining, I got slop.

Round 26
1. Andrew Miller Put it on My...
2. Gary Matthews Jr. McNamee Juic...
3. Josh Willingham Ginzoes
4. Félix Pié Mclovein
5. Conor Jackson Frank the Yank
6. Richie Sexson Deb's HGH Bu...
7. Adam Jones Juice Heads
8. Jack Cust The Wall Balls
9. Hiroki Kuroda Harpoons & H...
10. Josh Bard MANNYS DREADS

Best Pick: I see Andrew Miller as a beast at some point. Quite possibly this season.
Ballsy Pick: Is Hiroki Kuroda Kei Igawa or Kaz Ishii? AKA Bust or Good first season.
Stupid Pick: Felix Pie's twisted testicle.
My Pick: It's the 26th round it's time to take chances on guys that hit at the mendoza line.

Round 27
1. Juan Rivera MANNYS DREADS
2. José Guillén Harpoons & H...
3. Lyle Overbay The Wall Balls
4. Travis Buck Juice Heads
5. Randy Winn Deb's HGH Bu...
6. Troy Percival Frank the Yank
7. Brendan Harris Mclovein
8. Rafael Betancourt Ginzoes
9. Jeremy Accardo McNamee Juic...
10. Nate McLouth Put it on My...

Best Pick: Nate McLouth has potential to go 20/20.
Ballsy Pick: Jeremy Accardo if he can fend off BJ for the closer job is a solid pick.
Stupid Pick: Juan Rivera shouldn't get many at bats given the log jam off Outfielders in LAAAAAA of Anaheim Angels.
My Pick: Randy Winn may be a shitty name, but he did hit over 300 last year with double digit steals and HRs.

Round 28
1. C.J. Wilson Put it on My...
2. Jonathan Broxton McNamee Juic...
3. Eric Chávez Ginzoes
4. Chris Carpenter Mclovein
5. José Vidro Frank the Yank
6. Boof Bonser Deb's HGH Bu...
7. Ian Kennedy Juice Heads
8. Ervin Santana The Wall Balls
9. George Sherrill Harpoons & H...
10. Dmitri Young MANNYS DREADS

Best Pick: Vidro cause I think he somehow still has 2B eligibility in this league.
Ballsy Pick: How long is Chris Carpenter out for? Would you like to use your DL spot the entire season?
Stupid Pick: Dmitri Young isn't starting, he'll end up being cut by this team soon enough.
My Pick: Boof was a pick for fun.

Round 29
1. Shaun Marcum MANNYS DREADS
2. Corey Patterson Harpoons & H...
3. Carlos Ruiz The Wall Balls
4. Brandon Lyon Juice Heads
5. Chris Snyder Deb's HGH Bu...
6. Ronny Paulino Frank the Yank
7. Mark Ellis Mclovein
8. Hideki Okajima Ginzoes
9. Barry Zito McNamee Juic...
10. Dave Bush Put it on My...

Best Pick: Brandon Lyon is probably the best pick given he should be the closer.
Ballsy Pick: Corey Patterson isn't really a ballsy pick, it's round 29, but it was a good one.
Stupid Pick: I'm pretty sure Ronny Paulino is injured.
My Pick: I waited until the 29th round to grab my 2nd catcher. I'm hoping Snyder's hot spring continues into the season.

Round 30
1. Nate Robertson Put it on My...
2. Casey Kotchman McNamee Juic...
3. Chris Duncan Ginzoes
4. Tom Glavine Mclovein
5. Mark Prior Frank the Yank
6. Mike Hampton Deb's HGH Bu...
7. Daric Barton Juice Heads
8. Frank Thomas The Wall Balls
9. Mike Cameron Harpoons & H...
10. Chris Capuano MANNYS DREADS

Best Pick: Carl Pavano not getting selected was a great decision by the league.
Ballsy Pick: If you're willing to wait Cameron on the bench for a few months it could pay dividends.
Stupid Pick: Tough to make a stupid pick in round 30.
My Pick: I couldn't make up my mind so the auto selected Hampton for me.