Ebola Was Overrated, and Other Things About 2014

            A couple of you have asked where No Credentials has been the last few months. We regret the lack of activity, but it can be chalked up to multiple factors.

1. I have a new job, and the schedule I work doesn’t fit my previous pattern of posting.
2. My son is a terrorist.
3. Okay my son isn’t really a terrorist, but he’s an energetic four year old who never fails to wake up early and does everything in his power to stay up as late as possible. I love him dearly, but he wears my wife and I out daily.
4. The Dallas Cowboys have done pretty well since we’ve gone mute, so I haven’t wanted to disrupt the cosmic workings of the universe.
5. I’m pretty damn lazy.

         With all that said, we want to hand out some fake awards to recap the year. These are things I could’ve posted about if I had any form of drive or motivation to do so.

Best Play = Odell Beckham’s Catch Against the Cowboys

            In a vacuum, Beckham’s Internet-breaking grab was the most athletic thing I’ve ever seen on a football field.

            However, folks need to pump the brakes on calling it the greatest catch in the history of the NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE. The Giants didn’t even win the game, and the team sputtered to a 6-10 finish. For our money, David Tyree’s Helmet Catch was the greatest grab in NFL history. Let’s punch Patriots’ fans in the stomach by posting the video of it.

Honorable Mention = Marshawn Lynch going ham on the Cardinals.

Most Overrated = Ebola’s Impact on the United States

            When Ebola first surfaced on American soil, I had conversations with people who genuinely believed the government was behind the outbreak in an attempt to eliminate a large part of the population. I’m guessing these same people bought a lot of canned vegetables in 2012.

(EDITORS NOTE: We understand that Ebola is a serious disease that is ravaging Africa)

Honorable Mention = Kirk Cousins (holy shit he sucks. Cousins owes me a refund for the money I wagered on the Deadskins against the Giants in Week 4)

Best Kids Show = Henry Danger

            We were all in on Nickelodeon’s superhero show the first time Captain Man hit on Henry’s mom.

No Credentials Video Game of the Year = Clash of Clans

            I’m not proud of it.

Honorable Mention = Candy Crush (I’m not proud of that either)

Most Memorable Bad Team = Cleveland Browns

            In the AP Report on Josh Gordon’s suspension last week, the words “the team was unable to locate Gordon and quarterback Johnny Manziel Friday night” were actually printed. Somehow, a terrible Kevin Costner movie was the lone highlight of 2014 for the Cleveland Browns.

Honorable Mention = Sacramento Kings (Boogie!!!)

Team of the Year = 2013-14 San Antonio Spurs

            How they were so easily able to dismantle the Miami Heat in the Finals, and put an end to the “Big Two featuring a Broken Down Dwyane Wade” era, earns San Antonio team of the year status.

Honorable Mention = 2013-14 Seattle Seahawks, 2014 Boston Red Sox (just kidding!)

The Next Great One = Anthony Davis

            The Brow is improving year by year at a rate never seen in the NBA before. He’s going to be great on the Lakers in two years.

Honorable Mention = Andrew Luck

Most Ignorant = NASCAR Fans

            NASCAR fans will literally bitch about anything. It’s the worst fan base in sports.

League of the Year = NBA

            It was a great year for the NBA for a multitude of reasons. Adam Silver took over as the new commish, and immediately became the most powerful leader in sports when he removed Donald Sterling from the Clippers. We already discussed the Spurs, whose title run was fueled by incredible passing from every spot on the floor. The league goes into 2015 with the most teams having a realistic chance at a title in the history of the NBA. It is a great time to be a fan of The Association.

Film of the Year = The Lego Movie

            If you don’t have kids, I fully advise you to rent one for a day so you don’t feel weird watching The Lego Movie.

Most Valuable Player = Madison Bumgarner

            He’ll probably need Tommy John Surgery in six months, but who cares? Bumgarner was amazing in carrying the Giants to their third title in five years.

            We’ll try to write more as we enter 2015. NFL picks will be back for the Wildcard Round Friday. Have a safe and Happy New Years everyone (don’t drive drunk kids). 

I'm Not Smart Enough to Appreciate the San Francisco Giants

     I'm on the record calling the 2014 World Series the worst match up in the history of the sport, which is a statement supported by numerous advanced statistics. but perhaps it's time to re-calibrate our expectations of a MLB team. In my youth, the best teams rolled out offensive juggernauts that featured six or seven elite hitters. The juggernaut Yankees teams during their dynasty come to mind first, but we also saw the Indian's teams in the mid-90s (Albert Belle and Manny Ramirez would've been enough to carry a team, but they had five other dudes who could rake too), Seattle when they featured Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez,and lastly the curse breaking Red Sox lineup in 2004. These teams hit the ball hard, and it often went very far.
     San Francisco has Buster Posey, Hunter Pence, and a bunch of other no name hitters, but in today's pitching dominated climate, that doesn't matter. Madison Bumgarner delivered a historic World Series performance that our first reaction is to devalue because of the lack of hitting, but that ultimately isn't fair. We're tired of being a baseball grump. The Giants are the fifth team in MLB history to win three titles in five years, which is remarkable. We still think the '98 Yankees or '04 Red Sox would smash them to smithereens, but we're still tipping our cap to the Giants.

Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft Rounds 14-15

14-157 = Gio Gonzalez, SP, Athletics – Gonzalez is only 25, and if he lowers his walk rate, has a chance to crack 200 strikeouts.

14-158 = Vernon Wells, CF, Angles – Wells came to Anaheim from Toronto in what was viewed as the worst move of the off-season. Anywhere from pick 110 on isn’t a bad spot to bet on a guy who hopefully wants to provide his new employer with some vindication.

14-159 = John Axford, RP, Brewers – Axford racked up 76 strikeouts in 58 innings, and should find himself in more save situations thanks to the new additions to the Milwaukee pitching staff. I’d much rather draft Axford in the 13^th or 14^th round as opposed to Marmol or Rivera in the 6^th.

14-160 = Ryan Dempster, SP, Cubs – Even when the Cubs are in total disarray, Dempster always seems to finish with a sub-4.00 ERA and close to 200 strikeouts.

14-161 = John Danks, SP, White Sox – Danks is a volume pitcher. He doesn’t post a bunch of strikeouts per start, but he’s a great bet to finish the season with 210 innings.

14-162 = Craig Kimbrel, RP, Braves – Kimbrel isn’t guaranteed the closers gig in Atlanta, but thanks to his ridiculous strikeout rate (recorded over 14 strikeouts per nine innings in the minors, struck out 40 in 20.2 innings during his call-up at the end of 2010) he’s the favorite to earn the role. It’s a bit of a gamble to draft him this high as he isn’t assured of the closer’s role, but if he succeeds you’re getting a guy with a skill set that could place him in the top-5 of all closers in baseball. 

14-163 = Vladimir Guerrero, RF, Orioles – He’ll be a full-time DH for Baltimore (his performance in the field for Texas in the World Series was the end of his fielding career), which should go a long way in keeping him healthy. He’s a solid late round bargain for 25+ home runs and a solid batting average.

14-164 = Brian Matusz, SP, Orioles – One can point to Matusz’s second half numbers as reason for optimism going into 2011 (2.18 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 52 Ks in 62 innings). He has the talent to survive in the AL East.

14-165 = Mike Napoli, C-1B, Rangers – It’s unclear at this point how Napoli will get his at-bats, but I’m willing to bet he’ll finish with at least 400 by seasons end. That should be enough to give you 20 home runs.

14-166 = Ryan Franklin, RP, Cardinals – Not the sexiest guy to draft on your team, but he’ll get you close to 30 saves.

14-167 = Carlos Lee, 1B-LF, Astros – Lee had his worst season in the Majors last year. While there is the possibility of a bounce-back, Lee is best suited to be picked as one of your bench players that can fill in at first base and the outfield.

14-168 = Drew Storen, RP, Nationals – Similar to Kimbrel in the sense that he is not guaranteed the closer role at this point, but he has the best stuff of anyone in the Nationals’ bullpen. 

15-169 = Aaron Hill, 2B, Blue Jays – Hill was plagued all season by a .196 BABIP, which was 30 points lower than any other player in the majors. If that normalizes (league average is around .300), it’s not out of the realm of possibility that he could post numbers close to what he put up in 2009.

15-170 = Brett Myers, SP, Astros – Myers thrived during his first year in Houston. It may be unrealistic to think he’ll throw 223 innings again, but he’s a solid pitcher to anchor the middle of your rotation.

15-171 = Jesus Montero, C, Yankees – Montero is our first player that isn’t guaranteed a spot on a major league roster to come off the board. Montero is ready to hit in the major leagues, but New York wants to develop his defense and his ability to manage a pitching staff. I’m willing to bet that Montero will be in the big leagues by June, whether he’s playing for the Yankees or not. If you miss out on one of the top catchers, take Montero and stash him on your roster until he’s called up.

15-172 = Javier Vazquez, SP-RP, Marlins – All numbers indicate that Vazquez is in severe decline (his average fastball velocity dropped 2 mph last season), but this is a good spot to see if getting out of Yankee Stadium will be all Vazquez needs to rediscover his mojo.

15-173 = David Aardsma, RP, Mariners – This pick was logged before I discovered Aardsma will be out until mid-April (aaaarrrrrrrrggggggggghhhhhhhh!!! Get it, Aardsma, AAArgh, nevermind…). There’s no guaruantee he’ll return to the closer role when he returns, but we’re getting to the point where saves are hard to find. 

15-174 = C.J. Wilson, SP, Rangers – Wilson performed as well as could’ve been expected in his switch from the bullpen to a starting role in 2010. The only concern I have going forward with him is how his arm holds up after the heavy workload he carried during the season and the Rangers playoff run.

15-175 = Jordan Zimmerman, SP, Nationals – Zimmerman has bounced back nicely from Tommy John surgery in August of 2009. He has potential to deliver over a strike out per inning. Expect 160 solid innings out of him.

15-176 = Leo Nunez, RP, Marlins – Nunez record the second highest total of blown saves last season, but thanks to a lack of quality arms in the Florida bullpen, is still slated to pitch the ninth inning for the Marlins. If he were to lose his closing gig, he would lose all fantasy value.

15-177 = Edinson Volquez, SP, Reds – A great roll of the dice pick at this point in the draft, Volquez is capable of delivering over 200 strikeouts. He will also have plenty of opportunities for wins picking a for a solid Reds team. There are health concerns, but at this point in the draft there are no sure things.

15-178 = Ian Kennedy, SP, Diamondbacks – Kennedy delivered a 3.80 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP in his first full season in the desert. He’s only 26, so he does have potential to improve on those stats.

15-179 = Madison Bumgarner, SP, Giants – Bumgarner’s performance in the playoffs (2.18 ERA and 1.11 WHIP) will not be duplicated during a full season, but his exceptional control should keep his ERA under 4.

15-180 = Tsuyoshi Nishioka, 2B-SS, Twins – I wouldn’t know who this guy is if he walked into my living room right now with a t-shirt that said, “Hi, my name is Tsuyoshi Nishioka.” What I do know is he’s going to start the year batting 2^nd for one of the best offenses in the American League. Even if he only hits .275 he’ll have a chance to score 100 runs. (EDITORS NOTE: Nishioka is eligible at shortstop in Yahoo leagues, but not ESPN fantasy leagues)