Overcooked MLB Preview

            Some of you asked if I was going to write about real baseball this year, and I’m proud to say that I did. Unfortunately, I forgot to post this Sunday afternoon, so you’re getting it two days later than it was originally intended to be released. Based on my March Madness performance, it’s probably for the better, as I wouldn’t want anyone making bets on any advice I have to offer at the moment. Without further ado, we run through each division, with some playoff predictions at the end.

 



NL West

5. Colorado Rockies

            The pitching is abysmal, and we predict by June that whispers of Troy Tulowitzki ending up in pinstripes become shouts.

4. San Diego Padres
            Almost the exact opposite of Colorado, San Diego has the proud distinction of providing the most inept offense in the National League. A Chase Headley bounce-back campaign is their only hope.

3. Arizona Diamondbacks

            If they were willing to pay the price for David Price, we’d consider bumping this team up to the top spot in the NL West. Without him, their rotation is a bit of a mess until Archie Bradley reaches the Major Leagues.

2. San Francisco Giants

            The 2012 World Series champs had a down 2013 for a variety of reasons, but if half of those issues correct themselves, they should be looking at a Wild Card spot.

1. Los Angeles Dodgers

            They have the best starting pitcher (Clayton Kershaw), arguably the best shortstop (Hanley Ramirez), and MLB’s best chance of Manny Ramirez 2.0 (Yaisel Puig). Not to mention that they are owned by crazy people who will do whatever it takes at the trade deadline to improve the team. There’s always a chance of an October flameout, but in the regular season the Dodgers are the best bet to rack up the most wins in MLB.

AL West

5. Houston Astros

            Are the Astros the Philadelphia 76ers of MLB, or vice versa? Regardless, some of Houston’s top prospects will be hitting the bigs soon. There’s a chance they won’t be horrendous in 2016.

4. Oakland Athletics

            Oakland always squeezes more production out of it’s players than any other team, but season ending injuries to a couple prominent members of their starting rotation will set them back.

3. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

            I think Pujols comes back to near All-Star form, and Mike Trout is ridiculous, but until Los Angeles corrects their pitching issues, they won’t hang with Texas.

2. Seattle Mariners

            Either we’re over eager about Seattle because of their abundance of young starting pitching behind Felix Hernandez, or because Robinson Cano has been one of the team captains of my No Credentials Fantasy Baseball team for three years. Regardless, there’s a chance that Cano stabilizes an offense full of talented players who haven’t delivered yet.

1. Texas Rangers

            We’re bummed out about Jurickson Profar missing the first three months of the year, but there’s still a ridiculous amount of depth offensively. Prince Fielder will return to previous form playing his home games in Arlington, and Adrian Beltre is arguably the most under appreciated great player in the game. They’ll need to acquire another starting pitcher before the deadline to be a true threat in the playoffs, but there’s enough here for them to win the AL West.

NL Central

5. Chicago Cubs

            We’re about a year away from seeing the benefits of Theo Epstein’s rebuild, but at least Chicago should have the most exciting mid-season call-up in the form of Javier Baez. 

4. Milwaukee Brewers

            Milwaukee could win anywhere between 65 and 95 games and I wouldn’t be completely surprised. As we’ve written before, Ryan Braun is a complete asshole who won’t care about getting booed everywhere he goes. He should return to near MVP-level form. It’s the question marks in the starting pitching staff (in particular, presumed ace Yovani Gallardo, who imploded last year) that make us lukewarm on them surpassing any of the other three playoff teams in their division from a year ago.

3. Pittsburgh Pirates

            The Pirates were a blast last year, even getting contributions from a pitcher who grew up right in No Credentials home turf. It would’ve been great to see them go all-in and acquire another power bat, but it appears they are just hoping for another step forward from Pedro Alvarez. They’ll still be competitive, but we see them just missing the Wildcard game.

2. St. Louis Cardinals

            Are the San Antonio Spurs the St. Louis Cardinals of the NBA, or vice versa? They’re incredible pitching depth will have them in the hunt as always come October.

1. Cincinnati Reds

            Forgetting his forgettable 0-4, four strikeouts performance on opening day, we think Billy Hamilton is the key to the Reds overtaking St. Louis in the NL Central. His transformational speed is enough of a difference maker to make an already potent Reds lineup all the more lethal.

AL Central

5. Minnesota Twins

            Hard not to think that Joe Mauer’s move away from catcher is about three or four years too late.

4. Chicago White Sox

            There are not a lot of interesting players here, but at least Jose Abreu should be fun to watch.

3. Cleveland Indians

            Last year’s most surprising AL playoff participant, Cleveland likely needs Carlos Santana to have a career year in order to put them over the hump.

2. Kansas City Royals

            For the first time in a while Kansas City actually has some depth in their starting rotation. Mike Moustakas fulfilling his post-hype sleeper status alongside former top prospect Eric Hosmer is needed for the Royals to have any chance of knocking off Detroit.

1. Detroit Tigers

            They have the best pure power hitter in baseball and the deepest starting rotation in the American League. Throw in some better clubhouse chemistry now that Prince Fielder is in Texas, and you have yourself the favorites to represent the American League in the World Series.

NL East

5. Miami Marlins

            At what point do the Marlins pull the trigger on a Giancarlo Stanton trade? He’s the best tool they have to completely reload their farm system.

4. New York Mets

            Matt Harvey’s injury really is a bummer. New York might’ve actually had a chance to at least be in shouting distance of a wildcard spot if their young ace was healthy.

3. Atlanta Braves

            No team was ravaged more by injuries during spring training than Atlanta. They are one of the few teams that have the depth to deal with losing 40% of their starting rotation (that’s a fancy way of saying they lost two starting pitchers), but we think that puts them a step behind in the NL East.

2. Philadelphia Phillies

            Remember the 2009-10 Phoenix Suns, who made a semi-improbable run to the Western Conference Finals a few seasons after it looked like the Nash Era would never contend for a NBA title again? That’s the kind of year I’m predicting for Philly.

1. Washington Nationals

            A full year of solid health for Bryce Harper (who was fortunate not to get a concussion after getting kicked in the head on opening day) is what we are predicting, as well as a serious run at the NL MVP award. If the offense improves their scoring output by one run per game over last year, their pitching will take care of the rest.

AL East

5. New York Yankees

            The infield is atrocious, there are no sure things in the starting rotation (Sabathia is washed up, Kuroda is a nerd stats regression candidate, and while we like Tanaka, we aren’t ready to bet the farm on him), and even more frightening, they don’t have THE HAMMER OF GOD anymore. Throw in the fact that they will be lucky to get 240 combined games out of Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran, and this has all the makings of a season similar to what the Red Sox endured in 2012.At least for their sake, Bobby Valentine isn’t the manager.

4. Baltimore Orioles

            For my money, no team whiffed more in the off-season than the Baltimore Orioles. The offense is dynamite (and the Nelson Cruz signing at least paid dividends on opening day), but if there was one team that needed to through an obscure amount of cash at Tanaka, it was Baltimore. Ubaldo Jimenez is not enough for the Orioles to get into playoff contention.

3. Boston Red Sox

            Coming off a year where just about everything went right, it would make sense that a market correction will occur. We are hopeful that Grady Sizemore (one of the franchise players on one of my all-time favorite fantasy baseball teams I owned in 2008) makes a serious run at Comeback Player of the Year.

2. Toronto Blue Jays

            Think of this prediction as the opposite of what I just said about Boston. Virtually everything went wrong for Toronto last year, and while they didn’t get off to a great start against Tampa Bay, we still think the Blue Jays have the manpower to at least finish second in the AL East.

1. Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays

            On paper, this is the best (Devil) Rays team of the Joe Maddon era. There’s so much pitching depth throughout the organization, they could trade David Price and still not miss a beat. Wil Myers will form a dynamic duo with Evan Longoria in his sophomore campaign, giving the offense a much-needed boost. Barring a significant injury to Longoria (which could happen), this is the team to beat in the AL East.

(Probably Terrible) Playoff Predictions

NL West = Dodgers

NL Central = Reds
NL East = Nationals
NL Wildcard 1 = Cardinals
NL Wildcard 2 = Giants

AL Central = Tigers

AL East = (Devil) Rays
AL West = Rangers
AL Wildcard 1 = Mariners
AL Wildcard 2 = Royals

NLCS = Reds over Cardinals

ALCS = Tigers over Rays

World Series = Reds over Tigers

 

 

 

10 Awesome Things That Happened This Weekend (10/11-10/14)

10. Another Buccaneer Goes Down With MRSA Infection
            Unfortunately, it was not Greg Schiano.

9. Texans Fans Had Something to Cheer For

            Unfortuantely, it was because Matt Schaub’s ankle nearly snapped in half. Lets try to stay classy Houson.

8. Jaguars Cover the Spread in Denver

            When they finish the season 0-16, at least they can hang their hat on covering the largest point spread in NFL history.

7. Packers Try to Choke, Hang on in Baltimore
            In what was an oddly paced game from start to finish, Green Bay was fortunate to escape with a win after losing both Randall Cobb and James Jones to injury. Cobb will miss the next six to eight weeks.

6. Missouri Hammers Georgia

            Missouri delivered their most impressive win since joining the SEC in 2012. Sadly, the price of victory was the loss of their starting quarterback.

5. Brad Keselowski Returns to Victory Lane
            In what has been a forgettable season for the 2012 season, it was great to see Keselowski out-duel Kasey Kahne for the win Saturday night.

4. Pitching Dominates NLCS

            We’re not sure if offense will show up at all for St. Louis or the Dodgers.

3. Saints Piss Away A Win in New England

            I don’t know if will ever fully process the sequence of events that resulted in New England still winning after turning the ball over on downs with three minutes to go, and throwing an interception with just over two minutes left. A truly bizarre ending that only half of the Gillette Stadium crowd stuck around to see.

2. Tigers Nearly No-Hit Red Sox in Game 1

1. Big Papi Game Tying Grand Slam Saves Red Sox in Game 2           
            The first two games of the ALCS brought back some memories from the epic ALCS and NLCS series in 2004. Detroit had all the answers in Game 1, but David Ortiz delivered a devastating blow in the bottom of the eighth that based on Game 3, appears to have swung the series.

10 Awesome Things That Happened This Past Weekend (4/6-4/8)

10. Isaiah Thomas Gets Fired…Again
            Isaiah Thomas is rockstar. He actually had the stones to come out and say that getting fired from Florida International University was the first time he had been canned for “basketball reasons”.

9. Kanye West Seen Canoodling With Kim Kardashian

            If these two procreate, I’m moving to Uranus.

8. Steven Stamkos Reaches 60 Goals

7. Lionel Messi Reaches 60 Goals
            Both feats are impressive, but Messi achieving something that hadn’t been done in 39 years earns him one spot higher on this weeks list over Stamkos.

6. Milwaukee Bucks Beat Lowly Bobcats By 5

            Loyal readers may recognize this item as “The Weekly Shameless Plug of the Team No Credentials Picked in the Sportsbook Survivor Pool This Past Weekend”.

5. Carmelo Anthony Drops 43, Leads Knicks to Victory Over Bulls

            Sure the Knicks were at home playing against a team led by a very rusty Derrick Rose, but did anyone in the NBA need to have this kind of game more than Carmelo Anthony? Me think not.

4. Boston College Wins NCAA Hockey Title

            I would’ve ranked this higher, but BC beat some school named Ferris St. in the championship game, which is a college that I would need at least five guesses to figure out which state it is located in.

3. (Devil) Rays Rally Against the Hammer of God, Eventually Sweep Yankees

            I’d be more excited about New York’s 0-3 start, but the last time they lost their first three games they went on to win 114 games in 1998.

2. Red Sox Blow Two Saves in One Game, Get Swept By Tigers

            We are only in the first week of the season, but No Credentials is feeling pretty confident with its third place finish prediction for Boston.

1. Bubba Watson Wins 2012 Masters on Second Playoff Hole

            Despite no Tiger Woods, and a pedestrian performance by Phil Mickelson, this year’s Masters will be memorable thanks to Bubba Watson’s incredible second shot at 10 during the playoff. That shot would be hard to pull off in a video game, much less during a playoff hole in the biggest golf tournament on Earth.  

The Worst Long-Term Contract of the MLB Offseason

     I like Prince Fielder. He was a key part of my keeper league team last year, and I'm definitly keeping him for a second year this season (unless I'm heavily intoxicated when I submit my keepers and decide to gamble on Eric Hosmer). I'll grant you that Fielder and Miguel Cabrera hitting back to back is terryifying, but the other side of the diamond plus the final five years of the contract are what make Detroit's newest acquisition such a foolish one.
     Fielder was signed for 9 years at $213 million. He's going to be 28 years old this May. That means when he is 37, the Tigers will be paying him $23.5 million. One just has to look at the career track of Ryan Howard, Mo Vaughn, and Jim Thome to see what Detroit will be paying for once Fielder hits his mid-30s.
     Defensivly is where this deal will hurt in the short-term. Unless Cabrera and Fielder get comfortable sharing both first base and the DH spot, Miguel is going to spend a fair amount of time at third base. In Cabrera's last two seasons with Floriday, he committed 40 errors at third. In 14 games there for the Tigers in 2008, Cabrera committed 5 (that would put him on a pace for roughly 50 if he played the whole season there). That was four years ago. It's asking too much to expect Cabrera to be able to handle the hot corner at even a sub-par level. It's more than likely going to be a disaster on the level of former Mets catcher Todd Hundley trying to convert to the outfield about fifteen years ago (anyone else remember that? Those were some great Sportscenter highlights, espeically after they showed Chuck Knoblauch chucking the ball 20 feet over Tino Martinez' head).
     Those previous two paragraphs are the reason I am nominating Prince Fielder as the 2012 winner of "No Credentials Worst Long-Term Contract of the MLB Offseason". He joins Nationals outfielder Jayson Werth as the second winner of this award.

10 Awesome Things That Happened This Past Weekend (9/30-10/2)

10. Terry Francona and Red Sox Part Ways
            Every epic collapse has to have a scapegoat. In this case, it was Francona, who will forever be known as the manager of the team that broke The Curse of the Bambino. He probably lasted about a year or two longer than he should, but Tito should be remembered fondly in Boston. I wish him well.

9. Rangers and Rays Split Games in Arlington

            A rematch of last years ALCS, look for Tampa Bay’s pitching depth to overwhelm Texas by the end of the series.

8. Tigers Steal Game in New York, Even Series

            About the only thing Red Sox fans have left to as far as baseball is concerned is cheer against the Yankees. Hopefully Justin Verlander can take of business in Game 3 after Miguel Cabrera gave them a lift in Game 2.

7. Kurt Busch Conquers Monster Mile

            Even more noteworthy than Busch winning is Jimmie Johnson creeping back into championship contention. He’s only 13 points and a missed crash at Talladega away from taking his sixth straight title.

6. Wisconsin Destroys Nebraska in Cornhuskers Big 10 Debut

            I hope this happens to every school that leaves a conference for more dollars in their first game.

5. Brewers Take Two at Home

            If I still liked baseball, I’d jump onto the Brewers bandwagon. For starters, their team name has a whole lot to do with beer, which is awesome. Secondly, when the average shirt size of the fan base is 4XL, you know there is a hearty bunch of folks supporting this team. I’m as all-in as a non-baseball fan can be on the Milwaukee Brewers after they smoked Arizona in Game 2.

4. Cowboys Blow 27-3 Lead, Lose to Lions

            I say that whenever a quarterback has a game that they throw for over 300 hundred yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions, that it is referred to as “A Romo”.

3. Eagles Suffer Embarrassing Collapse at Home Against 49ers

            Did Philadelphia sign Lebron James as a third-string tight end and not tell anyone? Or did they not assemble enough quality linemen on both sides of the ball? The second question is the reason for Philadelphia’s struggles, but it would be fun to blame their 1-3 record on Lebron.

2. Arian Foster Goes Bonkers, Carries Texans Over Steelers

            Evidently during the lockout, the Steelers forgot how to tackle. Impressive win by Houston, who cruised even without star receiver Andre Johnson.

1. Ravens Dominate Jets Offense in a Rout

            If Tony Romo had a bad game Sunday, does that mean Mark Sanchez had a putrid one?

AL Central Preview

5. Kansas City Royals

A-Level = CL Joakim Soria

B-Level = DH Billy Butler

C-Level = 3B Mike Aviles, LF Alex Gordon

Ceiling = 65 wins

Floor = 55 wins
Best Case Scenario = The Royals have managed to build the strongest well of minor league talent in all of baseball (click here to read a few paragraphs about it by Buster Olney). If their future corner infielders (3B Mike Moustakas and 1B Eric Hosmer) arrive by July 1st, they should give them a chance to stay out of the AL Central basement. Outlook: I’m going to be boring and predict a number right between their ceiling and the floor. Look for a record of 60-102. Even though this should be another 100-loss season, at least there is a chance that Kansas City will have a strong major league club within five years.

 

4. Cleveland Indians

A-Level = RF Shin-Soo Choo

B-Level = C Carlos Santana, SP Fausto Carmona

C-Level = SS Asdrubal Cabrera, CF Grady Sizemore, DH Travis Hafner, CL Chris Perez

Ceiling = 75 wins

Floor = 55 wins

Best Case Scenario = Just four years ago, Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner were the offensive stars of a team that led the Boston Red Sox three games to one in the ALCS. Since blowing that series lead, both players (and the franchise, and for that matter, the entire city) have been in a huge funk. Both players have dealt with a multitude of injuries. Hafner’s days of being an elite producer are probably over, but if Sizemore can give the team 140 games with 75% of his 2008 ability, it will go a long way in restoring Cleveland to some semblance of relevance (Semblance of Relevance would’ve been a great name for a Nirvana album).

Outlook = I think Cleveland will score some runs, but look for them to struggle with pitching. 63-99 should be the final record.

3. Chicago White Sox

A-Level = DH Adam Dunn

B-Level = 1B Paul Konerko, SS Alexei Ramirez, LF Juan Pierre, CF Alex Rios, RF Carlos Quentin, SP Mark Buehrle, SP Gavin Floyd, SP John Danks, CL Matt Thornton   

C-Level = 2B Gordon Beckham, SP Jake Peavy, SP Edwin Jackson, RP Chris Sale

Ceiling = 100 wins

Floor = 70 wins

Best Case Scenario = It’s fitting that a team managed by Ozzie Guillen has the potential to win 100 games or fall on it’s face. Jake Peavy is a former Cy Young winner, but needs to overcome injury woes. Edwin Jackson shows flashes, but needs to develop more consistency. If either Floyd or Danks can make the jump to the A-Level, this team can really take off. Offensively, a breakout season by Gordon Beckham coupled with a comeback year by Carlos Quentin will go along way in stabilizing the lineup.

Outlook = While everything could come together, it’s not likely that it will. Look for 84-78.

2. Minnesota Twins

A-Level = C Joe Mauer

B-Level = 1B Justin Morneau, LF Delmon Young, SP Carl Pavano, SP Francisco Liriano, CL Joe Nathan, RP Matt Capps

C-Level = CF Denard Span, RF Michael Cuddyer, DH Jason Kubel, SP Scott Baker

Ceiling = 95 wins

Floor = 80 wins

Best Case Scenario = What Minnesota was able to accomplish after Joe Nathan and Justin Morneau were lost for the season was remarkable. If those two players return to their pre-injury form, you can add two names to the Twins A-Level talent.

Outlook = Expect Minnesota to be a yearlong contender for both the division and the wildcard. I’ll predict that they win 91 games.

1. Detroit Tigers

A-Level = C Victor Martinez, 1B Miguel Cabrera, SP Justin Verlander

B-Level = RF Magglio Ordonez, SP Max Scherzer, CL Jose Valverde

C-Level = 2B Carlos Guillen, LF Ryan Raburn, CF Austin Jackson, RP Joaquin Benoit

Ceiling = 95 wins

Floor = 80 wins

Best Case Scenario = Obviously the biggest X-factor with Detroit is what they will get out of Miguel Cabrera this year. I personally expect him to go bonkers. Coupled with counseling, baseball should keep Cabrera busy and hopefully away from the bottle. Victor Martinez provides Cabrera with top-flight protection that he has never had. If Max Scherzer makes the jump to the A-Level, Detroit will have the best 1-2 punch in the American League

Outlook = Pencil in Cabrera as the AL MVP, and give the Tigers 92 wins and a narrow division victory over Minnesota.

10 Awesome Things That Happened This Past Weekend (2/25-2/27)

10. Kyle Busch Leads All 200 Laps in Nationwide Race at Phoenix

            For those of you not informed, let me explain why the Nationwide Series is the biggest farce in American Motorsports.

            Essentially, the Nationwide Series is the NASCAR version of Triple-A. Back in the day, young drivers used to cut their teeth in the lower level before earning the right to drive a Cup car. Jeff Gordon used to drive the #1 Baby Ruth Ford before getting the call to drive for Rick Hendrick. During that time, Winston Cup drivers used to run the occasional Busch race (Nationwide used to be called the Busch Grand National Series, back before NASCAR sold it’s soul to cell phone companies) to help boost ticket sales, but you never saw a Cup driver run for the second tier series’ championship.

            Flash forward to now. Teams struggle to find sponsorship for up and coming drivers, so they turn to established Sprint Cup drivers to drive their cars. This has led to the Nationwide title being one by a full-time Sprint Cup driver every year since 2005. There is a severe talent drought in NASCAR (when Kevin Conway won the 2010 Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year, that was the best indicator of that fact), and sadly not even Sprint Cup stars attract crowds to the Nationwide races anymore.

             NASCAR started moving in the right direction when they made drivers pick which series they would accumulate points in, but Sprint Cup drivers are still running Nationwide races to soak up the prize money. Here is my plan to fix this series.

            A Sprint Cup driver should be allowed to run every race in Nationwide during his first two Sprint Cup seasons. There’s nothing wrong with a young driver getting extra seat time. During the third season, the Sprint Cup driver should only be allowed to run 2/3rds of the races. After year four, it’s 1/3^rd. This will give full time Nationwide drivers a better chance to win, and eventually, allow Nationwide races to stand on their own without the participation of Cup drivers.

9. NFL Draft Combine Takes Place in Indianapolis

            I understand why this event is held, but have no clue why it is on television. Is there really a demand to watch 320-pound lineman run a 40-yard dash? Unless you’re a fan of the World’s Strongest Man competition, there’s no need to watch people bench press either.

            The only remotely compelling story out of Indianapolis has been Cam Newton. Unlike most top-rated quarterback prospects, Newton has participated in every single quarterback drill. He missed a few timing passes, but the touch he displayed on deep passes and his 4.59 40 yard dash time should keep Newton in the discussion as the potential #3 pick in the draft.   

8. Martin Kaymer Rises to #1 in World Golf Ranking

            I had never heard of Kaymer until I saw the headline on ESPN.com. Apparently he won the PGA Championship last August. It’s to bad Tiger Woods stopped being competitive a year and a half ago and the majority of the country stopped caring about golf, otherwise this accomplishment could be a little more celebrated.

7. Colorado Pulls Off 22-Point Comeback Against #5 Texas

            I’ll admit that I didn’t watch a second of this game, but anytime an unranked team pulls off a comeback of this magnitude against a top five opponent, it will make the list.

6. Veteran Detroit Pistons Boycott Morning Shoot-Around Friday at Philadelphia

            Thank goodness Detroit sports fans have the Red Wings, because there isn’t much to cheer about in the Motor City (except the awesome Eminem Chrysler commercial. I thought I could run through a wall after watching this ad air during the Super Bowl). Let’s review the state of each team.

Detroit Lions (NFL) – The only two bright spots in the entire history of the Lions have been Bobby Layne and Barry Sanders (I would mention Cameron Muir’s stint as quarterback of the Lions in Madden 09, but that only happened in my living room). Matt Millen famously drafted wide receivers in the first round 12 years in a row (alright it was only three, but it felt like 12) before finally building a roster that went 0-16. Things are starting to look up for the team, as long as quarterback Matthew Stafford can stay healthy.

Detroit Tigers (MLB) – Things would be great if their best player (who they are paying more than $20 million a year) hadn’t gotten arrested after getting pulled over and taking swigs of Scotch in front of a cop in Florida.

Detroit Pistons (NBA) = Amazingly enough, I remember having conversations wondering if the 2008 Celtics could knock off the Pistons in the Eastern Conference. Now they are dealing with a player revolt. Veteran players Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Tracy McGrady, and others are so disgusted with coach John Kuester that they boycotted the shoot-around before Friday’s game in Philadelphia. To make matters worse, Pistons players laughed at Kuester after he got ejected during the game that night (click here for the sad display). It’s a shame that in the city most impacted by the economic downturn of the last five years, Detroit’s basketball team is acting like clowns.  

5. Jimmer Leads BYU to Victory at San Diego State

            Jimmer Fredette dropped 25 points (along with 9 assists) as BYU completed a season sweep of their conference rivals. I caught most of the second half of this game. I have a hard time believing either of these clubs are worthy of a #1 seed (which was what we were led to believe going into the contest), but BYU certainly looks like the greater threat to make noise in March. Announcer Steve Kerr called Fredette “surprisingly athletic” (which translates to, “He’s a white guy, but somehow, he can do more than shoot jump shots”), and I couldn’t agree more with him. Fredette looks like a rich-man’s J.J. Redick.

4. Lakers 90, Thunder 87

            Durant bricked a game-tying 3-point attempt that would’ve put this game into overtime. Kendrick Perkins hasn’t suited up for Oklahoma City yet due to a knee sprain. I’d like to think he would’ve been worth at least 3 extra points. I hope we see these clubs face off in the playoffs.

3. #1 Duke Falls to Virginia Tech

            Duke continued the trend of #1 teams falling as soon as they reach the top spot in the rankings. This definitely looks like a year where a 55-year old nurse that knows nothing about college basketball will win your office pool. Chaos will reign in March.

2. Jeff Gordon Snaps 66-Race Winless Streak at Phoenix

            Gordon was happier than a squirrel in heat at a pecan farm after winning this race. Gordon caught, bumped, and ran away from Kyle Busch to win for the first time since Texas in 2009 (to watch the pass, click here). Gordon seems to have found new life with new crew chief Alan Gustafson. It was nice to see him get the huge ovation from the fans after winning the race. While he was the most successful driver of the late ‘90s, he was the most disliked (especially by Earnhardt fans). You could tell in victory lane that he greatly appreciated the support from the fans.

1. Chauncey Billups Goes Bonkers, Knicks Steal Game in Miami

            New York was down 15 points in the first half, but went on a 16-0 run at the end of the 2^nd quarter to make a game of it. The Knicks kept it close until the 4^th quarter thanks to the efforts of ex-Celtic swingman Bill Walker, who apparently is blessed with the ability to shut down Dwyane Wade. Then it was Billups time.

            Chauncey was an afterthought in the epic Nuggets-Knicks trade, but seems completely rejuvenated. It’s easy to forget that he was the Finals MVP when Detroit beat the Lakers in five games to win the 2004 NBA Championship (it’s even harder to believe that Detroit was one of the best teams of the ‘00s considering the 6^th item in this countdown). Billups scored 7 points in the final three minutes, including a 30-footer over Wade with just over a minute to go to put New York up for good (it felt like he was in Tallahassee when he took that shot. An insanely deep pull up 3 for that point of the game). Being thought of as a throw-in for the Carmelo trade seems to have lit a fire under the veteran point guard.

            If I’m Miami, there are two huge issues I take away from this game. For starters, the crowd was chanting “DEFENSE…DEFENSE…”, which would be great, except they were cheering for the Knicks to play defense. At least 40% of the crowd was supporting New York. Even Spike Lee was there (Miami should figure out who sold Lee the ticket and have that person banned from attending any more games). It felt like watching a Red Sox-Rays game in Tampa.

            More importantly, after scoring 34 points with ease in the first quarter, Miami was held to 52 for the rest of the game. To put it in perspective, a team that starts Ronny Turiaf at center shut them down. Mike D’Antoni has used Bill Walker sparingly so far, but a player like him is very important when you need to face the likes of Lebron, Wade, and Paul Pierce in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. No play illustrated New York’s commitment to defense than Amar’e Stoudemire’s block of Lebron’s game-tying lay-up. If Miami can’t run a half-court offense that can score on the Knicks, what are they going to do in a seven game series against Boston or Chicago?

            For highlights, click here.

In 6 Months We'll Forget Victor Martinez

            Victor Martinez is leaving the Red Sox to play for the Detroit Tigers. Detroit offered Martinez an extra $8 million than Boston was willing to pay. Martinez hit .313 in 183 games with the Red Sox, smacking 28 homers and driving in 120.

            Offensively this is a blow for the Red Sox, but his production can be replaced either this off-season or next. Adrian Gonzalez and Prince Fielder could be had via trade, or signed after the season. Arizona has also been rumored to be dangling Justin Upton, who would find his inner monster smacking line drives off or over the Green Monster. Gonzalez would be the perfect acquisition, as his hitting approach fits in perfectly with what the Red Sox do (make sure games last 4 hours by taking tons of pitches). Throw in the possible signing of Carl Crawford, and the healthy returns of Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis, and the Sox should have a powerful offense in 2011.

            The less talked about aspect of this trade for the Red Sox is the upgrade on defense. Martinez has one of the weakest arms of any major league catcher (and with David Ortiz signed up for 2011, there would’ve been limited opportunities to use Victor as the DH). Tampa Bay made every game against the Red Sox look like a track meet. Just about any catcher is an upgrade over him. I’d be happy to see the Sox sign one of the 16 Molina brothers and have them bat ninth and play catcher.

            Detroit will get a nice bump from this acquisition. The Tigers crumbled last year when the entire line-up around Miguel Cabrera got hurt during the summer. Martinez is a great second banana to pair up with Cabrera. Detroit has more flexibility with their DH slot, so Martinez should have to catch less for the Tigers.

            This move is a win-win for both sides. Boston gets the Tigers 1^st round pick in a loaded 2011 draft class (because of the Tigers signing Martinez. MLB has some quirky rules involving the signing of free agents). The additional draft pick in round 1 will neutralize the blow of losing a pick if they sign Carl Crawford. The Red Sox have as much flexibility as they have had in many years. Let’s see what they do with it.