I realize the 30 Teams in 30 Days posts took a serious hit the past few weeks, but as a student in his final year of schooling, I've had a lot of things to do and haven't been afforded the chance of posting daily anymore. Hopefully I'll have a lot more time now. That said, here is the 2005 MLB season preview...
AL East
1. New York Yankees (100-62)
2. Boston Red Sox (92-70)
3. Baltimore Orioles (80-82)
4. Tampa Bay Devil Rays (70-92)
5. Toronto Blue Jays (68-94)
The Yankees are just simply the best team in baseball, end of story. Their only weakness last year was pitching, and they substantially upgraded their bullpen and rotation. The Red Sox improved too, but losing Pedro Martinez will be more of a loss than Boston faithfull want to believe.
The Red Sox essentially dealt Martinez and Derek Lowe for David Wells, Matt Clement and Wade Miller, while that upgraded thier depth, it took away two "stoppers" and guys you could really count on. I'm not sure thats the case with any of those three.
The Orioles upgraded an already good offense, but again have very little pitching, stop me if you've heard that before. The Devil Rays should be fun to watch, their managed well and have a lot of young guys on the horizon. I'm not saying anything about the Blue Jays because they don't even deserve that much recognition.
AL Central
1. Minnesota Twins (89-73)
2. Cleveland Indians (85-77)
3. Detroit Tigers (78-84)
4. Chicago White Sox (72-90)
5. Kansas City Royals (63-99)
This division improved, well two teams did, but the Twins are still the class of the Central. I like the Indians a lot, but didn't have the guts to pick them ahead of the Twins. They have a good young offense (Boone, Haffner, Martinez, Bard) and a good young staff which got the addition of Kevin Millwood, but the Twins are solid.
Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer will be the best players at their respective positions in the next few years, Santana is one of the best pitchers in the league, and Lew Ford is the best player you've never heard of.
The Tigers will be interesting to watch. For the second straight year they made a big splash in free agency (last year it was Ivan Rodriguez, this year it's Magglio Ordonez). They have a very good offense and now a good bullpen to match (Ugeth Urbina, Kyle Farnsworth, Matt Ginter and Troy Percivil). Too bad they don't have good starting pitching, or they'd compete for the division crown.
The White Sox took a big step back by trading Carlos Lee for Scott Podsednik (Don't you have to get more for a young power hitter than a journeyman minor leager who is a one trick p0ny?) They also brought in Jermaine Dye, good luck with that. A.J. Pierzynski is one of the most hated teamates in the league and the Sox are embracing him with open arms. Mark Buhrle, Freddy Garcia, Jose Contrares and Orlando Hernandez (besides being the top 4 guys in their rotation) are all Jeckyl and Hides, Frank Thomas is hurt, Paul Konerko wants a new contract, the bullpen is shaky, I could keep going on. Sounds like a long year for Ozzie and the southsiders.
The Chiefs could have just as good of a record as the Royals. That's all I am saying about them.
AL West
1. Oakland A's (88-74)
2. L.A. of Anahiem Angels (87-75)
3. Seattle Mariners (81-81)
4. Texas Rangers (70-92)
It would be too easy to pick the Angels to win this division, plus I have a hard time picking against Billy Beane. The A's pitching is still good, They improved their offense, and the bullpen will get a big shot in the arm when Huston Street becomes the closer at midseason.
I don't know what it is, but I just don't buy the Angels. The pitching staff is still suspect, they lost some key guys in the bullpen and are replacing the left side of their infield and their centerfielder. Yes, the new starters are better than what they had last year, but you still have adjusting to do. That, and I'm waiting for Steve Finley to break down.
The M's offense will be very good, but just like the Rangers and Orioles, they don't have any pitching to keep them from getting into 10-8 games.
Wild Card: Boston Red Sox
Playoffs
ALDS: Yankees over A's
Twins over Red Sox
ALCS: Yankees over Twins
AL MVP: Eric Chavez
CY Young: Johan Santana
R.O.Y.: Nick Swisher (OF Oakland A's)
First Player Traded: Ugeth Urbina
First Manager Fired: Tony Pena
Don't Be Surprised If: The Royals are retracted during the season
Saturday, April 02, 2005
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
5 best college hoops nicknames
It seems appropriate in the spirit of the season. I encourage anyone and everyone to add nicknames of players I didn't think of. I shied away from using player nicknames that went on to have success at the next level. With that:
5. Robert "Tractor" Traylor-Michigan
Wolverines big fella was a force in the middle in the NCAA. Not so much in the NBA, and no, I wouldn't even trade Pat Garrity for him, not to mention Garrity AND Dirk Nowitzki. Still a great nickname.
4. Jamal "Monster" Mashburn - Kentucky
The "Monster" was the centerpiece for a very talented Wildcats team that seemed primed for the Final Four. Too bad Duke and Christian Laettner had other plans. While he has enjoyed success in the NBA, he never lived up to his hype and potential. He also happens to be one of my favorite college ballers of all-time.
3. Trajan Langdon, "The Alaskan Assassin" - Duke
Yes, he could flat out shoot the lights out in college and his nickname reminded everyone of where he hailed from. But does anyone have any idea what happened to him after that? I think he played a few seasons with the Cavs. Classic nickname though.
2. Bryant "Big Country" Reeves - Oklahoma State
"Big Country is going to the Big Dance and he'll probably be burned Big Time." But little did Eddie Sutton know that "Big Country" might have been his best chance at a title.
1. Harold "The Sheaux" Arceneaux - Weber State
One man wreacking ball whose dead eye shooting bounced mighty North Carolina in the first round of the NCAA Tourney. Drilled 5-7 from three-point range that game and it honestly seemed like everything he shot went in. Even his drives to the basket were udderly ridiculous because they all seemed to fall. Too bad "The Sheaux" never became much of a "preaux."
5. Robert "Tractor" Traylor-Michigan
Wolverines big fella was a force in the middle in the NCAA. Not so much in the NBA, and no, I wouldn't even trade Pat Garrity for him, not to mention Garrity AND Dirk Nowitzki. Still a great nickname.
4. Jamal "Monster" Mashburn - Kentucky
The "Monster" was the centerpiece for a very talented Wildcats team that seemed primed for the Final Four. Too bad Duke and Christian Laettner had other plans. While he has enjoyed success in the NBA, he never lived up to his hype and potential. He also happens to be one of my favorite college ballers of all-time.
3. Trajan Langdon, "The Alaskan Assassin" - Duke
Yes, he could flat out shoot the lights out in college and his nickname reminded everyone of where he hailed from. But does anyone have any idea what happened to him after that? I think he played a few seasons with the Cavs. Classic nickname though.
2. Bryant "Big Country" Reeves - Oklahoma State
"Big Country is going to the Big Dance and he'll probably be burned Big Time." But little did Eddie Sutton know that "Big Country" might have been his best chance at a title.
1. Harold "The Sheaux" Arceneaux - Weber State
One man wreacking ball whose dead eye shooting bounced mighty North Carolina in the first round of the NCAA Tourney. Drilled 5-7 from three-point range that game and it honestly seemed like everything he shot went in. Even his drives to the basket were udderly ridiculous because they all seemed to fall. Too bad "The Sheaux" never became much of a "preaux."
Monday, March 28, 2005
Pearl moves on
Well, it's all but official. Bruce Pearl has accepted the head coaching job at the University of Tennessee. While I truly thought that Pearl was going to stay in Milwaukee one more year to coach his talented crop of seniors returning, it seems as though the money the Vols were offering was simply to much. At UWM he wasn't quite making $300,000 per year, and UT is offering $1 million. That's a lot of cash.
However, I question how successful Bruce will be down south. Men's basketball is third fiddle at UT, behind football and women's basketball. However, that aspect seems to be something that Pearl relishes in. He is such a marketer and promoter of programs, that he probably sees an opportunity to quietly build up a winner. The one thing I question is that UT has been a coaching graveyard. Pearl will become the Vols seventh coach in 17 years. It's a place coaches go to get rich, not to win titles.
If you remember, former MU head coach Kevin O'Neil left the then Warriors for the Vols. He is the only coach from UT in recent history to go onto bigger and better things. He moved to Northwestern, which may actually be a step down, depending how you look at it, but he also has coached in the NBA. But besides that, who can you name that was a coach at UT?
I do think Pearl can succeed there. I truly believe he's a great coach. But now he can't rely on JuCo transfers to win. And he's recruiting against the likes of Kentucky and Florida within the same conference as him, not to mention other perennial powers from the area like Kansas, North Carolina and Duke. Technically, UNC and Duke aren't from the area, but you know Duke gets at least a few of the top recruits from around the nation each year.
If you haven't looked, the state of Tennessee features some of the top prep recruits in the entire at the current time. Maybe Pearl can get some of them to play for the Vols? Well, figure one of them will probably wind up in the ACC and one will probably go pro. There's my point. He's not recruiting against UWGB or UIC any longer.
The only thing I have a problem with is Ernie Grunfeld. He came to Milwaukee and dismantled the Bucks, and now is vouching hard to this aluma mater for Bruce Pearl to be the next coach. Great, thanks Ernie. Keep well away from the state of Wisconsin please.
All mid-major coaches who achieve success, move on to bigger programs. It's a constant uphill battle for schools such as UWM. Look at Nevada, Trent Johnson left for Standford. Look at Southern Illinois, Bruce Weber left for Illinois. Now look at UWM, Bruce Pearl left for Tennessee.
Another reason I look at as to why Pearl left is the tiff between Illinois himself due to the whole Deon Thomas recruiting scandal. In Milwaukee, it was always hanging over his head because of the rivalry with UIC and Jimmy Collins. Now, Bruce can really get away from it and focus on b'ball.
I honestly hoped he'd be back for one more year at UWM to coach his stocked cupboard of talent and I feel for the seven seniors he's leaving behind. But I understand why coaches move on and hope Bruce doesn't go to UT and fade away.
However, I question how successful Bruce will be down south. Men's basketball is third fiddle at UT, behind football and women's basketball. However, that aspect seems to be something that Pearl relishes in. He is such a marketer and promoter of programs, that he probably sees an opportunity to quietly build up a winner. The one thing I question is that UT has been a coaching graveyard. Pearl will become the Vols seventh coach in 17 years. It's a place coaches go to get rich, not to win titles.
If you remember, former MU head coach Kevin O'Neil left the then Warriors for the Vols. He is the only coach from UT in recent history to go onto bigger and better things. He moved to Northwestern, which may actually be a step down, depending how you look at it, but he also has coached in the NBA. But besides that, who can you name that was a coach at UT?
I do think Pearl can succeed there. I truly believe he's a great coach. But now he can't rely on JuCo transfers to win. And he's recruiting against the likes of Kentucky and Florida within the same conference as him, not to mention other perennial powers from the area like Kansas, North Carolina and Duke. Technically, UNC and Duke aren't from the area, but you know Duke gets at least a few of the top recruits from around the nation each year.
If you haven't looked, the state of Tennessee features some of the top prep recruits in the entire at the current time. Maybe Pearl can get some of them to play for the Vols? Well, figure one of them will probably wind up in the ACC and one will probably go pro. There's my point. He's not recruiting against UWGB or UIC any longer.
The only thing I have a problem with is Ernie Grunfeld. He came to Milwaukee and dismantled the Bucks, and now is vouching hard to this aluma mater for Bruce Pearl to be the next coach. Great, thanks Ernie. Keep well away from the state of Wisconsin please.
All mid-major coaches who achieve success, move on to bigger programs. It's a constant uphill battle for schools such as UWM. Look at Nevada, Trent Johnson left for Standford. Look at Southern Illinois, Bruce Weber left for Illinois. Now look at UWM, Bruce Pearl left for Tennessee.
Another reason I look at as to why Pearl left is the tiff between Illinois himself due to the whole Deon Thomas recruiting scandal. In Milwaukee, it was always hanging over his head because of the rivalry with UIC and Jimmy Collins. Now, Bruce can really get away from it and focus on b'ball.
I honestly hoped he'd be back for one more year at UWM to coach his stocked cupboard of talent and I feel for the seven seniors he's leaving behind. But I understand why coaches move on and hope Bruce doesn't go to UT and fade away.
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