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October 2nd, 2007: MLB Playoff Predictions

Round 1:Rockies over Phillies D-Backs over Cubs Yankees over Indians Red Sox over Angels
Round 2:Rockies over D-Backs Yankees over Red Sox
World Series:Yankees over Rockies in 7 games


August 19th, 2007: Shuck TJ Simers of the LA Times

Below is my article in responce to TJ. You can find his original article right after mine in bold print.

I am directing this straight to you TJ, so I really wish you can somehow read this with such a dumb head full of stupid thoughts. What a ridiculous article you wrote about the Nebraska Cornhusker football team and even more pathetic is what you wrote about their fans. There are a few things you did get correct in that article so I will commend you on how there really are no 7-11’s in Nebraska and people probably don’t know what a slurpee is, but who cares man. If you’re bringing slurpees into the mix to rip on a state and their people then you really are pathetic, and you sound fat too. Why are you talking about Nebraska women and their “big butts” and how when they sit down after the National Anthem they are going to break the seats and all that crap your talking about. Maybe they are bigger here in Nebraska, I don’t know, pretty sure America as a whole is fat and your probably fat too, we know your head is at least, and I’m just talking about the one on your shoulders, because I doubt there is anything downtown if you know what I mean. Sorry that your women are all skinny little bulimic chicks that think eat and 5 minutes later feed it too the toilet. Let me give you a little background of myself and why I am backing Nebraskans in this article. I am from California, and even more so I am from LA. I am a die hard USC fan and strongly believe they do have one of the greatest teams this year ever in college football and I do believe they will win the National Championship. I usually talk crap to my buddies out here about how badly the Huskers are going to get beat by USC but I never get personal with it like you did, bagging on their state, bagging on their values, their women, and their intelligence. Its Jackass’s like you that make Californians look bad to the rest of the country, especially out here in the Midwest. I will also have you know that I moved to Nebraska 4 years ago to go to school and to play college baseball. It worked out great and I love it. Now trust me, I can’t wait to get back to California once I am all done with school but there is no real hurry. The people out here are great people with great values. Nobody out here would ever write such a personal beating of an article like you did because people out here just aren’t so gutless and heartless. Good for you TJ, you wrote an article ripping on Nebraskans because you are just so much better than everyone because your from California. Dude, get that out of here. I was at the National Championship at the Rose Bowl when the Huskers got dominated by Miami, but oh well. This was even before I knew I would end up in this state. At that game I met some of the nicest people I will ever meet. Yeah, Nebraska doesn’t have much out here but it does have good people. It’s not their fault they don’t have any pro sports, so why wouldn’t they have so much love for their Huskers. Husker fans are arguably the greatest fans in College Football. They had over 75,000 Husker fans at that game alone, that’s dedication. Are you ripping on their dedication? Are you making fun of Husker fans because they love their team? You sound like the type that will bail on USC if they lose a game this year. I am so upset with your stupid article because I do live here and I am a USC fan from California who knows what it is really like out here, and it’s not like you say. Not all people like to sit in traffic and ruin their lungs by breathing in smog all day and have to deal with a million illegal immigrants everyday. Oh yeah, they don’t get as excited about Wal-Mart as much as you think they do, they actually don’t like Wal-Mart all that much because the people here are traditional and on top of that, they do have Direct TV out here, so, get you facts straight. There is so much more I can get you for but how about you do come here for that game and show your face. Wear a name tag too because people won’t know who you are but when they do, get ready to take it. You may have the last laugh because USC will win, but you trip home is going to have you second guessing you ever wrote such a ridiculous article like that. One last thing, you said you wouldn’t last a week out here because there are no slurpees, your right, you won’t last out here. It’s not the slurpees; it’s your big mouth, which needs a fat corn cob stuffed in it.
USC will be playing in Nebraska on Sept. 15, and I will be joining the greatest football team ever assembled as they strike out into the wilderness. If possible, I'd like to spend time boarding with some corn cobs, maybe getting a smell of what it's like to be around livestock — then leaving Lincoln to move around the state and spend a few days here and there. A stop in Wahoo at the Wigwam Café is probably a good start, but I was thinking it'd be interesting to stay with a real-live-boring Cornhuskers family somewhere out on the prairie so I can feel what it's like to have nothing to look forward to in my life other than a Saturday afternoon football game.I'll be going to Nebraska early in the football week, and while I'm not sure what corn cob hospitality is like, I'd like to remind folks that when they came to L.A., I tried to help. Remember when the Cornhuskers came to the big city to lose in the Rose Bowl? Everyone here knows there are no individual seats — just long benches for the skinny people who live here.I was looking out for the corn-fed porkers, of course, including all their big-butted women, when I told them that if everyone sat down after the anthem, there were going to be people falling atop each other at the end of each row.A number of corn cobs e-mailed to say they were unhappy with Page 2 but thrilled now to have their very own Internet machines.They also wanted to tell me about their wonderful lives, kids and the modern facilities being built right down there by the creek. Well, there's nothing like a Wal-Mart coming to town to excite the locals, so I was thrilled for them. But for some reason that didn't come across in our correspondence, and there might still be some hard feelings.I got to thinking last summer, though, as I drove the family-that-I-used-to-love across Nebraska in a RV what it must be like to actually live there most every day of your life. I can't remember for sure if it was Nebraska or Kansas where I saw a tree, but it just seemed as if there wasn't much there. That's why the corn cobs love their football. It's all they have, everyone wearing red, and sitting there like plump, ripe tomatoes with corncobs stuck to their heads, singing, "There is no place like Nebraska."Hard to argue. There's not a 7-Eleven in the entire state, thousands of people never once tasting a Slurpee, which got me wondering whether I could live that way for a whole week.I know there aren't a whole lot of cities in Nebraska, but I'm willing to spend a few days out yonder with a family if someone would like to show me what it's like to live without DirecTV and not ask me to kill a chicken for dinner. I can play checkers if forced, though, or make a run to the Feed Store. Right now I'm willing to go wherever the corn cobs tell me to go, and while several have already done that, I'd like to see for myself they're not talking about some place in Nebraska.

August 13th, 2007: Senior Comeback

Apparently there is a handful or two of retired NBA players considering making a come back. I guess Penny Hardaway jus signed a contract with the Miami Heat, bringing him back over 15 years ago playing with Shaq. But there are more, Reggie Miller is considering joining the Boston Celtics and Charles Oakley, Allen Houston, and even Dennis Rodman and Arvedas Sabonis are some names being tossed around as possible comebacks. I don’t blame any retired NBA veteran to make a comeback. Honestly, I would love to have one of those guys one my team just because of their experience. Look at Robert Horry. The guy gets to play on a winning team that just won a NBA title and has a good chance at continuing to do so. There are a ton of guys around the league that are 19, 20, and 21 years old that I feel have to business starting in the NBA. I think the retired veterans are sitting at home realizing that at 40 plus years old, they are better than some of the guy’s they see playing on the court. If these guys are just sitting at home, feeling that they can contribute something to an NBA team, then they might as well try. Why not go back, make a million dollars, play maybe 10 minutes a game and live the NBA life for another year or two. At the same time, they might as well just try and join a winning team that could use a veteran off the bench to make a big shot or to take up some space for some rebounds. I think it is a great thing if some of or all of these older guys do comeback. I can’t stand some of the teams out there who have guy’s on the team who we have never head of and honestly don’t feel like they will ever be a superstar. I would much rather have a seasoned veteran coming out of retirement on my team than some 19 year old kid who can’t make a big shot. Ok, the ones who are good enough to start should stay on the team, but some teams out there just have terrible bench players. I’m talking about these veterans coming back and being bench players. I think they are too old and slow to start and keep pace with the younger guys during a game but are definitely better to have late in a game to make a big shot or to drain some free throws. Another reason to come back is to just go out and have a good time with some players they used to play with and be friends with. Penny is going to have a blast playing in Miami with D-Wade and Shaq, even if he has a limited role, and Reggie Miller would love to be playing along side Garnett, Pierce, and Allen. Why not make a comeback you guys, I think it would really help the game get some more fan attention and really get some of the fans back that are starting to doubt the NBA anymore because there are so many young people playing now. A team with a few retirees is going to be much better than a team of young guys just because of experience, not talent. Not only will the team be better, but the young players on those teams will gain so much knowledge just playing long side and practicing with these guys who are considering coming out of retirement. I think it is a great thing if more comeback and am all for it.


Bonds

I would like to give my thoughts on Barry Bond’s recent breaking of the prestigious All-Time Homerun record. I understand anything and everything people have to say about how there should be an asterisk next to his name because of the steroid allegations and how he shouldn’t be praised for the record. Well, I am taking a different side to this one. I do believe Barry Bonds took steroids and I do feel that it did help him in his recent surge of homeruns over the past 6 years. The guy never hit over 50 homeruns in a season then busted out for 73 in 2001. Yeah, something strange happened. When watching the game the other night, when he was still sitting on 755, I truly wanted to see him break it. I do have the utmost respect for Hank Aaron and still feel he and Babe Ruth are the Homerun kings but I wanted to see history. Maybe it is tainted history, but still, it is history. The tainted part is what makes it cool to see too. We get to live in a time where there is what I feel, the best single sports record someone can have being broken but at the same time it is so controversial. This is what helped me really want to see it being broken because not only is there faults to baseball right now, but there are faults and scandals in all major sports. Now, let me get to the real point. I have played baseball my entire life and am not a Barry Bonds fan but do respect him. He gets so much scrutiny and media attention because he is now the poster boy for the steroid era because he is the one breaking the records. There is a good chance that over 50% of all major league baseball players have used steroids sometime in their career, but since Bonds is the one breaking all the records, he is the one labeled as a cheater. It’s safe to say that the performance enhancing drugs helped him the most but also helps bring him down in the public eye. I am still excited about the record and am not going to bring it down until he is proven guilty besides the fact of him gaining about 50 pounds and having a much larger hat size. The thing that makes me respect Bonds though still is the fact that no matter how much steroids or whatever it is he took, he still has to physically be able to see and hit the ball out of the park. It is the hardest thing to do in all sports and he continues to do it. Who is to say that the pitchers he faces aren’t or weren’t on steroids at the time. It‘s sad that it can’t be a clean record but at the same time, he still has amazing talent to do what he did. If you know anything about baseball, you could see that Barry Bonds has the best power hitting swing and best hitters eye in baseball. Steroids don’t help you swing the bat, they give you strength. I don’t think that too many of Barry Bonds homeruns over the last 6 years were ones that we could say wouldn’t have left the park if he wasn’t on steroids. Either way, I respect him and am happy for him to do what he did and I will not bring him down until he is proven guilty. I respect everyone opinion that feels he should not have the record because it makes sense. What makes me upset with fans is the ones that think Bonds is an arrogant jerk. Nobody should be saying anything like that until they have actually met the man. I have met Bonds, about 7 years ago, right before he broke any record. Maybe this is why I still respect him and don’t care if he took steroids but Bonds was a very nice man to talk to, he didn’t act anything like one would expect. I happened to meet him at a golf course and talked to him about one of the holes. It was a simple conversation, I didn’t ask for an autograph or anything like that because the conversation meant more to me than an autograph. Since then I have had nothing but nice things to say about Bonds, even when I do boo him because I am a Dodgers fan. If Bonds is going to be taking all this heat about steroids because he broke a record then everyone else in baseball needs to be questioned as well just for stepping on the field to play. If he is a cheater because he is breaking records, others that look like they are on steroids are just as guilty. Let’s wait, as fans, to get a verdict on this situation before pointing fingers.



August 4th, 2007: Hotlanta

The Atlanta Braves, without a doubt, had the best trade deadline acquisitions. Although they did give up a lot of future stars, they grabbed the best available offensive player with Mark Teixeira. Not only is this pickup going to help them right away in their hunt for the East Division title and playoffs, but Teixeira is a player that fits right into Atlanta and could be there the rest of his career. The Braves lineup is stacked now even more then it already was. They have speed and power and a great mix of young and veteran talent. If you look at their lineup from top to bottom there is really no weak spot. Their 8 hitter Kelly Johnson is silently hitting .300 and is one pace for over 20 homeruns and almost 100 RBI and runs scored. Andruw Jones is having one of the worst years of his careers, which deflated his market value considering he is a free agent at the end of this year. I think he will have a much better second half and some of that will be because of the recent pick up of Teixeira. With Renteria, Chipper Jones, Andruw Jones, Jeff Francoeur, and now Teixeira, the Braves now have one of the best, if not the best offense in the National League. The only contenders on offense are the Mets and Phillies, who just happen to be in their division. The East division race is going to be amazing this year, like the one going on right now in the West. Teixeira is a switch hitting power hitter as is Chipper Jones. Having two switch hitting power hitters in that lineup give Bobby Cox a lot of options when writing his lineup everyday and makes it especially hard for opposing pitchers and managers. The great pickup by the Braves was getting Octavio Dotel. Dotel comes from an improving Kansas City Royals team who are in the toughest division in baseball over in the Central division of the American League. Dotel, who closed for the Royals will most likely be a late inning reliever setup man type player because the Braves already have Bob Wickman closing who is have a good year. Dotel really helps the Braves pitching thought even as a setup man because after Tim Hudson and John Smoltz, the Braves starting pitchers are nothing to get excited about. If the other starters can get them to the 6th or 7th inning, it is going to be real tough for teams to score runs on the Braves in the late innings. I am serious when I say this, the Atlanta Braves are now the team to beat in the National League and I believe they do have an edge on their eastern counter parts like the Mets and Phillies because the Braves have better starting and relief pitching. Great job to the Braves GM John Schuerholz for his moves this trade deadline. I am surprised that the Mets and Phillies didn’t make any moves for starting pitching because both teams are weak in that category and don’t have what it takes as far as pitching goes to make a good push into the playoffs.



August 3rd, 2007: Beantown is Booming

Wow, I am truly amazed at what Danny Ainge pulled off in Boston. Fans and the rest of the media scrutinized the man just a few months ago when he traded for Ray Allen. People were looking at the Celtics like they were still a weak team in the east even with two All-Stars because the rest of the talent around them just wasn’t good enough plus Allen and Paul Pierce are nearing the end of their careers. Ainge pulled off a huge deal which sent 5 players to the Minnesota Timberwolves and two future draft picks for Kevin Garnett. Some feel that the trade wasn’t good for Boston because they sent so many players for Garnett that the talent around Garnett, Allen, and Pierce is even weaker. I disagree as I bet most Boston fans do as well because its Kevin Garnett! The most sought out player on the NBA market this year. Having those three guys on the court at the same time is going to be tough for any opponent. I like how all of them are playing together in such a great sports city like Boston and for a team with a great championship history. Garnett, Allen, and Pierce have zero NBA championships and minimal playoff experience considering the length of all of their careers. It is exciting to see three great basketball players on and off the court playing for the same team at this point in their careers. What a story it would be for them to win a championship in the next few years because they really do have a legitimate shot to do so playing the in the eastern conference. Not too long ago I remember the media saying that African American’s don’t want to play in Boston because of the racism. I think that day and age is long gone in that city and if it is not, the fans are still going to back these trades to the end because of the caliber of players the Celtics have. Beantown is electric right now with the sports teams they have. The Boston Red Sox are the team to beat in baseball, no doubt. They snagged Eric Gagne to help their bullpen, and with that starting pitching, offense, and their closer in Papelbon, the Red Sox are only getting tougher for opponents and have a great shot at the World Series. Gagne was the most sought after pitcher in this year’s trade deadline and where else would you rather play right now them in Boston. Gagne had to waive his no trade clause, but I’m sure that wasn’t even an issue when he starting talking to the Red Sox, considering he was playing in Texas, who seems to never have a winning record. Then we have the New England Patriots who are already the team to beat in the NFL and are probably going to be the favorites to win the Super Bowl. They had some great pickups in the off-season both offense and defense but their biggest transaction was the acquiring of star wide receiver Randy Moss; who gets to leave the garbage Raiders for the best football team over the last ten years. I don’t even need to go into how much he can help the Patriots passing game because everyone already knows. I am saying it now though and it shouldn’t even be a surprise, Randy Moss will break out this year and have a season like he used to in Minnesota. Tom Brady has excellent targets out there for receivers. The city of Boston has it made right now with their sports teams and don’t be surprised if you see all three of these team going deep into the playoffs and possibly winning championships. It may take a year for the Celtics to get all cylinders firing because they don’t have a strong point guard or a strong center, but give it time. The Red Sox and Patriots should expect nothing less than a championship.



July 31, 2007: Thanks Cal and Tony

Congratulations to Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gywnn. These two players were deservingly a shoe-in to Baseball’s Hall of Fame yesterday. It’s really nice to see two great players who are arguably some of the two best to ever represent the game of baseball, get into “The Hall” so easily. Both Ripken and Gywnn played their entire careers for one team, something fans today don’t see to often in today’s game. Ripken, best known for breaking Lou Gehrigs’s consecutive games played streak when he reached 2,131 straight in 1995. Ripken also hit 476 career homeruns, had 3,189 hits, and a 19 time All-Star. I can still remember the night Cal Ripken broke the consecutive games streak and how amazing it was when he did. It is a record fans probably will never see broken again. Tony Gywnn is known for being one of the greatest, if not the greatest contact hitter in the history of baseball. Gywnn had an astounding .338 Career batting average and belted out 3,141 career hits. Gywnn was a 15 time All-Star and one of the most amazing stats about his career is the fact that he only struck out 434 times in 9,288 career at bats. Both Ripken and Gwynn are true representations of character in the game of baseball and both have zero reason to ever believe there was anything tainted about their career. What makes it special to me is that I got to grow up watching these guys play and can really appreciate them because of the type of people they are and the great careers they had. They are both true role models for any athlete and anyone out their can contend that they are the type of baseball players anyone would like to have on their team. Thank you Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gywnn for everything you have brought to baseball fans and with no question you truly deserve to be in the Hall of Fame.




July 27, 2007: Our Sports are Burning

There is so much to talk about this week in sports it’s ridiculous. Barry Bonds is always in the sports news for his steroid allegations and it gets talked about more and more every time he gets closer Hank Aarons homerun record. This week however had not only one story that made Bond’s look less criminal but two. Mike Vicks dog fighting story was just a rumor the last couple months but this week the story just blew up when Vick was indicted by the federal grand jury. The heavy talented Quarterback’s career is forever tainted no matter the outcome of the case. He was booed today on his way to the courtroom, extreme pet lovers are already lashing out against him, and the commissioner has ordered Vick to not show up to Falcons training camp. Vick will always be remembered for this incident, just like Bonds. It is going to be a surprise if Vick does play football this season with this on his shoulders and commissioner Roger Goodells rulings. There are so many issues that can stem from this story alone, like the Falcons parting with Matt Shaub who is supposed to be a great Quarterback and now they might have to turn the ball over to the under achieved Joey Harrington. Personally, I want to see Harrington start and have a good season. Anyway, enough about that because the scandal by NBA referred Tim Donaghy is the worst thing to happen in any major sport since Jose Conseco’s calling out baseball and steroids. I really can’t believe it took this long to figure out there is some type of scandal going on with NBA referees. This issue should have been looked at much more in depth after this past season’s playoffs. I remember hearing Commissioner David Stern talk with Dan Patrick on ESPN radio about how unfair his suspensions were that he laid down to Amare Stoudemire and Robert Horry and didn’t take really anything into consideration besides “A rule is a rule.” I’m not going to say I really believed there was this big of a scandal going on in the NBA but it really did seem like when I would watch some games last season that ref’s just call way too many meaningless fouls during and game and even more at the end of the game. Only time will tell with this case on how much of an impact Donaghy really had on some meaningful games. It amazes me though how the U.S. government is involved in baseball, football, and basketball right now due to scandals and criminal charges. It just makes the sports world look so dirty when there really are more good people than not in each of these sports. Maybe David Beckham coming to the U.S. isn’t going to be the only reason why people may start watching more soccer, or futbol! Its one of the only sports left that hasn’t been mentioned in any type of scandal. Even golf got mentioned possible steroids, which I don’t believe one bit. How could I forget though, the Tour de France is almost over and in a matter of one week we saw three riders get dismissed for doping or doping like allegations. What’s with this blood transfusion stuff? Is he serious, sorry for not having a name for the guy but who cares? This whole mess started when someone tried calling out one of our American heroes when he said he found steroids in Armstrong’s medicine cabinet and its back again. I don’t believe Armstrong took any steroids or any illegal substances and he flat out said so many times on national television. Everyone else that gets talked about steroids doesn’t say anything, and when you don’t say anything, you’re guilty. Curt Schilling was right today when he said that about Bonds and Mcgwire. Even the UFC was marred last week when two top fighters, Sean Sherk and Hermes Franca were suspeneded for anti-doping. I think its time the government steps in and investigates all sports and its doping and scandals to get things clean again. This is just absolutely ridiculous to even watch and hear about every single day. I want to hear more about Ken Griffey Jr. reaching 600 Homeruns, and A-Rod reaching 500, or Glavine getting to 300 wins. Or about LT about to have another amazing year, and of course, how great USC will be even with their tough schedule.

CJ
03/04/2007 Best in the NL West:Over the past few seasons, the National League West Division hasnt met up to the standards of the other divisions around baseball. I am from the west coast and have always backed the National League West division, but I can see why critics feel differently. No team from the division has won a playoff series since the San Francisco Giants did by going to the World Series all the way back in 2003, and no team has won the World Series out of the division since the Arizona Diamondbacks upset the New York Yankees in 2001. In 2006 however, baseball fans got to see a glimpse of how good the division really is, and what it has in store for the future. The National League West sent two teams, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the San Diego Padres to the playoffs last year. Both teams lost their opening round series but it was a good start for the division to show that it can compete with the rest of the league. The success of the division will carry over to the 2007 season and in my opinion, the division will be the most competitive division in the National League and second to the American League Central Division for the best division in baseball. The teams of the NL West have really spent some money this year improving their teams. Lets start at the top with the 2006 NL West Champion San Diego Padres. Playing at Petco field is an advantage for their strong Pitching Staff led by Jake Peavy. Peavy, who was plagued by a sore shoulder for most of the 2006 season, showed signs of Cy Young form down the stretch by having a 2.64 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in August and September, finishing with a record of 11-14 and a 4.09 ERA. If Peavy can carry over his finish in 2006 to 2007, dont be surprised if he comes out with 15 wins and an ERA in the twos like we saw in previous years. Backing Peavy will be Chris Young, who had a stellar 2006 season, where he went 11-5 with a 3.46 ERA, not to mention he was first in hits per nine innings, third in WHIP, and sixth in ERA. Young hasnt had too much success at the spacious Petco, but has outstanding road numbers. If he can improve his home number, Peavy and Young are going to be a tough one-two punch for opposing hitters. The biggest pick up for the Padres was the addition of Greg Maddux, who had a lot of success after a mid-season trade from the Chicago Cubs to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2006, and is a great fit for Petco and the number three spot on the pitching staff. The bullpen is going to be tough to get by late in games with the returns of the all-time saves leader, Trevor Hoffman, and great set-up man Scott Linebrink. On offense, the Padres look the same around the field, except for the addition of Marcus Giles. Giles, who had a down 2006 season due to multiple minor injuries might not get back to the form he was at just a few years ago with the Atlanta Braves. His batting average, homeruns, and RBIs have all declined each of the last three seasons, and playing in a big ballpark in 2007 might not help bring up his offensive numbers. The loss of Mike Piazza wont help the teams power numbers either. Still, expect to see the Padres in the playoff hunt until the final week of the season. 2006s NL West runner up, and National League Wild Card winner, Los Angeles Dodgers, had one of the best off seasons of any team in baseball. The addition of Jason Schmidt to the pitching staff, and Juan Pierre and Luis Gonzalez to the outfield really help bring in some veteran experience to a young but very talented team. Schmidt should have the biggest impact to the team and I believe he will be in the running for a Cy Young. After coming off what some say was a down year, Schmidt still finished in the top ten in ERA, strikeouts, and hit per nine innings. Over his career, Schmidt has had great success at Dodger Stadium, posting a 2.93 career ERA in 87 innings pitched, and has had a winning season each of the last three seasons, along with an ERA in the threes in two of those seasons. With Derek Lowe behind Schmidt, the Dodgers have a one-two combo that can compete with any in baseball. Rounding out the rest of the starting pitching, the Dodgers have Brad Penny in the third slot, who was the National Leagues starting pitcher in the 2006 All-Star game. Pennys second half of his season in 2006 was miserable, but if he can get back to his first half form from 2006, the Dodgers have three starters that are potential Cy Young candidates. The addition of left-hander Randy Wolf should help the Dodgers staff with some lefty experience, but Wolf hasnt been an above average pitcher since 2002. The Dodgers bullpen had a great 2006 season, and this year they should see the same success. Takashi Saito has made Dodger fans forget about Eric Gagne after posting 24 saves in 2006, with 107 strikeouts in just 78.1 innings pitched. Saito led all relievers in strikeouts and fewest hits per nine innings. With Jonathan Broxton in the setup role, who was second to teammate Saito in the fewest hits per nine innings category, and fourth in strikeouts among NL relievers, the Dodgers make it tough for opponents to score runs late in a ball game. On offense, the Dodgers have great speed, great average, but slack on power. With Rafeal Furcal, and the addition of Juan Pierre in centerfield, the Dodgers have a lot of speed at the top of the lineup and the two could steal 100 combined bases. Nomar Garciaparra and Jeff Kent should be in the 3 and 4 holes in the Dodgers lineup. Nomar has been a great addition for the Dodgers, coming of a season where he hit .303, with 20 homeruns, and 93 RBIs. The biggest aspect of Nomar was his at bats late in the game. Nomar was the Dodgers clutch hitter in 2006, where he hit .368 with runners in scoring position. Jeff Kents numbers were down in 2006 from his previous 3 years, but he was hampered with injuries. If Kent can stay healthy, expect him to hover around a .300 average, 30 homeruns, and 100 RBIs. With the Pitching, Defense, and Offense the Dodgers have, dont be surprised if they win the Division and contend for a pennant. Now I would like to talk about the San Francisco Giants. This is a good team on paper, but it is full of veterans. The offense revolves around Barry Bonds, if Bonds is healthy and playing, the rest of the offense will succeed. Every year, the players hitting in front of and behind Bonds have had great numbers, but when he is not in the lineup their numbers are down. Now, if Bonds is healthy, expect him to have a good year offensively. He will have a great on-base percentage, but dont expect too many RBIs because he wont be pitched to with runners in scoring position and he lacks on defense, especially if his knee acts up. The Giants did have a good off season, but they still picked up seasoned veterans. Barry Zito was the biggest pick up, but at 28 years old some say he is past his prime. I beg to differ. Zito eats up a lot of innings, and has pitched over 223 innings every year since 2001. Expect Zito to have a winning record and an ERA in the threes, and Im even going to go out on a limb and say he will e in contention for a Cy Young. There is only one problem though; Zito has decided to change his pitching mechanics, which could straighten out his popular curve ball. The rest of the Giants pitching staff isnt that strong, but has potential. Matt Morris isnt what he used to be. In 2006 Morris was 10-15 with an ERA just under 5, which does not make him a solid number two starter. The guy to watch out for besides Zito is Matt Cain. Cain had a great second half in 2006 and is on his way to being a premier power pitcher. In his rookie season, Cain finished third in strikeouts per nine innings, fifth in strikeout rate, and ninth in strikeouts. The rest of the starting staff consists of Noah Lowry and Brad Hennessey. Both have shown signs that they can compete at this level, but have not had great success. Armando Benitez is still the closer, but again, age is a factor and Benitez has not had a full healthy season in two years. The Giants also picked up veterans Rich Aurillia and Ryan Klesko at first base, both who have not had good offensive number in years, but things do change when you bat in the same line-up as Bonds. The Giants also added Dave Roberts in centerfield, who will bring speed to the veteran team and is a great hitter to have in front f Ray Durham and Bonds. The Giants picked up a good defensive catcher in Bengie Molina, who will have decent average and power numbers. The Giants best pick up besides Zito was Manager Bruce Boche. Boches playoff, World Series, and National League West experience will help the Giants contend in the division, but dont expect them to make the playoffs. A team that many might not expect to do anything at all is the Arizona Diamondbacks. I believe the Diamondbacks will make it tough for everyone else in the division and should not be over looked. Their team is young, but their pitching staff is experienced. They have a lot of young talent, with many players like Chad Tracy and Carlos Quentin who will eventually hit 30 homeruns and steal 30 bases, but not in 2007. Arizonas success will come from their pitching staff. The National Cy Young winner Brandon Webb will be back, and with his sinker, expect him to have another good year on the mound. Also, the addition of Randy Johnson was a huge pick up. Although he did not meet New York Yankee fan standards, he still posted back to back 17 win seasons and hovered around 200 strikeouts. Johnson has NL West experience, and already has a World Series ring with the Diamondbacks. Johnson will have a hug impact not only on the team, but the division and the rest of the National League. Johnson will contend for a Cy Young if his back holds up. Otherwise, Johnson will need to rely more and more on his slider and less on his over powering velocity. The rest of the starting staff consists of Livan Hernandez, who is getting older and less effective, but does bring veteran experience, and Doug Davis, who has potential for 200 strikeouts but has always been a .500 pitcher and walks to many batters. The Diamondbacks will compete in the NL west for awhile, but dont expect to see them in the playoff hunt in September. The Colorado Rockies cant be overlooked either. They have a strong young pitching staff, and a great core of young and talented hitters. 2006 was the best season for Rockie pitchers, posting a slim 4.72 home ERA and a 4.59 road ERA. Also, homeruns allowed at home were down, and opponents runs scored. Led by Jeff Francis, the Colorado pitching staff isnt as easy to hit off as it used to be, but still doesnt seem that strong on paper. Francis, and Aaron Cook are average pitchers and both will have a record around .500 with an ERA in the fours. The pitching staff did improve dramatically in 2006, but Im not sold that they will do it again in 2007. The Rockies will still win around 70 ball games because of their offense. The offense, which is usually led by Todd Helton, has a new power source in Matt Holliday. Holliday is for real. In 2006 he hit .326, with 34 homeruns and 114 RBIs and should match the numbers again, especially at Coors field. Along with him is another up and coming star in Brad Hawpe. Hawpe hit .293 with 22 homeruns and 84 RBIs in 2006 and 2007 he should pull it all together and improve his numbers as he has for three straight years. Having Garrett Atkins at third base is another player to look out for. Atkins, put up great number in 2006, hitting .329, with 29 homeruns and 120 RBIs. And then there is Todd Helton, who always hit at least .300. 2006 was a down year for Helton, who still hit .302 with 15 homeruns and 81 RBIs. Helton is not the same power hitter he used to be, but with the young, powerful talent around him, he doesnt need to be. The Rockies have four power hitters who can hit above .300, have potential to hit 30 homeruns and drive in 100 runs. I think the Rockies will be a contender in the first half of the season, but their offense can only carry them so far. Since Im not sold on their pitching in 2007, I believe the Rockies will fade off in the second half, but still have a bright future for many years to come. Prediction time. The Los Angeles Dodgers will win the National League West division, the San Diego Padres will finished second, San Francisco Giants third, Colorado Rockies fourth, and Arizona Diamondbacks. All will be contenders for the first half, but the Dodgers and Padres will pull away late in the season. I believe the Dodgers will be the only team to make the playoffs from the division, although the Padres will be in the hunt for the division and wild card title, they wont outlast the Dodgers for the division and the Phillies for the Wild Card.
“What I See, and what I think” 01-27-2007 No Respect Ok, after watching last Sunday’s game between the Patriots and the Colts, I couldn’t help to feel relieved. Now, I’m not a fan of either team, and I have the up most respect for the Patriots franchise, but it was time for them to lose. I know they didn’t reach the Super Bowl last year, but if they were to get there again this year for the fourth time in five years, then people would start to hate them. I really don’t agree with people who hate the Patriots and Tom Brady. Yeah I understand not liking them or not wanting them to win, but being that good for that many years deserves a lot of respect. What I don’t like is the way the Patriots carried themselves in the playoffs. Ok, you guys are good, and you somehow always find a way to win in the playoffs, but taunting the Chargers on their home field is ridiculous. I understand the competitive nature of the game of football and I’m sure there is a great deal of trash talking all over the field during every game, but the biggest trash talking is no talking. You win the game, you shake hands, and you walk off the field. Not the Patriots this year though. After they defeated the Chargers, some of the players decided to mock Shawne Merriman and his dance he does after a sack or big tackle. Others decided to dance at midfield on the Chargers logo. Sometimes I like the trash talking I see when I’m watching football, but I didn’t expect to see it from the Patriots. When a humble, quiet, and very respectful guy like LaDainian Tomlinson is livid after a game, and trying to find his way to some players on the opposing team to fight, then there really must have been something going on that is rude and disrespectful. I understand being angered about the game, but he’s a professional and can maturely accept a loss. That’s not what L.T. was mad at though. He was mad at the way the Patriots acted after they had sealed the victory, and he even went on to voice his opinion after the game about how he felt. The MVP of the NFL, who everyone around the sports nation loves and appreciates, came out and showed anger towards the Patriots players and their head coach Bill Belichick. I didn’t think too much of the situation at first because I just figured there was a lot of trash talking going on during the game and the Patriots had the last laugh. The following week changed my mind a little bit about the Patriots though. Like I said, I have a lot of respect for the Patriots and I think Tom Brady is an absolute stud because he flat out wins football games, but I did not like how he acted after the loss to the Indianapolis Colts. I’ve been in games before that I have lost and the last thing I want to do is shake the other team’s hand, but you do it anyway because it is sportsman like. The last guy I thought would ever leave the field with his head down is Tom Brady, and he did so after the loss to the Colts. In previous years when the Patriots were on the winning end of a football game, in the playoffs, Peyton Manning would still find Tom Brady and shake his hand, it’s all about respect. Then, when Manning finally overcomes the obstacle of “not being able to beat the Patriots in the playoffs”, his arch nemesis (Tom Brady) doesn’t even shake his hand or say anything to him. I would expect some kind of hand shake, or pat on the back from someone who has three Super Bowl rings. Guess not. Oh well though, I’m not going to say Tom Brady was wrong for doing because he is the one with the rings and in a way, I respect his competitive nature to where he is so mad at losing that he doesn’t even want to be around the winning team. I can say that I’m really glad to see Peyton Manning in the Super Bowl. I don’t like either team in the game though, but I will be rooting for the Colts because I want Peyton to quiet all the critics and prove that he can win the big one. The guy is arguably the best quarterback in football and could possibly be the best quarterback in the history of football, but none of that matters to any player unless they win the big one. C.J. Prutch