Baseball Playoffs
* Great 2010 baseball season even if I am a Cubs fan. Though the Cubs finished in 5th place in the dreadful NL Central it was nice to see what appears to be a bright future with Colvin, Castro and a much improved Soto. It appears as though Zambrano will return to the Cubs unless a team takes a chance on the flammable one. I will gladly take Z back if he resembles the pitcher over his last 11 starts. Z was one of baseball's best posting a 8-3 record with 8 quality starts a 1.41 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and a K/9 rate of 7.70. It is certainly going to be a interesting offseason in the Windy City hopefully Hendry will do the only logical thing and let Ryno begin his another chapter in the Cubs history books.
* Time for the Factory to give out some awards for the 2010 season. AL MVP- Robinson Cano. Hard for me to give the award to someone who missed most of the final two months of the season. Cano wasn't the elite player of April and May down the stretch but he was a 290 hitter who was in the lineup daily. NL MVP- Joey Votto. He and Pujols had similar seasons so the edge goes to who won the division. AL CY Young- This seems to be the one that has sparked controversy in the sports talk radio universe. King Felix posted the most innings pitched, second most K's, best ERA, second best WHIP and the most QS. The award is for the best pitcher in the league. I don't care what his record was the award goes to the most outstanding pitcher. NL Cy Young- Roy Halladay. Tough to pick between he and Wainwright as their pitching lines mirrored each other. The deciding factor for me was the IP advantage of Halladay 250.2 to 230.1. AL ROY- Neftali Feliz 40 Saves for a first place team is enough to seal the deal. NL ROY- Buster Posey. Heyward was with the team from day one and has better overall numbers. I prefer Posey for the simple reason that he carried the Giants offense at times during the season and he didn't have the supporting cast of Heyward.
* Playoff Predictions. I would like to start by stating that I am 100% behind the Redlegs this postseason. Though I am a Cubs fan I have no hatred for the Reds. Tough draw getting the Phillies in the first round however it will be much easier to beat them in 5 rather than 7. In terms of a pick I have to go with the Phillies. Braves vs. Giants is a evenly matched series with the offensive edge going to Braves while the pitching in terms of talent should favor the Giants. I like the Giants playing at home. In a 7 game series the better team wins the majority of the time. The Phillies are the better team. In the AL I would love to see the Twins finally get a much deserved World Series. Over the last decade they are the benchmark for ever team in baseball. As much as I would like to see them advance they draw the Yankees in the first Rd. whom have owned them in past playoffs. I just don't see anyone in the Twins top 3 who can win 2 against the Yankees. In the other series I'll take the Rays over the Rangers. In fact the Rangers are the only team I would be sickened by with a World Series win. For whatever reason it's tough for me to wrap my arms around a MGR who plays Scarface and a superstar OF with a arm full of bad tattoos who spent his youth smoking meth on Single A Road Trips. In the ALCS I'll go with the youth of the Rays and more consistent pitching even if they have to give away 15K tickets to fill the stadium and give the Yankees 7 home games. In the World Series I'll go with a repeat of the 08 series with the Phillies edging the Rays once again. The Phillies just have better pitching and a more consistent lineup.
*NFL Recap over the first quarter of the season.
AFC East- loved the Dolphins to begin the season but two division losses at home to the Jets and Patriots will be a tough thing to overcome. The Jets appear to be deserving of most of the hype. I do question Sanchez against the elite defenses of the Ravens and Steeler types. The Patriots really impressed last night however the defense still has question marks and how long can Moss go being a afterthought in the offense and not be a distraction. The Bills could be the worst team in football.
AFC North- The Ravens took advantage of a Roethlisberger free Steelers and got the win on the road last week. Both appear to be amongst the top four teams in the NFL and neither seem to have hit their stride. The Steelers will be better with the Predator behind center and the Ravens offense will only get better as the season goes along. I had the Bengals penciled in as a playoff team to begin the season and they stll look as though they will be in the mix however losses to the likes of the Browns will make this much more difficult and the inconsistency is a big concern. The Browns are another of the leagues grease fire teams and this Holmgren thing isn't going to end pretty.
AFC South- Not sticking a fork in the Colts just yet. The Sanders injury certainly hurts the D but two road losses against teams that have always given the Colts problems isn't a reason to panic. As long as 18 is under center I'll take the Colts in this division every year. The Texans appear to be a threat for a playoff spot given the offensive talents however it appears as though their may be some leaks on the defensive side. The Jaguars may be 2-2 but in my opinion they are destined for 4th in this devision. To much inconsistent play at the QB position and poor defense. The Titans will go as far as Vince Young can take them. If he can be adequate the Titans can be a playoff team. If not a 7-9 squad at best.
AFC West- Look who's at the top and the lone undefeated team in the NFL KC Chiefs? Who could have predicted such a fast start. How about Josh Coleman CEO of 64/60 Sports. The Chiefs aren't the elite team as the record would indicate but I do like them more than the Chargers. Speaking of the Chargers they have been madly inconsistent and have not played well on the road. Broncos may be a .500 team but I just don't see enough talent on the rosters or playmakers to win more than 6 games. I expected the Raiders to be a competitive team this year and although they are 1-3 a Janickowski chip shot would have them at 2-2. I was suprised the Campbell project was ended so early. I could see 8-8 once again winning this division.
NFC East- This was the best division in football two seasons ago now excluding both West divisions it's the worst in Football. The Cowboys may be 1-2 but I still believe they will win this division with ease. The Redskins, Eagles and Giants are all 2-2 and all have the makings of a .500 team. In fact the Net Point Total for the Redskins is -6, Giants -16, Eagles 16, and Cowboys 1. Not ready to bury Kolb after last weeks terrible performance so if he can play adequately in Vicks abscence this team can make a run at the division.
NFC North- Bears currently lead the division and although something needs to be done about the pass protection this squad reminds me of the Super Bowl unit. Offense that does just enough and a oppurtunistic defense that generates turnovers. Cutler can look amazingly awful at times. Packers once again seem to be the most complete team but I have concerns with any team that can't consistently run the football. The answer to my Moss question came this morning as he was moved to the Vikings. This move instantly makes them the best in the division from my standpoint. The Lions may be 0-4 but this team is much improved and for the first time in at least 5 years the future looks to be bright. Best and Johnson will combine with Stafford to give the Lions a big three for years to come.
NFC South- The Falcons have been the best team in the NFC in the early going. The Saints haven't looked good at any point this season but have still managed a 3-1 record and given the poor state of the West and East two teams are a lock from this division to make the playoffs. The Bucs are 2-1 but it's the Bucs who have managed a mere 50 points on offense in 3 games. The Panthers are terrible and the Fox family has begun the moving process.
NFC West- This division is shameful and a special rule should be implemented to not allow a team from a division so poor into the playoffs. The Rams are the only team with a positive Net Pt a respectable 25 and could be the best team in the division. I thought they would be the worst team in the NFL this year. I also felt that Bradford would be a huge bust. Thus far I have been dead wrong on both accounts. The Cardinals are 2-2 but have a negative net point total of 60 and could be lead by Max Hall a undrafted rookie going forward. Which makes me wonder wouldn't Leinart be a slight upgrade? The Seahawks seem to be a very strong team at home but look terrible on the road. The 49ers seem to have pieces in place but have nothing at the QB position which only goes to show how important the position is. I honestly see 7-9 being enough to win this division.
* When I started this post Moss was a Patriot now as I finish it he is a Viking. A case of addition by subtraction I suppose for the Pats but this move makes no sense to me. Moss leaves you void of any playmaker on the offensive side of the ball. Welker, Edelman, Woodhead are all effective possesion guys but don't play well on go routes 30 yards from the line of scrimmage. Good luck employing this style against the likes of the Ravens, Steelers or Jets. Unless the Pats make a run at Jackson this fringe Super Bowl team is nothing more than a first round exit from the playoffs assuming they can get their. Seems like a steep price for Locker Room harmony and a 3rd Rd draft pick. For the Vikings the move instantly makes them not only the class of the North but the entire NFC in my opinion. The defense has alloweed a mere 13 pts. per game. This move gives Favre a go to elite threat in the abscence of Rice add this to a revitalized Peterson and you are looking at a 25 pt per game offense at the minimum and once Rice returns look out.
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