Saturday, March 31, 2007

Put me in coach - Here are the 07 baseball predictions

PLAY BALL!!!....here are my predictions for the National League....
NL East
1. Phillies - Charlie Manuel may not make the season, but someone will push the right buttons with Howard, Utley, and Rollins in the lineup....Ryan Howard is the anti-Mark McGwire....don't be surprised if they trade for Mike Piazza late in the year since he is a Philly native....
2. Mets - the Mets will lead the division at the start, but they lack starting pitching....unless they trade for someone at the break, they will fall short.....thank goodness for the wilcard....will have to trade youngster Milledge for pitching....maybe Milledge and others to Cleveland for one of their pitchers - C.C.?
3. Braves - the A.T.L. may have the best pitching in the division....they need a big year from the Jones boys....
4. Marlins - will someone please tell me how you fire the Manager of the Year?.....
5. Nationals - it seems like years ago since that first year season in D.C......


NL Central
1. Brewers - the beer will be flowing in Milwaukee....

2. Cubs - you have to give ownership credit - they went out and got a good manager and spent for the best free agent.....
3. Cardinals - St. Louie got hot in the playoffs....but don’t forget they struggled down the stretch last season....
4. Astros - Lance Berkman will take the MVP this year.....
5. Pirates - things are starting to look up in Steeltown.....maybe the division next year?.....should have traded for Josh Hamilton....
6. Reds - speaking of Hamilton....he will be one of the few bright spots in the Queens City....

NL West
1. Dodgers - LA will win a playoff series this year -- and maybe more.....should dominate a weak division....
2. Padres - how much longer can Wells and Maddux go?......
3. Diamondbacks - Brandon Webb may be the best pitcher no one knows about.....have some good young players coming up....
4. Giants - its transition time in the Bay.....Bonds finishes with 32 homers....
5. Rockies - at trade deadline time, contenders will be lining up for the services of Todd Helton.....

NLDS
Dodgers over Mets
Phillies over Brewers
NLCS
Dodgers over Phillies

Now to the Junior Circuit....
AL East
1. Yankees - maybe Carl Pavano will do something before the end of his contract.....
2. Red Sox - you don’t spend all that money for D. Mat and not make the playoffs....after a year off, Beantown is back in the playoffs....Big Papi finally gets his MVP....
3. Blue Jays - they locked up Vernon Wells and have Roy Halliday as an ace and BJ Ryan as a closer....too bad they are stuck with the Yanks and Bosox....
4. Orioles - remember when the Orioles were always contenders....where have you Earl Weaver?...
5. Devil Rays - good young talent....but same old team.....I have 1 word - contraction!!!.....

AL Central
1. Twins - starting pitching is the key....after Santana, there is not much there....great hitting team with Mauer, Morneau, Cuddyer, Hunter, and Kubel.....a Greg Maddux would look good in a Twins uniform....
2. Tigers - lineup will be powerful with Sheffield on board.....pitching will be solid, but they will lose out to Boston for the wildcard....
3. White Sox - they key is Mark Buehrle....he was in the tank last year....Chisox still have very powerful middle of the order in Thome, Konerko, and Dye....
4. Indians - Sizemore is the best young player in the AL.....Hafner will crack 40+ homers....but their manager sucks....
5. Royals - give this team a few years....like the Pirates in the NL, their worst days are behind them.....two words - Alex Gordon!!!....

AL West
1. Angels - this team has some of the best young players with Brandon Wood, Howie Kendrick, Jered Weaver, etc.....and don't forget Vlad is still there....
2. Rangers - young pitcher Eric Hurley will give this team some hope....new manager Ron Washington is supposed to be a "player's manager".....
3. Athletics - Billy Beane cannot pull a rabbit out of the hat every year....plus this is the first year without a Hudson, Mulder, or Zito in the rotation....
4. Mariners - the most coveted prize at the trading deadline will be Ichiro....

ALDS
Twins over Red Sox
Yankees over Angels

ALCS
Twins over Yankees

World Series
Twins over Dodgers - what the heck....it takes some grapefruits to go with the Twins....


Final Four Predictions

After doing some yardwork and painting around the house, I now have time to give my predictions for today’s Final Four....

Georgetown -1 vs. Ohio State - from the beginning of the tournament I called for Georgetown to win the title, so I am not backing off now....however, Ohio State concerns me even though the Hoyas are the better team....but somehow the Buckeyes are on a lucky streak of late and we all know what could happen.....the 3 concerns I have are:
1. Georgetown ripped Ohio State last year in the second round of the tournament....even though most of the Buckeye players from that team are no longer there, I know Thad Matta is using that for motivation....
2. Like I stated earlier, Ohio State has been fortunate....a blown call in the Xavier game kept OSU alive....who knows what can happen now....
3. God will be in the house....yes, Jim Tressel will be at the game....
I still am going with Georgetown even though the sweatervested wonder will be at the Georgia Dome.....Georgetown by 6

Florida -3 vs. UCLA - in my brackets, I had Florida playing Georgetown for the title....but this Bruins team is playing some solid basketball and great defense.....for 1 year the Bruins have been stewing about the shellacking they took from the Gators in last year’s title game....very few college teams have an opportunity to redeem themselves by playing basically the same team 1 year later.....UCLA will take advantage of the situation.....Bruins by 1 point....


All I know, forget about Joakim Noah or Greg Oden stealing the show....the real show stopper is this UCLA cheerleader...WOW....




Friday, March 30, 2007

Five Good Questions with . . . David Andriesen of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer


Today’s segment of "Five Good Questions with . . . " is with Seattle Mariners beat reporter David Andriesen of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.....
Q1. With a history of erratic pitching, which Jeff Weaver did the Mariners sign, the one who pitched for the Cardinals in the World Series or the one who was cut by the Angels?
My first thought when they made that signing was, "Do they really not feel like they already have someone in the organization who can go out and lose 14 games next year -- and for the major league minimum instead of $8 million-plus?" But the Mariners are convinced he turned the corner when he was traded to St. Louis in the middle of last season. In talking with Jeff, it sounds like he really did get bogged down trying to make too many adjustments with the Angels and a lot of his problems were mental. He has not had a good spring, however, and will be the most expensive No. 5 starter in baseball.
Q2. The Mariners have almost $26 million tied up in their two corner infielders, Sexson and Beltre. Which of those two players do you think could be traded during the season if the Mariners fall out of contention?
Sexson is thought to be the more likely trade bait of the two. He doesn't hit for average but does hit a ton of home runs (just not in critical situations), which makes him appealing to other teams, especially someone with a smaller ballpark. The Mariners have several other options at first base, including Ben Broussard, who's on the bench but started for the Indians a year ago. Beltre brings the added dimension of terrific defense at a difficult position, and there is no obvious heir to third base in the organization.
Q3. Pitcher Mark Lowe was impressive last season with his fastball. How are the Mariners going to utilize him?
Mark's season ended prematurely with an elbow injury that has required two operations. He isn't expected back before midseason, and everyone will be holding their breath to see whether he comes back with the same stuff.
Q4. Will manager Mike Hargrove make it through this season?
Not unless they win and stay in the hunt for the division. The owner declared this winter that both Hargrove and GM Bill Bavasi are "on the hot seat," and the team brought in manager-in-waiting John McLaren, the No. 2 man behind Lou Piniella during Seattle's best years, as bench coach. If this team comes out of the gate 7-22 or something, Grover is probably history.
Q5. Who is the best minor league player coming up for the Mariners and when will he make it to The Show?
Baseball America says it's outfielder Adam Jones, a converted shortstop who is still learning to play center field and didn't hit in a major league stint last year. They need him to be ready to take over in case they trade Ichiro at the trading deadline or lose him after the season (he's in the last year of his contract with talks at a standstill). Last year's first-round draft pick, right-hander Brandon Morrow, absolutely blew everyone away this spring and it looks like he's going to make the team as a reliever despite having only a handful of minor league games under his belt.

I want to thank David Andriesen for taking the time to respond.....it is much appreciated!!!!

Thursday, March 29, 2007

Five Good Questions with . . . Jim Souhan of the Minneapolis-Star Tribune

This is the first installment of a new segment on Stiles Points called "Five Good Questions with . . . .".....the purpose of the segment is to get an in-depth opinion of people who are involved with sports.....today’s segment is with Jim Souhan, sports columnist of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune....Souhan began writing for the Star-Tribune in 1990 and has covered the Vikings and Twins....we asked Souhan five questions about this year’s Minnesota Twins....

Q1. There is talk that this may be Torii Hunter's last season with the Twins, if he should go elsewhere, who are some of the young candidates to take his place? Is Denard Span a possibility?
Span is almost a lock to be Torii's successor, and Torii knows it. He flew Denard to his home in Texas this winter for workouts and career guidance. Torii is looking for a big contract, and the Twins are trying to figure out how they're going to afford Santana, Mauer, Morneau and Nathan. Span most likely will be the Twins' leadoff hitter and centerfielder next opening day.

Q2. Have the Twins done a good enough job to patch-up the rotation with Francisco Liriano out for the season?
No. They're starting the season with three veterans who have spotty resumes at best. Carlos Silva has looked terrible this spring. Ramon Ortiz has looked OK, but he's had four straight poor seasons. Sidney Ponson actually looks the best of the three, but he's a rather unpredictable chap. He once punched an Aruban judge in a beach fight. Not many big-league pitchers can say that. Boof Bonser is a solid young pitcher who should be fourth or fifth in the rotation. In this rotation, he's second.

Q3. What type of spring training did young pitchers Boof Bonser and Matt Garza have?
Bonser has been fine. Matt Garza looked dynamic but the Twins want to see him develop better command of his off-speed pitches, so he's been sent to the minors. He, Glen Perkins and Kevin Slowey will compete to be the first pitcher called up.

Q4. Does Ron Gardenhire get enough credit for the job he does year-in and year-out?
He's very good at running the clubhouse and instilling a sense of cameraderie and daily competitiveness in his players. Tom Kelly was a better strategist, but then TK was better than almost anyone at in-game strategy. Gardenhire and pitching coach Rick Anderson also have excelled at pasting together rotations that survive and bullpens than excel.

Q5. Will Johan Santana, Joe Mauer, and Justin Morneau be with the Twins for their entire career, or will the move on like so many other good Twins players?
I can't see the Twins ever letting St. Paul Joe (Mauer) leave. Morneau wants to stay, and I think that's probably (going to happen). Santana will want about $20 million a year, and I can't see how the Twins can afford to invest 30 percent of their payroll in a guy who plays 33 times a year. Closer Joe Nathan should be a priority, because with him the bullpen is exceptional, and without him it could collapse.

I want to thank Jim Souhan for taking the time to respond to the questions.....it is nice that he took a few minutes to help out a blogger....

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Why do people hate the Florida Gators?


Sometimes you just can’t win.....

Florida is the most hated team left in the Big Dance.....it is understandable why most people would feel that way because of the Gators success on the court with their showboating superstar in Joakim Noah and slick coach Billy Donovan.... basically, American sports fans hate successful teams....

Even though I picked Georgetown to win the tournament, it would still be nice to see the Gators win back-to-back titles because players like Noah, Al Horford, Corey Brewer, and Taurean Green all by-passed the big money of the NBA last year in order to comeback to try and win another title....

Now if these players all chose to opt for the NBA, after beating UCLA to win the title last season, the majority of sports fans would have called them money hungry and cried for the days of their youth when players stayed in college for four years....

From what I read about Noah, off the court he is a very engaging person who is smart and has many opinions about world events and societal problems....Noah could be considered a "model" student-athlete....he’s a young person who is not only a talented athlete but a talented person in class....also, I have yet to hear any of these four players names linked to arrests, DUIs, drugs, etc that can be found with other successful college athletes....

So after this tournament, Noah, Horford, Brewer, and Green have another decision to make....being they are all juniors, the Fab Four can decide to comeback and try for a possible three-peat (if they win this year).....

But no matter what choice they make, they will be vilified for it....

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Remembering Al McGuire





Every year during the NCAA Tournament I always think about former Marquette head basketball coach Al McGuire....

McGuire was a street tough Irishman who was a quirky odd bird of sort....he came from the hard streets of New York City and started his coaching career at a little school in North Carolina called Belmont Abbey....

Of course, he gained his notoriety as the head coach of then Marquette Warriors....it has been 30 years since McGuire won his only national title at Marquette in his last game as head coach.....his team, led by Butch Lee and Jerome Whitehead, beat Dean Smith’s North Carolina 67-59 in Atlanta, where this year’s Final Four will be held....

McGuire was a different coach alright.....over 90 percent of all his players eventually graduated from college.....he recruited his players from inner cities....he once said, "My rule was I wouldn’t recruit a kid if he had grass in front of his house. My world was a cracked sidewalk....

He cared about his players.....while at Marquette, one of his best players Jim Chones had to make a decision whether to leave school early and enter the NBA draft or stay for another year....Chones grew up dirt poor and had five younger siblings....McGuire told him, :"When I look into my refrigerator and then I look into Jimmy’s - I told him - take the money"....

After retiring, McGuire probably gained greater fame as a college basketball analyst for NBC and later CBS....

Who could ever forget his screams of "Ahhhhhhhhhhhh......Holy Mackerel!!!....Holy Mackerel!!!"...after Georgia Tech stunned Southern Cal with a buzzer beater shot in the 1992 tournament...

There was the other time when he started dancing with the Syracuse players and fell down on his behind....

Basketball was his trade, but he was passionate about other things such as riding his motorcyle or collecting toy soldiers.....he loved seashells, balloons, clowns, and weepy country songs...

McGuire died in 2001 from leukemia.....in his last few days, after being hooked up to IVs for over two weeks, McGuire’s long time friend and former assistant Rick Majerus came to visit him....McGuire disconnected all his IVs and asked Majerus to get him a hamburger with onions and a hot fudge sundae....he was determined to go out "his way....

They don’t make them like Al McGuire anymore....

So this weekend, when the Final Four is about to tip-off, raise a frosty glass of beer to Al McGuire in honor of the 30th anniversary of Marquette winning the national title...

Monday, March 26, 2007

The last title game rematch - Duke-UNLV

The early line is out....Florida is favored by 3 ½ over UCLA.....the Georgetown-Ohio State game is Pick....
UCLA has waited an entire year to erase the thumping they received from Florida in last year’s title game.....
1991 was the last time there was a rematch of the previous year’s championship game.....the rematch also took place in the semifinals when defending champ and undefeated UNLV played Duke....
The two teams met in the 1990 title game with the Runnin Rebels routing Duke 103-73.....the Rebels were led by Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon, Greg Anthony, and Anderson Hunt while the Blue Devils had Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley, Grant Hill, and Thomas Hill....
While Jerry Tarkanian’s Rebels were routing everyone they played in 1991, Duke had one eye on a possible rematch....it happened in the semifinals in Indianapolis....
As you know, Duke got its revenge by beating UNLV, then two nights later, Coach K got his first championship by beating Kansas.....
Both Billy Donovan of Florida and Ben Howland of UCLA should remind their team about that 1991 Duke-UNLV game.....it is an interesting history lesson for both teams....


In some other tidbits.....most people assumed Tony Kornheiser would not be back in the Monday Night Football booth for ESPN.....but it was reported this morning by Newsday that Joe Theismann got the boot.....the report stated that Ron Jaworski or Bill Parcells may replace Theismann....

What was Warren Buffett doing at a Cleveland Cavaliers game on Sunday night?.....

If you ask me, this great tandem of Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson has not blossomed as expected.....the Nuggets are still 6th in the Western Conference.....

Did North Carolina drop a bomb in the last five minutes of regulation or what???.....that has to be one of the worst five minutes ever for a Roy Williams coached team....

What about Duke ACC Player of the Year Lyndsey Harding.....on Saturday, Harding had a chance to win the game for the Lady Blue Devils.....down by 1 point against Rutgers with a tenth of a second left, Harding, the All-American, went to the free throw line for two shots.....yep, she shot two bricks.....Duke finished the season with only 2 losses, but nothing to show for it....they did not win the ACC Tournament and failed to make the Final Four....