3/5: Spurs Demolition, CBA Talk, etc.

Greetings...

• The Spurs eviscerated the Heat on Friday night... the final was 125-95 and I'm not even sure that did it justice... Tony Parker returned ahead of schedule from his injury and chipped in 15 points and 8 dimes to key 8 different guys in double figures for San Antonio... 56% from the field and an absurd 61% from three for the Spurs, and while they should be credited for their incredibly efficient offense (all year, really), Miami's defense didn't show up on Friday... There will be panic for Miami, but just take a breath... back-to-back game, on the road, etc....
• The NFL players and owners came to an agreement!... Oh... it was only to extend talks for a week... well, that's better than nothing, huh?...
• Apparently, Jets linebacker Bart Scott had trademarked the phrase "can't wait".... if this story is true, it's absolutely brilliant... winning...
• NBA Check - Brook Lopez and the Nets get a win in London... 25 for Lopez and the Nets win the battle of inept in Europe... Chicago gets a big road win... 89-81 over Orlando behind D. Rose's 24 points overshadowing Dwight's typical 20/10... Kevin Durant was announced as doubtful for the game in Philips Arena on Friday... so of course, he played, and had 29 and 8 to lead OKC to a 111-104 win... Russ Westbrook hit a giant 3 down the stretch and had 28 as well... Atlanta got nothing from the non-Horford frontline... Break up... the Cavs!?... Cleveland again beat NY in NY despite 70 total points from Amare and Carmelo... JJ Hickson led the way with 23/8, but there's something about that matchup for the Knicks... Nice to see you, Chris Paul... 23 points and 14 dimes in a road win at Memphis... Dirk Nowitzki led the way for Dallas with 29 in their 8th straight win... and we'll end with 2 ridiculous lines in the Minnesota/Philly game... Kevin Love with 21 and 23 in the loss... it never gets old... and Andre Iguodala threw up a 22/10/13 in the win for Philly, who is playing very good basketball...

What to watch for on Saturday...

• #4 Duke @ #13 North Carolina - 8:00 CBS - Well, other than being the best rivalry in college hoops, this one is for the ACC regular season crown as well... honestly, about as must-watch as it gets for regular season college hoops...
• #2 Kansas @ #24 Missouri - Noon CBS - This will be a barnburner... Missouri is just a different team at home, and they are very capable of knocking off the Jayhawks...
• #19 Villanova @ #5 Pittsburgh - 4:00 CBS - Typically awesome Big East matchup... 'Nova has been reeling lately, so you can't really expect them to win on the road here, but crazier things have happened...
• #7 Notre Dame @ #16 UConn - 2:00 ESPN - Jeez, what a slate... anyway... Notre Dame really has it going right now and UConn is kind of struggling, but the athletic edge is staggering toward UConn...
• #14 Florida @ #20 Vandy - 6:00 ESPN - Nothing overly special, but definitely seeding ramifications at stake in this SEC East battle..
• Michigan State @ Michigan - 2:00 CBS - Even if I'm the only one that cares, this one is enormous for Michigan's bubble hopes... and looking for the sweep...
• Raptors @ Nets - 3:00 NBA-TV - If you're not ready for college hoops yet, there's a rematch in London... yeah...

Enjoy it...

2011 MLB Preview Part 2: AL Central

Greetings all... Make sure you check out part 1 previewing the AL West as well... let's get to it...

1. Minnesota Twins (86-76) - I give up... You win, Minnesota....

• Lineup - Joe Mauer is the best catcher on Earth... and one of the best catchers of all-time (there, I said it)... he anchors a pretty strong lineup from top-to-bottom... Justin Morneau is a former AL MVP who was tearing the cover off the ball in 2010 until he had that terrible concussion, but he seems to be nearly back... Delmon Young is a beast (.298, 21 HR, 112 RBI in 2010) who has finally come into his own entering his age 25 season, and there are supporting guys like Denard Span, Jason Kubel, and Michael Cuddyer to provide a steadying influence... One guy to watch is newly imported 2B Tsuyoshi Nishioka who has been drawing rave reviews from Twins camp...
• Starting Pitching - Francisco Liriano is a stud... 200 K's last year, very nice ratios, and he's incredibly dominant at times... now an additional year removed from his injury woes, he should be stronger than ever in the #1 slot... Carl Pavano was a wildy pleasant surprise in 2010, winning 17 games with a sub-4 ERA and should be counted on to be fairly effective as long as he's healthy even if the 17 wins (a bit lucky in the peripherals) don't necessarily come... Outside of the those 2, there is a 4-way battle going on for 3 spots between Scott Baker, Kevin Slowey, Nick Blackburn, and Brian Duensing... Blackburn is the worst pitcher of the 4 historically, and likely the outsider in the group, but they haven't named the rotation... at any rate, it's a pretty balanced staff with no real weakspots, and should generally be considered above-average...
• Bullpen - This is tricky... Joe Nathan returns from injury and while he was electric as the closer in previous seasons, the Twins acquired Matt Capps late in 2010... Capps had a fantastic year last year (2.47 ERA, 42 saves combined) and may get the opening nod depending on how Nathan looks... That's a pretty darn solid back-end, but they've lost some punch (Jon Rauch, Brian Fuentes) from their middle guys... overall, this is, again, a nice unit...
• Bench - Classic situation where they have too many guys... because of the Kubel/Young/Span/Cuddyer quartet in the outfield AND having Jim Thome returning, there will be an odd-man out everyday, and that helps this bench... Drew Butera is a nice player behind Joe Mauer as well...

I really like Minnesota... it's been a running joke that I refuse to pick them and yet, they win it every year... and I tried everything in my power to stay away, but I just can't... they have the best team...

2. Chicago White Sox (85-77) - Here's looking at you, Gordon Beckham....

• Lineup - Here's the good... there's A LOT of talent in this lineup... Paul Konerko mashed all year last year, they've acquired Adam Dunn who can be penciled in for 40 bombs, Alex Rios came on to pre-terrible form, Gordon Beckham has 1st-round pedigree and started hitting down the stretch, Alexei Ramirez is a big-time talent, and Carlos Quentin was once an MVP candidate... There's also some downside... Beckham struggled mightily early in 2010 and hasn't proven a single thing, Alex Rios has shown himself capable of a stinker, they don't have a 3rd basemen to speak of, and there are some injury questions.... all that being said, it's a pretty darn good selection of guys... the Dunn signing was very big for them, and he doesn't need to play defense (a plus)...
• Starting Pitching - This unit may decide the division... John Danks is wildly underrated... sub-4 ERA the last 3 years, and he's their best pitcher IMO... Gavin Floyd has big-time talent but he's wildly streaky, Mark Buehrle is getting up there in age, and his stuff isn't what it used to be... Jake Peavy is about as big of an injury concern as there's ever been, and Edwin Jackson's numbers don't exactly scream dominant... This could either be a very good unit (if Floyd is on, Peavy is healthy and Buerhle is consistent) or a pretty bad one (if Peavy is hurt, Floyd is the early-2010 version, and Jackson is Jackson)...
• Bullpen - Matt Thornton is a nice closer option, especially considering how bad Bobby Jenks has been at times, recently... Chris Sale is in the set-up role, and he's a young guy with huge upside possibly primed and ready to close, and there are decent vets like Will Ohman and Jesse Crain to fill it out...
• Bench - Adam Dunn gives them some nice flexibility b/c he can play OF in a pinch (badly, but still)... otherwise, the depth isn't great with Mark Teahen and the still-alive Omar Vizquel... nothing to write home about, but again, American League....

This is the type of team that could win 90+ with ease if guys like Beckham, Rios, and Peavy put it together, but I just don't have the same level of confidence in their consistency that I do of the Twins...

3. Detroit Tigers (83-79) - I almost picked Detroit to win this thing....

• Lineup - Oh, Miguel... Miguel Cabrera, that is... He's the 2nd best hitter in the entire league (with regard to Mr. Pujols), but he can't seem to stay out of trouble... a February DUI is the latest blackmark for the Tigers slugger, and while I don't think it will affect his play, it certainly won't help it... This lineup is solid, but not spectacular... new signing Victor Martinez provides the most pop outside of Cabrera (he'll DH and play a little catcher), young OF's Austin Jackson and Ryan Raburn had good years in 2010, Magglio Ordonez can still rake, and I've always been a Carlos Guillen supporter... they won't wow you, but the lineup is more than serviceable...
• Starting Pitching - Sneaky solid... Justin Verlander is an absolute beast, a perennial Cy Young candidate, and a top-15 pitcher in the majors... after him, Max Scherzer is a high-upside #2 that struck out nearly 200 guys last year and won 12 games... Rick Porcello in the 3 hole took a step back after a breakout rookie season, but was pretty darn good after the AS break last year... Phil Coke and Brad Penny round it out... neither are spectacular, but Penny was very, very good in STL last year pre-injury and Coke has shown himself to be capable...
• Bullpen - This is one of those fun teams where the best reliever isn't the closer... Joaquin Benoit is the newly signed set-up man who is coming off a season where he posted a 1.34 ERA, 0.68 WHIP, and 75 Ks in 60.1 innings... the guy is a beast... he'll be setting up for Jose Valverde, who is very solid (saving 26 of 29 last year) and a veteran closer... outside of those 2 it's pretty sketchy... Joel Zumaya returns (good luck with that), and guys like Daniel Schelereth (son of ESPN's Mark Schelereth) are being counted on...
• Bench - Brennan Boesch is a very, very nice 4th outfielder, and Scott Sizemore is still around as a utility guy on the infield... the important guy, though? Catcher Alex Avila who will have to play a lot of games in order to keep V-Mart out of the field...

Stay out of trouble, Miguel....

4. Cleveland Indians (75-87) - A lot of questions to be answered....

• Lineup - Good things first... Shin-Soo Choo is an elite outfielder in this league... he went .300/22/90 in only 144 games last year, and he's the best player on the roster... Carlos Santana is the guy you don't hear as much about as, say, a Buster Posey, but he's a top-5 catcher in the Majors when healthy, and he should be 100% to start the season... after that? Questions galore... former stud Grady Sizemore is said to be 100% healthy, but was pretty bad pre-injury the last couple of years, and is a candidate to hit .240... former top prospect Matt LaPorta is already having job security issues in spring at 1B... Travis Hafner stinks (sorry Travis), and outside of Asdrubal Cabrera, the rest of the lineup is fairly impotent....
• Starting Pitching - It isn't good... I've always been high on Fausto Carmona, and we know he has it in him (this is a former 19-game winner), but he's not a dominant #1 right now... and after that, it gets ugly in a hurry... Justin Masterson is talented, but doesn't have electric stuff, and then, the 3-4-5 is currently Jeanmar Gomez, Carlos Carrasco, and Josh Tomlin... wait for it... wait for it... you don't know who any of those guys are...
• Bullpen - I really like Chris Perez... he posted a 1.71 ERA with 23 saves and 9 holds last year... now he's the full-time guy and he should be very good... Rafael Perez and Jensen Lewis both had very good 2010 years (sub 3 ERA's), and should prove to be very capable as well...
• Bench - Shelley Duncan... Michael Brantley... Austin Kearns... Lou Marson.... Yeah...

It's not exactly the mid-90's right now in Cleveland....

5. Kansas City Royals (70-92) - Hey... they won't lose 100...

• Lineup - I like going positive first... Billy Butler is a beast... legit .300 hitter and while the power hasn't totally come yet, there's reason to believe it can... at worst, he's a 50-double guy... Mike Aviles is a .300 hitter as well who can play multiple positions, and Kila Ka'aihue has hit at every level, and now has a chance to play everyday at 1B... Now the questions begin... once-prized prospect Alex Gordon returns.. in left field now as opposed to 3B, and most people have given up on him... Jeff Francoeur has the everyday right field job, and while I haven't given up on him as a player, everyone else has... and this is the worst part... Kansas City is currently listing Melky Cabrera as their started center fielder... I don't have enough energy to rant on that... let's hope they come to their senses and bury him behind Lorenzo Cain and even Gregor Blanco...
• Starting Pitching - Zack Greinke isn't walking through that door... Jeff Francis headlines this motley crew, and he's really the only one that's enjoyed any sustained success back in his time with Colorado... Kyle Davies is a capable pitcher who's just been inconsistent/injured in recent year, and then there's some upside with Luke Hochevar and Vin Mazzaro... I'm trying...
• Bullpen - The best player on the roster is closer Joakim Soria... he's 115 out of 124 in saves the past 3 seasons with a sub 2 ERA and a strikeout rate of over 10 per 9... he's elite... the issue is getting the lead to him...
• Bench - They have 4 major league outfielders (none of whom is Melky Cabrera) so someone should have to come off the pine... also, Wilson Betemit (who actually had a nice 2010) will do the utility damage in the infield, and former Atlanta Brave C Brayan Pena is around...

Sorry KC...

That'll do it for the AL Central... Stay tuned for Part 3 covering the vaunted AL East...

3/4: Orlando's Comeback, etc.

Greetings...

• The Orlando Magic beat the Miami Heat 99-96 last night... simple, eh?... well, consider that they were down by 24 points in the second half and finished the game on a 40-9 (!) run... Dwight led the way with 14 points and 18 boards, and Jason Richardson finished with 24 big points for the Magic... a really, really impressive comeback from them, especially on the road... the usual characters had nice games for Miami... LBJ finished with 29/6/4 and Wade went for 28/5/4, but Bosh went 5 for 15 and Mario Chalmers was an abysmal 2 for 11... however, the story you'll be reading across the board today revolves around Miami's inability to win close games, and their issue with who "the closer" is... I've already read 2 accounts screaming for Wade to get all the touches late... this issue isn't going away....
• In the only other NBA game, Denver snuck out of Utah with a 103-101 win... they went small with Ty Lawson, Ray Felton, and Arron Afflalo all playing together late, and that was a productive unit... Lawson led the team with 23 points, and (as customary now) Afflalo hit the biggest shot of the night with a triple to put the game away in the final minute... Denver continues to impress with balance after the Melo deal, and that's a team with guys I enjoy.. for Utah? I don't know how you shoot 52% FG and 10-12 FT at home and lose...?... and I watched the game...
• The NFL isn't locked out... yet... the 2 sides agreed to a 1-day extension to hammer out the details of... another extension?... Wake me up when it's over...
• The Oregon Ducks football program is being investigated for dealings with a recruiting service... fuzzy details here, but the big takeaway is there are actually recruiting scandals outside of the SEC... at least once in a while...
• Bob Sanders signs with the Chargers... this would be a huge story if he could EVER stay on the field... but it's worth the flier I guess...
• College Hoops - Jordan Taylor exploded for Wisconsin last night... 39 points on 11-19 shooting for Taylor with 7 triples as the Badgers beat Indiana by 10.. he's the Big 10 POY for me with all apologies to Jared Sullinger/JaJuan Johnson/Etwaun Moore... St. John's got blitzed at Seton Hall 84-70... at some point, their string had to be snapped, but that wasn't the place we all thought... Lavin got ejected too... and Arizona clinched a share of the Pac-10 title with their win over Oregon State and Washington's win over UCLA... I still think the Pac-10 is dangerous and better than it has been the last couple of years...

What to watch for on Friday...

• Raptors @ Nets - NBATV 3:00 - Why is there an NBA game in the middle of the day on Friday? Because they're live in London!... Bargnani! Maybe Deron Williams (who's injured)! Calderon! It's the NBA!...
• Thunder @ Hawks - SportSouth 7:30 - Kevin Durant is questionable/doubtful for this one... of course he is in their only visit to Atlanta... anyway, interested to see how the Hawks respond after that big win on Wednesday... Westbrook provides yet another test for the defense at the point of attack...
• Bulls @ Magic - ESPN 7:00 - Great game here... Derrick Rose may be angry after Wednesday too...
• Heat @ Spurs - ESPN 9:30 - Another fantastic one here that won't get the same pub because the Spurs are involved, but they've been in the best team in the league all season long... Miami coming off a back-to-back with the 2nd leg on the road is worrisome but this should be very intriguing...

Enjoy...

3/3: Big Hawks Win, BYU Goes Down, etc.

Greetings... The first chunk of today is NBA-based...

• Hawks 83, Bulls 80 - Well, that was a weird game... I missed this one live, so I had the pleasure of seeing the DVR version... aka I got to break this one down very closely... Al Horford led the way for Atlanta with 31 and 16, keying the comeback from 17 down at the half including a huge dunk with about 30 seconds to go to take the Hawks first lead of the night... he honestly dismantled the Bulls frontcourt in this one... Noah had no answer, and there was a rare "dominant" streak that usually isn't there from Al... In addition, watching the perimeter defense for the Hawks on this night, you would have never known they were wearing Atlanta jerseys... Kirk Hinrich shot just 1-5 in 31 minutes, but was key in holding Derrick Rose to 5 of 21 shooting... No, I'm not crazy enough to think that Hinrich actually "stopped" Rose just because he had a bad shooting night... but the path of resistance at the point of attack was certainly more formidable than it has been in recent years... if we can only get Larry Drew to not play Josh Powell more than Jeff Teague... anyway... very nice win, and encouraging signs...
• Okay... I'm a little worried about Chris Paul... the best PG alive (and one of my favorite players) hasn't been himself lately... he went 2-7 for just 4 points last night, and while he had 10 assists, his +/- was -19, and Toney Douglas went off on him for NY... Here are Paul's shooting numbers since February 9th... 4/15, 4/11, 3/10, 4/12, 2/6, 8/17, 6/13, 2/12, 3/10, 2/7.... Not a single +50% day... hard to do when you're shooting 48+% coming into that stretch... and the assist numbers are down around 8 (from 10) as well... Nothing to term this a "panic" situation... but it's worth noting at this point...
• Around the Association... The Spurs have 50 wins... in early March... George Hill led the way with 22, 5, and 5 for SA in a road win at Cleveland... impressive stuff from San Antonio this year... Kevin Love has the streak at 48... 20 points, 20 rebounds... ho-hum in their 116-105 win in Detroit... but it's worth noting that Anthony Randolph threw up a 19/10 in just 25 minutes... Kevin Durant had 21 for OKC in their 113-89 drubbing of Indiana, but he left the game with a sprained ankle... just in time for their once-a-year visit to Atlanta on Friday... Umm... are the Nuggets good?... 120-80 was their blowout score over hapless Charlotte last night... they shot 61% from the floor, outrebounded the Bobcats 49-28, and had 10 guys score 6+ points (7 in double figures)... I really like them now from a "I like most of these guys" standpoint but there are still questions about actual viability... and welcome back, Eric Gordon... the Clips stud guard returned with 24 in a home win over Houston, snapping the Rockets 5-game win streak 106-103...
• And while we're here... another buy-out guy signs... Corey Brewer is reportedly headed to Dallas on a multi-year deal... that's a coup for them, and I still can't figure out how NY couldn't find minutes for him... probably because he's a defense-first guy and D'Antoni has no interest on that end...

Elsewhere...

• BYU got run out of their own building last night... 82-64 loss to New Mexico State, and the first game without Davies wasn't exactly successful... Jimmer finished with 33 points, but was 1-9 from 3 and just 10-26 overall from the field... he was clearly forcing things, and while that's defensible, they won't be winning anything if it continues.... bye-bye #1 seed...
• Harrison Barnes arrives?... The highly-touted/anointed UNC freshman hit a game-winning triple last night to upend Florida State at the gun... he's come on in recent weeks, and is creeping back into discussions at the top end of the draft... I really like the kid's game if he's more assertive...
• Elsewhere in college hoops... Kansas and Duke held serve... both with double-digit home wins against pretty good conference foes in Texas A&M and Clemson... nothing to see here... West Virginia beats up on struggling UConn in Morgantown... Kemba Walker was just 8-23 and 11th-year senior (lol) Joe Mazzulla led the way with 18 for WV... and Maryland took one on the chin in Miami last night... not exactly helping their tourney case at 7-8 in the ACC now...
• AJ Hawk cut by Green Bay... but now he's re-signing?... The talented LB was scheduled to make nearly $11 million in 2011, and was released, but reports have him signing a long-term deal with GB possibly by the deadline today...

What to watch for...

• Magic @ Heat - 8:00 TNT - Definitely tonight's headliner... Dwight is quietly making an MVP case recently, and this is a spot where he can probably dominate...
• Nuggets @ Jazz - 10:30 TNT - The two spurned teams taking on each other... Denver has played better since the deadline deals, but they are coming off a back-to-back here...
• #10 Wisconsin @ Indiana - 9:00 ESPN - Wisky is a different team on the road, and Indiana could bite them... but I doubt it...
• UCLA @ Washington - 9:00 ESPN2 - some rare Pac-10 love for the worldwide leader... 2 of the top 3 teams in the league (along with Zona), and Washington actually really needs this one...

Until later...

2011 MLB Preview Part 1: AL West

Greetings everyone... It's that time of year again... I'll be coming at you with a 7-part MLB Preview in the coming days to get everybody prepped and ready for baseball... Let's dive right in with the always-entertaining AL West...

1. Texas Rangers (89-73) - It hasn't happened very often lately in the AL West, but I like a repeat division winner this year...

• Lineup -The Rangers have undoubtedly the best lineup in this division... Josh Hamilton leads the way coming off a ludicrous .359 average with 32 HR, and 100 RBI last year (1.044 OPS!) and he returns with other studs like Nelson Cruz, Ian Kinsler, and the ultra-speedy Elvis Andrus from the division-winning team last year... there is a big-time addition at 3B this year in Adrian Beltre, who is coming off a monster year in Boston, and he has relegated Michael Young to a DH/jack-of-all-trades role... anytime you have a guy capable of hitting .300+ with power and you can't find a place to play him? That's a sign of depth, and that's the situation with Young this year.... One thing to monitor in addition to Young in terms of playing time is how they fit in Mike Napoli... they shipped Frank Francisco off for him in the offseason, and the powerful Napoli can flat-out hit... but he c can't play D behind the plate with any confidence... Enough about the offense...
• Starting Pitching - The pitching is the concern here... Cliff Lee has moved on to Texas, leaving behind a rotation of CJ Wilson, Tommy Hunter, Colby Lewis, Derek Holland, and... wait for it... Brandon Webb!?... Wilson, Lewis, and Hunter were all pretty darn good in 2010 (sub 4-00 ERAs in the AL for starters), but none of them short of maybe Wilson is someone I believe you can pencil in for that type of success with any confidence level... and then there's Webb... the former NL Cy Young winner hasn't pitched in a couple of years, and honestly, there's no idea what he can actually bring... It's not an awful rotation, especially in this division, but nothing to write home about...
• Bullpen - Neftali Feliz was elite last year in the closer role, and there's no reason to think he won't be again... 40+ saves with good ERA and WHIP, and high K potential leaves virtually nothing to be desired... the rest of the pen is pretty average with elder statesmen like Arthur Rhodes, and Darren Oliver leading the way... if they can bridge the gap to Feliz, they'll be in good shape...
• Bench - This is about as good of an AL bench as you'll see... as noted previously, they have 9-10 starting-type bats depending on who's playing... leaving Young, Napoli, etc. to come off the bench... pretty stout... Also, David Murphy is an above-average 4th outfielder that would start in alot of cities...

Overall, I like Texas to win the division fairly comfortably behind that gauntlet-like lineup, and some underrated pitching... but if the rotation goes haywire, it could get interesting quickly...

2. Oakland Athletics (82-80) - Hmm... you may be surprised that they rank ahead of the Angels... but hear me out here...

• Lineup - When I think of Oakland, I think soft-hitting... maybe an indictment on the anonymous nature of their roster composition, but this isn't a terrible lineup this year... I like Daric Barton (1B) as an up-and-comer, Josh Willingham is coming off a huge year in Washington, David DeJesus just hits, Hideki Matsui as a DH was a sneaky pick-up, and I even like Cliff Pennington at shortstop... make no mistake, this isn't the Rangers lineup, but they have enough to be competitive...
• Starting Pitching - Here's where Oakland separates themselves... Brett Anderson has Cy Young-type stuff, and he's healthy this year... Trevor Cahill was ridiculous down the stretch in 2010 (18-8, 2.97 ERA, 1.11 WHIP on the year), I like Dallas Braden alot, and the underrated Gio Gonzalez won 15 games with a 3.23 ERA last year as well... this is a quietly stacked unit... the wild-card is Rich Harden, but if they get ANYTHING out of him? This is a potentially elite staff, and even without him, it's the best staff in the division...
• Bullpen - Andrew Bailey was great again in 2010... following up his rookie of the year win in 2009 with 25 saves in 28 chances and a 1.47 ERA/0.96 WHIP... elite numbers... he's for real... Joey Devine and Grant Balfour bring the heat in the set-up role, and they've even acquired Brian Fuentes for a little insurance... I like this group a lot...
• Bench - Not fantastic here... Adam Rosales is the utility guy in the INF and he was serviceable in <300>

Just look at that pitching... just look at that pitching.... just look at that pitching....

3. Los Angeles Angels (80-82) - Hmmm... you're thinking this seems low...

• Lineup - There are guys who can hit... but alot of the time, the names are bigger than the production lately (and going forward)... Vernon Wells had a pretty good year last year.. 31 homers would've led the Angels, and it wasn't an aberration... but translate those numbers without the Rogers Centre in Toronto, and they become a little more ordinary... Torii Hunter and Bobby Abreu aren't the same guys they were 3 years ago, and they have no pop at catcher now without Mike Napoli... the brightspot? Kendry Morales at 1B is a stud... but there are injury concerns coming off the phantom ACL tear... it isn't a bad unit, but it's not as good as it would've looked in 2008...
• Starting Pitching - Very, very solid... Jered Weaver made the leap in 2010... 3.01 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and 233 K's... he's a legit #1... I'm skeptical of Dan Haren, but there's no denying he's a front-line starter and he was awesome after coming to LA last year... then there's the rest... Ervin Santana is a giant enigma... he's either fantastic (2.53 in May, 2.89 in July, 2.72 in September) or flat-out dreadful (5.16 ERA in June, 5.59 in August)... Scott Kazmir was below Major-league quality in 2010 (I have NO idea what happened to him), and Joel Piniero will keep you in games, but he's never going to be anything more than a middling guy... there's some wide range here... if Santana and Kazmir had it going at their peak levels? Awesome staff... but count me skeptical...
• Bullpen - Here's where it falls off the cliff... Fernando Rodney has closed games in MLB before... that's a plus, right?... well, he's also the guy who's going to blow saves (14 of 21 in chances last year), and give you 4+ ERA and 1.4-1.5 WHIP... that's bad... Scott Downs is a nice set-up guy and closer insurance, but the rest of the pen is nothing to tell Momma about...
• Bench - Maicer Izturis... Reggie Willits... Brandon Wood... you've heard a ton about all of them before... and none of them are any good... still... I do like Alberto Callaspo who they brought over from Kansas City though... he can play everywhere, and can hit for average...

So there's that... I'm underwhelmed by the Angels... yes, they can spend money by bringing in Vernon Wells, etc.... but are they better? Meh... Give me the pitching from Oakland...

4. Seattle Mariners (70-92) - The M's won 61 last year... man, that's bad.... Here's to the uptick...

• Lineup - Not the strongsuit of the 2011 Mariners... lol... but better than you may think... Miguel Olivo is a severe upgrade over anything they've had at catcher in years, Justin Smoak is an elite prospect who should start hitting at 1B, Chone Figgins is an engine to any lineup, and oh yeah... they have a guy named Ichiro with 200+ hits every season for a decade... I even liked the signing of Jack Cust to DH... yes, he'll strike out 180 times, but he'll also hit 30 homers if you give him full-time AB's and they need the power surge... It's the worst unit in the division, but it's not far off from Oakland...
• Starting Pitching - King Felix may be the best pitcher on the planet... he struck out 232 guys last year, posted a ridiculous 2.27 ERA, and a fantastic 1.06 WHIP... 13 wins? Doesn't sound like a lot... but on any other team, he may have won 20+... he's a stalwart... after that, it gets murky... Jason Vargas was very good in 2010 (3.78 ERA, 1.25 WHIP) but some peripherals like BABIP show he's probably due for a regression... Doug Fister was pretty solid as well, but he's nothing more than a middling rotation guy simply because he can't strike anybody out (93 K's in 171 innings), and the other 2 spots are question marks with the always-tantalizing Erik Bedard (sorry Ryan), and either Luke French or another young guy... Felix is enough to make it respectable, but nothing more...
• Bullpen - It's an unstable closing situation... default closer David Aardsma is still recovering from injury/illness, so Brandon League will likely get the call early in the year... he's pretty capable (sub 3.5 ERA, and 1.19 WHIP last year), but nothing special... and the rest of the pen is underwhelming... let's not keep going...

In short? Seattle isn't very good... but there's help on the way in the form of Dustin Ackley, etc. leading the farm system, and they still have Felix...

That'll do it for the AL West... Stay tuned for Part 2 previewing the AL Central...

3/2: Some Crazy Hoops, NFL Lockout Talk, etc.

Greetings all...

• We're getting down to the nitty-gritty in the lockout talk for the NFL... deadline is tomorrow night... and the doomsday feeling is getting here... if you aren't following it closely, you might have missed the newest ruling on the TV deal basically ruling "in favor of the players" on whether or not TV money would get to the owners whether they played or not... don't have time, interest, or space to get into the details of all of it, but football may be gone for a while...
• NBA Check - Some crazy lines in the New York/Orlando game... Chauncey Billups had 30 points... on only 4 made field goals... Amare Stoudemire had 30 points... and only 2 rebounds (!)... and of course Dwight Howard had 30 and 16 to lead Orlando to a 116-110 win... Dallas is blazing hot... a road win in Philly last night makes 7 straight and 17 of 18... goodness... Jason Terry led the way with 30 on 13-18 shooting, but the big news is Tyson Chandler rolling his ankle.. keep an eye on that... Jose Calderon needs some love... 22 points, 16 dimes, 7 assists in Toronto's win over NO... and don't look now, but Chris Paul (3/10, 7 pts, 5 assists) is in a funk... LA shot 37.5% from the field... on the road... and won by 11 points lol.... Minnesota was pretty embarrassing... even Kevin Love (who extended his double-double streak) shot just 2-10... Not a good start to the Parker-less era for San Antonio... George Hill shot 2-6 and had 6 turnovers in 27 minutes in SA's 109-93 loss to Memphis... and finally, 5 straight wins for Houston... I'm taking some personal joy watching them get it together right now... 103-87 win over Portland (on the road, no less) led by Kyle Lowry's 21 and 11, and Luis Scola's 10-11 FG, 21 point performance... Gerald Wallace had his best game so far (5-11, 14 points, 10 boards) for the Blazers...
• Brandon Davies is a starting forward for the potential #1 seed BYU Cougars...well... he WAS a starting forward for them anyway... Davies was dismised from the team on Tuesday due to an honor code violation... he's been the team's leading rebounder, and averages 11 points a game... big blow for them going forward...
• College Hoops Rundown - Jon Diebler knocked down 10 triples in OSU's road win over Penn State... he finished with 30 points, didn't attempt a 2-pointer, and shot 10-12 from three... Kentucky gets a nice home win over Vandy... not an overwhelming performance but they got enough from Knight and T. Jones to get a W... and Missouri loses another road game... they can't be taken too seriously... 2-7 on the road isn't doing it...
• Troy Murphy signs with Boston... that should lessen the blow of the Perkins trade SLIGHTLY just because Murphy is a functional player of size, but make no mistake, he's not a similar player lol... all this does is prevent them from having to go small whenever Shaq isn't out there (because J. O'Neal isn't giving them anything... ever)... a nice move...

What to watch for on Wednesday...

• Bulls @ Hawks - 7:00 SportSouth - Well, here's a test for that newly formed Hawks perimeter defensive tandem of Hinrich and Teague...
• Suns @ Celtics - 7:30 NBA-TV - This is traditionally a game where Boston would've mauled Phoenix inside... interested to see how it looks now
• Rockets @ Clips - 10:30 NBA-TV - Houston is hot... LAC is definitely not... but the game is in Staples, and should be competitive... plus, Blake...
• #22 Texas A&M @ #2 Kansas - 9:00 ESPN2 - Best college game of the night... but that doesn't mean the Aggies are winning on Senior Night in the Phog...
• Clemson @ #4 Duke - 9:00 ESPN - If you prefer the ACC... Clemson can lock up a bid with a win...
• #13 UNC @ Florida State - 7:00 ESPN - #2 vs #3 in the ACC... FSU is quietly 10-4 in the league, and are a pretty decent bet to win this one...
• #21 Utah State @ New Mexico State - 11:00 ESPN2 - If you're up late... Utah State is (as always) underrated....

Enjoy it... Rhymes with winning...

3/1: K-State Gets Hot, Parker Out, etc.

Greetings all...

• Kansas State upends Texas in Austin... the visibly injured Jacob Pullen put up 20 points in the win, but the real story was K-State holding the Horns to 34% FG shooting (28% from 3)... that's impressive on the road... and the team that I had all but given up on is now a lock for the tourney field and looking semi-dangerous... even if they're coached by Frank Martin...
• While we're in college hoops.... man, Notre Dame is impressive... 93-72 win over struggling Villanova... 30 points each (!) from Tim Abromaitis and Ben Hansborough, and the Irish made TWENTY threes.... 20!... obviously, that's a bit of an aberration, but this is an experienced team with shooters everywhere... they can beat anyone...
• Tony Parker out 2-4 weeks... strained calf is the verdict for the Spurs guard, and you knew it was coming... not necessarily for Tony... but for San Antonio... we'll see how they react to their first major injury... paging George Hill...
• Clinton Portis cut by the Redskins... even if it was a foregone conclusion (and it was), still a story for me... Portis was, at times, entertaining (and crazy) and at other times, an elite running back... but it's clear that he's lost a step or 2 and that burst isn't there...
• Mike Bibby is available... the former Hawk was bought out by Washington yesterday... after having given up his ENTIRE 2011-12 salary (over $6 million) to secure his freedom... there's absolutely no way he recoups that money on the open market next year unless he finds a crazy GM (okay, that's in play), but you have to admire his willingness to give it up for a shot at a ring... the issue? He's not really an upgrade for anyone at this point because his statue-esque defense is so bad... at any rate, expect for him to land in Miami where he'll fit well because he a) doesn't need the ball, b) is a "veteran presence" (lol) and c) can make open jumpers.... seems like the best fit...
• NBA Box Score Check - The Nuggets are firing on all cylinders without Melo... sounds funny, huh?... they dispatched of the Hawks 100-90 behind 5 guys in double-digits... still a deep, deep team... the Hawks played without Hinrich (calf injury) and the Crawford at PG/Teague combo didn't exactly impress with a combined 4 of 18 FG... Welcome back Brook Lopez... 28 points, 10 boards in an OT loss to Phoenix... overshadowed by 33 combined assists from Nash/Deron (wow) but good looks for NJ... another note is Phoenix's bench was crazy last night... 5 bench guys with at least 8 points a piece... New-Look Boston sneaks out a win in Utah... 6 straight home losses for Utah (wow)... Ray Allen was fantastic (9-15, 5-8 threes), and Jeff Green doesn't look comfortable, but wins are wins especially on the road... and Marcus Thornton goes off... 29 points on 16 shots off the bench for the Kings... almost out of nowhere to carry them to a win over LAC... Sacto still stinks... but worth noting...

What to watch for on Tuesday...

• Knicks @ Magic - NBA-TV 7:00 - Another road test for NY... except this matchup doesn't favor them as much as Miami simply because they have to deal with Dwight...
• Illinois @ #6 Purdue - ESPN 7:00 - Must-win for Illinois as far as tourney status.... but Purdue is undefeated at home and that's a tall order...
• #20 Vandy @ #23 Kentucky - ESPN 9:00 - As bad as I think the SEC is... this isn't a bad matchup... Kentucky is very, very good at home, but Vandy is capable of winning there...
• NBA Coast-to-Coast - ESPN2 9:00 - Gotta plug this because I never do... they take you across the league with live look-ins on a night where there isn't much going on... a must for anyone who doesn't have league pass...

Enjoy...