National League Award Predictions

Here are my MLB award predictions for the National League. Brought to you before March!!!

-Most Valuable Player: Mark Teixeira, 1B, Atlanta Braves

Teixeira had monster numbers once he was traded to the Braves at the deadline last year. He had 17 HR and 56 RBI in only 54 games. If the Braves can somehow win the NL East division over the defending Phillies and the Series-bound Mets, Teixeira will definitely be a huge part of it, and in turn win the NL MVP.

-Dark horse: Ryan Braun, 3B, Milwaukee Brewers

If Braun can keep up his numbers from his outstanding rookie season last year, he will win it. It is easier said than done, but in the 4th spot in the order behind Prince Fielder, he should get some good RBI chances. Also, a switch to outfield may be just what Braun needs, because his defense at third base was terrible (26 errors in 112 games). 

-Cy Young Award (best pitcher): Johan Santana, SP, New York Mets

It is hard to argue that the former AL Cy Young Award winner will not benefit from his move to the NL. As I stated i

n my previous article, Santana's stats should improve as well as his win total, and whala; the Cy Young trophy falls into his lap. Still, defending winner Jake Peavy may have something to say about it in the end.

-Dark Horse: Dan Haren, SP, Arizona Diamondbacks

Another AL pitcher coming to the NL. Although his former home field in Oakland is more spacious than his new one in Arizona, Haren will benefit just as Santana will because of the pitcher's 9th spot instead of the DH. He also inherits a better lineup in the Desert than he had in the Bay City, which means more wins.

-Rookie of the Year: Joey Votto, 1B, Cincinnati Reds

If you have heard about the MLB's new generation of players, you have most definitely heard of Votto. He has the first base position in the Reds lineup already locked up. Not to mention hitting in Great American Ballpark should do wonders for him, as it has done for Ken Griffey Jr., Brandon Phillips and, of course, Adam Dunn.

-Dark Horse: J.R. Towles, C, Houston Astros

Honestly, I do not know much about Towles, other than the fact that he has already been given the starting catcher job in Houston over long-ime starter Brad Ausmus. The Astros have a pretty good lineup and he has some potential in the 7th or 8th spot in the lineup.

-Silver Bat Award (batting title): Matt Holliday, LF, Colorado Rockies

Holliday should have won MVP last year, but that's not the point. He is one of the MLB's best spray hitters and the opposing team cannot pitch around him because the rest of the Rockies' lineup can hurt you. There seems to be no reason Holliday cannot repeat his .340 average that he obtained last season on his way to winning the batting title.

-Dark Horse: Freddy Sanchez, 2B, Pittsburgh Pirates

"Steddy Freddy" won the batting title two years ago and had a very quiet .304 average last year. Sanchez was not close to Holliday's .340 mark because he had a terrible first half, partly due to a nagging injury he obtained during spring training last March. If Sanchez can keep his strikeouts down and put the ball in play more, he could get back around to his .344 mark of 2006.

-Hank Aaron Award (best hitter): Chase Utley, 2B, Philadelphia Phillies

This 29-year old Phillie may have the sweetest swing in all of baseball; it is basically made for gap-shots. Utley has come along as the premier hitting second baseman in the MLB in the past couple of years. He always makes good contact, his on base % is outstanding, and he may be a part of the best lineup in baseball. What is not to like about his offensive opportunities?

-Dark Horse: Derrek Lee, 1B, Chicago Cubs

Maybe one of the most underrated players in the league, Lee will be hitting 4th in the Cubs' lineup behind newcomer Kosuke Fukudome, a hot import from Japan. This means more RBI opportunities and more protection for Lee because Aramis Ramirez will be in the on-deck circle right behind him.

-Relief Man of the Year Award: Billy Wagner, RP, New York Mets

This means a clean sweep for Mets' pitchers in the NL awards. Wagner has been working on his curveball and his change-up lately to add to his (good) filthy pitches. He has a steaming fastball, a (good) nasty slider, and now with two more off-speed pitches, Wagner may not be able to be contacted against.

-Dark Horse: Matt Capps, RP, Pittsburgh Pirates

This old-fashioned country boy does not fool around; Capps goes right after hitters, just daring them to touch his heat. Capps had a ridiculously low number of walks (only 16 in 79 innings pitched), which translated into a 1.01 WHIP. Last year he was forced into the closer's role after Solomon Torres stunk it up, meaning he did not really "know" how to close. If Capps gets 40 chances, he should be around the 35 save mark, but playing on the Pirates on the Pirates, those 40 chances may be hard to come by.

-Comeback Player of the Year: Brett Myers, SP, Philadelphia Phillies

Hurt for most of the 2007 season, Myers was demoted from starter to closer when he came back. Just recently, manager Charlie Manuel announced that Myers would be the Phillies opening day starter, over stud pitched Cole Hamels. Myers is only 27-years old and has a ton of upside; if he can stay healthy this season, he could rack up 15 wins with Philadelphia's stacked lineup.

-Dark Horse: Jason Bay, LF, Pittsburgh Pirates

You could say that Bay had a terrible 2007 season, but that does not begin to describe it. After a great month of May last year, Bay was sitting high-and-mighty on a .310 average. But every month from then on his average decreased, until it settled on a wimpy .247 spot after game 162. For some reason, the acquisition of Adam LaRoche hurt Bay's numbers instead of helping them. Now in the off-season, Bay has been resting a knee injury that may have been the cause of his stinkiness last season. He has also called out Pirate management, saying they have not done enough as executives to field a winning ball-club here in the 'Burgh. Therefore, Bay has some words to back up.

Coming next: American League award predictions!!!

NBA Trade Deadline: Winners And Losers

After a fairly active NBA Trade Deadline, here is a list of this year's winners and losers:

WINNERS:

Los Angeles Lakers:

Getting Pau Gasol not only fills in for the injured Andrew Bynum, but lets Pau excel at his strengths. In Memphis, he had to be the physical presence inside, making it terrible for him considering he the softest 7-footer since Shawn Bradley. When Bynum returns, Pau can do what he does best: get rebounds, get easy layups and hit mid-range jumpers. Bynum will be the physical guy in the post, which is his strength as well. And to top it off, you have the best player in the league, Kobe Bryant (yes, he's better than LeBron) and the 6'10'' Lamar Odom playing 'small' forward. Best of all, LA gave up nothing to get Gasol. A bust Kwame Brown, unproven rookie Javaris Crittenton, and two first round picks. Bench guys like Jordan Farmar, Sasha Vujacic, Ronny Turiaf, and Trevor Ariza have done a terrific job for the Lakers. Kobe finally has a championship team again, watch out for them this postseason.

Chicago Bulls:

Chi-Town picks up Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden from Cleveland, along with Cedric Simmons and young talent Shannon Brown. Even though the Bulls dumped C Ben Wallace and F Joe Smith, Gooden and Hughes are both better and younger. Gooden is one of the best offensive rebounders in the NBA, and is a solid scorer with playoff experience. Hughes is a great shooter, and gives Chicago one of the best young backcourts in the East with Kirk Hinrich (27), Ben Gordon (24), Hughes (29), and the suprising Thabo Sefalosha (23), who is averaging over 13 ppg since January. If the Bulls can pick up a quality center in free agency or the draft, they should return to playoff form. Brook Lopez from Stanford or DeAndre Jordan from Texas A&M could be options in the draft this offseason. As for now, the Bulls (22-32) still have a shot to make the playoffs. They are just one game back of the Sixers, who hold the 8th spot in the atrocious Eastern Conference; and 3 games back of the Wizards for the 6th seed.

Phoenix Suns:

Yes, the Suns are a winner this season. They acquired 35 year-old Shaquille O'Neal, who missed his first All-Star Game in 14 years in 2007-08 and has been battling knee and hip injuries the entire season. They gave up Shawn Marion, who is 29 years old and was averaging 16 ppg and 10 rpg with  Phoenix. Sounds like crap, right? WRONG. This deal helps the Suns in several lacking areas, like post offense, post defense, and team chemistry. The only problem with the aquisition is that Shaq cannot run the fast break offense like Marion. His presence has been felt in his first two games, with Shaq scoring 19 points and grabbing 23 rebounds combined. The Suns shut down NBA best Boston last night, holding the C's to 77 points. As O'Neal gets healthier and more familiar with his surroundings, he will return to double-double form. However, if the Suns don't get that title in the next 2 years, this trade will prove worthless. Will the Sun(s) rise in Phoenix?

San Antonio Spurs:

The Spurs didn't make any blockbuster deals, but addressed some needs at the deadline. The Spurs aquired two solid veterans: G Damon Stoudamire (free agent) and F Kurt Thomas (trade with SEA). Stoudamire gives San Antonio a player who distributes the ball nicely and manages the game well. He and another vet, Jacque Vaughn, are filling in for the injured Tony Parker. The Spurs sent aging 3-baller G Brent Barry and F Francisco Elson (who?) to Seattle for quality F Kurt Thomas. Thomas can help the Spurs defend the low post against teams like Los Angeles and Phoenix in the playoffs. Remember: the road to the NBA Finals always goes through the Alamo.

New Jersey Nets:

Although the Nets lost their best player, Jason Kidd, he was 34 years old. They picked up Devin Harris and Desagana Diop, two very good defenders. Both players were having breakout seasons, and Harris will provide a fast break game to the Nets' offense. Now, NJ has a solid starting lineup, and even at 25-31 can make a run through the postseason. The Nets also made a great move not to move G-F Vince Carter. Without him, the team has no leadership or playoff experience. F-C Nenad Kristic is up-and-coming, along with rookie F Sean Williams. Because of this trade, the Nets gave themselves a lot of oppurtunity for the future.

Atlanta Hawks:

A-Town adds veteran guard Mike Bibby, giving them a solid Eastern Conference lineup. Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Marvin Williams, and R.O.Y. candidate Al Horford surround Bibby. Not too bad, he at least there's someone to pass to. The Hawks lost quality bench players Tyronn Lue and Lorenzen Wright in the deal, however. Bibby will eventually get Atlanta into the playoffs, and should have a good future as a Hawk.

SEMI-WINNERS:

Utah Jazz:

Added G Kyle Korver, a deadly 3-point shooter

New Orleans Hornets:

Added talented G's Mike James and Bonzi Wells

Golden State Warriors:

Picked up solid veteran F Chris Webber

LOSERS:

Cleveland Cavaliers:

Yes, the Cavs made a deal (what Bron Bron was asking for the whole time), but it didn't help them. Cleveland aquired C Ben Wallace, G's Delonte West and Wally Sczerbiak, along with F Joe Smith. They got rid of Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden. To me, this deal makes absolutely no sense. Wallace is on the decline, Sczerbiak can do nothing but hit a 3, and Smith is useless since he plays King James' position. Delonte West has some promise, but isn't going to help them immediately. The Cavs offensive post game worsens as well, since Ben Wallace couldn't score on any of us. Cleveland has Lebron James, the most complete player in the NBA. They traded away Hughes and Gooden, who were all-around solid performers. Unless Lebron can average a triple double in the playoffs, the Cavs won't get back to the top.

Dallas Mavericks:

Even though the Mavs picked up Jason Kidd, they traded valuable players away to get him (no, the retired Kieth Van Horn is not one of them). Dallas traded G Devin Harris, C Desagana Diop, F's Trenton Hassell and Kieth Van Horn, along with young G Maurice Ager. They picked up Kidd (who has struggled in his first two games), Antoine Wright, and Malik Allen. Harris was a superb defender, and can challenge Devin Hester in a footrace. He was the main piece to their fast break. Diop was also a quality defender, and worked for offensive boards. Teams like Phoenix and Los Angeles will rip apart the Mavs in the paint. Erick Dampier defending Andrew Bynum and Shaq? I don't think so.

Denver Nuggets:

Why on earth didn't the Nugs go after anyone? Kings G Ron Artest seemed like the best fit, a guy who can fill in the shaky shooting guard position for Denver. For whatever reason, they refused to let go of F Linas Kleiza. Even though Kleiza is young and promising, he only plays 25 minutes off the bench. Without a trade, the Nuggets fall out of contention to be an elite team in the Western Conference. Artest is also a guy who plays great defense, something Denver needs (especially in the playoffs), giving up 104.8ppg. Didn't anyone tell the Nuggets they could trade retired players, or even dead players to get Ron Artest?

Houston Rockets:

Dumping G's Mike James and Bonzi Wells is a silly move for the Rockets, considering they received 35 year-old Bobby Jackson and unproven rookie Adam Haluska. Wells was a terrific scorer, and James was all-around a solid, productive guard. Jackson can hit shots, but can't play like he did in Sacramento. Haluska doesn't even average 6 minutes a game, so he won't do much. Houston is on an 11-game winning streak and had great depth in the backcourt. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. So why were the Rockets trying to fix it?

SEMI-LOSERS:

New Orleans Hornets:

Failed to add any veteran playoff experience

Portland Trail Blazers:

Failed to add any veteran playoff experience

Indiana Pacers:

Didn't move F Jermaine O'Neal, a star dying to get out of Indy

Clemens vs. McNamee

Who do you believe?

Personally, I still don't know who is lying and who is telling the truth. I think each side has a little bit of both. It's still hard to tell because of a useless Congressional Hearing. The whole idea was brought about by Clemens, mainly because he wanted to address the public and Congress about his denial of the accusations against him in the Mitchell Report. Roger made his situation worse, however, as he failed to reveal any information, and attorney Rusty Hardin made some juvenile comments about how Congressmen attacked Clemens. Hardin thought that one certain Congressmen should "smoke his own dope." Ridiculous.

I feel that Roger Clemens did not take steroids, but did use HGH as a member of the Houston Astros, where he spent three years, and had 2 terrific seasons. Those years, he was at age 41 and 42. It seems suspicious that he could be a top-5 pitcher when others are twenty and thirty years old. Also, it would make sense that as his career winded down that his velocity would decline. It did, but barely. As an Astro, he still threw 95 mph. In his prime, he maybe reached 98. Clemens even hit .207 in 2005, his second season in Houston and also his second ever having to hit! In his last season, with the Yankees, he probably stayed clean, throwing around 88-90mph and finishing 6-6 with a 4.18 ERA. Reasonable, right?

It's sad to see such a legend like Roger Clemens be involved with the situation he is now. I believe that Brian McNamee did inject Clemens with the HGH, but that's hard to tell due to McNamee's Bill Belichick-like answers to reporters, Congressmen, etc. At the hearing, he mumbled short, uninformative responses to answer some important questions. If the hearing weren't sponsored by Barnum and Bailey, us fans could have learned something. McNamee appeared crazy when he claimed he also injected Clemens' wife with HGH, but it doesn't make sense for him to just throw that in. Debby Clemens later admitted that she did use human growth hormone before a photo shoot with Roger for Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue in 2003.

Because Roger Clemens lied under oath about using performance-enhancing drugs, his name will never be trusted again in the world of sports. Had he been honest, "The Rocket" could have saved a chance of getting into the Hall of Fame. Had he been honest, his 7 Cy Young Awards wouldn't go to waste. Had he been honest, Clemens wouldn't have used HGH to prolong his career and cheat on baseball.

Pitt Hanging Around

Wow, what a clutch shot by Ronald Ramon!

The West Virginia game was a must win in my opinion, and it moves Pitt into a tie for 5th place. With a Big East record of 6-4, the Panthers are hanging around the top of the pack until Levance Fields returns. It is possible for a Fields' return against the Marquette Golden Eagles.

With games agaisnt Notre Dame, Louisville, and Cincinnati, the Panthers better get their offense back to running smoothly! The only thing that is not clicking is the offense, and I believe Levance Fields will provide a spark that rejuvinates the entire team.

Dejuan Blair must be the dominate man inside like he was in the noncoference season. He really only shows up for games when Pitt goes up against 'huge' teams such as: UConn, Georgetown, and Duke.

I hope the West Virginia game provided a spark which I think will turn this team around; and if Pitt can secure a first round bye in the Big East tournament, I can guarantee another trip to the finals.

Terrelle Pryor to Pitt!!!

Perfect Pats Turn Into Lawn Chairs

Wow, the Patriots couldn't finish the deal off for the perfect season. What a shame for Patriot Nation. Could there be a worse way to go out? Certainly, not winning it all can be considered a failure of a season but come on! This has to hurt just a bit more than those others who failed to grab the Lombardi trophy come the sound of the final whistle. As Don Shula put it: "If you go undefeated throughout the season and playoffs, then lose the Super Bowl, your season is ruined." But one must ask what went wrong?

When the Pats failed at what little things they did fail at, they were quick to overcome the mistakes. By the fourth quarter they were able to look like the same old Pats we had been accoustomed to seeing. They seemed to shake off any distractions that got in their way. But the Pats we saw at the Super Bowl couldn't seem to mend the errors made. The Giants were able to do something that not a single opponent of the Pats were able to the entire year: they pressured Brady; and it showed. He was off his game to say the least. Moss looked lackluster for the 2nd straight game. More imprtantly, the Giants offense did a phenomenal job keeping the ball away from the ever dangerous Patriot offense; another feat teams simply could not accomplish.

Whatever the the reason, this had to be one of the biggest folds in sports history. Certainly no one really thought the Pats would lose, therefore making it even more shocking. As the Patriots get set for the next off-season, they will have much more to worry about with Spygate. But unlike most teams who lose the Superbowl and are forgotten, the almost perfect Pats certainly will be remembered.

Pens vs. Canes - Grades

They continue to amaze.

Offense: B

Well, it was an F after two periods, so that tells you how good they were in the third period. They seemed to have trouble handling Carolina’s speed in the first half of the game. Carolina moved the puck very quickly out of their own end, and that led to the Pens basically having no forecheck at all. They also had little in the way of transition. But that changed in the third. They came with speed at the Canes, and got two goals as a result. First, Christensen made a tough play off an odd-man break. He got cross-checked, but got right back up and whipped home a nice pass from Talbot. That play seemed to awaken the Pens, and they were dominant after that. They added another even-strength goal on a brilliant individual play by Malkin, who basically went end-to-end. He came at Cam Ward with such speed that Ward never had a chance. Just a highlight reel goal.

Defense: B

Same story here. Carolina is a team that likes to shoot from anywhere, and they certainly did that early on. The Pens were pretty awful defensively in the first period, allowing 15 shots. But they allowed only 13 the next two periods combined. Again, it seemed they weren’t prepared for Carolina’s speed. But they got much better as the game went on, and really cut down the scoring chances to almost zero. The only goal Carolina got was off a bad bounce that went right to the well-traveled Sergei Samsonov in front, and he buried it past a startled Conklin.

Power play: A

For once, the power play came through at a key time, as it scored twice in the third period. Once again, both goals followed the KISS principle: Keep It Simple, Stupid. On both goals, they took a long shot that was screened, and they had bodies in front. On each, Ward was able to stop the initial shot, but not the rebound. Dirty goals. That’s how a power play should work. On the first one, the suddenly awakened Ryan Malone (four goals in five games) batted a puck out of the air and past Ward just barely over the line. How Mick McGoof didn’t see it cross the line baffles me (oh, no it doesn’t—it’s McGoof). The second goal was almost a carbon copy. But this time it was Sykora batting in the rebound. Amazing how effective a “simple” power play can be.

Penalty kill: A

A great game killing penalties. They really didn’t allow the Hurricanes much at all. They stayed disciplined in the box. They did have trouble clearing the puck at times, but kept most everything to the outside. Carolina rarely threatened while up a man.

Goaltending: A

A strong bounce-back performance by Conklin. He was coming off perhaps his worst start against Atlanta. But he was razor-sharp in this one. He did allow some rebounds early on when Carolina was peppering him with long shots. That went away as the game wore on. He was moving the puck all night long, keeping the Hurricanes from establishing a forecheck. And, most importantly, he made several huge saves to keep the Pens in the game the first two periods. They easily could have been down 3-0, but he kept it at 1 and gave them a chance. And the team rewarded him with a win.

Pens goaltending since Fleury went down: 16-7-2, 2.36 GAA, .924 save percentage (Conklin is 12-3-2, 1.93, .940.

Overall: B

They were dominated for two periods, but found themselves only down 1-0. Then Erik Christensen’s goal seemed to ignite them. They totally dominated the third period, and won it going away. The special teams were great, as was the goaltending. And that was enough to carry the day.

And now, the rest of the story…

Erik Christensen: A

He was all over the ice, and had several great chances against Ward. And he finally put one in to ignite the Penguin rally. I thought he should have been one of the three stars. he is playing with confidence right now, and look out when that happens.

The Three Cenors Line: A

You can thank my wife for this name. The second line was comprised of three centers (Christensen, Talbot, Staal), and they looked awesome all night. Okay, maybe they aren’t quite as awesome as the Domingo-Carreras-Pavarotti trio, but they did sing a damn fine tune against Carolina. They were the only line generating chances the first two periods, and the goal they got ignited the team. They worked very well together.

Evgeni Malkin: B

Yes, he had three points in the third period. Yes, he scored a beautiful goal. But that doesn’t totally erase the memory of the first two periods, when he was just brutal. He had one giveaway after another. He seemed totally out of the game, and on another planet. He had one hideous giveaway where he tried to “dippsey doodle” right in front of his own net. But he rallied with a tremendous third period.

Tom Barrasso: F

So Steigy tried to talk to good old Tommy before the game, and Tommy was “not exactly cordial.” Gee, there’s a shock. And they wonder why Ward seems to have regressed this year.

Giveaways: F

They had way too many of them the first two periods. No wonder they weren’t getting many shots.

Faceoffs: F

They continue to get killed in this area with Sid out.

Tonight: 27/62, 44%. Power play: 4/8, 50%.
Overall since Sid went out: 44.5%/47.6%

Striped Buffoon Huh? Call of the Game:

The only thing I can come up with is the no-goal call on Malone’s goal. I guess the vision was obstructed (insert joke here). Other than that, they actually called a good game.