NHL Conference Semi-Final Preview

Sharks vs. Red Wings

The Sharks nearly choked as bad as the Caps. If Thornton, Marleau, and Heatley can't do anything against Colorado, they definitely won't do anything against Detroit. The Wings aren't going to be allowing 40 shots per game and are playoff proven.

Red Wings in 5


Canucks vs. Blackhawks


This should be a good series but I'm going with the Canucks. Nossa is a curse and I think the Canucks are a bit better built for the playoffs. Their experience wins out. Chicago is somewhat fortunate to come out of the first round themselves. If Vancouver's PK wasn't so terrible, they would've swept LA.

Canucks in 6

Flyers vs. Bruins

Hard to believe this series is even happening. Philly without Carter and Gagne and with Boucher in net really shouldn't be beating any playoff team - although I'm sure they would've given the Caps a hard time. I don't think Boston's that impressive, but getting Savard back helps. They've got far superior goaltending and home ice, so they're my pick.

Bruins in 5

Penguins vs. Canadiens

Montreal's act isn't going to last against the Pens. I still worry about the Pens not showing up with the right intensity, but they've at least shown that they can bring it when they absolutely have to (which Washington didn't do). Fleury needs to be sharper this time and they might need a little more from Geno. But Montreal is a thoroughly mediocre team aside from Halak, maybe even a below average one. There were only two playoff teams with a negative goal differential - Montreal and Ottawa. There were only two playoff teams with a negative shot differential - Montreal and Colorado. If the Pens show up it's not going to be a contest.

Pens in 5

AL East Predictions

1. New York Yankees

New York lost Damon, so what, Granderson will fill in fine, if not 20 times better. The Yankees still have one of the greatest infields in history and a manager who now sports #28, representing the 28th team championship they hope to win this year. Replacing Chamberlain with Hughes in the rotation was a smart decision, and gives the Yankess the best fifth (and sixth) starters in baseball. Johnson was a great addition and will provide at least a .400 OBP from the #2 spot in the order. Rivera is still the best closer in baseball and with Chamberlain in the setup role, it makes for one of the better back ends in the league.

Our 2 Cojones of the year: New York wins 100 games for the second year in a row.

You okay there big dog?

2. Tampa Bay Rays

After a 2009 letdown, the Rays look a lot like the team they were two years ago when they won the AL pennant. This time, however, they are more experienced and they have more weapons, such as Zobrist and Longoria for the entire season. The starting rotation is as solid as they come, having dumped extra baggage in Kazmir last year, made room for prospect Davis as the fifth starter. Niemann is coming into his own, Price should have a monster year, Garza is off to an amazing start, and Shields is rock solid. Upton should have a nice bounce back year and if not, they have Jennings waiting in the minors. The bullpen is a weak link, and should prevent the Rays from being an elite team this season.

Our 2 Cojones of the year: B.J. Upton and Carl Crawford combine for 40 homeruns.

Yayy, we r gooood! High fievzzzz!

3. Boston Red Sox

The Nation acquired Lackey and Scutaro, at SP and SS, in an attempt to shore up some weaknesses. The Sox still have Lester and Beckett at the top and Wakefield and Dice-K to round out the starting five. Youkilis is a stud, Beltre was a good pickup and Martinez will have a great year in his first full season in Boston. The bullpen is very solid if Papelbon does not take 45 minutes to throw each pitch and Francona  is a world-class manager. It is unfortunate that the Sox are in the AL East, because they would be a top-two team in any other division in baseball. Expect these three top teams to compete for the division title well into September.

Our 2 Cojones of the year: John Lackey leads the team in wins.

"Shit, he's gonna hit it..."

4. Toronto Blue Jays

Same thing I said about Boston, except on a lesser scale: if Toronto were in any other league, they might have a shot at the division. Even so, the Jays have a decent lineup with guys like Lind and Wells. Hill will not have as good a season as he did last year, but he should still be solid. Bautista is an awful excuse for a leadoff guy, but they do not have much else. The rotation is pretty good, but they do not really have an ace. Romero might be the closet they have to an elite pitcher, and Morrow, Eveland and Marcum are all decent. The bullpen is not too sharp, but there is potential with Downs, Frasor and Gregg in late innings. This team is decent, but do not expect them to contend with three elite teams in this division.

Our 2 Cojones of the year: Kevin Gregg gets 30 saves.

Gotta love the powder blues.

5. Baltimore Orioles

Unlike the rest of the teams in this division, the Orioles would still suck in any other division. They have some good young talent, but do not have the complete team to win games, especially in the AL East. Markakis, Wieters and Jones are three solid pieces to a future lineup. Matusz is going to be a stud, but the rest of the starting five are very bad. Millwood is okay, but hardly a good #2 at his age and Guthrie just has had an inconsistent career in general. Baltimore picked up Gonzalez in free agency to try to shore up the bullpen, having traded Sherrill last year, but he blew two saves in the first week and is now on the DL. Not a good omen for the rest of the season.

Our 2 Cojones of the year: Matt Wieters wins AL Silver Slugger award for C.

It's going, going, going, going, going, going...

NHL Playoff Preview

Ah, here we are once again, the best time of the NHL season. Well, other than those games against the Predators and Lightning that we all look forward to in Mid-December. The playoffs are once again upon us and they provide more questions than ever before. Well, that's not necessarily true, I'm mainly saying that to peak much more interest in the rest of the article. Will the Sharks choke again? Does Chicago have a goalie? Will Jose Threeormore ever get past the 2nd round? Will the Coyotes move back to Winnipeg mid-series? And will the Penguins repeat with the help of Bettman and the officials? I am here to answer all of those questions...

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Washington Capitals (1) vs. Montreal Canadiens (8)

The Washington Capitals won the Presidents Trophy this season with 121 points play an up-tempo, in your face style that saw them score the most goals in one regular season since the 1996 Pittsburgh Penguins. They are loaded with offensive talent that includes the likes of two 100 point scorers in Ovechkin and Backstrom. The question with Washington will always be goaltending and defense. Jeff Schultz and Mike Green are not a very impressive shut-down pairing and Jose Theodore's playoff numbers in the postseason are pretty abysmal. Montreal limps into the postseason by barely getting a point against Toronto on the last Saturday of the regular season. If the Habs have any chance of winning this series, they will need to have their 2nd rated powerplay score at about a 40% clip and goaltender Jaroslav Halak will need to stand on his head. Bottom line here is that the Caps simply have too much offense and the Canadiens can't score at even strength with an average in the regular season of under 2 goals a game.

Prediction: Caps in 5

New Jersey Devils (2) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (7)

In my estimation, which is the only one that matters at the moment, this is the most interesting match-up in the second round. The Devils come into the playoffs after winning the Atlantic Division by two points over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Like always under coach Jacques Lemaire, they depend on defense and goaltending to win hockey games. The Devils finished the season by giving up the fewest goals against (191). Obviously, they are heavily dependent on Martin Brodeur to bail them out when their defense does break down. Brodeur had another stellar regular season but there are now questions about the New Jersey netminder in the postseason. Since his cup winning performance in 2003, Brodeur has been average in the playoffs and may be looking for one last final great run this year and maybe even take home that elusive Conn Smythe. The Flyers come in after a dramatic shootout win vs. the New York Rangers at home on the last day of the regular season to get into the postseason. The Flyers certainly have the offense, defense, and special teams to make a long run into the playoffs, but the question for Philadelphia will always be goaltending. Brian Boucher finished the year with a Save percentage of under .900 and has a tendency of giving up soft goals at the most inopportune times. However, Boucher did perform well against the Rangers and he has made a long playoff run with the Flyers before in 2000, going all the way to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final. The Flyers are also 5-1 against the Devils this season. In the final analysis, if the Flyers pound the New Jersey D and score the first goal, they have a great opportunity to win this series, and I think they will.

Prediction: Flyers in 7

Buffalo Sabres (3) vs. Boston Bruins (6)

Whenever two longtime division rivals meet up in the postseason, there is always the potential for fireworks and an epic series. These two former Adams division rivals are very evenly matched and this will be one of the most competitive series of the first round. The Buffalo Sabres come into the playoffs after winning the Northeast Division with over 100 points. Their entire team boils down to Ryan Miller. The Hart Trophy candidate comes into the playoffs with both the second best save percentage and goals against average among netminders. Buffalo doesn't have the offense to outscore teams on most nights, so they rely heavily on their American born goalie. Much like Buffalo teams of the past with Dominik Hasek, the Sabres will go as far as Miller takes them. The Boston Bruins come into the playoffs after an extremely difficult season that saw them endure a ten game losing streak at one point. However, they managed to battle and come in on a high to the postseason. Much like Buffalo, Boston depends on their goaltender Tuuka Rask. Rask finished the season both number one in save percentage and goals against average and should be a serious contender for the Vezina Trophy. Much like Buffalo, Boston simply can't score goals. This will be a low-scoring affair filled with great goaltending that should resemble old-time hockey. In the end, Boston's playoff experience will be too much for the Sabres.

Prediction: Bruins in 7

Pittsburgh Penguins (4) vs. Ottawa Senators (5)

This is an extremely interesting match-up that pits teams who have faced each other in the postseason two of the last three years. The Penguins come into the playoffs after a stellar 101 point season that saw them contend for the Atlantic Division title until the last weekend. They are lead by Rocket Richard winning captain Sidney Crosby and chronic dumb-penalty taker Evgeni Malkin. More importantly in the past two postseasons, the Pens are led by French-Canadian goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. Fleury has been criticized for inconsistent play and sub-par regular season numbers for a goalie of his talent. However, Fleury has had a propensity the last two playoffs of stepping up his game and making huge saves at huge times. He has almost a Grant Fuhr quality about them. If the Penguins are going to repeat as Stanley Cup champs, Fleury will win the Conn Smythe. The Penguins biggest strength is their 5 on 5 play and the penalty kill. Their Powerplay has been awful all regular season. The Penguins must sure up their play in their own zone. The Ottawa Senators come into the playoffs after a stellar regular season that saw them bounce back from a non-playoff season last year. They are lead by their captain Daniel Alfredsson and young netminder Brian Elliot. If the Sens want to win this series, they will need Elliot to stand on his head and for the likes of Spezza and Alfredsson to have a huge series. I don't see it happening. Eventually, the Pens will break down Elliot and the two choke-artists Spezza and Alfie will show their true colors once again.

Prediction: Pens in 5

WESTERN CONFERENCE

San Jose Sharks (1) vs. Colorado Avalanche (8)

This series is basically choke-proof even for the Sharks. The Avs barely squeaked into the playoffs and looked to be running out of gas near the end of the regular season. They have depended on their goaltender Craig Anderson all season, but he has come back down to Earth in the last few months. The Sharks simply have too much for the extremely young Avs.

Prediction: Sharks in 4

Chicago Blackhawks (2) vs. Nashville Predators (7)

The Blackhawks have too much offensive firepower for the defensively stingy Predators to contain over an entire series. They will eventually need to outscore the Hawks and I don't think they can do it. Pekka Rinne can only do so much.

Prediction: Hawks in 5

Vancouver Canucks (3) vs. Los Angeles Kings (6)

This is probably the most interesting match-up in the Western Conference. On paper, these two teams are very evenly matched in terms of skill up-front and on the back-end. The series will probably come down to the performance of Roberto Luongo. Luongo has had a checkered playoff past and he needs a solid run this year to put the doubters to rest. I think he will get that chance, but this one will be a nail-biter.

Prediction: Canucks in 7

Phoenix Coyotes (4) vs. Detroit Red Wings (5)

This is the worst possible match-up that the Coyotes could have hoped for. If I was a Coyotes fan, I would have rather played San Jose in the first round than Detroit. In the end, Detroit will have too much experience and eventually wear down the Coyotes.

Prediction: Red Wings in 6

NL East Predictions

1. Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies made arguably the biggest splash in the off-season. The Phillies brought in Roy "Doc" Halladay, the best right-handed pitcher in the game. The lack of a top right-handed pitcher was the Achilles heel of the Phillies in 2009. The Phillies also brought Placido Polanco for a second tour of duty and promptly moved him to third base and placed him second in the batting order. The Phillies have featured one of the top lineups in the bigs for the past few years and in 2010 it will only be stronger with the addition of former Silver Slugger winner Polanco. The Phillies pitching rotation is full of questions at the moment. Will Hamels regain his 2008 form? Can Happ build off the success of his rookie year? How much longer can Moyer last? The weakness of this powerhouse team is in their bullpen they are lacking solid left handed relievers and have a closer (will not be named) who is a bit of a head case.

Key Additions: Roy Halladay, Placido Polanco
Key Departures: Cliff Lee, Pedro Feliz

Team Prediction: Philadelphia wins its third NL pennant in a row. Cole Hamels and Brad Lidge share NL Comeback POY.

Doc has a Ph.D in strikeouts

2. Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves and legendary manager Bobby Cox are going to be singing their swan song together this year. So not to disappoint, the Braves went out and reloaded in the off-season. They brought in closers Billy Wagner and Takashi Saito. The Braves also brought in a solid infielder Troy Glaus to play first base. The Braves rotation is packed with talent from young gun Tommy Hanson to legendary hurler Tim Hudson. Then throw in Jair Jurrjens and Derek Lowe. Pretty nice right? A plesent surprise came to the Braves during Spring Training, it was Jason Heyward. He basically showed up with a large rake and said "I am the goddamn man!" Sorry Melky, looks like you wont be a starter again... The Braves are very solid team and are very balanced in all aspects. The only major weakness that I can see with them is they have a lot of injury prone players or players that have suffered from a serious injury recently such as Chipper Jones, Tim Hudson, and Billy Wagner.

Team Predictions: Atlanta makes a serious push for the NL Wildcard. Jason Heyward wins NL ROY.

Key Additions: Billy Wagner, Takashi Saito, Troy Glaus, Melky Cabrera, Jason Heyward*
Key Departures: Javier Vazquez, Rafael Soriano, Kelly Johnson

Studly.

3. Florida Marlins

The Florida Marlins are that sneaky team every year. They feature a tiny payroll but they always seem to come together and play really good baseball. Well this year the Marlins up there in payroll a tiny bit. With the extra money they locked up stud pitcher Josh Johnson and signed Dan Uggla to a one-year deal. Along Josh Johnson, the Marlins rotation features Ricky Nolasco. Nolasco, I think, is about to break out and even be mentioned in the Cy Young race at the end of the year. The Marlins also really need Dan Uggla produce like he did in 2006. Hanley will always produce. Chris Coghlan also needs to build off the success of his rookie year. This Marlins team is very well rounded. I don't think they will finish much higher than third but they will be in for the wild card until the very end I think.

Team Predictions: Florida will be in the thick of the Wild Card race. Ricky Nolasco will be a Cy Young candidate.

Key Additions: Nate Robertson...
Key Departures: Jeremy Hermida

Dan Uggla really isn't all that bad. Look, Hanley likes him...

4. New York Mets

The New York Mets added Jason Bay this off-season looking for him to contribute the way he did for the BoSox a year ago. The Mets also brought in Gary Matthews Jr. to patrol center field while Carlos Beltran heals up from the surgery he had in February. Even with these nice additions the Mets are a huge pretender. Their starting rotation is a joke outside of Santana. Every other starter in their rotation had an ERA over 4.00. That is not going to get it done, especially in a division that features some of the most potent lineups in the National League. Their line-up is pretty solid and will only become better when Beltran returns to the line up. Though a lot of the success of this team relies on Reyes and Beltran performing as their top level after injury plagued seasons in recent years.

Team Predictions: Mike Pelfrey will improve but not enough to help this team. Carlos Beltran comes back eventually....

Key Additions: Jason Bay, Gary Matthews Jr., Rob Barajas...
Key Departures: Brian Schneider

Starting Pitching = This Guy

5. Washington Nationals

The Washingon Nation— or should I say Ryan Zimmerman with some other guys that kind of play baseball. The Nationals actually have pretty strong line up that has a good balance between speed, average and power. Outfielders Nyjer Morgan and Josh Willingham will continue to improve and, I believe, have very successful years. Adam Dunn as much as he strikes is a very good power hitter and does what he needs to; 38 homeruns and 105 RBI... not too shabby year after year. Back to Ryan Zimmerman, the man is easily the best third baseman in the National League. The Silver Slugger and Gold Glove awards from last year attest to that. Now you have the joke of a pitching staff that the Nationals put on the field. There is absolutely no one to look forward to in my opinion. Also Strasburg is exactly where he should be in the minors, he still needs to work somethings out and there is no point in rushing him... it's not like the Nats are going anywhere soon.

Team Predictions: Washington will suck. Ryan Zimmerman will have a good year.

Key Additions: Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez , Jason Marquee, Livian Hernandez, Chien-Ming Wang...
Key Departures: Probably no one important

Don't get used to this.

AL Central Predictions

1. Detroit Tigers

The Tigers got rid of Jackson and Granderson... and got better? Yeah, that's right. Jackson and Scherzer are going to be studs and Coke is a solid reliever. Detroit also got Damon and Valverde in the free agent market and have one of the most balanced teams in the AL. With Verlander, Scherzer and Porcello anchoring the rotation and Willis and Bonderman as low risk, high reward guys, their starting five are super solid. Cabrera and Ordonez are awesome in the 3-4 spots and the bullpen is great. This team really has no holes, hopefully they won't go on any extended slides this year.

Our 2 Cojones of the year: Miguel Cabrera wins the AL MVP.

He could play right now. What a man.

2. Minnesota Twins

Gardenhire is too good of a manager for this team to finish any worse than second. If Mauer and Morneau can stay healthy, there is no reason to think otherwise. Even with Nathan being out for the year, Minnesota still has one of the best bullpens in the league. The starting rotation is average, but guys like Slowey and Baker could surprise. Liriano is out to prove that his career isn't a joke and Pavano (even though his career is a joke) is a solid guy every five days. Hudson was a good pickup and so was Hardy; those guys will thoroughly improve the middle infield on defense and on offense. Thome is a great addition at DH and Span is an emerging leadoff guy in the league.

Our 2 Cojones of the year: J.J. Hardy has 15 homeruns and less than 15 errors.

No Joe! Sliding is for common folk.

3. Chicago White Sox

The president's boys in the south side have a solid team, but not good enough. Sorry to hate on one of my favorite players, but Peavy is not going to do well in Chitown. Buehrle is a great pitcher, but it's hard to bank the success of your rotation on a groundball pitcher (see: Pittsburgh Pirates). Danks and Floyd are okay, but neither has proven anything in their first few years. The lineup is average, with the scariest hitter being Konerko. Beckham is good, but even if he matches his output from last year, his OPS was still only .800. Quentin and Rios are out to prove that they can still produce and could have surprise years, but the bullpen is incredibly shaky and will lose them a number of games.

Our 2 Cojones of the year: Paul Konerko, Alex Rios and Carlos Quentin combine for 75 homeruns.

What kind of sick, demented franchise charges $1 for a pencil?

4. Cleveland Indians

Look for the Indians to surprise people and not finish in last place. I like their lineup with Cabrera, Sizemore and Choo at the top of the order. Hafner should have a solid bounce back year and LaPorta is ready to break out. Peralta is always solid and Branyan will provide some pop when he returns. The rotation has a little bit of potential; Westbrook is back from injury, Huff is a solid fourth starter and Masterson is legit. Carmona stinks, and will continue to stink, but what can you do with a fifth starter? The bullpen is surprisingly solid, especially when Wood returns, with guys like Lewis and Perez. Expect Cleveland to make some noise this year... but just a little bit.

Our 2 Cojones of the year: Matt LaPorta leads the team in OPS.

Please don't go off to the Korean military, I have you in my keeper league...

5. Kansas City Royals

The Royals honestly have a good rotation, but that's pretty much all they have going for them. Greinke is obviously a stud, but Hochevar is a former #1 overall pick with an insane sinkerball. Meche is underrated and Bannister is a solid fourth guy. The bullpen stinks except for Soria; but who is going to be the gap from the sixth to the ninth? Ankiel is one of the most overrated players in the league and was a stupid pickup for this team. Butler, DeJesus and Podsednik are good, but none of them are RBI guys. Gordon is Mr. Potential, but he can never stay healthy. Expect the same old crappy season from these guys, but Greinke to keep them in it with another super-season.

Our 2 Cojones of the year: Luke Hochevar has a record above .500 and an ERA under 4.00.

Silky smooth jersey for a silky smooth pitcher.

NL Central Predictions

1. St. Louis Cardinals

St. Louis is jacked. Their lineup overall is below average, but when you have Pujols and Holliday batting 3-4, it automatically makes it legit. Pitching staff is outstanding, Wainwright and Carpenter each could have won Cy Young last year. Bullpen is solid, not great, but La Russa manages it very well. Rasmus and Molina could break out this year at the plate (most likely Rasmus), and Ludwick needs to produce in order for this team to win. Schumaker is not a leadoff hitter, but he will do so on this team, although I could see Rasmus there for a few games.

Our 2 Cojones of the year: Albert Pujols wins the NL Triple Crown.

Sooo gone. Sooo good.

2. Milwaukee Brewers

Milwaukee has one of the best lineups in baseball. Fielder and Braun are studs and the rest of the nine rounds out nicely. The Brewers brought Wolf back into the mix, which was a huge and underrated signing,  and have Davis again, who is a solid #4 starter. Gallardo needs to stay healthy and consistent for Milwaukee to be a contender, but the bullpen is below average. Gomez needs to hit above .250 and Edmonds needs to stay alive throughout the season. Fielder and Braun are two of the best players in the game, but their overconfidence and overswagger could hurt the team.

Our 2 Cojones of the year: Carlos Gomez and Alcides Escobar combine for 100 stolen bases.

He is fat, but he can rake.

3. Chicago Cubs

The Cubs always underachieve, but most people think they will be around third of fourth in the Central this year. They have a stacked lineup including Lee, Ramirez, Fukudome and the newly-acquired Byrd. The rotation is solid (although Zambrano currently has a 54.00 ERA), and the bullpen is pretty good too except for the wavering control of Marmol. Soto needs to have a huge bounce-back year and Lilly needs to come back from his injury soon and strong. Hopefully Piniella and crew can keep it together until then. Expect a meltdown at some point this season.

Our 2 Cojones of the year:  John Grabow has 80 relief appearances.

Michael Barrett isn't there anymore, what are you gonna go?

4. Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates have a truly solid lineup, for an NL lineup at least, with solid players through and through. The call to bat Iwamura leadoff and McCutchen second probably won't last for long, but it's interesting. Jones, Doumit and Clement 3-4-5 is actually a pretty scary middle of the lineup. Hopefully Jones and Doumit will stay healthy (and not get traded). The Pirates pitching staff really sucks, but somebody will step up, like Snell and Gorzelanny a few years ago, and have a decent year. The bullpen is pretty bad too, but a few veterans like Donnelly can Dotel can have productive seasons in the back end. Iwamura's success or failure at the top of the lineup could make or break this team, and Meek needs to be a solid seventh inning guy.

No words...

Our 2 Cojones of the year: Garrett Jones, Ryan Doumit and Jeff Clement combine for 75 home runs.

5. Cincinnati Reds

Cincy has a pretty good lineup with Votto, Philips and Rolen 3-4-5, but Stubbs should be starting in center instead of Dickerson. Cabrera was a pretty good pickup to start at short and Bruce should have a much better season than last year. They have some holes as a team overall, especially in the bullpen, but the Reds are solid. However, they just don't have a mentally strong team that can stay focused the entire season. The pitching staff is pretty bad, I expect Harang and Arroyo to have poor years and Cueto to be unpredictable as always. They will miss Volquez a lot.

Our 2 Cojones of the year: Joey Votto hits 40 doubles and 40 homeruns.

If your name is "Homer" don't be a pitcher. Stupid.

6. Houston Astros

Houston just does not have a good team. The pitching staff is Oswalt and really nothing else. Myers was a worthless pickup and I expect Rodriguez to take a step backwards. Norris is a solid young guy, but he can't carry a pitching staff. Berkman has been injured so much lately, but should have a decent bounce back year (compared to last year). Lee's production is going down, partly because he is aging and also because the Astros don't have anyone hitting in front of him. Pence is a pretty good player, and he should produce this year because of his talent alone. The bullpen is decent, Lindstrom and Lyon are okay but neither is great.

Our 2 Cojones of the year: Bud Norris has a lower ERA than Wandy Rodriguez.

Whoo! There goes the season...

Win 4 the Dukies!

So close, but yet so far.

Well there it was, the fitting end to an insanely exciting tournament. Gordon Hayward had missed a fadeaway jumper just seconds earlier. Butler was down two after Hayward grabbed the rebound of a Brian Zoubek purposely a missed free throw with 3.6 seconds left and he dribbled up the court. The whole world could see it coming, the insane half court heave at the buzzer to win the game for the Hoosiers-esque Butler Bulldogs. The hometown Indy crowd would go wild and the entire country (aside from Durham, NC) would rejoice. Hayward let the shot go, and the ball must have been up in the air for years. It came down right against the backboard, hit the side of the rim and away from the cylinder. Game Duke, 61-59.

Lovely scene...

The opening tip was 6'8" Matt Howard vs. 7'1" Brian Zoubek and Howard won it back to his guard. That would be an omen for the rest of the game: even though Duke was bigger, more talented and had the better pedigree, Butler outworked them, outhustled them and had more heart. No, I am not saying that Duke had no heart, far from it. But it is like comparing Pete Rose's heart to Roberto Clemente's, even though they both hustled their brains off, someone has to be the winner. Sorry for the cliche of all cliches, but Butler did not lose this game, Duke won it.

It's got to be the 'stache.

As far as I'm concerned, there was one factor in this game that put Duke ahead of Butler on the scoreboard: they scored more than 60 points. Before this game, Butler had held their last seven opponents under 60 points, and that is directly how they made it into the title game. Butler does not have much scoring talent and they advanced through the bracket by playing outstanding defense and cutting down on turnovers. Howard is a decent inside presence but he can't put the ball in the basket too often, Hayward is a great player but his shots did not fall in this game, and Shelvin Mack is not good enough of a penetrator to free himself for too many outside shots.

Duke played hella good defense a well.

It is not too often that a player can go 2-11 from the floor and still have the best game of any player on the court, but that is what Hayward did last night. He went 8-8 from the foul line (all in the second half), had eight rebounds and just looked so damn smart on the court. Hayward was always where he needed to be and, even though he is not a great defender, bodied up on Zoubek and Kyle Singler from time to time. Ronald Nored may have been the best defender I saw in this tournament. He was tenacious, unflappable and he stuck to his man like ketchup on fries. He didn't let Scheyer or Nolan Smith breathe the entire night and even contributed on offense by handling the ball when Mack looked nervous in the second half.

A team composed of awesome defensive players who can barely score almost won the championship. Quite interesting.

On a game where Smith did not play very well, Singler and Scheyer had no problem picking up the slack. Singler hit big shot after big shot in this game and blanketed Hayward the entire night, including on his potential game-leading shot with five seconds left. Scheyer kept his head together while being hounded, grabbed and bumped by Nored the majority of the game, and actually finished a respectable 5-12 from the field. Zoubek played pretty well, as he has been for the entire tournament, but picked up four fouls in the first nine minutes of the half which forced him to sit out for a few minutes. He finished 3-4 from the field with 8 pts and 10 reb, but did miss a foul shot on purpose (apparently coach's orders) that would have put Duke up three, which almost cost them in the most ultimate way.

He is like legitimately psycho, but it's sick.

Duke's starters played 183 of the possible 200 minutes, with Coach K mostly wanting to stick with his best and most experienced guys in such a multitudious (sp?) game. Meanwhile, with Howard picking up two quick fouls in the first half, Brad Stevens was forced to play his backup center, Avery Jukes, for a good chunk of time. Jukes had scored 11 points in his last 8 games combined and he scored, oh I don't know, 10 POINTS IN THE FIRST HALF! Incredible job by Jukes to keep his team in the game going into halftime. Meanwhile, I hate to be a hater, but Willie Veasley lost the game for Butler. He missed five wide open three pointers and played subpar defense on Singler in this game. If any other player, such as Hayward or Mack, is shooting those threes, I guarantee two go down. Oh well.

He probably knows. Poor kid. Still a solid player, though.

Every analyst was expecting Duke's size to conquer Butler in this game, but it really didn't. Sure, Duke had seven blocks in this game, but it was from Butler's guards going to the basket weakly and at inopportune times. I have never seen such great, strong rebounds from guards as I did in this game. Nored and Mack had some tough boards and Hayward is a very underrated rebounder considering his size. But again, he is such a smart player, he puts himself in the right places to grab boards and goes up strong for them. Sure, Duke went up strong for rebounds, very strong in fact, but at times Butler went up stronger. In the end, Butler could not muster enough points to beat Duke, and Coach K's bunch scored just enough points to pull this one out.

Lance Thomas had like two.

Let me just say that in my entire life, once Pitt has been eliminated from the tournament, I lose interest and barely watch the rest. The only title game I remember watching was Michigan St./Florida back in 2000. Mateen Cleaves for life... Anyways, kudos to the teams in this tournament for keeping it interesting. This has been the most memorable tournament in recent memory (maybe ever) because of the high quality of basketball combined with the upsets and intrigue. Maybe I have grown up and appreciate sports more as a whole, I don't know. Well I did predict the Final Four correctly but I was wishing that Butler could pull it out. Every sport is a game of inches, and last night was the reason for that saying. Incredible.

Why was the damn mascot so involved in the post game ceremonies? Bizarre.

Final Four Predictions

Final Four:

Butler beats Michigan St.
Duke beats W. Virginia

Championship:

Duke beats Butler

South Region: Second Weekend Review

After being the region in which nothing really went according to plan in the first weekend, the three matchups in Houston last weekend all went to the favorites. Purdue, who wasn't supposed to even win a game in the tournament without the services of Robbie Hummel, "surprised" the nation with two wins in white jerseys and earned a Sweet 16 game vs. the Dukies. Meanwhile, Baylor took care of business and were to meet up with surprise St. Mary's and their "superstar" Omar Sandman Samhan in Houston, only like two miles from their campus in Waco, TX.

I guess it's "Texa" now. Must have sold the rights to the "s" to Jerry Joness.

Not gonna say much about the Baylor/St. Mary's game because it was pretty much over before it started. The Bears had a 46-17 lead at halftime and won 72-49. Samhan had 15 pts and 9 reb, but who the hell cares? The Gaels were out-everythinged and, even though I did not watch one second of this game, were clearly overmatched. If St. Mary's can recover from losing Samhan's 21 ppg and 11rpg (as a graduating senior), they should be pretty solid year next year.

Pretty big IF.

Duke and Purdue played one hell of an ugly great game. Both teams shot under 40%, there were 41 total fouls called, and the first half featured 47 total points, but this is what March is all about. Purdue held fort against the Blue Devils in the first half, but Duke just had too much talent to be bottled up and Purdue did not. Coach K's bunch had 24 from Singler, 18 from Scheyer and 15 from Smith for 57 of their total 70 points, while Purdue had 23 from Johnson and 18 from Moore for 41 of their total 57 points. In short, Purdue had one less weapon than Duke...

Because he was on the bench.

With Baylor playing so close to home, they had the advantage that could hurt Duke (all five losses in road games). The first half was full of momentum swings, including a run by Baylor at the end of the half to take a 35-32 lead into the break. Baylor outshot Duke (46%-36%) but were outrebounded by the Blue Devils (41-35) and shot ten less foul shots than Duke (29-19) and that was the difference. Baylor was called for a technical foul with about 80 seconds left and the Blue Devils secured an eight point win to reach the Final Four.

So... are you cutting anything in particular?

Midwest Region: Second Weekend Review

It's funny how one afternoon a cinderella team can knock off the best team in the country, then turn around four days later and lose to a team without its best player. Oh well, such is life sports. Michigan St. had lost Kalin Lucas halfway through their previous game vs. Maryland, but pulled it out on a buzzer beating three. All signs pointed to N. Iowa, who thoroughly outplayed the #1 team in the tourney, to keep the unlikely story going into the Elite 8. Oh, how we underestimate the man in the Izzone.

All the guy does is freaking win.

Without its leader, point guard, leading scorer, etc. the Spartans were down 29-22 at half due to N. Iowa's suffocating D and Michigan St.'s ineptitude putting the ball in the basket. Well, Izzo must have kicked somebody in the ass during the break because Michigan St. came out hot and tied the game up soon after the second half started. The Spartans held off the Panthers through the rest of the game, with the help of some N. Iowa missed foul shots in the last few minutes and advanced to the Elite 8.

Again...

Meanwhile, Even Turner and Co. were poised to run shit in this region after Kansas went down. Too bad Tennessee had been playing its best basketball of the year. I honestly only saw the last few minutes of this game and do not have any idea what happened before there. The Vols outrebounded the Buckeyes 36-23 and even though Turner went berserk (31 pts, 7 reb, 5 ast) he missed a three at the buzzer (which he probably got fouled during), and down went Ohio St. The most bizarre thing was Turner's reaction to the final; he walked off the court without acknowledging any of his teammates or Tennessee players and did not seem to come back to shake hands. I lost a little bit of respect for Turner, similar to the respect I lost of Brett Favre when he went to the Jets.

Still a great player though.

Amazingly, this was Tennessee's first ever trip past the Sweet 16. They haven't been an outstanding program over the years, but it is still kind of unbelievable. Meanwhile, this was like Michigan St.'s 76th straight Elite 8 appearance. The two teams came out hotter than hell. It's not like there was bad defense being played, but for the first five or six minutes, neither team could miss, literally. I think the two teams combined to score on each of the game's first 13 possessions, unreal. The first half was wildly entertaining, including some sick alley-oopskis to J.P. Prince.

Crazy shit dude.

But after the first half fireworks and a 41-39 Tennessee advantage at the break, the teams realized that defense would win this game. I missed the entire second half, but rumor has it that the game was tied with a few seconds left and Raymar Morgan was fouled shooting under the basket. He made the first and intentionally missed the second. After a timeout, the Vols missed a half court heave and the game, and the net went to the Spartans for the second consecutive year.

"AGAIN?!"