Predictions can be a funny thing. At the start of the 2013 Major League baseball season, all of the people in the know said that the Angels were the best team in the American League West and probably the best team in all of baseball. They also said that the Athletics would finish second in the division, with the Rangers and the Mariners fighting for third. The main reason for the disrespect of the Rangers was the loss of key bats like Josh Hamilton, Mike Napoli and Michael Young. The Rangers did not have the fire power anymore to out slug teams, and that would be their downfall. And those predictions were when the Rangers had five healthy starters.

The start of the season did not go as the Rangers planned at all. The offseason had been a horrible one by all standards, and the Rangers lost a couple of key late inning bull pen guys in Koji Uehara and Mike Adams. So not only is their lineup hurt, so is their pitching staff. They were still without Colby Lewis, and then Matt Harrison went down. So in came Nick Tepesch, followed by Justin Grimm to the rescue. Ranger’s fans and media people alike were very nervous about having a 25 year old rookie in Tepesch and a 25 year old inexperienced Justin Grimm in the rotation. The Rangers had to count on young talent to save the day. Both were amazing at first, and have settled in a little bit since then. They are two of the reasons that the Rangers sit today with a 30-17 record. The Rangers, just like the Ray’s are still doing, are willing to let the big name, big money talent go in order to give their young players some time and get them ready to be the next big name talent. J.D. seems to have a lot of trust in the farm system, and I am starting to understand why. MLB journeyman Ross Wolf was called up to replace Nick Tepesch when Tepesch went down with a blister issue. Wolf had pitched in 25 major league games in his career with Florida and Oakland, but none of them had ever been starts. He came in and shut down a Athletics team that had just beat the Rangers in two straight games, including beating Yu Darvish. Again a young man came through for this team.

The bull pen is another place that the Rangers are really counting on young arms. Robbie Ross, in his second season as a Rangers reliever, is sporting a 0.42 ERA in 20 games so far in 2013, Tanner Scheppers has an ERA of 0.75, and Joseph Ortiz has a 3.63 ERA. These young arms have replaced guys like Neftali Feliz, Mike Adams and Koji Uehara. And they are getting the job done. Tanner has become the eighth inning guy, and Robbie has been nothing short of amazing. The fact of the matter is, as a Rangers fan, when the starter comes out of the game, we all feel somewhat confident that the game is decided if the Rangers have the lead. The pen has been that good in 2013, and it is mostly thanks to the youngsters.

We can’t forget offense and defense either. Jurickson Profar is getting his first shot at the bigs in 2013 thanks to an Ian Kinsler injury, and he is making the most of it. He had the only two RBI’s of the game in his first start, and we all know his defense is great. So is the defense of Leury Garcia. Both of these guys have made great plays, and Leury has made a couple of great plays so far. Mitch Moreland, who is still rather young in the grand scheme of things, has come around and is putting together quite a season so far as well.

The Rangers have young players in a multitude of important spots, and all that has done for them is given them the best record in the American League and put them only a half a game out of the best record in all of baseball. So even though it looked like the Rangers offseason was a complete and utter failure, I am starting to believe that J.D. knew what he was doing after all in letting the team get younger. Almost a fourth of the way through the season, I can say for sure that younger has been better. Let’s all hope it stays that way.

The post Getting Younger appeared first on The Hague Sports.

Apparently the Texas Rangers and the Los Angeles Angels (of Anaheim, cause that is where they play) were given each other’s memos.

Maybe Josh Hamilton picked up the memo that was meant for the Rangers when he decided to leave what he says is not a baseball town and brought it to the Hollywood thinking it was the script either for his new movie or how the Angels’ season must unfold. Either way, there was some sort of paradigm shift but either way, it’s a shift Rangers fans welcome with open arms.

Think back to last winter. It was brutal and not just because of the cold weather but because of the baseball offseason. The moves that the members of the Rangers front office were making had Texas fans scratching their heads. Some were cursing General Manager Jon Daniels and others probably wanted his head on a silver platter.

Daniels and company waived goodbye to Josh Hamilton, Michael Young and Mike Napoli, just to name a few, and it seemed as though the organization had completely struck out on bringing in big names, and as a result, thus many fans were probably ready to throw in the towel for 2013.

Then to make matters worse and adding insult to injury, rumor had it that Nolan Ryan’s future with the team was in question after Daniels took the title of Baseball Operations and it seemed like the power was slipping through his hands.

The Angels on the other hand were on Cloud 9. They just got one of the best sluggers in the game, a former MVP who is still in his prime in Hamilton. They’ve got one of the best pitchers in Jared Weaver, last year’s AL Rookie of the Year Mike Trout and one of the best in the business in Albert Pujols. There’s no way this All-Star cast can fail right?

Wrong. Well, at least so far. The Angels have fallen. Weaver went down on the DL after not getting hit by the ball but awkwardly fell on his shoulder, and somehow bringing down Hamilton’s batting average to .214 (Yeah, weird huh?). If that wasn’t bad enough, in his first 25 games as an Angel, the over caffeinated slugger struck out 32 times.

Fast forward to right now and the Angels are fighting to avoid the basement of the A.L. West, just four games above the last place Houston Astros.

Now take a look at the Rangers again. Not only do they have the best record in the division, but the best in all of baseball. This comes as a true surprise to the so-called experts and to many fans, but not the Texas Rangers themselves.

Rangers outfielder David Murphy says the guys in the clubhouse have always known they’ve got a good team with or without last their teammates from years past.

“Baseball is a team game,” Murphy said on the Hague Sports Podcast. “Those guys were huge parts of our team but I think we’re hungry to prove to everybody how complete of a team we were despite losing them.”
Murphy attributes the team’s success to the pitching.

“You have to pitch to win,” Murphy said. “There have been plenty of years here where they were putting up 10 runs a game but still not winning it, back in the days where Pudge (Rodriguez) and Juan Gonzalez and all those guys were here and those dynamic and powerful offenses still didn’t have the success that they wanted to. I think it’s a proven fact that you really have to pitch to win in the big leagues.”

He’s right, and that pitching starts with the team’s ace Yu Darvish. Only in his second year in the MLB, Darvish has an ERA of 2.73 and 80 plus strikeouts, 58 of which came in the month of April.

Oh, and Murph’s comments about the days the Rangers were scoring all those runs and not winning games, that’s the approach the Angels tried to take, but the only difference is they’ve not been had the run production. Who would’ve thought?

The post Rising Rangers, Fallen Angels appeared first on The Hague Sports.

Being about two weeks removed from the draft, we’ve already heard talk about draft grades and who should have signed who and I got thinking about who are some of the biggest busts throughout NFL history. I started going through my head and figure out who the biggest bust for each team. That led to actual research so I decided to set it up like an actual draft, from 1-32, with the biggest busts at the top. Here’s what I’ve got:

1. With the first pick in the biggest busts draft in NFL history and the second overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft, the San Diego Chargers select, Ryan Leaf, quarterback from Washington State University. Wow, and to think people weren’t sure if Leaf or Peyton Manning should go first. Perhaps he can be a decent quarterback in the prison league if he’s not busted too hard there.

2. Oakland Raiders: JaMarcus Russell. Drafted No.1 overall in 2007, the LSU quarterback struck gold with the silver and black, but the Raiders themselves can’t say the same. They overpaid Russell with a $39 contract and he only threw 18 touchdown passes and he gained offensive lineman type weight.

28. New Orleans Saints: Shawn Knight. Who? Exactly. He was a defensive tackle taken with the 11 pick in 1987. He played for the Saints, Broncos and Cardinals for one season each. Oh, he also spent a year for the Sacramento Surge. Do you remember the drink called Surge?

29. New England Patriots: Eugene Chung. The Pats took the guard out of Virginia Tech with the 13th overall pick in 1992. He made 30 starts in three seasons but was inconsistent at best. He spent a season in Indianapolis and another in Jacksonville before retiring in 1997.

30. Buffalo Bills: Aaron Maybin. Some might argue you can’t put someone on this list if he’s still playing but truth is Maybin didn’t turn out how the Bills hoped, so the two parted ways after one season. He was the 11th pick overall in 2009 and he’s on his third team. If he doesn’t want to be considered a bust, he’s better step it up now.

31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Keith McCants. This Alabama linebacker had one heck of a college career who dreamed of playing professional football but instead was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the fourth pick of the 1990 NFL Draft. Yeah, he wore the ugly orange uniforms. The biggest factor that lands him a spot on this list is the fact he was drafted 13 spots ahead of Emmitt Smith.

32. Miami Dolphins: Yatil Green. Green was taken by the Dolphins with the 15th overall pick in 1997 but only played one season with the team that drafted him due to injuries. He finished his NFL career with 18 catches for 234 yards.

The post Biggest NFL Draft Busts Ever appeared first on The Hague Sports.

1 Sep 8 7:30 Giants
2 Sep 15 Noon Chiefs
3 Sep 22 Noon @ Rams
4 Sep 29 3:25 Chargers
5 Oct 6 3:25 Broncos
6 Oct 13 7:30 Redskins
7 Oct 20 Noon @ Eagles
8 Oct 27 Noon @ Lions
9 Nov 3 Noon Vikings
10 Nov 10 7:30 @ Saints
11 BYE
12 Nov 24 3:25 @ Giants
13 Nov 28 3:30 Raiders
14 Dec 9 7:40 @ Bears
15 Dec 15 3:25PM Packers
16 Dec 22 Noon @ Redskins
17 Dec 29 Noon Eagles

The post Dallas Cowboys 2013 Schedule appeared first on The Hague Sports.

The National League Central lost their whipping boy in 2013 to the American League West in the Houston Astros. That means less easy wins for each and every one of the teams in the division, and that means that the records may be lower as a whole in this division than they were in 2012. The Reds have built up a pretty good team and the Cardinals always seem to find a way to be competitive, while the Brewers, Pirates and Cubs don’t have a lot to write home about at the moment. That being said, the Brewers still have Ryan Braun, who is a pretty good major league player and the Pirates have made some noise over the past few seasons but just haven’t been able to be there at the end of the season. I have a feeling that this season is going to look like more of the same for the National League Central.

1. Cincinnati Reds – Even though the Reds lost a multitude of players from their 2012 roster including power hitting third baseman Scott Rolen, they virtually kept their very good starting rotation intact. 2012 was a season that they finished with a record of 97-65 and easily won first in their division. They gained a few as well, most notably Shin-Soo Choo and Jack Hannahan. The Reds really dominated teams down the stretch in 2012 and really have not been able to prove over the past few seasons that they can win a playoff series. The team and the fans alike hope that this is the season that the Reds finally break through and advance and make a deep run in the post season. If Votto and Choo can regain their power swings and really start carrying the offense of the Reds this team should be able to do just that. I look for the Reds to have another strong regular season and finish in first place, and hopeful for Reds fans, they can finally get it together in the post season and win some games.

Reds Rotation:

Bronson Arroyo

Mat Latos

Homer Bailey

Mike Leake

Reds Lineup

Shin-Soo Choo

Brandon Phillips

Joey Votto

Ryan Ludwick

Jay Bruce

Todd Frazier

Zack Cozart

Ryan Hannigan

2. St. Louis Cardinals – The Cards always seem to find a way to be at the top of the division, not matter what kind of team they start out with. They are just one of those franchises. And they seem to be better if they are a wild card team instead of division champions. In 2011, they won the World Series after barely making the post season, and last season, they were one win away from going back to the World Series before they blew a 3-1 lead over the San Francisco Giants, who eventually went on to win the World Series. New manager Mike Matheny seems not to have missed a beat from retiring manager Tony Larussa, and with a solid pitching staff and sticks like Matt Holliday and the newly added Ty Wiggington this is a team that should be able to score some runs in the 2013 campaign. Of course they do have some key injuries to deal with Chris Carpenter and David Friese, and they lost Kyle Loshe to free agency, but I still imagine that they will finish in the top two and make the post season once again.

Cardinals Rotation

Adam Wainright

Jake Westbrook

Lance Lynn

Jamie Garcia

Shelby Miller

Cardinals Lineup

Jon Jay

Matt Carpenter

Matt Holliday

Allen Craig

Carlos Beltran

Yadier Molina

Daniel Descalso

Pete Kozma

3. Milwaukee Brewers – The Brewers almost got to the World Series a few season ago, but they have not looked so great since that 2010 campaign and they have had an MVP who was accused of steroid use as well. The past few season have not gone well record wise or PR wise for the Brew Crew. They traded away Zack Greinke in the middle of last season, but still had a season above .500 because they had a very prolific offense. That offense is pretty much the same as it was in 2012 and they added Kyle Loshe to the pitching staff, so I think they have a chance to finish above the .500 mark again in 2013. With guys swinging the bats like Ryan Braun, Rickie Weeks and Cory Heart, you know they are going to be near the top of the home run leaders for the Nation League in 2013. Look for their pitching to be better overall in 2013 as well. I don’t like their chances of making the post season, but I do think they will be as good as they were in 2012.

Brewers Rotation:

Yovani Gallardo

Marco Estrada

Wily Peralta

Kyle Lohse

Hiram Burgos

Brewers Lineup:

Norichika Aoki

Jean Segura

Ryan Braun

Rickie Weeks

Jonathan Lucroy

Alex Gonzalez

Carlos Gomez

Yuniesky Betancourt

Yovani Gallardo

Pittsburg Pirates – The Pirates had great starts to the season in both 2011 and 2012 under manager Clint Hurdle, but were never able to finish the deal after the All Star break. They finished just four games under .500 in 2012. Hurdle, a former Texas Rangers hitting coach, seems to be the right guy for the job, but his team just can’t seem to finish like they start. They have again gotten off to a decent start this season, sitting in third place and being right around .500. Their pitching staff has improved with the addition of guys like Wandy Rodriguez and A.J. Burnett and their offense can get it done with the bats of Andrew McCutchen and Travis Snider. This is a team that could make a break through if it wasn’t for the fact that they have to play the Cardinals and the Reds so many times in a season. I also think that the Brewers and the Pirates will have an interesting seasons playing against each other and that the winner of that series will probably wind up being the third place team in the Central. I have them fourth because I think that is how it will play out this season, but I would not be surprised if I wound up being wrong.

Pirates Rotation:

A.J. Burnett

Wandy Rodriguez

James McDonald

Jonathan Sanchez

Jeff Locke

Pirates Lineup:

Starling Marte

Neil Walker

Andrew McCutchen

Garrett Jones

Russell Martin

Pedro Alvarez

Travis Snider

Clint Barmes

Chicago Cubs – Dave Sevum is in his second season as the Cubs coach, and he along with everyone else knows that this is a team in rebuilding mode right now. I don’t think anyone really expects them to compete for first place in the division in 2013, but they do hope that the Cubs can turn in a better record that the 61-101 that they turned in in 2012. Alfonso Soriano is really their only constant big bat and their rotation, even though not highly touted, is off to a pretty decent start so far. Texas Ranger ex Scott Feldman is among the fold in the rotation, and hopes to have a bounce back season after several disappointing seasons in a row in Texas. General Manager Theo Epstein hopes to start building a club that people in Chicago can be proud of, I just don’t think anyone expects it to be this season. Maybe they can lose less than 100 games this season, that would be a step in the right direction for them.

Cubs Rotation

Jeff Samardzija

Edwin Jackson

Travis Wood

Scott Feldman

Carlos Villanueva

Cubs Lineup:

David DeJesus

Starlin Castro

Anthony Rizzo

Alfonso Soriano

Nate Schierholtz

Welington Castillo

Luis Valbuena

Alberto Gonzalez

The post NL Central 2013 appeared first on The Hague Sports.

In recent history, the American League East has been known as the best division in baseball, but put emphases on the word “history.” That was then, this is now, 2013. The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees will not be battling for first place in the division. The Sox would be satisfied with a third-place finish.

Last year, the Sox celebrated 100 years at Fenway Park, but based on their performance, one might think they celebrated by playing some of the original members of the team a century ago. Speaking of old, some are saying the Yankees are way past their prime as their average age of the New York Yankees starting lineup is 45. OK, maybe not, but it’s old, and if you really want to know what the average age is, you can do what I was too lazy to do and crunch the numbers.

Having said all that, one thing that won’t change from recent years is the fact the Tampa Bay Rays will be right up near the top, if not at the top. Actually, let’s stop right there, at the top.

1. Tampa Bay Rays. Remember when they Rays went to the World Series with a roster full of practically no stars? That would be the case here if they were to go back this year. Without looking, name as many starters as you can. Are you stumped after Evan Longoria?

The Rays are almost going the Money Ball approach as they emphasize speed, quickness and the ability to get on first base. Yunel Escobar, Kelly Johnson and Ryan Roberts all give them a chance to do just that, and to top it off, when all said and done, we may be looking at them as some of the best defenders in the game.

The Rotation is loaded and it begins with last year’s Cy Young Winner David Price. Look for him to make another run at the award. Matt Moore is the third starter. Last year, his changeup screwed up hitters’ batting average. Rumor has it Alex Cobb took the offseason to master yet another pitch or two and will strike out batters with his nasty curveball.

Rays Rotation
David Price
Jeremy Hellickson
Roberto Hernandez
Matt Moore
Alex Cobb

Rays Lineup
CF Desmond Jennings
SS Yunel Escobar
3B Evan Longoria
RF Ben Zobrist
DH Luke Scott
LF Matt Joyce
1B James Loney
2B Kelly Johnson
C Jose Molina

2. Toronto Blue Jays. I actually tried putting them below the Yankees but just couldn’t do it. This Blue Jays team is going to be good, despite fact they play in a country that doesn’t care much for America’s pastime. Regardless, the Jays showed spurts of greatness but never lived up to the potential.They added missing pieces in the offseason though, bringing in Jose Reyes, who will be the lead off man, and Melky Cabreera who may not be in his prime but has enough gas in the tank to get the job done. Third baseman Jose Bautista is the third batter in the lineup and brings a solid bat and solid defense.

Toronto revamped its pitching staff and on paper, you can argue it’s the best in the American League. It’s starts with Ace R.A. Dickey who won a Cy Young last year. Right behind him is Brandon Morrow, who the team believes is 100 percent after being sidelined due to an injury a year ago. Josh Johnson was a tremendous steal for this team and will help add nightmares to opposing lineups. If this team lives up to its potential, don’t be surprised if the Jays end up at the top of the AL East.

Blue Jays Rotation
R.A. Dickey
Brandon Morrow
Mark Buehrle
Josh Johnson
Ricky Romero

Blue Jays Lineup
SS Jose Reyes
LF Melky Cabrera
RF Jose Buatista
1B Edwin Encarnacion
CF Colby Rasmus
3B Brett Lawrie
DH Adam Lind
C J.P. Arencibia
2B Maicer Izturis

3. New York Yankees. Remember what I said earlier about how the Yanks won’t battle the Sox for the division? That’s true, but New York will battle with Tampa, but they obviously they’re not going to win it in the long run. In fact, it’s going to be a tight race between the top three teams, but the Yanks will finish no higher than No.3 and it’s going to be weird not seeing them in the playoffs.

We all know the names: Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano. Jeter, the future Hall of Famer is nearing the end and if there’s any gas left in the tank, this is the year he’ll use it. Say what you will about the captain, but he’s still got it down mentally. When Tiexeira and Cano get hot at the plate, they’re as difficult as anyone to cool down. If A-Rod gets any playing time, he won’t likely be a factor.

They still have what it takes in the pitching staff, at least in their ace CC Sabathia who should be good for about 15 wins. Andy Pettitte’s better days are behind him and Hiroki Kuroda is inconsistent, but when he’s on, he’s one of the best in the business. Speaking of best in the business, another future Hall of Famer, closer Mariano Rivera is entering his last year but fans can expect big things from him as he looks to finish strong. They can also expect big things from Joba Chamberlain who has been more consistent and able to stay healthy.

Yankees Rotation
CC Sabathia ,
Hiroki Kuroda
Andy Pettitte
Ivan Nova
David Phelps

Yankees Lineup
SS Derek Jeter
RF Ichiro Suzuki
2B Robinson Cano
3B Kevin Youkilis
LF Vernon Wells
DH Travis Hafner
1B Lyle Overbay
C Francisco Cervelli
CF Brett Gardner

4. Baltimore Orioles. Last year was hard to see this team have the success it did with a bunch of former Texas Rangers. It starts at the top with Manager Buck Showalter. Last year was the first for the extra wild card and the Orioles found themselves as that wild card team, and we all know what happened there.

Former Ranger and East Texas native Chris Davis is putting up impressive numbers so far and we’ll see how long he keeps that up. He hit 30 home runs and 89 RBI in 2012 with a batting average of .267. Centerfielder Adam Jones is making a name for himself. We’ll see if he can repeat last year’s performance of 31 homers and 87 RBI.

Repeating last year’s success will be anything but easy, especially since several teams in the division have reloaded. The Orioles will need all the help they can get from their pitching staff. Jason Hammel has gained confidence but the question mark surrounding him is whether or not he’s ready to be the ace. Wei-Yin Chen won 11 games last year and with a year under his belt and going into 2013 at 100 percent, we could see that number increase. This team doesn’t have super stars, just guys ready to come to work and give everything they have. Sometimes that’s all it takes to be successful. We’ll see if that’s the case for Baltimore.

Orioles Lineup
2B Brian Roberts
RF Nick Markakis
CF Adam Jones
C Matt Wieters
1B Chris Davis
SS J.J. Hardy
DH Nolan Reimold
3B Manny Machado
LF Nate McLouth

Orioles Rotation
Jason Hammel
Wei-Yin Chen
Chris Tillman
Miguel Gonzalez
Brian Matusz

5. Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox are actually off to a hot start, which is exactly what they needed in order to put last year behind him. It’s easy to be skeptical as to how long the luck of the Irish will last for the Sox but so far so good. The Red Sox went through a Total Makeover, Sports Edition, and it starts with new manager John Farrell. They also brought in guys like former Ranger Mike Napoli. There were apparently issues with Nap’s physical and now there might be issues with his hips but he’s a solid player whether behind the plate or at first base.

Shane Victorino may not put up record-breaking numbers but he’s clutch and Sox fans can expect him to come through when it counts. When Will Middlebrooks gets ahold of one, look out, because it could be gone, maybe even over the Green Monster. The team will also look to Stephen Drew and Jonny Gomes who have both proven themselves in the field but will need to increase their productivity at the plate. Don’t think there’s a better leadoff man on this roster than Jacoby Ellsbury who may be one of the most underrated.

The pitching staff looks great, with John Lester at the top of the rotation. The club added Ryan Dempster who’s third in the rotation but could be as high as No. 1 for many other MLB teams. Seeing as the Red Sox are just a year removed from one of the most embarrassing seasons ever and were forced to rebuild, I have them finishing in the basement, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see them finish as high as No. 2.

Red Sox Rotation:
Jon Lester
Clay Buchholz
Ryan Dempster
Felix Doubront
John Lackey

Red Sox Lineup
CF Jacoby Ellsbury
RF Shane Victorino
2B Dustin Pedroia
DH David Ortiz
1B Mike Napoli
3B Will Middlebrooks
LF Jonny Gomes
SS Stephen Drew
C Jarrod Saltalamacchia

The post AL East 2013 appeared first on The Hague Sports.

These posts have been a longtime coming, and I’m sorry I haven’t posted them sooner. I’m talking about the Major League Baseball divisional breakdowns.

It seems like forever ago that the season ended but now the wait is finally over and for the next seven months, we get to enjoy America’s pastime.

Our first division is the NL East. You could make an argument for this division being the best in all of baseball. Then again, you can claim that about pretty much any division, but it wouldn’t be as legit about any other division. My personal opinion is that the NL East is the second toughest division (I will you tell you which I think is the first when I get there) but the toughest in the National League. You have a lot of young rising stars on the verge of something great. That being said, my prediction is as follows:

1. Washington Nationals. It’s weird to think it wasn’t all that long ago this team was called the Montreal Expos. A few years ago, Stephen Strasburg turned heads and took the nation by storm. Now he’s still young (he turns 25 in July) and comes with a wider variety of pitches. The experts argue whether his fastball, curveball or changeup is better. The scary thing is, they’re all scary pitches to face.

Gino Gonzalez and Jordan Zimmerman are next in the rotation and either one of them would be one higher in the rotation for practically any other team in baseball.

Last year Bryce Haper, then a teenager merged onto the scene. He had 144 hits and 22 home runs his rookie season, and unless he goes through a sophomore slump, those numbers will only increase. The Nats also went out and spent some money, bringing in centerfielder Denard Span, who will be the leadoff hitter. They also re-signed Adam LaRoche who many say is 100 percent and will be a true force to be reckoned with.

Nationals rotation
Stephen Strasburg
Gio Gonzalez
Jordan Zimmermann
Dan Haren
Ross Detwiler

Nationals lineup
CF Denard Span
RF Jayson Werth
LF Bryce Harper
3B Ryan Zimmerman
1B Adam LaRoche
SS Ian Desmond
2B Danny Espinosa
C Kurt Suzuki

2. Atlanta Braves. The club waved goodbye to longtime Brave Chipper Jones, and Jason Bourne. Not to worry though, the club acquired B.J. Upton who’s coming off a season with 28 homers and if he is 100 percent, he’ll make this Braves team a true contender, and will make those who passed on him look foolish. His teammates will look to him for veteran leadership, even his brother Justin, who thanks to a full healthy season a year ago, showed more consistency. In fact, last year they had 70 homers between the two of them and now that they’re in the same uniform, things will likely be on the upswing for this team.

The pitching rotation is consistently decent. It’s nothing spectacular but nothing terrible but it’s usually enough to get the job done. One thing this team lacks is a true ace. Tim Hudson is getting better with experience and could be on his way to something great. It’s likely a make or break year for Mike Minor who has also shown flashes of greatness, but has also made many people wondering whether or not he’s ready to play at this level. His future with this team is somewhat in question. If he performs well, they may keep him or they may get some good trade value off him, which is a win-win for Atlanta.

Braves Rotation
Tim Hudson
Paul Maholm
Kris Medlen
Mike Minor
Julio Teheran

Braves Lineup
SS Andrelton Simmons
RF Jason Heyward
LF Justin Upton
1B Freddie Freeman
CF B.J. Upton
2B Dan Uggla
3B Juan Francisco
C Gerald Laird

3. Philadelphia Phillies. One paper, this team looks like one of the best in baseball. On the diamond, we’ll that’s a different story. Roy Halladay is one of the best in the business, or at least was, one of the best in the business. That’s the problem, his pitches don’t seem to have the same zip they once did and is struggling more than he did in the past when it comes to finding the strike zone. Phillie fans can rest with Cliff Lee as it appears he hasn’t lost a step. The club brought in Jonathan Papelbon from Boston, and plans to use him as a closer. If he’s as solid as he looked in spring training, perhaps a spot in the rotation will have his name on it. Also in the bullpen is Mike Adams, who the club acquired from the Texas Rangers.

Everything still remains to be seen when it comes to the bats. Ryan Howard missed a lot of action last year due to injury and it seems like he’s not yet 100 percent. Adams isn’t the only former Ranger on this squad. The All-time leader in hits for Texas, Michael Young, came over this winter and brings a great bat and solid veteran leadership.

Phillies rotation
Cole Hamels
Roy Halladay
Cliff Lee
Kyle Kendrick
John Lannan

Phillies Lineup
SS Jimmy Rollins
2B Chase Utley
3B Michael Young
1B Ryan Howard
LF Laynce Nix
RF Domonic Brown
CF Ben Revere
C Erik Kratz

4. New York Mets. This Mets team is at least a year away…from being decent. One could argue the bright side of this team is Johan Santana who threw a no-hitter last year but the problem is, it all went down from there for him. Not only could he not repeat that performance, he was flat out bad for the remainder of the season. It doesn’t help that the club lost R.A. Dickey. The pitching staff is young, which could help them down the road. Zack Wheeler, a 22-year old right hander brings the heat with 98-MPH pitches. John Niese is the No. 2 starter but would be lucky to make the rotation on any other club.

David Wright goes is finally getting the recognition he deserves and will likely be the leader of the team. Ike Davis could very easily make a name for himself. Despite hitting 32 homers a year ago, his talent pretty much went unnoticed. Unless his team makes some noise, that’ll most likely be the case this year. Ruben Tejada, 23, has a lot of potential with his speed and power at the plate. He just needs to improve defensively from last year.

Mets Rotation
Johan Santana
Jon Niese
Shaun Marcum
Matt Harvey
Dillon Gee

Mets Lineup
CF Jordany Valdespin
2B Daniel Murphy
3B David Wright
1B Ike Davis
LF Lucas Duda
RF Marlon Byrd
C John Buck
SS Ruben Tejada

5. Miami Marlins. I’m not quite sure what the true identity of this team is and I don’t think anyone in the organization knows either. Last year they had a total team makeover and they enter this year without Ozzie Guillen (I’ve got to say, he lasted longer than I thought) who probably took off on his boat somewhere. Regardless, when you think about it, they kind of had another makeover this year. No name or uniform change but they sent Josh Johnson, Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrie, John Buck, Emilio Bonifacio to Toronto in return for shortstop Adneiny Hechavarria and Giancarlo Stanton. Expectations are high for Stanton whose strength is unmatched.

The rotation has no big names. It consists of young guys looking for a big break. Until that happens, they’ll rely on their bats, or at least be relying on Stanton. Do you think he can pitch and play in the outfield as well? I wouldn’t suggest that for any other team, but I might for this one.

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So the NCAA tournament brackets are officially out and if you’re looking for advice, the best piece I can give is don’t listen to the advice; none of it. Don’t even listen to any advice I give you. We tend to overanalyze, overthink and overload our minds with information.

It’s funny to me that the “experts” are considered to be experts because you can’t go by what they have. Have you seen Dick Vitale’s bracket? Me neither, but I can pretty much guarantee you can do just as well if not better. Heck, that girl at Starbucks who you think is cute but a just way to ditsy might even be able to do just as well…maybe.

Maybe this is my way of making an excuse for bombing in advance before I even fill out my bracket but if a kid can choose based on mascots and team colors, than we ought to stop analyzing matchups and RPIs and other stats.

Having said that, it’s still a blast and each year our podcast crew plays along where the loser must do something embarrassing, and you can join in with us. If you want in on the actual stakes, just let us know, or you can just how little it takes to compete with the rest of us. Join our group and take your pick.

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It seems like every time you go to NFL.com or tune into the NFL Network, there’s more breaking news and I’m sure you’re up to date as much as possible as to who went where. What got to me more than anything is the fact that Roger Goodell (or someone in the NFL front office, but likely Goodell) proposed a rule that might be the dumbest thing in the history of sports. Well, it’s right up there with Major League Baseball’s rule that gives the winner of the All Star Game home field advantage in the Super Bowl. It’s not far behind the idea of getting rid of kickoffs or expanding the NFL in Europe. The proposed rule says a running back CANNOT lower their heads when outside the tackle?

What the….? Where do I begin on this one?

I seriously thought it was a joke when I first heard it. The rule has to be voted on by owners for it to go through so there’s a good chance it will get shut down but the fact it’s going to be voted on in the first place is one of the most ridiculous ideas.

There are so many possible issues with this. First of all, there will be many times when it will be iffy as to whether or not he was “outside the tackle” or whether his head was too low.

I think Emmitt Smith had it right when he said, “I disagree with the rule altogether. It doesn’t make any sense for that position. It sounds like it’s been made up by people who have never played the game of football.’’

Smith also said, “If I’m a running back and I’m running into a linebacker, you’re telling me I have to keep my head up so he can take my chin off?’’ Smith told 105.3 The Fan in Dallas. “You’ve absolutely lost your mind.”

Is Goodell proposing all these ridiculous the rules in hopes of getting at least some of them approved. Perhaps he’s telling himself, “If I propose 100 new rules, surely I can get about 9-10 of them approved.”

It’s kind of like when a kid wants to get his way so he gives his parents a huge list of things he wants and if he doesn’t get them, he has evidence that he never gets his way. That’s the only thing that comes anywhere close to resembling something that almost makes sense because it just doesn’t make sense that he would actually want these proposals to pass.

Here are a few others we can expect Goodell to propose:

• No Juking allowed. We’ve seen too many broken ankles and guys going down due to being faked out. This will result in a 15 yard penalty, a loss of down and possibly a fine.

• A defense must not, under any circumstances, disguise a blitz. If the quarterback doesn’t see a defender coming, that defender must drop into coverage or go after another player but cannot get within 10 yards of the quarterback.

• It’s Nurf or nothing. Too many people have jammed fingers or gotten hit with the hard pigskin footballs. If we can eliminate this altogether, we will go a long way in making the game safer.

• Players must call the ball when it’s in the air, and an offensive player must have the first attempt.
• Instead of kickoffs, the team who just scored will get the ball at its own 30-yard line with a 4th and 15 and chance to keep the ball. Oh never mind, that one has been mentioned already.

The NFL has always been my favorite league, but I fear Goodell is going to run it into the ground. It’s sad to see what he’s doing to it. Id say we should just make it flag football and get it over with but than Goodell would somehow manage to make that even more lame.

Sports Illustrated called Goodell the most powerful man in sports and perhaps that power is getting to his head. He like other commissioners has become quite the tyrant. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Goodell’s biggest accomplishment is making us miss Paul Tagliabue.

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