The U.S. Men’s National Team takes on Turkey in the second match of their farewell tour and is the last to be played in the United States. The match will be broadcast on ESPN 2 at 12:30pm CT. Who do you think will start? I will give two projections, one of who I think should start and one of who I think will start.
I think the USMNT should focus on getting their best 11 on the field. If that is the case here is who I would put out there:
FWD: Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey
MF: LM-DeMarcus Beasley, CMs-Michael Bradley/Stuart Holden, RM-Landon Donovan
DEF: LB- Carlos Bocanegra, CBs- Oguchi Onyewu/Jay Demerit, RB-Jonathan Spector
GK: Tim Howard
I think Bob Bradley is looking for a specific line-up which I am not sure what that is but based on past line-ups and the roster here is what I think we will see:
FWD: Altidore and Edson Buddle
MF: LM-Donovan, CMs-Bradley/Maurice Edu, RM- Dempsey
DEF: LB-Jonathan Bornstein, CBs-Onyewu/Bocanegra, RB-Spector
GK: Howard
In my opinion the guys in the first line-up have earned the right to play and start from this point on. We will see how Bradley will approach the world cup from a strategy and personnel prospective.
What would your line-up be?
Friday, May 28, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
World Cup Roster Released
Bob Bradley announced his world cup roster on ESPN about an hour ago and this is it:
Goalkeepers- Tim Howard, Marcus Hahnemann, Brad Guzan
Defenders- Carlos Bocanegra, Oguchi Onyewu, Jay DeMerit, Steve Cherundolo, Jonathan Spector, Clarence Goodson, Jonathan Bornstein
Midfielders- Landon Donovan, Michael Bradley, Stuart Holden, Maurice Edu, Ricardo Clark, DaMarcus Beasley, Benny Feilhaber, Jose Francisco Torres
Forwards- Clint Dempsey, Jozy Altidore, Herculez Gomez, Edson Buddle, Robbie Findley
Biggest Surprises:
1. Brian Ching was left off the roster completely. Many “experts” thought he was a lock. His play last night against the Czech Republic was very good and most thought, especially myself, that he erased any doubt with that performance. Boy was I wrong. Not only did Ching not make the roster, he was left off while in favor of three players with less than 10 national team appearances combined (Ching has 45)! Ching played regularly in qualifying and was not omitted until injuries started to slow him down.
2. Taking five forwards total is the next surprise. Dempsey is listed as a forward on the roster. That most people predicted but to bring three extras besides him and Altidore was a surprise, especially when you consider one of Gomez, Buddle, or Findley could have been left off in favor of a defender where there is significant injury concerns.
3. Only seven defenders were taken. With the injuries this group has faced and the poor performance from Edu as a centerback last night, I am more than surprised at the decision. If one of Demerit, Onyewu, Bocanegra, or Cherundolo relapse the U.S. will be in trouble.
I think it is clear that while the match last night seemed like an audition for some players, Bradley had already made up his mind. The choices at forward and defender were obviously made in camp. While I do not agree with them right now, I am sure Bradley and his staff saw something to provoke these decisions. For their sake and the U.S. fans sake I hope they are the correct choices.
Overall, the roster is solid. The surprise picks of Buddle and Findley probably will not impact the squad. Those guys are not likely to see significant playing time. The situation at defense is troublesome at best. I think it is pretty clear who 9 of the starting 11 will be: Howard, Spector, Onyewu, Bocanegra, Bornstein, Donovan, Bradley, Dempsey, and Altidore.
In my view there is an open spot at center midfield next to Bradley that will likely come down to Clark or Edu and a decision who will replace Dempsey on the right wing, Holden or Beasley.
What are your thoughts?
Goalkeepers- Tim Howard, Marcus Hahnemann, Brad Guzan
Defenders- Carlos Bocanegra, Oguchi Onyewu, Jay DeMerit, Steve Cherundolo, Jonathan Spector, Clarence Goodson, Jonathan Bornstein
Midfielders- Landon Donovan, Michael Bradley, Stuart Holden, Maurice Edu, Ricardo Clark, DaMarcus Beasley, Benny Feilhaber, Jose Francisco Torres
Forwards- Clint Dempsey, Jozy Altidore, Herculez Gomez, Edson Buddle, Robbie Findley
Biggest Surprises:
1. Brian Ching was left off the roster completely. Many “experts” thought he was a lock. His play last night against the Czech Republic was very good and most thought, especially myself, that he erased any doubt with that performance. Boy was I wrong. Not only did Ching not make the roster, he was left off while in favor of three players with less than 10 national team appearances combined (Ching has 45)! Ching played regularly in qualifying and was not omitted until injuries started to slow him down.
2. Taking five forwards total is the next surprise. Dempsey is listed as a forward on the roster. That most people predicted but to bring three extras besides him and Altidore was a surprise, especially when you consider one of Gomez, Buddle, or Findley could have been left off in favor of a defender where there is significant injury concerns.
3. Only seven defenders were taken. With the injuries this group has faced and the poor performance from Edu as a centerback last night, I am more than surprised at the decision. If one of Demerit, Onyewu, Bocanegra, or Cherundolo relapse the U.S. will be in trouble.
I think it is clear that while the match last night seemed like an audition for some players, Bradley had already made up his mind. The choices at forward and defender were obviously made in camp. While I do not agree with them right now, I am sure Bradley and his staff saw something to provoke these decisions. For their sake and the U.S. fans sake I hope they are the correct choices.
Overall, the roster is solid. The surprise picks of Buddle and Findley probably will not impact the squad. Those guys are not likely to see significant playing time. The situation at defense is troublesome at best. I think it is pretty clear who 9 of the starting 11 will be: Howard, Spector, Onyewu, Bocanegra, Bornstein, Donovan, Bradley, Dempsey, and Altidore.
In my view there is an open spot at center midfield next to Bradley that will likely come down to Clark or Edu and a decision who will replace Dempsey on the right wing, Holden or Beasley.
What are your thoughts?
Players Given the Spotlight as USMNT Sacrifice Result for Individual Evaluations
Manager Bob Bradley had a choice to make before the match last night. He could play for the result and some momentum for his top guys or give his fringe players a shot to prove themselves before the final roster is released on the noon CT SportsCenter today. He chose the latter.
Resting starters and world cup locks Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Tim Howard, Michael Bradley, Jay Demerit, and Jozy Altidore and Bennie Feilhaber who is supposedly nursing an injury, Bradley gave his guys the stage to state their case. Some made a good argument and some made it easy for Bradley to let them go.
Four of the remaining five strikers received 45 minutes to state their case. Herculez Gomez and Brian Ching entered the match in the second half and were the most impressive of the bunch. Ching was considered a lock to make the roster did nothing to hurt his chances. He tracked back for the ball and distributed it very well, which are the reasons that he was considered a lock in the first place. Gomez on the whole looked about as good as Edson Buddle. Except for his second half goal that probably punched his ticket to South Africa.
DeMarcus Beasley, Stuart Holden, Jose Torres, and Maurice Edu did well as a midfield and Holden and Edu may have staked claims to starting spots. Oguchi Onyewu made his return and looked decent but not great. For stretches of the match, especially in the second half, he looked to be favoring his surgically repaired right leg and was beat on a lofted cross on the Czech first goal before the half.
Players on the rise:
1. Herculez Gomez made a strong case with his goal to be the 3rd and likely final choice at forward.
2. Jose Torres was a safe bet for the team but may have made a case to be considered for the spot next to Michael Bradley.
3. Maurice Edu did score a goal which counts for a lot. In my opinion, his skill set overlaps with Bradley’s which may make it tough to include him in the starting lineup.
Players on the decline:
1. Heath Pearce was just not good last night. If he was close to a roster spot then I think he lost it last night.
2. Robbie Rogers did not do enough to put himself above the other wing option Alejandro Bedoya and DeMarcus Beasley.
3. Eddie Johnson just confirmed what most know about him. Unless he is getting direct and great service he is not effective. That may be the last time we see him in a U.S. jersey.
As far as the final 23 man roster there, I think there will be 3 keepers, 7 defenders, 10 midfielders, and 3 forwards. Dempsey would be the fourth forward and likely starter at center forward behind Altidore. The mystery in all this is if Feilhaber was held out last night because he is a lock or because he is carrying an injury.
I have a hard time believing he is a lock to make the roster as he as bad enough after coming off injury that he was pushed to the bench for his Dutch club team that was relegated (demoted from the top league). Assuming Feilhaber is healthy, here is my final 23 man roster projection:
GK (3): Howard, Guzan, Hahnemann
Def(7): Carlos Bocanegra, Jay Demerit, Oguchi Oneywu, Jonathan Spector, Steve Cherundolo, Clarence Goodson, Jonathan Bornstein
Mid (10): Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, Stuart Holden, Maurice Edu, Ricardo Clark, Jose Torres, Bennie Feilhaber, DeMarcus Beasley, Alejandro Bedoya
Fwd (3): Jozy Altidore, Brian Ching, Herculez Gomez
Last 3 on the roster: 21. Bennie Feilhaber, 22. Herculez Gomez, 23. Alejandro Bedoya
First 3 off the roster: 24. Edson Buddle, 25. Sacha Klejstan, 26. Heath Pearce
If Feilhaber is dropped due to injury, I think Buddle is added to the forward pool but Klejstan could be added as a versatile midfielder.
What do you think?
Resting starters and world cup locks Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Tim Howard, Michael Bradley, Jay Demerit, and Jozy Altidore and Bennie Feilhaber who is supposedly nursing an injury, Bradley gave his guys the stage to state their case. Some made a good argument and some made it easy for Bradley to let them go.
Four of the remaining five strikers received 45 minutes to state their case. Herculez Gomez and Brian Ching entered the match in the second half and were the most impressive of the bunch. Ching was considered a lock to make the roster did nothing to hurt his chances. He tracked back for the ball and distributed it very well, which are the reasons that he was considered a lock in the first place. Gomez on the whole looked about as good as Edson Buddle. Except for his second half goal that probably punched his ticket to South Africa.
DeMarcus Beasley, Stuart Holden, Jose Torres, and Maurice Edu did well as a midfield and Holden and Edu may have staked claims to starting spots. Oguchi Onyewu made his return and looked decent but not great. For stretches of the match, especially in the second half, he looked to be favoring his surgically repaired right leg and was beat on a lofted cross on the Czech first goal before the half.
Players on the rise:
1. Herculez Gomez made a strong case with his goal to be the 3rd and likely final choice at forward.
2. Jose Torres was a safe bet for the team but may have made a case to be considered for the spot next to Michael Bradley.
3. Maurice Edu did score a goal which counts for a lot. In my opinion, his skill set overlaps with Bradley’s which may make it tough to include him in the starting lineup.
Players on the decline:
1. Heath Pearce was just not good last night. If he was close to a roster spot then I think he lost it last night.
2. Robbie Rogers did not do enough to put himself above the other wing option Alejandro Bedoya and DeMarcus Beasley.
3. Eddie Johnson just confirmed what most know about him. Unless he is getting direct and great service he is not effective. That may be the last time we see him in a U.S. jersey.
As far as the final 23 man roster there, I think there will be 3 keepers, 7 defenders, 10 midfielders, and 3 forwards. Dempsey would be the fourth forward and likely starter at center forward behind Altidore. The mystery in all this is if Feilhaber was held out last night because he is a lock or because he is carrying an injury.
I have a hard time believing he is a lock to make the roster as he as bad enough after coming off injury that he was pushed to the bench for his Dutch club team that was relegated (demoted from the top league). Assuming Feilhaber is healthy, here is my final 23 man roster projection:
GK (3): Howard, Guzan, Hahnemann
Def(7): Carlos Bocanegra, Jay Demerit, Oguchi Oneywu, Jonathan Spector, Steve Cherundolo, Clarence Goodson, Jonathan Bornstein
Mid (10): Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, Stuart Holden, Maurice Edu, Ricardo Clark, Jose Torres, Bennie Feilhaber, DeMarcus Beasley, Alejandro Bedoya
Fwd (3): Jozy Altidore, Brian Ching, Herculez Gomez
Last 3 on the roster: 21. Bennie Feilhaber, 22. Herculez Gomez, 23. Alejandro Bedoya
First 3 off the roster: 24. Edson Buddle, 25. Sacha Klejstan, 26. Heath Pearce
If Feilhaber is dropped due to injury, I think Buddle is added to the forward pool but Klejstan could be added as a versatile midfielder.
What do you think?
RichRod's last stand
Imagine if Rich Rodriguez is this happy in October. It means he may work 2011 in Ann Arbor. Then again, depending on who you ask, it won't matter.
It's not the sanctions that Michigan put on it's football team today. It's not the losing record. It's not the losing streak to Ohio State and Tressel. It's not the loss to Toledo.
It's all of it combined that weighs heavily on Wolverine fan. The rich ones and the poor ones. The alumni and the diehards.
So what do you do if your Rich? Well, you're pretty much locked in with what you will and won't have, save for a couple of recruits making a difference. And yes, Lloyd Carr was outdated, but at the same time, there are two things that would have saved Carr from the 8-16 record the last two years.
1) Ryan Mallet would have never left.
2) Greg Robinson would have never been hired.
Do you see what Mallet is doing for Bobby Petrino? He is the only reason Petrino is still in Fayetville. (Imagine if Houston Nutt had Mallett instead of Jevan Sneed, but that's another post) He was the best passer in the SEC last year, and will probably be even better this year now that he's fully understood Petrino's high-percentages offense. Bobby Petrino did wonders on offense at Louisville, but he has never had the deep ball thrower in Mallet.
You tell me what Michigan would give to have this image back.
However, Mallet isn't coming back no matter what you do, so you're down with Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson, hell or high water. Roy Rountree was a stud for them last year even though he only really arrived in the last four games. But alas... the problem isn't the offense with this team... it's this man.
Don't worry, this picture pains Syracuse fan more than Michigan fan ever will feel. I think.
Robinson has two Super Bowl rings, has been a great NFL coach.. and has failed trememdously at the collegiate level. One year and ran out in Austin, and Doug Marrone STILL is fixing the issues Robinson had in upstate New York.
Now, I will fully admit that Robinson hasn't gotten help with recruiting at all. The Michigan defense is pretty smart, but that doesn't help when you get ran around, over, and through every single game. Adding insult to injury, Brandon Graham is gone and the defense, as well as the entire team, is rediculously young (25 seniors, 38 freshman). Yikes. Nobody cares that you allowed 6 to Delaware State or 7 to Western Michigan. Remember how they allowed Indiana to score 33? The 38 to Purdue when bowl eligibility was on the line? Beyond disgusting.
For the record, I do not think that Michigan did well in their response to the NCAA and their allegations. You have kids that won't mind walking on to play for you, and you have a team that NEEDS that extra practice time. Granted, they are correct about not thinking they are repeat violators (what happened in basketball has nothing to do with this), but they are wrong thinking they should only get two years probation. This practice time issue is a problem with almost all FBS teams in America. However, not all the FBS teams in America have former players as mad as people are at Rodriguez.
David Brandon really has to trust that Rodriguez is going to make this team better. Primarily, I really do not think that Brandon has a clue as to who he can get to coach this team should Michigan have had to consider firing Rodriguez either at the end of last season or with these violations. Whoever would take over, whenever that will be, will have to be a spread offense guy. Too many players are in this system that run the spread very well.
Bruce Feldman on his blog on ESPN.com said that he doesn't think 8-4 will save RichRod's job. I think he is fine, but he has to win the winnable games. UConn is good but just as young. Winning that game goes further because it will be the first game in the new Michigan Stadium. To show off a winner on that day needs to be the biggest priority for this coaching staff. Plus, Notre Dame is important because it will be the national ABC game that day. If he is anything less than 4-0, the bombs will be high and hard from the Detroit press.
6-1 is a fair record to have when they go to Penn State in August. I'm honestly not sure how good Penn State will be, but playing in Beaver Stadium can be a very large trainwreck. The game before at Iowa could be a very large trap game, because as we all saw last year, the Hawkeyes are more than willing, especially with a healthy Ricky Stanzi.
Bottom line is this, Michigan man-in-training Rich Rodriguez. Win big, and lose close. Win at home and away, win the games you're supposed to. Get back to New Years in Orlando, and it will go away. At least for a year till the Forcier/Robinson train gets bigger and bigger.
Monday, May 24, 2010
USMNT v. Czech Republic
The U.S. Men’s National Team takes on the Czech Republic in the first of three pre world cup matches Tuesday night at 7:00pm CST on ESPN. With the camp still with 30 participants, Bob Bradley will be forced to makes some decisions before the match.
Will Bradley use this as an exhibition to test some fringe players or gauge position battles? Will he use the match to give his starters some quality minutes to improve chemistry or give them (most European based players) a break after a long season? Will there be cuts before the match? Only able to name an 18 man roster, who will be wearing the shirt tomorrow in Hartford, Conn? Here is my projection:
FWD: Altidore, Gomez
MID:Beasley, Bradley, Edu, Holden
DEF: Bornstein, Bocanegra, Onyewu, Spector
GK: Howard
Bench: Bedoya (Holden, ’45), Buddle (Altidore,’45), Demerit (Oneywu, ’45), Clark (Edu, ’45), Johnson (Gomez, ’60), Torres (Bradley, ’70), Hahnemann
I think Bradley uses the game as a mixture of playing some guys he likes who need minutes and seeing what certain guys can do. Tomorrow I will write a pre-match piece followed Wednesday by analysis.
Will Bradley use this as an exhibition to test some fringe players or gauge position battles? Will he use the match to give his starters some quality minutes to improve chemistry or give them (most European based players) a break after a long season? Will there be cuts before the match? Only able to name an 18 man roster, who will be wearing the shirt tomorrow in Hartford, Conn? Here is my projection:
FWD: Altidore, Gomez
MID:Beasley, Bradley, Edu, Holden
DEF: Bornstein, Bocanegra, Onyewu, Spector
GK: Howard
Bench: Bedoya (Holden, ’45), Buddle (Altidore,’45), Demerit (Oneywu, ’45), Clark (Edu, ’45), Johnson (Gomez, ’60), Torres (Bradley, ’70), Hahnemann
I think Bradley uses the game as a mixture of playing some guys he likes who need minutes and seeing what certain guys can do. Tomorrow I will write a pre-match piece followed Wednesday by analysis.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Touchy Situation for Bob Bradley
Charlie Davies is sort of upset. With the work he has put in to recover from multiple injuries (for more info visit this site http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/13/charlie-davies-us-soccer-_n_319272.html) from a car accident that saw an SUV cut in half and almost took his life to make the world cup team who could blame him. Davies who somehow returned to full training in April was excluded from the world cup camp due to not being physically ready.
With what Davies endured the fact that he was not physically ready seven months later is completely understandable. But to Davies the way he was evaluated and treated by his club team has caused some issues. Davies struck out at his club president last week after receiving word from Bob Bradley that he was not medically cleared and that contributed to his exclusion from the roster.
Davies sent some ill intentioned comments at his club team and specifically the president implying that while he was cleared to practice with the club they were self serving in trying to protect their investment and took steps to make sure he was left off the world cup team. Bradley who took some heat from fans and media for seeming to accept the word of the club team stated a few days later that the national team had made a similar assessment of Davies and they collaborated with the club to determine he was not healthy enough.
The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle. Club teams are leery of sending their high dollar investments off to play a match with their country that could result in injury (see AC Milan’s response to Oguchi Onyewu’s injury). While I believe Bradley that they conducted their own assessment, I think it is not out of the question that he deferred to the wishes of the club in this situation.
Davies on the other hand showed in his interview that he was not happy with how the club and seemingly Bradley handled the situation. He believes the club blackballed him and Bradley simply folded.
While Davies has shown his youth and some immaturity in his comments he is still a part of the future of the U.S. national team at the age of 23. Bradley has since provided further insight into the situation and seems sincere that he wanted Davies to come to camp but did not think he was ready. Whatever happens, Bradley needs to handle the situation well.
He is dealing with a player who many fans of the USMNT have seen make tremendous strides to represent his country. The court of public opinion will judge him on how he handles the situation. For a coach who’s current job and future job prospects ride on the performance of his team in June and July, he will need manage this situation well.
With what Davies endured the fact that he was not physically ready seven months later is completely understandable. But to Davies the way he was evaluated and treated by his club team has caused some issues. Davies struck out at his club president last week after receiving word from Bob Bradley that he was not medically cleared and that contributed to his exclusion from the roster.
Davies sent some ill intentioned comments at his club team and specifically the president implying that while he was cleared to practice with the club they were self serving in trying to protect their investment and took steps to make sure he was left off the world cup team. Bradley who took some heat from fans and media for seeming to accept the word of the club team stated a few days later that the national team had made a similar assessment of Davies and they collaborated with the club to determine he was not healthy enough.
The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle. Club teams are leery of sending their high dollar investments off to play a match with their country that could result in injury (see AC Milan’s response to Oguchi Onyewu’s injury). While I believe Bradley that they conducted their own assessment, I think it is not out of the question that he deferred to the wishes of the club in this situation.
Davies on the other hand showed in his interview that he was not happy with how the club and seemingly Bradley handled the situation. He believes the club blackballed him and Bradley simply folded.
While Davies has shown his youth and some immaturity in his comments he is still a part of the future of the U.S. national team at the age of 23. Bradley has since provided further insight into the situation and seems sincere that he wanted Davies to come to camp but did not think he was ready. Whatever happens, Bradley needs to handle the situation well.
He is dealing with a player who many fans of the USMNT have seen make tremendous strides to represent his country. The court of public opinion will judge him on how he handles the situation. For a coach who’s current job and future job prospects ride on the performance of his team in June and July, he will need manage this situation well.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Fantasy Baseball concept.... 2nd half league
This method may be out there somewhere... but I have yet to find it.
Im tired of the leagues that I have 20+ guys on my rosters.... and in order to be successful I have to make changes on a daily basis. Add this player.... move this one to the DL... sit him today but play him the next 4 games..... BS!
Im looking for a league with the following concept:
Rosters:
Starting=
1 pitching staff (you get the entire team)
1 C
1 1B
1 infielder (2B, SS, 3B)
2 outfielders
Bench=
1 pitching staff
1 C
1 1B
2 infielders
2 outfielders
Point System:
Pitching=
2 points for W
1 point for Sv
1 point per K
-1 point per BB
-0.5 points per ER
Hitting=
1 point per Run
1 point per BB
1 point per RBI
1 point per SB
0.5 points per total bases
-0.5 points per K
8, 10, 12 team leagues
standings based on points earned
rosters lock for 1 week at a time
thoughts???
Enough is enough... bring on the NFL
Going on right now, we have the NHL playoffs, the NBA playoffs, and the beginning of the baseball season. YAWN! Bring on the NFL! The last game was back in the first week of February... which thankfully I had a SLIGHT interest in.... but for most fans, the season has been over for over 4 months now. A couple of days of the NFL draft is no where near enough to quench my thirst for some pigskin. Especially when you are a fan of a successful team in the league. For fans in Detroit, St Louis, Kansas City, etc... yeah, you may look forward to the draft. Teams that are already complete, lets get back on the field and hit somebody.
The NFL offseason brings another thing to rest for 8 months of the year..... FANTASY football. The fantasy baseball leagues that are available are just pathetic (I'll talk more about that in another blog), and fantasy leagues for the other sports have never really caught on. But I am going to do my best to fill your fantasy void in mid-may. I am going to give you my first look at the 2010 depth charts for fantasy this year. Are you ready?
QBs:
1. Drew Brees - can you really not rank him at the top. He is the guy with the most toys, who plays in a dome for his 8 home games, and his road schedule is pretty favorable. Add the fact that his coach loves to push the ball, and he has a defense that creates turnovers giving him extra chances to attack the red zone, and you have the best fantasy QB.
2. Peyton Manning - he has been shown up on the stat sheet the last 2 years by Brees, and was also shown up by Brees in the Superbowl last year. Expect a big year by Manning. He is very prideful, and actually quite selfish when it comes to numbers. He wants to shine the brightest, and doesn't like being in anyone's shadow.
3. Tony Romo - yes, Tony Romo. Behind Brees, no one else has as many toys to play with. The addition of Dez Bryant will be huge for Romo, and also Roy Williams. I don't believe the Cowboys have a legit #1 receiver, but I feel that they have 3 very good #2's (Williams, Austin, Bryant) and a pro bowl TE in Witten. Throw in all of the speed out of the backfield, and Romo should have a career year.
4. Phillip Rivers - no one has done more with less than Rivers the last 3 years. Although Antonio Gates is a pro bowler every year, and Vincent Jackson had a breakout season, Rivers is not often mentioned with the top passers in the league, even though his number justify his placement.
5. Tom Brady - interesting how quickly your stock can fall in just a couple of years. It wasn't too long ago that he threw for 50 touchdowns and was the best fantasy option available. Now he is at best the 5th rated QB.... and shouldn't go before round 5 in any league.
Rounding out the top 10:
6. Aaron Rodgers - young, mobile, and good supporting cast
7. Matt Schaub - great season, but now has the attention of D-coordinators
8. Brett Favre - 33 touchdowns and Peterson to handoff to is a good option
9. Jay Cutler - starting to get some weapons
10. Kevin Kolb - if he stays upright, his numbers should be good....
Stay tuned for a look at the top 10 RBs.....
World Cup Roster Announced: Several Surprises
Bob Bradley released his 30 man roster for the pre-world cup camp and gave U.S. soccer fans several surprises. First, he actually took the full 30. Rumors were circulating he would only employ 27-28 spots.
Second, Charlie Davies was omitted from the roster for medical reasons. Bradley stated that Davies simply was not cleared by his club doctors and they could not take the risk. Understandable, but the omission is sad for Davies who had worked very hard to recover from multiple injuries suffered from a car accident last September.
Third, some interesting names surfaced on the roster that has already drawn the ire of message boards and blogs. I can admit that I was wrong on several of these guys. All my locks made the roster but after that there were several selections that I just simply did not see coming.
Here is the roster:
Goalkeepers- Tim Howard, Marcus Hahnemann, Brad Guzan
Defenders- Carlos Bocanegra, Oguchi Onyewu, Steve Cherundolo, Jonathan Spector, Jay DeMerit, Clarence Goodson, Jonathan Bornstein, Heath Pearce, Chad Marshall
Midfielders- Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, Stuart Holden, Ricardo Clark, Maurice Edu, Benny Feilhaber, Jose Francisco Torres, Alejandro Bedoya, DaMarcus Beasley, Sacha Kljestan, Robbie Rogers
Forwards- Jozy Altidore, Conor Casey, Brian Ching, Edson Buddle, Eddie Johnson, Herculez Gomez
Names I thought were surprises include Kljestan, Rogers, and Marshall. Kljestan has looked good in MLS but he is a shell of the player who merited a trail with Scottish club Celtic two years ago. He is a good player but seems to be the last option in a stacked central midfield. My pick to replace him would be Kyle Beckerman of Real Salt Lake.
Rogers may be the biggest surprise of them all. He simply has not looked good at all for Columbus this year. While he is still very young he is clearly being brought into camp because Bradley is familiar with him and he has been a part of the last few USMNT rosters. My pick to replace him would be Freddie Adu. There are a lot of Adu fan boys out there and I am not one of them. Truth be told I am not a big fan of his, but he has gotten consistent minutes for a top 4 club in Greece and produced assists and goals for that team down the stretch in league and tournament play.
Marshall in defense seems to be a surprise because he played his first full match this past weekend. With that said, Marshall was a staple for USMNT bench before his injury that allowed Goodson to take his spot. I fully expect him to be given the chance to battle with Goodson for the last defenders spot on the 23 man roster. I would have taken Nick Rimando as a 4th goalkeeper but that is irrelevant.
Truthfully, the best chance Kljestan, Rogers, and Marshall have of going to the world cup is if they buy tickets. As of right now these three combined with Pearce and three of Casey, Ching, Buddle, Johnson, and Gomez are the best bets not to make the team plane to South Africa.
With that said my way to early projection for the world cup 23 man roster:
Goalkeeper: Tim Howard, Brad Guzan, Marcus Hahnemann
Defense: Oguchi Oneywu, Carlos Bocanegra, Jay Demerit, Jonathan Bornstien, Jonathan Spector, Steve Cherundolo, Clarence Goodson
Midfield: Landon Donovan, Michael Bradley, Maurice Edu, Clint Dempsey, Ricardo Clark, Stuart Holden, Bennie Feilhaber, Jose Torres, DeMarcus Beasley, Alejandro Bedoya
Forward: Jozy Altidore, Brian Ching, Edson Buddle
Last on the roster: Alejandro Bedoya, Edson Buddle
Last off the roster: Herculez Gomez, Heath Pearce
What do you think about the roster?
Second, Charlie Davies was omitted from the roster for medical reasons. Bradley stated that Davies simply was not cleared by his club doctors and they could not take the risk. Understandable, but the omission is sad for Davies who had worked very hard to recover from multiple injuries suffered from a car accident last September.
Third, some interesting names surfaced on the roster that has already drawn the ire of message boards and blogs. I can admit that I was wrong on several of these guys. All my locks made the roster but after that there were several selections that I just simply did not see coming.
Here is the roster:
Goalkeepers- Tim Howard, Marcus Hahnemann, Brad Guzan
Defenders- Carlos Bocanegra, Oguchi Onyewu, Steve Cherundolo, Jonathan Spector, Jay DeMerit, Clarence Goodson, Jonathan Bornstein, Heath Pearce, Chad Marshall
Midfielders- Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, Stuart Holden, Ricardo Clark, Maurice Edu, Benny Feilhaber, Jose Francisco Torres, Alejandro Bedoya, DaMarcus Beasley, Sacha Kljestan, Robbie Rogers
Forwards- Jozy Altidore, Conor Casey, Brian Ching, Edson Buddle, Eddie Johnson, Herculez Gomez
Names I thought were surprises include Kljestan, Rogers, and Marshall. Kljestan has looked good in MLS but he is a shell of the player who merited a trail with Scottish club Celtic two years ago. He is a good player but seems to be the last option in a stacked central midfield. My pick to replace him would be Kyle Beckerman of Real Salt Lake.
Rogers may be the biggest surprise of them all. He simply has not looked good at all for Columbus this year. While he is still very young he is clearly being brought into camp because Bradley is familiar with him and he has been a part of the last few USMNT rosters. My pick to replace him would be Freddie Adu. There are a lot of Adu fan boys out there and I am not one of them. Truth be told I am not a big fan of his, but he has gotten consistent minutes for a top 4 club in Greece and produced assists and goals for that team down the stretch in league and tournament play.
Marshall in defense seems to be a surprise because he played his first full match this past weekend. With that said, Marshall was a staple for USMNT bench before his injury that allowed Goodson to take his spot. I fully expect him to be given the chance to battle with Goodson for the last defenders spot on the 23 man roster. I would have taken Nick Rimando as a 4th goalkeeper but that is irrelevant.
Truthfully, the best chance Kljestan, Rogers, and Marshall have of going to the world cup is if they buy tickets. As of right now these three combined with Pearce and three of Casey, Ching, Buddle, Johnson, and Gomez are the best bets not to make the team plane to South Africa.
With that said my way to early projection for the world cup 23 man roster:
Goalkeeper: Tim Howard, Brad Guzan, Marcus Hahnemann
Defense: Oguchi Oneywu, Carlos Bocanegra, Jay Demerit, Jonathan Bornstien, Jonathan Spector, Steve Cherundolo, Clarence Goodson
Midfield: Landon Donovan, Michael Bradley, Maurice Edu, Clint Dempsey, Ricardo Clark, Stuart Holden, Bennie Feilhaber, Jose Torres, DeMarcus Beasley, Alejandro Bedoya
Forward: Jozy Altidore, Brian Ching, Edson Buddle
Last on the roster: Alejandro Bedoya, Edson Buddle
Last off the roster: Herculez Gomez, Heath Pearce
What do you think about the roster?
Dont believe the Big 10 expansion hype yet.
So I see that ESPN is running with a KC radio station's story that they have sources that say that Nebraska, Missouri and Notre Dame has had talks about joining the Big Ten conference. Nevermind that the Kansas City Star and both Big 12 schools refuted the story, ESPN decided to run away with this story hook, line, and sinker. Even if you're a fan of one of these schools, let me tell you why you should take ZERO stock in the Big 10 adding anyone but Notre Dame.
TIMING - The Big 10 has said time and time again it will take 12-18 months in total time to decide to expand, but they've made a decision in less than four? Do you really believe that? This report, even if semi-true is made just to force the Big 12's hand into seeing if they can get a better TV deal and split up some money through the North division. Right now, I can not see that happening when the conference hasn't won a national title in a while. On a regular conference weekend, 8 of the 12 teams are on national broadcasts, with the option of one of the 2 games not picked up to go to pay per view (Nebraska has done this a lot the last few years, with them having profited tremendously). You can blame that on fan base; Nebraska fans will be quicker to pick up a game on PPV and pay the money at home and bars than Mizzou fans will.
COLORADO WANTS OUT OF THE BIG 12, LIKE NOW - It's no secret that Colorado is awful in most sports in the Big 12. Football team is spinning tires under Dan Hawkins, they are looking for a new basketball coach, and they do not have a baseball team to field. The cost of doing business in the Big 12 for them is bad for their school; the cost of going to an away game is getting higher and higher (the closest Big 12 team, K-State, is a 7 hour drive). It makes sense for Colorado to go to the Pac 10 conference as fast as possible. California has a very large Colorado alumni association (almost 35k plus, versus 11k total in all other Big 12 North states), and they could compete better in both football and men's and women's basketball in that conference. The reason they haven't gone yet, though, is..
COST TO LEAVE THE BIG 12 CONFERENCE - The guys at DoubleExtraPoint broke down the cost of leaving the conference for Colorado...
"The Boulder Daily Camera states, "Under Big 12 rules, Colorado must give two years notice if it plans to withdraw from the league and would forfeit 50 percent of its conference distribution for both of those years. CU received $9.7 million from the Big 12 for the 2008-09 school year and is expecting about $9 million this year because the league had only one team in a Bowl Championship Series football game. Assuming those numbers remain consistent over the next two years, it would cost Colorado roughly $4.5 million per year or $9 million over two years to leave the Big 12. The fall of 2012 is the target date for any possible Pac-10 expansion because that is when its new television agreements will begin."
The Wiz of Odds followed with, "The athletic department has an operating budget of about $45 million, which means a forfeiture of roughly 10%. That's a lot of money for a department that balked at firing Dan Hawkins because a $3 million separation package was viewed as too steep a price.
.... Now, imagine if Nebraska makes a BCS bowl game in anytime of that two years, would Tom Osborne want to eliminate, as a ballpark figure, $13-14 million dollars? I know that Mizzou couldn't do that, you're eliminating a lot of the budget. Unless you have a donor that just has $10 million laying around, or the Big 10 would pay the money, it's not going to happen.
NOTRE DAME FACTOR- it makes perfect sense for Notre Dame to get in the conference, that would help them in basketball first, but then the football team would get better visibility through the schedule and television deal. (NBC's deal with ND stinks, for a lack of a better term) Plus, geographically it's easier for a team in Indiana to play there than someone from Nebraska. How many games would Husker fan go to in, say, Indiana/Pennsylvania? Everyone in the Big 12 North is, at worst, a 8 hour drive from Lincoln. Columbia isn't too much better, but at least the drive to an Illinois/Iowa game is tolerable. Penn State? Not so much.
Bottom line is, there are a lot of hoops to jump through before anything happens. Dont believe anything anyone (ESPN) says till at least the winter of 2011 at earliest.
TIMING - The Big 10 has said time and time again it will take 12-18 months in total time to decide to expand, but they've made a decision in less than four? Do you really believe that? This report, even if semi-true is made just to force the Big 12's hand into seeing if they can get a better TV deal and split up some money through the North division. Right now, I can not see that happening when the conference hasn't won a national title in a while. On a regular conference weekend, 8 of the 12 teams are on national broadcasts, with the option of one of the 2 games not picked up to go to pay per view (Nebraska has done this a lot the last few years, with them having profited tremendously). You can blame that on fan base; Nebraska fans will be quicker to pick up a game on PPV and pay the money at home and bars than Mizzou fans will.
COLORADO WANTS OUT OF THE BIG 12, LIKE NOW - It's no secret that Colorado is awful in most sports in the Big 12. Football team is spinning tires under Dan Hawkins, they are looking for a new basketball coach, and they do not have a baseball team to field. The cost of doing business in the Big 12 for them is bad for their school; the cost of going to an away game is getting higher and higher (the closest Big 12 team, K-State, is a 7 hour drive). It makes sense for Colorado to go to the Pac 10 conference as fast as possible. California has a very large Colorado alumni association (almost 35k plus, versus 11k total in all other Big 12 North states), and they could compete better in both football and men's and women's basketball in that conference. The reason they haven't gone yet, though, is..
COST TO LEAVE THE BIG 12 CONFERENCE - The guys at DoubleExtraPoint broke down the cost of leaving the conference for Colorado...
"The Boulder Daily Camera states, "Under Big 12 rules, Colorado must give two years notice if it plans to withdraw from the league and would forfeit 50 percent of its conference distribution for both of those years. CU received $9.7 million from the Big 12 for the 2008-09 school year and is expecting about $9 million this year because the league had only one team in a Bowl Championship Series football game. Assuming those numbers remain consistent over the next two years, it would cost Colorado roughly $4.5 million per year or $9 million over two years to leave the Big 12. The fall of 2012 is the target date for any possible Pac-10 expansion because that is when its new television agreements will begin."
The Wiz of Odds followed with, "The athletic department has an operating budget of about $45 million, which means a forfeiture of roughly 10%. That's a lot of money for a department that balked at firing Dan Hawkins because a $3 million separation package was viewed as too steep a price.
.... Now, imagine if Nebraska makes a BCS bowl game in anytime of that two years, would Tom Osborne want to eliminate, as a ballpark figure, $13-14 million dollars? I know that Mizzou couldn't do that, you're eliminating a lot of the budget. Unless you have a donor that just has $10 million laying around, or the Big 10 would pay the money, it's not going to happen.
NOTRE DAME FACTOR- it makes perfect sense for Notre Dame to get in the conference, that would help them in basketball first, but then the football team would get better visibility through the schedule and television deal. (NBC's deal with ND stinks, for a lack of a better term) Plus, geographically it's easier for a team in Indiana to play there than someone from Nebraska. How many games would Husker fan go to in, say, Indiana/Pennsylvania? Everyone in the Big 12 North is, at worst, a 8 hour drive from Lincoln. Columbia isn't too much better, but at least the drive to an Illinois/Iowa game is tolerable. Penn State? Not so much.
Bottom line is, there are a lot of hoops to jump through before anything happens. Dont believe anything anyone (ESPN) says till at least the winter of 2011 at earliest.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Prediction for World Cup Camp Roster
Tomorrow Bob Bradley is slated to select his roster of players to be invited to the world cup pre-camp. This is a camp where Bradley can select up to 30 players, bring them in for a few weeks and work them out. The team will play three warm-up matches prior to world cup during this camp (May 25th vs the Czech Republic, May 29th vs Turkey, and June 5th vs Australia) and we could see some experiments taking place. The rumors are that Bradley will bring no more than 27 into camp but for the sake of argument I will list the thirty I think will be selected.
Locks (22): These are guys who have proven themselves with their club and have track records with the national team.
Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Tim Howard, Michael Bradley, Carlos Bocanegra, Jozy Altidore, Oguchi Onyewu, Jonathan Spector, Maurice Edu, Stuart Holden, Jonathan Bornstein, Brad Guzan, Marcus Hahnemann, Jose Torres, Bennie Feilhaber, Steve Cherundolo, Jay Demerit, Ricardo Clark, Clarence Goodson, Charlie Davies, Demarcus Beasley, Alejandro Bedoya
The remaining eight:
23. Edson Buddle, Forward – Buddle is the hottest goal scorer in the MLS right now and Bradley has been in touch with him about coming. Seems like a no brainer since the team needs the most help at Forward.
24. Herculez Gomez, Forward – Rounding out the forwards is Gomez who only became the first American to lead a foreign league (Mexico) in goals scored. He had a failed run with the national team in early 2007 but that was as a wing player. He looks much different playing in a center forward role. Bradley will take a look.
25. Brian Ching, Forward – Ching plays the target forward position better than anyone in the player pool and would be a lock if it was not for injury. He is back to full training and should play this Thursday before the camp for the Houston Dynamo.
26. Freddie Adu, Midfield – Adu can play both central and wing, so his versatility helps. His move to Aris has yielded consistent playing time which has helped his game tremendously. I may be foolish but I think Bradley takes a look.
27. Heath Pearce, Fullback – Pearce has shown his ability as an effective fullback on the right and left side for FC Dallas. He is great going forward and an adequate defender. Maybe his playing time will bring him back to form when he was the starting left back for the USMNT in 2008.
28. Nick Rimando, Keeper – Rimando is solid for Real Salt Lake and it always helps to have an extra keeper in camp.
29. Eddie Johnson, Forward – Johnson has really improved since moving to Greece. He is scoring goals and most importantly he is scoring them against good competition and in the pressure situations.
30. Connor Casey, Forward – A pure target striker who offers little else. He is brought in to battle Ching for a possible target striker spot. If Ching is healthy it will be an uphill climb.
If Bradley takes 27 I think he brings in Ching, Gomez, Buddle, Adu, and Pearce to join the 22 locks. What do you think?
Locks (22): These are guys who have proven themselves with their club and have track records with the national team.
Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Tim Howard, Michael Bradley, Carlos Bocanegra, Jozy Altidore, Oguchi Onyewu, Jonathan Spector, Maurice Edu, Stuart Holden, Jonathan Bornstein, Brad Guzan, Marcus Hahnemann, Jose Torres, Bennie Feilhaber, Steve Cherundolo, Jay Demerit, Ricardo Clark, Clarence Goodson, Charlie Davies, Demarcus Beasley, Alejandro Bedoya
The remaining eight:
23. Edson Buddle, Forward – Buddle is the hottest goal scorer in the MLS right now and Bradley has been in touch with him about coming. Seems like a no brainer since the team needs the most help at Forward.
24. Herculez Gomez, Forward – Rounding out the forwards is Gomez who only became the first American to lead a foreign league (Mexico) in goals scored. He had a failed run with the national team in early 2007 but that was as a wing player. He looks much different playing in a center forward role. Bradley will take a look.
25. Brian Ching, Forward – Ching plays the target forward position better than anyone in the player pool and would be a lock if it was not for injury. He is back to full training and should play this Thursday before the camp for the Houston Dynamo.
26. Freddie Adu, Midfield – Adu can play both central and wing, so his versatility helps. His move to Aris has yielded consistent playing time which has helped his game tremendously. I may be foolish but I think Bradley takes a look.
27. Heath Pearce, Fullback – Pearce has shown his ability as an effective fullback on the right and left side for FC Dallas. He is great going forward and an adequate defender. Maybe his playing time will bring him back to form when he was the starting left back for the USMNT in 2008.
28. Nick Rimando, Keeper – Rimando is solid for Real Salt Lake and it always helps to have an extra keeper in camp.
29. Eddie Johnson, Forward – Johnson has really improved since moving to Greece. He is scoring goals and most importantly he is scoring them against good competition and in the pressure situations.
30. Connor Casey, Forward – A pure target striker who offers little else. He is brought in to battle Ching for a possible target striker spot. If Ching is healthy it will be an uphill climb.
If Bradley takes 27 I think he brings in Ching, Gomez, Buddle, Adu, and Pearce to join the 22 locks. What do you think?
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
One month into Major League Baseball, what do we think we know so far?
Only one month into a very long 6 month regular season spanning 162 games, there is little we can know for sure, but there are definitely some stories taking shape that we can look into. So what do we know?
The Yankees are still the Yankees from a year ago. Dominant lineup, dominant pitching, and looking every bit the part of the reigning World Champs. Only one problem, they are second in their own division, 1 game behind the pesky Tampa Bay Rays as of this writing. They lead the American League in runs scored and team ERA, and will push the Yankees all season long for top spot in the AL East. Just how long before everyone forgets about the Red Sox and basically writes them off?
Ron Gardenhire continues to make his case as one of, if not, the best manager in all of baseball. His Minnesota Twins are off to a fast start again, and if not for the Tigers playing some good early baseball, they would be in the process of running and hiding in the AL Central. Closer Joe Nathan went down for the year prior to opening day. No problem, insert Jon Rauch. Reigning MVP Joe Mauer is already on the DL, and all they do is bring up a young catcher in WIlson Ramos who only had 4 hits in his big league debut. Justin Morneau continues to be the quietest superstar in baseball. Whatever you throw at gardenhire, he continues to handle it in stride, and just win.
We know next to nothing about the AL West. Prior to the weekend series, the Texas Rangers were in last. Come the end of Sunday following a sweep of the Mariners, the Rangers were in first. The Northern San Diego via Los Angeles but residing in Aneheim Angels are playing completely uninspired baseball so far, leaving this division wide open for the taking, yet nobody appears to want to take it.
The Rangers cant pitch one week, then the next week, can't hit, and then when they find a way to do both, have little prayer on closing it out. Vlad looks revived, but not to worry, the other big offseason acquisition Rich Harden is doing his best effort of canceling that out. On the other hand, the Mariners can pitch all day, but it will get very rough losing 1-0 and 2-1 on a constant basis. The A's may just sneek by everyone else and take sieze control of this division late, kind of like that little guy in the race who has no chance, but steals victory when the other 3 knock each other down by accident. Cool Runnings anyone?
In the NL East, surprise surprise, the Phillies are off to another good start, and in first place, but after a recent string with 10 wins in 11 games, the Mets have closed it to a game back, along with the Nationals. The Phillies still have to be the favorites to win the division and the entire National League again, but maybe, just maybe, a couple other teams will hang with them.
The Cubs continue to be lovable losers, with a losing record after the first month, and after a wild move of demoting opening day starter and staff ace Carlos Zambrano to the bullpen, things don't have the brightest outlook. Unless some things change quickly for the Cubs and the rest of the NL Central, it will be a fight for second in the division behind the Cardinals.
The NL West continues to be much like the AL West, and pretty much be the irrelevant division of its respective league. The Padres are off to a hot start, but it remains as the Padres, and the skeptics aren't going anywhere anytime soon. We will see if they can keep it up.
The big surprise is that of the Dodgers, who are off to an 11-15 start, and with all that talent, that is a big surprise. The Giants may have the best pitching in the entire league, so they will hang around all season behind Lincecum, Cain, Sanchez and a ressurected Barry Zito.
The Diamondbacks can mash the baseball, averaging nearly 1.5 homeruns per game after hitting their 40th last night. Unfortunately for them, they can't pitch after Dan Haren. Brandon Webb may never be back at this pace, and the bullpen has little prayer to hold a lead when not playing the Astros.
So a couple predictions through one month:
AL playoff teams being the Yankees from the East, Twins from the Central, and the A's from the West with the Rays easily winning the Wild Card. Watch for the Rangers to change the West winner.
NL Playoff teams being the Phillies from the East, Cardinals from the Central, Giants from the West, and the Rockies playing some good baseball later in the season to take the Wild Card.
I must say a Twins-Phillies World Series with the Twins winning it all.
The Yankees are still the Yankees from a year ago. Dominant lineup, dominant pitching, and looking every bit the part of the reigning World Champs. Only one problem, they are second in their own division, 1 game behind the pesky Tampa Bay Rays as of this writing. They lead the American League in runs scored and team ERA, and will push the Yankees all season long for top spot in the AL East. Just how long before everyone forgets about the Red Sox and basically writes them off?
Ron Gardenhire continues to make his case as one of, if not, the best manager in all of baseball. His Minnesota Twins are off to a fast start again, and if not for the Tigers playing some good early baseball, they would be in the process of running and hiding in the AL Central. Closer Joe Nathan went down for the year prior to opening day. No problem, insert Jon Rauch. Reigning MVP Joe Mauer is already on the DL, and all they do is bring up a young catcher in WIlson Ramos who only had 4 hits in his big league debut. Justin Morneau continues to be the quietest superstar in baseball. Whatever you throw at gardenhire, he continues to handle it in stride, and just win.
We know next to nothing about the AL West. Prior to the weekend series, the Texas Rangers were in last. Come the end of Sunday following a sweep of the Mariners, the Rangers were in first. The Northern San Diego via Los Angeles but residing in Aneheim Angels are playing completely uninspired baseball so far, leaving this division wide open for the taking, yet nobody appears to want to take it.
The Rangers cant pitch one week, then the next week, can't hit, and then when they find a way to do both, have little prayer on closing it out. Vlad looks revived, but not to worry, the other big offseason acquisition Rich Harden is doing his best effort of canceling that out. On the other hand, the Mariners can pitch all day, but it will get very rough losing 1-0 and 2-1 on a constant basis. The A's may just sneek by everyone else and take sieze control of this division late, kind of like that little guy in the race who has no chance, but steals victory when the other 3 knock each other down by accident. Cool Runnings anyone?
In the NL East, surprise surprise, the Phillies are off to another good start, and in first place, but after a recent string with 10 wins in 11 games, the Mets have closed it to a game back, along with the Nationals. The Phillies still have to be the favorites to win the division and the entire National League again, but maybe, just maybe, a couple other teams will hang with them.
The Cubs continue to be lovable losers, with a losing record after the first month, and after a wild move of demoting opening day starter and staff ace Carlos Zambrano to the bullpen, things don't have the brightest outlook. Unless some things change quickly for the Cubs and the rest of the NL Central, it will be a fight for second in the division behind the Cardinals.
The NL West continues to be much like the AL West, and pretty much be the irrelevant division of its respective league. The Padres are off to a hot start, but it remains as the Padres, and the skeptics aren't going anywhere anytime soon. We will see if they can keep it up.
The big surprise is that of the Dodgers, who are off to an 11-15 start, and with all that talent, that is a big surprise. The Giants may have the best pitching in the entire league, so they will hang around all season behind Lincecum, Cain, Sanchez and a ressurected Barry Zito.
The Diamondbacks can mash the baseball, averaging nearly 1.5 homeruns per game after hitting their 40th last night. Unfortunately for them, they can't pitch after Dan Haren. Brandon Webb may never be back at this pace, and the bullpen has little prayer to hold a lead when not playing the Astros.
So a couple predictions through one month:
AL playoff teams being the Yankees from the East, Twins from the Central, and the A's from the West with the Rays easily winning the Wild Card. Watch for the Rangers to change the West winner.
NL Playoff teams being the Phillies from the East, Cardinals from the Central, Giants from the West, and the Rockies playing some good baseball later in the season to take the Wild Card.
I must say a Twins-Phillies World Series with the Twins winning it all.
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