tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63323121040967542412011-09-08T14:56:46.614-07:00amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.comBlogger761100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-82592006405130730682011-09-08T14:31:00.000-07:002011-09-08T14:56:46.628-07:00<b><i>AFC East</i></b><div>*New England (12-4)</div><div>*New York Jets (10-6)</div><div>Miami (7-9)</div><div>Buffalo (4-12)</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>AFC North</i></b></div><div>*Pittsburgh (11-5)</div><div>*Baltimore (10-6)</div><div>Cleveland (6-10)</div><div>Cincinnati (3-13)</div><div><br /><b><i>AFC South</i></b></div><div>*Tennessee (9-7)</div><div>Houston (8-8)</div><div>Indianapolis (5-11)</div><div>Jacksonville (5-11)</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>AFC West</i></b></div><div>*San Diego (12-4)</div><div>Kansas City (9-7)</div><div>Denver (7-9)</div><div>Oakland (6-10)</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>NFC East</i></b></div><div>*Dallas (10-6)</div><div>*Philadelphia (10-6)</div><div>New York Giants (7-9)</div><div>Washington (7-9)</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>NFC North</i></b></div><div>*Green Bay (11-5)</div><div>Detroit (10-6)</div><div>Minnesota (6-10)</div><div>Chicago (5-11)</div><div><br /><b><i>NFC South</i></b></div><div>*New Orleans (12-4)</div><div>*Atlanta (10-6)</div><div>Tampa Bay (7-9)</div><div>Carolina (4-12)</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>NFC West</i></b></div><div>*St. Louis (9-7)</div><div>Arizona (8-8)</div><div>San Fran (7-9)</div><div>Seattle (5-11)</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>PLAYOFFS</i></b></div><div><b><i>Wild Card Round</i></b></div><div>Baltimore over @Tennessee</div><div>@Pittsburgh over NY Jets</div><div>@Dallas over Atlanta</div><div>Philadelphia over @St. Louis</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Divisional Round</i></b></div><div>@San Diego over Baltimore</div><div>@New England over Pittsburgh</div><div>@Green Bay over Dallas</div><div>@New Orleans over Philadelphia</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Conference Championships</i></b></div><div>San Diego over @New England</div><div>@New Orleans over Green Bay</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>Super Bowl</i></b></div><div>San Diego over New Orleans</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>NFL MVP: Phillip Rivers, SD<br />Rushing Title: Jamaal Charles, KC<br />Receiving Title: Andre Johnson, HOU</b></div><div><b>Sack Leader: Elvis Dumervil, DEN</b></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-8259200640513073068?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-9981844463404179472011-09-01T00:23:00.001-07:002011-09-01T00:33:36.156-07:00<b><i>Final Top Ten on December 4th, 2011:</i></b><div>1) Oklahoma 12-0</div><div>2) Nebraska 12-0</div><div>3) Georgia 12-1</div><div>4) Stanford 12-1</div><div>5) Alabama 11-1</div><div>6) Florida State 11-2</div><div>7) Va. Tech 12-1</div><div>8) Boise State 11-1</div><div>9) Oregon 11-1</div><div>10) West Virginia 10-2</div><div> <br /></div><div><b><i>BCS BOWL GAMES:</i></b></div><div>Nat'l Title: Oklahoma (#1) over Nebraska (#2)</div><div>Rose: Alabama (At-Large) over Stanford (Pac-12) </div><div>Sugar: Georgia (SEC) over Virginia Tech (At-Large)</div><div>Orange: Florida State (ACC) over Boise State (At-Large)</div><div>Fiesta: Notre Dame (At-Large) over West Virginia (Big East)</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-998184446340417947?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-11929227861641547132011-09-01T00:03:00.000-07:002011-09-01T00:17:24.538-07:00<b><i>BIG EAST:</i></b><div>*West Virginia 10-2 (7-0)</div><div>South Florida 9-3 (6-1)</div><div>Cincinnati 8-4 (4-3)</div><div>UCONN 8-4 (4-3)</div><div>PITT 6-6 (4-3)</div><div>Louisville 5-7 (2-5)</div><div>Syracuse 4-8 (1-6)</div><div>Rutgers 3-9 (0-7)</div><div> <br /></div><div><i><b>SEC:</b></i> <br />*Georgia 11-1 (7-1)</div><div>South Carolina 10-2 (6-2)</div><div>Florida 8-4 (5-3)</div><div>Kentucky 6-6 (2-6)</div><div>Tennessee 5-7 (1-7)</div><div>Vanderbilt 2-10 (0-8)</div><div> <br /></div><div>*LSU 11-1 (8-0)</div><div>Alabama 11-1 (7-1)</div><div>Arkansas 9-3 (6-2)</div><div>Miss State 7-5 (3-5)</div><div>Mississippi 6-6 (2-6)</div><div>Auburn 5-7 (1-7)</div><div>TITLE GAME: GEORGIA over LSU</div><div> <br /></div><div><b><i>ACC:</i></b> <br />*Florida State 10-2 (7-1)</div><div>Maryland 9-3 (6-2)</div><div>Clemson 6-6 (4-4)</div><div>Boston College 4-8 (3-5)</div><div>NC State 4-8 (1-7)</div><div>Wake 2-10 (1-7)</div><div> <br /></div><div>*Va. Tech 12-0 (8-0)</div><div>Miami 9-3 (6-2)</div><div>N.C. 9-3 (5-3)</div><div>Ga Tech 6-6 (3-5)</div><div>Virginia 4-8 (2-6)</div><div>Duke 4-8 (1-7)</div><div>TITLE GAME: FLORIDA STATE over VIRGINIA TECH</div><div> <br /></div><div><b><i>PAC 12:</i></b></div><div>*Stanford 11-1 (7-1)</div><div>Oregon 11-1 (7-1)</div><div>Oregon St 6-6 (4-4)</div><div>Washington 6-6 (3-5)</div><div>CAL 6-6 (2-6)</div><div>Wash State 2-10 (0-8)</div><div> <br /></div><div>USC 11-1 (7-1)</div><div>*Utah 8-4 (5-3)</div><div>Arizona 6-6 (4-4)</div><div>ASU 5-7 (4-4)</div><div>UCLA 6-6 (3-5)</div><div>Colorado 3-9 (1-7)</div><div>TITLE GAME: STANFORD over UTAH</div><div> <br /></div><div><b><i>BIG 10:</i></b></div><div>*Nebraska 12-0 (8-0)</div><div>Michigan State 8-4 (5-3)</div><div>Northwestern 9-3 (5-3)</div><div>Iowa 8-4 (4-4)</div><div>Michigan 6-6 (3-5)</div><div>Minnesota 2-10 (0-8)</div><div> <br /></div><div>*Ohio State 11-1 (7-1)</div><div>Wisconsin 10-2 (6-2)</div><div>Penn State 7-5 (4-4)</div><div>Illinois 8-4 (4-4)</div><div>Indiana 5-7 (1-7)</div><div>Purdue 4-8 (1-7) <br />TITLE GAME: NEBRASKA over OHIO STATE</div><div> <br /></div><div><b><i>BIG 12:</i></b></div><div>*Oklahoma 12-0 (9-0)</div><div>Missouri 10-2 (7-2)</div><div>Okla State 10-2 (7-2)</div><div>Texas 9-3 (6-3)</div><div>Texas A&amp;M 9-3 (6-3)</div><div>Texas Tech 7-5 (4-5)</div><div>Kansas State 4-8 (2-7)</div><div>Kansas 4-8 (2-7)</div><div>Iowa State 3-9 (1-8)</div><div>Baylor 3-9 (1-8)</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-1192922786164154713?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-60038549042546218542011-08-31T23:33:00.001-07:002011-09-01T00:03:24.326-07:00<b><i>INDEPENDENTS:</i></b><div>Notre Dame (10-2)</div><div>BYU (7-5)</div><div>Navy (7-5)</div><div>Army (5-7)</div><div> <br /></div><div><b><i>MOUNTAIN WEST:</i></b></div><div>*Boise State (11-1) (7-0)</div><div>San Diego State (10-2) (6-1)</div><div>TCU (10-2) (5-2)</div><div>Air Force (8-4) (4-3)</div><div>Wyoming (5-7) (2-5)</div><div>Colorado St. (5-7) (2-5)</div><div>UNLV (3-9) (2-5)</div><div>New Mexico (2-10) (0-7)</div><div> <br /></div><div><b><i>WAC:</i></b></div><div>*Nevada (8-4) (7-1)</div><div>Hawaii (9-3) (7-1)</div><div>Fresno St. (7-6) (6-2)</div><div>Louisiana Tech (4-8) (3-5)</div><div>Idaho (3-9) (2-6)</div><div>New Mex St (2-10) (2-6)</div><div>San Jose St. (2-10) (2-6)</div><div>Utah State (2-10) (1-7)</div><div> <br /></div><div><b><i>CONFERENCE USA:</i></b></div><div>*Southern Miss (11-1) (7-1)</div><div>East Carolina (6-6) (6-2)</div><div>UCF (9-3) (6-2)</div><div>UAB (5-7) (3-5)</div><div>Marshall (3-9) (2-6)</div><div>Memphis (3-9) (1-7)</div><div> <br /></div><div>*Tulsa (6-6) (6-2)</div><div>SMU (8-4) (6-2)</div><div>Houston (9-3) (6-2)</div><div>Rice (3-9) (3-5)</div><div>UTEP (4-8) (1-7)</div><div>Tulane (2-10) (1-7) <br />TITLE GAME: SO MISS over TULSA</div><div> <br /></div><div><i><b>MAC:</b></i></div><div>*Miami (9-3) (7-1)</div><div>Temple (7-5) (6-2)</div><div>Ohio (6-6) (4-4)</div><div>Bowling Green (6-6) (3-5)</div><div>Buffalo (4-8) (3-5) <br />Akron (3-9) (2-6)</div><div>Kent State (2-10) (0-8)</div><div> <br /></div><div>*Central Michigan (8-4) (7-1)</div><div>Toledo (7-5) (6-2)</div><div>Northern Illinois (8-4) (6-2)</div><div>Western Michigan (6-6) (5-3)</div><div>Ball State (2-10) (2-6)</div><div>Eastern Michigan (3-9) (1-7)</div><div>TITLE GAME: MIAMI over CENTRAL MICHIGAN</div><div> <br /></div><div><b><i>SUN BELT:</i></b> <br /></div><div>*Troy (8-4) (7-1)</div><div>MTSU (6-6) (6-2)</div><div>FIU (6-6) (5-3)</div><div>Ark State (5-7) (4-4)</div><div>ULM (5-7) (4-4)</div><div>FAU (4-8) (4-4)</div><div>North Texas (3-9) (3-5)</div><div>Lousiana (3-9) (2-6)</div><div>WKU (2-10) (1-7)</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-6003854904254621854?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-91377060718087765702011-03-30T23:47:00.000-07:002011-03-30T23:50:07.206-07:00AMERICAN LEAGUE<br />*Boston (95-67)<br />*New York (93-69)<br />Tampa Bay (88-74)<br />Baltimore (82-80)<br />Toronto (77-85)<br /><br />*Chicago (91-71)<br />Minnesota (87-75)<br />Detroit (84-78)<br />Kansas City (71-91)<br />Cleveland (67-95)<br /><br />*Oakland (86-76)<br />Texas (83-79)<br />Anaheim (81-81)<br />Seattle (66-96)<br /><br />NATIONAL LEAGUE<br />*Philadelphia (94-68)<br />*Atlanta (88-74)<br />Florida (85-77)<br />New York (76-86)<br />Washington (70-92)<br /><br />*Chicago (88-74)<br />St Louis (86-76)<br />Cincinnati (82-80)<br />Milwaukee (79-83)<br />Houston (72-90)<br />Pittsburgh (64-98)<br /><br />*Los Angeles (90-72)<br />San Francisco (86-76)<br />Colorado (81-81)<br />San Diego (73-89)<br />Arizona (70-92)<br /><br />Playoffs:<br />Boston over Oakland in 3<br />Chicago(AL) over New York(AL) in 4<br />Philadelphia over Chicago(NL) in 4<br />Los Angeles over Atlanta in 5<br /><br />Chicago(AL) over Boston in 6<br />Philadelphia over Los Angeles in 7<br /><br />Philadelphia over Chicago(AL) in 6<br /><br />Stat Leader Predictions:<br />AL HR's: Mark Teixiera (44)<br />NL HR's: Prince Fielder (45)<br /><br />AL Batting Title: Joe Mauer (.359)<br />NL Batting Title: Hanley Ramirez (.344)<br /><br />AL RBI: Alex Rodriguez (123)<br />NL RBI: Albert Pujols (131)<br /><br />AL SB's: Brett Gardner (51)<br />NL SB's: Michael Bourn (61)<br /><br />AL Wins: Jon Lester (21)<br />NL Wins: Clayton Kershaw (20)<br /><br />AL ERA: Felix Hernandez (2.40)<br />NL ERA: Tommy Hanson (2.30)<br /><br />AL Saves: Joe Nathan (44)<br />NL Saves: Johnathan Broxton (48)<br /><br />AL Strikeouts: Felix Hernandez (271)<br />NL Strikeouts: Clayton Kershaw (266)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-9137706071808776570?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-36958736131855090602010-10-26T11:32:00.000-07:002010-10-26T11:54:05.684-07:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">Eastern Conference</span><br />1) Orlando (61-21)<br />2) Miami (59-23)<br />3) Boston (55-27)<br />4) Chicago (52-30)<br />5) Atlanta (48-34)<br />6) Washington (46-36)<br />7) Milwaukee (44-38)<br />8) Cleveland (43-39)<br /><br />9) Charlotte (42-40)<br />10) New York (34-48)<br />11) New Jersey (28-54)<br />12) Philadelphia (24-58)<br />13) Detroit (23-59)<br />14) Indiana (20-62)<br />15) Toronto (16-66)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Western Conference</span><br />1) LA Lakers (58-24)<br />2) Utah (57-25)<br />3) Dallas (56-26)<br />4) Oklahoma City (55-27)<br />5) San Antonio (54-28)<br />6) Phoenix (52-30)<br />7) LA Clippers (46-36)<br />8) Denver (43-39)<br /><br />9) Memphis (42-40)<br />10) Houston (41-41)<br />11) New Orleans (32-52)<br />12) Portland (29-53)<br />13) Golden State (24-58)<br />14) Sacramento (20-62)<br />15) Minnesota (15-67)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Trophy Winners:</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">NBA MVP:</span> LeBron James, MIA<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">ROY:</span> Blake Griffin, LAC<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Coach of the Year:</span> Flip Saunders, WAS<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Most Improved:</span> Jrue Holiday, PHI<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sixth Man:</span> Tyrus Thomas, CHA<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">PLAYOFFS</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Eastern Playoffs</span><br />(1) Orlando 4, (8) Cleveland 0<br />(4) Chicago 4, (5) Atlanta 2<br />(2) Miami 4, (7) Milwaukee 0<br />(3) Boston 4, (6) Washington 1<br /><br />(1) Orlando 4, (4) Chicago 2<br />(2) Miami 4, (3) Boston 2<br /><br />(2) Miami 4, (1) Orlando 2<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Western Playoffs</span><br />(1) LA Lakers 4, (8) Denver 0<br />(5) San Antonio 4, (4) Oklahoma City 3<br />(2) Utah 4, (7) LA Clippers 1<br />(6) Phoenix 4, (3) Dallas 2<br /><br />(1) LA Lakers 4, (5) San Antonio 1<br />(2) Utah 4, (6) Phoenix 3<br /><br />(2) Utah 4, (1) LA Lakers 2<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">NBA Finals:</span> Utah 4, Miami 2<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Finals MVP:</span> Al Jefferson, Utah<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-3695873613185509060?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-8413302399886329632010-09-09T12:47:00.001-07:002010-09-09T13:05:48.265-07:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">AFC East</span><br />*New England (12-4)<br />*Miami (10-6)<br />NY Jets (8-8)<br />Buffalo (3-13)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">AFC South</span><br />*Indianapolis (12-4)<br />Tennessee (9-7)<br />Houston (8-8)<br />Jacksonville (7-9)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">AFC North</span><br />*Pittsburgh (10-6)<br />Baltimore (9-7)<br />Cleveland (6-10)<br />Cincinnati (5-11)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">AFC West</span><br />*San Diego (12-4)<br />*Kansas City (10-6)<br />Denver (7-9)<br />Oakland (7-9)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">NFC East</span><br />*Dallas (11-5)<br />*NY Giants (10-6)<br />Philadelphia (8-8)<br />Washington (6-10)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">NFC South</span><br />*Carolina (10-6)<br />*New Orleans (10-6)<br />Atlanta (9-7)<br />Tampa Bay (3-13)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">NFC North</span><br />*Green Bay (12-4)<br />Minnesota (8-8)<br />Chicago (6-10)<br />Detroit (4-12)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">NFC West</span><br />*Arizona (9-7)<br />San Francisco (9-7)<br />St. Louis (3-13)<br />Seattle (3-13)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Wild Card Playoffs: (New England, Indy, Green Bay, Dallas have byes)</span><br />(3) San Diego 34, (6) Kansas City 21<br />(4) Pittsburgh 16, (5) Miami 6<br />(6) NY Giants 24, (3) Carolina 21 (OT)<br />(5) New Orleans 38, (4) Arizona 14<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Divisional Playoffs:</span><br />(1) New England 20, (4) Pittsburgh 14<br />(3) San Diego 23, (2) Indianapolis 20<br />(1) Green Bay 37, (6) NY Giants 20<br />(5) New Orleans 31, (2) Dallas 24<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Conference Championships:</span><br />(1) New England 23, (3) San Diego 10<br />(5) New Orleans 17, (1) Green Bay 14<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Super Bowl:</span><br />(5) New Orleans 33, (1) New England 20<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-841330239988632963?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-22935728153735514412010-09-01T14:36:00.000-07:002010-09-01T15:07:39.755-07:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">Final Regular Season Top 10:</span><br />1) TCU (12-0)<br />2) Iowa (11-1)<br />3) Boise State (12-0)<br />4) Auburn (11-1)<br />5) Georgia (11-2)<br />6) Texas (11-2)<br />7) LSU (12-1)<br />8) Virginia Tech (10-2)<br />9) Oregon State (9-3)<br />10) Florida (10-2)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">BCS Bowl Predictions:</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Rose:</span> Oregon State (Pac-10) vs Auburn (At-Large)<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sugar:</span> Georgia (SEC) vs Virginia Tech (At-Large)<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Orange:</span> Florida State (ACC) vs South Florida (Big East)<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fiesta:</span> Texas (Big XII) vs Boise State (At-Large)<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">BCS National Title Game:</span> TCU (At-Large) vs Iowa (Big Ten)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-2293572815373551441?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-7420182442910091852010-09-01T14:28:00.001-07:002010-09-01T14:35:18.932-07:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">Sun Belt Predictions</span><br />Troy 7-1 (8-4)<br />Fla. Atlantic 6-2 (7-5)<br />Mid. Tenn. St. 5-3 (6-6)<br />La. Lafayette 4-4 (5-7)<br />Fla. Intl. 4-4 (4-8)<br />Arkansas State 4-4 (4-8)<br />La. Monroe 2-6 (3-9)<br />Western Kentucky 2-6 (2-10)<br />North Texas 2-6 (2-10)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-742018244291009185?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-16854121088276122152010-09-01T13:47:00.000-07:002010-09-01T14:23:55.968-07:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">MAC East</span><br />Temple 5-3 (7-5)<br />Miami (OH) 5-3 (5-7)<br />Buffalo 4-4 (5-7)<br />Bowling Green 3-5 (4-8)<br />Kent State 2-6 (4-8)<br />Akron 2-6 (3-9)<br />Ohio 2-6 (3-9)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">MAC West</span><br />Northern Illinois 7-1 (8-4)<br />Western Michigan 6-2 (7-5)<br />Toledo 6-2 (6-6)<br />Central Michigan 5-3 (6-6)<br />Ball State 4-4 (6-6)<br />Eastern Michigan 1-7 (1-11)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">MAC Title Game: Northern Illinois 24, Temple 21</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-1685412108827612215?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-15304909355964808522010-09-01T13:02:00.000-07:002010-09-01T13:19:40.708-07:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">Conference USA East</span><br />East Carolina 7-1 (7-5)<br />Central Florida 6-2 (9-3)<br />So. Miss 5-3 (7-5)<br />Marshall 4-4 (6-6)<br />UAB 2-6 (2-10)<br />Memphis 1-7 (2-10)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Conference USA West</span><br />Houston 7-1 (10-2)<br />SMU 6-2 (6-6)<br />Tulsa 5-3 (7-5)<br />Rice 3-5 (4-8)<br />UTEP 1-7 (4-8)<br />Tulane 1-7 (2-10)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Conf. USA Title Game: Houston 38, East Carolina 24</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-1530490935596480852?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-25237590023384144872010-09-01T12:08:00.000-07:002010-09-01T12:20:49.731-07:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">Pac-10 Predictions</span><br />Oregon State 8-1 (9-3)<br />Oregon 7-2 (10-2)<br />USC 7-2 (10-2)<br />Stanford 5-4 (7-5)<br />Arizona 5-4 (7-5)<br />California 4-5 (6-6)<br />Washington 3-6 (4-8)<br />UCLA 2-7 (4-8)<br />Arizona St. 2-7 (4-8)<br />Wash. State 1-8 (3-9)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-2523759002338414487?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-73886813642853156642010-09-01T11:53:00.000-07:002010-09-01T12:07:44.840-07:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">Big East Predictions</span><br />South Florida 6-1 (9-3)<br />Cincinnati 6-1 (10-2)<br />Pittsburgh 4-3 (9-3)<br />West Virginia 4-3 (8-4)<br />Rutgers 3-4 (7-5)<br />Uconn 2-5 (6-6)<br />Syracuse 2-5 (5-7)<br />Louisville 1-6 (4-8)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-7388681364285315664?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-57355238911374295022010-08-31T17:45:00.001-07:002010-08-31T17:54:25.124-07:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">Big XII North</span><br />Nebraska 7-1 (11-1)<br />Missouri 6-2 (10-2)<br />Iowa State 3-5 (5-7)<br />Kansas State 2-6 (4-8)<br />Colorado 2-6 (4-8)<br />Kansas 1-7 (4-8)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Big XII South</span><br />Texas 6-2 (10-2)<br />Oklahoma 6-2 (10-2)<br />Texas A&amp;M 6-2 (10-2)<br />Oklahoma St. 3-5 (7-5)<br />Texas Tech 3-5 (6-6)<br />Baylor 3-5 (6-6)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Big XII Title Game: Texas 24, Nebraska 21</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-5735523891137429502?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-30061813680984294942010-08-31T17:13:00.001-07:002010-08-31T17:26:28.450-07:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">SEC East</span><br />Georgia 6-2 (10-2)<br />Florida 6-2 (10-2)<br />South Carolina 3-5 (7-5)<br />Tennessee 2-6 (5-7)<br />Vanderbilt 2-6 (3-9)<br />Kentucky 4-8 (0-8)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">SEC West<br /></span>LSU 8-0 (12-0)<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>Auburn 7-1 (11-1)<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>Alabama 5-3 (9-3)<br />Arkansas 5-3 (8-4)<br />Mississippi 3-5 (7-5)<br />Miss. State 1-7 (4-8)<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />SEC Title Game: Georgia 31, LSU 21<br /></span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-3006181368098429494?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-52657207793658697582010-08-31T16:42:00.000-07:002010-08-31T16:58:46.590-07:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">Mountain West Predictions</span><br />TCU 8-0 (12-0)<br />Utah 7-1 (10-2)<br />BYU 6-2 (9-3)<br />Air Force 4-4 (7-5)<br />Colorado St. 3-5 (5-7)<br />UNLV 3-5 (4-8)<br />New Mexico 3-5 (3-9)<br />Wyoming 1-7 (3-9)<br />San Diego State 1-7 (2-10)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-5265720779365869758?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-49418572087990314822010-08-31T16:04:00.000-07:002010-08-31T16:36:11.384-07:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">Big Ten Predictions</span><br />Iowa 7-1 (11-1)<br />Wisconsin 6-2 (10-2)<br />Ohio State 6-2 (10-2)<br />Penn State 6-2 (9-3)<br />Michigan 4-4 (8-4)<br />Illinois 4-4 (6-6)<br />Northwestern 3-5 (7-5)<br />Michigan St. 3-5 (6-6)<br />Minnesota 3-5 (5-7)<br />Indiana 1-7 (5-7)<br />Purdue 1-7 (4-8)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-4941857208799031482?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-7800202801127721822010-08-31T15:24:00.000-07:002010-08-31T16:03:07.146-07:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">WAC Predictions</span><br />Boise State 8-0 (12-0)<br />Fresno State 7-1 (9-3)<br />Nevada 6-2 (9-3)<br />La. Tech 4-4 (5-7)<br />Hawaii 4-4 (5-7)<br />Utah State 3-5 (5-7)<br />Idaho 2-6 (5-7)<br />New Mexico State 2-6 (4-8)<br />San Jose State 1-7 (3-9)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Independent Predictions</span><br />Navy 10-2<br />Notre Dame 8-4<br />Army 5-7<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-780020280112772182?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-55031476885159983662010-08-31T14:46:00.000-07:002010-08-31T15:23:11.415-07:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">ACC Atlantic</span><br />Florida State 6-2 (8-4)<br />Boston College 5-3 (8-4)<br />Clemson 4-4 (6-6)<br />NC State 3-5 (6-6)<br />Maryland 2-6 (4-8)<br />Wake Forest 0-8 (3-9)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">ACC Coastal</span><br />Miami (FLA) 7-1 (9-3)<br />Virginia Tech 7-1 (10-2)<br />North Carolina 5-3 (8-4)<br />Georgia Tech 5-3 (8-4)<br />Duke 3-5 (5-7)<br />Virginia 1-7 (4-8)<br /><br />ACC Championship Game: Florida State 27, Miami (FLA) 24<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-5503147688515998366?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-29619803010638433102010-04-14T13:38:00.000-07:002010-04-14T13:51:39.522-07:00Here are my NHL Playoff Predictions (With Bodog series prices in parentheses):<br /><br /><br /><br /><em><strong>Eastern Conference</strong></em><br /><br />Washington (-650) 4, Montreal (+425) 1<br /><br />Pittsburgh (-290) 4, Ottawa (+245) 2<br /><br />Buffalo (-165) 4, Boston (+145) 2<br /><br />Philadelphia (+195) 4, New Jersey (-235) 3<br /><br /><br /><br /><em><strong>Western Conference</strong></em><br /><br />San Jose (-450) 4, Colorado (+325) 1<br /><br />Detroit (-190) 4, Phoenix (+165) 2<br /><br />Vancouver (-245) 4, Los Angeles (+205) 3<br /><br />Chicago (-450) 4, Nashville (+325) 3<br /><br /><br /><br /><em><strong>Second Round</strong></em><br /><br />Washington 4, Philadelphia 1<br /><br />Pittsburgh 4, Buffalo 2<br /><br /><br /><br />San Jose 4, Detroit 3<br /><br />Vancouver 4, Chicago 3<br /><br /><br /><br /><em><strong>Conference Finals</strong></em><br /><br />Pittsburgh 4, Washington 2<br /><br />San Jose 4, Vancouver 3<br /><br /><em></em><br /><br /><em><strong>Stanley Cup Finals</strong></em><br /><br />Pittsburgh 4, San Jose 2<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-2961980301063843310?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-87588921047659346152010-04-01T21:17:00.000-07:002010-04-01T21:57:34.334-07:00<strong><em>AL East</em></strong><br />*Boston (95-67)<br />*Tampa Bay (93-69)<br />NY Yankees (90-72)<br />Baltimore (71-91)<br />Toronto (68-94)<br /><br /><strong><em>AL Central</em></strong><br />*Chicago (85-77)<br />Detroit (83-79)<br />Minnesota (79-83)<br />Cleveland (70-92)<br />Kansas City (68-94)<br /><br /><strong><em>AL West</em></strong><br />*Anaheim (88-74)<br />Oakland (83-79)<br />Seattle (78-84)<br />Texas (74-88)<br /><br /><strong><em>NL East</em></strong><br />*Philadelphia (93-69)<br />*Florida (87-75)<br />Atlanta (83-79)<br />NY Mets (79-83)<br />Washington (65-97)<br /><br /><strong><em>NL Central</em></strong><br />*St. Louis (97-65)<br />Milwaukee (86-76)<br />Chicago (81-81)<br />Houston (79-83)<br />Cincinnati (76-86)<br />Pittsburgh (72-90)<br /><br /><strong><em>NL West</em></strong><br />*San Francisco (86-76)<br />Colorado (84-78)<br />Arizona (82-80)<br />LA Dodgers (80-82)<br />San Diego (75-87)<br /><br /><strong><em>MLB Playoffs:</em></strong><br />Boston over Chicago (3-1)<br />Tampa Bay over Anaheim (3-2)<br />St. Louis over Florida (3-0)<br />Philadelphia over San Francisco (3-1)<br /><br />Tampa Bay over Boston (4-2)<br />St. Louis over Philadelphia (4-2)<br /><br />St. Louis over Tampa Bay (4-2)<br /><br /><strong><em>Stat Leaders Predictions:</em></strong><br />AL HR's: Alex Rodriguez, NYY (46)<br />NL HR's: Ryan Howard, PHI (53)<br /><br />AL Batting Title: Ichiro Suzuki, SEA (.354)<br />NL Batting Title: Pablo Sandoval, SF (.341)<br /><br />AL RBI's: Justin Morneau, MIN (133)<br />NL RBI's: Albert Pujols, STL (131)<br /><br />AL SB's: Jacoby Ellsbury, BOS (69)<br />NL SB's: Nyjer Morgan, WAS (54)<br /><br />AL Wins: Josh Beckett, BOS (18)<br />NL Wins: Yovani Gallardo, MIL (19)<br /><br />AL ERA: Felix Hernandez, SEA (2.40)<br />NL ERA: Tim Lincecum, SF (2.31)<br /><br />AL Saves: Johnathen Papelbon, BOS (46)<br />NL Saves: Brian Wilson, SF (44)<br /><br />AL Strikeouts: Felix Hernandez, SEA (248)<br />NL Strikeouts: Tim Lincecum, SF (277)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-8758892104765934615?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-86471493538749727822010-02-05T21:57:00.000-08:002010-02-05T22:01:43.356-08:00Enough has been written about this game that I will give a short summary of what I think will happen. The Colts are the favorites (deservedly so) and the Saints are "destiny's darlings". Both offenses are among the NFL's best. The defenses are quick and underrated. They give up yards, yet always put their teams in position to win. I've been predicting for the past 2 weeks Saints 27, Colts 24. I will stick with this pick. My MVP pick will be Drew Brees (with big games from Marques Colston and Pierre Thomas). One of these teams is going to be down a score late in the game, with the chance to become champion only a score away. That team will be New Orleans. They will march down the field to score the TD that propels them ahead of Indianapolis.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-8647149353874972782?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-3377902733409155172010-02-01T22:38:00.000-08:002010-02-01T23:09:15.365-08:00Here are the 5 props I'd play (after looking at the list from our friends at Bodog.com). Now obviously these odds will be different at different places but this should give you a relative idea of what people are betting on these things. These are the 5 I think are the best plays, factoring in the odds along with my personal feelings on how likely it is that this will happen. I'll only do things from the game, not how many times they'll show Archie Manning or Kim Kardashian (those props are for the non-football fans). We'll say I started with a fake 1,000 units to gamble with here:<br /><br />1) Largest lead by either team, o/u 15.5...both sides going off at -115. I'd say let's put 200 ON THE UNDER. I see this being a close game throughout with neither team leading by 16 or more. This is essentially 3 possessions and with the way both offense can move up &amp; down the field, it's tough to see either defense really put on the type of show needed to win it for the Overs.<br /><br />2) Saints 1st half pts, o/u 13!! Over is going off at -130, under at even. I'll say put 250 ON THE OVER. Two TD's for an impressive offense isn't that much to ask for. The Colts are the slower starters of these two teams (in comparison, they're 1st half total is 16). New Orleans will definately get at least 14 1st half points....this seems too good to be true.<br /><br />3) This is one I got off of the B.S. Report. Will both teams make a FG of at least 33 yards? I will go against Bill and Chad Millman to say that YES it will happen. Both of these teams move the football, giving more chances to have drives stalled in the opponents territory. That could lead to more FG's tries than an average game but for a 33 yard FG, we need the offense to be stopped at the 16 yard line or further back. YES is the pick (+170) for me. No (-210) is where the $ is going so far. We'll put 150 fake units on the YES (+170).<br /><br />4) Will there be a lead change in the 2nd half? (Yes +150, No -180) I'll put 250 fake units on Yes. I see this being a back and forth game, with the chance that one team goes into the half down a score (1-6) points and comes out to take the lead. The Colts do this all the time when they're losing and the Saints have had plenty of 2nd half lead changes in their games this season. I might make this my lock. Okay it's my lock. THERE WILL BE A LEAD CHANGE IN THE 2ND HALF!<br /><br />5) Total # of Pass INT's in the game: (2.5.....Over +160, Under -200). I'll say go with the OVER in this one. Manning has thrown some picks this year and we could see at least one from him. The Colts defense is nasty in the back end, giving us at least 1 pick of Brees. I also see one of these great players getting one of those fluke picks (off a guy's leg or helmet) or something happening that could change the game. Over is the pick and we'll put our remaining 150 units on it.<br /><br />Summary:<br />1) Largest Lead by Either Team: UNDER 15.5 (-115, 200 units)<br />2) Saints O/U 1st Half Pts: OVER 13 (-130, 250 units)<br />3) Both Teams Make a FG over 33 yds? YES (+170, 150 units)<br />4) Lead Change in the 2nd half? YES (+150, 250 units)<br />5) Total INT's OVER 2.5 (+160, 150 units)<br /><br />MVP of the Game:<br />It's hard not to pick either QB (depending on who you think will win the game). These QB's will not win you much $ and you'll have to throw down a lot to win a little. But if you're looking for a sleeper to make some money with, I'd take a hard look at Pierre Thomas (10-1) &amp; Reggie Wayne (10-1). Pierre Garcon is listed at the same odds as Wayne, giving us the indication that people think he will explode like against the Jets against Tracy Porter. The problem with this thinking is that Wayne could have a big game (even if Jabari Greer is matched up against him) because he is the better WR. If 2 WR's are going off at the same odds, you have to favor putting your $ on Wayne (who made some big plays 4 years ago in the Super Bowl). Thomas is a good play because he might bang in 2 or 3 TD's. With an effective running game, the Saints can keep the Colts off the field and keep the game at the pace they want it to be at. Thomas will be a key to doing that as he must get them in 2nd and 5's or 3rd and manageable's all night to keep the Saints offense moving down the field.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-337790273340915517?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-25240920902238678082010-01-22T14:37:00.000-08:002010-01-22T15:41:47.319-08:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">NFC Championship Preview (prediction at the bottom)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">How We Got Here:</span><br />The two best teams for most of the year in the NFC meet in the title game. There's something to be said for that. How many #1 vs #2 matchups have we seen in the conference title games in the past decade? Not enough in my opinion. They give us compelling matchups with fan bases that have had hope since the season started. Everyone believes it's their year and that their team can win it all but some teams have given their fans hope since September (basically the opposite of Dallas or the Jets, who gained momentum late in the season and were hoping to ride it to the Super Bowl). New Orleans started the season 13-0, blowing out good teams in the first half of the season and showing that they were the best team in football (blowouts of NYG when they were 5-0 and NE on MNF shows this is a big game team). They didn't play as well in the second half of the season, losing their last 3 games. Last week, the "old" Saints showed up and nearly blew the roof off of the Superdome with their demolishing of the defending NFC Champs. The Saints have looked unbeatable at times with an offense that is near unstoppable when it's clicking. They'll host this game as well, which could make the difference. For the Vikings, it all comes down to bad QB play last season. Making Brett Favre a priority in the offseason seemed peculiar but any real Vikings fan can't complain about the results. Minnesota is a game away from playing in their fifth Super Bowl (0-4 in the other four) and is coming off their own blowout of a hot team. So the best teams in the NFC will play a 60 minute game for the right to go represent the NFC &amp; their city in the Super Bowl.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">New Orleans Offense:</span><br />By far, the best of the four units. They were on pace to challenge the single-season scoring record for most of the season and showed last week that they have enough play-makers to give any defense matchup nightmares. The emergence of Reggie Bush could be the X-Factor again this week if he can create big plays in space (which is the only time he's dangerous). The receiving core of Colston, Meachem, Henderson &amp; Moore is as dangerous as any with my personal pick for MVP (Brees) at QB. Jeremy Shockey, should he get over his injury woes, is another problem that one of Minnesota's LB's will have to deal with. Minnesota may have to employ a ball control offense once they realize that stopping this offense is near impossible. One unknown factor is how healthy starting RB Pierre Thomas is. He isn't a gamebreaker like Bush but he provides good runs to keep drives going. New Orleans has to have some resemblance of a running game to win this one. They can't afford to have Brees taking 5-7 step drops every play because Minnesota's talented D-Line will get to the QB at some point. This is where Bush may be most effective. The short passes and occasional carries could keep the Vikings defense off balance, giving Brees the opportunity to make big plays downfield to the receivers. New Orleans needs to pick up first downs and keep the Vikings defense on the field. Against a talented defense, they may not get their big plays as often. They'll need to be able to move the ball 10 yards at a time, exploiting the many mismatches they can cause any defense.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Minnesota Defense:</span><br />The health of Ray Edwards is in question here, causing me to believe he won't have as effective a game as he did last week. New Orleans' offensive line isn't great but Brees gets rid of the ball quick enough so that they don't look too bad in pass protection. Jared Allen is the big name on the defensive line and could have a big game here if the Saints don't help with double teams. The "Williams" wall in the middle of the DL can shut down any running game but hasn't had a good a year as in the past few years. If they can render Thomas &amp; Bush useless in the run game, they can tee up the pass rush to get to Brees or at least cause him to rid of the ball earlier than he'd like. The Vikings LB core has been hit with a big injury, losing EJ Henderson and replacing him with Jasper Brinkley. That matchup has been exploited by other teams but Dallas wasn't able to do it last week. Don't underestimate Sean Payton's ability to pick one player on the opposing defense to pick on. Brinkley might be that guy this week. The defensive backs for Minnesota are strong, aggressive and will hit you off the line of scrimmage. One of the unknown factors is how the NO receivers will deal with this. Can they get down the field to make the plays or will the Minnesota defense get to Brees before the Saints WR's can get there? How the Vikings defend Shockey/any other NO TE will be another key. If the Vikings are to win this game, they have to keep it lower scoring than the Saints would like it to be . A 24-20 game plays into the hands of the Vikings while a game in the 30's or even 40's spells doom for Minnesota. I just don't think their going to score that many points. We should be able to see early though if the Vikings defense can keep up with the Saints explosive offense.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Minnesota Offense:</span><br />Two huge names on this offense will determine what happens on Sunday. Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson need to both avoid making mistakes (Favre INT's &amp; Peterson fumbles) to continue the season for the Vikings. Neither has had a bad turnover game in awhile so it seems like one of them could be due to let the Vikings down. Chester Taylor gets some work in the backfield and could be big in the short passing game if the Vikings receivers find trouble getting open. Percy Harvin (a more explosive Reggie Bush....no I don't mean faster, I mean he catches the ball better downfield, allowing the Vikings to line him up in more sets than Bush) is a question mark once again with migraines. The Vikings need to hit big plays though. The Superdome will be a deafening place on Sunday so it's to the Vikings advantage to score early and quiet down the fans. If their offensive line (ridiculed before last week but I told you they'd hold up against Dallas' talented pass rushers) can get the calls in, they should be able to move the ball against the Saints defense. Favre may have trouble trying to audible at the line of scrimmage so it'd be to the Saints Defense's advantage to show multiple looks at the line of scrimmage and try to confuse the Vikings. The pass rushes aren't nearly as talented as Dallas so I think the Vikings could find time for Favre to throw the ball. Sidney Rice had a big game last week (a big year really) but he could be negated by Jabari Greer. Greer is fresh after being injured for awhile and looked great last week. For the Vikings, it will come down to the ability to run the ball. If Peterson can get 100-150 yards on the ground, they should take this game easily. If he looks like the AD we've seen most of this year, the Vikings will put the game on the shoulders of Favre and the receivers.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">New Orleans Defense:</span><br />No one gave the Saints defense much of a chance to stop Arizona last week and they walked away from that one with an impressive 14 points given up. The Saints stopped the Cards run game cold and used an early lead to their advantage, forcing the Cards to throw on most plays and play one-dimensional football. The same formula applies here.....get a lead early, get the crowd into the game even more and rely on the Vikings going one dimensional. New Orleans has to get pressure on Favre though....something that Dallas didn't do. I can't imagine the Saints having as much as success stopping AD as they did with the Cards backs. Other than the long Hightower run, the Saints defense played a great game. They didn't allow the Cards to find any comfort for Warner and that'll be the key to beating Minnesota. New Orleans need to stop the big play, forcing Favre to move the ball meticulously downfield. The longer the Saints can stay ahead or in the game, they will always have the crowd to rely on to help out their defense. The 12th man will be in full effect and that could be the difference in a close game.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Prediction: New Orleans(-3.5) 34, Minnesota 17</span><br />This will be the perfect formula for the the Saints.....loud crowd, early lead, decent running game and mismatches all over the field. The only team that can beat the Saints right now is the Saints. With them at home, I can't see the Vikings going in and getting it done. Minnesota has looked composed at home but stuggled at times on the road this year. Adrian Peterson hasn't had much success against 8 men in the box looks that most teams have thrown at Minnesota. This has been the main reason that Favre and the Vikings passing game has been so effective. Unless Peterson &amp; the offensive line can have a vintage performance, the Vikings will have a hard time scoring. New Orleans' offense is nearly unstoppable when clicking and their coming in with all the confidence in the world. They have homefield advantage (it is THAT important in the case of dome teams.....) and should use the 12th man to get a few false starts out of the Vikings offensive line. People may want to see the Favre-Manning Super Bowl but they should be happy if it's Manning-Brees. Drew Brees has had a great year, establishing him as one of the top QB's in the league in the past 5 years. New Orleans gets up 14-0 early, runs the ball, controls the clock and keeps their offense on the field enough to frustrate Favre into gunslinger mode and goes into the half up 24-7. The Vikings cut it to 24-14 but the Saints put away the Vikings with a big INT TD to go up 31-14 in the 3rd quarter to clinch the game.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-2524092090223867808?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-74071478490003337452010-01-20T22:38:00.000-08:002010-01-20T23:26:26.001-08:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">AFC Championship Preview (prediction at the bottom)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">How we got here:</span><br />It's hard to really explain how the Jets got here. Dropped a heartbreaker to Atlanta then benefited from the Colts and Bengals resting their starters to pick up 2 late season wins. Took their show on the road to knock off Cincinnati and San Diego to gain their chance to go to the Super Bowl. The Colts have been the best team in the AFC all year (lost 2 games with their starters out), prompting some to believe that they should be undefeated right now. My question is simple: if the Colts should be undefeated, why do I have this sinking feeling about this team every time they step on the field? Why do I feel Peyton Manning is capable of making a mistake or underperforming at the most critical time? While Manning has won his share of MVP's (regular season), his career record is 8-8 in the playoffs. Most of those games, the Colts were a better team than their opponent. By my calculations, the Colts should have at least 2 Super Bowls in the Manning era at least.....right? This year is another grand opportunity, playing the #5 &amp; #6 seeds in the AFC in the playoffs (two 9-7 teams....must be nice) I'm not going to go over all their playoff failures (numerous vs NE &amp; SD, also including a loss to a #6 Steelers team a few years back). The key thing to remember is that this is not baseball or basketball. In the NFL, there are no series. 60 minutes to advance to the next round. Every play could be the great play to advance your team or the critical mistake that could throw months out the window (ask Phillip Rivers about that 2nd INT last week, for example). So here we are......a 9 win regular season team against a team that arguably should be undefeated. Blowout? Not in today's NFL......<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Colts Offense</span>:<br />Something most of the media doesn't realize is how big of an advantage that the Colts have in seeing the Jets #1 defense for a half in December. No one makes better adjustments for his offensive line before each snap and the Jets key in on finding their unique blitz packages. If the Jets aren't at least affecting Manning on most pass plays, the Colts will win this game in a runaway. NYJ have to show Manning some blitzes that he doesn't see coming. Easier said than done though. Darrelle Revis has already been assumed to take Reggie Wayne out of this game. That's fine with the Colts I'd imagine, as they have 2 other young WR's (Garcon &amp; Collie) who've shown all year that they can make the big catches/plays downfield. The Colts may be tempted to try to drive up and down the field against the Jets but they must hit a few big plays to keep these drives going. That's where the X-Factor of the game comes into play....Dallas Clark. NYJ had trouble covering a better athlete at TE last week (Gates) so a big game by Clark shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. IND may need to keep Clark in to protect Manning in certain situations but Clark has shown the ability to have big games against any kind of defense. The Colts running game gave us an interesting look last week. In a game where the Colts controlled the clock and really had no problems against the Ravens, they used the short passing game over the running game at times. Joe Addai had 11 carries, Donald Brown had 6 and Mike Hart had 6 suprising carries. Whether they see Hart as a factor around the goal line or a blocker is still undetermined. Hart has barely played, Brown has only had over 10 carries once since Week 3 while Addai gets most of the carries but only over 20 a handful of times this season. Expect to see all three backs get at least 5 carries again this week since the Jets have a solid run defense. IND may want to see what it can get out of Brown in the short passing game as a safety net to potential blitzes that the line doesn't quite pick up as well. I see the Colts moving the ball when they have it but also seeing a couple of frustrating 3 and outs that may flip field position in a close game.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Jets Defense:</span><br />Everyone knows about "Revis Island" by now. You're just not going to have a great game against him. So be prepared to see plenty of the other WR's for IND making plays. Lito Sheppard needs to have a big game on Garcon though. This is another X-Factor that could be exploited. Garcon has shown an ability to get downfield and make the big catch. Austin Collie is young slot receiver that could gain attention as the game goes along. The thing the Jets must do is put the pressure on Manning. If they get him moving around in the pocket, they've got him where they want him. In these types of the games (good offense vs good defense), it's almost imperative for the defense to come up with one huge play to swing the momentum of the game. The earlier the Jets defense can do this, the better. You won't see blitzers get to Manning uncovered often so the NYJ needs to realize that they have to cover the quick passes down field since they'll be blitzing on many downs.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Jets Offense:</span><br />This is the most interesting of the 4 units in my opinion. We all know Mark Sanchez will not beat you. He will lean on his 2 headed monster in the run game, make a few key passes to talented yet unreliable WR's in Jerricho Cotchery &amp; Braylon Edwards. If he can utilize Dustin Keller a bit more, it'll show that the Jets are having their way. By that I mean that the Jets will have the Colts covering their WR's downfield and Sanchez can check down to keep the chains moving &amp; keep Manning off the field. That seems to be the strategy that most would encourage NYJ to use. If they can keep the ball for 35-40 minutes using a ball control offense, strong running game &amp; short-intermediate passing game, they can win this game. They can't afford to air it out or fall down 14-0 in the 1st quarter of this game. If that happens, book the trip to Miami for the Colts. Whether it's because of injuries or youth or whatever, Shonn Greene has proven to be the more reliable ball carrier to Thomas Jones in the past two weeks. He's busted two big runs for the Jets and should see most of the work. Jones runs well inside the 10 yard line so he could very well get a TD in this game. NYJ's offensive line is continually underrated but is getting to show it's stuff the past few weeks. With the great pass rushers on IND's line (Freeney &amp; Mathis), this may be the biggest test for them. Sanchez cannot afford to make any mistakes (INT's, fumbles) when he can just throw it out of bounds, punt and let their defense back on the field. I expect to see the Jets employ the ball control offense and pound IND's defense. Sanchez will make a mistake or two though which will cost the Jets in the long run.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Colts Defense:</span><br />This is a defense that's often not talked about yet is always making plays to give the potent offense short fields. IND will turn you over if you test their secondary and this may be where the game turns. The Jets don't want to admit it but this kind of fast, smaller defense may make Sanchez turn it over. The key will be making Sanchez throw the ball in clear passing downs. To do this, the Colts need to put up a wall against the Jets running game. That's easier said than doen but the Colts did a nice job last week against the Ravens, who were coming into the game off of a 234 yard rushing performance against NE. No big plays from the NYJ running game would be huge as it would force them to stay on the field and methodically move up &amp; down the field. If you give the Jets a big play or two, you could be in trouble. They play well from ahead and would really force the Colts defense into a back against the wall situation. IND has the ability to score quickly if behind but they must make the Jets work their way down the field.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Other X-Factors:</span><br />The kicking game is interesting for both teams. As far as I know, Matt Stover will be kicking again for IND. He no longer has the ability to make the really long FG's but has shown over his career that's he's about as accurate as anyone. I'd favor him over Jay Feely (NYJ kicker). Neither team has a great punter but both may see a lot of work on Sunday. The Jets especially could use a few punts down inside the 10 by Weatherford if they want to force the Colts to go up the whole field against their defense. The more short fields NYJ gives IND, the bigger the blowout this game will be. Brad Smith has had some success for the Jets as a wildcat player &amp; I expect to see him out there for a few plays on Sunday. He also returned a kick against the Colts in December's game. A kick return in this game could be just what it takes to swing the momentum and the upset.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Prediction: Indianapolis 17, NY Jets(+7.5) 10</span><br />The Jets can win this game, don't be mistaken by my score. I see both teams being really cautious early in this game. These title game atmospheres usually have the feeling out process of a boxing match early on. The team that plays from ahead will have a HUGE advantage in this game. If NYJ can get up 7 or 10, they can run the ball, keep Sanchez from having to win the game and benefit from eating up the clock. The Colts could have this game over by the half if they get up 10-14 points. I just can't imagine the Jets coming back from a deficit against an offense that's going to score some more points in the second half. I see the Colts getting up 10-0 at the half here then the Jets scoring a TD in the 3rd quarter on a long drive. Manning will find Garcon on a 30-40 yard ball with about 8 minutes left to go up 17-7 and the Colts will hold on to the victory in the end. If NYJ can keep this game tied late and get the ball back, I have confidence the Jets can drive down the field to score the game-winning TD or FG. They just have to get into that position.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-7407147849000333745?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-33191100081935013342010-01-14T18:22:00.001-08:002010-01-14T20:25:43.742-08:00Here are my predictions and analysis for this weekend's NFL Playoff games (2-2 in week 1 picks against the spread):<br /><br />Arizona (+7) 38, New Orleans 31<br />The Cardinals come into the game after a great offensive performance last week at home against Green Bay. The key to this game is going to be which team can mix their underrated running attacks in with the potent passing games. Both teams should be able to find a way to get over 100 yards on the ground but the Saints do not have the gamebreaker that Arizona has. Beanie Wells is peaking at the right time of the year and has been running well for weeks. He compliments the Arizona passing game by giving them a nice average and hitting an occasional 20-30 yard run. Tim Hightower is a guy who gets goal line carries, catches short passes &amp; most importantly picks up blitzers to help Warner stay clean. Warner vs Brees is pretty even while the Cardinals may have the better receiving core. With Early Doucet stepping up last week, Arizona has another weapon they can use downfield or in the slot. Anquan Boldin is still questionable and his addition to the Cardinals passing game could be the difference. If he plays, they can move him into the slot and keep Steve Breaston as the #2 WR opposite Fitzgerald. The Saints passing defense has struggled over the past few weeks but a week off could help them big time. I see a high scoring contest similar to last week with Arizona having enough to win it.<br /><br />Baltimore (+7) 24, Indianapolis 21<br />I may be picking the Ravens to win this game but a 45-10 Colts win would be the other way to go. The Colts could exploit a bad secondary all day but with Ed Reed back there now, making game changing plays as usual....I see the Ravens keeping it close and winning it. Both of these teams changed kickers during the year (Cundiff for Bal &amp; Stover for Ind.), leading me to think that this one could come down to the kickers. These teams played a close, low scoring regular season game a few weeks back in Baltimore that Indianapolis won 17-15. The Ravens proved last week as well as last year that they are undaunted about going on the road as the #6 seed. Ray Rice (spelled by McGahee) should be able to keep the ball in the Ravens hands while also forcing Manning to stay on the sidelines. If this game comes down to Joe Flacco &amp; his WR's making a big play, I wouldn't count on it. The Colts are at home but haven't played a meaningful game in weeks. Early rust along with a quick score by the Ravens could be just what the doctor ordered. Turnovers are always a key in playoff games and no team seems to get bigger ones than the Ravens. I see the Ravens intercepting Manning on the last drive of the game to pull the upset.<br /><br />Vikings (-3) 31, Cowboys 14<br />This game is one that seems to have the Dallas bandwagon chugging along for most people. I don't see them going into the Metrodome and winning. Minnesota played as well as anybody in the league for a long stretch of this season. They were 8-0 at home. They have a RB that can't be matched in the league. Dallas mastered the Eagles &amp; Redskins over the course of the last few weeks. Congratulations. Brett Favre has a tendency to lose close games in the playoffs so if this game stays close, Dallas' talented secondary could make a play to change the complexion of the game. Sidney Rice had a very underrated year as Favre's #1 target. Dallas' defense has been flying around and getting to the QB a lot the past few weeks. This will be the recipe for the upset but I believe Minnesota's offensive line is sick of hearing how badly they've played lately. They have talent (Hutchinson, Loadholt, McKinnie are all great players) and will prove it this week. The Vikings defense doesn't get much credit around the league but there are times when Jared Allen becomes unblockable. This week could be one of those games. Dallas looked all too comfortable at home last week but will be affected by the crowd noise in Minnesota. My sleeper player to have a big game is Bernard Berrian. He could catch a deep ball or two against this secondary and help the Vikings move on.<br /><br />Chargers (-7.5) 34, Jets 21<br />Another close game that the experts seem to think the Jets can/will win. I don't. Phillip Rivers has played as well as anyone in the league this year. The Chargers are hot coming in and have played well at home. There's no real reason to think Mark Sanchez can ride in with 2 good RB's and a stout defense &amp; walk out with the win. I see this game being a 2 TD game late with the Jets scoring one late to cut the lead for a backside cover (depending on how many points your getting....line was as high as 9 earlier this week). Thomas Jones is banged up a bit so we should see plenty of Shonn Greene, who played well last week. The Chargers defense gets criticized a lot but playing with an offense that gets you big leads early forces teams to throw the ball more often then you'd want. If the Jets can employ a similar strategy as the Ravens, keeping control of the clock with a good running game while keeping the Chargers off the scoreboard, they will have a chance to steal this one. I don't see it happening. "Revis Island" will get exploited for the first time this year with Vincent Jackson getting over 60 yards receiving. The Chargers seem destined to do it this year and should be ready for New York. Don't be surprised if they get a big lead to see this game end something like 41-21.<br /><br />So my picks are Cards (+7), Ravens (+7), Vikings (-3) &amp; Chargers (-7.5).<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-3319110008193501334?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-52431898971496505672010-01-13T18:53:00.000-08:002010-01-13T19:40:10.615-08:00-Chris Bosh for Andrew Bynum? Well not straight up but if this deal goes down (and it makes sense for both teams in the long run) then the Lakers will be even heavier favorites to win the title this year and beyond. The only weakness LA would have at that point is PG because their other weakness (bench) is negated a bit once the playoffs start. Toronto does this move only if for some reason they get indications that Bosh is gone. There's no reason to really believe (other than a little extra money and another year on his deal) that Bosh would stay in Toronto. They may end up in the playoffs but have no future with the roster they have now (sorry DeRozen). Locking up Turkoglu for 5 years was a terrible move. It looks bad now...it'll look even worse in a few years. The one player that the Raptors can build around is Andrea Bargnani. They also have long contracts with Jose Calderon (being shopped) and Jarrett Jack. The Lakers make this move to give themselves a chance to lock up Bosh long-term and create a team that will be one of the best for the next 5 years. That's worth Bynum's potential upside to pair Bosh with Gasol, Kobe, Artest and Odom.<br /><br />-Anyone else feel this year's college basketball season is missing something? Most of these conference races should be great but for the wrong reasons. So many of these teams are on the same level that picking the tournament bracket in March should be more of a chore than usual. The mid-majors don't look too great other than Butler while there are 3 really good teams that have seperated themselves from the other 300+ (Kansas, Kentucky &amp; Texas). This could change but predicting conference champions right now would take a genius. ACC, Big Ten, Big East &amp; Pac-10 could all be won by 3, 4 or more teams. We'll see what happens from this point on but I'm not getting too excited about college basketball yet.<br /><br />-I'll have another entry previewing the 4 NFL playoff games this weekend (forgot to do one last week....I can tell you I was 2-2 in my picks. Had the Jets+ pts, Cards (pick), Eagles +3.5, Pats -6.5. Still haven't decided on 2 of the games but I can tell you for sure that I'm taking Vikings minus no more than 3 pts and Cardinals getting 7 pts. I know everyone is all over Dallas but I see that game being more low scoring than you would think. I'll explain in my next entry better but just trust me.....the under looks good.<br /><br />-The Cavs have been up and down as of late but picked up nice back to back west coast road wins in Portland &amp; Golden State. The loss in Denver was dissapointing, especially without Carmelo playing. The next few games are all winable.....at Utah, at LA Clips, vs Toronto. After that, the Lakers &amp; Thunder come into town. The key to the Cavs is just staying healthy, keeping Lebron's minutes down as much as possible and getting the #1 seed. Having that home-court advantage is big, especially in potential series vs Boston, Orlando &amp; Atlanta this spring. Everyone talks about getting Antwan Jamison and that would be the best move the Cavs could make. No one's sure what Washington is going to do with Jamison but I'd much rather have him than Troy Murphy or Anthony Randolph (who's hurt &amp; I don't see GS trading).<br /><br />-Pitchers and Catchers in a month or so.....enough said. There are still plenty of intriguing free agents out there still. It'll be interesting to see these guys getting one year deals and coming into next season with something to prove.<br /><br />-Will the real #2 in the NBA Western Conference please stand up? Is it Denver, Dallas, San Antonio, Phoenix or someone else? Who knows....in all likelihood, it won't matter either. The Lakers will run through the West in the spring (barring any major injuries &amp; with or without Bosh). I'd be ready to put there losses in the Western Conference Playoffs at 4.5 and go under for sure. Last year, they lost 6 games before the Finals but 3 were to Houston. I could see LAL going 4, 6, 6 at worst. In the East, I'd favor Boston slightly over Cleveland right now (could depend on home-court) while Orlando &amp; Atlanta are behind a bit. Miami, Charlotte, Toronto &amp; Chicago are my other 4 picks to finish in the playoffs. Only Miami could give anyone a series out of those 4 with a potential 4-5 rematch with Atlanta looming in April.<br /><br />-Almost finished with Bill Simmons' "The Book of Basketball". Go buy it now if you haven't already. It's informative, funny &amp; well written. I know it's real long but definately worth reading through it all. I'm a big fan of Simmons writing so this shouldn't come as a surprise. Heck....I even read his Red Sox book even though their the team I can't stand as much as any other in sports.<br /><br />-John Wall is everything that all the college basketball analysts are saying. He's the real deal and will be a force in the NBA...next year &amp; beyond. He could force teams to redesign their team structure around him depending on what they have on their roster. After that, I can't really see anything but "upside" and "potential" guys. No rock solid guys who'll step in next year &amp; make a big impact. That's not good for teams like New Jersey, Golden State, Minnesota &amp; Detroit who all can't afford to finish 2nd in the lottery in May.<br /><br />-Players I love watching (at least for this week): Cole Aldrich (Kansas center), Luke Harangody (ND....a better Tyler Hansborough), Jarvis Varnado (Miss. St. block machine, skinny but could develop into a smaller Mutombo-like force down low), Xavier Henry (Kansas freshman...showing flashes of greatness, top-10 pick for sure if he comes out).<br /><br />-Players that aren't showing me much: Avery Bradley (Texas....seems like an overrated prospect), North Carolina guards (shows how good Lawson really was...now that he's gone, UNC is losing games in a guard-oriented league), Lance Stephenson (Cincy.....if he's going to be worth the headache, he's got to step up his game), Derrick Favors (Georgia Tech....I'd rather watch Gani Lawal work down low on both sides of the court).<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-5243189897149650567?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-38276323037712984842009-12-15T20:38:00.001-08:002009-12-15T21:17:06.520-08:00Well the MLB offseason saw it's first rash of big moves come this week with the trading of Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay. While fans try to figure out who got the best of these deals, I'll rationalize some of the moves made since the end of the World Series.<br /><br />Seattle: (Adding Cliff Lee through a trade and signing Chone Figgins leaves me to believe Seattle has improved the most so far in this offeseason. Figgins will take over 3rd base as Adrian Beltre searches for his next contract somewhere else. This is a great move as it will allow the Mariners to bat Ichiro then Figgins at the top of the order. That's a dangerous, high average, speed driven top of the lineup and could spell trouble for opposing teams if these two keep hitting the way they've hit throughout their careers. Cliff Lee will join Felix Hernandez at the top of the rotation, giving Seattle (in a pitcher's park nonetheless) a chance to really take this division over. They lose Beltre and Bedard to free agency but replace them with 2 better players.)<br /><br />Boston: (To no one's suprise, the Red Sox threw some money around at a guy who could be the ace of many staffs in the league. Instead, he'll fit right in behind Beckett and Lester. Think about how much money the Red Sox have spent on pitching in the past 5 years? Think about giving Dice-K his big deal and 50 mil negotiating fee as well. This remains the team with the best chance of dethroning the Yankees even if they didn't show up in the playoffs. They also added Marco Scutaro and Jeremy Hermida with a chance they could add Mike Cameron too.)<br /><br />NY Yankees: (They did what they do best. Mortage part of their future crop of talent for Major League talent. Trading Coke and Kennedy to get Granderson was a good move but Curtis is going to have some big shoes to live up to. He's going to need to hit better than he did last year in the new bandbox park. His HR's should improve and he'll probably hit 1st or 2nd in the lineup I'd imagine. They also got Andy Pettitte back for another year. The Yanks are not done and will make more big moves.)<br /><br />Baltimore: (Had to comment on them because this is my team and the one I follow on a day to day basis. Added Armando Garbino from Minnesota off waivers to a bullpen that needs some young arms. Garbino made some starts down the stretch for the Twins but he'll be lucky to make this team in my opinion. He has no chance of starting. Swapped Chris Ray for Kevin Millwood. Texas went out and gave some money to Rich Harden to replace Millwood, though. The O's will only pay Millwood $9 million for one year. I hate giving up on a guy like Ray who has closing experience and has done it well. One of the O's needs is Closer so this is interesting to trade away a guy who could've closed games for you in 2010. Millwood is a veteran coming off his best year in awhile. Grant it, he was in Texas for the past few years but his numbers don't impress much. 200+ innings, a 4 ERA and an improved K/9 rate would be nice &amp; is expected from him this season. The O's have also dabbled in talks with Aroldis Chapman, the Cuban defector with a lightning arm. His arm is one of a kind and he needs to be signed immediately! The Red Sox and Yankees are hot on his trail as well so this move needs to be made to not only improve our team but hurt Boston &amp; New York.)<br /><br />Philadelphia: (Added Roy Halladay while giving up Cliff Lee makes no sense to some. But I believe Halladay is ready to bust out on the scene this season while finally playing for a contender. He's been a sort of hidden gem for Toronto but now he'll get his due as the best pitcher in baseball. Gave up some great prospects but they believe Hamels &amp; Halladay at the top of their rotation can carry them to yet another World Series. Replace Pedro Feliz with Placido Polanco. If Polanco can return to being a real threat at the plate, the NL's best lineup just got that much better.)<br /><br />Other interesting moves:<br />-Bobby Abreu returns to the Angels (good move for the both sides)<br />-Pedro Feliz goes to Houston (doesn't matter, Houston won't contend)<br />-White Sox have traded for Juan Pierre &amp; Mark Teahen (two good role players). They also signed JJ Putz.<br />-Brewers trade JJ Hardy to Minnesota for Carlos Gomez (two very frustrating fantasy players, Gomez will take over for Cameron and is better suited to play in the National League....Hardy is overrated but could find some success for the Twins). Brewers also threw a lot of money to Randy Wolf for some reason. This could be a move we look back on in the next year or two as a big mistake.<br />-D-Backs got Edwin Jackson in the Granderson deal (Could thrive in the NL but will pitch half of his games in a hitter's park. He will be in a division with many pitcher's parks. Look for Jackson to have a big year with Webb &amp; Haren at the top of that rotation.)<br />-Brad Penny signs with St. Louis (He'll be fine in St. Louis but I really don't have much faith in him staying healthy anymore.)<br />-Tigers got a haul back for Granderson. Daniel Schlereth &amp; Max Scherzer both have great young, power arms to add to the Tigers staff/bullpen.<br />-Billy Wagner signs with Atlanta to become their closer. Wagner knows the division and made the right move signing with an NL team. This ends the Gonzalez/Soriano closer carousel.<br />-The A's got Jake Fox (a great hitter from the Cubs) while getting rid of their biggest piece from the Matt Holliday deal (Brett Wallace). They also added Michael Taylor, a minor league OF from Philly who put up big numbers. I really like what Billy Beane's doing in Oakland. He's added a lot of talent through trades in the past 2 years while the A's have struggled. They will be back this year I have to believe but the Mariners &amp; Rangers have also gotten better. The Angels lose Figgins &amp; Lackey, leaving me to believe this will be a wide open race next year.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-3827632303771298484?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-36868812031636407902009-12-13T22:48:00.001-08:002009-12-13T23:16:33.522-08:00Here's my synopsis of what to expect and what's ahead for the NFC contenders. This conference was much easier to do because there were a lot less contenders for the final playoff spots than the AFC.<br /><br />NFC West: (It all comes down to 1 game....for Arizona. A win in San Francisco tomorrow clinches their 2nd straight NFC West crown and locks up a 1st round home game. The Cards come in at 8-4 while the Niners are 5-7. With the next 2 games against Detroit &amp; St. Louis, Arizona will find a way to win this division if they don't do it on MNF. The Cards have an intriguing final game at home against Green Bay. Why is this so intriguing? There is a chance of these two teams playing in Week 17 then returning to the desert to play a Wild Card Playoff game. We'll get to Green Bay in a little bit but there in a good position to get the #5 seed. For Arizona, they need to keep winning. They need to finish above the NFC East winner (Philly?) and get the #3 seed. There will be a big difference between playing Green Bay or whoever comes out as the #6 seed (Dallas/NYG/Atlanta/SF?). If the Cardinals can somehow catch Minnesota, they would have the tiebreaker for a higher seed. This is unlikely but something to keep in mind if Arizona wins on Monday. They should have no problems with Det and STL, leaving them at 11-4 hypothetically. The Niners are 5-7 and need to win Monday to keep hope alive. The kicker is that the Niners have Philly, Detroit &amp; St. Louis left. A win Monday gets them to 6 wins with 2 more easy ones vs Det &amp; Stl. That leaves a huge Week 15 game in Philly for both teams. The Niners key games are the next two weeks but if they can get to 7-7, they WILL finish 9-7. That may not be enough to get in but right now it puts them in the conversation. I say they lose Monday and Week 15 and will finish 7-9. Seattle fell to 5-8 Sunday and will be watching from home. St. Louis may be the worst team in football with only 1 win and little offense in most of their games. They are my favorite to get the #1 pick.)<br /><br />NFC South: (New Orleans has a lot to play for the next 3 weeks as well as the 16-0 potential. They need to hold off Minnesota (which can be done by going 2-1 down the stretch). The Saints play Dallas (HUGE game), Tampa Bay &amp; Carolina. Lock them in as the NFC's #1 seed. Atlanta sits at 6-7 with 3 sneaky yet very winnable games remaining. They play NY Jets, Buffalo &amp; Tampa Bay. Their 5-6 conference record doesn't help and neither does their head to head losses to NYG &amp; Dallas, who just happen to be their main rivals for the last playoff spot. Atlanta has to get to 9-7 but that won't be enough if Dallas wins one more game. The Falcons hopes are all but done due to the tiebreakers they will lose in most scenerios. Carolina sits at an ugly 5-8 with no Jake Delhomme and no 1st round pick in 2010. Good luck with that. Tampa Bay has 1 win and won't win another one. It could come down to tiebreakers to determine whether they or St. Louis drafts first.)<br /><br />NFC North: (Minnesota is in a quite a tough predicament right now as they most likely won't catch New Orleans for the #1 seed yet probably is safe for the #2 seed and a 1st round bye. They have Carolina, Chicago &amp; NY Giants left.....so 13 wins and the #2 seed looks good as they will likely rest old man Favre in Week 17. Green Bay is on a hot streak, ending the week at 9-4 &amp; in a good place at the #5 seed. The Packers play Pittsburgh, Seattle &amp; Arizona still so they could drop a couple of games. That may leave them as the #6 seed if they finish 10-6 but I see 2 more wins &amp; a #5 seed date. Chicago is out at 5-8....with a long offseason of questions coming for Jay Cutler. True that they missed Brian Urlacher but Cutler is the league leader in INT's and failed time &amp; again to come up with game winning drives throughout the season. Detroit has 2 wins with only slim hope to get to 3 wins. A top 5 draft pick will help Detroit as they can get a stud defensive player to anchor their line.)<br /><br />NFC East: (The only interesting division race remaining in the NFC is here. Philly is 9-4, Dallas 8-5, NY Giants 7-6. While this would seem to indicate that Philly is in a good spot, they do have to finish the job. San Francisco, Denver &amp; Dallas remain for the Eagles who could be in trouble by dropping that last game to Dallas. That would give Dallas the head to head tiebreaker and the potential division title if they finish with the same record. Unfortunately for Dallas, they have New Orleans this week followed by a trip to Washington. If Dallas can split these games and get to 9 wins, a wild card berth is a possibility or even a division title if Philly loses their next two. The Giants are playing for the wild card at this point after losing the head to head tiebreaker to Philly. NYG has Washington, Carolina &amp; Minnesota left. With the chance of the Vikings starters not playing much in Week 17, the Giants have to feel that 10-6 is a possibility. That may not win the division but they do own the head to head tiebreaker with Dallas so all they'd have to do is finish with the same record. This is a likely outcome in my mind, giving Philly the division &amp; NYG the #6 seed. Washington has 4 wins and is an incredible disapointment in my opinion. I predicted a 9 win season for them in August. They had the chance to win a few games but lost close games to bad teams early in the season, dooming them to mediocrity.)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-3686881203163640790?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-6860288299699144522009-12-13T21:07:00.000-08:002009-12-13T22:00:30.264-08:00Well we've made it through 14 weeks almost (MNF game still left) and it's been a doozy of a season. 2 teams at 13-0, looking for the Lombardi and history. Former powers struggling (Pats, Steelers, etc.) although we shouldn't be too surprised because this is a league of quick turnover in the contenders. My 2 Super Bowl predicted teams (Bal and GB) have seen their share of problems but both seem to be on their way to playoffs. We've seen in the past few years that it's a crapshoot once you get into the "tournament". Here' s a quick synopsis of each AFC team (through my eyes of course) and how I see them coming down the stretch and into January:<br /><br />AFC East: (Amidst the rumors of Randy Moss "quitting" on the field at times in the past month, I can't see the Pats not winning this division. They currently have a 1 game lead on NYJ and Miami with games against Buffalo, Jacksonville and Houston remaining. They'll win at least 2 of them to get to 10-6. They have gone from a favorite to a darkhorse in the suddenly thin AFC. Most of the conference will finish right around .500 (7-9 to 9-7) and that screams obvious parody. The Jets have an interesting finishing kick with Atlanta, Indianapolis &amp; Cincinnati to close out the year. 3 teams with something to prove and play for equals no playoffs for NYJ. Miami also plays 3 contenders (Tennessee, Houston &amp; Pittsburgh). There's no reason to believe that the Dolphins can win out so I'd say 9-7 is their best bet at this point. Buffalo has played a little better of late but is getting nothing from Ryan Fitzpatrick. Marshawn Lynch isn't even starting anymore either and this team has major rebuild job written on it. So I'll put NE in the playoffs while the other 3 dream of next September.<br /><br />AFC North: (It's down to two teams for the division title. One Bengals win or One Ravens Loss will give Cincinnati it's 2nd playoff game in the decade. That shouldn't be a problem but one has to glance at the Ravens schedule and wonder if they can win out? Chicago, Pittsburgh &amp; Oakland remain for the Ravens, leaving a chance for them to remarkably finish 10-6. The Bengals do need to watch though as San Diego, Kansas City &amp; NY Jets are all possible problems. If SD beats Cincy next week, the Chargers will clinch the #2 seed in the AFC in all likelihood. Cincinnati gets at least 1 more win and wins this division but will be in a battle for the #3 seed with New England. Baltimore wins out and gets to 10-6, grabbing a wild card in the process. If the Ravens can get Ed Reed back sooner rather than later, who wants to play this team in the playoffs? Pittsburgh needs to win out to get to 9-7 and join the group that will likely finish the year at that record. They get Green Bay, Baltimore &amp; Miami to finish, leading me to believe .500 is the best they can do. Cleveland is fighting for a Top-5 pick and have no playoff aspirations.<br /><br />AFC West: (San Diego is at 10 wins with Denver two games back. The Chargers should win the division and have a chance to get a bye with a win vs Cincy next week. No one wants to play them right now having won 8 in a row. Phillip Rivers is playing as well as any other QB in the league and they will be a force in January. They also hold the secret kryptonite to a perfect Colts season. Denver is in a good spot at 8 wins, sitting in 5th in the AFC by itself. Since I don't see any 6 or 7 win team other than Baltimore with a realistic shot at 10 wins, a 2-1 finish would propel the Broncos to the playoffs. Luckily, Denver has Oakland, Philly and KC left.....so 10 wins is a probablilty. They'll end up as the #6 seed in my scenerio though as they tie the Ravens at 10-6 as the 2 wild cards.....with the Ravens having the tiebreaker due to a head to head victory. Kansas City and Oakland are integral parts of the 2010 NFL Draft order.....as they both have to play Cleveland still. Just kidding.....but don't be surprised to see Cleveland win a few games to end this season and Kansas City move up the draft board.<br /><br />AFC South: (Indianapolis has what it takes to go 16-0. Will they play out the string? This affects playoff wannabes Jacksonville and NY Jets in the next few weeks. Either way, Indianapolis will be the #1 seed in the AFC and could be looking at the Patriots in the Divisional Playoff Round. The other 3 "pretenders" will play meanigful games only because the AFC is so even this year. Jacksonville is 7-6 with Houston and Tennessee at 6-7. All 3 would need to win out to have any chance...with Jacksonville in much better shape as they can get to 10 wins. 9 wins may not even be enough and without looking at the head to heads, I can tell you that Houston and Tennessee are in trouble when it comes to conference record (another tiebreaker). The Jaguars have Indy and New England the next 2 weeks. That should just about put the final nails in their chances with a finale in Cleveland. If Jacksonville can beat either Indy or NE, they could finish 9-7 and have a chance to get in that way. Houston has St. Louis, Miami and New England to finish while Tennessee has Miami, San Diego (short week at home) &amp; Seattle left. I'd say the Titans have a better chance to win out, given the schedule and the way their playing right now. Does 9-7 get them in? Not in my scenerio but as I outlined, we could see a few teams tied at 9-7 at the end of the year...with it all coming down to the fun NFL Tiebreakers.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-686028829969914452?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-77747785284482493072009-12-12T20:19:00.000-08:002009-12-12T20:34:08.308-08:00Here are my NFL picks for Week 14. On the season I am 98-96 on the season after Thursday.<br /><br />Steelers -9.5 (LOSS)<br />Saints -9.5 (Tough road game at a desperate ATL but I see NO 34, ATL 20)<br />Packers -3.5 (Coming off MNF could be a let down game; GB 31, Chi 14)<br />Colts -7.5 (Broncos never beat the Colts.....IND 38, Den 20)<br />Chiefs -0.5 (Ugly ballgame, don't watch if you can avoid....KC 20, Buf 17)<br />Jets -3.5 (Ugly, low scoring game with Clemens and Freeman at QB....NYJ 17, TB 10)<br />Dolphins +2.5 (Big game in AFC picture....Dolphs are a bit better; Mia 23, Jac 14)<br />Ravens -13.5 (I'm not too comfortable with this one....but we'll say Bal 28, Det 10)<br />Seahawks +6.5 (Back and forth game comes down to final minutes.....Hou 23, Sea 20)<br />Bengals +6.5 (Two good defenses...give me the points.....Min 27, Cin 23)<br />Panthers +13.5 (Pats don't lose at home.......NE 31, Car 19)<br />Titans -12.5 (Rout city USA tomorrow......Ten 34, Stl 7)<br />Redskins -1.5 (Rugged game, over 60 combined carries.......Was 17, Oak 14)<br />Chargers +3.5 (SD is the ultimate sleeper as well as GB to make SB....SD 37, Dal 20)<br />Eagles +0.5 (Huge game in NFC East.......Eagles win late.......Phi 23, Nyg 17)<br />Cards -3.5 (Arizona races to 2nd straight NFC West title.....AZ 27, SF 20)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-7774778528448249307?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-49847357569320596542009-10-04T18:22:00.001-07:002009-10-04T18:40:50.245-07:00Here's a quick review of my MLB predictions I made before the 2009 season. For the records, I'll give a +/- review of their wins (-1 means they won 1 less game than I predicted. These can be reviewed in an April blog post):<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">AL East</span><br />Boston (-1)<br />New York (+9)<br />Tampa Bay (-4)<br />Baltimore (-11)<br />Toronto (+10)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">AL Central</span><br />Minnesota (Either exact or -1)<br />Chicago (-4)<br />Cleveland (-17)<br />Kansas City (-14)<br />Detroit (+13 or +14)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">AL West</span><br />LA Angels (+8)<br />Texas (EXACT)<br />Oakland (EXACT)<br />Seattle (+15)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">NL East</span><br />Philadelphia (EXACT)<br />NY Mets (-20)<br />Florida (+2)<br />Atlanta (+13)<br />Washington (+3)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">NL Central</span><br />St. Louis (+1)<br />Chicago (-6)<br />Houston (-9)<br />Milwaukee (-2)<br />Cincinnati (+4)<br />Pittsburgh (-1..could have won a makeup game though and I'd be exact)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">NL West</span><br />Colorado (+4)<br />Los Angeles (+10)<br />Arizona (-11)<br />San Francisco (+14)<br />San Diego (+8)<br /><br />I predicted 3 of the 4 NL playoff teams (switching out the Mets for the Dodgers. In the AL, I will have nailed all 4 teams if the Twins beat the Tigers in the Playoff Game. The awards won't be out for awhile so I won't comment on those yet. We can now look at the Stat Leaders I predicted.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Stat Leaders Predictions:</span><br />AL HR's: Mark Teixiera, NY Yankees (Tied for 1st with Carlos Pena with 39)<br />NL HR's: Prince Fielder, Milwaukee (Finished with 46 in 2nd place, 1 behind Pujols)<br />AL Batting Title: Ichiro, Seattle (Finished 2nd behind Mauer)<br />NL Batting Title: Albert Pujols, St. Louis (Finished 3rd behind H. Ramirez and P. Sandoval)<br />AL RBI's: Justin Morneau, Minnesota (Finished tied for 12th...was hurt the last month though)<br />NL RBI's: Albert Pujols, St. Louis (Finished 3rd behind Fielder and Howard)<br />AL SB's: Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston (Finished 1st)<br />NL SB's: Jose Reyes, NY Mets (Got hurt early and never was close)<br /><br />AL Wins: Jon Lester, Boston (Finished tied for 10th)<br />NL Wins: Johan Santana, NY Mets (Finished tied for 17th...missed 2 months though)<br />AL ERA: Jon Lester, Boston (Finished 5th)<br />NL ERA: Tim Lincecum, San Francisco (Finished 2nd)<br />AL Saves: Joe Nathan, Minnesota (Finished 2nd)<br />NL Saves: Jason Motte, St. Louis (Not even close, wasn't closer for more than 2 weeks)<br />AL Strikeouts: CC Sabathia, NY Yankees (Finished 7th)<br />NL Strikeouts: Tim Lincecum, San Francisco (Finished 1st)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-4984735756932059654?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-24353410853523415162009-09-30T21:28:00.000-07:002009-09-30T21:42:15.887-07:00I'm not going to go out and try to predict each team's record like I do with the other sports. Instead, I'll take the point over/unders from Bodog.com and give you my predictions on each team. We'll see how well I do on the 30 teams. I predict I can get 21 or more right? Can I do it? We'll see.....<br /><br />Anaheim- UNDER 96.5<br />Atlanta- UNDER 80.5<br />Boston- OVER 101.5<br />Buffalo- UNDER 91.5<br />Calgary- OVER 96.5<br />Carolina- UNDER 94.5<br />Chicago- UNDER 105.5<br />Colorado- OVER 72.5<br />Columbus- OVER 86.5<br />Dallas- OVER 89.5<br />Detroit- OVER 106.5<br />Edmonton- UNDER 89.5<br />Florida- UNDER 87.5<br />Los Angeles- OVER 86.5<br />Minnesota- UNDER 88.5<br />Nashville- UNDER 84.5<br />New Jersey- UNDER 96.5<br />NY Islanders- UNDER 70.5<br />NY Rangers- OVER 91.5<br />Ottawa- UNDER 83.5<br />Philadelphia- UNDER 102.5<br />Phoenix- OVER 72.5<br />Pittsburgh- OVER 102.5<br />San Jose- UNDER 107.5<br />St. Louis- OVER 91.5<br />Tampa Bay- UNDER 85.5<br />Toronto- UNDER 85.5<br />Vancouver- OVER 96.5<br />Washington- UNDER 104.5<br />Montreal- OVER 93.5<br /><br />So I ended up with 13 Over's and 17 Under's. We shall see if I can get the magic 21 right that I believe I can. Here are some other predictions:<br /><br />Art Ross Trophy (Most Points) - Sidney Crosby, Pit (5/1 odds)<br />Vezina Trophy (Best Goaltender) - Nickolas Backstrom, Min (15/2 odds)<br />James Norris Trophy (Best Defenseman) - Dion Phanuef, Cal (6/1 odds)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-2435341085352341516?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-24683977104983894692009-09-10T21:58:00.000-07:002009-09-10T22:17:03.028-07:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">Here are my NFL Predicted Standings and Playoffs:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">AFC East</span><br />*New England (13-3)<br />Miami (9-7)<br />NY Jets (8-8)<br />Buffalo (4-12)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">AFC North</span><br />*Pittsburgh (12-4)<br />*Baltimore (10-6)<br />Cleveland (5-11)<br />Cincinnati (4-12)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">AFC South</span><br />*Indianapolis (11-5)<br />*Tennessee (9-7)<br />Houston (7-9)<br />Jacksonville (4-12)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">AFC West</span><br />*San Diego (12-4)<br />Denver (7-9)<br />Oakland (4-12)<br />Kansas City (3-13)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">NFC East</span><br />*NY Giants (11-5)<br />*Philadelphia (11-5)<br />Washington (9-7)<br />Dallas (7-9)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">NFC North</span><br />*Green Bay (11-5)<br />*Chicago (11-5)<br />Minnesota (8-8)<br />Detroit (3-13)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">NFC South</span><br />*Carolina (10-6)<br />New Orleans (10-6)<br />Atlanta (7-9)<br />Tampa Bay (3-13)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">NFC West</span><br />*Arizona (9-7)<br />Seattle (8-8)<br />San Francisco (5-11)<br />St. Louis (2-14)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Wild Card Playoffs:</span><br />(#3) Colts 17, (#6) Titans 10<br />(#5) Ravens 23, (#4) Chargers 10<br />(#4) Cardinals 24, (#5) Bears 20<br />(#3) Panthers 27, (#6) Eagles 17<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Divisional Playoffs:</span><br />(#2) Steelers 20, (#3) Colts 7<br />(#5) Ravens 23, (#1) Patriots 13<br />(#1) Giants 34, (#4) Cardinals 17<br />(#2) Packers 16, (#3) Panthers 13 (OT)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Conference Championships:</span><br />(#5) Ravens 14, (#2) Steelers 13<br />(#2) Packers 20, (#1) Giants 14<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Super Bowl 44:</span><br />Ravens 27, Packers 14<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-2468397710498389469?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-1708833590187195652009-09-02T15:38:00.000-07:002009-09-02T16:04:24.269-07:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">Final Top 10 Predictions</span> (Last poll before bowl games)<br />1) Florida (13-0)<br />2) Oklahoma State (12-1)<br />3) USC (11-1)<br />4) Ohio State (11-1)<br />5) Oklahoma (11-1)<br />6) TCU (12-0)<br />7) Georgia Tech (12-1)<br />8) Notre Dame (11-1)<br />9) Penn State (11-1)<br />10) Tennessee (11-1)<br /><br />Other Notable Teams: West Virginia (10-2), Oregon State (10-2), Oregon (10-2), Wisconsin (11-1), Boise State (12-1)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">BCS Bowl Predictions</span><br />BCS National Title Game: Florida 41, Oklahoma State 28<br />Rose Bowl: USC 28, Ohio State 21<br />Sugar Bowl: Tennessee 23, West Virginia 16<br />Fiesta Bowl: TCU 23, Notre Dame 17<br />Orange Bowl: Oklahoma 40, Georgia Tech 14<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Explanation of BCS Bowl Predictions<br /></span>Florida and Oklahoma State finish #1 and #2, clinching National Title Game berths. USC and Ohio State win their respective conferences, clinching Rose Bowl berths. I have USC winning the rematch of an earlier season game in which I have them giving Ohio State their only defeat of the season. TCU receives an Automatic bid due to finishing in the top 6 in the final BCS standings. Notre Dame receives an Automatic bid due to finishing with 9 wins and/or finishing in the top 8 of the final BCS standings (either would put them in a BCS game). West Virginia and Georgia Tech win the Big East &amp; ACC, respectively. Tennessee and Oklahoma receive the other two bids as the Sugar will have the first pick of automatics after losing Florida to the title game, choosing Tennessee over Notre Dame. The Fiesta will then choose Notre Dame with the 2nd pick after losing Oklahoma State to the National Title Game. After that, the Orange will have the next 2 and will take their teams, leaving West Virginia as the final pick for the Sugar.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-170883359018719565?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-7148423843767930562009-09-02T15:25:00.000-07:002009-09-02T15:37:16.079-07:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">WAC Predictions</span><br /><br />Boise State 8-0 12-1<br />Hawaii 6-2 9-4<br />Fresno State 6-2 7-5<br />La. Tech 5-3 6-6<br />San Jose State 5-3 6-6<br />Nevada 3-5 5-7<br />New Mex. St. 2-6 4-8<br />Idaho 1-7 1-11<br />Utah State 0-8 1-12<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Independent Predictions</span><br /><br />Notre Dame 11-1 (only loss vs USC)<br />Navy 9-4<br />Army 2-10<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-714842384376793056?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-15506473132373898542009-09-02T15:15:00.000-07:002009-09-02T15:25:36.132-07:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">Sun Belt Predictions</span><br /><br />Troy 8-0 8-4<br />Florida Atlantic 7-1 9-3<br />Middle Tennessee 6-2 6-6<br />La. Lafayette 4-4 5-7<br />North Texas 3-5 3-9<br />Western Kentucky 3-5 4-8<br />FIU 2-6 2-10<br />Arkansas St. 2-6 3-9<br />La. Monroe 1-7 2-10<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-1550647313237389854?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-10943047630205284712009-09-01T22:39:00.001-07:002009-09-01T22:55:26.437-07:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">SEC Predictions</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">SEC East</span><br />Florida 8-0 12-0<br />Tennessee 7-1 11-1<br />Georgia 4-4 6-6<br />South Carolina 2-6 5-7<br />Kentucky 2-6 6-6<br />Vanderbilt 0-8 2-10<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">SEC West</span><br />Mississippi 7-1 11-1<br />LSU 6-2 10-2<br />Auburn 4-4 8-4<br />Alabama 4-4 7-5<br />Arkansas 3-5 7-5<br />Miss. St. 1-7 4-8<br /><br />Conference Title Game: Florida 28, Mississippi 18<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-1094304763020528471?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-34319730169384122692009-09-01T22:08:00.000-07:002009-09-01T22:24:07.824-07:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">PAC-10 Predictions</span><br /><br />USC 8-1 11-1<br />Oregon St. 7-2 10-2<br />Oregon 7-2 10-2<br />UCLA 7-2 9-3<br />California 6-3 9-3<br />Arizona 4-5 7-5<br />Arizona St. 3-6 5-7<br />Wash. St. 1-8 2-10<br />Stanford 1-8 2-10<br />Washington 1-8 2-10<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-3431973016938412269?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-41351857624276423962009-09-01T21:45:00.000-07:002009-09-01T22:06:51.114-07:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">Mountain West Predictions</span><br /><br />TCU 8-0 12-0<br />BYU 7-1 9-3<br />Utah 6-2 9-3<br />Air Force 5-3 7-5<br />Col. St. 4-4 6-6<br />SDSU 2-6 4-8<br />New Mexico 2-6 3-9<br />Wyoming 2-6 3-9<br />UNLV 0-8 1-7<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-4135185762427642396?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-3842038002809728902009-09-01T21:19:00.000-07:002009-09-01T21:44:51.159-07:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">MAC Predictions</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Eastern Division</span><br />Miami (OH) 6-2 6-6<br />Buffalo 6-2 9-3<br />Bowling Green 5-3 7-5<br />Akron 4-4 5-7<br />Kent State 3-5 4-8<br />Ohio 1-7 2-10<br />Temple 1-7 3-9<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Western Division</span><br />Central Michigan 7-1 8-4<br />Western Michigan 6-2 7-5<br />Northern Illinois 5-3 7-5<br />Ball State 5-3 8-4<br />Toledo 3-5 4-8<br />Eastern Michigan 0-8 1-11<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Conference Title Game:</span> Central Michigan 41, Miami (OH) 17<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-384203800280972890?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-29300223172919703082009-09-01T20:42:00.000-07:002009-09-01T21:19:12.523-07:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">Conference USA Predictions</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">East Division</span><br />East Carolina 7-1 8-4<br />Central Florida 5-3 6-6<br />So. Miss. 3-5 4-8<br />Marshall 3-5 4-8<br />UAB 3-5 4-8<br />Memphis 1-7 4-8<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">West Division</span><br />Rice 7-1 8-4<br />Tulsa 6-2 8-4<br />Houston 6-2 7-5<br />UTEP 5-3 6-6<br />SMU 2-6 3-9<br />Tulane 0-8 2-10<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Conference Title Game:</span> East Carolina 31, Rice 21<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-2930022317291970308?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-56490516448313744702009-08-31T21:25:00.001-07:002009-08-31T21:45:42.801-07:00Big East Predictions<br /><br />West Virginia 6-1 10-2<br />South Florida 6-1 10-2<br />Cincinnati 5-2 8-4<br />Louisville 4-3 7-5<br />Pittsburgh 3-4 7-5<br />Connecticut 2-5 4-8<br />Rutgers 1-6 5-7<br />Syracuse 0-7 2-10<br /><br />West Virginia wins conference based on head to head win over South Florida.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-5649051644831374470?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-13227190706740417212009-08-31T20:51:00.000-07:002009-08-31T21:19:46.126-07:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">Big XII North</span><br /><br />Nebraska 6-2 10-2<br />Colorado 5-3 8-4<br />Kansas 4-4 8-4<br />Kansas St. 2-6 5-7<br />Missouri 2-6 5-7<br />Iowa St. 1-7 4-8<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Big XII South</span><br /><br />Okla. St. 7-1 11-1<br />Oklahoma 7-1 11-1<br />Texas 6-2 10-2<br />Texas Tech 4-4 8-4<br />Baylor 3-5 7-5<br />Texas AM 1-7 4-8<br /><br />Conference Title Game: Oklahoma State 48, Nebraska 17<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-1322719070674041721?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-1508020551500483152009-08-31T20:17:00.000-07:002009-08-31T20:47:06.963-07:00<span style="font-weight: bold;">Big Ten Predictions</span><br /><br />Ohio State 8-0 11-1<br />Penn State 7-1 11-1<br />Wisconsin 7-1 11-1<br />Illinois 5-3 9-3<br />Iowa 4-4 7-5<br />Michigan 4-4 7-5<br />Michigan St. 3-5 6-6<br />Purdue 3-5 5-7<br />Northwestern 2-6 6-6<br />Minnesota 1-7 4-8<br />Indiana 0-8 3-9<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-150802055150048315?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-79443885789962125362009-08-31T19:57:00.001-07:002009-08-31T20:16:06.530-07:00This is the first of the many conference predictions to come out before Thursday's first kickoff. After all conferences are previewed, I will project the bowl matchups and give a final Top 10 for the regular season.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">ACC Atlantic</span><br />Florida State 5-3 8-4<br />Clemson 5-3 8-4<br />Boston College 4-4 7-5<br />Maryland 3-5 6-6<br />Wake Forest 2-6 5-7<br />N.C. State 1-7 3-9<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">ACC Coastal </span><br />Georgia Tech 7-1 11-1<br />Miami (Fla) 7-1 9-3<br />Virginia Tech 7-1 10-2<br />North Carolina 5-3 9-3<br />Virginia 1-7 4-8<br />Duke 1-7 4-8<br /><br />Conference Title Game: Georgia Tech 23, Florida State 10<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-7944388578996212536?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-11462575783010036912009-07-06T14:43:00.000-07:002009-07-06T14:46:43.468-07:00<h3 style="font-weight: normal; font-style: italic;" class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" ft="{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;msg&quot;}"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span class="UIIntentionalStory_Names"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=20901446&amp;ref=mf" onclick="'ft(">Adam Miezin</a> </span></span></h3><h3 style="font-weight: normal;" class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" ft="{&quot;type&quot;:&quot;msg&quot;}"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span class="UIIntentionalStory_Names"></span>if the cavs give varajao 10 mil a year over 5 years, thats crazy. give the same money in an offer sheet to david lee (like i been saying) and make the knicks match or else we got an even better player. if they match, then they have less money for next offseason (unless they move jeffries and curry). please don't resign varajao. thanks mr ferry.</span></h3><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=23300039&amp;ref=mf">Rob Paternite</a><span style="font-style: italic;" class="comment_meta_data"> at 5:21pm July 6</span><span class="comment_credits"></span><div class="comment_text"><div id="text_expose_id_4a526fc17562a1989546124" class="comment_actual_text">Cannot happen. We can only sign Andy to that much because he's our own FA... we don't have anything over $5.6 million to offer anyone that wasn't on our team last year UNLESS we work out some kind of sign &amp; trade. I don't see anybody giving Andy $10mill though, not even us. I read something earlier that said we're not going to pay him more than $6 (which would be funny because I think he would have gotten $7 if he stayed in his contract) ... either way ... his Agent, Dan Fegan = The Devil.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >Adam Miezin</span><br />ya well i didnt think we'd resign him when he held out a few years back but we ended up doing that too. the longer we wait and don't sign someone else, even a shawn marion (another fegan guy), the better chance he makes us pay up big time. thats what im trying to avoid. if we gave lee the MLE the knicks would probably just resign him for it so that<span class="text_exposed_hide">... <span class="text_exposed_link"><a onclick="'CSS.addClass($(">Read More</a></span></span><span class="text_exposed_show"> sucks then. the knicks also don't have a first round pick next year (goes to utah, unprotected). that'll make trading one of their bad contracts (jeffries and curry) a bit harder i'd imagine. I'm thinking they have to move lee because they also wanna keep nate robinson and he's going to command some money soon too. the one good problem is no one really has that much money except memphis and atlanta now and their not spending. detroit blew their cap room on gordon and villa which was good. so we'll see i guess unless we can make something happen through a trade.</span> o and now that boston has garnett, sheed and perkins down low, that post defense is going to be even tougher. i'm saying bye to orlando for sure as a contender because there's no way they beat boston next year. vince carter is a corpse out there and certainly a downgrade from turkoglu (have fun in toronto winning 35 games). they also traded <span class="text_exposed_hide"><span class="text_exposed_link"></span></span><span class="text_exposed_show">courtney lee, who was undervalued. so cavs beef up the front line. i also just thought of a trade that would never happen but would certainly help the cavs for 2009. Z for tyson chandler. contracts work out and Z is a UFA in the summer of 2010 with Shaq. Chandler has a year more left on his deal after the 09-10 season. New Orleans gets the cap relief they need for 2010 (saving big money and not going over the luxury tax line). The cavs then cut bait with shaq after this year and use that money to lure someone else in 2010 (wade or bosh? lol...) Chandler is a good expiring contract for the future too....not to get too far ahead. too bad it won't happen</span>.<br /></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-1146257578301003691?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-69164150983815603442009-06-25T15:23:00.000-07:002009-06-25T15:28:52.143-07:00These are my top 10 players coming into the draft (this won't be the draft order but it's my rankings of the 10 best players in the draft):<br /><br />1) Ricky Rubio<br />2) Blake Griffin<br />3) Stephen Curry (Lights out shooter at times, could score 25 a game in the right system)<br />4) Brandon Jennings (Remember the name, he will contribute and have big games &amp; a long career)<br />5) Jrue Holliday (Much better pick than Tyreke Evans, the other big 1 and done college player)<br />6) Earl Clark (He will be effective unlike college teammate Terrance Williams)<br />7) Jeff Teague (Great draft for PG's, just look at my list)<br />8) Jeff Adrien (Similar player to Jeff Green, a bit smaller but will find his spot in an NBA rotation)<br />9) Erik Maynor<br />10) Ty Lawson (sleeper city, similar to DJ Augustin and I was all over him last year)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-6916415098381560344?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-42510806488730058082009-04-20T18:33:00.000-07:002009-04-20T18:46:05.891-07:00Well my NBA preseason predictions weren't as good as I thought they were. I posted these on October 28th, 2008 for those who want to look at my "success" or lack thereof. Here's a quick recap of what I picked earlier this year:<br /><br />-4 of the 6 division champs (Detroit and Utah were wrong).<br />-6 of 8 Eastern Conference playoff teams (I had Toronto &amp; Washington in, Atlanta &amp; Chicago out)<br />-3 of 8 Eastern Conference teams seeds correct. (Boston #2, Orlando #3, Philadelphia #6)<br />-6 of 8 Western Conference playoff teams (I had Phoenix &amp; Golden St. in, Dallas &amp; Portland out)<br />-1 of 8 Western Conference teams seeds correct (San Antonio as the #3)<br /><br />-My East Final was Cleveland over Boston (a likely scenerio right now)<br />-My West Final was Utah over LA Lakers (they're playing in the first round)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-4251080648873005808?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-8965615060194317652009-04-05T23:11:00.000-07:002009-04-05T23:54:28.252-07:00The long awaited predictions page! This was tough to do but here's but my best shot at what the 2009 baseball season has to offer for us. Enjoy. Award winners and stat leaders listed below team records as well for your enjoyment.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">AL East</span><br />Boston 96-66<br />New York 94-68<br />Tampa Bay 88-76<br />Baltimore 75-87<br />Toronto 65-97<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">AL Central</span><br />Minnesota 87-75<br />Chicago 83-79<br />Cleveland 82-80<br />Kansas City 79-83<br />Detroit 73-89<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">AL West</span><br />LA Angels 89-73<br />Texas 87-75<br />Oakland 75-87<br />Seattle 70-92<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">NL East</span><br />Philadelphia 93-69<br />NY Mets 90-72<br />Florida 85-77<br />Atlanta 73-89<br />Washington 56-106<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">NL Central</span><br />St. Louis 90-72<br />Chicago 89-73<br />Houston 83-79<br />Milwaukee 82-80<br />Cincinnati 74-88<br />Pittsburgh 63-99<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">NL West</span><br />Colorado 88-74<br />Los Angeles 85-77<br />Arizona 81-81<br />San Francisco 74-88<br />San Diego 67-95<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Playoff Predictions:</span><br />Boston over Minnesota, 3-1<br />NY Yankees over LA Angels, 3-1<br /><br />Colorado over Philadelphia, 3-2<br />St. Louis over NY Mets, 3-1<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">League Championship Series:</span><br />Boston over NY Yankees, 4-2<br />St. Louis over Colorado, 4-1<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">World Series:</span><br />St. Louis over Boston, 4-3<br /><br />For the second time in four years, the St. Louis Cardinals will be World Series Champs, defeating the team that took them down in the 2004 World Series. I also predict the NL to win the All-Star Game, giving the Cardinals the decisive Game Seven at home.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Award Winners Predictions:</span><br />AL MVP: Mark Teixiera, NY Yankees<br />NL MVP: Albert Pujols, St. Louis<br />AL Cy Young: Jon Lester, Boston<br />NL Cy Young: Tim Lincecum, San Francisco<br />AL Manager of the Year: Ron Gardenhire, Minnesota<br />NL Manger of the Year: Clint Hurdle, Colorado<br />AL Rookie of the Year: Matt Wieters, Baltimore<br />NL Rookie of the Year: Cameron Maybin, Florida<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Stat Leaders Predictions:</span><br />AL HR's: Mark Teixiera, NY Yankees (44)<br />NL HR's: Prince Fielder, Milwaukee (47)<br />AL Batting Title: Ichiro, Seattle (.339)<br />NL Batting Title: Albert Pujols, St. Louis (.349)<br />AL RBI's: Justin Morneau, Minnesota (129)<br />NL RBI's: Albert Pujols, St. Louis (134)<br />AL SB's: Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston (61)<br />NL SB's: Jose Reyes, NY Mets (69)<br /><br />AL Wins: Jon Lester, Boston (20)<br />NL Wins: Johan Santana, NY Mets (19)<br />AL ERA: Jon Lester, Boston (2.51)<br />NL ERA: Tim Lincecum, San Francisco (2.40)<br />AL Saves: Joe Nathan, Minnesota (48)<br />NL Saves: Jason Motte, St. Louis (47)<br />AL Strikeouts: CC Sabathia, NY Yankees (256)<br />NL Strikeouts: Tim Lincecum, San Francisco (286)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-896561506019431765?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-75974070817850149672009-01-20T16:41:00.000-08:002009-01-20T17:16:36.609-08:00First post of the new year. New President. New world with the Arizona Cardinals making the Super Bowl. With their success and the Rays success in making the World Series, we've entered into a sort of bizzaro world time period for sports. Add into the mix that the Cleveland Cavaliers (another franchise with very mild success all time, especially before Lebron) could possibly end the drought for Cleveland championships in June and you'll see that the world looks a bit different than it did 12 months ago. My next post (to be up by Saturday) will explore the Cavs potential trade options at the trade deadline (using the fun and easy to use ESPN.com Trade Machine)<br /><br />-The Arizona Cardinals did what many couldn't even fathom after getting shelled multiple times at the end of the regular season. Making the Super Bowl is extraordinary for this franchise but considering their playoff run, one can't be all that surprised can we? They got to play two of the three games at home, where they are a much better and different football team. Their road game at Carolina (8-0 at home this season) seems to be the toughest task yet when one looks at the Panthers "home-field advantage" historically. Yes they were 8-0 but no one was making this look as tough as if they had to go to New York. The Panthers were under .500 at home before this season (although 2-0 in the playoffs) all the while having competitive teams in every year except two (1998, 4-12 and 2001, 1-15). The Cardinals defense has played to it's athletic abilities and Clancy Pendergast has them "overachieving" is the new rallying cry. Simply put, this is a team that seems to show up in big games this year while being easily overcome on others.<br /><br />-The Cleveland Cavs continue their improbably march to 41-0 at home as they've now reached 20-0. They'll be on the west coast all week, giving us a chance to look ahead. Can they finish 41-0 at home? Probably not. They still host many of their tougher games in the next 21. But, for the Cavs to establish a great home court advantage while occupying the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference (and possibly overall?) is a big step towards post-season success. Consider the Cavs chances to defeat Boston last year if Game 7 was at the Q. I think most people would agree that the Cavs would have taken that game if in Cleveland, even though Boston went on to win the title and had over 20 more regular season wins. Now I know others may say the same thing for Atlanta but I can't agree because of the way Boston closed that series out. It took them until the final seconds to eliminate the Cavs last season.<br /><br />-The Orlando Magic as the new Eastern Conference Favorites? Another popular rallying cry around the league today. Personally, I don't see Orlando beating Cleveland or Boston in a 2nd round series. If they get the #1 seed, then sure they can beat Atlanta or Detroit and go to the conference finals. But even with an improved Jameer Nelson and the man-child Dwight Howard, this team still has some work to do, especially in May to be considered a contender. Take last year for example as they bowed out easily to a Detroit team that was nowhere near as good as they had been in the past.<br /><br />-North Carolina has an incredible amount of talent at the college basketball level this season. But with all that talent and the multiple blowouts that this team produces each year with this nucleus, why have they been bounced the past 3 years from the NCAA Tournament? They've lost two games in league play already (Wake Forest and Boston College) and seem to have a few more in store. They were the overwhelming favorite coming into the season with no publication that I saw picking anyone but them. So what makes me think that this team will somehow figure out a way to come up short again in March? Well, Boston College is only a bit above-average team in the ACC. Any team that loses to a mid level conference team can't be considered elite and could be sent home in the second round of the NCAA Tournament if the right matchup is on the bracket. Personally, they still rank in the four best teams I've seen this season. Duke doesn't. I don't know what it is but I always feel that they need to get another dominant big man (Boozer, Brand, etc.) to win another title. The team can shoot the lights out of the gym any night but will get knocked out once again when they meet a team with a big man who can control the paint.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">My NCAA Basketball Ranks (as of Jan.19)</span><br />1: Wake Forest (Good team but playing over their heads)<br />2: North Carolina (Most talented; will fall short in the end again though)<br />3: Louisville (Killer conference will harden every team for NCAA Tournament)<br />4: Pittsburgh (Big East will have at least one final four team, guaranteed)<br />5: Gonzaga (Another talented Zags team will find it's way to the program's 1st Final Four)<br />6: Marquette (A team not getting much attention but has quality wins and a good record)<br />7: Connecticut (Everyone's #2 in the preseason is just getting warmed up)<br />8: Oklahoma (A team with a star player capable of leading them all the way; great start as well)<br /><br />So my Final Four predictions right now would be Connecticut, Louisville, Oklahoma and North Carolina. Sleepers to consider for now would be Marquette, Arizona State, Michigan State and Texas.<br /><br />-Can anyone in the world tell me why Matt Carroll and Desagna Diop (traded for each other last week) have 5 and 4 year contracts worth the mid-level exception? I mean I guess Dallas figured they needed to some height but then they go and trade Diop. I have officially ruled Dallas as the team most likely to finish 9th in the race to the Western Conference Playoffs. As of now, it's 9 teams for 8 spots but the other teams in the West have to be happy about this deal.<br /><br />-Is there any team playing worse defensively than the Golden State Warriors? And to think they have Biedrins, Ellis and Jackson tied up for 5+ years as of now doesn't help. They're also on the hook for three more years of Jamal Crawford (who wakes up in the morning shooting) and Ronny Turiaf (grossly overrated player, not worth the 4.5 million a year they found it so wise to give him this past offseason). Their best deal is the one given to Kelenna Azubuike. But he will find more money somewhere else in 2 years when Golden State won't be able to afford to sign him. Now I was all for the signing of Corey Maggette in the offseason. I thought he'd offset Baron Davis' departure well enough scoring wise that he would win Most Improved Player. True, he's been hurt some of this season. But that deal likes terrible in the oh so 20-20 vision that we tend to have when looking back on things.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-7597407081785014967?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-70306493539919546462008-12-17T18:01:00.000-08:002008-12-17T18:40:53.659-08:00-Shawn Marion for Wally and Andy? You don't say. My thoughts on this potential trade are twofold: trading two key bench guys for potential impact player has it's positives. Marion can be a solid defender and rebounder when he's on. He also can drag a team down at times, as he did with Phoenix. Why do you think they got rid of him for a Shaq's corpse? The Cavs depth would be affected, causing JJ Hickson and Darnell Jackson to step into much more prominent roles. Maybe they're ready for it, maybe they're not. But, when your 20-4, I don't think you take the time to trade two parts away for one. Marion is good but won't put the Cavs over the top like many would think on the surface of this deal.<br /><br />- Baseball contracts, especially for pitchers, have gone through the roof. AJ Burnett, CC Sabathia, Kerry Wood....unbelievable contracts. But hey, if pitching is at a premium, the Yankees and Indians are willing to spend a bit to close the holes. The Red Sox, Angels and Rays seem to be the favorites in the A.L. but these teams believe they can rebound from missing hte playoffs last year with these aquisitions.<br /><br />-The Orioles made a few nice moves last week. Trading Ramon Hernandez was a plus. Getting Ryan Freel and Caesar Izturis adds to the team's speed and defense. Picking up a couple of solid corner infielders for the minor league system will help as well. The O's need Mark Teixieria badly but it'll be tough to convince him to pick Baltimore over Boston or Los Angeles.<br /><br />-With the Celtics and Lakers "chasing history and 70 wins", the Cavs haved slipped a bit under the radar. Not by much but they've still afforded themselves a comfortable cushion in the division. The team comes to play every night, as evidenced by the many blowouts they've provided. They have also played some weaker competition but you can't blame them for playing their schedule. We'll see how they do against Boston and Detroit, two teams they're a combined 0-2 against so far.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-7030649353991954646?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-47357258326574291312008-10-31T19:56:00.000-07:002008-10-31T20:22:36.252-07:00I think it's a good time to reflect on some of the predictions I've made in past posts....so here goes nothing....<br /><br />NFL (Preseason):<br />With the season almost half over for most teams, there are some surprising teams that have already won more games than I thought they could in 16. Miami has 3 wins already which was what I predicted for the season. The Bengals and Lions are both 0-7 but I had them both at 7-9....woops. The Titans are the reverse, at 7-0 with me picking them for 8-8. San Diego was a team I thought would have a big year in a weak division....I said 13-3 but they're 3-5 right now. I also had the Raiders at 9-7, another pick that isn't looking too great. I had the Falcons winning 2 games on the year which they've already doubled. One last definite wrong is the Seahawks at 9-7 while they are 2-5 right now. A lot of my other picks should be close but these are the ones that look bad right now.<br /><br />NCAA (Top 10):<br />I had USC at 1 going undefeated. That one hurts. My #2 was Oklahoma with their only loss being to Texas.....so far so good with that one. #3 is Florida with losses to Georgia and Florida State. They've already dropped a game to Ole Miss so we'll see how the Gators do in these games later in the year. #4 Georgia.....loss to Florida and Auburn. I don't see the Dawgs losing to Auburn but they very well could lose to the Gators tomorrow afternoon. I had Ohio State losing to USC and Illinois. Half way there but didn't call the Penn State victory over OSU. West Virginia was another dissapointment as I had them losing once, to USF. VA Tech has struggled at times as well. I had them losing once, to Florida State. Missouri was supposed to lose to Texas according to my preseason picks but not Okla State. I also had Oklahoma beating Mizzou in the Big XII Championship Game. I had Illinois with 3 losses and they've dissapointed as they are 4-4 right now. One prediction I am proud of is my pick of Oregon State to the Rose Bowl. This can still happen amazingly. If the Beavers run the table to finish the year, they will win the Pac-10 title over USC in a tiebreaker at worst case scenerio. We'll see if they can do it but I remember picking that as my major upset pick for the year. Out of the 10 teams I picked for BCS games, I expected probably 6-7 to actually make it. Right now, BYU won't make it, cutting my chances down to 9 of 10. West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Oregon State all need to win their conference title to have a chance. Ohio State can sneak in after Penn State as the Big Ten #2. Oklahoma and Missouri both are not going to the BCS but one could certainly make it as the conference champ qualifies automatically.<br /><br />MLB:<br />These were made at the All-Star break with win total predictions. Here's a breakdown of how it turned out: (Predicted Total- Actual Total= Score)<br />Boston (-1), New York (-1), Tampa Bay (+11), Toronto (+7), Baltimore (-9)<br />Detroit (-14), Chicago (+3), Minnesota (+4), Cleveland (+10), Kansas City (+7)<br />LA Angels (-2), Texas (-7), Oakland (-7), Seattle (-2)<br /><br />Philadelphia (+1), New York (+1), Atlanta (-10), Florida (+10), Washington (-6)<br />Chicago (+2), Milwaukee (+1), St. Louis (Correct), Houston (+1), Cincinnati (+1), Pittsburgh (-2)<br />Los Angeles (+1), Colorado (-4), Arizona (+6), San Francisco (+1), San Diego (-4)<br /><br />Well I did pretty well with the NL Central with every record within two games including my one exact prediction (St. Louis). I should have flip flopped the Braves and Marlins. I predicted the D-Backs to struggle more than they ended up doing but overall my NL was pretty good. I had some bad picks in the AL (Cleveland, Toronto and Tampa Bay outperformed by double digits). Detroit never came around to play well. Overall I would say I did okay. I would have liked to have seen what numbers I would have made in the preseason. We'll see next year when I make my picks in March. I did call all four NL playoff teams including my switch of the Mets with the Brewers, saying they'll finish within a game of each other. That was solid. In the AL, I had the Yanks and Tigers going while it ended up being the Rays and White Sox. Oops....I also had Boston winning the division which they did not.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-4735725832657429131?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-47298752901264959122008-10-28T14:25:00.001-07:002008-10-28T14:40:43.215-07:00I'll keep it simple this time...no predicted records, just standings and playoffs. I'll also do MVP, Most Improved, Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year etc.<br /><br /><strong><em>Eastern Conference</em></strong><br /><strong>Atlantic</strong><br />Boston (#2 Seed)<br />Toronto (#5 seed)<br />Philadelphia (#6 seed)<br />New York<br />New Jersey<br /><br /><strong>Central</strong><br />Detroit (#1 seed)<br />Cleveland (#4 seed)<br />Indiana<br />Chicago<br />Milwaukee<br /><br /><strong>Southeast</strong><br />Orlando (#3 seed)<br />Washington (#7 seed)<br />Miami (#8 seed)<br />Atlanta<br />Charlotte<br /><br /><strong><em>WESTERN CONFERENCE</em></strong><br /><strong>Northwest</strong><br />Utah (#1 seed)<br />Denver (#7 seed)<br />Portland<br />Minnesota<br />Oklahoma City<br /><br /><strong>Pacific</strong><br />Los Angeles Lakers (#2 seed)<br />Golden State (#5 seed)<br />Phoenix (#8 seed)<br />Sacramento<br />Los Angeles Clippers<br /><br /><strong>Southwest</strong><br />San Antonio (#3 seed)<br />New Orleans (#4 seed)<br />Houston (#6 seed)<br />Dallas<br />Memphis<br /><br /><strong><em>Eastern Conference Playoffs</em></strong><br />1-Detroit over 8-Miami<br />4-Cleveland over 5-Toronto<br />6-Philadelphia over 3-Orlando<br />2-Boston over 7-Washington<br /><br />4-Cleveland over 1-Detroit<br />2-Boston over 6-Philadelphia<br /><br />4-Cleveland over 2-Boston<br /><br /><em><strong>Western Conference Playoffs</strong></em><br />1-Utah over 8-Phoenix<br />4-New Orleans over 5-Golden State<br />6-Houston over 3-San Antonio<br />2-LA Lakers over 7-Denver<br /><br />1-Utah over 4-New Orleans<br />2-LA Lakers over 6-Houston<br /><br />1-Utah over 2-LA Lakers<br /><br /><strong><em>NBA FINALS</em></strong><br />1-Utah over 4- Cleveland in 6 games<br /><br /><strong>NBA MVP:</strong> Deron Williams, Utah PG (23 PPG and 11 APG)<br /><strong>Coach of the Year:</strong> George Karl, Denver<br /><strong>Rookie of the Year:</strong> Derrick Rose, Chicago PG (13 PPG and 7.5 APG)<br /><strong>Most Improved Player:</strong> Corey Maggette, Golden State SF (26 PPG avg)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-4729875290126495912?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-70322833318743108832008-10-20T13:14:00.000-07:002008-10-20T13:15:09.845-07:00where do i start tonight.....Well here's a short list of things we've found out in the past few days:<br />1) Jon Lester can beat cancer but he can't beat Tampa Bay in Game 7 of the ALCS. "No cent month" continues.<br />2) Carl Crawford's leg looks fine now running in from LF but he couldn't go in July when I was in my fantasy baseball playoffs for 10K. Heartless.<br />3) If you have 10 top 5 picks in a row, you are going to have a good team eventually. Except if your the Browns.<br />4) I could make 10 notes about the Browns but I'll leave it like this....Anderson= Forever Inconsistent....Dawson= Not Clutch, Running game= terrible and lacking creativity.<br />5) Fox is showing the World Series. Toledo decides not to have Fox on anymore due to money. Ok thanks because I watched hundreds of games all year to miss the NLCS and World Series.<br />6) Red Sox: 9 straight elimination game wins vs Worst Team Ever through 10 seasons. Which one wins? I still hate Boston but still....no cent.<br />7) No more Boston hats around campus right? Thank god....only a week until the Celtics jerseys reappear.<br />8) Despised Team Plane Crash Theory. IM DaRcEeW1 for further explanation. Let's just say it started with the Tennesse Titans after Week 17 last season.<br />9) NFL Season through Week 7.....lots of things still to learn but here's something I can tell you....SD, Indy and NE will not win the AFC. That's a good thing right...unless it opens the door for the Steelers<br /><br />I'm done for now, I could go on forever.....worst mood ever.....oh well. Go Arizona Cardinals....because most importantly, we've learned any team (I'm talking to you Lions, Browns, Bengals, Clippers, Insert bad team name here) can win it all.....or at least come close enough to sell a few more hats.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-7032283331874310883?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-65267102302365901902008-10-01T10:16:00.001-07:002008-10-01T10:27:31.640-07:00The time for new October legends to be born is here....who will win the 2008 World Series? Here's my take on the first round series:<br /><br /><strong>Philadelphia vs Milwaukee</strong><br />My preseason NL Champion pick, the Phillies, will come through in this series. Milwaukee hasn't been playing that well of late but snuck in when the Mets collapsed. The Brewers will find a way to win a game (most likely Game 2 with C.C. pitching). Otherwise, the Phillies will roll as they have a superior offense in a hitter's park for the first two games.<br /><strong>Prediction: Phillies 3-1</strong><br /><br /><strong>Chicago (NL) vs Los Angeles</strong><br />An interesting series in that I can see it going a million different ways. Cubs sweep? No, LA is playing too good. I like the Dodgers chances if they can get one of the first two in Wrigley. This is the playoffs, a place the Cubs traditionally don't perform well in. It will continue as the Dodgers shock the world in 5 games to leave Wrigley a silent place. Names to keep an eye on: Andre Ethier, poised to break onto the national stage here.<br /><strong>Prediction: Dodgers 3-2</strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>Anaheim vs Boston</strong><br />The best of the four first round series. The winner is the odds on favorite to win the A.L. pennant but it will be a grueling series. 5 games is definite as both bullpens will keep solid offenses down late in games. The Angels were my preseason World Series pick and they have the home-field in this series.<br /><strong>Prediction: Angels 3-2</strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>Tampa Bay vs Chicago (AL)</strong><br />The dream will end at some point here for the Rays. A great season for a good up and coming team. They have the home-field but it will be relegated to nothing as the White Sox postseason experience will loom large. The Sox come in on a bit of a roll and they are a superior team if you look at all positions. Older teams tend to beat younger teams in the playoffs and I see it happening here.<br /><strong>Prediction: White Sox 3-1</strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>Rest of the Playoff Predictions:</strong><br /><strong>Phillies over Dodgers 4-1</strong><br /><strong>Angels over White Sox 4-2</strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>World Series:</strong><br /><strong>Angels over Phillies 4-1 (my preseason prediction stays for now)</strong><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-6526710230236590190?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-34900213268413277482008-09-04T19:58:00.001-07:002008-09-05T09:54:01.645-07:00<strong>AFC East</strong><br />X-New England 12-4<br />Buffalo 7-9<br />NYJ 7-9<br />Miami 3-13<br /><br /><strong>AFC North</strong><br />X-Pittsburgh 9-7<br />Y-Cleveland 9-7<br />Cincinnati 7-9<br />Baltimore 6-10<br /><br /><strong>AFC South </strong><br />X-Jacksonville 11-5<br />Y-Indianapolis 11-5<br />Houston 8-8<br />Tennessee 8-8<br /><br /><strong>AFC West</strong><br />X-San Diego 13-3<br />Oakland 9-7<br />Denver 6-10<br />Kansas City 2-14<br /><br /><strong>NFC East</strong><br />X-Washington 11-5<br />Y-Dallas 10-6<br />Philadelphia 9-7<br />NY Giants 9-7<br /><br /><strong>NFC North</strong><br />X-Minnesota 11-5<br />Chicago 9-7<br />Green Bay 8-8<br />Detroit 7-9<br /><br /><strong>NFC South</strong><br />X-New Orleans 10-6<br />Carolina 9-7<br />Tampa Bay 8-8<br />Atlanta 2-14<br /><br /><strong>NFC West</strong><br />X-Arizona 9-7<br />Y-Seattle 9-7<br />St. Louis 6-10<br />San Francisco 3-13<br /><br /><strong>NFL Playoff Predictions (Wild Card Round)</strong><br />#5 Colts 33, #4 Steelers 17<br />#3 Jaguars 24, #6 Browns 14<br />#5 Cowboys 30, #4 Cardinals 10<br />#3 Saints 28, #6 Seahawks 24<br /><br /><strong>Divisional Playoff Round</strong><br />#5 Colts 31, #1 Chargers 14<br />#3 Jaguars 20, #2 Patriots 17 (OT)<br />#5 Cowboys 41, #1 Vikings 17<br />#3 Saints 24, #2 Redskins 10<br /><br /><strong>Conference Championships</strong><br />#3 Jaguars 21, #5 Colts 14<br />#3 Saints 31, #5 Cowboys 28<br /><br /><strong>SUPER BOWL 43</strong><br />#3 Jaguars 27, #3 Saints 14<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-3490021326841327748?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-72556793970172809492008-08-27T17:34:00.000-07:002008-08-27T17:57:41.919-07:00Here's my prediction on the final BCS standings before the bowl games. These are the ones which determine who plays for the national title.<br /><br />1) USC (undefeated)<br />2) Oklahoma (loss to Texas)<br />3) Florida (loss to LSU and Florida State)<br />4) Georgia (loss to Florida and Auburn)<br />5) Ohio State (losses to USC and Illinois)<br />6) West Virginia (loss to South Florida)<br />7) Virginia Tech (loss to Florida State)<br />8) Missouri (loss to Oklahoma (CC) and Texas)<br />9) BYU (undefeated)<br />10) Illinois (losses to Missouri, Michigan and Wisconsin)<br /><br /><strong>BCS Bowl Predictions:<br /></strong>National Title Game: USC over Oklahoma<br />Rose: Ohio State over Oregon State (not a missprint, read the Pac-10 preview)<br />Fiesta: Missouri over BYU<br />Orange: Georgia over Virginia Tech<br />Sugar: Florida over West Virginia<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-7255679397017280949?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-35117668316012223482008-08-27T17:19:00.000-07:002008-08-27T17:32:45.117-07:00An underrated conference in terms of talent normally, now the Big 12 has stepped onto the forefront of college football fan's interest with 3 great teams last season. This year should be no different. Oklahoma and Missouri will be back as national title contenders. Kansas will take a step back while Texas will show some flashes of past success with another good season. The team I'm torn on is Texas Tech. They seem ready for a breakout season but we've yet to ever see their defense play 12 solid games. It doesn't seem likely to happen this year either but their high preseason ranking indicates that some believe in the hype. Colorado and Oklahoma State are the teams on the rise, as both will make bowl games as well as significant strides towards a conference title. Kansas State and Nebraska, two teams that were national powers in the beginning of the decade, will continue their slide towards irrelevance.<br /><br />Prediction Time:<br />North<br />1) Missouri<br />2) Kansas<br />3) Colorado<br />4) Nebraska<br />5) Kansas State<br />6) Iowa State<br /><br />South<br />1) Oklahoma<br />2) Texas<br />3) Texas Tech<br />4) Oklahoma State<br />5) Texas A&amp;M<br />6) Baylor<br /><br />Conference Championship Game: Oklahoma over Missouri<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-3511766831601222348?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-57328188423374181432008-08-27T17:11:00.000-07:002008-08-27T17:17:59.809-07:00The toughest conference in the country. Most talented as well. These are opinions but they can double as facts. This conference has produced the past two national champions and seems to have the inside track on a third straight....except the gauntlet that is conference play. Florida (1 loss) and LSU (2 losses) have proven that going undefeated in the SEC is a rough task. A one loss champion in the SEC will be in position to claim a spot in the national title game in January again. Georgia and Florida are the heavy favorites, with defending national champ LSU another contender. LSU must replace Dorsey, Flynn, Hester and Doucet among others, leaving some to believe they are vulnerable. I can't possibly see anyone going undeafeated in this conference but LSU has the misfortune of playin Florida and Georgia along with their divisonal teams. Mississippi State and South Carolina are the two teams on the move up while I see Arkansas and Kentucky struggling to replicate last year's success.<br /><br /><strong>Prediction Time:</strong><br /><strong>SEC East</strong><br />1) Florida<br />2) Georgia<br />3) South Carolina<br />4) Tennessee<br />5) Kentucky<br />6) Vanderbilt<br /><br />SEC West<br />1) LSU<br />2) Auburn<br />3) Mississippi State<br />4) Alabama<br />5) Arkansas<br />6) Mississippi<br /><br />Conference Championship Game: Florida over LSU<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-5732818842337418143?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-38087385995689860472008-08-27T17:03:00.000-07:002008-08-27T17:09:55.278-07:00Is it still USC and everyone else? USC goes for its' 7th straight title and seemingly doesn't have a team close to stepping in its' way. The Pac-10 has a true round robin, meaning each team will see everyone in the conference. Oregon State is a sleeper team for me with a possible Rose Bowl trip ahead if they can put together a dream season. California needs to figure out their QB situation but they're further away than a few years ago to toppling USC. I see Arizona State taking a step back after a good season last year and Oregon doing the same. Arizona is the team to watch with QB Willie Tuitama leading the Mike Stoops coached team. They have shown strides of improvement over time and this is the year I believe they step up. UCLA and Washington have some talent but will be overmatched on most Saturdays. Stanford and Wazzu will be at the bottom of the conference but as Stanford showed last season, anyone can beat anyone on a given Saturday.<br /><br />Prediction Time:<br />1) USC<br />2) Oregon State<br />3) Arizona<br />4) California<br />5) Arizona State<br />6) Oregon<br />7) Washington<br />8) UCLA<br />9) Washington State<br />10) Stanford<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-3808738599568986047?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-31872129116446736682008-08-27T15:17:00.000-07:002008-08-27T15:47:19.929-07:00One of the weaker conferences in the BCS always produces an interesting title race. West Virginia is as good a team as anyone in this conference but they have some competition. Most believe it will come from rival Pitt, who knocked the Mountaineers out of the national title picture last season. South Florida continues to put together an improving program and have given West Va. tons of problems in head to head matchups. Cincy, Uconn and Rutgers have all gotten much better over the past few years but each may take a step back. Louisville and Syracuse will be the bottom feeders but will most certainly each pull one big upset inside of the conference.<br /><br />Prediction Time:<br />1) West Virginia<br />2) South Florida<br />3) Pittsburgh<br />4) Connecticut<br />5) Cincinnati<br />6) Louisville<br />7) Rutgers<br />8) Syracuse<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-3187212911644673668?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-34640614023532380682008-08-27T15:07:00.000-07:002008-08-27T15:17:10.088-07:00This year will be an interesting one in the Big Ten. Illinois must replace Rashard Mendenhall, the most talented player in the conference last season. Ohio State must fight boredom as they will likely run the table. Everyone else seems to have multiple flaws, leading me to believe that teams like Michigan and Penn State can step up and replace Wisconsin and Illinois as the real contenders to OSU's dominance. Purdue is another team I believe could break out and win 10 games. The bottom of the conference is bad again, as Minnesota and Northwestern will continue to get trampled on week after week.<br /><br /><strong>What I like about the Big Ten this season:</strong><br />1) Who will be the team to knock off OSU this season? While I believe Ohio State will win the conference, they will get knocked off once inside of conference play. Who will it be? Your guess is as good as mine.<br /><br />2) Second place team race. Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Wisconsin, Penn State....maybe Iowa? Anyone could finish 2nd this year in the Big Ten.....another race to follow as it may lead to Pasadena if OSU goes back to another national title game.<br /><br /><strong>What I don't like about the Big Ten this season:</strong><br />1) The overall talent in the conference seems to have diminished in the past few years. Earlier in the decade, the conference was one of the best.....now it's tough to make a case for third best.<br /><br />2) We all know who's going to win the conference. No other conference has as big a difference in it's first place team and everyone else. OSU will win at least 4 conference games by 20 points....not good for those who like close races.<br /><br />Prediction Time:<br />1) Ohio State<br />2) Illinois<br />3) Penn State<br />4) Wisconsin<br />5) Michigan<br />6) Purdue<br />7) Michigan State<br />8) Iowa<br />9) Indiana<br />10) Northwestern<br />11) Minnesota<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-3464061402353238068?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-85371879608014507472008-08-27T14:53:00.000-07:002008-08-27T15:07:12.498-07:00The fun that is the ACC begins with N.C. State traveling to South Carolina on Thursday night, giving me the chance to preview the conference and tell you what I think is going to happen in one of the weaker ACC seasons in years. No one in this conference (Clemson, Va. Tech, I'm talking about you) has a realistic chance to go undefeated or win a national title. These 12 teams will be playing for the right to win their divisions and go to the conference title game....which sends the winner to the Orange Bowl.<br /><br /><strong>Here's what I like about the ACC this year:</strong><br />1) Florida State and Miami...two powerhouses are getting no respect. One of them is due to have a big bounceback year. Both teams have too much talent to not be mentioned among the elite in college football. The problem with both schools remains the QB situation, as neither has been able to replace Chris Weinke or Ken Dorsey from earlier this decade.<br /><br />2)Clemson's ability to run the football. Spiller and Davis are a sick tandem that will shred defenses throughout the conference. Cullen Harper is a solid QB as well and Clemson has as good a chance as anyone to win this conference.<br /><br />3)North Carolina will be improved. Butch Davis is a successful college coach and he will get the most out of his ballclub. He can recruit and eventually this program will move to the upper echelon of the conference.<br /><br /><strong>What I don't like about the ACC this year:</strong><br />1)No national title contenders. This conference might have a few undefeateds going into October, maybe even November. But there's no way any of these teams win a national title. That hurts the conference in terms of nationally televised games as well as publicity. Even the Big East (a conference I rate as tied for 5th out of 6 conferences in the BCS) has a national title contender (West Virginia).<br /><br />2)Bottom feeders galore in the ACC. Duke is terrible. N.C. State will be bad this year. Georgia Tech is implenting a whole new offense under Paul Johnson. There will be many bad teams at the bottom of this conference with potential for more if Maryland and North Carolina struggle. Just a lot of blowouts on Saturday afternoons...boring :(<br /><br /><strong>Prediction Time:</strong><br /><strong>Atlantic Division</strong><br />1) Clemson<br />2) Florida State<br />3) Wake Forest<br />4) Maryland<br />5) Boston College<br />6) NC State<br /><br /><strong>Coastal Division</strong><br />1) Virginia Tech<br />2) Miami<br />3) North Carolina<br />4) Georgia Tech<br />5) Virginia<br />6) Duke<br /><br />Conference Title Prediction: Virginia Tech over Clemson<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-8537187960801450747?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-3736668105665876802008-07-16T19:37:00.000-07:002008-07-16T21:00:38.572-07:00I've already put down about a month which 8 teams are going to make the playoffs. I also stated who's going to win the major stat categories. Here's my prediction of the final standings:<br /><br />y-Boston 96-66<br />x-New York 90-72 <br />Tampa Bay 86-76<br />Toronto 79-83<br />Baltimore 77-85 <br /><br />y-Detroit 88-74<br />Chicago 85-77<br />Minnesota 84-78<br />Cleveland 71-91<br />Kansas City 68-94<br /><br />z-LA Angels 102-60<br />Texas 86-76<br />Oakland 82-80<br />Seattle 63-99<br /><br />x-Philadelphia 91-71<br />New York 88-74<br />Atlanta 82-80<br />Florida 74-88<br />Washington 65-97<br /><br />z-Chicago 95-67<br />y-Milwaukee 89-73<br />St. Louis 86-76<br />Houston 85-77<br />Cincinnati 73-89<br />Pittsburgh 69-93<br /><br />x-Los Angeles 85-77<br />Colorado 78-84<br />Arizona 76-86<br />San Francisco 71-91<br />San Diego 67-95<br /><br />Playoffs:<br />LA Angels over New York in 4<br />Boston over Detroit in 4<br />Chicago (NL) over Los Angeles in 3<br />Philadephia over Milwaukee in 5<br /><br />LA Angels over Boston in 6<br />Philadelphia over Chicago (NL) in 7<br /><br />LA Angels over Philadelphia in 5 (Sticking with my preseason picks to win all 6 divisions...changed my NL wild card from NY Mets to Milwaukee)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-373666810566587680?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-19930697629122489402008-07-11T21:15:00.000-07:002008-07-11T21:32:28.751-07:00Random Thoughts for July 12, 2008:<br /><br />-Cleveland is two wins away from a championship...in Arena Football. While this won't be embraced on any comparable level as a Cavs, Browns or Indians title, it would still be nice to see the team win it all in it's first year in Cleveland. They've played well so far in the playoffs and go up against the best team in the league (Philadelphia) Saturday at 1 p.m. They defeated Philly at home while dropping a one point game in Philly. The game is an essential toss-up as Cleveland comes in after an impressive upset over Georgia while Philadelphia needed a last play TD to avoid an upset to New York.<br /><br />-The Indians season is over....even though they just beat the Rays twice in a row. Sorry Indians fans. This team might have a few good streaks of play in it but there's no way this team finishes higher than fourth this year.<br /><br />-I'm liking the Cubs deal to get Rich Harden....except for the fact that the few tradeable commodities that they had were all dealt in this deal. Harden has injury troubles (to say the least) but he brings dominant stuff to the NL. This should work out in the short term for them while the Brewers will continue to reap the benefits of CC Sabathia (while giving up much more, even for essentially a rental).<br /><br />-Elton Brand spurned the Clippers for the Sixers. No big deal to me. I don't think anyone would choose the Clips over the Sixers if their really interesting in winning. Sorry Baron, while Golden State wasn't really an option, enjoy the money in LA.<br /><br />-Other big moves in NBA Free Agency seem to be imminent...except there aren't really big FA's still out there. Josh Smith is quality but someone will overpay for his limited skill set. Same goes for James Posey....who everyone thinks is an invaluable piece to a championship team. What is the next Robert Horry? Success follows him? I don't get it...but hey again, someone will overpay for him (I've heard the Cavs are in the discussion....great). Wouldn't be shocked to see Emeka Okafor and Josh Childress signed away from their respective teams (their both restricted FA's). They both have value and a team looking for depth could sign them for reasonable prices. Some teams may want to consider saving money for the next two summers though. The amount of stars on each list in unreal...now some of these guys will certainly resign with their current team before they hit the market. But, here's a short list of who will be available during the next two offseasons....<br /><br />-2009-<br />Kobe Bryant, Rasheed Wallace, Carlos Boozer, Allen Iverson, Shawn Marion, Ron Artest, Richard Hamilton, Jason Kidd, Andre Miller, Lamar Odom.<br /><br />-2010-<br />LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, Tracy McGrady, Ray Allen, Tyson Chandler, Manu Ginobili, Joe Johnson, Richard Jefferson, Yao Ming, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki and Michael Redd<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-1993069762912248940?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-76822234458229641952008-07-01T20:27:00.001-07:002008-07-01T20:45:53.479-07:00-Baron Davis's signing with the Clippers gives them a reasonable chance to believe they can win as soon as next year. Assuming they can resign Elton Brand, this team has potential next season. They will lose Corey Maggette and his 22 pts a game but that's easily replaceable by Davis. Drafting Eric Gordon gives the team offensive punch. Chris Kaman (if healthy) can get back to being a 16 and 10 guy down low with Brand. I'm not saying the Clips are going to take the division or win 45 games but they will be better because of this signing.<br /><br />-JJ Hickson and Darnell Jackson. The two newest Cleveland Cavaliers. Two bigs to replace (eventually) Z and Wallace. Problem is neither is a true center, leaving the team in a vulnerable position if injuries hit. It seems that they have many PF's but really only one C. Neither pick makes me jump out of my seat but I think the Cavs have to make some kind of trade (expiring contracts for talent) at some point here. They're going to sign a few players to fill the roster as well so that should be interesting to see where they go with that.<br /><br />-The Indians blew another game against the White Sox. Funny how Borowski had one quality year (lots of saves, really didnt pitch that great) and the Indians expected the same out of him this year. The same goes for Perez and Betancourt. These guys had career years last year, leaving them with unreasonable expectations to meet this year. It'll be interesting to see what this team does before July 31...with saying goodbye to C.C. being the major plot.<br /><br />-Tampa Bay beat Boston again. As much of a "Ray" hater as I have been, it's fun to see this team scaring the daylights out of Boston. Earlier in the year, Boston swept TB and everyone said that TB will likely fall back, never to get back into the race. Well their in first and they are showing no signs of slowing down. Carlos Pena is coming back, giving them their best power hitter back. Just great. I can hear the groans from NY and BOS from here. Don't count the Yanks out of this division....I see TB slowing down at some point while Boston hasn't looked all that flattering on the road....just enough to let everyone stay close.<br /><br /><div align="center">Today's Burning Questions</div><br />-Can the Baltimore Orioles and Pittsburgh Pirates end their 10+ year streaks of having losing seasons? (One will)<br /><br />-Can Milwaukee make the playoffs for the first time since 1982? (They will)<br /><br />-Is there any reason that Colorado and Atlanta to keep Holliday and Teixeira? (No, neither is making the playoffs and neither is going to resign their slugger)<br /><br />-Is it just me or are there more big stars hurt now than usual? I mean counting guys like Pujols and Chipper Jones who are playing hurt.<br /><br />-Can the A's really give the Angels a race out west? They are playing this week and the A's were only 3.5 out as of this morning. Texas sits 6 back as they continue to hit well. (I say no, the A's will be relegated to 80+ win status soon enough, leaving them in the second pack of the wild card race)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-7682223445822964195?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-89546365004688346982008-06-25T23:26:00.000-07:002008-06-29T20:43:38.517-07:00-Who's the AL MVP right now? Josh Hamilton? On a .500 team? Manny Ramirez...on an off year? Carlos Quentin...because Thome, Konerko, Swisher and Dye all have had less than stellar first halves while your team resides in first still? Think about it....this isn't a question that will be answered before mid September.<br /><br />-Can anyone deny that the Minnesota Twins and Oakland A's don't get anywhere near the credit they deserve? Look at the teams in similar situations financially...KC, FLA, PIT...these teams almost never contend yet OAK and MIN are right back in contention every year. Here's the kicker: both of them traded their aces in the offseason. That one blows the mind. They have simlarly built offenses with young SP's and a rock solid bullpen. Seems there is a formula after all...<br /><br />-I have no doubts that the NL West will be the most fun race for the summer. But eventually one team will decided enough is enough (I say LA) and move out in front for good. I can only hope that COL and SD decide to play the 2nd half like they did last year....we'll be in for a possible 5 team race. Don't count out SF either....they're scrappy and have good, young starting pitching (at least as good anyone else in the division). AZ has Haren and Webb but a struggling offense. Fun, Fun, Fun.<br /><br />-MLB trade talk is always fun now but how many trades actually happen before the all-star break? None basically. Teams wait and see how they go into the break and that will determine the buy/sell strategies for the next two weeks after the break. I predict the Indians will trade C.C. to a NL Central team (Cubs or Brewers) while the Braves hold on to Mark Teixieira (Is anyone besides Washington out of that race?). The big bat for trade will be Matt Holliday. The Rockies have struggled of late (worse than earlier in the year) and they will be looking to unload the potential free agent. Holliday had a great year last year (my NL MVP but who asked) but his batting average and OBP are higher this year. He's hitting less HR's and the RBI's are way down due to his team's performance more than his individual performance. I look for someone to ante up for him and look to sign him long-term.<br /><br /><div align="center">Random Sentences of Thoughts</div><br />-The Dodgers won a game on Saturday night and didn't get a hit. The Tigers are back in the hunt for the AL Central. The Royals would be a contender in the NL (just kidding but the way they've played, who really knows?). Carlos Delgado had 9 RBI in one game while I wasn't sure if he had that much in a month so far this year. MLB parody is at a ridiculous high but it's still fun. Manny Parra is the best pitcher you've never heard of (Brewers starter). The SP market has to be bad when Bronson Arroyo and Paul Byrd are available. What team can't come up with a minor-leaguer to do the same job? Seriously.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-8954636500468834698?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-58987513822213616882008-06-25T22:49:00.001-07:002008-06-25T23:11:36.963-07:00Draft Day Dilemmas:<br />-If I was drafting 2 (aka Mr. Riley and your Miami Heat), just draft OJ Mayo. Put him with Dwayne Wade, Shawn Marion, Ricky Davis and Udonis Haslem.....can you imagine that lineup playing in the weak Eastern Conference? Now replace Mayo with Beasley or Bayless....nowhere near the same team at all. It's simple....stand Pat and pick Mayo.<br />-Memphis at 5: Kevin Love....easiest pick outside of the top 2 (Rose, Mayo).<br />-Scenario 1: Chi picks Rose, Mia picks Mayo....McHale, who do the Wolves take? Beasley<br />-Scenario 2: Chi picks Rose, Mia picks Beasley...McHale, who do the Wolves take? Mayo.<br />Overall, these three (Rose, Mayo, Beasley) should be the top 3 in this draft. No one else is justifiably good enough to overtake one of these three as a top 3 pick.<br />-The trade of Jermaine O'Neal means the Pacers have the 11 and 17 picks. This is great Mr. Bird as they will add two more quality ballplayers to a team that I thought was underrated last year. I felt they could sneak into the playoffs as the 8 seed but couldn't catch Atlanta. The Pacers have issues right now in terms of salary cap and having bad players under bad deals. Troy Murphy, Mike Dunleavy (although he showed signs of being a quality player last year) and Jamaal Tinsley are all under huge deals for the next three years. This won't help but they can build around Danny Granger (most underrated player in the NBA...nobody talks about him) and TJ Ford. They will likely add frontcourt depth to Murphy, Nesterovic, Diogu, Foster, Harrison and Shawne Williams (I expect him to be a quality player someday).<br />-The Hornets sold the 27th pick to Portland. The Nuggets sold to the 20th pick to Charlotte. Both the Bobcats and Blazers should be commended in their efforts to add young talent. Both teams have playoffs written all over them next year (okay, Bobcats as a 7 or 8 seed). Glad to see that NO and DEN have decided Free Agency is the way to go for them as they continue to add to playoff teams that fell short a year ago.<br />-In terms of names being thrown out for trades, I don't see any big names moving. Elton Brand is a possibilty but LAC can't afford to trade him unless it's for the 2nd pick. When healthy, he gives them something they'll spend years searching for once he's gone.<br /><br />Cavs Dilemmas:<br />-Danny Ferry calls me (hypothetically of course) and asks what to do in the Draft (Apparently he's forgotten since we didn't have a pick last year and the last first round pick he had was Shannon Brown in a similar spot to this year's pick). I tell him simply: trade up for Augustin...don't break the bank or anything...but we need a true PG. He's small but durable, can shoot (better than Delonte West) and will give this team an impact ball player that will make Lebron and teammates better now. Isn't that what we're doing here? We're not drafting prospects for the future (3 or 4 years from now...hmmm Hickson, Koufos....sorry these are the names I've seen mentioned with the Cavs on mock draft).<br />-The Cavs have to add a 2nd round pick. They need two players from this draft...not one. Unless they plan on dumping some of that $30 mil of expiring contracts for bodies after July 1, I think they need another body. I'm not asking for an all-star, just a guy who can come off the bench and play (preferrably defend since Devin Brown will be gone).<br />-No matter what happens at the Draft for the Cavs, LeBron can't help but think his team is still not quite there as a preeminant favorite in the East. He needs help and the 19th pick just won't be enough.<br />-Interest in Baron Davis is possible but it would have to be through a trade (He isn't opting out). What is simply seen through the league the past few days is that Shawn Marion and Baron Davis are staying under contract for one more season for another monster salary. Neither could have possibly received that much through free agency and they're both smart to stay under contract.<br />-Jermaine O'Neal for Rasho Nesterovic, TJ Ford, 17th pick and another player TBNL. LOL. Sorry but all of these guys are useless right now. O'Neal, if healthy (BIG IF) with Bosh will be a good frontcourt but the rest of their team is average at best. Toronto is not winning the East with that team. Ford's addition will be meaningless for most but it could help the Cavs. DJ Augustin was likely to go to Indy at 11 but now Indy sees Ford as their starter. This is the development I could see as the biggest of the draft in terms of what it means to the Cavs. Possibly, Augustin could fall to 19 or at least closer to 19 so the potential trade up won't hurt the Cavs as much.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-5898751382221361688?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-55125891320383447552008-06-25T22:20:00.000-07:002008-06-25T22:49:19.808-07:00It's simple really: either a player is good or he ain't. Anthony Randolph, DeAndre Jordan, every foreign player in this draft....your not good, you won't make it in this league. Derrick Rose, OJ Mayo...you will be the two multi-time all-stars from this class. Michael Beasley, Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook, The Lopez Twins (why do they both have girls names?)....we will be asking why your all too soft to have star impact in the league. And so on....here's my listings of the draft picks and where they fall in my pecking order. Every player falls into one of these categories.<br /><br />-<em>Future MVP Candidates</em>: Derrick Rose, OJ Mayo<br />-<em>Terribly Overrated but still could be an All-Star once or twice</em>: Michael Beasley, Jerryd Bayless<br />-<em>Much skills but not enough to be a star</em>: Eric Gordon, Joe Alexander<br />-<em>1st Round Sleepers</em>: DJ Augustin, Donte Greene, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Courtney Lee<br />-<em>No Chance to be Anything but a role player</em>: Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook, Lopez Twins, All foreign players (including the clown from Italy), Kosta Koufos, Mario Chalmers, Brandon Rush, Darrell Arthur (these Jayhawks weren't stars in college, don't expect anything more of them in the NBA), Jason Thompson, Ryan Anderson<br />-<em>BUST CITY</em>: Anthony Randolph, Roy Hibbert, JJ Hickson, Marreesse Speights, JaVale McGee, DeAndre Jordan<br />-<em>Ultimate 2nd Round sleepers</em> (Two of them will become quality starters at some point in his career): Bill Walker (could go in first), Davon Jefferson, JR Giddens (the most talented former Jayhawk in this draft....just doesn't have a head on him), Sonny Weems, Shan Foster, Jamont Gordon (these 3 SEC products can ball but may not be more than an offensive spark off a bench...aka Eddie House)<br /><br />A couple of comments to help understand my thinking here:<br />-Bill Walker and Davon Jefferson are top 1o picks next year if they come back to school for another year....now their 2nd round picks.<br />-All of the BUST CITY citizens are big men. I know this....they are all overrated (similar to the big foreign players in this draft)....This draft has an eerily bad smell about it once you get past the top 12-16 picks....these big men are all soft, young and have no chance to make a real impact in this league....now or anyday.<br />-Michael Beasley is good...I will admit that. But, I don't see him averaging more than 21-10 a game in his career....is that enough to pick him over a swingman, game changing offensive player like OJ Mayo? I don't think so but the top 3 teams should all get good players regardless.<br />-Those four names on the 1st round sleeper list are four guys any team can add to their roster and be better because of it. I especially like Augustin and Greene. CDR will be solid as well but probably can't start in this league. Lee is the type of player that just won't be denied...that's why I see him having a good career.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-5512589132038344755?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-91972969736936394352008-06-24T11:57:00.000-07:002008-06-24T12:16:40.531-07:00What kind of market are the Cavs looking to explore in July? They have a mid-level exception, which could net a solid role player. They also have the famous $30 million in expiring contracts that they could get rid of. Resigning Daniel Gibson to a nice 3 or 4 year deal would be another thing on the checklist for Mr. Ferry. Here's where I see the Cavs standing at this point:<br /><br />Damon Jones (4.4 mil), Wally Sczerbiak (13 mil), Eric Snow (7.3 mil) and Joe Smith (4.7 mil) are the expiring contracts. Delonte West will make 2.7 mil as a restricted FA but I don't see much interest in anyone swooping in to give him a big offer sheet. All of these guys can be traded and sought by teams looking to open up cap room after the 08-09 season. Jones and Snow are basically useless to this team, making their tradeabilty greater. Snow needs to apply for the insurance to get that 7 mil off of the Cavs cap. With that being potentially erased, the Cavs would have more money and leverage to deal with in this offseason, as opposed to waiting until next. Plus, no one is going to trade for Snow, even if he comes off the cap in a year. Maybe they can trade him in February but no one wants that 7 mil on their cap for a whole season.<br /><br />In terms of the draft, the Cavs need to be resourceful in trading up. I haven't heard much about this other than the 14 and ??? for the 19 and Varajao deal that keeps popping up here and there with Golden State. There's a possibility of getting Brandon Wright, a solid young big guy who can eventually replace Smith and Varajao in the lineup. Andy is due to make 12 mil over the next two years in his contract. For the limited minutes and offensive potential, he certainly isn't worth it in my mind (I thought that throughout the holdout and continue to believe the Cavs made a mistake resigning him). The bigger mistake and more untradeable is Mr. Pavlovic. While he is due less than Andy (9.4 mil over the next two years), he is untradeable until his contract is expiring (aka next summer or Feb. 2010).<br /><br />For the Cavs, I would suggest one of two things: Trading back in the first round and getting a 2nd round pick (Trading a future #1 pick is another possibility; also in the NBA, you can literally buy a draft pick for 3 mil...maybe we can do one of these two). The Seattle Sonics have the 32, 46, 50 and 56 picks in the 2nd round. Does anyone really believe that this cash hungry team won't sell or trade away at least one of these picks? They have the #4 overall as well so adding five players (potentially; second round picks aren't guaranteed contracts) is outrageous. They have 12 players under contract right now with 8 of them having at least 2 years left. They've been rumored to be trading Wilcox (6 mil, expiring) while trying to move up. But, who knows what they'll do? The only thing I can say for sure is that they have multiple first round pick in future years, Durant, Green, the #4 pick (as of now) and many second round picks. Not to mention all of the grossly overpaid, multiple year deals they still have left (Collison, Ridnour, Watson). I believe the Cavs can trade for a second round pick from Seattle, add that player to the roster for less than a million dollars and have a quality player on the bench.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-9197296973693639435?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-48508963451848676662008-06-23T19:46:00.000-07:002008-06-29T20:34:38.647-07:00My Predicted Final Leaders in the MLB (and Playoff Predictions too):<br /><br /><p><em>AMERICAN LEAGUE</em></p><br /><p>-Batting Title: Johnny Damon, NYY</p><br />-HR Title: Manny Ramirez, BOS<br /><br />-ERA Title: John Lackey, LAA<br />-Wins Leader: Joe Saunders, LAA<br /><br />-RBI Leader: Josh Hamilton, TEX<br /><br />-SB Leader: Jacoby Ellsbury, BOS<br /><br /><br /><br /><em>NATIONAL LEAGUE</em><br /><br />-Batting Title: Albert Pujols, STL<br /><br />-HR Title: Ryan Howard, PHI<br /><br />-ERA Title: Edinson Volquez, CIN<br /><br />-Wins Leader: Ryan Dempster, CHC<br /><br />-RBI Leader: Ryan Howard, PHI<br /><br />-SB Leader: Juan Pierre, LAD<br /><br /><br /><br /><em>PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS</em><br /><br />-6 division champs: Boston, LAA, Detroit, Philadelphia, CHC, LAD<br /><br />-2 Wild Cards: NYY, Milwaukee<br /><br />-Best race: Milwaukee, St. Louis and the Mets all within 3 games of the wild card at the end of the year.<br /><br />-World Series: Angels vs Phillies (Angels win in 5)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-4850896345184867666?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-35367225785595745852008-06-19T21:12:00.000-07:002008-06-19T21:20:16.592-07:00Here's my hypothesis: The Cleveland Cavaliers would be a better team with a true point guard (Delonte West isn't a true point guard; he played SG to Jameer Nelson in college and has the shooting tendencies that leave me desiring more out of him). The answer is simple: DJ Augustin, PG from Texas. Now most may say why pick another small PG out of Texas when you could just trade for TJ Ford? Well, I believe Augustin is a game-changer at PG, leaving Lebron and his teammates happy with his abilities. Augustin can pass and shoot, play solid D and give the Cavs the true PG they have lacked since (gasp, Andre Miller).<br /><br />It's not that simple though for Cleveland. Most mock drafts I've seen have Augustin being picked anywhere from 10-13. 11 to Indiana is the popular place at this point. Being that the NBA is backwards from the NFL (the draft is before free agency; in the NFL, free agency is first). The Cavs need to address this situation through the draft. I shudder to think what PG they can pick if they stay at 19. Trading up is the only option right now. Make your move. Show LeBron your serious about improving the team by adding the second best PG in the draft to the team (Rose being 1). After that, you can go about adding a SG (Michael Redd, another rumored name; although I'm quite scared of Redd being a Cav for multiple reasons I'll get into in another post leading up to free agency) or addressing whatever needs that the team may see itself needing. DJ Augustin is a solid talent that can elevate the offense to a higher level (that offense in the playoffs was unoriginal and so inconsistent). Trading up 8 picks or so might leave you without a first rounder in a future year or you may have to part with a player from this year's team. But the overall makeup of the team would be much better with a true PG, DJ Augustin.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-3536722578559574585?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-3887752631110035942008-06-06T09:35:00.000-07:002008-06-06T09:50:41.305-07:00Here's some random opinions on things going on in a lovely Friday in Ohio:<br /><br />-Coco Crisp vs James Shields: Well, no one could say they didn't see it coming. Coco's over aggressive slide on Wednesday caused Shields to put one on his hip. Surprising to everyone, Coco charged the mound...and nearly paid for it. While I don't advise fighting in baseball (injuries, suspensions...not much good can come from it), this fight might rejuvanate Tampa Bay. They just got swept by Boston, disrespected by them and had to do something about Coco Crisp. Jonny Gomes was landing blows to Coco when he was on the ground and I don't blame him. Shields missed with a haymaker and Dionar Navarro took Crisp down after that. Overall, this was less of a fight than the Kemp/Torrealba escalated incident earlier in the week and we should see some suspensions coming from this.<br /><br />-The Celtics did what I thought they would do last night: win Game 1. They are the better team while LA has the best player on the court. That best player looked pretty angry after his 9-26 performance but I expect him to play at a higher level at some point in this series. Remember, my prediction has Boston winning the first two games so their going to need to bring the intensity again on Sunday night. Pierce was heroic, Garnett was solid (too many jumpers, go down low and bang with Gasol....he doesn't want any piece of you) and Allen looked as good as he has all playoffs. For the Lakers, their near useless bench (other than Vujacic, who continues to annoy everyone when he's one the court) was exploited again. The Lakers only chance of winning games is Kobe 35 points or more. This became more evident last night.<br /><br />-The Indians and Tigers are playing an interesting series this weekend in Detroit. Both teams are playing terribly while the Indians just allowed Texas to score 9 runs or more in each game against them. I thought this team was based around pitching? Their offense showed up one night with 15 runs but I expect a high level of tension in Detroit tonight. The Tigers are close to be passed by the Royals and they really need to pick it up on offense. Pitching has certainly been their main issue but I expect them to take 2 of the 4 games from Cleveland.<br /><br />-MLB names to keep an eye on in the next couple of weeks: Carlos Gonzalez (OF-Oak), Jerry Hairston Jr. (SS-Cin), Radhames Liz (SP-Bal), Shin-soo Choo (OF-Cle).<br /><br />-In the French Open, Rafael Nadal may never lose in this tournament. He's won three in a row and is in the Final on Sunday again. His opponent looks to be Roger Federer (Fed's up 2 sets to 1 on Monfils as we speak). For me personally, I'm a huge Federer fan. He's the best player in the world who just can't beat this giant on the clay courts. Nadal crushed Djokovic in straight sets this morning. To me, Federer has a huge hill to climb on Sunday (assuming he gets there). Nadal is 27-0 at this tournament. He's not winning close matches either; he's dominating the competition. Federer is one French Open title from the career Grand Slam, 13 Majors (Australian, French, Wimbledon, US) and a chance to erase the one question mark on his legacy at this point. We shall see if he can overcome the odds on Sunday.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-388775263111003594?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-80226963700065625212008-06-05T14:42:00.000-07:002008-06-05T15:00:12.553-07:00Here's the interesting part of this series: the individual matchups. Here's how it see it breaking down.<br /><br />Point Guard: Rajon Rondo vs Derek Fisher<br />I don't really know who has the advantage here. Most would say Fisher should be able to outplay Rondo, at least offensively, giving the Lakers a big advantage. But I'm not so sure about that. I think that Rondo can stimulate the Celtics offense enough to have a big impact on the offensive end, even if he's not scoring. Fisher knows where the ball belongs (MVP's hands) which should make his job easy.<br /><br />Advantage: Equal (As long as Rondo doesn't turn into the scared kid we've seen at times throughout the season)<br /><br />Shooting Guard: Ray Allen vs Kobe Bryant<br />Um simply put, Allen can't guard anyone, let alone the world's best player.<br /><br />Advantage: Lakers (huge)<br /><br />Small Forward: Paul Pierce vs Lamar Odom/Vladimir Radmonovic<br />Here's the problem for the Lakers that I see as GLARING: who's going to guard Paul Pierce? Yes, Odom can give you good defense but over the course of a game, on an all-star player, he is likely to find foul trouble. It's happened before and I think the best thing the Lakers can do is put bodies and fouls on Pierce. Now I'm not advising hack-a-Pierce but they need to use their bench to stop/slow down Pierce.<br /><br />Advantage: Celtics (huge)<br /><br />Power Forward: Kevin Garnett vs Odom/Radmonovic (whoever doesnt guard Pierce)<br />Garnett is going to have a big series, I'm anticipating at least 3 or 4 games of 25 and 15. That may seem extreme but I see him being motivated and outplaying his defender throughout the series. Who off the Laker bench can come in and give minutes on Garnett? No one. Turiaf will definately be exploited when he comes in and Mbenga (if he even sees the floor) won't be able to play the 4 or 5 well enough to deserve minutes.<br /><br />Advantage: Celtics (Biggest advantage in the series)<br /><br />Center: Kendrick Perkins vs Pau Gasol<br />The most interesting matchup of the series for me personally. Perkins has done some things well in the playoffs and had some solid games. I don't think he'll outplay Gasol but this won't be as lopsided as it seems on paper. If anything, Garnett can help double on Gasol enough to really affect the Lakers offense strategies.<br /><br />Advantage: Lakers (smaller than it seem)<br /><br />Bench: Posey, Brown, Cassell, Powe, House, Davis vs Vujacic, Farmar, Walton, Turiaf, Mbenga?<br />This is another advantage that I earlier thought could be really exploited. The Celtics bench is so much better than the Lakers, leaving Phil Jackson to play his starters for more time than usual. Seriously, is Luke Walton going to give you 10 and 5 off the bench every night? Doubtful. The fact that the Celtics can avoid playing Cassell altogether and be better for it shows how solid this bench is.<br /><br />Advantage: Celtics (this advantage will win the Celtics at least one game)<br /><br />Coach: Rivers vs Jackson<br />Major advantage clearly to the man with 9 rings. Looking for the full two hands of rings, Jackson should be able to outcoach Rivers enough to where this series is full of close games. Jackson needs to give Bryant the ball in most situations and let him work off of that. Not waiting for the fourth quarter to give Kobe the proper treatment could also decide a game or two.<br /><br />Advantage: Lakers<br /><br />My prediction is still Celtics 4, Lakers 2. I think Boston wins the first 2 at home, LA responds with a Game 3 blowout, then blows Game 4, takes Game 5 and sees the Celtics win the championship in Boston in Game 6. My MVP is Kevin Garnett. If the Lakers somehow pull this thing out, it will be in 7 games and Kobe will have established himself as a top 5 player of all time with a 35 point a game series. This is the only way LA wins, unless Gasol and Odom can somehow outplay the Boston bigs enough to give Kobe a chance to take over in the end of games.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-8022696370006562521?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6332312104096754241.post-47173147489989133812008-06-05T12:01:00.000-07:002008-06-05T12:20:06.519-07:00The eyes of America will be on these two great franchises tonight as Game 1 will take place sometime starting sometime after 9 eastern in Boston. For both of these teams, the past 12 months have been a startling change. For the Lakers, they were bounced in the first round of last year's playoffs for the 2nd straight year by the Suns. For the Celtics, they were terrible throughout the year, even having to endure an 18 game losing streak.<br /><br />Both of these teams used major trades to turn around their fortunes. The Celtics were able to pick up two legitimate all stars in Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in the offseason. The Lakers saw a developing Andrew Bynum go down and then they went out and "stole" Pau Gasol. These teams are also full of role players that have played way above their heads in the past few months (Just to name a few: Rondo, Perkins, Walton, etc.) There are 6 legitimate stars in this series: KG, Allen, Pierce, Kobe, Gasol and Odom. The rest of these rosters have complimentary players that could very well decide the series. I like Boston's rotation much better than LA's for some reason and I see this winning the Celtics at least a game.<br /><br />I'm going against the great Kobe Bryant and the revitalized Lakers in this series. I think the Celtics have shown themselves to be an improving team throughout the playoffs. They looked terrible against the lowly Hawks at certain points, better against Cleveland and similar to the regular season team against the Pistons. Remember when people asked whether they could win a road game in the playoffs? Well, they won 2 against Detroit (although I would argue Detroit is the worst "good" team at home in the playoffs the past 6-8 years; look at how many big games they lost at home. Game 5 of the 2005 NBA Finals comes to mind along with two straight Game 5 losses to Cleveland two years in a row. If you're a great team or one that supposed to contend for an NBA title, you have to be able to win almost all of your home games.)<br /><br />The Lakers haven't lost a home game yet in the playoffs but they aren't that great of a home team either. I don't see the Celtics fearing going into LA, even though the series will be 2-3-2. I think the winner of Game 1 will have a huge advantage in this series, even more than usual. Game 2 isn't until Sunday night while the teams will then travel all the way to LA after that game to play Tuesday/Thursday/Sunday. This is why I think the Celtics will have an advantage. They are good enough to win both games in Boston (my prediction), go to LA and win one of three there and come home to close it out in 6. Kobe is good enough to take this team on his back, average 35 a game, get to the line a ridiculous amount of times and pop the champagne in LA in Game 4 or 5. But I don't see that happening.<br /><br />I will give you position by position matchups a bit later. I will also discuss the tremendous advantage LA has in the coaching department and why this isn't going to kill Boston.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6332312104096754241-4717314748998913381?l=sportsblogadam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>amiezinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17349503689274057563noreply@blogger.com0