2011 NL EAST preview

NL EAST Predictions:
1. Philadelphia Phillies
2. Atlanta Braves
3. New York Mets
4. Washington Nationals
5. Florida Marlins

Florida Marlins
Key additions: RHP Javier Vasquez, LHP Randy Choate, 2B Omar Infante, RHP Burke Badenhop, C John Buck, INF Greg Dobbs

Rotation:
Josh Johnson, Javier Vasquez, Ricky Nolasco, Chris Volstad, Anibal Sanchez

Bullpen:
Clay Hensley, Ryan Webb, Randy Choate, Mike Nunn, Edward Mujica, Leo Nunez (CL)

Starting Lineup:
C    John Buck
1B  Gaby Sanchez
2B  Omar Infante
3B  Wes Helms
SS  Hanley Ramirez
LF  Logan Morrison
CF Chris Coghlan
RF Mike Stanton

Atlanta Braves
Key additions: RHP Rodrigo Lopez (BAL), 2B Dan Uggla (FLA), RHP Scott Linebrink (CWS), INF/OF Eric Hinske (BOS)

Rotation:
Derek Lowe
Tim Hudson
Tommy Hanson
Jair Jurrgens
Mike Minor

Bullpen:
Scott Linebrink, Peter Moylan, Scott Proctor, Jonny Venters, Craig Kimbrel, George Sherrill (CL)

Starting Lineup:
C    Brian McCann
1B  Freddi Freeman
2B  Dan Uggla
3B  Chipper Jones
SS  Alex Gonzales
LF  Martin Prado
CF Nate McClouth
RF Jason Heyward

Washington Nationals
Key additions: LHP Oliver Perez (NYM), 1B Adam LaRoche, LHP Tom Gorzelanny (CHC), INF/OF Jerry Hairston, INF Alex Cora, OF Rick Ankiel, OF Jayson Werth (PHI), OF/1B Matt Stairs

Rotation:
Livan Hernandez
John Lannan
Jason Marquis
Jordan Zimmerman
Tom Gorzelanny

Bullpen: Tyler Clippard, Sean Burnett, Todd Coffey, Doug Slaten, Craig Stammen, Drew Storen (CL)

Starting Lineup:
C    Ivan Rodriguez
1B  Adam LaRoche
2B  Danny Espinosa
3B  Ryan Zimmerman
SS  Ian Desmond
LF  Michael Morse
CF Rick Ankiel
RF Jayson Werth

New York Mets
Key additions:  RHP R.A Dickey (TEX), RHP Chris Young (SD), OF Scott Hairston, OF Willie Harris, LHP Chris Capuano, C Ronny Paulino (PIT). Named Terry Collins Manager (11/22/10)

Rotation:
Mike Pelfrey
Jonathan Niese
R.A. Dickey
Chris Young
Chris Capuano
Johan Santana (currently of DL to start season)

Bullpen: Bobby Parnell, D.J. Carrasco, Taylor Buchholz, Pat Misch, Francisco Rodriguez (CL)

Starting Lineup:
C    Ronny Paulino
1B  Ike Davis
2B  Brad Emaus
3B  David Wright
SS  Jose Reyes
LF  Jason Bay
CF Angel Pagan
RF Carlos Beltran

Philadelphia Phillies
Key additions:  INF/OF Delwyn Young, 2B Luis Castillo, LHP Cliff Lee (TEX)

Rotation:
Roy Halladay
Cliff Lee
Cole Hamels
Roy Oswalt
Joe Blanton

Bullpen:  J.C. Romero, Danys Baez, Kyle Kendrick, Ryan Madson, Jose Contreras (CL)

Starting Lineup:
C    Carlos Ruiz
1B  Ryan Howard
2B  Chase Utley
3B  Placido Polanco
SS  Jimmy Rollins
LF  Raul Ibanez
CF Shane Victorino
RF Ben Francisco



Butler Bulldogs: 2011 and How It's Happening (Again)!!

With Butler losing Gordon Hayward to the NBA draft after his sophomore season and BU's magical run to almost winning the National Championship over Duke, they were considered to just have a mediocre season by many critics out there in the world of college basketball.

Being pretty much embarrassed at Louisville in mid-November, 88-73, people were talking about how much Hayward was already missed in the Bulldog offense. That could be true, but one player isn't the difference, not in their case. In early December, they had a rematch with of the National Championship game with #1 Duke on a neutral court, losing 82-70, but stuck close to the Blue Devils for most of the game. Five days later, Butler dropped a heart breaker at Xavier, 51-49.

That short two-game losing skid to Duke and Xavier lit a spark in this group. They then rolled off 10 wins in their next 12 games, including big wins during the holidays over Stanford, Utah, Florida State and Washington State.

Butler lost its next three games to Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Valparaiso and Youngstown State. This was the wake-up call that Brad Stevens' squad needed in a big way. They've now won 13 games in a row and are in the Final Four this weekend in Houston.

Those wins include:
- Horizon League championship against Wisconsin-Milwaukee on its home floor, 59-44
- a buzzer-beater over Old Dominion in the first game of the NCAA Tournament, 60-58
- beating 1-seeded Pittsburgh in the final seconds on Matt Howard's free throw, 71-70
- dominating 4-seed Wisconsin 61-54 in a Sweet 16 game, where Butler led by 20 (47-27) with 11:34 left
- Shocked the basketball world (again) by beating 2-seed Florida in an epic battle 74-71 (OT) and   advancing to their second straight Final Four

Butler was considered a possible one-and-done against Old Dominion. Matt Howard's heroic offensive rebound and tip-in off the glass with 0.2 seconds left lifted the Bulldogs over the Monarchs, 60-58.

Playing 1-seed Pittsburgh, Butler was considered a big underdog by most, simply because Pittsburgh came from the giant conference of the Big East and won the regular season title. Not the case by any means. Butler overcame Pittsburgh's big gun shooters and tall towers that normally dominate the rebounding department. A unique sequence of fouls in the final seconds, turned the tide Butler's way in this battle with the Panthers. It started with Andrew Smith made a layup with 2.2 left. On the ensuing inbound play, Shelvin Mack tightly guarded Gilbert Brown near the half court line and brush against Brown enough for a foul to be called. Brown made one of two free throws to tie the game at 70. Upon Brown missing his second attempt, Matt Howard pulled down the rebound and was immediately fouled by Nasir Robinson. Howard made the first of two charity stripe attempts and Butler upset 1-seed Pittsburgh, 71-70, advancing to the Sweet 16.

Butler managed to dominate 4-Wisconsin for a majority of this Sweet 16 game. Leading 33-24 at halftime, the Bulldogs built a 47-27 lead with 11:34 remaining. Wisconsin wasn't real happy with being down like that, so they went on a 22-6 run to make it just a 53-49 Butler lead with 1:40 left. After a Bulldog timeout, with Butler dominating defensively and rebounding, Wisconsin was forced to foul. The rest is history as Butler held on for a 61-54 win over the Badgers and a second straight appearance in the Elite 8.

2-seeded Florida awaited the 8-seed Bulldogs for a shot at the Final Four. An Alex Tyus jumper with 9:25 remaining in regulation put the Gators up 51-40, their largest lead of the game. Down the stretch, the Gators and Bulldogs were neck-and-neck, Florida leading narrowly. Toward the end of regulation, Matt Howard came through again with 0:30 left with a free throw to tie it at 60. Freshman Khyle Marshall came through in the clutch. With a huge offensive rebound and basket, Marshall also made his free throw to break the 62-62 tie for a 65-62 Butler lead with 3:33 left in overtime. Four Ronald Nored swishes and two by Shelvin Mack from the charity stripe, along with a Mack 3, were a punch right the the Gators' jugular. Butler held on in overtime for a 74-71 victory and a second straight trip to the Final Four, a rarity in college basketball by any standards!!

Next, 8-seeded Butler (27-9) faces another high seeded team in 11-seed Virginia Commonwealth (28-11) in the first National Semifinal of this weekend's Final Four in Houston, Texas. The winner will face the winner of the second National Semifinal, which pits 4-seed Kentucky (29-8) against 3-seeded Connecticut (30-9).

There are more believers out there than there used to be. It's been reported that only two people in the ESPN pool of brackets has actually predicted both Butler and VCU to advance to the Final Four. Days of people having a perfect bracket are over. The NCAA Tournament is now where there are many pairs of "glass slippers," unfortunately there are only certain pairs that still fit. Butler is no longer considered an underdog. They're legit and we're all very aware of what the Bulldogs are capable of and they're proving it on a game-by-game basis. Kentucky and Connecticut have programs with storied, rich basketball histories. Virginia Commonwealth is still wearing the glass slippers and we'll find out if those slippers still fit when they meet up with the new "America's team" on Saturday night, the Butler Bulldogs.

Thursday night's games...BUTLER BULLDOGS WIN!!!!!!

Alright, I'll admit that I was 1-3 in my predictions that I made in yesterday's blog, but you and I both know that most of our brackets have taken quite the dump in the past week! Yes, Butler beating Wisconsin was my only win in last night's four games. It's probably a good thing that I don't bet on games like a few friends that I know or I'd be in the hole, just from last night!

WEST Regional (Anaheim, CA)

Connecticut 74, San Diego State 67

UConn just keeps on truckin' through the tournament just like they did with the Big East Tournament. The Huskies won five games in five days to capture the Big East crown in New York two weeks ago. They continued their 8-game winning streak Thursday night with a 74-67 hard-fought victory over San Diego State (34-3), advancing to the Elite 8 to take on Arizona on Saturday.

Kemba Walker (36) and freshman Jeremy Lamb (24) combined for 60 points and almost outscored the Aztecs themselves. The Huskies seem like the Energizer bunny, they just keep going and going and going! It seems like it's full-steam ahead as UConn (29-9) keeps rolling over opponents on a mission to get back to the Final Four.

Walker scored 22 of his game-high 36 in the second half. "I'm just trying to do the best I can do," said Walker, who scored 12 straight points for UConn in the final minutes. "Whether it's scoring, talking, getting their confidence up or giving an assist, I'm just trying to do whatever is possible to enhance this team." (courtesy of cbssports.com)

Connecticut is headed to its 10th Elite 8 appearance, winning National Championships in 1999 and 2004 and will face Arizona on Saturday at 7:05 p.m.

Arizona 93, Duke 77

Derrick Williams put it to Duke and did it right away on Thursday night. Scoring 25 of his game-high 32 points, Williams and his Arizona (30-7) teammates dominated the 1-seed Duke Blue Devils (32-5) from tip-off en route to their first Elite 8 appearance since 2005.

"As a team, we came together and willed ourselves to win," said Lamont Jones, who added 16 points. "Derrick is a great player, but we all contribute." (cbssports.com)

Along with Williams' 32 and Jones' 16, Solomon Hill added 13 points for the Wildcats, who shot 54 percent and made 9 of 15 3-pointers, including five by Williams. Williams had 13 rebounds to help his team dominate the boards, 40-27, while playing 15 minutes from his hometown of La Mirada.

"It makes me feel great," he said. "If we win this game on Saturday, we'll be known as one of the greatest Arizona teams to play." (cbssports.com)

"A lot of people counted us out," Jones said. "We kept on beating on the door, beating on the door until we were in." (cbssports.com)

SOUTHEAST Regional (New Orleans, LA)

Florida 83, BYU 74 (OT)

Alex Tyus and his Florida Gator teammates did what it took to knock Jimmer Fredette and the BYU Cougars (32-5) out of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night. Tyus scored 19 and grabbed 17 rebounds, while Kenny Boynton also chipped in 17, while Erving Walker and Chandler Parsons both notched 16 each for the victorious Gators (29-7).

"The thing about Alex is he never really gets fazed with the moment or with what's going on," Florida coach Billy Donovan said. "One of the things I've tried to pull out of him and get him to see is that when he has a lot of activity and he's flying around the court, because of his athleticism, he's got a great ability to impact a game."

Donovan is trying to get back to the Final Four for the first time since the Gators won back-to-back National Championships in 2006 and 2007.

"It's been so rewarding for me to see them make the journey they've made to this point now," Florida coach Billy Donovan said. "It's been very, very rewarding and fulfilling for me, and I hope in some way I've been able to give them as much as they've given me." (cbssports.com)

Jimmer Fredette guided his Cougar teammates in the best way he know possible, but he didn't receive enough help from them as they fell short in overtime by nine. Fredette finished his illustrious career as a BYU Cougar with 32 points on 11-for-29 shooting.

Florida's defense sensed that Jimmer was pretty frustrated. "That's just a credit to our guys on defense - especially Kenny Boynton," Chandler Parsons said. "He stayed with him and made it difficult for him out there." (cbssports.com)

The Gators will have a tough task when they face Butler at 4:30 p.m. Saturday

Butler 61, Wisconsin 54

Butler's defense was honestly just too much for Wisconsin's normally hot outside shooters to handle on Thursday night in New Orleans. Senior leadership from Matt Howard and Shawn Vanzant helped propel the 8-seed Bulldogs to a Sweet 16 victory over 4-seeded Wisconsin Badgers, 61.54. Howard led Butler with 20 points and 12 rebounds, while Vanzant had 10 points and 4 assists and Shelvin Mack pitched in 13 points. Khyle Marshall (7 points, 7 rebounds) and Andrew Smith (8 points, 6 rebounds) were also very key components to the Bulldogs' success against the Badgers.

Smith looked to be out for the game with a twisted ankle, but returned to the lineup late in the second half.

"A lot of people just ignored us and said, 'Aw, they'll probably lose in the first or second round," Butler center Andrew Smith said after the Bulldogs won their 12th consecutive game since Feb. 5. "Here we are again, trying to prove everybody wrong. We'll try to win three more." (cbssports.com)

Jordan Taylor led the way for Wisconsin with 22 points, while Keaton Nankivil dropped in 9. Senior Jon Leuer was defended pretty well and was held to 3 points and 6 rebounds.

"We made plays that were uncharacteristic of us," Leuer said. "We tried to force some things and Butler did some good things defensively. They're just tough kids who are all around good players and they play to their strengths." (cbssports.com)

Leading 33-24 at halftime, Butler had things going their way from the get-go. They began the second half on a 9-0 run to lead 42-24 and led 47-27 with 11:32 left. They did get a little bit of a scare as Wisconsin gave it one last push to try and pull off the comeback of all comebacks. The Badgers pulled to within four at 53-49 with 1:38 remaining in regulation.

"That's human nature, a little bit," Butler coach Brad Stevens said of what he perceived as a letdown by his players after they had been firmly in control. "I really, in the moment, was disappointed in the way we played and now I don't care. Let's move on. That's the way I feel about it now. I'm not worried about it."

Butler made 6-of-8 free throws in the final 39 seconds to secure the Sweet 16 win to advance to the Elite 8 on Saturday night versus the Florida Gators

"We just needed to put a few more minutes together here tonight so we could keep dancing. But the music stopped tonight," Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said. "We wish Butler luck in their journey for what they're looking for." (cbssports.com)

Butler (26-9) will continue its quest for a second consecutive Final Four appearance when they meet up with the Florida Gators on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.

Check back Saturday midday for my Elite 8 picks! GO BUTLER BULLDOGS!!!!!!

Sweet 16: Thursday's games

Here's a look at what's coming up tonight in the NCAA Tournament.

WEST Regional:

2-San Diego State vs. 3-UConn: 7:15 pm tip-off
At this point in the NCAA Tournament, it's best to just throw the seeds out the window and take a look at the match-ups for what they are. These teams have advanced as far as they have for reasons that the other 48 tournament teams aren't in the Sweet 16. Bottom line.

One advantage that San Diego State is going to have is that they got on chartered buses and took a trip 90 minutes north of San Diego to Anaheim, where the West Regionals are being held. UConn, on the other hand, has traveled across the country from Storrs, Connecticut to Anaheim, 2.930 miles later to make their appearance in the Sweet 16.

It's going to be Kawhi Leonard vs. Kemba Walker. No other match-up is being focused on more in this 2-3 tilt at 7:15pm tonight that this. Leonard averages 15.4 points and 10.7 rebounds, while Walker puts up 23.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.9 steals per game.

With UConn's rich NCAA Tournament history under head coach Jim Calhoun, they're obviously expected to show-up the higher seeded Aztecs. San Diego State has something else in mind.

"You see the rankings and you see us up there, but people don't really know much about us," Aztecs forward Tim Shelton said. "We're finally getting an opportunity to let people see what we're about. Our guys feed off that. We understand that we're seen as a mid-major, so people feel like (we) don't deserve it because (we) don't consistently play the same type of competition. But we've won 34 games. That's a whole lot of wins."

My pick: San Diego State

1-Duke vs. 5-Arizona: 9:45 tip-off (approx.)
The Duke Blue Devils are the defending National Champions. They're expected to win this game. But, the Arizona Wildcats want something to be said about them possibly upsetting Duke.

All-American Arizona forward Derrick Williams gives head coach Sean Miller's Wildcats 19.5 points and 9.5 rebounds a game. They're no slouch. They won the Pac-10 regular season title and have quite honestly caught one team by surprise thus far in the NCAA Tournament. They took down 4-seed Texas last weekend and are quite excited to move onto the Sweet 16, and somewhat close to home as well.

They'll have their work cut out for them for sure, to say the least. Duke is led by seniors Kyle Singler (16.9) and Nolan Smith (21.0) in scoring, not to mention 16.4 from freshmen Kyrie Irving, who's coming off a toe injury back in early December vs. Butler. Irving's only played 10 games now, but will be a vital role in Duke's success down the stretch.

"He played significant minutes last week when I thought he was going to play limited minutes, so I mentioned that he will play significant minutes tomorrow," Mike Krzyzewski said. "I don't know what the hell that means. It means he's going to play great minutes hopefully."

I personally think that Duke overmatches Arizona, even though this game will be a somewhat close game because of the type of speed game that the Wildcats like to play.

My pick: Duke

Southeast Regional:

3-BYU vs. 2-Florida: 7:27pm tip-off
Even though All-American Jimmer Fredette averages 28.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game, Florida knows that BYU has gotten this far with much more than Jimmer's heroic scoring. They're a squad that has nine players that average 11-plus minutes per game, six that average 20-plus minutes. Jackson Emery (12.6 points, 2.8 steals), Kyle Collinsworth (9 rebounds) and Noah Hartsock (6 rebounds, 2 blocks) are also key contributors to the Cougars' offensive attack to compliment Fredette.

Florida also spreads the playing time around. Seven players average more than 17 minutes per game. Erving Walker (14.7) and Kenny Boynton (14.0) lead the Gators in scoring, while Chandler Parsons also averages 11.7 points and 7.7 rebounds.

This first game in New Orleans will be quite the tune-up for the nightcap of Butler-Wisconsin. Florida is being looked at as an overrated 2-seed and BYU is trying to make people believe that they're a legit 3-seed, even without guard Brandon Davies, who was dismissed from the team last month for violating team rules. I guess having consensual sex with your girlfriend is frowned upon in a state where polygamy is accepted with open arms, haha! BYU has been just fine without Davies' help though. Jimmer will have his normal supporting cast with him tonight in The Big Easy, ready to take the Louisiana Superdome by storm!

"He gets all the attention, but deservedly so," BYU forward Noah Hartsock said. "It's fun watching him going out there and play. I think it helps our team because we get a lot of national exposure."

Fredette's given the school that exposure and they're eating up every bit of it! It's Jimmer-mania, as they're calling it.

My pick: BYU

8-Butler vs. 4-Wisconsin: 9:57 tip-off (approx.)
Tell me that you actually knew that Butler would be in the Sweet 16...can you do that??!! I sure can! I had them beating Pittsburgh, the Big East regular season champions. There aren't many that had the Bulldogs advancing far into this season's NCAA Tournament, because they're missing a key scorer from last year's NCAA Championship game run in Gordon Hayward. New season, same style with these Bulldogs. Different players step up and are counted upon with this Brad Stevens group.

Butler and Wisconsin aren't teams that rely on the media to beef them up to be this or that. They rely on what they do on the court. These two teams are quiet and they're just fine with that.

"They don't beat themselves so we're going to have to beat them," Wisconsin freshman Josh Gasser said. "That's a lot like how we play."

Gasser couldn't have said it any better really. Wisconsin and Butler don't have the flashy scorers. You could honestly call these two teams, two of the hardest working teams in the country, blue collar, if you will. Jon Leuer (18.7) and Jordan Taylor (18.0) lead the Badgers in scoring. They are complimented by the other three starters in Keaton Nankivil, Mike Bruesewitz and Josh Gasser, who combine for around 19 between the three.

Senior Matt Howard leads Butler with 16.7 points and 7.7 rebounds a game, while Shelvin Mack's 15.5 (22.5 in the NCAA Tournament) keeps the Bulldog scoring pretty consistent. This Butler team is slightly different, but yet the same kind of team they were a year ago when they made their Final Four run home to Indianapolis.

"It's definitely the character of the team -- the combination of a lot of things," Butler senior Zach Hahn said. "Guys are willing and able to step up when it's their time. It's about putting the team above self."


If that happens, Butler may very well find itself in a second-straight Final Four, which would be an unprecedented accomplishment for a so-called mid-major program. Just don't expect the Bulldogs to party on Bourbon Street.

My pick: Butler

Check back tomorrow during the day for Sweet 16 previews and predictions of the East and Southwest Regionals.

Los Angeles Angels 2011 preview

The biggest question this season is if/when will the Angels overtake the Texas Rangers in the AL West at some point this season. When will Kendrys Morales come off the Disabled List and be back to the consisten first basemen that he normally can be on a yearly basis? What kind of bullpen support will these Angels have until they get to the back of the bullpen where the confidence sits?

Vernon Wells was brought in via trade. He was traded from Toronto to the Angels for OF Juan Rivera and C/1B Mike Napoli. The Angels hated to see them do it, but sometimes a player has to hang up a career. That's exactly what OF Garrett Anderson and Right-handed relief pitcher Scot Shields did during the off-season. They both decided that it's time to retire and put their playing days behind them. While the Angels organization will miss the big bat and outfield play of Anderson and great relief work that Shields gave them, they will move on they thank those two for their contributions over the years.

Manager Mike Sciocia enters his 12th season with the Angels. In first 11 years, Sciocia has made the playoffs in six of those seasons, including a 2002 World Series Championship over the San Francisco. He has a career record of 980-802 with eight winning seasons.

The starting rotation is one of the best, on paper that is. Top to bottom, this lineup could do some serious damage in the American League this season.

1- Jered Weaver
2- Dan Haren
3- Ervin Santana
4- Scott Kazmir
5- Joel Piniero

The bullpen is what should concern manager Mike Sciocia. Scotty Downs will help lead the middle relieft department, along with Kevin Jespen, Rich Thompson, Hisonari Takahashi and set-up man Francisco Rodriguez. Fernando Rodney assumes the Closer role on a full-time basis this season. Rodney should be comfortable in those shoes, somewhat. He was the Closer for Detroit in 2009 with 37 saves, also had 14 saves and 21 holds in 72 appearances last year of out the Angels' pen.

The Angels might be playing more small ball than hitting for power in 2011. They don't pose to be a threat for the longball. Bobby Abreu, Vernon Wells and Torii Hunter aren't the young pups that they used to be. This group of Angels will probably get it done as best as possible while competing with the Rangers for the AL West title, but it obviously won't be an easy task. This lineup also has the feel that they will probably run on some teams and make them work.

C  Jeff Mathis
1B Mark Trumbo (Kendrys Morales on DL to start the season)
2B Howie Kendrick
SS Erick Aybar
3B Maicer Izturis
LF Vernon Wells
CF Reggie Willits
RF Torii Hunter
DH Bobby Abreu

To be honest, I've never heard of Mark Trumbo. Maybe he'll be a decent replacement for Morales while he's rehabing from his leg injury. Jeff Mathis will be okay at Catcher, but I don't think he's as good as Mike Napoli, who's now in Toronto from the Vernon Wells trade. Only time will tell what will happen for this Los Angeles Angels team. They'll find out for sure next Thursday, March 31st when they visit the Kansas City Royals for an opening weekend four-game series at Kauffman Stadium.

AL West finish: 2nd (right behind Texas)

Chicago White Sox 2011 preview

Now that the DH role is filled with the arrival of Adam Dunn from the Washington Nationals in the off-season, the Chicago White Sox may want to focus on their bullpen and how it's going to help out their starting rotation.

GM Kenny Williams did sign RHP Phil Humber and LHP Will Ohman to lend a hand, but letting Closer Bobby Jenks head off to Boston won't help things. Jesse Crain also was acquired from Minnesota as a middle reliever. In order to compete better or possibly win the AL Central Division this season, you would have thought that the White Sox would have made more moves than bringing in Adam Dunn's bat. Hopefully he doesn't think that will make up for the fact that his closer is now in Boston.

Manager Ozzie Guillen is entering his 8th season in the White Sox dugout. In seven years on Chicago's southside, Guillen is 600-535, with a World Series Championship in 2005 over the Houston Astros. During the 2005 World Series title playoff run, the Sox went a remarkable 11-1 in the playoffs, including a 4-0 series sweeping of the Astros for the World Championship. Prior to rejoining the White Sox as manager in 2004, Ozzie was the third base coach for the 2003 World Series Champion Florida Marlins.

Guillen has to feel somewhat comfortable with his starting rotation. Led by ace LHP Mark Buehrle, Gavin Floyd, John Danks, Jake Peavy and Edwin Jackson round of the remainder of the five-man rotation. On Tuesday, March 22, Jake Peavy was sidelined because of shoulder pain. He'll probably be under close watch by the White Sox training staff as we're approaching the season in a week and a half.

Jesse Crain, Chris Sale, Tony Pena Jr., Will Ohman and Sergio Santos will be counted on to be the middle relievers. Matt Thornton has inherited the Closer role in the Sox pen. With 81 strikeouts and an ERA of 2.67 in 60 2/3 innings in 2010, Thornton might be what Guillen is looking for in a Closer to replace Jenks.

With a very seasoned, veteran lineup in the field, the White Sox should be in quite the dogfight with Minnesota for the Central crown this season. The only question is what kind of platooning will happen at third base. Mark Teahen and Brent Morel will all share time, as well as Omar Vizquel getting time at the hot corner, along with being the backup shortstop and second baseman.

C    A.J. Pierzynski
1B  Paul Konerko
2B Gordon Beckham
SS Alexei Ramirez
3B Brent Morel (or Mark Teahen)
LF Juan Pierre
CF Alex Rios
RF Carlos Quentin
DH Adam Dunn

With the strong bats of Konerko, Rios, Quentin and Dunn and the base-running legs of Beckham, Ramirez and Pierre, look for the Chicago White Sox to make a lot of noise this year. The Southsiders open the season on the road at Jacobs Field to face the Cleveland Indians on Friday, April 1st, diving right into AL Central Division action.

AL Central prediction: 1st

Cleveland Indians 2011 preview

Speaking of teams that need help! The Indians aren't as in need as the Royals, but let's face it, they're going to fight for the bottom of the AL Central with Kansas City.

Manny Acta enters his second season with Cleveland, going 69-93 in 2010. He was also that manager of the Washington Nationals from 07-09, where he was 158-252 before getting fired at the All-Star break midway through the 2009 season.

Cleveland did a very subpar job of shopping for talent during the off-season, but at least they picked up anyone at all. Veteran infielder Orlando Cabrera, OF Austin Kearns, INF Adam Everett and RHP Chad Durbin are the makup of the Indians' off-season transactions.

They might need to think about acquiring a big name pitcher to come and save them on the mound. Fausto Carmona is going to be pulling a lot of weight being the ace of the staff this season. He'll be backed up by Justin Masterson, Jeanmar Gomez, Carlos Carrasco and Josh Tomlin. Carmona might not be the ace that Cleveland wants to get them back to their winning ways. I honestly think that the Indians need a somewhat bigger named pitcher to take some of the load off of Carmona.

The bullpen is in need of really desperate help. Have you ever heard of Tony Sipp, Rafael Perez, Joe Smith, Jensen Lewis and (CL) Chris Perez?? I haven't either, so I'd have to say that I feel bad for Manny Acta in that aspect of having a subpar starting rotation and to follow it up with an even weaker bullpen that will faulter on command this season. Good luck with this team Manny, really!

The starting lineup is a mix of veterans and youngblood that could produce some runs that may or may not save the pitching staff.

C Carlos Santana (I wonder if this one plays guitar too?!)
1B Matt LaPorta
2B Orlando Cabrera
SS Asdrubal Cabrera (or Adam Everett)
3B Jayson Nix
LF Michael Brantley
CF Grady Sizemore
RF Shin-Soo Choo
DH Travis Hafner

This team has potential to do something with the bats, but like I said, I'm not sure if it'll be enough at points during the season to save the pitching staff from looking like opponents are taking batting practice on them for 9 innings at a time!

AL Central prediction: 4th

Kansas City Royals 2011 preview

It's going to be another interesting year in the Kansas City Royals organization. They'll be fighting for last place in the AL Central with the Cleveland Indians once again. They don't seem to have the payroll to pick up any big names during the off-season and it shows. RHP Jeff Francis was acquired from Colorado in free-agency. OF Jeff Francoeur and INF Wilson Betemit were also brought in to try and pick up some slack.

Ned Yost begins his second season in command in Kansas City. With a dismal 55-72 after taking over the Royals' reigns on May 13, 2010, Yost will do what he can with what he's got, and that's not a whole lot to deal with to be honest. From 2003-2008, Yost was the manager of the Milwaukee Brewers, leading them to winning seasons in his final two. He had a record of 457-502 in those six seasons in Milwaukee and has a career record of 512-574.

Newcomer Jeff Francis will jump into the starting rotation and be the ace of the Royals staff. Luke Hochevar, Kyle Davies, Vin Mazzaro and Sean O'Sullivan will round out the rest of the pitching rotation.

Aside from Closer Joakim Soria, middle relief is going to be a challenge for Kansas City. Blake Wood, Jesse Chavez, Kanekoa Texeira, Greg Holland and Robinson Tejada make up what should be an interesting group of relief pitchers that will be relied on for a lot of innings throughout the season.

The starting lineup could use some work, but that's the case for the Kansas City Royals ever season really. Alex Gordon, Melky Cabrera, Jeff Francoeur and Billy Butler will be counted on to produce a lot of hits and drive in a lot of runs, because it might be a stretch to get production from anywhere else in the Kansas City lineup.

C Jason Kendall
1B Kila Ka'aihue
2B Chris Getz
SS Alcides Escobar
3B Mike Aviles
LF Alex Gordon
CF Melky Cabrera
RF Jeff Francoeur
DH Billy Butler

AL Central prediction: 4th or 5th (coin flip with Cleveland, haha!)

Detroit Tigers 2011 Preview

The Detroit Tigers acquired a couple veterans that might mix pretty well with the rest of their veteran lineup to compete throughout the season with the Twins and White Sox for the AL Central crown. C/DH Victor Martinez came over from Boston after just a one season stint in Beantown to try and make the Tigers back to a winning baseball club in Motown. Free-agent RHP Brad Penny came over from the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Jim Leyland enters his 20th season as a major league manager. He also spent six seasons as a major league scout for the St. Louis Cardinals organization. Through five seasons in Detroit, Leyland is 424-387 with as World Series runner-up finish in 2006 to those same Cardinals that he scouted for the previous six seasons. In a nutshell, Leyland gave Tony LaRussa a hand in beating Leyland's Tigers 4-1 in the '06 World Series. He also won the 1997 World Series in his first of two seasons as the Florida Marlins manager. He's quite the experienced, seasoned manager and will someday be a Hall of Fame inductee. From 1986 to 1996, he led the Pittsburgh Pirates to four winning seasons, including three playoff appearances in 1990, 1991 and 1992. All three of those appearances resulted in losing the National League Championship Series to the Reds (1990) and the Braves in '91 and '92.

The Tigers' starting pitching rotation should be decently solid this year. Ace Justin Verlander will get things started on Opening Day when the Tigers head to Yankees Stadium for the first MLB game of 2011 at 1:05 on ESPN. Verlander will be followed in the rotation by Max Scherzer, Rick Porcello, Brad Penny and Phil Coke.

The bullpen might need some help, but might also be okay when it comes down to it. Joaquin Benoit, Ryan Perry, Daniel Schlereth and Brad Thomas will pitch in to be the middle relievers. Joel Zumaya seems to be back to good health and hopefully we'll see some more 100-plus m.p.h. pitches out of him as he'll be the set-up man for Closer Jose Valverde.

The starting lineup in the field might look a little different than most Tiger die-hards are used to in recent years.

C Alex Avila
1B Miguel Cabrera
2B Carlos Guillen
SS Jhonny Peralta
3B Brandon Inge
LF Ryan Raburn
CF Austin Jackson
RF Magglio Ordonez
DH Victor Martinez

AL Central prediction for the Detroit Tigers: 3rd place

NCAA Tourney: What a First Weekend!!

From the opening tips on Thursday and Friday, upsets were in the making and no matter what it does to our brackets that we fill out, this is what March Madness is all about!! In total, there were 13 games where lower seeded teams pulled off upsets this weekend. Four of the 16 teams advancing to the Sweet 16 are double-digit seeds. Three of the four #1 seeds are still alive, as Pittsburgh was edged by 8-seed Butler 71-70 Saturday night. Of the 11 Big East schools that made the NCAA Tournament, only 3-seed UConn in the West and 11-seed Marquette in the East are the only two that advanced to the Sweet 16.

In the Southwest Region, 12-seed Richmond upending 5-seeded Vanderbilt started the trend of upsets throughout this first weekend of the 2011 NCAA Tournament. 13-Morehead State had their moment in the sun as they upset 4-Louisville 62-61 in Denver on Thursday.11-VCU had no problem with 6-Georgetown, winning 74-56 and knocking the Hoyas out in a hurry. 10-seed Florida State took down 7-Texas A&M, 57-50. That set up two inriguing Round of 32 match-ups. Those two match-ups resulted in upsets last night in Chicago. VCU drilled 3-seeded Purdue 94-76 and Florida State ended 2-seed Notre Dame's dream of their first Sweet 16 since 2003, dominating the Irish 71-57 in the night cap at The United Center.

The Southeast Region proved to be another region that no one could pick right to save their brackets! This year's Michigan State team was a #2 pre-season ranked squad that had a lot of promise and many intrical parts coming back from last year's Final Four team. As one would expect, Tom Izzo would naturally have this team ready and primed for another run at the Final Four. Instead, they stayed on the radar of the NCAA Selection Committee and squeeked in the tournament with a 19-14 record and a 10-seed, dropping their first game to 7-UCLA, 78-76.

We all expected that BYU would have no troubles, because they have Jimmer Fredette and a great supporting cast that would lead them to wins over Wofford and Gonzaga to reach the Sweet 16. Beating Wofford 74-66 and Gonzaga 89-67, the Cougars are now pitted with 2-seed Florida on Thursday night in New Orleans.

5-Kansas State and 4-Wisconsin advanced to the Round of 32 to meet each other late Saturday night. Down the stretch is was Wisconsin coming out on top, 70-65, despite the fact that Kansas State senior Jacob Pullen became the all-time leading scorer in KSU history with his 38 points against the Badgers in his final game as a Wildcat. Pullen was 9 shy of the record before Saturday's game and shattered former Mike Evans' scoring record (2,115) by knocking down 38 Saturday for his career total of 2,144.

8-seed Butler needs no introduction to the NCAA Tournament's upseters category. Nipping 9-Old Dominion 60-58 on Thursday afternoon, there are sure to be more tricks up head coach Brad Stevens' sleeve and some more showed up Saturday night against 1-seeded Pittsburgh. It is honestly one of the best games that I have seen in quite a long time! Such an up-and-down affair from start to finish, it was only fitting that Butler came out on top in this thriller. Andrew Smith's layup with 2.2 seconds left gave Butler a 70-69 lead. Shelvin Mack then brushed against Gilbert Brown around the sideline at midcourt, sending Brown to the line. He made 1-of-2 to tie the Bulldogs at 70-70. The ensuing rebound by Matt Howard proved to be pivotal. Even with the game tied and a possiblity of overtime, senior Nasir Robinson fouls Butler's Matt Howard with 0.8 left. Howard made the first of two free throws for a 71-70 Butler upset of 1-seed Pittsburgh and advancing the Bulldogs to the Sweet 16 once again!

The East Region only had a couple upsets and they both involved an 11-seed from the Big East. The Marquette Golden Eagles started their NCAA Tournament by knocking 6-seed Xavier out with a 66-55 convincing win on Friday. They continued Sunday as they upset the 3-seed Syracuse Orange 66-62 to move on to the Sweet 16 in Newark, where they'll now face 2-North Carolina.

The West Region was full of great games, but nothing that really surprised our brackets like the Southeast and Southwest did. The biggest shock was how bad that 8-Michigan embarrassed 9-Tennessee, 75-45, in their first game of the tournament on Friday. It could have been Volunteers' coach Bruce Pearl's last hoorah before he gets the oust in Knoxville in the coming weeks, considering all the has happened recently there for him.

5-Arizona barely pulled out the W over 12-Memphis in the closing seconds. Leading by the final score of 77-75, Wildcat big man Derrick Williams' block of a 3-point attempt at the buzzer helped secure the win for Arizona and a meeting with 4-Texas, who escaped a scare by 13-Oakland, 85-81. Arizona then took their magic on to beat the Texas Longhorns 70-69 to advance to the Sweet 16 to meet up with Duke.

1-Duke fought off a pesky 8-Michigan Wolverine team 73-71 to advance to another Sweet 16.

Saturday evening, 2-San Diego State took all that it could handle with 7-Temple, dropping the Owls 71-64 in double OT. It'll be interesting how that test against Temple will treat the SDSU Aztecs as they'll move up the California coast to Anaheim for the West Regionals this weekend. They meet up with UConn in the first game on Thursday, while Duke and Arizona will clash in the nightcap.

This is the point where we'll separate the men from the boys, seeing who really belongs and it Cinderella's glass slipper still fits for the Virginia Commonwealth Rams. Will the Butler Bulldogs take the NCAA Tournament by storm again and beat Wisconsin and the BYU/Florida winner?? Will Marquette continue its run and beat North Carolina? Willl the Ohio State-Kentucky game be as epic as it appears it may be? Does Arizona have a shot vs. Duke? What kind of game will UConn vs. San Diego State be? Does 1-Kansas hold an edge in the Southwest (San Antonio) Region because they're joined there by 12-Richmond, 11-VCU and 10-Florida State? 

All of these questions will be answered starting Thursday night in Anaheim (West), San Antonio (Southwest), New Orleans (Southeast) and Newark (East).

NCAA Tournament: West, Southwest and Southeast Predictions (late, but here they are)

WEST Regional

1-Duke over Hampton
8-Michigan over 9-Tennessee
5-Arizona over 12-Memphis
4-Texas over 13-Oakland
6-Cincinnati over 11-Missouri
3-Connecticut over 14-Bucknell
10-Penn State over 7-Temple (lost this game)
2-San Diego State over 15-Northern Colorado

SOUTHWEST Regional

1-Kansas over 16-Boston
9-Illinois over 8-UNLV
12-Richmond over 5-Vanderbilt (one of my upsets!)
4-Louisville over 13-Morehead State (who actually got this right?!)
6-Georgetown over 11-VCU (Georgetown is the most overrated team in the Top 25 all year!!!)
3-Purdue over 14-Saint Peter's
7-Texas A&M over 10-Florida State (who knew that it would take A&M over 7 minutes to score??!!)
2-Notre Dame over 15-Akron

SOUTHEAST Regional

1-Pittsburgh over 16-UNC-Asheville (Asheville's a helluva town to party in, but no 16 has beat a #1...ever!)
8-Butler over 9-Old Dominion (unbelievable finish for Butler in this one!)
5-Kansas State over 12-Utah State
4-Wisconsin over 13-Belmont
11-Gonzaga over 6-St. John's
3-BYU over 14-Wofford (Jimmer got 34 in this one, damn he's good!)
10-Michigan State over 7-UCLA (I saw this going differently. The Spartans disappointed us this season!)
2-Florida over 15-UC-Santa Barbara

Congratulations on 2nd Round (really 1st round) upsets...
11-Marquette over 6-Xavier, 66-55
12-Richmond over 5-Vanderbilt, 69-66
13-Morehead State over 4-Louisville, 62-61
11-VCU over 6-Georgetown, 74-56 (ass whipping of an overrated squad!)

NCAA Tournament preview: EAST Regional (Newark)

EAST Regional (Newark)

1-seed Ohio State (32-2) will obviously beat up on the First Four 16-seed Texas-San Antonio/Alabama State winner
My pick: Ohio State.

8-George Mason (26-6) vs. 9-Villanova (21-11). This could be quite the match-up really. George Mason is 16-1 in its last 17 games. Villanova fell to South Florida in the 1st round of the Big East Tournament. Jay Wright's Wildcats are 4-7 in their last 11 games and continue to slide.
My pick: George Mason.

5-seed West Virginia (20-11) will face the 12-seed UAB/Clemson winner. The Mountaineers are 6-5 since February, not what Coach Bob Huggins had in mind leading into the NCAA Tournament that took them to last year's Final Four in Indianapolis.                   
My pick: West Virginia.

4-seeded Kentucky (25-8) meets 13-Princeton (25-6) in what could be a first-round upset for the Princeton Tigers. Princeton is fresh off beating rival Harvard in a playoff for the Ivy League title. Kentucky beat Florida on Sunday for the SEC Tourney title and has won eight of their past nine.
My pick: Kentucky.

6-Xavier (24-7) vs. 11-Marquette (20-14). This will be a game of who can be the streakier team. It'll be a run-and-gun affair and it's gonna be interesting which of these two comes out on top.
My pick: Xavier.

3-Syracuse (26-7) plays 14-Indiana State (20-13) in an intriguing game that could either cause problems or be an easy first round game for the Orange. As much as we'd like to see the Sycamores pull off the upset, I just don't see it happening.
My pick: Syracuse.

7-Washington (23-10) vs. 10-Georgia (21-11). The Washington Huskies were originally projected to be in the NCAA field, but surprised a lot of folks by winning the Pac 10 tournament on Saturday. Georgia, on the other hand, was projected as a "bubble" team and wound up being a 10-seed, meaning that they were a lock in the NCAA Committee's eyes.
My pick: Washington

2-North Carolina (26-7) vs. 15-Long Island (27-5). North Carolina has had such a great season and grown up quite a bit. I just hope getting a 2-seed doesn't go to their head at all. The Tar Heels should win this game, but it won't be easy by any means. 
My pick: North Carolina.

2nd Round
1-Ohio State over 8- George Mason
5-West Virginia over 4-Kentucky
3-Syracuse over 6-Xavier
2-North Carolina over 7-Washington 

Sweet 16
1-Ohio State over 5-West Virginia
2-North Carolina over 3-Syracuse

Elite 8 (Regional Championship)
1-Ohio State over 2-North Carolina

The West Regional will be predicted on Tuesday. Come back Tuesday for a look at the West and who'll come out of that bracket. 

MInnesota Twins 2011 Preview

The Minnesota Twins have played good old-fashioned winning baseball since Ron Gardenhire took over for Tom Kelly in 2002. In 9 seasons as the skipper in the Twin Cities, Gardenhire has led Minnesota to a record of 802-656 in that time. He hasn't had the most marquee names in the league, but they've won 6 American League Central Division titles. His first season in 2002, the club made it to the American League Championship Series and lost 4-1 to eventual World Series champion LA Angels, that ended a post-season appearance drought of 11 years. In his nine seasons, only 2007 resulted in a losing record at 79-83. Otherwise, Gardenhire has become one of the better managers in the Major Leagues, winning 83-plus games per season, including five of the nine with 90 wins or better. Obviously, things keep looking upward for the Minnesota Twins, thanks to keeping Gardenhire in the dugout!

They bring back a somewhat solid starting rotation for 2011. Left-handed ace Francisco Liriano should be back in good health. He'll be backed up in the rotation by Carl Pavano, Brian Duensing, Nick Blackburn and Scott Baker.

The bullpen might pose some questions, but it's a good thing that the starters have plenty of durability. Joe Nathan will be back in the Twins' pen, but it might be in a different capacity this season. After being out all last season with injury, Nathan was the closer the previous two seasons. The mid-season pickup of Matt Capps helped out the bullpen down the stretch to clinch the AL Central title, with the absense of Nathan as the closer. Kevin Slowey will help anchor the middle relievers along with Jose Mijares, Alex Burnett, Paul Neshek and Jeff Manship.

The Twins should be a force offensively with the bats that are coming back. 2010 AL batting champ Joe Mauer will help lead a potent offense that also likes to run.

C    Joe Mauer
1B  Justin Morneau
2B  Tsuyoshi Nishioka
SS  Alexi Casilla
3B  Danny Valencia
LF  Delmon Young
CF  Denard Span
RF  Michael Cuddyer
DH Jason Kubel or Jim Thome

Justin Morneau is back in full force at 1B. Joe Mauer will probably bat .370 or above again this season. With the way things are looking as I've glanced over what the AL Central has to offer this year, I would say that the Minnesota Twins will probably win this division again in 2011 and could do it by five games or more when it comes down to it in the standings.

Bubble Teams: Will they make it or not...?

It's always a lot of fun watching as the conference tournaments unfold and seeing the conferences with just one NCAA bid celebrate their tournament championship wins as if they had just won the National Championship at that point. Teams (below) that actually have more than one bid to the NCAA tournament are a lot more fortunate than those smaller conferences. The eight power conferences with teams still on the bubble for at-large bids are listed below, as well as teams in those conferences that already have wrapped up their NCAA tournament bids and are just waiting until Sunday evening at 6pm when the brackets are announced.

           On the Bubble                                                               
ACC = Boston College (19-11, 9-7)                                               
            Clemson            (20-10, 9-7)
            Virginia Tech     (19-10, 9-7)

Big East = none on the bubble                                                                  

Big Ten = Illinois (19-12, 9-9)                                                             
                 Michigan State (17-13, 9-9)
                 Michigan (19-12, 9-9)

Big XII = Colorado (20-12, 8-8)

Colonial = George Mason (26-6, 16-2)
                                     
Pac 10 = Washington (20-10, 11-7)                                                 
               Washington State (19-11, 9-9)    

SEC = Tennessee (18-13, 8-8)                                        
           Georgia (20-10, 9-7)
       
Mountain West = New Mexico (20-11, 8-8)                    
                              Colorado State (19-11, 9-7)

Atlantic 10 = Richmond (24-7, 13-3) 
                               
Conference Tournament Champions that have already punched their tickets...
Atlantic Sun = Belmont (30-4)
Big Sky = Northern Colorado (21-10, 1st ever NCAA bid!)
Big South = North Carolian-Asheville (19-13, 2nd ever NCAA bid!)
Colonial = Old Dominion (27-6)
Horizon = Butler (23-9, lost National Championship to Duke, 61-59)
Mid-Atlantic (MAAC) = St. Peter's (20-13, 1st NCAA bid in 16 years!)
Missouri Valley = Indiana State (20-13)
Northeast = Long Island (27-5)
Ohio Valley = Morehead State (24-9)
Southern = Wofford (21-12)
Summit = Oakland (25-9)
Sun Belt = Arkansas-Little Rock (19-16, 1st NCAA bid in 21 years!)
West Coast = Gonzaga (24-9, 13th straight NCAA appearance)

Conferences that will crown their automatic bid champions this weekend...(my pick)
America East = (Boston)
Big West = (Long Beach State)
Conference USA = (UAB) Memphis and UTEP will be at-large bids
Ivy League = Harvard at Princeton in one-game playoff on Saturday at 4pm (Princeton)
Mid-Eastern (MEAC) = (Bethune-Cookman)
Patriot = Bucknell
Southland = McNeese State
Southwestern (SWAC) = (Texas Southern)
Western (WAC) = (Utah State)

It's now Thursday of Championship Week. We will know Sunday at 6pm on CBS who the 68 teams are that will be heading to the NCAA Tournament. I'm like a little kid at Christmas during the month of March! I'm ready to open gifts Sunday evening! Tune back to my blog Monday morning for my first analyzation of the 2011 NCAA Tournament!


       

Toronto Blue Jays 2011 Preview

The 2011 version of the Toronto Blue Jays has a few bright spots and a few that could possibly step up and be a bigger help to the club that some of us think that they might be. With the exit of manager Cito Gaston and John Farrell becoming the new manager and this being his first season as a big league manager, this season is all up in the air for the Blue Jays.

The starting pitching rotation would make me extremely worried if I were a Toronto fan. As a huge baseball fan myself, I have honestly only heard of two of the five projected starters for the Jays. If you haven't heard of these guys, you're not alone. It may take the media a little time to get acquainted with who these pitchers are. They aren't the Dave Stewart, Dave Steib, Pat Hentgen, Jimmy Key, David Cone, Al Leiter, Jack Morris, Mark Eichhorn and Juan Guzman's of the 1992 and 1993 Blue Jays rotation. They've got a quite the learning experience ahead of them. Their names sounds like five names drawn out of a hat:

1- Ricky Romero
2- Brandon Morrow
3- Brett Cecil
4- Kyle Drabek
5- Jesse Litsch

The bullpen is just about as unknown as the starting rotation. Signing a closer in RHP Frank Francisco from World Series runner-up Texas, RHP Jon Rauch from Minnesota, RHP Carlos Villanueva from Milwaukee and right-handed set-up man Octavio Dotel from Colorado, things seem to be looking up for pitching coach Pat Hentgen's bullpen. Rauch and Dotel combined for 43 saves and 121 strikeouts for their respective teams before coming to Toronto in the off-season. Those two would be a huge lift with way too many questions about the starters lasting longer than five innings.

The Jays also added some offense in the lineup over the off-season.

OF Scott Podsednik
SS Yunel Escobar
OF Corey Patterson
RF Juan Rivera

Those are just a few names, but when they're added to an already potentially potent lineup, it's got to make first-year manager John Farrell just a little easier as spring training continues.

C Jose Molina
1B Adam Lind
2B Aaron Hill
SS Yunel Escobar
3B Jose Bautista
LF Travis Snider (or Corey Patterson)
CF Scott Podsednik (or Rajai Davis)
RF Juan Rivera
DH Edwin Encarnacion

I honestly see the 2011 Toronto Blue Jays as finishing 4th in the American League East. It's way too tough to climb out of the bottom of this division. They will probably fight with Baltimore to not finish last, but could also possibly surprise some people out there and finish 3rd right behind either the Red Sox or Yankees.  

Check back soon for a quick flash of the American League Central Division previews, starting with the Chicago White Sox.

Tampa Bay Rays 2011 Preview

This might pose to be a rebuilding season of some sorts. Losing key parts of your defense and bats on your offense tend to be something that makes you wonder, where will they make up for this or that which won't be in the Tampa Bay lineup this season in 2011.

Carl Crawford is now the LF for the Boston Red Sox. RHP Matt Garza and 1B Carlos Pena are now Chicago Cubs. OF Rocco Baldelli retired from playing baseball for medical reasons and is now a special assistant with the Rays. Five players were acquired by Tampa Bay in hopes of replacing some of the production that will be lost with those players exiting the Rays lineup. Those players include:

DH/OF Manny Ramirez
OF Johnny Damon
1B Casey Kotchman
RHP Kyle Farnsworth
INF Felipe Lopez

The starting pitching rotation contains a top three that should stay solid for most of the season. All-star LHP David Price will be the Rays' ace on the mound this summer. He'll be joined in the rotation by RHP James Shields, RHP Andy Sonnanstine, RHP Wade Davis and either RHP Jeff Niemann or RHP Jeremy Hellickson.

The bullpen is a cause for concern. RHP's Joel Peralta and Adam Russell will get a lot of help from veterans Kyle Farnsworth and LHP J.P. Howell. The closer will be Jake McGee.

Here's a glance at what you might see in the field with possibly a few changes throughout the season:

C John Jaso
1B Casey Kotchman (or Dan Johnson)
2B Sean Rodriguez
SS Reid Brignac
3B Evan Longoria
LF Johnny Damon
CF B.J. Upton
RF Ben Zobrist
DH Manny Ramirez

The additions of Manny Ramirez (38 years old) and Johnny Damon (37) can only help the Rays with leadership that Crawford, Garza and Pena took with them when they exited to their new teams. The Rays should put forth quite the competition in the AL East, whether others think so or not, it's in the realm of possibility. Just because they've lost a few people, doesn't mean that gaining a handful of others won't replace those players. All-star 3B Evan Longoria, B.J. Upton and Ben Zobrist are three bats that are alive and well this spring and should be a huge lift for Tampa Bay in 2011.

Joe Maddon is back for his 6th season in Tampa Bay. He's 404-406 in his five seasons at the help of the Rays with a World Series appearance in 2008. Maddon also filled-in managing during the 1996 and 1999 seasons in the Angles' organization, going 27-24 in those games. He spent a total of 31 years with the Angels prior to becoming the Rays' fourth manager in 2006.

My pick for the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East is 3rd, right behind the Yankees and Red Sox in that heated division.

My Cubs PA announcer audition video

For all of you that wanted to see my audition video to be the next Public Address Announcer for the Chicago Cubs, click on the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NBK_6Tk7xg

There are a few questions in the New York Yankee lineup for 2011, but there are also many mainstays that have been in the mix for a while and will help guide this version of the Bronx Bombers.

The Yankees acquired quite an array of veterans during the off-season that will all try to make the roster during Spring Training during the month of March. Those off-season signees are:

OF/DH Andruw Jones (
RHP Rafael Soriano (Atlanta)
RHP Freddy Garcia (
RHP Bartolo Colon
INF Eric Chavez
RHP Mark Prior
C     Russell Martin

The starting pitching rotation has questions at the No. 4 and No. 5 slots. As of the beginning of Spring Training, Ivan Nova is the #4 and Sergio Mitre is the #5 starter. With the retirement of longtime left-handed hurler Andy Petitte, the Steinbrenner's knew that they had to bring in more than one player to replace Petitte as a player and locker room figure. Acquiring pitchers like Freddy Garcia, Bartolo Colon and Mark Prior will hopefully take some of those worries away for newly signed pitching coach Larry Rothschild, who spent recent seasons with the Chicago Cubs.

Rotation:
1- C.C. Sabathia
2- Phil Hughes
3- A.J. Burnett
4- Freddy Garcia (or Ivan Nova)
5- Sergio Mitre

The Yankee bullpen is really where the question lies. Mariano Rivera is still the Yankees closer, entering his 17th season in the big leagues. He does have a new setup man in Rafael Soriano that was signed from Atlanta. Demaso Marte gives them a left hand in the bullpen. RHP Joba Chamberlain has become a fixture in the Yankee pen the past few seasons. They also will probably have the options of using RHPs Bartolo Colon and Mark Prior to give them some veteran arms.

Starting lineup:
C    Russell Martin
1B  Mark Texeira
2B Robinson Cano
3B Alex Rodriguez
SS Derek Jeter
LF Brett Gardner
CF Curtis Granderson
RF Nick Swisher
DH Jorge Posada

As it appears, the Yankees have what it takes to win the American League East, on paper that is, but will their pitching hold up to what they can be capable of? Time will only tell. There are 28 days (March 31) until Opening Day for the Yankees when they host the Detroit Tigers the first weekend of the regular season.

STAY TUNED FOR A PREVIEW OF THE TAMPA BAY RAYS...

Boston Red Sox 2011 Preview

Every year, the Boston Red Sox find one thing in the way of doing exactly what they want to do. The New York Yankees always seem to be a huge thorn in the side of the Red Sox. With the off-season additions of a few key players, Boston hopes that it can overcome anything that they Yankees bring this season. The Bo Sox have a new first basemen in Adrian Gonzalez, a nice off-season acquisition from the San Diego Padres that takes any pressure off of David Ortiz to play first base, so that Ortiz can focus on being the team's DH. Left-fielder Carl Crawford and Dan Wheeler were both free agents, signed with Boston after their 2010 contracts were up in Tampa Bay. The Red Sox also got some more help in the bullpen by reeling Bobby Jenks in from his duties as Closer for the Chicago White Sox.

New Signings:
1B Adrian Gonzalez (San Diego Padres)
LF Carl Crawford (Tampa Bay Rays)
RHP Dan Wheeler (Tampa Bay Rays)
RHP Bobby Jenks (Chicago White Sox)

With new first baseman Adrian Gonzalez anchoring his corner, that gives Kevin Youkilis a chance to move over to third base where he also has a lot of experience. SS Marco Scutaro enters his 2nd season in Boston and he'll be joined in the middle infield by second baseman Dustin Pedroia, who is coming off foot surgery in the 2010 season that limited him to just 75 games.

The outfield looks to be pretty solid for the Red Sox. They brought in LF Carl Crawford from Tampa Bay to play along with CF Jacoby Ellsbury and RF J.D. Drew and they will patrol the outfield walls of Fenway Park, as well as backup Mike Cameron.

The Red Sox starting rotation looks to be stacked with talent like it normally is.

1- LHP Jon Lester
2- RHP Josh Beckett
3- RHP John Lackey
4- RHP Clay Buchholz
5- RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka

The Bullpen got some help in the off-season by signing a couple veterans that are going to be able to take a little bit of the load off of set-up man Hideki Okajima and Closer Jonathan Papelbon. RHP Dan Wheeler (Tampa Bay) and RHP Bobby Jenks (White Sox) are two valuable arms that Boston needs. Let's not forget that Boston loves using the services of right-handed knuckleballer Tim Wakefield to stymie American League hitters. RHP Daniel Bard and LHP Felix Doubrant will also be a couple of go-to guys in the Red Sox pen.

Manager Terry Francona enters his 11th season as a Major League skipper. From 1997-2000 he was at the help of the Philadelphia Phillies, where he compiled a 285-363 record. He has been in Boston since 2001 to the present time. Francona has a 654-481 record with the Red Sox, including the 2004 and 2007 World Series Championships.