Around this time of year, it's actually more shocking when you come across a person who hasn't filled out a March Madness bracket of some sort.
It's not just the hardcore basketball fans that enter office tourneys or engage in side bets with their friends. In fact, it seems like it's about this time when many people are watching their first glimpses of college basketball this year.
With my social group, it is no different. I set up a bracket group on Yahoo, which you are welcome to join here - http://tournament.fantasysports.yahoo.com/t1/group/31988 . It's free to join, so no risk involved.
Many of the members in the group of 19 so far do not watch a lick of college basketball, and I'd be willing to bet that one of them is going to win this group challenge. It happens across offices everywhere - someone who fills out their alum school to go far or picks a team based on its name or mascot can be the person who collects the first place prize.
I'm getting into the spirit of things by posting my bracket versus my g/f Jen's. Like many of you, she'd rather just avoid watching basketball altogether, but I forced her to fill out a bracket for the purposes of a blog - she's such a good sport*.
*She wasn't forced to do anything - She'd beat me up if I forced her to do anything**
**She'd never beat me....I don't think.
We don't have a bet at the moment, but perhaps dinner (her making it versus me taking her out for it - my cooking skills are limited to the grill and microwave) could be made.
I'll post some of the highlights of our brackets (My picks subject to change - I will repost if I change anything below):
First round Upsets - i.e. 11 over 6 and above (I'll ignore the 7/10, 8/9 matchups)
Brian: Long Beach St., St. Bonnies, Texas, Winner of Cal/USF
Jen: Belmont, NC State
Any #1 seeds eliminated before Sweet 16?
Brian: no
Jen: no
Double digit seeds selected to Sweet 16:
Brian: 4
Jen: 1
Top 2 seeds left in Elite 8 (out of 8):
Brian: 5
Jen: 5
Final Four
Brian: Kentucky, Louisville, Ohio St, UNC
Jen: Kentucky, Murray St, Vandy, Kansas
Championship Game...(to be posted Thursday)
In the interests of people wanting to copy all of our picks because they are so awesome (and also because my picks might not be final), I will release our full brackets later (Thursday morning) and re-post them in the blog here.
We will see if watching basketball every weekend (i.e. me) matters or if you'd be better off just completely ignoring it and asking your boyfriend to change the channel when he turns it on in your company (i.e - Jen).
Enjoy the games, and let me know if you want to join the money part of our bracket. So far, there are 5 people in the $20/entry pool. If we get 7/8 or more, I'll make a 2nd and perhaps a 3rd place prize. I'd be happy to donate my $20 to you.
3/02/2012
It Doesn't Matter What's Right...
...It's only wrong if you get caught.
I always come back to this Tool lyric (title + opening graf) when a story about someone blatantly bends or breaks the rules/laws which govern them. This story now applies to the New Orleans Saints, who went from a laughingstock of a franchise to one that became instantly loved and rooting on by the general public as it won its first ever Super Bowl a couple years back.
Now, they're heading back to the gutter after being found guilty of putting bounties on injuring players on opposing teams the past three seasons under the coordination of Gregg Williams. What makes it even more disgusting is that everyone in the organization (from the owner all the way through the coaching ranks of the team) knew about the program.
There's several questions that I'm wondering about in the aftermath of this:
Speaking of Brady, this "Bountygate" story has amazing parallels to the Spygate scandal that cannot be ignored. Some are coincidence, others are just fascinating:
The jury remains out on how the general public will treat the Saints story - whether they will embrace the team under the notion that "this is something every team does" or whether a chorus of boos will meet them at opposing stadiums for years to come.
I hope that fans don't give the Saints a pass for what I consider a far bigger scandal than Spygate, considering the backdrop of the NFL the past few years has centered around player safety.
I expect Goddell to lay the hammer down - now will the public?
I always come back to this Tool lyric (title + opening graf) when a story about someone blatantly bends or breaks the rules/laws which govern them. This story now applies to the New Orleans Saints, who went from a laughingstock of a franchise to one that became instantly loved and rooting on by the general public as it won its first ever Super Bowl a couple years back.
Now, they're heading back to the gutter after being found guilty of putting bounties on injuring players on opposing teams the past three seasons under the coordination of Gregg Williams. What makes it even more disgusting is that everyone in the organization (from the owner all the way through the coaching ranks of the team) knew about the program.
There's several questions that I'm wondering about in the aftermath of this:
- What will the punishment be for this? The Patriots were fined $250K and Belichick was fined the maximum $500K for what happened with Spygate, which involved the illegal taping of NY Jets practices to pick up defensive signals. I think the maximum amount should apply to the Saints - that is if Commissioner Goodell wants to send a strong message amid the Player Safety Era of football. I'd throw in fines for the owner and the coaches, some suspensions (for coaches involved) & taking away a couple of first round picks the next couple years.
- Who will be punished? I think Gregg Williams (the defensive coordinator at the time) will get most of the heat, but punishment should go to all parties involved. The punishment mentioned in the previous point would hold everyone responsible for the bounty fiasco.
- Will fans hate the Saints now? Remember when everyone was rooting on the Saints a couple Februaries ago only years after a hurricane nearly decapitated their entire city? Now that this story is out there, I find it hard to believe people will have the same love for this team that they once did. Whether players were directly involved with it or not is a moot point - I could see people booing Brees much like they boo Brady, but probably not to the same extent.
Speaking of Brady, this "Bountygate" story has amazing parallels to the Spygate scandal that cannot be ignored. Some are coincidence, others are just fascinating:
- Both stories started with underdog championship teams being cheered by America following a tragedy. It's hard to believe being so many years removed from it, but there was a point in time where people actually liked the Patriots, who were two touchdown underdogs against the St. Louis Rams, considered "The Greatest Show On Turf". It was the first Super Bowl played after 9-11, so it was only fitting that a team named "The Patriots" would be represented. They even started a trend of teams being announced as one as they ran through the tunnel as One. You know the rest - the start of the Patriots dynasty, with much of the public enjoying the huge upset.
Likewise, the Saints were a couple years removed from the destruction of their hometown to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which forced them to play at LSU's stadium for a season. Once the stadium was ready to host games again, a new man under center (Drew Brees) gave the 'Aints their first legitimate shot at success. They lost to the Bears in the 2007 NFC Championship game but took the next step three years later en route to their first Super Bowl win. - Both teams were knowingly breaking the rules. If you read all the quotes from Gregg Williams, he knew what he was doing was wrong, but he didn't give a crap. He only cares now BECAUSE HE GOT CAUGHT! If they never got caught, you'd never hear a peep of an "apology" from him. Belichick knew what he was doing was wrong, got caught, and thus, paid a heavy fine for it. I expect the same for the Saints.
- Both teams were knowingly breaking rules that many other teams break. Again, if you read quotes about both stories from football insiders (media, players, coaches), you'll know that what the Patriots and Saints did was not just isolated to their teams. They just happened to be the ones with tangible evidence against them for the league to pursue action against them. Players are tweeting about the NFL's release of this story with a collective "This happens everywhere". Similarly, Jimmy Johnson (former Cowboys coach) has been on record saying that many coaches take film on opposing team's defensive signals, making Spygate as much (or as little) of a secret as the bounty scandal.
- Both team's head coaches had a role in the scandal. Belichick's role may have been more pronounced, but Payton knew about the bounty system that was in place. You can't absolve blame from him just because he wasn't the person who designed the scheme - he was an accessory to an NFL crime the likes which haven't been seen since Spygate. After the Spygate scandal, much of the general public turned their once-liking of the Patriots into complete loathing, which continues to this day.
The one advantage that Payton has over Belichick is the bands of media people that love him. Belichick always comes off as a hooded robot in press conferences, trying to talk up every opponent like they are the 1985 Bears; whereas Payton seems to come of as a personable guy. Perhaps this works to his advantage and he doesn't take a huge PR hit like Belichick and the Pats did.
The jury remains out on how the general public will treat the Saints story - whether they will embrace the team under the notion that "this is something every team does" or whether a chorus of boos will meet them at opposing stadiums for years to come.
I hope that fans don't give the Saints a pass for what I consider a far bigger scandal than Spygate, considering the backdrop of the NFL the past few years has centered around player safety.
I expect Goddell to lay the hammer down - now will the public?
2/29/2012
To Live is to Die(t): Improvements in Past Month & Things I Need to Work On (Chapter 3)
So it's been about about a month since I started working out. While I haven't seen the results that I'd like on the scale, I remain optimistic that as long as I keep eating better and exercising, things will be better long run.
Some definite improvements
After a month, I've only lost a couple pounds. While that's not exactly where I wanted to be, I feel like I'm on the right track (major cliche alert). I appreciate the tips that people have given me concerning the dieting/working out, as I don't know the right way to do it.
I'll be out of commission blog-wise next week, as I will be in Costa Rica on a work trip (woo hoo!). I'm hoping to continue my healthy ways when I go down there for 5 days.
Some definite improvements
- No fountain drinks/Diet Coke in the past month - Strange thing is, I'm not even missing it all that much. Strange only because I was used to drinking close to 100 oz of it daily (sick, I know). Even though my intention was to avoid drinking it for a month, I'm going to see how long I can go without drinking it.
- Limited Fast Food - Outside of one trip to Wendy's last weekend (bacon cheeseburger & 5 nuggets), I've been able to avoid fast food for the past month. I've had Subway/Jimmy Johns a few times a week in the past month & also been eating a lot more cooked food (or food bought from the grocery store, like Lean Pockets).
- More protein/cooked meals - In lieu of bad food from the fast food joints, I've been getting in the habit of eating cooked things more. I've had at least 2 or 3 egg-based meals a week - seeing as though eggs are one of the few things I cook. Otherwise, I've had my lovely girlfriend helping me out with that.
- Working out 3/4 times a week - I've been able to fit in this many workouts (gym and at home on the treadmill) in the past month. I believe I can keep up with this.
- Need to do more workouts at gym - It's nice to be using the treadmill at home, but I feel like I don't do as much cardio on it versus actually going to the gym. Something about the 10 minute trip to the gym makes me want to get more out of my workout. Plus there's multiple ways of doing cardio at the gym versus only one at home. One of the reasons I've lost less than two pound
- Need to eat more healthy stuff - While I have made some strides in eating, there's still a lot I can do to improve my diet. I have been eating more fruits, but I need to find a way to eat more veggies. This will be a challenge. I'd say I've been doing well with it, but there's always something to improve upon here.
- Beer - This has been something I haven't scaled back on as much as I should. Wednesday and Friday nights usually have me in social situations, which means a few beers. I'll need to cut back on these drinks or perhaps switch to a lower calorie options.
After a month, I've only lost a couple pounds. While that's not exactly where I wanted to be, I feel like I'm on the right track (major cliche alert). I appreciate the tips that people have given me concerning the dieting/working out, as I don't know the right way to do it.
I'll be out of commission blog-wise next week, as I will be in Costa Rica on a work trip (woo hoo!). I'm hoping to continue my healthy ways when I go down there for 5 days.
2/24/2012
We're Talkin' Baseball: 2012 MLB Preview
Updated 3-3-12
As far as offseasons go for baseball, this one had a little bit of everything.
The top two free agents in MLB move out of the NL Central much to the delight of the Reds, Pirates, Cubs and Astros. Albert "El Hombre" Pujols signs a rich deal with the Angels, while Prince Fielder gets a king's salary from a Detroit Tiger squad that is looking to take the next step in the AL.
A current MVP was revealed to have a suspicious drug test back in December. Luckily for the Brewers, Ryan Braun will not have to face a 50-game suspension (at this current time anyways) after a panel overturned the tests on the grounds that the samples were mishandled.
Josh Hamilton continues to face his inner demons and may have cost himself a shot at a big contract after his drinking incident earlier this month.
Oh, and the Chicago side of things - each squad loses a pitcher to the Marlins. On the Sox end, most of us actually wanted our hurler (Buehrle) to stay in the city limits, but the length of contract in addition to playing for Ozzie Guillen again was enough to wisk him away from the South Side. Meanwhile, everyone knew Big Z would be gone. As a 4th or 5th starter on a loaded Marlins staff, Zambrano could give the Marlins the necessary pitching depth to compete with the Phillies for the NL East crown.
Aside from those moves, not much can be said about Chicago baseball teams' chances in 2012. Given his track record in Boston, Theo Epstein gives the Cubs a great chance to rebuild their minor league system. While they are a longshot to make the playoffs this year, I'd say that Cubs fans are probably feeling a little more optimistic about their future than the Sox, and that has everything to do with Epstein.
The White Sox were in a clear rebuilding mode this offseason, shipping away Quentin & last year's closer Sergio Santos while letting Buehrle sign with Miami. Chris Sale is the unknown as he enters his first year in the starting rotation, which features John Danks, Gavin Floyd, Jake Peavy and Phil Humber.
My friend Nick highlighted in his White Sox preview a few weeks back that the South Siders have a wide range of possibilities depending on how things fall into place. You could probably say that about any team, but I see his point. You have to figure Adam Dunn will get things somewhat figured out, but will it be his standard .250/40/100 remains to be seen. I believe Rios' one good season a couple years back was the exception in what has been a lackluster career given his hype as a prospect.
I don't know how much longer Konerko can keep these numbers up as he continues to get up there in age. The starting staff seems to be their best chance of success, with Sale being the X-factor. We already know Peavy will only start 20-25 games - he can be penciled in for a couple DL stints at random points in the year.
Vegas has the White Sox win total at about 74, which I believe they will go OVER. I see a 77-78 win season in the Sox future. Likely 3rd or 4th place finish.
Sorry, getting ahead of myself. Without further ado, here's my predictions for the MLB season.
All over/under victory totals are from 5dimes.com as of 3/3/12.
AL East - Favorites: Yankees; Other contenders: Red Sox, Rays. Thoughts: After entering 2011 the favorites following some offseason moves, the Red Sox find themselves projected behind the Yankees in the division entering this year. New York's big move ingetting stealing Michael Pineda from the Mariners solidifies their staff. They will have enough offense to hold off the other squads. I say Rays take second and win the American League Wild Card.
Pick: Yankees (w/ Rays winning Wild Card) - rest of division in order (Red Sox, Blue Jays, Orioles)
AL Central - Favorites: Tigers; Other contenders: none. Thoughts: Out of the six divisions in MLB, this division has (by far) the biggest gap between first and second place (at least on paper). The Indians have a mid 80s win projection and are expected to finish 2nd behind the Tigers, with the Royals around 80 wins and the Sox behind them. I still think there's questions with the Tigers' pitching staff behind Verlander, but their stellar offense should be enough to win the division.
I think the Royals are heading in the right direction and would be my pick to be the surprise team of the AL this year. Not enough to take the division yet, but perhaps in 2013.
Pick: Tigers - rest of division in order (Royals, Indians, White Sox, Twins)
AL West - Co-Favorites: Rangers & Angels; Other contenders: none. Thoughts: The Angels made the biggest splashes by picking up Big Al and CJ Wilson in less than a 12 hour span. Many are projecting them to overtake the Rangers for the division crown, but I still have my money on the Rangers.The Angels could take the Wild Card, but I'm a big fan of the Rays and what Joe Maddon has done in what was once a sesspool of a franchise and now is a perennial contender despite their small payroll.
Pick: Rangers - (w/ Angels winning Wild Card*) - rest of division in order (A's, Mariners)
*Pick Added w/ New Wild Card Format announced at end of February
Looks like I have the same AL playoffs as last year. Not what I set out to do, but that's how I see it.
On to the NL...
NL East - Favorites: Phillies; Other contenders: Nationals, Marlins, Braves. Thoughts: This division takes the crown as the most competitive division in baseball, edging out its AL directional counterpart. I like most of the moves that the Marlins made, and with Josh Johnson back in the rotation to join Buehrle, Ricky Nolasco, Anibal Sanchez and Zambrano, the Marlins have formed one of the better rotations in baseball. Not to mention they signed Reyes (who should still have a few good years in him) and have a nucleus of Mike Stanton & Hanley Ramirez, whose only worry is how he will adjust to moving to a new position.
Maybe I'm drinking the Nationals' Kool-Aid, but I have them as my NL breakout team. They also have a solid staff, when, if healthy, stacks up well to the Marlins. Strasburg, Zimmerman, Gio Gonzalez and Edwin Jackson are a solid 4 starters. I have enough faith in them to make them one of my new "Baseball Hats of 2012" in my lifelong goal of collecting a hat from every MLB franchise.
I don't know why, but I'm not sold on the Phillies. Ryan Howard, who is still recovering from an Achilles injury suffered in 2011 postseason, saw most of his key #s dipping in the past 3 years without the injury. Halladay and Lee will keep the Phillies in contention,but I see the Phillies being the 2012 version of the Red Sox - not so much collapse but failing to make playoffs despite heavy odds of making it*.
Pick: Marlins (w/ Nationals & Phillies* winning the Wild Card). Rest of division in order (Braves, Mets) *Pick Added w/ new Wild Card format just announced
NL Central - Favorites: no clear favorite; Other contenders: Reds, Cardinals, Brewers. Thoughts: This division is the most wide open based on its lack of a clear favorite. Many expect the Cardinals to take a step back w/ the loss of Pujols and LaRussa, but they always seem to find a way to contend - also, Wainwright will be back. Likewise, Fielder's absence will be hard for the Brewers to fill, but they still have a solid pitching staff.
Pick: Cardinals - rest of division in order (Brewers, Reds, Cubs, Pirates, Astros)
NL West - Favorites: Giants/D-Backs; Other contenders: Rockies, Dodgers. Thoughts: I don't have a good read on this division. No one saw the D-Backs' run coming last year - I see a slight regression to slightly above a .500 record. With Posey coming back and a solid pitching staff, I like the Giants (I'm a sucker for a good pitching rotation). I see them edging out the Dodgers, who have Cy Young candidate Clayton Kershaw & MVP candidate Matt Kemp leading them to a potential division crown that has eluded the franchise as of late.
Pick: Giants - rest of division in order (Dodgers, Diamondbacks, Rockies, Padres)
AL Championship: Yankees over Tigers
NL Championship: Marlins over Giants
World Series: Marlins over Yankees (but not because the NL gets home field with their All-Star victory). The Marlins are due for one of their random World Series runs and have a squad that can compete for one.
Random Individual Predictions (aka - R.I.P.):
AL MVP: Miguel Cabrera (Det)...Sleeper: Nelson Cruz (Tex)
NL MVP: Hanley Ramirez (Fla)...Sleeper: Buster Posey (SF)
AL Cy Young: David Price (TB)...Sleeper: Michael Pineda (NYY)
NL Cy Young: Roy Halladay (Phil)...Sleeper: Madison Bumgarner (SF)
AL HR Leader: Jose Cabrera (Tor)...Sleeper: Adam Dunn (CHW)
NL HR Leader: Mike Stanton (Fla)...Sleeper: Jay Bruce (Cin)
With this being said, if you can find a way to fade all of these picks, be my guest. Feel free to offer up your own predictions.
Bolek. Out.
As far as offseasons go for baseball, this one had a little bit of everything.
The top two free agents in MLB move out of the NL Central much to the delight of the Reds, Pirates, Cubs and Astros. Albert "El Hombre" Pujols signs a rich deal with the Angels, while Prince Fielder gets a king's salary from a Detroit Tiger squad that is looking to take the next step in the AL.
A current MVP was revealed to have a suspicious drug test back in December. Luckily for the Brewers, Ryan Braun will not have to face a 50-game suspension (at this current time anyways) after a panel overturned the tests on the grounds that the samples were mishandled.
Josh Hamilton continues to face his inner demons and may have cost himself a shot at a big contract after his drinking incident earlier this month.
Oh, and the Chicago side of things - each squad loses a pitcher to the Marlins. On the Sox end, most of us actually wanted our hurler (Buehrle) to stay in the city limits, but the length of contract in addition to playing for Ozzie Guillen again was enough to wisk him away from the South Side. Meanwhile, everyone knew Big Z would be gone. As a 4th or 5th starter on a loaded Marlins staff, Zambrano could give the Marlins the necessary pitching depth to compete with the Phillies for the NL East crown.
Aside from those moves, not much can be said about Chicago baseball teams' chances in 2012. Given his track record in Boston, Theo Epstein gives the Cubs a great chance to rebuild their minor league system. While they are a longshot to make the playoffs this year, I'd say that Cubs fans are probably feeling a little more optimistic about their future than the Sox, and that has everything to do with Epstein.
The White Sox were in a clear rebuilding mode this offseason, shipping away Quentin & last year's closer Sergio Santos while letting Buehrle sign with Miami. Chris Sale is the unknown as he enters his first year in the starting rotation, which features John Danks, Gavin Floyd, Jake Peavy and Phil Humber.
My friend Nick highlighted in his White Sox preview a few weeks back that the South Siders have a wide range of possibilities depending on how things fall into place. You could probably say that about any team, but I see his point. You have to figure Adam Dunn will get things somewhat figured out, but will it be his standard .250/40/100 remains to be seen. I believe Rios' one good season a couple years back was the exception in what has been a lackluster career given his hype as a prospect.
I don't know how much longer Konerko can keep these numbers up as he continues to get up there in age. The starting staff seems to be their best chance of success, with Sale being the X-factor. We already know Peavy will only start 20-25 games - he can be penciled in for a couple DL stints at random points in the year.
Vegas has the White Sox win total at about 74, which I believe they will go OVER. I see a 77-78 win season in the Sox future. Likely 3rd or 4th place finish.
Sorry, getting ahead of myself. Without further ado, here's my predictions for the MLB season.
All over/under victory totals are from 5dimes.com as of 3/3/12.
AL East - Favorites: Yankees; Other contenders: Red Sox, Rays. Thoughts: After entering 2011 the favorites following some offseason moves, the Red Sox find themselves projected behind the Yankees in the division entering this year. New York's big move in
| AL East | O/U | ||
| NYY | 93 | Over | 94-68 |
| TB | 86.5 | Over | 91-71 |
| Bos | 89.5 | Under | 87-75 |
| Tor | 80.5 | Over | 82-80 |
| Balt | 69.5 | Under | 65-97 |
Pick: Yankees (w/ Rays winning Wild Card) - rest of division in order (Red Sox, Blue Jays, Orioles)
AL Central - Favorites: Tigers; Other contenders: none. Thoughts: Out of the six divisions in MLB, this division has (by far) the biggest gap between first and second place (at least on paper). The Indians have a mid 80s win projection and are expected to finish 2nd behind the Tigers, with the Royals around 80 wins and the Sox behind them. I still think there's questions with the Tigers' pitching staff behind Verlander, but their stellar offense should be enough to win the division.
I think the Royals are heading in the right direction and would be my pick to be the surprise team of the AL this year. Not enough to take the division yet, but perhaps in 2013.
| AL Central | O/U | ||
| Det | 92.5 | Over | 94-68 |
| KC | 80.5 | Over | 83-79 |
| Cle | 78.5 | Over | 81-81 |
| Sox | 74.5 | Over | 78-84 |
| Min | 73.5 | Under | 69-93 |
Pick: Tigers - rest of division in order (Royals, Indians, White Sox, Twins)
AL West - Co-Favorites: Rangers & Angels; Other contenders: none. Thoughts: The Angels made the biggest splashes by picking up Big Al and CJ Wilson in less than a 12 hour span. Many are projecting them to overtake the Rangers for the division crown, but I still have my money on the Rangers.
| AL West | O/U | ||
| Tex | 91 | Over | 92-70 |
| LAA | 92.5 | Under | 90-72 |
| Oak | 71.5 | Over | 74-88 |
| Sea | 72 | Under | 67-95 |
Pick: Rangers - (w/ Angels winning Wild Card*) - rest of division in order (A's, Mariners)
*Pick Added w/ New Wild Card Format announced at end of February
On to the NL...
NL East - Favorites: Phillies; Other contenders: Nationals, Marlins, Braves. Thoughts: This division takes the crown as the most competitive division in baseball, edging out its AL directional counterpart. I like most of the moves that the Marlins made, and with Josh Johnson back in the rotation to join Buehrle, Ricky Nolasco, Anibal Sanchez and Zambrano, the Marlins have formed one of the better rotations in baseball. Not to mention they signed Reyes (who should still have a few good years in him) and have a nucleus of Mike Stanton & Hanley Ramirez, whose only worry is how he will adjust to moving to a new position.
Maybe I'm drinking the Nationals' Kool-Aid, but I have them as my NL breakout team. They also have a solid staff, when, if healthy, stacks up well to the Marlins. Strasburg, Zimmerman, Gio Gonzalez and Edwin Jackson are a solid 4 starters. I have enough faith in them to make them one of my new "Baseball Hats of 2012" in my lifelong goal of collecting a hat from every MLB franchise.
I don't know why, but I'm not sold on the Phillies. Ryan Howard, who is still recovering from an Achilles injury suffered in 2011 postseason, saw most of his key #s dipping in the past 3 years without the injury. Halladay and Lee will keep the Phillies in contention,
| NL East | O/U | ||
| Mia | 84.5 | Over | 92-70 |
| Wash | 83.5 | Over | 89-73 |
| Phil | 93.5 | Under | 88-74 |
| Atl | 86.5 | Under | 81-81 |
| NYM | 71.5 | Over | 72-90 |
Pick: Marlins (w/ Nationals & Phillies* winning the Wild Card). Rest of division in order (Braves, Mets) *Pick Added w/ new Wild Card format just announced
NL Central - Favorites: no clear favorite; Other contenders: Reds, Cardinals, Brewers. Thoughts: This division is the most wide open based on its lack of a clear favorite. Many expect the Cardinals to take a step back w/ the loss of Pujols and LaRussa, but they always seem to find a way to contend - also, Wainwright will be back. Likewise, Fielder's absence will be hard for the Brewers to fill, but they still have a solid pitching staff.
| NL Central | O/U | ||
| StL | 84 | Over | 87-75 |
| Mil | 84.5 | Over | 86-76 |
| Cin | 86.5 | Under | 80-82 |
| Cubs | 74.5 | Under | 72-90 |
| Pitt | 73.5 | Under | 69-93 |
| Hou | 64 | Over | 66-96 |
Pick: Cardinals - rest of division in order (Brewers, Reds, Cubs, Pirates, Astros)
NL West - Favorites: Giants/D-Backs; Other contenders: Rockies, Dodgers. Thoughts: I don't have a good read on this division. No one saw the D-Backs' run coming last year - I see a slight regression to slightly above a .500 record. With Posey coming back and a solid pitching staff, I like the Giants (I'm a sucker for a good pitching rotation). I see them edging out the Dodgers, who have Cy Young candidate Clayton Kershaw & MVP candidate Matt Kemp leading them to a potential division crown that has eluded the franchise as of late.
| NL West | O/U | ||
| SF | 87.5 | Over | 89-73 |
| LAD | 81.5 | Over | 84-78 |
| Ariz | 86.5 | Under | 82-80 |
| Colo | 81 | Under | 78-84 |
| SD | 73.5 | Under | 68-94 |
Pick: Giants - rest of division in order (Dodgers, Diamondbacks, Rockies, Padres)
AL Championship: Yankees over Tigers
NL Championship: Marlins over Giants
World Series: Marlins over Yankees (but not because the NL gets home field with their All-Star victory). The Marlins are due for one of their random World Series runs and have a squad that can compete for one.
Random Individual Predictions (aka - R.I.P.):
AL MVP: Miguel Cabrera (Det)...Sleeper: Nelson Cruz (Tex)
NL MVP: Hanley Ramirez (Fla)...Sleeper: Buster Posey (SF)
AL Cy Young: David Price (TB)...Sleeper: Michael Pineda (NYY)
NL Cy Young: Roy Halladay (Phil)...Sleeper: Madison Bumgarner (SF)
AL HR Leader: Jose Cabrera (Tor)...Sleeper: Adam Dunn (CHW)
NL HR Leader: Mike Stanton (Fla)...Sleeper: Jay Bruce (Cin)
With this being said, if you can find a way to fade all of these picks, be my guest. Feel free to offer up your own predictions.
Bolek. Out.
2/22/2012
Rest in Peace: The Passing of Two Grandmas & Appreciating My Own More
The past few Wednesdays, I've had something to write about my workout/diet of the most recent week. While I'd like to get to that, there's something that's occurred in the past couple days in my group of friends.
On Monday, I learned of one friend's grandmother passing away - a friend who I've known for the past 13 years and whose family has embraced me as one of their own over that time. As many of us do these days, I caught wind of this news on Facebook, with a family picture of them with their grandma/mother acting as an obituary of sorts. I didn't get a chance to meet this grandma too much, but she had to be a good lady to spawn the family that I know today.
About 48 hours later, I received a text from another friend of mine to let me know his grandma had passed away. Like the friend before, it's a friend I've known for almost half my life now. I've met the grandma - very sweet lady, great person (much like the family that came after her).
My heart goes out to my friends during this time of loss for their families. Fresh in mind, I can relate to their losses. As many of you know, I lost my Grandma Bolek almost 10 months ago. I lived around the block from her from 1986 until her passing last year, so it was hard saying goodbye to a lady who represented what it meant to be a Bolek.
I'm sure my friends can remember a time like me when they were kids and they went over to grandma's place only to get spoiled to death. In my case, my memories of Grandma include playing Store with her and finding the Easter Eggs in the backyard full of change - you always hoped to get the eggs with the quarters in them.
I also remember the delicious chocolate chip cookies my grandma made. No one could ever pass those babies up. I've never seen anyone make cookies since that resemble them. God do I miss them.
These passings have made me remember all the good things about Grandma Bolek, but more importantly, they make me appreciate the grandma that I still can see and talk to. As much as I love my Grandma Bolek, I love my Grandma Raynor just as much. She has always been a great grandmother to me and all of my cousins. I enjoy hearing her laugh when a joke is told - sometimes at her expense. That's just how she rolls. She has the ability to laugh at herself sometimes.
To those of you reading this that still have grandparents alive, make sure you appreciate their existence. You wouldn't be around if it wasn't for them. I'm fortunate that I've had grandparents live into my adulthood so I can appreciate them. I wish my grandpas lived long enough for that, but what can you do? Just appreciate the times you have with your grandparents.
Rest in peace to my friend's grandmas. I wish you and your families nothing but the best in dealing with these tragedies.
Even though you don't know how to operate the Internet and wouldn't be able to read this unless it was on QVC, I'd like to say that I love you Grandma! Make sure you express similar sentiments to your own.
On Monday, I learned of one friend's grandmother passing away - a friend who I've known for the past 13 years and whose family has embraced me as one of their own over that time. As many of us do these days, I caught wind of this news on Facebook, with a family picture of them with their grandma/mother acting as an obituary of sorts. I didn't get a chance to meet this grandma too much, but she had to be a good lady to spawn the family that I know today.
About 48 hours later, I received a text from another friend of mine to let me know his grandma had passed away. Like the friend before, it's a friend I've known for almost half my life now. I've met the grandma - very sweet lady, great person (much like the family that came after her).
My heart goes out to my friends during this time of loss for their families. Fresh in mind, I can relate to their losses. As many of you know, I lost my Grandma Bolek almost 10 months ago. I lived around the block from her from 1986 until her passing last year, so it was hard saying goodbye to a lady who represented what it meant to be a Bolek.
I'm sure my friends can remember a time like me when they were kids and they went over to grandma's place only to get spoiled to death. In my case, my memories of Grandma include playing Store with her and finding the Easter Eggs in the backyard full of change - you always hoped to get the eggs with the quarters in them.
I also remember the delicious chocolate chip cookies my grandma made. No one could ever pass those babies up. I've never seen anyone make cookies since that resemble them. God do I miss them.
These passings have made me remember all the good things about Grandma Bolek, but more importantly, they make me appreciate the grandma that I still can see and talk to. As much as I love my Grandma Bolek, I love my Grandma Raynor just as much. She has always been a great grandmother to me and all of my cousins. I enjoy hearing her laugh when a joke is told - sometimes at her expense. That's just how she rolls. She has the ability to laugh at herself sometimes.
To those of you reading this that still have grandparents alive, make sure you appreciate their existence. You wouldn't be around if it wasn't for them. I'm fortunate that I've had grandparents live into my adulthood so I can appreciate them. I wish my grandpas lived long enough for that, but what can you do? Just appreciate the times you have with your grandparents.
Rest in peace to my friend's grandmas. I wish you and your families nothing but the best in dealing with these tragedies.
Even though you don't know how to operate the Internet and wouldn't be able to read this unless it was on QVC, I'd like to say that I love you Grandma! Make sure you express similar sentiments to your own.
2/17/2012
Critique of Whitney Houston Coverage:The Story Not Told
At this time last week, what were your thoughts of Whitney Houston?
Assuming you were in the camp that didn't ignore her problems and thought she wasted away her early successes as a singer on drug use...flash forward a day later - are you still thinking those same thoughts?
Maybe I'm just not connected to people's conversations about musicians and pop culture all that much or I'm watching/reading the wrong coverage, but everything I've heard about Whitney Houston before she died was nothing at all like the thoughts that are coming out now.
When someone with her recent problems passes on, the conversation changes from her being a talent that withered away amid substance abuse issues to forgetting about the problems altogether and just focusing on her career and positive things in life.
With my dad off of work and his habit of watching those Hollywood-heavy shows like Extra and Inside Edition on the boob tube, I could not count how many times I heard a news segment begin with "Annnnd IIIIIIIIIIeeeeeeeIIIIIIIII willllll always love youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu, ohhhhh" in the past week while working downstairs. Every major network was covering this story as she had never done anything wrong.
A similar situation occurred with the death of Michael Jackson, where the simple mention of his past allegations of child molestation would give you nasty glares from many people in the room, arguably some of his fans.
I never understood why the complete story of people isn't presented when someone dies. Well, I do understand - we want to preserve a positive memory of someone as our first thought when that person's name is mentioned.
But isn't telling the complete narrative (the good and the bad) important to tell? Shouldn't it be mentioned more that the last decade of her life that saw her devolve from one of the world's greatest singers to a person with a substance abuse problem?
I'm not trying to take anything away from what she did as an artist in the 1990s, but for hardly a peep to be mentioned about the whole story of her life puzzles me. It's like the 2000s never happened.
If you were to ask someone who knew little of Whitney Houston to base their opinion of her off the coverage the past week, you'd think she was a saint her whole life.
side note: If Michael Jordan is to pass away in about 10 years and he continues to suck as an NBA owner, I believe it should be noted in the stories about him that he was bad as a basketball executive. But we all know that the Powers-That-Be would write the fluff pieces like they have always wrote about him. The only thing that media people have felt comfortable critiquing him on was his baseball experiment. You hardly ever heard anything about his womanizing or gambling for fear that a media member might lose access to the guy.
I digress.
When it comes for my time to pass on from this Earth, I'd expect people to remember me for the good AND bad of my life. Granted, the bad in my life might be limited to a few moments/time spans in my life. I'd prefer the entire narrative of my life be told, not just the good parts.
In my case, the bad moments in life were the prequel for better moments that were on the near horizon that had a "redemption/comeback story-feel" to them. Some people aren't as fortunate to bounce back from their bad moments to live and tell about it.
That doesn't mean we should ignore that it ever happened. Instead of making all of these pop stars out to be Statue-esque Idols who are above all humans and could do no wrong, let's present them as the humans that they are - a complicated blob of success and failure, littered with good and bad decisions, events and moments along the way that made them the person they turned out to be.
Assuming you were in the camp that didn't ignore her problems and thought she wasted away her early successes as a singer on drug use...flash forward a day later - are you still thinking those same thoughts?
Maybe I'm just not connected to people's conversations about musicians and pop culture all that much or I'm watching/reading the wrong coverage, but everything I've heard about Whitney Houston before she died was nothing at all like the thoughts that are coming out now.
When someone with her recent problems passes on, the conversation changes from her being a talent that withered away amid substance abuse issues to forgetting about the problems altogether and just focusing on her career and positive things in life.
With my dad off of work and his habit of watching those Hollywood-heavy shows like Extra and Inside Edition on the boob tube, I could not count how many times I heard a news segment begin with "Annnnd IIIIIIIIIIeeeeeeeIIIIIIIII willllll always love youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu, ohhhhh" in the past week while working downstairs. Every major network was covering this story as she had never done anything wrong.
A similar situation occurred with the death of Michael Jackson, where the simple mention of his past allegations of child molestation would give you nasty glares from many people in the room, arguably some of his fans.
I never understood why the complete story of people isn't presented when someone dies. Well, I do understand - we want to preserve a positive memory of someone as our first thought when that person's name is mentioned.
But isn't telling the complete narrative (the good and the bad) important to tell? Shouldn't it be mentioned more that the last decade of her life that saw her devolve from one of the world's greatest singers to a person with a substance abuse problem?
I'm not trying to take anything away from what she did as an artist in the 1990s, but for hardly a peep to be mentioned about the whole story of her life puzzles me. It's like the 2000s never happened.
If you were to ask someone who knew little of Whitney Houston to base their opinion of her off the coverage the past week, you'd think she was a saint her whole life.
side note: If Michael Jordan is to pass away in about 10 years and he continues to suck as an NBA owner, I believe it should be noted in the stories about him that he was bad as a basketball executive. But we all know that the Powers-That-Be would write the fluff pieces like they have always wrote about him. The only thing that media people have felt comfortable critiquing him on was his baseball experiment. You hardly ever heard anything about his womanizing or gambling for fear that a media member might lose access to the guy.
I digress.
When it comes for my time to pass on from this Earth, I'd expect people to remember me for the good AND bad of my life. Granted, the bad in my life might be limited to a few moments/time spans in my life. I'd prefer the entire narrative of my life be told, not just the good parts.
In my case, the bad moments in life were the prequel for better moments that were on the near horizon that had a "redemption/comeback story-feel" to them. Some people aren't as fortunate to bounce back from their bad moments to live and tell about it.
That doesn't mean we should ignore that it ever happened. Instead of making all of these pop stars out to be Statue-esque Idols who are above all humans and could do no wrong, let's present them as the humans that they are - a complicated blob of success and failure, littered with good and bad decisions, events and moments along the way that made them the person they turned out to be.
2/16/2012
Linough is Linough: The True Comparisons Made Between Lin & Tebow
Since I took my sports blog hiatus a couple weeks ago, a new "Mania" has emerged in the sports world. Just when ESPN and other media outlets thought that they were going to lose ratings/viewers with the disappearance of Tim Tebow from the news cycle, a new world-wide phenomenon started his ascent in the city that already dominated the news cycle earlier in the month with a Super Bowl victory.
Ladies and gentlemen, meet Jeremy Lin.
The undrafted Harvard point guard was out of a job on Christmas Eve when the Rockets released him right before the regular season. The season before, Lin was buried on Golden State's depth chart behind such guards as Stephen Curry & Monta Ellis and saw very little playing time.
A few days after being released, the Knicks picked him up - but they played him very little. Lin played in just 9 of the team's first 23 games, playing in less than 55 total minutes in that time.
By many accounts, he was close to being released again due to the Knicks' depth at the guard position. Luckily, injuries forced Mike D'Antoni's hand as the Knicks coach gave Linn some playing time.
In the 7 games he has played significant minutes (past 6 have been starts), the team has been undefeated. In his 6 starts, he averaged almost 38 minutes per game while averaging 24 points and 9.5 assists in helping lead the Knicks back to the .500 mark and the playoff race.
Comparisons to Tebow
As a result of this performance, Lin has dominated the social media news cycle. Any casual sports fan with a television on in the past two weeks has seen at least a handful of highlights if only watching TV minimally.
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With ESPN and other major media outlets shoving the story down our throats, comparisons of the coverage have rivaled that of Tim Tebow. In this madness, people have also gone out of their way to say that their careers have had similar arcs.
I am hear to completely dispel the notion that their careers are parallel as some have been saying. Outside of the media coverage, not much is the same between the two. Since everyone loves charts, I decided to make one that compares the two on many key components of their short careers:
I tried getting through the blog without a Lin pun, but the title itself dispels that notion.
While the chart shows some similarities, the one thing to remember is that the Lin story is changing daily and the mania is likely to level off at some point. That's not to say he can't be a solid point guard in the league for years, but I highly doubt he will maintain his averages once opposing scouts learn of his deficiencies and exploit them.
To say that their careers are similar, particularly when Lin was barely recruited (basically by those two Ivy League schools - a conference not known for their athletics) and Tebow also had an offer to play at Alabama, is hyperbole at its finest.
In either case, for fans of either player, I say the best thing to do is this: enjoy the ride, ignore the critics (including me of Tebow) and hope that their joy rides can last a little while longer.
Ladies and gentlemen, meet Jeremy Lin.
The undrafted Harvard point guard was out of a job on Christmas Eve when the Rockets released him right before the regular season. The season before, Lin was buried on Golden State's depth chart behind such guards as Stephen Curry & Monta Ellis and saw very little playing time.
A few days after being released, the Knicks picked him up - but they played him very little. Lin played in just 9 of the team's first 23 games, playing in less than 55 total minutes in that time.
By many accounts, he was close to being released again due to the Knicks' depth at the guard position. Luckily, injuries forced Mike D'Antoni's hand as the Knicks coach gave Linn some playing time.
In the 7 games he has played significant minutes (past 6 have been starts), the team has been undefeated. In his 6 starts, he averaged almost 38 minutes per game while averaging 24 points and 9.5 assists in helping lead the Knicks back to the .500 mark and the playoff race.
Comparisons to Tebow
As a result of this performance, Lin has dominated the social media news cycle. Any casual sports fan with a television on in the past two weeks has seen at least a handful of highlights if only watching TV minimally.With ESPN and other major media outlets shoving the story down our throats, comparisons of the coverage have rivaled that of Tim Tebow. In this madness, people have also gone out of their way to say that their careers have had similar arcs.
I am hear to completely dispel the notion that their careers are parallel as some have been saying. Outside of the media coverage, not much is the same between the two. Since everyone loves charts, I decided to make one that compares the two on many key components of their short careers:
| Name | Jeremy Lin | Tim Tebow |
| Sport | Basketball | Football |
| Position | Point Guard | Quarterback |
| Team | NY Knicks | Denver Broncos |
| Height (according to team site) | 6'3" | 6' 3" |
| Weight (team site) | 200 lbs | 235 lbs |
| Years in Pros (of current/completed season) | 2 | 2 |
| College | Harvard | Florida |
| Other Colleges That Recruited Him | Brown | Alabama |
| Round/Pick that each was picked | Was not drafted | 1st Round, 25th pick |
| Main Reasons for Promotion to Starter | Injuries | Overwhelming popularity/Starting QB Inefficiency |
| Before he started, fans _________. | never heard of him for the most part. | were quite polarizing regarding his future effectiveness. |
| When he finally started, his coach ______. | had him run the offense he has always run as coach | changed team's offense around, saying they'd be screwed |
| if they ran a regular offense | ||
| Team record before he started in 2011-12 season | (9-15) | (1-4) |
| Team's record in first 8 games started after promotion | (6-0 - does not include game preceding streak - came off bench) | (7-1) |
| Notable win streak | 6 wins (current) | 6 wins |
| What each man averaged during streak: | 51% shooting (averaging 17 shots/game) | 50.4 Completion% (averaging 20 attempts/game), 7 TDs, 1 Int |
| averaging 24.3 pts, 9.5 asts, 6 turnovers,3.8 rbs per game | Averaged 146 yards passing/60 yards rushing | |
| Downfall during streak | Turnovers | Low Completion Percentage, Bad Passes |
| Shooting/completion % compared to league avg | 49.7% Shooting - League Average is 44.4% as of 2/16/12 | 46.7% Completions - League Average was 60.1% |
| (includes games not started - 2011-12 stats) | ||
| Most Popular Nickname for Hype | Linsanity | Tebowmania |
| Reasons for Sudden Hype | Long win streak, out of nowhere "feel-good" story | His fourth quarter comebacks (5 total, including 4 in a row) |
| Many Suspect Hype is Based on… | Race | Religion |
| Start of Career Hype resembles that & reminds me of… | Kurt Warner | Danica Patrick |
| Twitter Followers as of 2/16/2012: | 380,057 (@Jlin7) | 1,216,574 (@TimTebow) |
I tried getting through the blog without a Lin pun, but the title itself dispels that notion.
While the chart shows some similarities, the one thing to remember is that the Lin story is changing daily and the mania is likely to level off at some point. That's not to say he can't be a solid point guard in the league for years, but I highly doubt he will maintain his averages once opposing scouts learn of his deficiencies and exploit them.
To say that their careers are similar, particularly when Lin was barely recruited (basically by those two Ivy League schools - a conference not known for their athletics) and Tebow also had an offer to play at Alabama, is hyperbole at its finest.
In either case, for fans of either player, I say the best thing to do is this: enjoy the ride, ignore the critics (including me of Tebow) and hope that their joy rides can last a little while longer.
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