Now, the NBA is not my area of specialties, however, it is the more popular sport in the country over hockey. So, I figured I'd give some quick bullet point previews on each series.
Eastern Conference
No. 1 Chicago Bulls vs. No. 8 Philadelphia 76ers
Philly fans, expect the exact same fate as last season, out in five games. Chicago has too much talent and will overpower each member of the 76ers.
Pick: Chicago in 5.
No. 2 Miami Heat vs. No. 7 New York Knicks
Miami has way too much talent. While New York has been playing a lot better since Mike Woodson took over as coach, they are nowhere close to the level of the Heat. This is the featured series on ABC only because of the big name teams.
Pick: Miami in a sweep.
No. 3 Indiana Pacers vs. No. 6 Orlando Magic
Orlando is without Dwight Howard for the entire playoffs, which essentially means they are done. Without Howard, the Magic are a shell of a team.
Pick: Indiana in a sweep.
No. 4 Boston Celtics vs. No. 5 Atlanta Hawks
Although Boston won their division, they do not have home court. Which for me, is just odd how the NBA works that out to me. Anyway, Boston should win this series, although it will be close, just because of their age. Boston works more as a team, whereas Atlanta seems to work much more as a bunch of individual players.
Pick: Boston in 7.
Western Conference
No. 1 San Antonio Spurs vs. No. 8 Utah Jazz
San Antonio is very well rested, and in prime position to make one last run towards a title. Perhaps this will be their year with the ancient one Tim Duncan.
Pick: San Antonio in 6.
No. 2 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 7 Dallas Mavericks
This series is probably the most intriguing of all of the quarterfinal matchups. As it matches the defending champions to the best young team in the NBA. Could most definitely be the closest series of all eight and could possibly go the full seven games.
Pick: Oklahoma City in 7.
No. 3 Los Angeles Lakers vs. No. 6 Denver Nuggets
Denver could be the only team in the NBA playoffs who could pull off an upset in the first round. Denver has been playing really good basketball lately, and their added advantage of youth could be the deciding factor against the Lakers, who are an aging team with the exception of Andrew Bynum.
Pick: Denver in 6.
No. 4 Los Angeles Clippers vs. No. 5 Memphis Grizzlies
This is another series which could go seven. Los Angeles is a very young, talented team with two superstars in Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. Then, Memphis is another true team, with a few good players and play together.
Pick: Clips in 7.
Friday, April 27, 2012
NHL Eastern Conference Semifinals Preview
Yes, the time has come for the Eastern Conference preview of the NHL, and may the semifinals bring as much excitement as the quarterfinals did, as three of the four matchups went the full seven games, and parity definitely reigned, as three of the four lower seeds won their quarterfinal series. So, that means that the Flyers have home ice in the Semifinal round as well as the Rangers, who were the only upper seed to advance. Albeit in seven games though. Now, on to the previews!
As for NBC, they are incredibly ecstatic, having two New York area teams in the semifinals, as well as the nation's capital, which has a star in Alex Ovechkin, and a hockey crazed city in Philly. So, they couldn't be more pleased at how the Eastern Conference turned out. That's perhaps why they chose both series as their premier games on the mothership of NBC to start out.
No. 1 New York Rangers vs. No. 7 Washington Capitals
This series will be pretty interesting, as both teams are coming off grueling seven game series, although Washington has one more day of rest. These two teams are pretty even, and the fact that Washington has been playing both offense and defense instead of just offense was a big part of them beating Boston in the first round. Plus, their goalie, Braden Holtby is playing great for a goalie who was not supposed to even be a part of the playoff roster.
Now, New York isn't a slouch either, having a great goalie themselves in perennial All-Star Henrik Lundqvist who is just dominant. Plus, the defense in front of him has been playing spectacularly as well, as the Rangers only gave up three goals twice in their series against Ottawa, and both of those instances came in overtime. New York really would love to be moving on to their first conference final since they won the cup in 1994 as well.
Pick: Washington in 7.
No. 5 Philadelphia Flyers vs. No. 6 New Jersey Devils
Another series for Philly, another division rival. So, again, these two teams really hate each other, and it should be another very close series. Both teams have some pretty good scorers in Zach Parise and Ilya Kovalchuk for the Devils, and then the Flyers can score over all four lines, but their primary source comes from Claude Giroux on the first line. Giroux set the pace for the Flyers in their decisive game six victory over Pittsburgh on Sunday. So, this should be a fantastic nail biting series, with a lot of tension and roughing again.
Pick: Flyers in 6.
As for NBC, they are incredibly ecstatic, having two New York area teams in the semifinals, as well as the nation's capital, which has a star in Alex Ovechkin, and a hockey crazed city in Philly. So, they couldn't be more pleased at how the Eastern Conference turned out. That's perhaps why they chose both series as their premier games on the mothership of NBC to start out.
No. 1 New York Rangers vs. No. 7 Washington Capitals
This series will be pretty interesting, as both teams are coming off grueling seven game series, although Washington has one more day of rest. These two teams are pretty even, and the fact that Washington has been playing both offense and defense instead of just offense was a big part of them beating Boston in the first round. Plus, their goalie, Braden Holtby is playing great for a goalie who was not supposed to even be a part of the playoff roster.
Now, New York isn't a slouch either, having a great goalie themselves in perennial All-Star Henrik Lundqvist who is just dominant. Plus, the defense in front of him has been playing spectacularly as well, as the Rangers only gave up three goals twice in their series against Ottawa, and both of those instances came in overtime. New York really would love to be moving on to their first conference final since they won the cup in 1994 as well.
Pick: Washington in 7.
No. 5 Philadelphia Flyers vs. No. 6 New Jersey Devils
Another series for Philly, another division rival. So, again, these two teams really hate each other, and it should be another very close series. Both teams have some pretty good scorers in Zach Parise and Ilya Kovalchuk for the Devils, and then the Flyers can score over all four lines, but their primary source comes from Claude Giroux on the first line. Giroux set the pace for the Flyers in their decisive game six victory over Pittsburgh on Sunday. So, this should be a fantastic nail biting series, with a lot of tension and roughing again.
Pick: Flyers in 6.
NHL Western Conference Semifinals
This again is a guest written post by my old friend Bryan Miller, who really knows his stuff on the NHL and really the Western Conference. He follows it a lot more closely than I. But, first allow us to look back and see how both Bryan and I fared in our picks for the NHL Quarterfinal round. Bryan got half of his picks right, with the Blues and Preds moving on to the Semifinals. He did get the number of games wrong however in the Nashville/Detroit series. As he predicted seven, and it only took five for the Preds to get their first ever series win in the playoffs. But, in the St. Louis/San Jose series, he hit the nail right on the head with St. Louis easily outlasting San Jose for their first trip to the Western Conference Semifinals since the 2002 season when they lost to the Red Wings. Then, he got the Vancouver/Los Angeles series wrong, predicting Vancouver should move on in six games, while he got the number of games correct with six, the Kings prevailed, and rather easily as a matter of fact. Vancouver is definitely more of a regular season team rather than a playoff team. So, they are essentially the Philadelphia Eagles of hockey, do pretty well in Regular season, but fail in postseason. He also got the Phoenix/Chicago series all wrong, as the Coyotes move on in the playoffs for the first time since 1987, when the team was known as the original Winnipeg Jets. Chicago suffered their second consecutive losing effort in the playoffs after winning the cup in 2010.
Now, as far as I fared, well, I fared pretty much the same, going 2-2, with getting the Devils and Rangers correct, but going way off in the number of games, as I had the Rangers in five, and the Devils sweeping. Both of those series went seven games. But, nobody had any clue that the Flyers would pretty much dominate the team most considered to be the favorite in the East the Penguins the way they did. Philadelphia really showed up and completely annihilated the Penguins in three of their four victories. It also didn't help the Penguins cause that they failed to play defense most of the time as well. Finally, the Bruins just seemed very sluggish and thinking they could cruise through the Capitals and try to become the first back to back champions of the NHL since the 97-98 Red Wings. But, also give Washington credit, as they have been playing a lot better since the All-Star break and have been playing much better defense all around. But, as far as the picks for the East are concerned, those will have to wait until later tonight or early tomorrow. Here are the Western Conference previews!
Now, NBC I'm sure isn't too pleased with how the West has turned out, having most of the teams below the Mason-Dixon line, with the exception of the Blues. But, they do have one big market left in Los Angeles, and they are really pulling for them to make it back to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since they had Wayne Gretzky in 1993.
Western Conference Semifinals
#2 St. Louis Blues Vs. #8 Los Angeles Kings
The blues and kings both ousted their opponents in 5 games. In the regular season the kings won the series 3-1, but 2 of those win were before Ken Hitchcock took over and made the blues who they are now. This one comes down to how well Jonathan Quick plays in this series. I think he will steal at least 2 games for the kings.
Prediction: #2 St. Louis Blues in 7
#3 Phoenix Coyotes Vs. #4 Nashville Predators
Mike Smith proved how valuable he is last series against the blackhawks. He will be a big part of the coyotes success in the series with Nashville. Nashville got over the hump and finally defeated the Red Wings in the playoffs. They have so many weapons of their team that people wouldn't know too much about. Getting Radulov back from russia put a huge boost on the team and they haven't slowed down since.
Prediction: #4 Nashville Predators in 6
Just a side note that none of these four teams never won a Stanley Cup which is nice to see. I wouldn't mind seeing any of these 4 teams in the finals. Thanks Pete again for letting me write this and looking forward to writing again for him soon.
Now, as far as I fared, well, I fared pretty much the same, going 2-2, with getting the Devils and Rangers correct, but going way off in the number of games, as I had the Rangers in five, and the Devils sweeping. Both of those series went seven games. But, nobody had any clue that the Flyers would pretty much dominate the team most considered to be the favorite in the East the Penguins the way they did. Philadelphia really showed up and completely annihilated the Penguins in three of their four victories. It also didn't help the Penguins cause that they failed to play defense most of the time as well. Finally, the Bruins just seemed very sluggish and thinking they could cruise through the Capitals and try to become the first back to back champions of the NHL since the 97-98 Red Wings. But, also give Washington credit, as they have been playing a lot better since the All-Star break and have been playing much better defense all around. But, as far as the picks for the East are concerned, those will have to wait until later tonight or early tomorrow. Here are the Western Conference previews!
Now, NBC I'm sure isn't too pleased with how the West has turned out, having most of the teams below the Mason-Dixon line, with the exception of the Blues. But, they do have one big market left in Los Angeles, and they are really pulling for them to make it back to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since they had Wayne Gretzky in 1993.
Western Conference Semifinals
#2 St. Louis Blues Vs. #8 Los Angeles Kings
The blues and kings both ousted their opponents in 5 games. In the regular season the kings won the series 3-1, but 2 of those win were before Ken Hitchcock took over and made the blues who they are now. This one comes down to how well Jonathan Quick plays in this series. I think he will steal at least 2 games for the kings.
Prediction: #2 St. Louis Blues in 7
#3 Phoenix Coyotes Vs. #4 Nashville Predators
Mike Smith proved how valuable he is last series against the blackhawks. He will be a big part of the coyotes success in the series with Nashville. Nashville got over the hump and finally defeated the Red Wings in the playoffs. They have so many weapons of their team that people wouldn't know too much about. Getting Radulov back from russia put a huge boost on the team and they haven't slowed down since.
Prediction: #4 Nashville Predators in 6
Just a side note that none of these four teams never won a Stanley Cup which is nice to see. I wouldn't mind seeing any of these 4 teams in the finals. Thanks Pete again for letting me write this and looking forward to writing again for him soon.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
NHL Quarterfinal Preview
The second season, literally, is about to begin. This second season goes from mid-April until mid-June and for those lucky two teams, it will all be worth it once they raise the most prestigious trophy in all of sports, Lord Stanley's Cup. Plus, these teams will have played at the minimum of 16 games and the maximum of 28 games in addition to preseason games and the grueling 82 game regular season, it's just amazing how these athletes are in that good of shape. But, there will be eight series starting between tonight and Thursday, and with the NHL's new television deal, every single game will be on one of four networks, NBC Sports Network, NBC, CNBC, and the NHL Network. So, there is no excuse for a true hockey fan that you could not watch your favorite team. And, like last year, my friend Bryan Miller will be previewing the Western Conference, while I, your humble blogger will be previewing the Eastern Conference.
#1 Vancouver Canucks Vs. Los Angles Kings
I love this matchup. LA has to produce goals in this series if they are going to have a chance. Daniel Sedin is out for the first game battling injury so LA has to advantage of him not being there. Jonathan Quick is the key to this series. If he is on his game like he has been all year long the Kings have a serious chance to steal this series. I still think that the Canucks have too much chemistry and talent to blow this.
Result: Vancouver Canucks in 6
#2 St. Louis Blues Vs. #7 San Jose Sharks
Ken Hitchcock took this team that started 2-8 and turned them into one of the best teams in the league with his style of play. The Sharks are going to have to produce big numbers from their top line otherwise they will have no chance in this series. St. Louis has the best goaltending in the league right now with Billy Elliot having a gaa of 1.46 which is insane and Halak having a gaa of 1.97. I have a strong feeling that this series is over before it even started unfortunately for the San Jose Sharks. There is too much talent on St. Louis across the board.
Result: St. Louis Blues in 5
#3 Phoenix Coyotes Vs. #6 Chicago Blackhawks
Mike Smith carried the Coyotes all year long during the regular season and he will have to do the same in the playoffs for Phoenix to win this series. Chicago is still will need their captain Jonathan Toews to get lead his team on the ice. This series is going to go the distance and going to be an exciting series to watch. Watch out for the guys under the radar to make or break this series for each team. For Phoenix it is Radim Vrbata and for Chicago it is ViKtor Stalberg. Each will be key to their teams winning.
Result: Chicago in 7
#4 Nashville Predators Vs. #5 Detroit Red Wings
Nashville has had an impressive season with the best power play in the league, great goaltending, and getting back Alexander Radulov from Russia. Detroit set 2 nhl records this year making the playoffs for 21 straight years and winning 23 straight home games which are both incredible and didn't have their starting goalie and top players for some of that 23 game home win streak. This is going to be my favorite series of the playoffs two of the most talented teams in the league battling it out with great stars like Shea Weber and Ryan Suter for Nashville and Niclas Lindstrom, Pavel Datsyuk, and Henrik Zetterberg for Detroit. This year I think Nashvile finally gets over the hump and gets their first playoff series win.
Result: Nashville Predators in 7
Note from Bryan: Thanks to Pete for letting me write again for him and hope you all enjoy what I had to say.
And, may all of you enjoy playoff hockey!
Eastern Conference
No. 1 New York Rangers vs. No. 8 Ottawa Senators, Sens won season series, 3-1, with one win coming via shootout.
While Ottawa may have won the battle during the regular season, New York will win this "war" in the postseason, as the Rangers really have come into this season with the attitude of winning it all. New York really has everything going for it as well, with an amazing goalie in Henrik Lundqvist, and then scorers aplenty with Ryan Callahan, Brad Richards, Marion Gaborik, and Brandon Dubinsky to name a few.
Pick: Rangers in 5.
No. 2 Boston Bruins vs. No. 7 Washington Capitals, Caps won season series, 3-1
Washington has always been a stellar regular season team, winning the Southeast division, and even a Presidents' trophy within the past five years, but, when it comes to playoff time, the Caps cannot make a run. Whether it be their former coach in Bruce Boudreau, or their goaltending, or the fact that Alex Ovechkin cannot score worth his life, the Caps just cannot seem to pull through. Plus, why not go with the defending champs? They are back in the playoffs for a reason and the fact that they won their division makes it even more remarkable.
Pick: Bruins in 6.
No. 3 Florida Panthers vs. No. 6 New Jersey Devils, Teams split four game series, 2-2.
This series is the most ripe for a sweep in my mind, as Florida came up out of nowhere to win the southeast and is in the playoffs for the first time since before the lockout. For those of you not remembering, that's a really long time ago. Plus, Florida lost 8 of their last 10 games entering the playoffs. While New Jersey was the fourth place team in an incredibly tough division, and they've got plenty of firepower and experience.
Pick: New Jersey in a sweep.
No. 4 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. No. 5 Philadelphia Flyers, Flyers won season series, 4-2, with one being in a SO.
Teams hate each other, will be plenty of fights, plenty of goals, and expect overtime aplenty as well as this series to go seven games. These two teams are very evenly matched, there are plot lines throughout the series, but these teams just have a rivalry which will just be escalated in the playoffs.
Pick: as much as I hate to do it, ugh, Pens in 7.
Western Conference
#1 Vancouver Canucks Vs. Los Angles Kings
I love this matchup. LA has to produce goals in this series if they are going to have a chance. Daniel Sedin is out for the first game battling injury so LA has to advantage of him not being there. Jonathan Quick is the key to this series. If he is on his game like he has been all year long the Kings have a serious chance to steal this series. I still think that the Canucks have too much chemistry and talent to blow this.
Result: Vancouver Canucks in 6
#2 St. Louis Blues Vs. #7 San Jose Sharks
Ken Hitchcock took this team that started 2-8 and turned them into one of the best teams in the league with his style of play. The Sharks are going to have to produce big numbers from their top line otherwise they will have no chance in this series. St. Louis has the best goaltending in the league right now with Billy Elliot having a gaa of 1.46 which is insane and Halak having a gaa of 1.97. I have a strong feeling that this series is over before it even started unfortunately for the San Jose Sharks. There is too much talent on St. Louis across the board.
Result: St. Louis Blues in 5
#3 Phoenix Coyotes Vs. #6 Chicago Blackhawks
Mike Smith carried the Coyotes all year long during the regular season and he will have to do the same in the playoffs for Phoenix to win this series. Chicago is still will need their captain Jonathan Toews to get lead his team on the ice. This series is going to go the distance and going to be an exciting series to watch. Watch out for the guys under the radar to make or break this series for each team. For Phoenix it is Radim Vrbata and for Chicago it is ViKtor Stalberg. Each will be key to their teams winning.
Result: Chicago in 7
#4 Nashville Predators Vs. #5 Detroit Red Wings
Nashville has had an impressive season with the best power play in the league, great goaltending, and getting back Alexander Radulov from Russia. Detroit set 2 nhl records this year making the playoffs for 21 straight years and winning 23 straight home games which are both incredible and didn't have their starting goalie and top players for some of that 23 game home win streak. This is going to be my favorite series of the playoffs two of the most talented teams in the league battling it out with great stars like Shea Weber and Ryan Suter for Nashville and Niclas Lindstrom, Pavel Datsyuk, and Henrik Zetterberg for Detroit. This year I think Nashvile finally gets over the hump and gets their first playoff series win.
Result: Nashville Predators in 7
Note from Bryan: Thanks to Pete for letting me write again for him and hope you all enjoy what I had to say.
And, may all of you enjoy playoff hockey!
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
The rest of baseball preview
As I've been behind, I'm just going to lump the rest of baseball's 16 teams in this one long post. I will lump them into teams which have the following: no shot of playoffs, reasonable shot at playoffs, and should be lock teams.
No Shot teams, aka rebuilding for a bit still. These teams include: the Baltimore Orioles, New York Mets, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros. All of these teams are rebuilding for at least 2014. Each has some good players, but they don't have the keys, or pitching to sustain themselves over a long, grueling 162 game season.
Reasonable Shot: Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, Washington Nationals, Miami Marlins, Atlanta Braves, Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay Rays. All of these teams have a reasonable shot at winning their respective division, but all of them face issues. The final five teams are in arguably the most competitive divisions from top to bottom in all of baseball. So, those teams have to fight through some stiff competition in order to even get to the playoffs. Then, the teams from the NL Central will all be fighting it out to try and get the division crown. All of those teams are capable of doing it, it's just a matter of who will come out on top of the three.
Should be lock to make playoffs: New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies. These three are the class of the American and National League East divisions respectively. New York has made the playoffs in each season since 1995 except for 2008, and they continue to stockpile talent in the minor leagues so they may trade it away for pieces in the middle of the season. Boston had the best record in all of baseball before they decided to choke it all away in September. They have some questions in the closer role now that Andrew Bailey is hurt, but it shouldn't effect them too badly in the beginning of the season. Finally, the Phillies. The Phillies are going to be battling through injuries and trying to put together a competitive lineup night in night out with injuries to Chase Utley and Ryan Howard out for at the very least the first month. Then, they've got to pray their starting pitching is still healthy enough and as good as it was last season, when their big three of Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, and Cliff Lee all finished in the top 10 of the Cy Young award voting. So, while all have some questions, they should all be able to finish with a playoff spot.
There you have it, the rest of baseball, previewed in one tiny segment. But, if you really want a prediction from me for each division, here it is. NL Central: STL, CIN, MIL, PIT, CHC, HOU. AL East: NYY, BOS, TOR, TB, BAL. NL East: PHI, ATL, WAS, MIA, NYM. There you go! And enjoy the ride which is baseball season.
No Shot teams, aka rebuilding for a bit still. These teams include: the Baltimore Orioles, New York Mets, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros. All of these teams are rebuilding for at least 2014. Each has some good players, but they don't have the keys, or pitching to sustain themselves over a long, grueling 162 game season.
Reasonable Shot: Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, Washington Nationals, Miami Marlins, Atlanta Braves, Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay Rays. All of these teams have a reasonable shot at winning their respective division, but all of them face issues. The final five teams are in arguably the most competitive divisions from top to bottom in all of baseball. So, those teams have to fight through some stiff competition in order to even get to the playoffs. Then, the teams from the NL Central will all be fighting it out to try and get the division crown. All of those teams are capable of doing it, it's just a matter of who will come out on top of the three.
Should be lock to make playoffs: New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies. These three are the class of the American and National League East divisions respectively. New York has made the playoffs in each season since 1995 except for 2008, and they continue to stockpile talent in the minor leagues so they may trade it away for pieces in the middle of the season. Boston had the best record in all of baseball before they decided to choke it all away in September. They have some questions in the closer role now that Andrew Bailey is hurt, but it shouldn't effect them too badly in the beginning of the season. Finally, the Phillies. The Phillies are going to be battling through injuries and trying to put together a competitive lineup night in night out with injuries to Chase Utley and Ryan Howard out for at the very least the first month. Then, they've got to pray their starting pitching is still healthy enough and as good as it was last season, when their big three of Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, and Cliff Lee all finished in the top 10 of the Cy Young award voting. So, while all have some questions, they should all be able to finish with a playoff spot.
There you have it, the rest of baseball, previewed in one tiny segment. But, if you really want a prediction from me for each division, here it is. NL Central: STL, CIN, MIL, PIT, CHC, HOU. AL East: NYY, BOS, TOR, TB, BAL. NL East: PHI, ATL, WAS, MIA, NYM. There you go! And enjoy the ride which is baseball season.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
AL Central Preview
This division has one elite team, and a bunch of also rans. The elite team is the defending division champion Detroit Tigers. Then, it's the battle for second place between Kansas City, Minnesota, Chicago south siders, and Cleveland. The other four teams within the division are good, but not to the level that the Tigers are. Detroit will probably run away with the division by 15 or more games, like they did last season when they got hot and Cleveland decided to fall off the face of the earth. But, now on to the picks!
Chicago White Sox
Chicago is a good team, but they've got too many question marks, ranging from whether Adam Dunn went through an aberration season last year, when his average was lower than the number of times he struck out. Granted, Dunn was never a hitter for average, he's been a pure power hitter and it's all or nothing basically with him. Chicago also has questions with their starting staff, as each one has health concerns. Plus, they've got a guy who's it's his first time managing anywhere in Robin Ventura, so that's a question. Just too many question marks and everything having to break right for them.
Cleveland Indians
They are too young and last year's first two months where they went 32-20 and had one of the best records in baseball was probably an aberration, as after that, they had one month where they went over .500, and that was August where they went 15-13. Plus, they're relying on Ubaldo Jimenez to really be an anchor in their rotation, and he hasn't looked too good in the spring. Plus, they've got Grady Sizemore injured again which doesn't help. Finally, one of their former good pitchers, Fausto Carmona was revealed to be a fraud. Things aren't looking good in Cleveland.
Kansas City Royals
This team continues to stockpile young talent, and as long as these players don't have a setback, this team will continue to be on the rise. Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Alex Gordon, Billy Butler, and others are really good hitters. Plus, the Royals are now trying to spend money wisely. This team is going to be good, just wait until 2013 for them to really try and make a dent as far as playoff races are concerned.
Minnesota Twins
Minnesota is relying on two players, Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer to be fully healthy once again and for them to contribute like they did a few years ago, when they were MVPs. If those two players are capable of playing 250 games combined, then this team has a chance to really succeed. The rest of the lineup is solid, and the Twins still got a pretty good farm system to rely upon. But, the team will probably be looking up nearly the entire season at the team from Detroit.
Detroit Tigers
This team has zero excuses not to succeed, they signed the second biggest free agent out there in Prince Fielder, they've got the defending AL MVP and Cy Young award winner in Justin Verlander along with a closer who was perfect last season in Jose Valverde. The team won the division last season handily and should definitely do it again. All they've gotta do is live up to the lofty expectations, not an easy task.
Coming later today: NL Central preview!
Chicago White Sox
Chicago is a good team, but they've got too many question marks, ranging from whether Adam Dunn went through an aberration season last year, when his average was lower than the number of times he struck out. Granted, Dunn was never a hitter for average, he's been a pure power hitter and it's all or nothing basically with him. Chicago also has questions with their starting staff, as each one has health concerns. Plus, they've got a guy who's it's his first time managing anywhere in Robin Ventura, so that's a question. Just too many question marks and everything having to break right for them.
Cleveland Indians
They are too young and last year's first two months where they went 32-20 and had one of the best records in baseball was probably an aberration, as after that, they had one month where they went over .500, and that was August where they went 15-13. Plus, they're relying on Ubaldo Jimenez to really be an anchor in their rotation, and he hasn't looked too good in the spring. Plus, they've got Grady Sizemore injured again which doesn't help. Finally, one of their former good pitchers, Fausto Carmona was revealed to be a fraud. Things aren't looking good in Cleveland.
Kansas City Royals
This team continues to stockpile young talent, and as long as these players don't have a setback, this team will continue to be on the rise. Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Alex Gordon, Billy Butler, and others are really good hitters. Plus, the Royals are now trying to spend money wisely. This team is going to be good, just wait until 2013 for them to really try and make a dent as far as playoff races are concerned.
Minnesota Twins
Minnesota is relying on two players, Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer to be fully healthy once again and for them to contribute like they did a few years ago, when they were MVPs. If those two players are capable of playing 250 games combined, then this team has a chance to really succeed. The rest of the lineup is solid, and the Twins still got a pretty good farm system to rely upon. But, the team will probably be looking up nearly the entire season at the team from Detroit.
Detroit Tigers
This team has zero excuses not to succeed, they signed the second biggest free agent out there in Prince Fielder, they've got the defending AL MVP and Cy Young award winner in Justin Verlander along with a closer who was perfect last season in Jose Valverde. The team won the division last season handily and should definitely do it again. All they've gotta do is live up to the lofty expectations, not an easy task.
Coming later today: NL Central preview!
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