Heard in the Cheap Seats

Man, I have really fallen behind when it comes to posts as of late. Apologies for the slow going-once again the job the pays me got in the way. Because the season is literally right around the corner, I am going to do an abbreviated post on the remainder of my predictions for the upcoming MLB season. That way, everyone can tell me how far off base I was when they all turn out wrong.

AL Central

I left off with the NL Central, so I will go across to the American League and tackle to AL Central first. I honestly believe this is the hardest division in baseball to predict, but in the end, I think the battle comes down to the Indians and the Tigers. Here’s how I think it will shake out:

1.) Cleveland Indians: 94-68

2.) Detroit Tigers: 92-70

3.) Minnesota Twins : 88-74

4.) Chicago White Sox: 85-77

5.) Kansas City Royals: 80-82

NL West

In the pitching-rich NL West, this is another division that will be tough to predict at the outset of the season. But the Diamondbacks had the best off season of any team in baseball and they appear to be in position to take the division this year. The Rockies will fall victim to a post-World Series lull.

1.) Arizona Diamondbacks: 92-70

2.) San Diego Padres: 89-73

3.) Los Angeles Dodgers: 88-74

4.) Colorado Rockies: 84-78

5.) San Francisco Giants: 78-84

AL West

Last but not be least, the AL West. If the Angles can weather the storm until their starting rotation gets healthy, they take this division fairly easily. The only team I could see making a serious charge would be the Mariners on the strength of their pitching.

1.) Los Angeles Angels: 93-69

2.) Seattle Mariners: 88-74

3.) Oakland Athletics: 81-81

4.) Texas Rangers: 76-86

So there it is; my picks in their entirety.

My World Series pick you ask? Cleveland Indians over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Enough of Spring Training already, let’s play ball!

A smattering of sports nuggets from the week:

• Did anyone catch the Duke/North Carolina game last night? If you ever looking to manufacture tournament-type intensity in the regular season, this is the game that comes the closest. And as usual, the game last night lived up to the hype. At one point, Duke and Carolina were trading 3’s to keep the game tied with about five minutes to play. In the end, Carolina prevailed and secured the ACC crown. By the way, every time I watch Tyler Hansborough play I am more impressed. Questions abound about his athletic abilities and how they will translate to the NBA, but I share none of those concerns. This kid is a monster that will succeed on the next level due to will alone.
• Georgetown held off a hard-charging Louisville team yesterday to take the regular season Big East title. Don’t be fooled though, Louisville is bound to make some noise in the Big Dance this year. Their tenacity on the defensive end of the floor will wear opponents down.
• The Houston Rockets continue their solid, if not shocking play, pushing their win streak to 18 games. Who would’ve figured that you lose a guy that goes for 22 points and 10 boards on a nightly basis and actually get better? But as so often happens, the Rockets learned how to play as a team after the loss of Yao Ming.
• Of course, the legendary Brett Favre retired. We’ll miss you Brett.
• The whirlwind that is the Philadelphia Eagles offseason continued. First, Eagles fans were stirred into the frenzy when reports circulated that the Randy Moss contract had not been signed. Those reports were quickly refuted, but rumors still persist that the Eagles will make a play for an impact receiver–with Larry Fitzgerald sitting at the top of their list.
• Following the signing of T.J. Duckett, the Seattle Seahawks also added Julius Jones to the mix. This will likely spell the end of the Shaun Alexander era.
• Pacman Jones says he is ready to play and the Cowboys are rumored to be interested….Lord help us.
• Francisco Liriano had a successful return to the mound. Mike Hampton had a minor setback, if any of his setbacks can be considered minor.
• There has been some rumors that the Mets may be interested in signing Barry Bonds. From a baseball standpoint you can’t argue with the move, but it could turn out to be a PR fiasco if it comes to fruition.

The top story of the past week has to be the retirement of Brett Favre. As I wrote here earlier in the week, Favre brought a passion to the game of football that will be sorely missed. That passion was again on display during his press conference. It is those times and that passion we will sorely miss.

Throw out the 4.3 40-yard dash. Throw out the prototypical running back size. In fact, throw out all his combine numbers-Darren McFadden is not the best running back in this draft.

I firmly believe that it is more important to watch how a player dominates a game than if he dominates a game. Does he play the game intelligently? Does he make his teammates better? Does he possess a drive superior to his counterparts? Or, is he just a man playing amongst a bunch of boys?

Every so often, there comes along an athlete so superior that he can dominate a game based solely on his athletic prowess. Darren McFadden was that athlete in college. When he gets to the NFL, he won’t be able to rely solely on his speed. To be a top-shelf back in the NFL, speed is only one portion of the complex equation. And while McFadden seemingly posses all of the attributes, it warrants closer consideration. Was McFadden’s dominance merely a product of his athletic prowess, or does he also possess the innate abilities required to succeed at the next level?

As you probably have figured out by now, I believe Darren McFadden has succeeded based on athletic prowess alone. Watch his tape closely. He runs far too high, which will inevitably get him punished in the NFL. His upper body is incredibly strong, but his legs are not powerful. He has moderate patience for his position, but often reverts to relying on his speed to outrun defenders. This won’t suffice in the NFL.

I think Darren McFadden will be a productive player in the NFL-but that production won’t warrant the first pick in the NFL draft. In fact, I think his teammate at Arkansas, Felix Jones, will wind up the better NFL running back.

When I first heard the news that Brett Favre had retired, my initial inclination was to write a post that would be a fair, balanced look at his career.  I was thinking something along the lines of “How should the NFL history books remember Brett Favre?”

But as I start to write, I simply can’t conjure that post.  The reason?  I know how history should remember Brett Favre-for what he did on the field.  There is certainly plenty of criticism out there to be had for Brett Favre.  His tendency to throw an inopportune interception is well documented and the stranglehold he put on the Green Bay Packers organization four of the last five years was simply unfair.  In some people’s minds, this may impact his legacy–and rightfully so.  In my mind, his legacy boils down to what he did on the field.

The image I have seared in my mind is Brett Favre dashing down the field, both arms raised, with a huge grin on his face.  The funny thing is this image is not linked to any one event.  Nope.  It was so commonplace for Favre that it’s the enduring image for many fans.

Favre played the game of football with a joyfulness I have never seen before.  Sure, that joyfulness, coupled with his cannon arm and unquestionable will translated into enormous success on the football field.  But what sticks in my mind is the passion he brought to the game of football.  At no time was this passion on better display than this past season, when an aging Favre paired up with a seemingly rag tag group of teammates and took them to the brink of the Super Bowl.  In his final year, the essence of Favre was never more evident.

Many people may question the timing of Favre’s decision.  His team is on the rise and he clearly has not lost the ability to perform at a high level.  But I don’t.  Favre was always a player that poured his heart and soul into the game and when that no longer was in the game, the essence of Favre was gone.  Some say it is a shame to see Favre fade off into the sunset having his last pass thrown being an interception.  But what better time is there for Favre to ride off into the sunset?  It would be more of a shame to see Favre play a season when the one thing that made him special was no longer in it–his heart.

Sunday Smattering

Free Agency and Rumors:

• Lance Briggs re-signed with the Bears. The Bears quietly entered free agency with little indication as to what their game plan was. After all of the controversy around Briggs last season, the team managed to lockdown one of the game’s top young linebackers.
• Bernard Berrian landed with the Minnesota Vikings. The WR market started out slow this week, with most playing the waiting game to let Berrian set the market. Berrian is a very good receiver, but he lacks the ability to dominate a game. He has the speed to get vertical, but is limited in the red zone due to his average size. Nonetheless, this is a good signing for the Vikings and will add a legitimate passing threat (provided someone can get him the ball, but hey, Berrian is used to that) to their running attack.
• In the biggest signing of the early-period of free agency, the Philadelphia Eagles signed Asante Samuel to a six-year deal (more on this when we get to the rumors section). In addition, the Eagles added some firepower to their pass rush with the addition of Chris Clemons. As the Giants proved in the Super Bowl, a solid pass rush is the key to slowing down any quarterback.
• Justin Smith, considered by many as the top DE on the market, signed with the 49ers. While Smith is a solid player, I think the 49ers overspent to acquire his services. Smith is a classic example of a “right place at the right time” player. He received big money simply because viable alternatives on the market were scarce.
• With the Berrian signing out of the way, the rest of the free-agent market for WRs has begun to fall into place. Donte Stallworth signed with the Cleveland Browns. This is a good deal that will add depth to the Browns already solid receiving corps. Stallworth can stretch the field and is lethal with the ball after the catch.
• The Raiders signed Gibril Wilson.
• In an effort to shore up some holes on their offensive line, the Jets agreed to a deal with Alan Faneca.

There was certainly more moves made in the free-agent frenzy, but the above encapsulates the biggest moves thus far. For a full list, check out ESPN’s free agent tracker.

Rumors:

• With all this movement early in the free agency period, there still remains some intriguing storylines running through the league, not the least of which involves one Mr. Randy Moss. When the Patriots decided not to franchise Moss, it was widely assumed that the team had a deal in place that would be signed as soon as free agency opened. The move was peculiar at the time, because even if there was a deal in place, why not use the franchise tag to protect yourself in the interim? Well, the Patriots failed to do that and they may end up paying the price. Garry Cobb is reporting that the Eagles and Cowboys are the front runners to land Moss’ services after the Patriots. My gut tells me Moss will end up back with the Patriots, but he currently feels slighted that the team won’t pony up top dollar for his services. Teams have an opportunity to swoop in and offer a contract he might not be able to turn down-and you can bet those teams will answer the bell.
• As far as the Eagles are concerned, they have been aggressive in the early-going of free agency, so it wouldn’t be shocking to see them take a run at Moss. But there has been no indication from the team so far that it is interested in acquiring Moss’ services. With the Asante Samuel signing, the Eagles have a plethora of options to work out. The most likely seems Lito Sheppard will be traded. Eagles fans are calling for the front office to use Sheppard as trade bait to acquire Larry Fitzgerald. The likelihood of this happening is minimal, because Fitzgerald carries a massive contract that should never have been signed in this day and age where the teams have all the leverage. Another scenario is to move Sheldon Brown to safety and keep Sheppard as the starting corner opposite Samuel. This would potentially give the Eagles the best secondary in the NFL. It will be interesting to see how this saga plays out. Stay tuned.
• There have been reports that the Vikings could make a run at Brady Quinn. With the multi-year deal signed by Derek Anderson, the Browns have a decision looming on the horizon on the future of their quarterback position. The Vikings might try to nudge them along into making that decision.
• The market for Javon Walker’s services appears to be hot, with as many as 10 teams in the bidding.

As many expected, the market for free agents was short, with most of the best players off the market in the early going. But plenty remains to be figured out.

Final Roundup from Week:

• Kansas exacted a bit of revenge last night by putting a beat down on Kansas State.
• Congrats on #800 Coach K.
• Get well soon, Coach Wooden.