My 2011 MLB season predictions were a little off this year.

I said the A’s would win the AL West and they actually finished 22 games out of first.

I said the White Sox would win the AL Central and they just traded their manager to another team, which sums up how well they did this year.

I said the Giants would repeat as National League champions and in doing so I cursed Buster Posey, Pablo Sandoval, Freddy Sanchez and the 900 other players they placed on the DL this season.

I had the Braves winning the NL Wild Card and we all know how that turned out. Yiiiiiikes.

While I did have the Phillies winning the NL East and the Yankees making the postseason as the AL Wild Card, those were gimmies. My only claim to fame was predicting the Brewers to win the NL Central, although when you have the Red Sox winning the World Series and they don’t even make the postseason you have no right to brag about anything.

So if you’re offended by my postseason predictions below, don’t be. Chances are I’ll be wrong anyway.

ALDS: Yankees over Tigers.
I don’t trust the Yankees’ pitching but I trust it more than I trust Doug Fister. Justin Verlander was the best pitcher in the American League this season but he’s had a knack for coming up short on the road throughout the years. Knowing the Yankees they’ll be down in every game of this series and figure out some way to advance. Derek Jeter will be 16-for-18 with 11 doubles and one game-winning home run or something ridiculous.

NLDS: Phillies over Cardinals.
The Phillies did the Cardinals a favor by beating Atlanta but if I were them, I would have wanted the downtrodden Braves to advance. That team would have just been happy to reach the postseason after a miserable September. Nevertheless, the Phillies’ pitching will dominate the hot-and-cold St. Louis lineup and the Cardinals’ pitching will fail them in Philadelphia. They’ve got Edwin Jackson slated to start Game 2 in that bandbox the Phillies’ call a stadium, which should work out well considering he’s a fly ball pitcher. (Read: sarcasm.)

ALDS: Rangers over Rays
I love the Rays and I would rather see a small market team like them reach the postseason in dramatic fashion than an underachieving Boston club. But Texas’ starting rotation is deep and was the first AL team since 1977 to have five pitchers with 13 or more victories. That’s an amazing stat when you consider Cliff Lee is no longer a part of the rotation. On the other side, the Rays will throw two rookies (Jeremy Hellickson and Michael Moore) and a guy in David Price who always seems to come up short in big games. I don’t like this matchup for the feel-good Rays, although Joe Maddon deserves to be the AL Manager of the Year with the work he did in Tampa this season. The guy has done great things despite being handcuffed by a cheap front office.

NLDS: Diamondbacks over Brewers
I get the impression that everyone believes the D-Backs are just happy to be here. But let me tell you something: This team does all the little things right. They pitch well, they steal bases, they play good defense and they get just enough offense to win ballgames. The Brewers have more overall talent but I like the NL West to reach the NLCS again this year.

ALCS: Rangers over Yankees
Again, I just don’t trust New York’s rotation. The Yankees relied on Sabathia and a three-man rotation en route to their last World Series title in 2009 but CC is running out of gas this time around. I know Ivan Nova and Freddy Garcia have good numbers but toss in A.J. Burnett and this rotation seems awfully combustible to me. Without Lee, I thought Texas wouldn’t even make the playoffs. But I’ve seen the error of my ways and like the Rangers to repeat in the American League.

NLCS: Phillies over Diamondbacks
While I do like Arizona’s chances of advancing past the first round I don’t think we’ll see a repeat of last season when Philadelphia’s bats fall silent in the NLCS. The Diamondbacks’ pitching is good but the Giants’ arms were special last October. Plus, I don’t see how the Phils don’t make the World Series with the rotation they have. It’s just too good. Bonus for Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee: No Cody Ross this year.

World Series: Phillies over Rangers
Yeah, I’m picking the favorite: what of it? Pitching, pitching, pitching…both of these teams have the starting rotation s to reach the Fall Classic and in the end, I see Texas coming up short again. I really like what the Phillies did at the trade deadline in acquiring Hunter Pence. To think Giants’ GM Brian Sabean gave away one of the best pitching prospects in baseball for a 34-year-old rental in Carlos Beltran when he maybe could have had a 28-year-old Pence for much less is just absurd. (Not to mention a 28-year-old Pence who is under team control.) Phils in six.

It’s the start of a new year and you know what that means: Expectations are running high for every club not named the Pirates and Royals. (Or Astros, Cubs, Mariners, Diamondbacks, Nationals or Indians for that matter.)

But what postseason contenders are most likely to fall short of expectations in 2011? I’ve highlighted five below.

Philadelphia Phillies
When a team is hyped for an entire offseason, it almost becomes cliché to say that they’ll fall short of expectations. But in the case of the Phillies, there’s some major concern here. It’s impossible to replace Chase Utley’s production in the lineup and this is an aging roster. Yes, the Halladay/Lee/Oswalt/Hamels/Blanton combination will keep most opposing batters up at night and yes, the Phillies will probably win the NL East. But the Braves aren’t too far behind talent-wise and Philadelphia has become a club that starts off slow only to pick it up in the second half. If Atlanta comes out of the gates hot and the Phillies suffer some early-season hiccups without Utley, the Braves might be able to build a decent lead that they can ride throughout the season. Barring injury to Halladay or Lee, I can’t imagine a scenario in which the Phillies don’t make the playoffs this year. But without Utley, the playing field has definitely been leveled in the National League.

San Francisco Giants
This is an easy one. It’s been 10-straight years since the last time any team was able to repeat as World Series champions. And while the G-Men aren’t considered the favorites to win this year’s Fall Classic (that would be the Phillies or Red Sox), many pundits believe that, at the very least, they’ll win the NL West again. A World Series hangover is the Giants’ biggest concern, because this club is better now than it was a year ago. They’ll get a full year out of Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner, the energetic Andres Torres will serve as the leadoff hitter from Day 1 (instead of the highly unproductive Aaron Rowand), Pablo Sandoval looks like he’s ready for a big bounce back campaign, top prospect Brandon Belt might start the year with the big league club after dominating this spring, and Mark DeRosa, Mike Fontenot and Pat Burrell strengthen the bench. But it’s a different game for the Giants now. They’re going to be the hunted instead of the hunters, at least in the NL West. Can this fun-loving team recapture the same magic it had in September and October last year? Or will all of those extra innings that Bumgarner, Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and Jonathan Sanchez endured in the postseason last year eventually catch up with this team?

New York Yankees
Many pundits aren’t predicting the Yankees to win the World Series this year but they’re still the freaking Yankees. Their pitching has been the topic of conversation all spring but everyone still expects the Bombers to battle the Red Sox in the AL East. That said, their lineup is aging and yes, their pitching is a major concern. CC Sabathia is a stud, but A.J. Burnett, Phil Hughes and Ivan Nova will make or break this club. They’re going to score plenty of runs and their bullpen is solid but the Yankees don’t have much in terms of starting pitching depth. God forbid the offense struggles or someone like Robinson Cano, Mark Teixeira or A-Rod gets hurt because this team could be in major trouble.

Milwaukee Brewers
I’m predicting the Brewers to win the NL Central this year but I’m well aware that this team could come up short in the end. Zack Greinke’s recent rib injury is cause for concern and if he winds up having an injury-plagued year then Milwaukee might fall to the middle of the pack once again. This club acquired Greinke from Kansas City and signed Shaun Marcum so that Yovani Gallardo had help. For as good as the offense is, the Brewers will only go as far as their pitching. They not only need Greinke to be healthy, but they need him to pitch well. I still favor the Brew Crew in the Central but the Reds basically return the same roster that won the division last year and now they’ll have a full year of flamethrower Aroldis Chapman. They will not go quietly into the good night.

Oakland A’s
This is another team that I like to win their division but I’m also well aware that plenty of things have to break their way. Although their easiest month is slated for September, their most difficult stretch comes in August when they only have one home stand. I love Oakland’s young pitching, but Brett Anderson’s elbow issues better be behind him or else the A’s might not have enough to contend. Also, will the additions of Josh Willingham, David DeJesus and Hideki Matsui be enough to improve an awful offense? I see a lot of the 2010 Giants in this club, but the A’s will have to have a little luck on their side this year if they’re going to make the postseason (not unlike the 2010 Giants, who won the NL West thanks in large part to the Padres’ late-season collapse).

So you’re the general manager of the new Las Vegas Craps team and baseball commissioner Bud Selig comes to you with the offer of all offers.

He says, since the Craps are going to struggle this year offensively with a lineup comprised of over-the-hill veterans and unproven rookies, you get your pick of stealing either the Phillies or the Giants’ starting rotation.

“Sweet mother of all that is holy,” you say to Selig. “Those are the best starting rotations in the game!”

“Yes they are, Craps owner,” Selig says. “But you have to choose one right now.”

So which rotation would you rather have? Let’s take a look at the deets first.

Philadelphia Phillies

Roy Halladay
Age: 33
Salary: $20 million in 2011; $20 million in 2012; $20 million in 2013; $20 million option in 2014.
Career Stats: 169-86, 1,714 Ks, 3.32 ERA, 58 complete games, 19 shutouts
Accolades: Two-time Cy Young winner, two-time wins champion, seven-time All-Star.

Cliff Lee
Age: 32
Salary: $11 million 2011; $21.5 million in 2012; $25 million from 2013-2015.
Career Stats: 102-61, 3.85 ERA, 1,085 Ks
Accolades: Cy Young winner, two-time All-Star, 7-2 postseason record, 2.13 postseason ERA.

Roy Oswalt
Age: 33
Salary: $16 million in 2011; $16 million w/ $2 million buyout in 2012.
Career Stats: 150-83, 3.18 ERA, 1,666 Ks
Accolades: 2005 NLCS MVP, three-time All-Star, 5-1 postseason record, 3.39 postseason ERA.

Cole Hamels
Age: 27
Salary: $9.5 Million in 2011, Free agent in 2012.
Career Stats: 59-44, 3.53 ERA, 887 Ks
Accolades: 2007 All-Star, 2008 NLCS MVP, 2008 World Series MVP, 6-4 postseason record, 3.45 postseason ERA.

Joe Blanton
Age: 30
Salary: $8.5 million in 2011; $8.5 million in 2012.
Career Stats: 70-60, 4.32 ERA, 765 Ks
Accolades: World series champion in 2008.

San Francisco Giants

Tim Lincecum
Age: 26
Salary: Signed a two-year, $23 million contract extension in 2010; arbitration eligible in 2012-2013.
Career Stats: 56-27, 3.04 ERA, 907 Ks.
Accolades: Two-time Cy Young winner, three-time All-Star, led majors in strikeouts in 2008, led NL in strikeouts in 2008, 2009, 2010, World Series champion 2010, 4-1 postseason record, 2.43 postseason ERA.

Matt Cain
Age: 26
Salary: $6.25 million in 2011; 2012 free agent.
Career Stats: 57-62, 3.45 ERA, 906 Ks.
Accolades: 2009 All-Star, 2010 World Series champion, 2-0 postseason record, 0.00 postseason ERA in 21.1 innings.

Madison Bumgarner
Age: 21
Salary: Unavailable
Career Stats: 7-6, 2.90 ERA, 96 Ks.
Accolades: World Series Champion 2010, youngest left-hander ever to pitch eight shutout innings in a World Series game, 5th youngest pitcher ever to start a World Series, fourth youngest pitcher ever to win a World Series.

Jonathan Sanchez
Age: 28
Salary: $4.8 million in 2011; Arbitration Eligible in 2012.
Career Stats: 34-39, 4.26 ERA, 634 Ks.
Accolades: Pitched a no-hitter in 2009, World Series champion in 2010, struck out 11 postseason batters in one game in 2010.

Barry Zito
Age: 32
Salary: $18.5 million in 2011; $19 million in 2012; $20 million in 2013; $18 million in 2014 with club option $7 million buyout.
Career Stats: 142-120, 3.86 ERA, 1,651
Accolades: 2002 AL Cy Young winner, three-time All-Star, will be known for having the least-deserving contract in baseball history…oh, sorry. These were supposed to be positives.

Before we go on, let’s say that the Craps have an average-sized ballpark. It’s neither the Little League stadium the Phillies call home, nor the pitcher-friendly AT&T Park. It’s just average. (If you really need to know the dimensions before you make your decision, then leave now and go pour yourself a beer because you need one.)

Most prospective Crap owners would undoubtedly take the Phillies, and why not? They have four aces in Halladay, Lee, Oswalt and Hamels, as well as a fifth starter in Blanton who helped them win them a World Series in 2008. That group has won a combined 550 games, has struck out a combined 6,117 batters and owns a combined three Cy Young awards and two postseason MVP awards (one NLCS, one World Series).

If you’re looking for the best rotation in baseball, it resides in Philadelphia. No question, period, end of discussion.

But that isn’t the question now, is it? The question is which rotation would you rather have if you were starting a new organization tomorrow (or were the GM of this new organization, or what have you). And in that scenario, the Giants may be able to balance the scales in their favor.

The average age of the Phillies’ starters is 31. The average age for the Giants’ starters is 26.6. That’s a momentous difference to factor into your decision, especially when you consider everyone’s salaries, the fact that the Giants’ starters have already proven that they can win a World Series and given how Lincecum, Bumgarner and Sanchez still have eligibility left on their current deals (thus, are under team control for the time being).

Lincecum, Cain and Sanchez (the rockiest of the three, but still loaded with talent) have just reached their prime, while Bumgarner’s career has only begun. Zito is the trump card, but you could certainly do worse than having a former Cy Young winner as your fifth starter. Halladay and Lee don’t appear to be slowing down, but Oswalt showed some decline last year and who knows if the Phils will be able to keep Hamels and Blanton past this year because of how much money the top 3 are making.

Granted, Zito’s contract would hamstring a young organization like the Craps, but it’s nothing compared to what Halladay, Lee and Oswalt are making over the next four or five years. Eventually, the Phillies will have to make multiple decisions about what to do with their aging roster. They may win a World Series in the meantime (and they better given the expectations, which is another reason to consider the Giants’ starting five), but is it worth the future financial hell that the situation will undoubtedly create?

Maybe it is. For me, I’d take the Giants’ rotation if I were starting an organization tomorrow. I think Lincecum will eventually be talked about as one of the best ever, while Cain is a future Cy Young winner in my eyes and the sky’s the limit for Bumgarner. Again, this group has already won a World Series so they know what winning a championship demands and four out of the five starters are all under the age of 30. Nobody outside of Zito is making ridiculous money, which means I have financial flexibility when it comes to not only re-signing my starters in the future, but putting together a decent lineup as well. I want a bright future, which the Giants’ rotation provides. Lincecum and Cain (who becomes a free agent in 2012) will eventually need new deals, but only Lincecum will command Halladay/Oswalt/Lee-type money to retain.

That said, I wouldn’t bemoan anyone who would choose the Phillies’ starting five given how that’s the best collection of starters we’ll see in a longtime. And if you win one World Series as a GM, that buys you job security for years to come. Just be prepared for what happens next when you have to juggle all of those salaries while trying to fill holes at other positions (like right field for instance).

So I’ll throw the question out again: You’re the GM of the new Las Vegas Craps baseball team and you have the opportunity to steal either the Phillies or Giants’ starting rotation and not have to give anything up in return. Which rotation do you lift?

Contributors: Anthony Stalter, John Paulsen, Paul Costanzo, Drew Ellis and Mike Farley

Tiger Woods gets around.

We hesitate to put this under “golf” because the only clubs involved were his wife’s nine-iron hitting the window of his SUV and the various establishments where Tiger wined and dined all of his mistresses…over a dozen in all. This was the biggest story of the early part of the year, but it got to the point that whenever a new alleged mistress came forward, the general public was like, “Yeah, we get it. Tiger screwed around on his wife. A lot.” He has spent the rest of the year attempting to rebuild his once-squeaky clean image, but it’s safe to say, we’ll never look at Tiger the same way.

LeBron wilts when his team needs him most.

Say the words “LeBron” and “Game 5” in the same sentence and NBA fans everywhere know exactly what you’re talking about. In the biggest game of the season, LeBron looked disinterested, going 3-of-14 from the field en route to a 120-88 blowout at home at the hands of the Celtics. There were rumors swirling about a possible relationship between LeBron’s mom and his teammate, Delonte West, and there’s speculation that LeBron got that news before tipoff and that’s why he played so poorly. Regardless of the cause, LeBron played awful in that game, and it turned out to be his swan song in Cleveland as a member of the Cavaliers. Talk about leaving a bitter taste.

You can auction off your talented son’s athletic abilities and get away with it.

The NCAA set a strange precedent this season while dealing with the Newton family. The always inconsistent and completely morally uncorrupt NCAA decided in its infinite wisdom that despite discovering that Cecil Newton shopped his son Cam to Mississippi State for $180,000, and that is a violation of NCAA rules, that Cam would still be eligible because it couldn’t be proven that he knew about it. Conference commissioners and athletic directors around the country spoke out about the decision, while agent-wannabes and greedy fathers everywhere had a light bulb go off in their own heads: As long as we say the player doesn’t know about it, it could go off without a hitch. What was Cecil’s punishment in this whole thing? Limited access to Auburn for the last two games of the season. Easy with that hammer there, NCAA.

The Packers made the right decision by picking Rodgers over Lord Favre.

Depending on who you are, this topic could also fall under the “What We Already Knew” category. Many Green Bay fans made GM Ted Thompson out to be the villain when he didn’t bow down to Lord Favre when Brett finally changed his mind (for a third time, mind you) and wanted to come back to Green Bay. But what those people never grasped was that Thompson had to do what was right for the Packers – not Brett Favre. So he committed to Aaron Rodgers and never looked back. While Lord Favre did lead the Vikings to the NFC Championship in 2009, his 2010 season in Minnesota has been an utter disaster. As of this writing, it’s the Packers who are still in playoff contention for the second straight year, while Favre looks like he’s ready to pack it up for good. Rodgers, meanwhile, has developed into a MVP candidate and a true leader in every sense of the word. Because of him, the Packers’ future is bright and had Thompson broken his back for Favre in ’08, who knows where Rodgers (or the Packers) would be today. He made the right decision.

Ron Artest is clutch.

Coming off an NBA title in 2009, the Los Angeles Lakers didn’t bow to Trevor Ariza’s demands when he hit free agency. Instead, they signed Ron Artest to take Ariza’s place, and Artest had to listen to the comparisons all season long. Ariza was a better fit. Ariza is a better shooter. Ariza is a quicker defender. Those things may or may not be true, but when the Lakers’ season was on the line, Artest came up big. First, in the closing moments of a tied Game 5 against the Suns in the Western Conference Finals, Artest gathered Kobe Bryant’s airball and put it in for the game winning bucked at the buzzer. If that wasn’t enough, with a minute remaining in Game 7 of the Finals, and the Lakers nursing a three-point lead, Artest made a huge three-pointer to push the lead to six, effectively keeping the Celtics at bay and ensuring that the Lakers win their second consecutive title. The only possible follow-up was Artest’s now-famous post-game press conference. Good singing? Yeah, we think so.

Athletes aren’t always about the money.

Any reasonable non-athlete or celebrity would view $120 million and think to themselves, “Yeah, I think that’s good enough.” But athletes in contract years have rejected $100-million-plus contracts before in hopes of getting more. That has led many to believe that athletes are always about the money. But Cliff Lee is just one example that that’s not always the case. He left roughly $30-50 million on the table to sign with the Phillies instead of the Rangers or Yankees. He liked his time in Philadelphia before he was traded to Seattle in the winter of 2009 and he wanted to return to the “City of Brotherly Love.” He had the opportunity to make more but like he said, “How much money does a person need?” Money isn’t always the driving factor for players, which is why the Yankees and Rangers are currently scrambling for pitching help while the Phillies have added to an already rock-solid rotation.

Urban Meyer probably should have walked away last year when he first wanted to.

It turns out that Nikki Meyer did get her daddy back – it was just a year later than she had expected. Meyer made like Brett Favre a year ago, saying he was resigning, then saying he was taking some time off, then just saying screw it and coming back. He came back to a team without his savior, Tim Tebow, an anemic offense led by the most hated offensive coordinator in the country, Steve Addazio (type that name into Google and check out the most popular searches), and ultimately a 7-5 record. Meyer definitely has had a great run at Florida, and likely will have another good run somewhere else in the next four or five years. But his diva act and this latest season will put a small stain on what he’s accomplished.

We knew Vick had talent, but what we learned is that he could mature.

It’ll be a while yet before Michael Vick proves that he can behave off the field. Right now he must be on his best behavior because his football career and financial security is on the line. But in terms of on the field, there’s no question he’s matured as a player. There used to be a time when Vick was only viewed as a running back posing as a quarterback. But with the help of Eagles coach Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, he’s finally developed into the dual-threat that he was supposed to be coming out of Virginia Tech in 2001. He still has a long way to go in his decision-making and with his mechanics (particularly with his feet). But he isn’t being viewed as a MVP candidate solely based on his running ability. He has more pocket presence now than earlier in his career with the Falcons and he’s becoming a pass-first quarterback instead of one that rushes through his reads and takes off running. Simply put: he’s matured.

The UFC is on the verge of having a tremendous 2011.

With the announcement of the UFC absorbing the WEC and creating two new weight classes in the bantamweight (135 lbs.) and featherweight (145 lbs.) divisions, along with adding a crop of exciting new lightweights, the top promotion in MMA is going to have a busy year with a lot of blockbuster cards. The addition of the WEC will bring more exciting fights as the smaller guys always have explosive matchups and it will also give more main-stream attention to some of the best pound-for-pound fighters like Jose Aldo, Dominick Cruz, Anthony Pettis, and Urijah Faber. The UFC is also discussing the possibility of adding a flyweight (125 lbs.) division, which would give the organization more great bouts to play with. It will be likely that 80% of the UFC pay per views this year should feature at least one title fight with this new addition.

Maybe Josh Hamilton is proof that athletes can change.

Rangers’ outfielder Josh Hamilton is not a perfect man. Given his track record, he probably wouldn’t be a parents’ first choice to be a role model for their children, although his success story will inspire anyone. By now, most people have heard Hamilton’s story. The former first overall pick of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays fell victim to the life of drugs and alcohol abuse early in his career and he almost lost baseball (not to mention his family) several times over the past decade. But this past year he was incident-free and he helped the Rangers make their first World Series appearance in club history. He also appeared in his third-straight All-Star Game and won the 2010 AL MVP award. There’s no guarantee that he won’t have another slip up, but if his 2010 season is any indication, maybe he’s proof that athletes (and people for that matter) can change.

Rich Rodriguez can win with a quarterback that fits his system. He just can’t win enough…

…because he still doesn’t know how to recruit — or find a coordinator who can coach defense. Denard Robinson put up ridiculous numbers, and other than the Ohio State and Michigan State outings, Michigan’s offense scored enough points to win games. Of course, Ohio State and Michigan State are the two games that mean the most to Michigan fans. So yeah, not so good. We may never find out what happens when Rodriguez has experience to go along with explosiveness at the quarterback position at Michigan, because the Gator Bowl could be his final game. And if it is, not many people would blame Dave Brandon.

Brett Favre is kind of a creep.

Brett Favre is a first ballot Hall of Famer and his consecutive starts streak is easily one of the most respected streaks in all of sports. But everyone saw a different side of Brett this year thanks to a 27-year-old former Jets’ sideline reporter named Jenn Sterger. The “junk mail” scandal cast new (horrifying) light on this NFL legend, one as a total perv. Hey, nobody would blame a guy for pursuing a hot chick that usually has her, um, “assets” out for the world to see. But Brett is married with kids and his measures were a little extreme. After all, if he can’t land a chick just based on him being Brett Favre, why would he think photos of his junk would win her over? If, “Hey, I’m Brett Favre and I’m a NFL legend,” doesn’t work, then it’s probably time to move on. No creepy phone messages and photos of your ruler are going to save you. While this story is still ongoing, it’s officially moved to the nobody-gives-a-damn section of the world. But while people will always remember Brett for his fourth quarter comebacks, his consecutive starts streak and his “boy, he sure has fun out there!” style of play, he’ll also be known as the weirdo who e-mailed photos of his rod to some broad.

Tyreke Evans is a star in the making.

We thought Tyreke would be good, but we weren’t expecting him to be this good this quickly. He was named 2010 Rookie of the Year after posting 20.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game, which made him just the fourth player (Oscar Robinson, Michael Jordan and LeBron James) to average 20-5-5 in his rookie season. The sky is the limit for this kid.

Stephen Strasburg has the potential to be great but he’s also highly injury prone.

Once he was called up to the big leagues, Nationals’ starter Stephen Strasburg did exactly what many pundits predicted he would: Dazzle and frustrate hitters with his amazing stuff, all while packing the seats at Nationals Park. In 2010, he finished with 92 strikeouts in just 68 innings while compiling a sparklingly 2.91 ERA. The problem is that he only pitched in 12 games because he was placed on the disabled list with an inflamed right shoulder in July. He returned to action on August 10 but in his third game back, he was pulled from a start with what turned out to be a torn ulnar collateral ligament. Unfortunately the injury requires Tommy John surgery, which may cost him his entire 2011 season. It’s a shame that one of baseball’s best young stars is already being shelved before his career really got going.

Iowa had a baaaaaaaaaaad year.

The loss at Arizona to start the season was a sign of things to come for the Hawkeyes, who struggled in close games and stumbled to an incredibly disappointing 7-5 record and a spot in the Insight Bowl. But little did we know, that would be the least of Kirk Ferentz’s problems. He’ll be without star running back Adam Robinson, who has been suspended for violating team rules. They’ll also be without fellow running backs Jewel Hampton and Brandon Wegher, who both will be transferring. But wait, there’s more. Star receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos was found to be running an operation Charlie Sheen would be proud of. All of this in one year? Iowa fans can’t wait for the season to be over.

Peyton Hillis is a beast.

The trade Josh McDaniels made earlier this offseason with the Browns could go down as one of the worst trades of all-time if Peyton Hillis continues to run like he has in 2010. A seldom-used halfback/fullback hybrid in Denver, Hillis rarely saw the field thanks to McDaniels. He was traded to Cleveland in the offseason in exchange for Brady Quinn, who couldn’t even beat out rookie Tim Tebow to be Kyle Orton’s back in Denver. Meanwhile, Hillis has eclipsed his first 1,000-yard rushing season and ranks 10th in the league in rushing yards. He’s gaining 4.5 yards per carry this season and most of the time he needs three defenders just to take him down. He has a major fumbling problem (his eight fumbles lead the league) that needs to be corrected before he can become an elite back, but he’s well on his way. He’s proof that McDaniels couldn’t spot talent if it walked right up to him and hit on his wife. (We couldn’t resist.)

Giving money to charity does not make a dumb idea any better.

LeBron’s fans and critics can agree on one thing: “The Decision” was a very bad idea. Before he announced he was going to “take his talents to South Beach,” we were wondering – why would he go through all the trouble just to announce that he was staying with the Cavs? Then we wondered, why hold an hour-long special just to break up with the city of Cleveland? LeBron’s camp still justify the decision by referring to the money they raised for the Boys & Girls Club, and that’s fine, but “The Decision” was a public relations disaster, and LeBron’s image has paid dearly. He has gone from one of the most revered athletes in the country to one of the most reviled. Cavs fans may disagree, but for most of us, it’s not the fact that LeBron left Cleveland – that was his right – it was the way that he left the city and the team that rubbed us the wrong way.

MLB is scared of Mark Cuban.

Back when George Steinbrenner was still alive, the thought of his competing against Mark Cuban every offseason must have been enough to keep most current MLB owners up at night. That’s why they fought hard (and succeeded) to keep Cuban out of baseball and from possibly spicing things up ruining things in MLB. In July of 2008, he officially submitted an initial bid of $1.3 billion to buy the Cubs and was invited to participate in a second round of bidding along with other potential ownership groups. But he was not awarded the team and instead, the Cubs and Wrigley Field went to the Rickets Family for…$900 million (which is obviously significantly less than the $1.3 billion that Cuban was willing to fork over). Cuban also lost his bid to buy the Texas Rangers and now it seems that he’s getting further away from owning his very own baseball club. By the looks of things, it appears as though MLB wants it that way, too. Cuban isn’t afraid to speak his mind and mix things up, which is exactly what “the good ol’ boys” club of major league owners don’t want. They prefer the way the current structure is (i.e. the Yankees drive up the cost of everything and then have to pay out their ass in luxury tax). Cuban would only serve to ruin that, which is exactly why owners will fight to keep him out of Major League Baseball.

Pete Carroll has great timing.

Not only did Carroll avoid being the head man at USC while it was under NCAA sanctions, but he also found himself in the worst division (maybe of all time) in the NFL, and could win it with a 7-9 record. Carroll won’t have to deal with the reduction in scholarships or the eventual break-up with Snoop Dogg. Nope, those are issues for Lane Kiffin to deal with now.

It’s going to take time in Miami.

It takes time to build chemistry and when one of your three stars misses most of preseason due to injury, those growing pains are going to last that much longer. Throw in two more injuries to projected big-minute guys (Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem), and its clear that things didn’t start out smoothly in Miami. The Heat got off to a 9-8 start, but went on a long winning streak as things started to click. They’ll be a major factor in the playoffs, though unless they’re playing at full strength, it will be tough to get past a motivated and revitalized Celtics squad.

Philip Rivers is a miracle worker.

The job Philip Rivers has done keeping the Chargers in contention is nothing short of a miracle. Antonio Gates has missed most of the season due to injuries and No. 1 receiver Vincent Jackson spent most of the year away from the team because he was upset about his contract. Yet even without having his two best playmakers at his disposal, Rivers has thrown for the second most yards in the league (he’s just 116 yards behind Peyton Manning, who ranks first) and has compiled a 105.7 QB Rating (only Tom Brady’s 109.9 rating is better). Due to the Chargers’ record, Rivers isn’t being viewed as a serious MVP candidate but maybe he should be. If the Bolts go on to make the playoffs and better yet, advance a couple of rounds, they have Rivers to thank. He’s been amazing this year.

Steve Spurrier still has what it takes to get to the SEC title game (even though they lost).

Sure, he was helped out quite a bit by the SEC East being way down this year, but Spurrier did beat Alabama and play Auburn down to the wire (the first time). How did he do it? He finally found some elite SEC weapons on offense in Marcus Lattimore and Alshon Jeffery. A more consistent quarterback would be nice. Stephen Garcia is finally graduating, — We think. We also thought the same thing the last three years — so Spurrier should be able to groom his successor. He just may end up proving Lee Corso wrong, after all.

Just because a head coach seems like he can motivate doesn’t mean he can win.

We admit – we hopped on Mike Singletary’s bandwagon right from the start. We bought his “I want winners” speech hook, line and sinker. But he’s proven that there’s a difference between a motivator and a head coach in the National Football League. You can be both, but you can’t just be a motivator because that’s all Singletary is at this juncture in his coaching career. Singletary makes for great sound bites and he was a tremendous football player. But he is greatly overmatched week in and week out despite the fact that he usually has better talent. How can a team comprised of star talent like Frank Gore, Michael Crabtree, Vernon Davis and Patrick Willis be so bad? Coaching, coaching, coaching. Players have to execute, but if they’re already behind at kickoff because their game plan isn’t sound, then they’re doomed. And while there’s always been this notion that Singletary can motivate his players, do they play hard for him every week? Or are they as inconsistent as ever and in the midst of another losing season with Singletary at the helm?

It’s good to be a Russian billionaire…usually.

Mikhail Prokhorov is wroth an estimated $13.4 billion, but we have heard of him because he bought the Nets. Nicknamed the “Russian Mark Cuban” by ESPN’s Bill Simmons, Prokhorov is/was determined to turn the Nets around quickly. He had dreams of landing the #1 pick in the 2010 Draft and picking John Wall, but he ended up with the third pick and Derrick Favors instead. He thought he’d be able to woo LeBron James and or Dwyane Wade to New Jersey/Brooklyn, but ended up with Travis Outlaw and Jordan Farmar. He seems determined to build a championship-caliber squad, but it’s going to take time…even for a billionaire.

Brad Stevens is a loyal guy.

When 33-year-old Brad Stevens led Butler to the title game against Duke, there was a lot of speculation about his future. Oregon was just one of several interested parties, but shortly after the Bulldogs lost to the Blue Devils, Stevens signed a 12-year extension that will keep him at Butler through the 2021-22 season. Stevens was grateful to Butler for giving him the opportunity to be a head coach at a very young age, and he rewarded him with some serious loyalty.

Randy Moss lays out a blueprint of what not to do in your contract year.

If ever there were a way for a player not to act during a contract year, Randy Moss in 2010 laid out the blueprint. Moss started angling for a new contract from the Patriots early in the season when he told the media that he had felt disrespected by New England’s lack of commitment. Things only spiraled downward from there, as Moss continued to complain (even after Bill Belichick had told him to shut his mouth and wait until the end of the year) about a new deal until he was finally traded to the Vikings in Week 5. Following a loss to his former team in New England in late October, Moss told the media in a press conference after the game how much he respected Belichick and the Patriots. If one didn’t know better, Moss was almost trying to make a case for New England to take him back. Vikings coach Brad Childress released him days later (even though Minnesota parted with a third-round pick to acquire him just four weeks earlier) and before Moss caught on with the Titans, reports surfaced that he had told the owner of a local restaurant catering service that he would not “feed the food to his dog.” Classy. The Titans picked him up off waivers on November 3, but that was the last time anyone has seen and heard from Randy. To say he’s been unproductive in Tennessee would be an understatement and here’s the kicker: He still needs a new contract. He’ll be begging for the Patriots to take him back once the season is over.

Terrelle Pryor does have it within himself to improve as a passer.

Pryor completed 65.8% of is passes this year, which is a huge improvement over his first two seasons. He also had his best season yardage- and touchdown-wise. This is partially due to just growing up, but a big part of growing up is Pryor starting to stay in the pocket and trust his arm as much as his feet. Sure, he still takes off and is a very dangerous runner — that’s a part of his game he should never get rid of — but he’s starting to find out that in this offense, he needs to be a passer first and a runner second if the Buckeyes are ultimately going to be successful.

Roger Federer isn’t washed up, but Rafael Nadal has passed him.

After a couple of early exits in Wimbledon and the French Open, tennis fans were wondering if Roger’s skills had declined to the point where he wouldn’t win another Grand Slam. But he bounced back Down Under, defeating Andy Murray in the Australian Open to win his 16th slam, a mark that some believe will never be matched. However, there’s a certain 24-year-old Spaniard who is well on his way. Rafael Nadal has won nine Grand Slam titles, including three this year (the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open). Now that his biggest competition is entering his twilight years, Nadal is going to have to find his next rival to push him to greater heights. At this point in his career, Federer only had five Grand Slam titles, so barring injury, Nadal has a great shot at eventually breaking Federer’s record.

It’s easy to lose your job if you make every wrong decision you can possibly make.

Experts say that it takes three years to properly grade a NFL draft class. Josh McDaniels’ first draft class hasn’t even finished their second full season and he’s already out of work, so what does that say about him? It’s not difficult to see why the Broncos fired a head coach that they hired just 23 months earlier. Not when he makes every wrong personnel decision a coach could possibly make. McDaniels hadn’t even been in Denver for three months before he attempted to trade for his former New England pupil Matt Cassel. The problem with that of course, is that the Broncos already had a starting quarterback in Jay Cutler, whom they had to trade to the Bears for a first round pick and Kyle Orton after McDaniels pissed him off with the Cassel trade talk. All was fine in Denver when McDaniels’ Broncos started the 2009 season winning their first six games, but a 2-8 finish had everyone wondering if the perfect start was a fluke. Then McDaniels really got busy. He managed to lose defensive coordinator Mike Nolan to the Dolphins, trade Brandon Marshall to that same Miami team (that made two offensive stars McDaniels lost in two years since being hired), trade feature back Peyton Hillis to the Browns for Brady Quinn (who is buried so far down the depth chart that nobody remembers he was once a first round pick) and trade multiple picks in order to reach for massive project Tim Tebow in the 2010 NFL Draft. The book is still out on Tebow but it’s safe to say that the rest of McDaniels’ moves have not panned out, which is why he finds himself unemployed this holiday season. He’ll resurface as an offensive coordinator somewhere next year, but it may be a while before he’s hired as a head coach again.

The steroid era is officially over.

We’re not naïve to think that players aren’t still juicing or will stop juicing any time soon. But this past year proved that the “steroid era” in baseball is finite. The league-wide batting average in 2009 was the lowest its been in 18 years and there were a whopping six no-hitters or perfect games compiled. Roy Halladay earned only the second no-hitter in postseason history (that’s 107 years of baseball, mind you) and Tim Lincecum threw a complete-game, two-hit shutout that may have statistically been more impressive than Halladay’s no-hitter (if you can believe that). It was only fitting that in the “Year of the Pitcher,” the team with four homegrown arms won the World Series. While chicks will always dig the long ball, it appears as though baseball’s juiced days are over (for now, anyway).-TAB–TAB–TAB-

Raheem Morris can coach.

There were many people who felt as though Raheem Morris wasn’t ready to coach in the NFL. After he and the front office ushered in the youth movement last year and finished 3-13, people were already calling for Morris’ job. But he and the Bucs stayed the course and at press time, they’re playoff hopes are still alive in the NFC. If they can win one of their remaining two games in 2010, Morris will secure his first winning season as a head coach. Granted, the wheels can always fall off quickly in the NFL. A winning season doesn’t always mean future success and even though Tampa has eight wins to this point, none have come against a team with a winning record. But keep in mind how much youth and inexperience this team has. Quarterback Josh Freeman has made major strides in his development and rookies Mike Williams and LeGarrette Blount look like future stars. Many folks believed that firing Jon Gruden was a major mistake and maybe it was. But at thispoint, it’s hard to argue that the Bucs aren’t sailing in the right direction with Morris at the controls.

Colin Kaepernick and Vau Taua can beat Boise State.

Thanks to some voodoo on kicker Kyle Brotzman. Kaepernick and Taua are the most prolific rushing duo in the history of college football, and the comeback they engineered against the Broncos the day after Thanksgiving was remarkable. The Nevada defense deserves a lot of credit, too, in slowing down that Boise State offense in the second half and allowing the comeback to happen. But Boise’s defense was perhaps as impressive as the offense this year, and this Nevada duo shredded it, ending the Broncos’ BCS dreams.

The Giants have the pitching to contend for years to come.

While he’s frustrated Giants fans for years with poor free agent signings and bust trades, there’s no denying that GM Brian Sabean has put the G-Men in great position to win thanks to their pitching. Thanks in large part to player personnel chief Dick Tidrow’s keen eye, Sabean and the Giants spent first round picks on Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and Madison Bumargner – their top three performers in the 2010 postseason. They also found a couple of diamonds in the rough in starter Jonathan Sanchez (27th round/2004) and Brian Wilson (24th round/2003), who weren’t selected until deep into their respective drafts. All of these pitchers are under team control for years to come, meaning the Giants shouldn’t be a one-hit wonder (assuming Sabean doesn’t muck everything up with his free agent moves, that is).

Ben Roethlisberger learned some humility.

Sometimes it takes a while for someone to learn humility. After winning two Super Bowls in just his first six years in the league, Big Ben got a big head. He admits to buying into the whole “Big Ben” persona and that he was larger than life. Trouble first found him in June of 2006 when he nearly died from a motorcycle accident because he wasn’t wearing a helmet. In 2009, he was accused of sexually assaulting a woman named Andrea McNulty in a hotel room while he was staying in Lake Tahoe for a celebrity golf tournament. He escaped charges from that situation just in time to be investigated for an unrelated sexual assault case after a 20-year-old college student accused him of being inappropriate with her in a women’s restroom inside a nightclub. Fortunately for him, the details of her story were sketchy at best, so he avoided legal trouble again. But he didn’t escape punishment from the NFL, which suspended him six games (it was later reduced to four) for the 2010 season. It was finally clear to Roethlisberger that he needed to take more responsibility for his actions off the field and since then, that’s what he’s done. He’s avoided trouble and once again has the Steelers knocking on a postseason berth. Only time will tell if he can stay out of trouble, but it appears as though he’s learned some valuable lessons.

Joey Votto can carry a team by himself.

Joey Votto picked a great time to produce his best season to date. While helping the Reds win the NL Central, Votto hit .324 with 113 RBI, 106 runs scored and 37 home runs, which included a grand salami off Braves’ starter Tommy Hanson on May 20. He finished the season as MLB’s leader in on base percentage (.424), slugging percentage (.600) and on-base plus slugging (1.024). His efforts helped earn him the 2010 NL MVP award and he also took home the Hank Aaron Award in the National League, which is given to the top hitter in each league. While his Reds failed to advance past the Phillies in the NLDS, they have a bright future as long as Votto is around.

Everyone’s Super Bowl darling never pans out.

Each year, we all look at last year’s NFL standings and playoff results. We take into account offseason moves, retirements, draft picks and free agent signings and we pontificate about who will reach the postseason and who won’t. And though it’s ridiculous to predict who will reach the Super Bowl in August, we all do it, because it’s fun, gives us hope for our own team and it gets everyone fired up for the new season. Sexy picks in 2010 were Dallas, Green Bay, Minnesota, New Orleans and (gulp) San Francisco in the NFC; the NY Jets, New England Baltimore, Indy and San Diego in the AFC. And oh yeah, several analysts had the Houston Texans in the Super Bowl, which looked genius when the team started 2-0, but doesn’t now as they sit at 5-9 and are on the verge of sending coach Gary Kubiak packing. The most likely Super scenarios seemed to be Cowboys/Jets, Cowboys/Ravens, Packers/Jets and Packers/Ravens. Nobody expected the Bears, Bucs, Jags or Chiefs to make as much noise as they have, or even the Raiders for that matter. No one expected that the Seahawks and Rams would be tied at 6-8 and sitting in the 4-seed spot either, while the 5-9 Niners control their own playoff destiny. Did anyone see Michael Vick contending for MVP, or Brett Favre bringing the whole Vikings’ franchise down with him, or the Cowboys starting 1-7, or the Chargers starting 2-5, or the Bengals falling to the depths of NFL purgatory? Still, for as wacky as this season has been, some of the aforementioned teams are still very much alive. The Packers, Jets and Ravens are still fighting for playoff berths and have the talent to make a run. Then again, something will probably happen to make everyone’s preseason favorites go down in flames again.

One-and-done’rs are a major issue.

The NBA’s age-limit rule essentially forces kids to go to college that wouldn’t otherwise go. Over the past four years, 19 freshmen have been drafted in the lottery, and a vast majority of those wouldn’t have gone to college if not for the NBA’s age-limit. While players like Kevin Durant and Kevin Love were able to make the move from high school to college to the NBA without incident, Derrick Rose apparently had someone else take his SAT so he could get into the University of Memphis. This is what happens when a kid plenty good enough to make it in the NBA is forced to spend a year in college. This wreaks havoc on the college ranks as teams are forced to spend more time recruiting because there’s more turnover within the program. And forget stability – coaches have to deal with a brand new set of faces every fall. The NBA should change its rule to allow 18-year-old draftees, but if a player goes to college, he has to stay for a minimum of two years before declaring himself eligible for the draft. There, everyone’s happy.

Hope is not lost for the Pirates and Royals.

While the continue to hope that one of their team’s 4,000 youth movements will eventually pay off, it’s hard to blame fans in Pittsburgh and Kansas City for thinking their clubs are doomed. But if the Rangers can make the World Series, maybe there’s still hope for the Pirates and Royals. While everyone knew Texas would get another great year out of its offense, nobody thought the Rangers’ pitching would perform like it did in 2010. Thanks to the emergence of C.J. Wilson, Colby Lewis and the midseason trade acquisition of Cliff Lee, the Rangers blew through the regular season and claimed first place in the AL West. Then they beat the Rays to clinch their first postseason series victory in club history and then tossed the Yankees in rather easy fashion to reach the World Series. Unfortunately for them, their fate was sealed by the Giants in the Fall Classic, but the Rangers gave hope to doomed franchises everywhere. Yes, including the ones in KC and Pittsburgh.

Learned | Knew | Think

Contributors: Anthony Stalter, John Paulsen, Paul Costanzo, Drew Ellis and Mike Farley

You think he’s gone? He’s not gone. He’s never gone!

Brett Favre has duped us before with his retirement talk, so why should we buy what he’s selling now? Lord Favre says 2010 will be his final season, but after spending a couple of months on his ranch next summer, he’ll get the itch to return. And some team will welcome him back. And the media will torture us with their 24-hour Favre watch. And the dreaded cycle of death will continue. So which lucky team will have No. 4 in uniform next season? While we wouldn’t rule out the possibility of Favre returning to the Vikings for one more year now that Brad Childress is gone, that’s not a very fun projection. Thus, what about Da Raaaaaaaiders? Huh? Can you see it now? Lord Favre and Al Davis at the podium holding up their pointer fingers and saying, “Just win baby.” No? Ah, you’re no fun.

Carmelo will be a Knickerbocker next year.

Book ‘em, Danno. The writing is on the wall. He hasn’t signed the three-year extension that the Nuggets offered last summer and has reportedly decided that the only team he’ll agree to be traded to is the New York Knicks. This means that if the Nuggets are hoping to get something substantial for him, they’ll have to move him before the February trade deadline. Since there appears to be only one team in the running, the deal isn’t going to be very good. We wouldn’t want to be Nugget fans right now — the rebuilding process is about to begin.

Notre Dame will go to a BCS bowl.

There isn’t a game on Notre Dame’s schedule that isn’t winnable — there are just a few that aren’t losable. If the Irish make the same kind of leap in Year Two with Brian Kelly that Central Michigan and Cincinnati did, 10 wins isn’t out of the question. And whether or not you think it’s fair, if you think all of the BCS bowls will pass on a 10-win Notre Dame team, you’re crazy. They’ll then go on to get blown out by a one-loss SEC team in the Sugar Bowl.

The New Orleans Saints will repeat as Super Bowl champions.

Even though their defense continues to be plagued by inconsistency, the Saints figure things out in the playoffs. They get a free win against the Rams in the Wild Card round of the playoffs and then head to Atlanta for the Divisional Round. The Saints, after purposely losing to the Falcons twice in the regular season when Garrett Hartley was forced to missed chip shot field goals that would have won the games for New Orleans, beat Atlanta on its home turf (the Saints bought into the old adage that it’s difficult to beat a team three times in one season, which is why they lost on purpose to set the Falcons up for defeat). In the NFC Championship Game, Drew Brees outguns Michael Vick in a 63-60 shootout and the Saints head to the Super Bowl to take on none other than Peyton Manning and the Colts (who somehow overcame all of their flaws and won three in a row in the playoffs). Then, as if it were déjà vu, the Saints once again get the better of Peyton and friends to become unlikely world champions. The city of New Orleans doesn’t stop partying until July.

Mariners trade King Felix to the Phillies to form what they call a “Super Rotation.”

Realizing they need a fifth starter to go along with Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt and Roy Hamels, the Phillies trade every last prospect they have in Triple-A to the Mariners for Felix Hernandez. The media in Philadelphia quickly coin the phrase the “Super Rotation” and the Phillies go on to win every one of their games in April by a combined score of 192-5 (Cody Ross hits a solo home run off each of the starting pitchers in two separate series, comprising of the five runs allowed). Upon witnessing the “Super Rotation” for himself, Jeff Van Gundy claims that the Phillies will break the 2001 Mariners’ single-season record for most wins (116)…

…Jeff Van Gundy jinxes the Phillies.

“In fact,” Van Gundy says, “they won’t lose a game all year thanks to the Super Rotation!” Everyone starts buying into the Van Gundy’s prediction when the Phillies win their first seven games in May, too. “Man, that Van Gundy really knows what he’s talking about!” people will say. But shortly thereafter, people realize that Van Gundy does, in fact, know nothing about baseball and shouldn’t be commenting on the sport. Cody Ross comes back to town and single-handily lights up the “Super Rotation” for six home runs and 25 RBI and the Phillies never recover. They struggle to finish .500 and watch as the Nationals pass them in the standings. “How did this happen,” Lee asks. “It was that damn Jeff Van Gundy,” Halladay responds.

Duke will repeat.

Even without star freshman Kyrie Irving, who is out indefinitely with a toe injury, the Blue Devils are still the favorite to win the national championship. Nolan Smith and Seth Curry are more than capable of replacing most of Irving’s production, and while they could really use their star freshman’s playmaking ability, Duke won the title last year without it. Plus, Coach K made that deal with the devil, so there’s that.

The Big East will end in an eight-way tie with all teams at 5-7.

Is that possible? In the Big East, we sure it is, somehow. The BCS representative will be selected by an eight-man competition of the card game War, played by the school’s athletic directors. Rutgers will win the bid on a double-ace war, and the commissioner of the Fiesta Bowl will commit seppuku before the BCS selection show.

The Finals will be a Lakers/Celtics rematch, and the Celtics will pull out the tough win.

The more we look at this Miami Heat team, the more we wonder about their mental toughness. Dwyane Wade is all there, but what about LeBron and Chris Bosh? Are they going to hold up against a Boston Celtics team that seems to have the Ubuntu thing going again? And who is going to stop the Lakers in the West? We smell a rematch, and this time the C’s are going to come out on top when Pau Gasol’s body melts in the wake of Kevin Garnett’s sheer intensity.

Craig James will continue to be employed by ESPN.

And every Thursday and Saturday night, we’ll ask ourselves, “Why?”

Urban Meyer will reunite with Tim Tebow.

After months of searching for a head coach that would want to take on the massive project that is Tim Tebow, the Broncos strike out. Desperate, they reach out to the one man they know would drop trou in order to work with Tebow again: Urban Meyer. Even though his offense would never fly at the pro level, the Broncos hire Meyer anyway and to their surprise, he and Tebow take Denver to the top of the AFC West standings. After a grueling couple weeks of postseason play, the Broncos finally reach the Super Bowl and face Troy Smith and the 49ers. After Ted Ginn Jr. returns the opening kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown, the Broncos completely shut down Smith and the Niner offense. Smith completes just 14 passes for 25 yards along with an interception and a fumble, all while being sacked five times. Tebow caps off Denver’s 41-14 victory with a 1-yard touchdown run and him and Meyer embrace each other in total jubilation. After the game Meyer is overheard telling Tebow, “Don’t you ever leave me again.”

The Nationals win the NL Wild Card.

After years of sixth-place finishes in the NL East, Jayson Werth helps the Nats secure a playoff berth after everyone laughed at him for signing with lowly Washington in the offseason. Upon reaching the playoffs, Werth boasts, “Me and my $126 million will be laughing all the way to the postseason suckas!” But Werth and the Nationals don’t stop celebrating through the NLDS and they get swept in Round 1. Embarrassed, Werth says, “I’m embarrassed.” The Nationals fail to recapture the same magic they had in 2011 and Werth is released following the 2012 season when he hits .063 with 11 RBI and one home run in 605 at bats.

Auburn is going to get hammered, on and off the field.

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, and there’s a ton of smoke coming out of Auburn right now. (Almost more than Iowa.) Cam Newton is leaving, but the sins of his father will cause the NCAA to take action. That process will be expedited by the fact the FBI is involved. Oh, and Newton leaving will force the Tigers into regretting giving Gus Malzahn $1.3 million to stay on as a coordinator. Talk about putting all of your eggs in one basket. A basket that’s about to be smashed.

Josh McDaniels will be coaching Matt Ryan in 2011.

No, Mike Smith isn’t going anywhere – nor should he. McDaniels was a colossal bust in Denver as a head coach but his track record proves that he can run an offense. While the offensive coordinator for the Patriots from 2006 through 2008, New England never finished lower than 11th in total offense with McDaniels at the helm, which included the Pats’ record-setting ’07 season. Even though he had considerably less talent in Denver (thanks to his horrendous personnel moves), the Broncos’ offense still finished 15th in 2009. While he may not get another head coaching job anytime soon, it’s not a stretch to think he’ll resurface again as an offensive coordinator. And if Mike Mularkey winds up parlaying his success in Atlanta into another head coaching gig, the Falcons will need a new offensive coordinator next year. Why not McDaniels? Granted, the Falcons may want to hire someone from within to keep the framework of Mularkey’s offense intact for Matt Ryan. But it’s fun to imagine the possibility of GM Thomas Dimitroff (another former Patriots employee) hiring McDaniels to work with Ryan, Roddy White and Michael Turner next season.

Giants sign all the past World Series MVPs, finish dead last in the NL West.

After Edgar Renteria helped the Giants win their first World Series championship since moving to San Francisco, GM Brian Sabean (who has a major penchant for signing crusty old position players to go along with his young, star-studded pitching staff) gets a great idea to compile a team solely of previous World Series MVPs. He re-signs Renteria to a new three-year, $26 million contract then coaxes Mike Lowell out of retirement with a two-year, $23 million deal (“It was too good of a deal to pass up!” Lowell says) to play third base. Sabean trades catcher Buster Posey to the Padres for second baseman Daivd Eckstein and signs Jermaine Dye, Manny Ramirez and Hideki Matsui (we know he’s already signed with the A’s – stop sucking all the fun out of this and play along) to play the outfield. Needing a catcher, Sabean throws $10 million at 47-year-old Pat Borders to come out of retirement and then fills his bench with Troy Glaus, Scott Brosius and Paul Molitor (now 54). The Giants go on to average 0.5 runs per outing and mange to lose 150 games while shattering records of ineptitude. Worse yet, they’re in major payroll hell because of Sabean, but he’s retained anyway by co-owner Bill Neukom who says, “I saw Sabean’s vision and it was pure. Plus, the man won us a title in 2010 so I can’t get rid of him now!” FireSabeanNow websites reach an all-time high in August.

Rich Rodriguez will keep his job and do well in 2011.

Michigan’s number of returning starters combined with a very, very favorable schedule could equal nine or 10 wins for the Wolverines next year. That would be enough to get Rodriguez a fifth year, and take the heat off him as well. Of course, a 2012 schedule that will start with a complete butt-kicking at the hands of Alabama, a loss at a rejuvenated Notre Dame, and brutal late-season trips to Nebraska and Ohio State will put him right back on the hot seat. And by that time, Jim Harbaugh will be coaching the San Francisco 49ers, and the Wolverines will be arguing over whether or not they should hold onto Rodriguez or go with Tyrone Willingham, who will be coming off of two marginally successful seasons at Maryland.

The Yankees will miss the playoffs in 2011.

After failing to sign Cliff Lee and convincing Andy Pettitte not to retire, the Yankees desperately sign Carl Pavano against all fans’ wishes. He’s a disaster and his suck spreads like wildfire, infecting the rest of the rotation before it finally eats away at the Bombers’ offense. The Yankees miss the playoffs, the Red Sox go on to play in the World Series and the entire city of New York falls dark for 72-straight hours. All because of Carl Pavano.

Oregon will go undefeated again.

The Pac-12 will be less difficult than the Pac-10 was this year, as USC will continue to go downhill, and Stanford could be without Andrew Luck and Jim Harbaugh. The Oregon Duck mascot will also actually replace Lee Corso on Gameday, and nobody will notice.

GSP vs. Silva won’t take place until 2012.

The super-fight between Georges St. Pierre and Anderson Silva will be announced, but it likely won’t take place until Super Bowl Weekend of 2012. With a successful title defense for GSP in Toronto in April, and one, if not two, successful defenses by Silva prior to the summer, the fight will be planned and St. Pierre will have time to apply the weight he would like and prepare for his greatest test yet. When announced, this fight will be the biggest draw in MMA history and perform record numbers for pay per view television ratings.

Fathers will shop their sons even more – Cecil Newton style.

An overwhelming case of “negligence” will hit the NCAA, especially college football as parents will be free to shop their kid around to schools as long as their child is “unaware” that the activity is taking place. As long as there is no paper trail linking the parent with the actual winner of the sweepstakes, that kid is free to play without any sort of penalty. On a related note, the NCAA will crack down on players giving out or selling their jerseys to anyone, as they will increase the penalty to a full season per-jersey sale.

The NFL strike will turn fantasy football players into fantasy hockey players.

With a potential lockout looming, fantasy football players will have no choice but to turn their attention to fantasy hockey, quickly putting the struggling sport into a golden age in its history. Millions more fans will tune in each night to keep track of their players as they will need a fantasy fix since football will not be played on Sundays. To attempt to capitalize on the move, ESPN will strike a new television deal with the NHL, only to regret it a year later when the NFL returns and ESPN loses millions hand over first.

Jim Harbaugh isn’t going to be at Stanford forever.

Nothing against Stanford, but Harbaugh will land a bigger gig soon enough. Whether it’s Michigan or a position in the pros, he’ll have a new mailing address sometime in the near future. While what he’s done at Stanford is remarkable, the fact that the Cardinal cannot sell out their stadium week to week, or come near selling out their allotment of tickets to a BCS bowl (despite having a well spread out and wealthy alumni base), shows that Stanford just isn’t a top-notch job. Either his alma mater or the NFL will pull him away, and we really can’t blame him if he does decide to leave the West Coast.

Tiger will tap his inner “Office.”

Tiger Woods will win at least one major championship in 2011 and regain the top spot in the world rankings. Upon taking back the top spot he will say during an interview “It feels great to be back on top,” to which a young reporter will be unable to control himself and blurt out “That’s what she said.”

Urban Meyer will act as a consultant to Will Muschamp.

He’ll start by working in the athletic department and giving advice whenever Muschamp asks for it. By summer practice, he’ll be calling Muschamp every five minutes with gameplan ideas. By September, he’ll be sitting in the booth, sparingly using the headset to try and call plays. By October, Meyer will have taken over as the offensive coordinator — in his own mind, anyway, as Muschamp will give him a headset that doesn’t transmit anything, and has a loop of wired-up coaches from NFL Films running through the earphones. In November, Meyer will be on the field, attempting to send players into the game and mimicking Muschamp’s play calls. And finally, in December, Meyer will hi-jack a Muschamp press conference and announce that he is returning as Florida’s coach.

Blake Griffin will win the 2011 ROY.

Since he missed the entire 2009-10 season with a knee injury, Griffin is eligible to win the Rookie of the Year award this season. And with all due respect to John Wall (16.7 ppg, 8.9 apg), Griffin looks like he’s well on his way to winning the award. He’s averaging 20.7 points and 12.3 rebounds, while shooting 51% from the field. And he’s dunking on EVERYBODY. He’s a double-double machine, and even managed to score 44 points against the Knicks in October. Surprisingly, for a guy with his athletic ability, he’s not too adept at blocking shots (0.6 bpg), but that should come with time.

Cowher will replace Coughlin, Gruden will replace Singletary.

After the Giants suffer three fourth-quarter collapses in a row to finish out the 2010 season, the Giants fire Tom Coughlin and immediately throw one-billon dollars at Bill Cowher. After taking weeks to come to a decision, Cowher decides to accept their offer and takes over in the Big Apple. Meanwhile, the 49ers wrap up their evaluation into Mike Singletary and come to the conclusion that yep, the man doesn’t know a thing about being a real-life head coach in the NFL. Knowing they need to develop a quarterback, they hire Jon Gruden and give him complete control of the team. His first move is to sign free agent Jeff Garcia, who tells Gruden he’ll play for free as long as he’s the guaranteed starter. Gruden obliges and immediately the 49ers regret their decision. They also become incensed when Gruden re-hires Singletary to be his linebacker coach, but then settle down once they realize that’s where he should have remained this entire time.

LSU will win the national championship.

For the second straight year, the SEC will play Oregon in the national title game, and this time, it will get the win (yes, we’re predicting an Oregon win this year in the title game). Of course, since Les Miles is involved, this won’t be your average national title game. The Tigers will turn the ball over three times, but still win the game with a fake punt on a third down after taking a delay of game following a timeout.

Learned | Knew | Think

During his introductory press conference with the Phillies on Wednesday, Cliff Lee was asked about Philly fans and he couldn’t stop gushing about the energy they bring to the ballpark every night. (That’s because they get sauced up before the walk into the stadium but that’s neither here nor there.)

One interesting comment he made during the presser was about how Phillie fans “don’t need a teleprompter to tell them to get up and cheer.” You can read the full quote (excerpted from the Philadelphia Inquirer) below.

“They get excited. They’re passionate fans. They understand what’s going on. They don’t need a teleprompter to tell them to get up and cheer, to do that. No, it’s exciting. It’s an historic town. I didn’t realize until I got here how interesting the city is. My family really liked it. I mean, that played a big part in it.

Granted, Lee might have just meant fans in general and wasn’t talking about anyone specifically when he made the comment. He seems like a humble, good-natured guy and it’s not his style to take pot shots at anyone. (After all, fans at Yankee Stadium harassed his wife and never once has he said anything bad about the Yankees organization, even though he may have been justified.)

Still, I’m a little ticked off if I’m a Ranger or Mariner fan. No teleprompter was necessary when the Giants were lighting him up in the World Series and Seattle only won about 12 games last year so it’s not like they had anything to cheer about. So if he were taking a small dig at those two fan bases, he’d be out of line.

But again, I’m sure Lee didn’t mean any harm by it. He enjoyed his time in Texas and has nothing to gain by pissing off fans that embraced him last year.

As if it were right out of the pages of the Yankees’ playbook on how to sign a free agent, the Phillies stole Cliff Lee right from under the Bombers’ noses.

Actually, “stole” isn’t the right word. That would indicate that Lee was once the Yankees’ property, which he wasn’t. He was never a Yankee and thanks to the Phillies’ aggressiveness, he never will be either.

Lee left nearly $50 million of New York’s money on the table to go back to a place where he felt comfortable and had huge success. He’ll join a rotation that already features Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels, which is mind-blowing to say the least. Philadelphia opponents will face ace-like stuff nearly everyday when they take on the Phillies. The only person associated with the National League that will sleep easy this week after Philadelphia made this move is Giants’ outfielder Cody Ross, who hit all four of the Phils’ pitchers like a piñata in last year’s postseason.

For those scoring at home, here are the obvious winners and losers of this deal.

Winners:

Phillies. They land an ace when they already had a Cy Young-winning ace in the rotation. With all due respect to Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain, the Halladay-Lee pairing is the best 1-2 punch in all of baseball and the Phillies immediately become the team to beat again in the NL. Their offense was inconsistent last year but whether pundits believe it’ll round back into ’09 form or not, the Fightin’ Phils are the favorites to win the World Series next year.

Lee. It’s a little surprising that he spurned the Rangers to return to the Phillies, seeing as how Philadelphia traded him so that it could land Halladay last winter. But obviously Lee was comfortable in Philadelphia and wanted to head back to the NL, where he absolutely dominated in the second half of ’09 (and postseason). In the end, he gets the long-term deal that he had been seeking, a ton of money ($120 million to be exact) and the opportunity to stick it to New York after its fans treated his wife poorly in the stands at Yankee Stadium last year. (Not that that was a deciding factor in him spurning the Yankees but it had to have crossed his mind.)

Losers:

Yankees. They’re used to being the ones that swoop in at the last second, put an offer on the table that the free agent can’t refuse and then leave those in the bidding war gasping for air. Now they’re at the receiving end of a big F-you and it has to be devastating. They threw a ton of money at Lee and in the end, they still couldn’t land him. This was a huge blow in the post-George Steinbrenner era and while some Yankee fans will say that they didn’t want their club to sign a 32-year-old to a long-term deal, what is New York going to do for pitching? Maybe the Yankees will be better off in the long run for missing out on Lee, but as of right now they’re in a world of hurt.

Rangers. While everyone wanted to see the Yankees burned, nobody wanted the Rangers to become victims. They just lost their ace, who turned down the Yankees’ money to return to a place that was comfortable to him – only it wasn’t Texas. Nolan Ryan can’t be pleased with the outcome (although at least he didn’t wind up with the Yankees) and now he too must revert to his backup plan for pitching (whatever that is). Just months after losing the World Series, Ryan and Co. take yet another huge blow.