Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 480 of 1503)

      2010 MLB Season & Award Predictions

      April 1, 2010 /

      All 2010 MLB Preview Content | AL East Preview | AL Central Preview | AL West Preview | NL East | NL Central | NL West

      What’s a season preview without predictions? An incomplete one, that’s what.

      To go along with our 2010 MLB Season Preview, below are predictions for the upcoming baseball season. Not only did we pick division, league and championship winners, but we also made predictions for some of the top player awards as well.

      As always, feel free to bash our predictions but the rule is that if you’re going to criticize our picks, you have to make some of your own. Don’t be the guy that comes back a year later to chirp about how wrong we were. Nobody likes that guy. If you’re that guy, then let it be known that nobody likes you.

      Enjoy!

      AL East: Yankees.
      The Red Sox have the best pitching in the division and despite popular belief, they have more than enough offense to unseat the Yankees too. But they also have too many question marks: Can John Lackey stay healthy? Will David Ortiz resemble the second half or first half player from 2009? Will Adrian Beltre rebound? The Yankees have fewer questions to be answered and a more complete roster from top to bottom. The Rays could easily jump back into the postseason mix this season, but B.J. Upton is the key. If he can rebound, then Tampa will give New York and Boston all they can handle. If he doesn’t, then the Rays will likely fall to the middle of the pack in the AL. The Orioles are a team on the rise, but their pitching will probably hold them back and the Jays will crumble without Roy Halladay.

      AL Central: White Sox.
      Twins and Tiger fans have reason to argue this pick but the bottom line is that this division is a crapshoot every year. The White Sox have plenty of question marks, but if Jake Peavy stays healthy then they have the best pitching in the division and while their offense is a serious concern, I’m banking on veterans Carlos Quentin and Alex Rios bouncing back and for youngsters like Gordon Beckham to make a major contribution. The Twins will no doubt be in contention throughout the year with their two MVPs Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau, but their starting pitching is still a question mark and can Jon Rauch (or whomever) replace Joe Nathan? The Tigers have enough talent to be dangerous, but is the front office committed to winning? After trading Curtis Granderson in the offseason in an obvious cost-cutting move, that’s debatable. As for the Royals and Indians, well let’s just say this is a three-team race and neither club was invited to the party. Although Zack Greinke is reason enough to go to Kauffman Stadium every fifth day.

      AL West: Angels.
      The Mariners and Rangers should scare the Angels, who lost their leadoff hitter (Chone Figgins), their main power source (Vlad Guerrero) and their ace (John Lackey) all in one offseason. But the Halos retool as well as any team in the league and they still have the best overall talent in the division. Of course, they’ll need Scott Kazmir to pitch a full season and for free agent pickup Hideki Matsui to supply power in the middle of the lineup, but the Angels should once again wear the AL West crown at the end of the season. The Mariners have the best pitching in the division after acquiring Cliff Lee, but their lineup lacks major punch. The Rangers have the opposite problem, as their offense should score plenty of runs but their pitching is once again a question mark (although youngster Neftali Feliz is my pick to win the AL Rookie of the Year award). The A’s have a couple of young pieces, but they’ll have a tough time competing this season with a lineup that is headlined by Coco Crisp and Jack Cust.

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      MLB

      Moon bashes Eagles for treatment of McNabb

      April 1, 2010 /

      Former NFL great Warren Moon believes that the Eagles are treating Donovan McNabb poorly in the wake of all the recent rumors that the QB will be traded soon.

      From USA Today:

      “It’s mind-boggling they would put Donovan in this position,” Moon said. “He’s hearing about things second hand, which I don’t think shows him a lot of respect.

      “I don’t know why you would get rid of a quarterback who is in the prime of his career in Donovan and go with an unknown in a young quarterback like a Kevin Kolb or a Michael Vick,” Moon said.

      “I don’t know if he’d be able to go back and play for that organization after all he’s endured,” Moon said. “Then, again, I wouldn’t be surprised if they keep him as a starter and he goes right back out there and doesn’t miss a beat.

      “It seems like every year Donovan is the topic of some type of conversation about something, whether it was the Michael Vick thing last year, T.O. (Terrell Owens) a couple of years before that; the NAACP coming after him during the season one year, all kinds of different things always swirling around him. Yet it doesn’t seem to bother him. He goes right out there on the field and performs. That’s what I love about the guy. He doesn’t let all the controversy affect him.”

      While I disagree with at least one thing Moon said (McNabb definitely isn’t in his prime), I do agree that the Eagles aren’t handling the situation to the best of their ability. I realize they want to play their cards close to their vest when it comes to trade talks, but the least they could do is keep McNabb in the loop.

      McNabb is a professional and he’s been in the league long enough to know how everything works. If the Eagles told him they wanted to go younger at the position and were listening to trade offers, I’m sure he would understand. Whether fans like him or not, he’s given Philadelphia a ton of winning years and deserves the right to know what’s going on with his future. And I highly doubt that he would run to the media and spill the beans about the Eagles’ trade plans if he were told what was happening. Again, he’s a professional, just as Moon alluded to in the article.

      McNabb just needs to get through this season – whether that’s in Philly, Oakland or Buffalo. Once he becomes a free agent in 2011, he’ll have multiple teams interested in his services and then he’ll have the opportunity to choose where he wants to finish his career.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      NFL

      Porter won’t be charged with DUI

      April 1, 2010 /

      According to KERO 23 in California, Cardinals’ linebacker Joey Porter won’t be charged with DUI.

      Supervising Deputy District Attorney Mark Pafford, said, “Based upon the information that was provided to us by the CHP, we did not believe that there would be a reasonable likelihood that a jury would find Mr. Porter guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of the allegations. With this belief, we thought it was not appropriate for us to proceed.”

      According to the CHP, Porter refused to provide his license and began to roll up his window when the officer asked Porter to leave the vehicle. The CHP officer reached into the vehicle and lifted the unlock button and that’s when, according to the release, Porter slapped the officer’s hand to keep the lock button down.

      I don’t know how someone can walk away after slapping a cop (even if it was only on the hand) but maybe the police officer’s story had a few holes in it. It sounds like both Porter and the cop puffed their chests out as far as they could go in this situation and it wound up being a stalemate. I’m sure both of them thought they were above it.

      So, uh, I guess all’s well that ends well.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      NFL

      Denard Span hits own mother with line drive

      March 31, 2010 /

      Twins’ outfielder Denard Span better get his mom a decent Mother’s Day gift this year after this incident (from ESPN.com):

      Minnesota Twins outfielder Denard Span hit a foul ball that struck his mother in the chest in the first inning of Wednesday’s spring training game against the New York Yankees.

      Wanda Wilson was wearing a Span jersey and sitting with about 20 family members and friends near the third-base dugout. Span, batting leadoff, took a defensive swing against Yankees starter Phil Hughes in the first inning and hit a liner right at her in the box seats.

      A stunned Span sprinted from the batters’ box to the stands and stayed with his mother while paramedics treated her. The split-squad game was delayed for a few minutes as she was taken to first aid, and the Twins said she was sore but OK.

      Span returned to the plate with the count 3-2 and struck out looking on the next pitch. The Twins originally said Span would leave the game, but his mother was sitting in a different seat by the bottom of the first inning and he went to center field.

      She was treated by paramedics and back in the stands minutes later, but eventually went to a hospital after being convinced by medical personnel at the stadium.

      What are the freaking odds?

      Hopefully Denard’s mother is okay and has a full recovery.

      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      MLB

      McCoy a perfect 58-of-58 passing on Pro Day

      March 31, 2010 /

      Sam Bradford wasn’t the only one that was impressive during workouts this week, as Texas quarterback Colt McCoyturned some heads Wednesday at his Pro Day.

      From NFL.com:

      Colt McCoy might not have the strong arm that Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford displayed earlier in the week, but that shouldn’t detract from a fine performance in front of scouts from 30 NFL teams (the Lions and Rams were the only teams not in attendance).

      Of the 58 passes that McCoy threw at Texas’ pro day Wednesday, none hit the ground. McCoy connected on every pass to his four receivers — Texas’ Jordan Shipley, ex-Longhorns WR Brian Carter, Bengals WR Quan Cosby and former Rams WR Nate Jones — none of whom dropped a single pass.

      McCoy kept all of his workout numbers from last month’s NFL Scouting Combine, and he didn’t do any individual drills. However, the consensus was that he had really good feet and moved around well while throwing the ball.

      If I were a GM, I wouldn’t hesitate drafting McCoy in the middle rounds based on the offensive scheme I run. He’s a class act, a hard worker, a good kid and he’s a student of the game. Is he the best quarterback prospect in this year’s draft? No. Are there question marks surrounding his game? Absolutely – starting with the fact that he doesn’t have a strong arm and played out of the shotgun in college.

      But while I wouldn’t classify him as a franchise quarterback, McCoy could do very well as a backup or fill in starter at the next level. He’s an athletic player and a very accurate passer. Again, he doesn’t have the strongest arm but he knows where he wants to go with the ball and usually delivers passes on time. He might be an ideal fit for the West Coast Offense and he certainly improved his draft stock with his performance today.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      College Football, NFL, NFL Draft

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