PHSports Staff MLB Predictions & Forecast: A Month Too Late???

What do you know, it’s MLB time! No matter where or when “opening day, night, or afternoon” was…baseball is back! While most of us don’t really care about the national pastime until post-NBA Draft time, there are plenty of fans who are still salivating for their team to be playing in late-October (now more than ever for far too many).

Who else would you trust to preview what the season will look like come late October???

Without further adieu, let’s roll!

Okay, we know we’re a bit late; however, the hangover from March Madness (what a ride!) left us putting this material on the back-burner.

If anything, it makes our work all the more skeptical.

Pay

If not now Lou...then when???
Credit: Yahoo! Sports

NL East Champs: New York Mets
NL Central Champs: Chicago Cubs
NL West Champs: Los Angeles Dodgers
NL Wild Card: Arizona Diamondbacks
AL East Champs: Boston Red Saux
AL Central Champs: Cleveland Indians
AL West Champs: Los Angeles Angels
AL Wild Card: New York Yankees

Cy Young Award Winners: Carlos Zambrano [NL], John Lackey [AL]
MVPs: Derek Lee [NL], Alex Rodriguez [AL]
Rookies of the Year: Kosuke Fukudome [NL], Jacoby Ellsbury [AL]

World Series Matchup: Chicago Cubs vs. Boston Red Saux
Word Series Champs: Chicago Cubs (if not now, then when?)

Armin

Could Man-Ram pull off a Kobe-like MVP run this season?
Credit: Yahoo! Sports

NL East Champs: New York Mets
NL Central Champs: Chicago Cubs
NL West Champs: Los Angeles Dodgers
NL Wild Card: Philadelphia Phillies
AL East Champs: Boston Red Sox
AL Central Champs: Detroit Tigers
AL West Champs: Los Angeles Angels
AL Wild Card: Cleveland Indiana

Cy Young Award Winners: Johan Santana [NL], Justin Verlander [AL]
MVPs: Chase Utley [NL], Manny Ramirez [AL]
Rookies of the Year: Kosuke Fukudome [NL], Evan Longoria [AL] (What a name!)

World Series Matchup: New York Mets vs. Boston Red Sox
World Series Champs: Boston Red Sox

Clement

8-0 Brandon Webb sure is making Clement look good.
Credit: Yahoo! Sports

NL East Champs: Philadelphia Phillies
NL Central Champs: Chicago Cubs
NL West Champs: Arizona Diamondbacks
NL Wild Card: Los Angeles Dodgers
AL East Champs: Boston Red SOOOOX [aka ESPN’s Man-Crush]
AL Central Champs: Cleveland Indiana
AL West Champs: Seattle Mariners [sleeper!]
AL Wild Card: Detroit Tigers

Cy Young Award Winners: Brandon Webb [NL], Josh Beckett [AL]
MVPs: Ryan Howard [NL], Manny Ramirez [AL]
Rookies of the Year: Johnny Cueto [NL], Jeff Clement [AL] (Come on!!!!]

World Series Matchup: Cleveland Indians & Chicago Cubs
World Series Champs: Cleveland Indians [Take THAT 1945!]

There you have it! Predictions that weren’t doctored mid-way through the season. Instead, only a month-or-so in.

See you throughout the season!

All 6 months…

Call Outs: Clement-Style

I’m calling out more than a few people. Why? Partially because the sporting landscape is finally starting to heat up (especially since the post NBA Draft hangover).

Some of it won’t be nice, some it may be too nice…but the point is: it’s time to take a stand. In fact, it’s time to take a definitive one. In fact, it’s time to throw out some opinions, some love, some hate, and some SAT-laden words.

Who’s up first?

LaDainian Tomlinson. You’re a fantasy monster. You’re the top running back in the NFL. You are becoming, more and more, a juggernaut with endorsements. You’re the guy who everyone wants to play with in Madden, hand the ball to in the redzone, and are currently on a talented, young team with plenty of firepower. Yet, you’re 0-2 in the playoffs. True, you lost to New England last year. Then again, it was at home. You also had a bye week that was supposed to aid you. It’s all true that your first loss was to an underappreciated Jets team a few years back. Then again, you were at home then too. Now it’s true your numbers were pretty solid both games, but you were far from dominant. Now while there is a lot more to winning playoff games, especially against Bill Bellichick, than a great running back…it also reminds me that LT isn’t unstoppable. He isn’t immortal. With Norv Turner in tow now, many are wondering if the Chargers are a legit Super Bowl contending team. Sure, we all think they can win 12 to 13 games. Then again, why should anyone think it a lock that LT can lead the Chargers to a playoff victory, whether home or away? In fact, might Phillip Rivers and their defense, who folded like a card table in the 4^th quarter against the Pats, be more important to a victory? Call me an LT-hater, but I’m more than speculative as of now of LT and the Chargers being a Super Bowl team. Plenty of backs never really had playoff success (Barry Sanders comes to mind first) for countless reasons. Yet, I’m still waiting for LT, the sure shot pre-season MVP, to prove something to me…especially when it matters the most.

Rory Sabitini’s harasser. In case you didn’t know, Sabatini called out Tiger Woods several months ago as being “as beatable as ever”. The media went nuts, Tiger could’ve cared less, and Rory achieved mini-stardom (even if only for fifteen minutes here or there). Enter this weekend at Bridgestone, one of Tiger’s favorite stomping grounds, and Tiger blew up on Sunday (for the better) as Sabatini did (for the worst). The better story is this: Sabatini, on the 9^th hole and now countless shots behind a white-hot Tiger, was heckled from a fan who supposedly said to him: “How beatable does Tiger seem now, Rory?” Now while there isn’t a clear-cut confirmation if that’s all was said, Sabatini decided in response to have the man removed. Way to handle the hecklers Rory. Further proof why trash talk in golf is useless. And why Sabatini is nothing more than pond scum in Tiger’s world.

ESPN’s Skip Bayliss. You’re the worst media personality who was ever graced any sport’s programming. You became rich, and I suppose well known, by trashing on the trashy Cowboys of the 1990s. Fortunately for most, your TV time is typically early in the morning – during ESPN’s waste of space known as Cold Pizza. It’s a shame this guy is ever on the television, in print, or even on the radio. A shame.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame. I don’t need to plug in numbers or compare him with the other greats. Michael Irvin was a deserved Hall of Famer. Yet, what the Hall of Fame did so brilliantly – even without planning it – was further humble Irvin. His speech was downright heartbreaking at times and always moving. In fact, you should do yourself a favor, a fan or Irvin or not, and check out his speech on replays from the NFL Network or online. It gave me goosebumps; especially, even as a Jet fan, I was enthralled by Irvin’s physicality and his somewhat bizarre on and off the field antics. A man stood up at the podium, accepting and admitting to all of his flaws, for better or worse. Kudos to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, for enshrining him in the nature you did. Whether you planned it or not.

ESPN Radio Executives. With Dan Patrick exiting, there have been countless guest hosts and plenty of silent auditions. Some advice for you all. Avoid Stephen A. Smith at all costs. Ditto with Scott Van Pelt and Mike Tirico. Doug Gotlieb, believe it or not, is a viable risk. Don’t move the Herd into a spot it can’t hope to maintain any sort of ratings in. You want an oddball selection? Patrick McEnroe. I’m sure most will doubt you. In fact, everyone will. That is until they listen to him for more than 20 minutes at a time. He’d be my selection, without losing a wink of sleep to fill the shoes of another Patrick on the radio.

Bud Selig. You’re a joke. A complete joke. You’ve looked worse than Barry Bonds during the past few weeks of the home run chase. Do us a favor. A) Applaud Bonds and remind everyone he hasn’t been found guilty of anything yet. B) Don’t show your face and say you think he cheated. If you can’t do either of those, there’s one more option. C) Quit immediately.

Steve Spurrier. I understand you’ve never been under probation, are following the letter of the law of the NCAA academic minimums, and were promised by South Carolina to be supported in recruiting. Yet, there’s a better way to call out your admissions office. Not to mention, it’s clear you’re not trying to get your kids an education; instead, you want them to play football. Instead, you want to win football games in the SEC. While that is his job, academics have to matter for something in school. Even in South Carolina and the SEC.

Mike Golic. The Yankees are dead, huh? Even if they don’t make the playoffs, you can’t be the only idiot on the four letter network who thinks he has cahonies to call the Yankees done. You just can’t be that guy.

The Seattle Moose. If he injured Coco Crisp, I wouldn’t have minded if Big Papi pulled a Vitamin Water (check out the commercial) on him. Sadly, if I was Crisp, he would’ve gotten a punch to the face and I would’ve gotten a suspension. Fire the Moose! Ban the Moose! He can remain a VP candidate with Griffey though. (Who remembers that reference? Anyone?)

Tom Glavine. You won’t be the last 300-game winner. That’s a ridiculous statement. However, it might be quite some time until anyone joins you in that rather exclusive club. Even if the Big Unit gets healthy, I doubt he has 16 wins in him. Congratulations on an amazing achievement Tommy.

The Chicago Curse. Leave us alone for just one season, please! Soriano’s quad will, of course, be a worst-case quad-injury scenario. I only worry about the Big Z, as I am dreaming of him in Yankee pinstripes next season.

JaMarcus Russell. Sign your contract. Get over the extra $2 or $3-million guaranteed you want and all of the ridiculous incentives. Take your gigantic pile of money, get into camp, and learn everything you can, as soon as you can. Your mobility isn’t as masterful as many claim it is. All you will be, without preparation, is one gigantic target practice QB. Sign the contract.

I could say more. I could whine more. I could praise more.

But then you’d start calling me out.

If you aren’t already.

Until next time…

10 Vexing Thoughts...

It's official, folks. No, not Tim Donaghy again. Well, not yet.

It's official that we've hit the dog days of summer. Many of our loyal readers have either checked into hotels/motels on their summer vacations or mentally checked out of the majority of the sporting landscape.

I can't say I blame them. Most of the news out there is ridiculously negative, baseball is in the doldrum months, and football (whether college or professional) seems a little too far away.

The British Open (gasp! I mentioned golf) was fun for most to view on Sunday; yet, that is not nearly enough to get any sporting fan back in their traditional groove.

While I may be pinning for the times of the NFL Playoff-chase, bowl season beginning, and the in-conference schedule heating up throughout college basketball (ahhh, my favorite part of the holiday season)...I suppose there's more than enough going on in the sporting world to talk about.

Even if it's only to complain...

1) Why does it seem that David Stern is so willing to label Tim Donaghy's actions as an isolated incident, as if they were completely separate from the NBA itself? While it's true that the NBA has never seen such a scandal before (although, remember Game 6 between LA and Sac-Town a few years back), Stern has become all too adept at pushing any sort of negative press or blame away from himself and his association. In fact, most league officials and media personalities were less than surprised that something of this nature, that is an NBA official potentially fixing the outcomes, not just spreads, of games, could occur. Just as he did during the Robert Horry/Steve Nash debacle (Nash only listed as he was the victim), Stern has become as slimy and greasy as a junior Don King at pushing fault and culpability towards anyone than himself. And if you believe comparing his speeches to King's (remember, I'm not saying his similar in his actions) is ludicrous, fork over the cash to ESPN Radio Insider and listen to the 'lecture' he gave on the Dan Patrick Show following the suspensions of Amare Stoudamire and Boris Diaw.

2) Why is it that most media personalities, specifically those who host a morning show on the 4-letter network, are so quick to call for the head of Barry Bonds (as the Mitchell Investigation continues) and yet remain more than willing to wait it out for a certain dogfighting-related Falcons QB? They want Bonds burned at the stake, but we need to be responsible and wait for definitive evidence on Vick. Is it just me, or is the fact that a record may be broken nowhere near as serious as the vicious, brutal, and calculating murders of dozens of innocent animals? I'm not saying Bonds is innocent or Vick is guilty, but there's clearly a double standard here. Although, it has NOTHING TO DO WITH RACE.

3) Why is it we can't hear anything positive about the Cubs resurgence, other than the Lou Pinella threw a Hall of Fame Hissy Fit? There are so many more reasons for the Cubbies making a push in the NL Central. Some don't even have to do directly with them, in fact. Forgotten to most 'experts' is the complete inability of St. Louis to stay healthy, the fact that Milwaukee hasn't been in this situation in nearly two decades, and Houston's putrid performance near the bottom of the NL Standings. Instead of praising Lou for kicking and screaming like a four year old, talk about his ability to gel this roster, after all it is his first season with the team, and talk more about the standout play of guys other than Zambrano (including Ryan Theroit, Carlos Marmol, and Ted Lilly).

4) Seriously, could there be more Fantasy Football Magazines out there? Check out your local Barnes & Noble or Borders bookstores. I've seen Stephen Jackson and LT on more covers than Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan lately. Seriously, I have.

5) Why wasn't more press given to the entertaining bout between Bernard Hopkins and Winky Wright? Especially considering both fighters, particularly Wright, are defensive-minded and often don't come out of their shell. The two put on a solid show (much more impressive than the rather snoring fight between De La Hoya and Mayweather) and controversy (in the form of Hopkins and his questionable headbutting) should have peeople talking for weeks. Oh yeah, boxing doesn't matter anymore. Even when it's this good.

6) Looks like I may be eating crow come this October. While many doubt him as a second-half pitcher, it appears that Brad Penny [12-1, 2.42 ERA] is the clear-cut frontrunner for the NL Cy Young Award. While everyone seems to be jocking Padre Jake Peavy (who is much more media-friendly than Penny) or the aforementioned Zambrano (who, if he rallies the Cubs, may merit serious consideration in the next two months)...Penny has been the man for the National League's most consistent team. Yep, those Dodgers.

7) I think UFC 5,467 is coming up this week. It's time for ESPN, Yahoo, Fox Sports, and Sports Illustrated to calm down a bit on the impact of this sport. While it is clearly growing, there's no need to feature it on covers just yet. Especially when Chuck Lidell gets knocked out quicker than Peter McNeely (flashback anyone?).

8) How exactly is the 'tax shelter' set up for Ichiro by the Mariners legal? The Associated Press reports the contract extension Seattle Mariners OF Ichiro Suzuki signed last week will defer $25 million of the $90 million and the team will not have to fully pay him until at least 2032. The deal will pay Ichiro $12 million salary each year and will defer $5.5 million per season at 5.5 percent. The deferred money will be paid to Ichiro in annual installments, every Jan. 30, beginning the year after he retires. Because of the deferred money, Ichiro's contract will be discounted to $16.1 million. Other provisions in Ichiro's contract include a $32,000 yearly housing allowance that will rise by $1,000 each year and four first-class round trip tickets to Japan each year for his family. He will also be provided with either a new jeep or Mercedes SUV by the team, as well as a personal trainer and interpreter. Does this really sound legit to you?

9) Can someone get Charles Barkley a couple cough drops inbetween press junkets, radio spots, and television shows? Seriously, the guy loses his voice eight minutes into his time on TV. It's a shame too. Especially when we're forced to hear far too much from one of my favorite basketball players of all-time (and one of the world television personalities imaginable), Magic Johnson.

10) Any other sports fans just dreading reading the headlines in either your local or national sport's page or on your favorite online website (or blog even???)? Between Barry & roids, the NBA officiating fiasco, Mike Vick & dogfighting, countless arrests/suspensions/traffic violations, and ESPN's nauseating Who's Now segments...is there any reprieve for us in already brutal summer? I doubt it. Not until the NFL returns, at least.

Hopefully you have some comments/reactions or perhaps a few gripes (or maybe even some praising words) of your own to share. Feel free to via comments.

As for me, I'm still waiting out the announcement of my fantasy football drafts.

Now where's that magazine???

Until next time...

The Daily Check-up: Baseball nearing 65…Games

Despite my foray recently into pop-culture and infotainment-related materials, I’m clearly capable of cold-hard sport’s analysis.

At least, I think I am.

Despite baseball season taking a rather taxing toll on even its most avid fans, 162 games spanning from early April until the last few days of October, plenty can be learned as we approach the middle of June.

At least, I think there is.

Standings, statistics, and surprises.

Three rock solid categories to briefly delve into, as most teams march closer to their sixty-fifth game this upcoming weekend.

Standings
Your division leaders in the AL should come as no surprise.
-Boston has dominated the majority of the American League behind effective starting pitching and absolutely phenomenal bullpen work. Just wait until that Ramirez-guy catches up with the rest of the lineup. With a lead over 10 games, they seem to be more than ready to finally break the Yankee-stronghold on the AL East the last decade.
-Cleveland has stormed out to an early lead over Detroit behind ace-CC Sabathia’s torrid 9-1 start. Despite losing 2 of 3 in Cincy, the Indians 37-24 mark leaves them a ½ game ahead of the Tigers.
-Los Angeles, sporting the most wins in the American League (w/ Boston at 40), has quietly dominated at home (24-9) and rode the red-hot bat of none of than Vlad Guerrero to seize early control out West. What may be most surprising is who only trails them by 4 ½ games [Mariners].

Your divisions leaders in the NL should come as no surprise either. Well, except for the NL Central, of course.
-The New York Mets have seen steadier pitching, despite a recent hiccup in their bullpen against the Phils, than expected and maintained a 3-game cushion over Atlanta for the majority of the past month.
-The Brew-Crew (yes, from Milwaukee) rode the major’s best start, and despite recent .500 play, lead the slumping, yet potentially recovering, defending World Series-champion Cardinals, as well as the chronically underachieving Cubbies, by 5 games.
-The Padres, located in San Diego of course, apparently not missing the departure of manager Bruce Bochy as much as expected, are a strong 10-games over .500…leaving them a half game ahead of the upstart and dangerously youthful Arizona Diamondbacks. Never fear Dodger fans, as LA’s real team is only a game back in an extremely tight division race, thus far.

Statistics
In the AL, everyone else has dissected A-Rod’s April enough already. What may come as more interesting are some of these facts, as of the first week of June:
-Leading the Red Sox in homers and runs batted in…Mike Lowell.
-Second in the AL in hitting…Jorge Posada (10 points behind Maglio Ordonez)..
-Likely to see an All-Star game at 1^st base…Kevin Youklis (batting .342 with 73 hits).
-Detroit’s most productive outfielder not named Ordonez…Curtis Granderson (18 doubles and an AL-leading 9 triples).
-Slamming once again with 12 home runs and 43 runs batted in…Sammy Sosa.
-1.000 winning percentage for…Josh Beckett (8-0).
-16 combined wins for Angels starters…John Lackey (9 with a 2.37 ERA) and Kelvim Escobar (8).
-Foreign import 7-game winner…Dice-K.
-Seconds in the AL with 17-saves…Joe Borowksi.
-AL-leader in strikeouts, even over that Johan Santana-guy…Erik Bedard.
-Okay, leading the majors with 27 homers and 58 runs batted in is that A-Rod guy.

In the NL, it mainly seems to be all about Bonds (12 home runs, 9 behind tying Aaron’s 755-mark) stalking Hammerin’ Hank’s record. However, that isn’t the case when you dive head-first into the numbers.
-Two Rockies trail Cub D-Lee for the NL batting lead…Matt Holliday & Todd Helton.
-Cecil’s little boy is leading the NL with 22 homeruns…Prince Fielder.
-Right behind him, at 16, is none other than fellow Brewer…JJ Hardy.
-One Philly has 47 RBIs and 24 doubles…Chase Utley.
-Another Philly has the victories lead in the NL…Cole Hammels (8-2).
-Somebody doesn’t miss the fallout from the WBC…Jake Peavy (7-1, 1.68 ERA, and 11 quality starts).
-A Brewer has a major-league best 22 saves named…Francisco Cordero.
-Nearing 500 career saves and still going strong with 17 this season…Trevor Hoffman.

Surprises
-The jam-packed AL Central, which appears to be the biggest dogfight in the majors as of late, has Cleveland and Detroit keeping their heads both well above water. Despite a recent losing streak, Minnesota has remained near the .500 mark for the past few weeks. Yet, it’s the ChiSox, especially after dropping the ball at home versus the Yanks (losing 3 of 4), that are struggling to keep up with the frontrunner’s pace. As for the Royals. Well, they don’t like to talk about it.
-While Toronto and Baltimore have failed to make an effective push for 2^nd-place after the white-hot Red Sox, it’s the Yankees, or perhaps better suited as the Tankees, who have seen cold-pitching in April (beset mainly by injury after injury) and ice-cold hitting in May (A-Rod has returned to orbit after an incredible April) to see themselves staring 10 games behind Boston and as many as eight games under .500 earlier in the week. A weekend sweep of the Pirates, with a successful debut performance for the Rocket on Saturday, has the Yanks 30-31 and finally out of the AL East basement.
-Seattle, 33-26 after sweeping the Padres in interleague play, has to be one of the brighter spots out West. While a game ahead in the W column and two more in the loss column, Oakland has been playing their timeless tune of being unable to support solid pitching with any type of consistent offensive production. Texas has wilted under the “heat” to stumble out to an AL-worst .371 winning percentage. It’s going to be a long summer in Arlington for Ken Washington and company.

-Atlanta, not Philadelphia, has proven to be the NL East’s second best team. Currently #2 in the wild-card race, the Braves have been sparked by a return to form by born-again ace Tim Hudson.
-Chicago, as referenced perfectly throughout Pay’s article (below), have been downright terrible late in games and have stumbled, right alongside their fiery manager, to an underwhelming 27-33 start (especially after a spending spree equaling $300-million this off-season).
-San Francisco, perhaps more due to Zito than Bonds, have hovered a game or two below .500, at least before an embarrassing sweep against the A’s this past weekend, as Bond’s Chase for History has stalled in recent weeks.
-Houston (26-36) seems to have fallen and can’t get back up, to the disappointment of their fans. Fortunately for Philly and Florida supporters, their teams (32-21 and 31-33 respectively), have remained in the wild-card race thus far, despite two talented teams ahead of them in the standings.

And there you have it. Enough analysis to fill a page of USA Today. Or maybe even two!

The real questions remain: who will continue and who will see a change (whether for better or the worse)?

Only time tells those stories.

Until next time…

The Cubs Make Zero Sense

The Cubs are 24-31 and laying 6.5 games behind NL Central leaders Milwaukee, who themselves have hit a tough stretch after bursting through the gates to a 24-10 start.

If you've seen the statistics for their starting pitchers and top hitters, you would be shocked to see such a record.

In fact, the team's three most talked-about hitters - Derrek Lee (.357), Alfonso Soriano (.316), and Aramis Ramirez (.302) - all enter today's play with batting averages above .300. While there are the lowlights such as Jacque Jones and Michael Barrett (.243 each) batting below .250, the Cubs are batting .269 as a team, which currently ranks third among NL teams. Despite these numbers, the Cubs rank just seventh in on-base percentage, slugging percentage and runs scored.

On the pitching end, three of the Cubs' top four starters have an ERA below 4.00 and two (Jason Marquis and Rich Hill) have sub-3 ERAs. Shockingly, Carlos Zambrano carries a hefty 5.62 ERA, which is nearly two runs higher than any season in which Zambrano has logged more than 100 innings ( 3.66 ERA in 2002). Unfortunately, to call the Cubs bullpen disappointment would be an understatement. While Michael Wuertz has been his consistent self and Ryan Dempster continues to be effective in the closer role (11 of 12 in save opportunities), three of the teams' top five relievers (in appearances) have sky-high ERAs of 5.04, 5.14, and 7.85. Excluding Dempster, the Cubs are 0-for-9 in save opportunities.

Effective starting pitching and solid hitting usually play the trump card over a mistake-laden bullpen. Nevertheless, the Cubs find themselves 7 games below .500. Why? In short, they find a way to lose close games, whether it's by poor decisions on the bases, anemic situational hitting ( i.e. batting average with runners in scoring position) or having a bullpen that cannot keep leads between the 7th and 8th innings. The intangibles result in a 2-12 record for the Cubs in one-run games.

Looking ahead, the Cubs will need to resolve their bullpen struggles from within, as the three major culprits - Bob Howry, Will Ohman and Scott Eyre - have proven major league credibility and earn $9.4 million in salary this season. Should they decide to part ways with members of their current bullpen, the Cubs will have the ammunition both in their farm system and in their crowded outfield, which contains five major league veterans (Alfonso Soriano, Jacque Jones, Matt Murton, Cliff Floyd and Daryle Ward) as well as talented upstarts Felix Pie and Angel Pagan.

Of course, there remains the issue of situational hitting and pitching. This responsibility rests upon the shoulders of manager Lou Piniella, who must use his foresight, knowledge and vast experience in order to place his players in situations that they can exploit. Piniella and the team's veterans must also take an active stand in squashing on the internal strife which will have ruinous effects on team chemistry if not addressed. Or else, their season will end on the July 31 trading deadline and a $100 million team salary will have gone to waste.

Four Burning Questions

NBA

If the Suns get eliminated tonight by the Spurs, does Phoenix's window to win the NBA Championship close?

NCAA Basketball

How many more articles can major sports columnists generate now that the last two major recruits, Patrick Patterson and Jai Lucas committed to Kentucky and Florida, respectively?

MLB

How useless are the Cubs and Yankees? Seriously, the Mets pretty much gave away the final game of the series by resting the likes of Carlos Beltran, David Wright, Jose Reyes, and Paul LoDuca, yet Ryan Dumpster [sic] with a little help from Scott Eyre flushed the Cubs' chances of achieving a split against a very good team. As for the Yanks, how about getting a trainer who can keep your squad healthy? No doubt, I believe they'll eventually start winning games and take the AL Wild Card live due to the glut of good teams in the NL Central.

NFL

Does anyone believe Brett Favre's latest assertion that he didn't ask or demand for a trade from the Green Bay Packers? This is less likely to be true than his demand to be traded to the 1996 Packers?

2007 MLB Preview: Part II of III [Truth vs. Myth]

It’s time to analyze a baker’s dozen worth of hot names/topics that the majority of baseball fans will be focused upon, one way or another, this upcoming season.

The question for you, the reader, is this: which of these two statements, per player, is a truth and which is a myth?

Let’s dive straight into it with…

13) Craig Biggio
Truth: Craig Biggio will reach the 3,000 hit milestone this season [70 hits to go].
Myth: Biggio will retire following this season, his 9^th-straight hitting under .300.

12) Eric Gagne
Truth: Gagne will be the stabilizing back-end of the Rangers bullpen to carry them through the intense dry heat of the Texas summer.
Myth: He’ll appear in less than 14 games this season, just as he did the previous two seasons (16 total).

11) Kenny Rogers
Truth: The gambler will again defy his old-age, 42 years young, and be the steady ace of the otherwise youthful Tiger-rotation.
Myth: The wheels are about to fall off for the pine-tar-laden pitcher.

10) Delmon Young
Truth: Forget the bat-throwing incident; this guy is as close to a complete player as any 21-year old in recent memory.
Myth: He’ll be a bust down in Tampa and his emotions will again get the best of him.

9) Randy Johnson
Truth: The dry Arizona heat will be just what the 44-year old pitcher needs, alongside a weaker NL lineup, to regain prominent form.
Myth: New York exposed something about Randy everyone now knows: he’s too quick to give up the deep homerun ball from start to finish.

8) Chris Young & Matt Holiday
Truth: These are the two young prospects you better learn about ASAP. [Young is the #2 pitcher, behind Jake Peavy, on the Padres staff and Holliday is the best player, a leftfielder, on a talented young Rockies team.]
Myth: Playing in the NL West, outside of Los Angeles and San Francisco, means these guys – productive or not – matter little in the public eye.

7) Alex Gordon
Truth: The Rookie of the Year third-basemen for the Kansas City Royals will be the best thing going in the Midwest you’ll never hear enough about.
Myth: He’s a Royal. Who cares?

6) Lou Pinella
Truth: Sweet Lou may not see the playoffs this season, but the Cubs will play their butts off for him and he will be the steadying force Dusty never seemed to be.
Myth: Risky free-agent signings and typical Cubby bad-luck will yet again doom another hapless Cub-manager.

5) Alfonso Soriano
Truth: The Cubs slugger will be a front-runner for the MVP award, enjoying a massive 50-homerun season at Wrigley Field.
Myth: The contract was far too large for a swing-happy guy who may still not be ready to play outfield in Wrigley.

4) Daisuke Matsuzaka
Truth: He’s the next it-guy and has 15-wins and Cy Young contention written all over him. Worth almost every penny.
Myth: The pressure of the contract and expectations, as well as the wear-and-tear of the MLB season is just too much for Dice-K in his first season; especially those trips to the Bronx. At least he wont be Hideki Irabu...right?

3) Roger Clemens
Truth: He’ll be a Yankee.
Myth: He’ll be in Houston or Boston, retired or pitching.

2) Alex Rodriguez
Truth: This will be his breakout year before banking another mega-contract next season.
Myth: Same old underachieving Pay-Rod shows up when it matters the most. Finally he’s shown the exit from the Big Apple.

1) Barry Bonds
Truth: He’ll slug home run number 756, whether you like it or not in the summer of 2007.
Myth: This season will be a wash one way or another as Aaron’s record lasts just a little longer.

Everyone Loves Barry.

Hopefully, we’ll find out the answers to these questions – and more – sooner than later.

Until next time…