Bleacher Report - Articles by Neel Patel

NBA/NHL Second Round Playoff Picks

Neel Patel — Wed, 06 May 2009 14:14:04 -0400

What a first round in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Can’t say the same for the NBA.

Although the Bulls-Celtics series might have been the best I have ever seen, next to my Warriors defeating the Mavericks in the first round as a No. 8 seed in 2007, the NHL has just been better.

I was 4-for-4 in both league's Eastern Conference, picking the Cavs, Hawks, Celtics, Magic, Penguins, Bruins, Capitals, and Hurricanes to advance.

The Western Conference was a little harder for me, as I selected the Lakers, Blazers, Spurs, and Nuggets, as well as the Sharks, Red Wings, Flames, and Canucks. After 8-for-8 in the East, I went only 4-for-8 in the West.

What can I say? I’m an East Coast boy.

Here are my second round picks for the NBA.

Cavaliers over Hawks in six (previous pick was Cavs over Hawks)

I think the Hawks have matured and play great at home. They should be able to steal a game or two, but that's about it against the league's new MVP, LeBron James.

Magic over Celtics in seven (previous pick was Magic over Celtics)

If Kevin Garnett comes back from injury, I can see this going the other way for sure.

In fact, I’d pick the Celtics to play the Lakers in the finals again. But without KG, I just don’t see that next-generation All-Pro on the Celtics. We can make a case for Rajon Rondo, but he’s no Superman.

Dwight Howard leads his team past the defending champs.

Lakers over Rockets in six (previous pick was Lakers over Blazers)

Too much fire power on the Lakers. No experience past the first round on the Rockets.

This will lead to another early exit for Yao Ming and the Rockets. Down 1-0, Kobe will step his game up.

He isn’t one of the best player in the NBA for no reason.

Nuggets over Mavericks in five (previous pick was Nuggets over Spurs)

The Mavs should be able to steal a game at home, but the Nuggets are clicking on all cylinders. No one is going to stand in their way if they keep playing this way.

Question is: Can they keep it up?

Here are my picks for the later rounds:

Eastern Conference Finals: Cavaliers over Magic (same pick as before)

Western Conference Finals: Lakers over Nuggets (same pick as before)

NBA Finals: Lakers over Cavaliers (same pick as before)

Now onto the NHL: Once again, I called all four teams right in the East, but only half in the West.

My Stanley Cup Champion Sharks are out of the race early again. Sharks fans must be getting tired of this.

My Penguins are still in the race, but are now in a 2-0 hole.

Here are my picks:

Hurricanes over Bruins in six (previous pick was Canes over Bruins)

Cam Ward vs. Tim Thomas.

What a show Ward has put on so far, while Thomas hasn’t really been tested, but was the best goalie during the regular season.

I think the Canes have the experience—especially at goalie—to sneak past the Bruins.

Penguins over Capitals in seven (previous pick was Pens over Caps)

Man oh man, I’m so disappointed with the way the series is going, but only from a Penguin fan's perspective. As a hockey fan, I haven’t seen many better offensive games than the first two of this series.

Hat tricks for Crosby and Ovechkin in the same game!?

They’re putting on a show. The difference has been that Malkin hasn’t shown up and that Varlamov has been slightly better than Fleury. I don’t want to change my pick, but I’ll admit, I’m scared out of my pants right now.

Due to reseeding, my West picks are all messed up. I had the Sharks over the Flames and the Wings over the Canucks.

Here are my new picks:

Wings over the Ducks in seven.

I want to pick the Ducks, but I just can’t pick against the defending champs.

They have a big name at every position, from Hossa to Osgood to Zetterberg to Datsyuk, who is in the running for MVP.

Jonas Hiller has been great, but can he pull a Giguere? I don’t think he’ll be able to.

Canucks over Blackhawks in five.

The Sedin brothers are proving to be too much.

Khabibulin is not the same goalie he once was, and Luongo is proving to be a bit better right now.

The Blackhawks may steal another game, but I think the Canucks take the series.

Later round picks:

Eastern Conference Finals: Pens over Canes (Same pick as before.)

Western Conference Finals: Canucks over Wings (I'm changing my picks, I’ve become a Canucks believer.)

Stanley Cup Finals: Canucks over Pens (Poor Sharks’ fans.)

Until the next round, let me know what you guys think.

My Oh-So-Late NBA Playoff Picks

Neel Patel — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 11:53:11 -0400

Cavs Over Pistons in Four Games

The Detroit Pistons have shown nothing thus far in the playoffs. They could have avoided this matchup with a late season win, but faltered. Now they'll pay the price. The years of the Spurs and Pistons are done as the two dominant teams in the NBA are over.

Celts Over Bulls in Seven Games

The way the Chicago Bulls have been playing remind me of the Hawks in the first round last year. Ben Gordon and Derrick Rose should be able to carry them to one or two more victories each, but in the end the Celtics are just better, with or without Kevin Garnett.

Magic over 76ers in Seven Games

The Orlando Magic are hurting and have high expectations in the playoffs for the first time since Shaq left for the Lakers in the 90s. They will win the series, but the other AI (Andre Igoudala) and company will make it tougher than everyone thinks.

Hawks Over Heat in Seven Games

Dwayne Wade has a lot of youngsters around him. I know i’m picking three series to go seven, but I feel like the East is up-and-coming and the teams are a lot closer than people think.

Wade will carry his team for three wins, but the Hawks were growing last year and have only gotten better. They’re good enough to push into the second round, and this should be the best series to watch come games five, six, and seven.

Lakers Over Jazz in Five Games

The Jazz can’t play on the road. They got their one win at home. They may keep game four close, but will probably lose in the same fashion they lost game two. Game five is going to be all LA.

Nuggets Over Hornets in Six Games

Chris Paul is too good to get swept. The Chauncey Billups trade has made the Nuggets contenders. Billups should get the job done four-out-of six times against Paul as he has the better team around him right now. David West and Tyson Chandler need to show up.

Spurs Over Mavs in Seven Games

I would have said six, so i’m cheating a bit as the Mavs have already won two games. Tim Duncan is a champion, Dirk Nowitzki is not. That should be the difference. Not to mention Jason Kidd has slowed down and Tony Parker is on a tear. With or without Manu Ginobili, the Spurs are a better team. Roger Mason (the new Robert Horry) is going to hit a game-winning three-pointer in game seven.

Blazers Over Rockets in Seven Games

This should be just as good as the Hawks and Heat series. The young Blazers have the second best shooting guard in the game in Brandon Roy and a bunch of young talent that I think can get the job done against Yao Min.

This series could go either way, but the Blazers have the better star and are just a bit more exciting to watch. They’ll also pose great problems for the Lakers in the second round, but they will pull it off in this first round.

Eastern Conference Semifinals

Magic Over Celtics in Seven Games

The Magic get a bit healthier and without Kevin ,no one is going to stop Dwight "Superman" Howard. We’d all love to see the Celtics and Cavs go at it, but without KG it's just not the same, and the Celts may just not get there.

Cavs Over Hawks in Five Games

I feel like the Cavs will dominate the young Hawks, and the Hawks are a year away.

Western Conference Semis

Lakers Over Blazers in Six Games

The Blazers will pose problems. The best two shooting guards in the league, Kobe Bryant and Brandin Roy, will go at it. Kobe is just too good, especially on defense. The Blazers should be able to sneak a win or two, maybe even three, but they’re not winning this series.

Nuggets Over Spurs in Six Games

This should look much like the Nuggets/Hornets first round series, Billups should get the job done four-of-six times against Parker as well, especially with the team clicking at the right time.

Eastern Conference Finals

Cavs Over Magic in Six Games

Two superstars will go at it. This reminds me of Shaq and Kobe. Two future Hall of Famers. The Cavs are just too good though, and they’ll probably take one road game, and they’re not going to lose at home.

Western Conference Finals

Lakers over Nuggets in Five Games

The "Nugs" might steal a game, but they were dominated by the Lakers recently.

Finals

This is a tough. Cavs vs. Lakers are many people's consensus pick. I will have to go with the Lakers though in seven games. This may be tough as the Cavs don’t lose at home, but LeBron doesn’t face Bryant everyday.

Kobe has the championship experience and two seven-footers that can dominate. Zydrunas Ilgauskas can’t dominate and I don’t care who thinks otherwise, he will get beat in this series.

It may just be the difference as long as the Lakers point guards don’t get beat by Mo Williams.

My oh so late NHL picks!

Neel Patel — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:12:09 -0400

I was out of town in Montreal and I saw many hockey fans walking around in their jerseys. Great seen, great hockey town. I came back and had missed the first 2 days of the playoffs, but have caught up these past 2 days and man oh man am I glad. What great games! I don’t think the NBA is keeping up right now in the first round.

Here are my late picks, I will redo the picks every round, obviously these are a little late as I wasn’t able to make these earlier.

Boston over Montreal in 5 (Currently Boston leads 3-0)

Boston is unstoppable right now, especially with Thomas in goal, but after being in Montreal I feel like I owe them a pick of at least pulling off 1 victory.

Capitals over Rangers in 7 (Rangers currently lead 2-1)

I can’t pick against Ovechkin, but Lundqvist has been amazing and will push this series.

Carolina over New Jersey in 7 (series currently tied at 2)

The stars are aligned for the Canes, but Brodeur is pissed after last nights game and will give it all he’s got.

Pens over Flyers in 6 (Pens lead 3-1)

Crosby and Malkin haven’t been great, but Fleury has shown up as of late. When all things click, this team may be unstoppable, but Philly has 1 more home game and those fans are straight nasty.

Sharks over Ducks in 7 (Ducks lead 2-1)

Best team in the NHL, even after the slow start, can’t pick against them. The Ducks have the playoff experience returning the core players, and the Sharks have been good for the past few years but haven't been able to get over the hump. This year they get over the hump, at least in the first round, too much talent, too many stars, best record in the league for a reason.

Wings over Jackets in 4 (Wings lead 3-0)

Detroit is clicking on all cylinders, the state of Ohio is just happy they made the NHL playoffs for the first time.

Canucks over Blues in 4 (ok, so I cheated on this one, haha.)

Flames over Blackhawks in 7 (Hawks up 2-1)

This is going to be a great series. It’s a toss up, but i’m going with Iginla to lead his team.

Conference Semis:

Penguins upset Capitals (both have played in a physical 1st round, 2 future hall of famers vs. 1, the goaltenders will make the difference, should be the best series of the East playoffs).

Hurricanes upset Bruins (just a shot in the dark, they ride the wave, have the experience).

Red Wings over Canucks (neither met a challenge in the 1st round, this round will be different, but the Wings want to defend their title against the dangerous ‘Nucks)

Sharks over Flames (Flames will not have enough to beat the Sharks)

Conference Finals:

Penguins over Hurricanes (Cinderella’s run ends)

Sharks over Red Wings (No rematch from last year)

Finals:

Sharks over Penguins (Too much firepower on the Sharks, Fleury is too inconsistent)

Did Anderson “Spider” Silva Show Up in Montreal?

Neel Patel — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 16:51:12 -0400

http://www.pridefc.com/pride2005/images/fighter/152_l.jpg

What kind of spider? I was actually in Montreal for this fight. It was impossible to get tickets, so we went out to a bar instead on Rue St. Catherine’s. Let me tell you, this fight sucked. Everyone was disappointed; it's like Silva didn’t show.

All in all it was a good experience though for several reasons. One, I went to the corner deli and actually saw The Spider on Friday night before the fight. I was souped!

Two, Chuck Liddell retired, but he’s great, first household name of the sport.

Three, there were enough brawls after the fight on the street we were on to keep us entertained for hours! There was definitely a choke out and several people being tossed around.

As for the Silva fight, it was horrible. Reminds me of how Floyd Mayweather has been boxing recently. They’re great and they keep winning, but honestly, who wants to watch anymore?

Nick Adenhart Dies in Tragic Automobile Accident

Neel Patel — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:52:32 -0400

Wow. A few hours after pitching a great game, Angels pitching prospect Nick Adenhart passed away in a car accident.

The culprit was caught, but this is still a heartbreaking story. An already ailing pitching staff for the Angels now loses a young and promising talent.

The kid was just 22.

Adenhart had a rough start to his 2008 season as a rookie. In three career starts, he was 1-0 with a 9 ERA, with only 4 strikeouts and 13 walks, and a WHIP of 2.58.

Batters were hitting .360 against him.

He did start out this year well though. Facing Oakland on the night of the accident, he pitched six innings, giving up seven hits with just three walks and five strikeouts, while giving up no runs.

Condolences go out to his family. Losing someone so young always hurts, and he will be remembered.

MLB Predictions - Part 3 of 7 - NL WEST

Neel Patel — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 15:44:23 -0400

Unlike the NL East and NL Central, the West looks weak. This is going to be a pitchers division with many stud aces taking the mound and very weak lineups following. The Giants and Padres should have the NL’s worst 2 lineups, while the Diamondbacks are young and inexperienced, and the Rockies have lost their best player and the Dodgers had lost their until midway through spring training.. Which lineup will take this division?

Arizona Diamondbacks

This team is young, but only missed the playoffs by 2 games last year. They bring back a great starting rotation and a decent lineup, but lack power. They lost Adam Dunn in the offseason and it’s going to take a bite out of their power but they bring back a lot of youngsters in their prime who could make up for that loss.

The lineup will include Felipe Lopez, Chris Snyder, Stephen Drew, Mark Reynolds, Conor Jackson, Chris Young, and Justin Upton. All have the potential to be great players down the line, especially Young, Reynolds, and Upton, but I feel as though they are still a year or 2 away from really putting it together. The pitching staff will have to carry them, the question is, can they?

The staff includes All Stars Brandon Webb and Dan Haren. They are followed by Doug Davis, Jon Garland, and Max Scherzer. This is a solid rotation, but the whole division is full of solid rotations. In fact, i’d bet the under for every division matchup in the NL West this year.

The bullpen pretty much consists of Qualls, Rauch and Tony Pena. This should hold over and be a decent bullpen, especially since the starters are good enough to get into the 7th inning consistently.

Webb and Haren will be Webb and Haren, even though Webb has struggled since last August, he is still an Ace. Davis, Garland, and Scherzer will be the question marks, and solid performances or a breakout season for Max could mean the D’Backs are playoff bound. They will also have to find some power in the lineup if they are to make a run.

Colorado Rockies

This team finished 3rd last year and have lost All Star Matt Holliday to the Oakland A’s. Their pitching staff should be a bit better than last year, but will it be enough to boost them into making a playoff run? Remember, they play in a hitter’s ballpark and probably have the weakest rotation in the West.

The pitching staff consists of Cook, Jimenez, Marquis, De La Rosa and Franklin Morales. They have lost their clubhouse leader Jeff Francis to injury. Cook is a very overrated pitcher, but the rest of this staff could surprise, especially Ubaldo Jimenez. He has some nasty stuff, and a break out season in this offense starved division isn’t very far fetched.

The bullpen consists of newly acquired Huston Street in the Holliday trade, Manny Corpas, and Taylor Buchholz who is on the DL. This is a serviceable bullpen and shouldn’t cause a problem with blowing games as long as the starters give them opportunities.

The lineup isn’t that bad, but they will definetely miss Matt Holliday. Iannetta, an aging Helton, Barmes, Tulowitzki, Atkins, Spilborghs, and Hawpe are the main hitters in the lineup, with Ian Stewart coming off the bench. Dexter Fowler is also a very interesting rookie, and should put up some solid numbers, double digit homerun and steal totals are very possible.

The Rockies should contend as long as their lineup can contend with the strong pitching staffs of this division. They have the weakest pitching staff, which means they can’t just match their opponents in run support for their pitchers, but will have to surpass them because their staff will not be able to match up with the rest of the West.

Los Angeles Dodgers

The winners of West last year return most of their players. They have a decent lineup with the addition of Orlando Hudson and the resigning of Manny Ramirez. They have a decent yet very young pitching staff, so the hitting, like in the case of many of this division’s teams, will have to carry them.

The rotation is led by ace, and yes he’s an ace, Chad Billingsley. It will be followed by Kuroda, Wolf, and youngsters Clayton Kershaw and James McDonald. Besides Billingsley, the rotation has some question marks. I feel as though Kershaw is a year away from being dominant and McDonald 2 or 3 years away. Of course Jason ‘waste of money’ Schmidt is on the DL yet again.

The bullpen consists of Broxton, Kuo, Mota, and newly acquired Will Ohman. Claudio Vargas is also on the DL. This bullpen should be able to hold up and compete with the rest of the division.

The lineup is great. Russell Martin, Loney, Hudson, Furcal, Casey Blake, Manny, Kemp, and Ethier are dangerous from 1-8. They are also a lot better than the other lineups in this division, especially if Manny goes off again, like he’s know to do. They also have some depth at all positions with Ausmus, Mientkiewicz, DeWitt, Delwyn Young, and Juan Pierre coming off the bench.

The Dodgers can repeat, but they will need Manny to be Manny, and they will need the young pitchers to come through.

San Diego Padres

The Padres were in dead last by several games last year. I can’t seem them improving much. Most likely they will battle the Astros and Nationals for the worst record in the NL. However, they do play in a weak division and have 2 aces that may be able to carry them.

The aces I am referring to are Jake Peavy and Chris Young. They both had healthy issues last year and will need to be workhorses in order to help the Padres compete this year. Walter Silva is also a nice prospect, only time will tell if he pans out.

They have lost their all time saves leader in Trevor Hoffman to the Milwaukee Brewers. This leaves Heath Bell to closing duties, and he’s a beast. The rest of the bullpen isn’t up to par and contains Cla Meredith and Duaner Sanchez.

The lineup consists of Nick Hundley, Eckstein, Kouzmanoff, Headley, Gerut, Brian Giles, and Adrian ‘Gonzo’ Gonzalez. Gonzo seems like he could be on his way down, while Headley has much upside but hasn’t reached his potential yet. Cliff Floyd of course is on the DL.

For the Padres to compete, Peavy and Young will need to pitch all year. The run support is going to be slim, but that should be the case for all these teams. Walter Silva will need to be decent as well.

San Francisco Giants

This team had 72 wins last year, 12 behind the leading Dodgers. I feel like they may close the gap this year with a dominant pitching staff. However, they do have the worst lineup in the NL according to many experts. Will there be enough run support?

This lineup lacks power from top to bottom. Their cleanup hitter is 16 hr hitting Bengie Molina. No one understands why Ishikawa has gotten the start at 1b over Nate Schierholtz. The rest of the lineup consists of Renteria, Sandoval, Fred Lewis, Rowand, and Randy Winn.

The pitching staff is full of guys that can just make people miss. They will contend to be the top strikeout staff in the majors with Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum leading the way for Matt Cain, Randy Johnson, Jonathan Sanchez, and Barry Zito (yuck!).

The bullpen consists of Bow Howry and Jeremy Affeldt. The closer will be a very underrated Brian Wilson who recently hit 100 mph with a fastball, in the first game of the season for the Giants.

The Giants will compete, and should improve on the pitching end. The worst lineup in the NL will hurt though. I can see them sneaking in to be the division winners, and wouldn’t consider it a longshot, but would consider it unlikely.

Projected Finish

Dodgers

Giants

Diamondbacks

Rockies

Padres

The Dodgers are the only team that has a potent offense in this pitching dominated division. Their pitchers are good enough to compete and their lineup will propel them to another division title. I think the Giants and Diamondbacks have very dominant pitching staffs, but will fall short due to a lack of run support.

Running up the rear will be the Rockies who have lost thier best player and have some aging players. Their pitching staff is also not up to par with the rest of the division. Their youngsters though will propel them over the Padres who have nothing going for them except for Peavy, Young, and Gonzo. 3 players that, in my mind, won’t be able to avoid a last place finish.

Bears and Broncos: Orton for Cutler Is A Win/Win

Neel Patel — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 17:08:39 -0400

Man oh man am I excited about this trade for the Chicago Bears.

I must say I’ve been reading a lot about this trade already—opinions from all angles. I will have to just spit my input out in bullets, because it seems as though a lot has been covered already. Here is my take (yes I’ll be rambling, so I’m just going to try to keep each point short).

First of all, wow, thank you Jerry Angelo!

You still suck, but at least you grew a pair for the first time in your tenure. It may save you job, at least in the eyes of Bears fans.

A lot of people (the media) who considered J Cut (my new nickname for my new favorite QB Jay Cutler) a stud before are now calling him a slightly above average quarterback. The same people who called Kyle Orton inadequate are now calling him average. Very biased (ehem ESPN).

They’re probably just pissed theyre golden boy Brett Favre is retiring.

I have to say the Bears overpaid. By a lot.

But consider this—If they don’t overpay, they lose out to a team that does. They had to overpay to get what they wanted. Plus, not all draft picks work out. Who knows who they would have gotten with the 18th pick.

Speaking of the draft, the offensive line still needs help, but is already much improved. There are many many many good offensive tackles coming out this year, and they can probably nab one in the third round.

This leaves question marks at saftey, wide receiver, and the defensive line. They should draft a WR in the second round (i’m still praying for Kenny Britt as I went to Rutgers).

Ok, so now you have an average line on both sides, a solid TE, RB, a stud QB, and no good WRs, but a game breaker in Hester, all with an aging but still above average defense.

People are still scared. “Ohhh who is Jay Cutler going to throw too?”

Um, how about the same people that Orton threw to.

They went 9-7 with these pieces last year, and an offensive line that wasn’t as good and a quarterback that wasn’t as good. The rest of the division hasn’t done much this offseason (Sage Rosenfels doesn’t count).

I think another 9-7 finish is worst case scenerio. To me the Bears won out, and I’m excited!

They haven’t had a passer like Cutler in a long time, and there is no denying that he’s better than Orton. But looking at the flip side of things, there's no denying that the Broncos made out like bandits with this trade.

J Cut went 8-8 against a weak AFC West. Why? Well, they had a Detroit Lionesque defense last year! Cutler is 13-1 or 12-1 when his team gives up less than 21 points.

So now the Broncos have plenty of draft picks to shore up their defense in the first few rounds. They’ve already added Dawkins and will be drafting plenty of players on the defensive side.

Imagine a secondary with Dawkins, Bailey, and Malcom Jenkins from Ohio St.

Two shutdown corners, a top five safety and all of sudden you have seven in the box every down and the team is not giving up 28 pts per game anymore.

Kyle Orton is very serviceable. To all these bashers out there, there is a reason that he was No. 2 on their list of QBs they wanted behind only Brady Quinn.

So Derek Anderson, Jason Campbell and all you other overrated QBs, eat your hearts out. Denver knows what they’re doing.

Now once again, as I did before with J Cut, I’m going to ask this question.

If Kyle Orton can go 9-7 with a “CFL WR corp”, then what makes the media think he won’t go at least 9-7 with Brandon Marshall, Eddie Royal, and Tony Scheffler?

Once again this is a win/win for both teams. Everyone has been looking at the negative side of this. Orton sucks sucks and Cutler will have no recievers now, etc. Give it a break already.

We’ll see five years from now if this trade had a REAL impact for the franchises, but for the short term this was a great trade on both sides.

My last tidbit has to do with Josh McDaniels. Please, oh please, don’t give him all the credit when Kyle Orton is successful in the AFC West.

This guy was not Tom Brady’s QB coach while he developed, and Matt Cassel could be a one hit wonder for all we know. He has nothing to do with J Cut’s development, and trust me, as a Bears fan I know, Kyle Orton is already developed. He had no offensive line and no WRs. Now he does.

He has the best line in football, and he has good recievers. What he does is because of the QB he already is, not because McDaniels is some miracle worker. For McDaniels to prove himself, he will have to have a solid defense as well.

At least this puts to rest the Sexy Rexy (Grossman) talks in Chicago, finally! We will miss you though. Neckbeard (Orton), we will also miss you.

Up next, Jerry Angelo while we have you listening to us, bring in Boldin, Plax, Braylon, Holt and/or Peppers. Orton, good luck.

J Cut welcome. You’re officially a Monster from the Midway tonight at 6PM.

Hey, at least we’re not getting Michael Vick! Go Bears!

MLB Predictions - Part 2 of 7 - NL CENTRAL

Neel Patel — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 18:30:36 -0400

I took a look at the NL East last time, now it’s time to take a look at a much weaker NL Central. Not quite as much parity in this division, but considering there are six teams, there could be some surprise finishes.

Now, I’m a Pirates fan, so lets hope they can weasel their way into a top three spot for the first time in ages. And as I stated before in part one, I think the Mets will win the Wild Card, and if they don’t it will be the Phillies, leaving only one playoff spot for the six teams in the Central.

Who will emerge as the NL Central champion?

Chicago Cubs

Winners of the division last year, they boast a just as good if not a better lineup and starting rotation than last year. The bullpen is solid with Chad Gaudin, Kevin Gregg and Carlos Marmol (possibly the best setup man in the game).

The rotation also has immense amounts of potential, and if they fail to be superb, they will be average at worse. Big Z, Carlos Zambrano will be the opening day starter. He will be followed by an ace in the making in Ryan Dempster, a consistent pitcher in Ted Lilly, and a former ace in Rich Harden.

In a seven game series, if Harden is healthy this would be a deadly rotation to face. Sean Marshall is no pushover as the fifth starter either.

The lineup is just as good as last year. Soto, Derek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Alfonso Soriano, and Kosuke Fukudome bring speed and power back this year. Fukudome is the biggest question mark, but with the addition of an inconsistent Milton Bradley (no not the board game, the hot head), Fukudome is their sixth best hitter. Not much to worry about there.

If Harden and Bradley can stay healthy, there is no stopping this club from breaking the longest World Series drought in baseball history.

Cincinnati Reds

This team finished second to last in the standing last year, only in front of the abysmal Pittsburgh Pirates. They lost a power bat in Adam Dunn this offseason as well. Can they improve?

I think they will be a little bit on the decline, but not by much. Their rotation has potential to win some games without offense—and their offense has potential to win some games without pitching, but I don’t see the two clicking together into a playoff contender.

The pitching is young, very young with Harang leading second year guys Edinson Volquez and Johnny Cueto. Bronson Arroyo, Micah Owings, and Homer Bailey are all also young and can be studs, but mostly likely won’t. Arroyo has seen that boat sail, and Bailey still has a year or two before he matures. Same can be said about Cueto and his inconsistencies.

The bullpen is weak with Fransisco Cordero as the closer. The lineup, like the pitching staff is young, but has potential. Joey Votto, Jay Bruce and Brandon Phillips can be the best at their positions, but the team around them is a bunch of question marks. Willy Taveras, Juan Encarnacion, Alex Gonzalez, and Ramon Hernandez bring some pop to the lineup, but their averages are nothing to look at twice.

Houston Astros

The fact that Ivan 'Pudge' Rodriguez is the backstop for this team is telling. I can see this team slipping from their third place finish last year. Their whole team is full of aging former all-stars. We should see dips in production across the board.

Roy Oswalt is their only legitimate pitcher, unless you count Wandy Rodriguez—who only seems effective at home. Jose Valverde is the closer—their bullpen has no depth beyond that. Their lineup is full of players that have done it before, but are now on the way down.

'Pudge' Rodriguez and Miguel Tejada are way past their primes and are part of the steroid scandals. Berkman is a beast, but he’s not getting any younger either. Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn are young, but have been on and off. Carlos Lee is their only staple and even he saw a bit of a drop off last year.

Milwaukee Brewers

Behind the arms of Sabathia and Sheets the Brewers were last year’s NL wild card. They will contend again, but this time the bats will have to pick up some of that slack as they lose two of their aces. They seem to be in the same boat as the Reds at this point, both will battle for positioning for a wild card.

The all-time saves leader, Trevor Hoffman is the anchor of the bullpen. And really the only threat from the starting rotation is Yovani Gallardo, who I think will put up great numbers.

Most of the lineup is back, with Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun leading the charge. Jason Kendall, Ricky Weeks, JJ Hardy, Bill Hall, Mike Cameron, and Corey Hart make this a decent lineup in the central. But someone remind me why this team is carrying four catchers again?

Pittsburgh Pirates

Ah, my favorite team. I miss those days of Barry Bonds (the skinny version), Bobby Bonilla and Andy Van Slyke. Well, back to reality.

Last place last year, and not looking much better this year. Although, their AAA outfielders might be the best out there.

The Bucs' pen is one that won’t falter, when they get the opportunity that is. Tyler Yates and John Grabow will lead into the ninth where Matt Capps should be one of the best closers again this year.

The rotation is full of talent, but just like the other rotations mentioned so far (minus the Cubbies), it is full of questions. Paul Malholm is solid, followed by potential ace Ian Snell, Zach Duke, Russ Ohlendorf, Dumatrait, and/or Jeff Karstens.

The lineup is weak once again. Ryan Doumit at catcher and NAte McClouth in the outfield are studs. We’re still awaiting the debut of Andrew McCutchen from AAA to round out the outfield with McClouth and Brandon Moss and Steve Pearce waiting in the wings. This should be one of the best outfields in the near future in the NL.

Aside from that, Freddy Sanchez brings consistency and leadership, while Andy LaRoche is a stud in the making. Unfortunately, this lineup is set to do well in 2011 or 2012, not now. Eric Hinske is also a sleeper as he produced Jay Bruce like numbers last year, but is obviously not as reliable and will have to pass Nyjer Morgan in the left field depth chart.

St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals contended with the bats of the Astros, and the star studded teams of the Brew crew and Cubbies last year, all without their ace Chris Carpenter. They did it with grit—the same grit that won them a recent World Series. They look for players with heart like Jim Edmonds and David Eckstein. How much heart do they have this year?

When I think heart, I think Rick Ankiel. When I think MVP, I think Albert Pujols. These two will lead a lineup that consists of Ryan Ludwick, Yadier Molina, Khalil Greene, Troy Glaus, and the very underrated Skip Schumaker. In fact, this whole team may be underrated, and underestimated until September.

The Cards' also get their ace back in Chris Carpenter (who I hate so much), while keeping an ace in the making in Adam Wainwright. Todd Wellemeyer also has the potential to be an ace. Kyle Lohse and Joel Pineiro round out a very dangerous rotation that could contend with the Cubs.

Projected Finish

Cubs

Cardinals

Brewers

Reds

Pirates

Astros

While the Cardinals can contend with the Cubs and will keep it very close, the difference top to bottom in the lineups tells me that Cubs will repeat. The Cardinals will also contend with the Mets and Phillies for the wild card, and if I had to pick a team to pass one of the powerhouses, I would go with St. Louis. Unfortunately, I think they will come up just short.

As for the Brewers and Reds, they lack a few things. The Brewers lack a legit pitching staff, and the Reds need more experience.

This will have them a few games back of the Cards, each contending for third place right around .500. The Pirates will improve but still haven’t caught up with the rest of the division. And the Astros, well, like their ‘studs’ they’re on the way down.

MLB Predictions - Part 1 of 7 - NL East

Neel Patel — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 17:18:01 -0400

Let’s take a look at the NL East, where anyone, well, almost anyone can emerge as the winner. I’ll take a look at the teams in alphabetical order, saving the Nats for last, where they belong. The Marlins, Mets, Phillies, and Braves will all be contending this year, with question marks on every team. Who will emerge as the NL East champion?

Atlanta Braves

Last year, the Braves finished in fourth place leap years behind the third place Marlins. They are now younger, stronger, and faster. They have also padded their pitching rotation with savvy vets Derek Lowe and Javier Vasquez. They will anchor a rotation that includes Kenshin Kawakami and Jair Jurrjens. The lineup will include McCann, a power hitting catcher.

Besides that, there are a lot of questions marks. Kotchman, Kelly Johnson, Garret Anderson, and Escobar are all great role players, but there are too many of those on this team.

Schafer is a steroid-using question mark, and Jeff Francouer has to prove himself once again.

The rotation is decent, especially once they call up phenom Tommy Hanson from AAA. They also have a decent bullpen with Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez. The depth on offense isn’t legit though.

Florida Marlins

This team contended with the Mets and Phillies down to the wire last year. I think they’ll be right behind those two teams once again. They boast a young, beastly pitching staff, which many consider the best in the NL East.

Nolasco, Josh Johnson, Volstad, Anibal Sanchez, and Andrew Miller have a lot to learn, though. They can all strike out the best of them, but we all saw what happened to Dontrelle Willis. Is that the fate of the Marlins' pitching staff? Or will they be the best indeed?

The lineup is also young, and there aren’t many studs besides Hanley Ramirez. Uggla can hit for power, but hits around .240, while Maybin, Hermida, Baker, and Cantu can turn into studs, but haven’t yet. The bullpen is weak, with Matt Lindstrom as the closer.

New York Mets

The Mets failed to make the playoffs with their second collapse in a row last year. It won’t happen again this year. Their biggest question mark is their pitching staff, and surprisingly it's not the bullpen.

They had the worst bullpen of all the major contenders last year, but shored it up with the acquisitions of JJ Putz and FRod. Long relief may still be an issue, though. But if the starters can get to the seventh, you can pretty much wrap up the game. The question is, can the starters get to the seventh?

Santana is a stud, but there have been talks about cutting down his workload. The rest of the staff is full of question marks. Maine, Oliver Perez, and Mike Pelfrey have to step up and get it done in order for this team to make the playoffs.

Having an offense like the one the Mets do does help the staff a bit. This lineup boasts power and speed with Carlos Delgado, David Wright, Jose Reyes, and Carlos Beltran. Daniel Murphy may be a nice surprise in left field.

Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies astonishingly came back to win the division last year. Can they do it again? They have the studs to get it done. Cole Hamels leads a staff that is a bit better than the Mets staff, but has the same amount of questions marks.

If Oliver Perez breaks out, why can’t Brett Myers round back into form? What if John Maine and Joe Blanton are just good No. 4 pitchers, but can’t get it done higher up in the rotation come September?

The Phillies, just like the Mets, have a robust lineup that doesn’t lack power or speed; trust me, they won’t miss Pat Burrell much. Howard, Utley, Rollins, Ibanez, Victorino, and Werth have the Phillies thinking repeat. The rotation, along with Hamels, includes Myers, Jamie Moyer, and Blanton.

There aren’t many concerns with the bullpen that includes Lidge, Madson, JC Romero, Durbin, and Eyre. They don’t match up with the Mets here, but they have more depth in the pen and the lineup.

Washington Nationals

The reason why baseball doesn’t have much parity is because of teams like this. If anyone thinks that this team will contend, they need to lay off the Melatonin.

The lineup has some power with Nick Johnson, Adam Dunn, and Ryan Zimmerman, but has more questions than answers. Milledge and Dukes have potential to be all stars; personally, I don’t think either ever gets there.

There is some good depth with Willingham, Dmitry Young, Bard, Belliard, Kearns, and Patterson being added.

Their pitching staff is also full of question marks. I’ll admit it looks better than recent years with Lanna, Scott Olsen, Daniel Cabrera, and rookie sensation Jordan Zimmerman, but it won’t match up well with any of the other East teams. Joel Hanrahan is a decent closer but won’t be getting many save chances in this loaded division.

Projected Finish

Phillies

Mets

Marlins

Braves

Nationals

I know, it looks a lot like last year. But the top four teams will be closer than last, and the Nats may add a few wins to last year’s total.

I still think due to the Mets and Phillies being powerhouses, and the Marlins having a great pitching staff, the Braves will once again find themselves in fourth place. Only, this time, they won’t be 13 games behind Florida.

This will be a good race for third. I think the Marlins will edge them by only a few games, with both teams only being no more than 10 behind the Mets and Phillies.

The Nationals will once again be in last, and contend for worst record in the NL, if not the majors. However, they have made some strides in the right direction. They just play in a very competitive division.

I don’t think that Maine, Perez, and Pelfrey get it done for the Mets, but their offense will carry them to a wild card. Phillies have the pieces to get it done again, matching the Mets stride for stride. The only reason I’ll take the Phillies to take the division is because I don’t want to be wrong when the Mets blow another late September lead.

Big East: Dominating The NCAA Tournament

Neel Patel — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 16:49:07 -0400

Looks like the debate over the best conference this year is over.

RPI meant nothing, as the Big East is standing tall in the NCAA tournament, losing only one team per round, and having five representatives in the Sweet 16.

After last night, Big East teams are now 14-2 in the tourney. Their main competitors, the ACC, and for some reason the Big 10 due to RPI weren’t even close. The ACC lost four teams in the first round, then lost Maryland in the second round.

What was supposed to be possibly the best game of the tournament thus far, ended up in a drubbing of Duke (the ACC’s second best team by far) by Villanova (the Big East’s fourth, fifth, or sixth best team). The ACC’s record now stands at a measley 5-6. The Big 10 is 6-6.

Both conferences only have one representative left in the final 12 teams, while the Big Beasts from the East boast five teams out of 12.

With Louisville playing an overmatched Arizona team tonight, you can pretty much slate either four or five Big East teams in the Elite 8.

Not to mention that Marquette only lost by two points on a botched play by Lazar Hayward in the final seconds against a Missouri team that just destroyed a top notch Memphis team. We could easily be looking at six Elite 8 Big East teams. And they kept up with Mizzou without their best player in Dominik James.

My prediction, going away from the bracket I have already filled out, is that Louisville, Uconn, Syracuse and either Pitt or Nova fill the Final Four.

And of course Notre Dame is represeting the best conference in history as a Final Four representative in the NIT.

Yea I know, who cares?

Terrell Owens Cut: Dallas Cowboys Straddle Up for Bumpy Ride

Neel Patel — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 13:45:04 -0500

The Dallas Cowboys have cut their No. 1 wide receiver and offensive weapon Terrell Owens. So what does this mean for their upcoming season? It’s going to be a bumpy ride, that’s for sure.

Let’s take a look at what the Cowboys have done or not done so far this offseason, and how their opponents have faired.

Adam “Pacman” Jones is released

Well, I may be the only one, but I think he’s a good player. Off the field is a completely different story. This move can be viewed in either direction, and I’ll call it a toss up.

Cowboys tender Miles Austin, Stephen Bowen, Sam Hurd, and Corey Proctor

By putting a second round draft choice tag on Austin and Hurd, the Cowboys shored up decent third and fourth wide receivers, but would soon release T.O., leaving big holes at that position. The tenders weren’t a bad move though. They were smart ones.

Brad Johnson is released

Finally!

Miami Dolphins sign offensive lineman Joe Berger

The Cowboys don’t care, and neither does anyone else.

The Cowboys sign Jon Kitna

Okay, this is a huge upgrade over Brooks Bollinger and Johnson. While this is a good move, in the end, he’s still a backup. This is unless he gets to start in the playoffs over Tony Romo who only shows up for the regular season.

Keith Brooking signed by ‘Boys

The Cowboys’ defense needs some leadership.

The Cowboys sign Matt Stewart

While they’ve signed Stewart, the Cowboys released Zach Thomas.

Anthony Henry is traded

Eh. Nothing major.

Chris Canty signs with New York Giants

If you’re going to let him go, make sure he doesn’t go to the Giants for god sakes.

Owens is cut as well as safety Roy Williams.

This has obviously been the biggest splash.

With the Giants defense getting stronger by a little bit this offseason, and the Washington Redskins making big splashes, the ‘Boys didn’t help themselves. They are only looking better than the Eagles in the NFC East at this point.

Williams is the most overrated safety in the NFL. Yes, he can hit harder than any other safety, but beyond that, there is no beyond that. That’s all he’s good for.

Owens on the other hand is vital to this offense. Jason Witten was seeing a wide-open middle of the field due to Owens being double covered. That middle of the field will be clogged up this year, and those double teams will come on Witten.

Linebackers will be able to stuff the box and try to stop the run as they don’t have to worry about Owens anymore. Yes he had off the field issues, but was it really worth giving up the centerpiece of your offense?

Only time will tell.

And with their first round pick, the Dallas Cowboys select... (insert wide receiver here)

The NBA Draft: This Decade

Neel Patel — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 13:09:27 -0500

Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, John Stockton, Charles Barkley. Four future hall of famers were drafted in the 1984 draft first round.

1996 brought you the likes of Allen Iverson, Marcus Camby, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Stephon Marbury, Ray Allen, Antoine Walker, Kerry Kittles, Eric Dampier, Kobe Bryant, Peja Stojakovic, Steve Nash, Jermaine O'Neal, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Derek Fisher, and undrafted Chucky Atkins and Ben Wallace.

1998 brought us Mike Bibby, Antawn Jamison, Vince Carter, Dirk Nowitzki, Paul Pierce, Al Harrington, Rashard Lewis, and undrafted Brad Miller.

What is the defining class of this decade. Lets take a look at the best player from each position, and I've added three bench players in case you have guys like Caron Butler that were drafted the same year as Tayshaun Prince, but your best PG drafted that year is Dan Dickau.

Year - PG, SG, SF, PF, C, Bench 1, Bench 2, Bench 3

2000 - Jamal Crawford, Michael Redd, Mike Miller, Kenyon Martin, Jamaal Magloire

Hedo Turkgolu, Deshawn Stevenson, Desmond Mason

Decent role playing starters at every position, no champions, and Redd is the only real all star.

2001 - Tony Parker, Joe Johnson, Gerald Wallace, Pau Gasol, Tyson Chandler

Gilbert Arenas, Jason Richardson, Richard Jefferson

A formidable starting five, all eight players are all stars or have all star potential.

2002 - Dan Dickau, Fred Jones, Tayshaun Prince, Amare Stoudemire, Yao Ming

Caron Butler, Carlos Boozer, Mike Dunleavy Jr.

Weak at pg, sg, two good small forwards, Amare and Yao are franchise players.

2003 - Mo Williams, Dwayne Wade, LeBron James, David West, Chris Bosh

Carmelo Anthony, Chris Kaman, Josh Howard

Eight standouts, King James, four franchise players, all eight are all stars or have all star potential.

2004 - Devin Harris, Andre Iguodala, Josh Smith, Emeka Okafor, Dwight Howard

Andris Biedrins, Al Jefferson, Jameer Nelson

Eight starters, everyone is an all star or has all star potential, Nelson is the weakest of the class and he's good, No. 1 center in the game in Howard.

2005 - Chris Paul, Monta Ellis, Danny Granger, David Lee, Andrew Bynum

Deron Williams, Andrew Bogut, Nate Robinson

No. 1 pg in the NBA, a possible future Kobe in Ellis, all stars in Granger, Lee, and Williams. Bynum has potential to be the best center behind Howard of this era.

2006 - Brandon Roy, Rudy Gay, Tyrus Thomas, Paul Millsap, Lamarcus Aldridge

Rajon Rondo, Rodney Carney, Andrea Bargnani

Roy and Rondo the only standouts, Roy the only franchise player, Gay, Thomas and Aldridge have potential, weak class.

2007 - Ramon Sessions, Rudy Fernandez, Kevin Durant, Al Thornton, Al Horford

Rodney Stuckey, Mike Conley Jr., Daequan Cook

Everyone is ok, but unproven except Durant.

2008 - Derrick Rose, O.J. Mayo, Luc Richard Mbah A Moute, Michael Beasley, Kevin Love

DJ Augustin, Russell Westbrook, Eric Gordon

Already looking better than last year's class.

While there are standouts each year such as Paul and Howard who may be the best at their position, the strength of a draft class has to come from depth. Of course, you have to have five quality starters as well, which is why it was easy to dub 2002 as the weakest class of this decade.

While Boozer and Butler are all stars on the bench, Dickau and Fred Jones are no where near as good as any of the other pgs or sgs mentioned. As for the best class, another easy answer.

Every year has great players, even on the bench, but when you have King James, who many consider to be the best player in the NBA, and three other top 20 NBA players in Wade, Bosh, and Anthony, you have the best class of this decade.

Not to mention that Josh Howard and David West have been to the all-star game, and Kaman and Williams are also possible all stars and are coming into their own.