Bleacher Report - Articles by Will Howard

MLB Offseason: Things That Should, But Probably Won't Happen

Will Howard — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:35:15 -0500

We're right in the thick of Major League Baseball's free agency period. Already John Grabow has stolen a heavy contract from the Cubs, Billy Wagner will join his third National League East team in Atlanta, and Placido Polanco rejoins the Phillies after a stint in Detroit, Cleveland, and Tampa, as well as the White Sox and Royals have already swapped some contracts Now comes the fun part.

Winter meetings are quickly approaching and everyone will be speculating on how much money it will take for Brian Cashman and Theo Epstein to lure Roy Halladay, Jason Bay, and Matt Holliday to their AL East rivalry, or what team is going to over-pay a left-handed pitcher or have to throw millions at Orlando Hudson.

I however, am going to make note of the things that should, but in a money-charged baseball world, probably won't happen.

1.Aroldis Chapman should find his way to Kansas City. Drayton Moore wants a left hander on his team who can compliment Zach Greinke, and he should want it bad enough to offer Chapman the world and more. More being $60-80 million.

2.The Phillies should give the Blue Jays Kyle Drabek and make a serious push for Roy Halladay. I'm not a fan of Drabek, but I am a fan of getting to the World Series and adding Halladay with Cliff Lee and taking some pressure of J.A. Happ and Cole Hamels will make both of them better and secure a rotation which probably cost them the World Series.

3.The Cubs should make a play for either Miguel Tejada or Marco Scutaro and give up on the Mike Fontenot experiment. If you get Tejada, then Ryan Theriot plays second base, if you take Scutaro, then he stays at shortstop. Either way you look at it their defense improves and Fontenot gets to be a role player, something he's more suited to anyway.

4.Russell Branyon, Chad Tracy, and Hank Blalock all should find jobs in the American League. Branyon should probably stay put in Seattle, Blalock would preform well in Tampa under Joe Maddon, and Tracy should just be playing somewhere.

5.Xavier Nady, or Johnny Damon should go play for the Royals. Note to Johnny, come home to Kansas City and play center for a season. They need a decent outfielder and I think both players fit the system Trey Hillman has in place. Solid defensive players with some power and ability, but please no more Coco Crisp.

6.The Florida Marlins and San Francisco Giants need to offer Jason Bay or Matt Holliday some serious cash. Cody Ross and John Bowker might seem like good options in the outfield, but yeah, not really. Both teams are fairly good rotations, well San Francisco has a fantastic one, in Florida, Johnson, Volstad, and the kids might need some help—(Kelvim Escobar anyone?) but getting a top notch outfielder should be on their list of priorities.

7.Rich Harden needs to realize how good he has it as a Cub and resign with them. I hope that after he's revived his career in Chicago he's not seeing dollar signs when he should be seeing how much better he's gotten with Larry Rothschild tutoring him.

He becomes an injury risk with any other team, and well the Cubs included, but Rothschild seems to know how to handle him, and he's due for a break if he stays put.

All in all, Halladay probably heads to Boston, Bay probably stays in Boston, and Holliday will just try to not drop balls and cost whichever team he lands on, their season in the playoffs.

Speculation is simply guessing with a better name, if I knew where Jason Bay was going, I'd be hitting the slots.

10 Signs Your MLB Team Isn't Headed To The Playoffs

Will Howard — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 11:22:36 -0400

I'm posting this as an article. I did this on the February 15, 2008 version of my myspace.com blog.

I have updated it for today's standards and even threw in some new quips to make it sound a bit more on the funny side, as I'm posing it as a humor article, and not just a "I think the Orioles stink" article.

10) Your team puts an add for a shortstop up on Monster.com

9) In order to save money, rather than spend money in the free agent market, the fight fielder position is occupied by the guy who was selling peanuts last season.

8) Your game average for fans is equal to the number of RBI your trio of outfielders net for an entire season. 10,000 empty seats just doesn't mean your team is good.

7) Your team stars on a new reality show where America votes out members of your starting rotation.

6) You're star hitter's batting average is only slightly higher than his blood alcohol level during a recent arrest for speeding.

5) Your team's idea of stealing a base is groping a prostitute after she's passed out from roofies.

4) Rather than giveaways during promotional games, the team has a "one lucky fan will play third base" night.

3) When trying to pull off a trade, the only offers you receive are for your bat boy because of his cool new haircut or that stripper that your manager has been sleeping with.

2) You recently fire your GM for a string of bad moves. A few weeks later you see him again leading another last place team, this time as store manager of a Wendy's.

And the No. 1 Sign that your team won't be in the playoff is...When asked about his game-winning hit last night, your catcher responds..."It's not my fault my wife wouldn't shut up!"

Chicago Cubs: Next Move, Please...

Will Howard — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 12:45:33 -0400

Entering today the Chicago Cubs have a record of 36-38.

It's below the likes of Texas (41-35) who lack their big bat in Josh Hamilton, have an injured closer in Frank Francisco, and an underachieving prospect in Chris Davis; Seattle (39-37), who have fewer championship pieces put together than a two-year-old working on a 1,000-piece puzzle; and the Twins (40-39), yes, even the Cubs have a worse record than the Twins.

Coming out of an offseason that saw the Cubs risk the $10 million-per-year investment in Milton Bradley, you knew the Cubs wouldn't be as good as last season. But still, two games under .500 this close to the All-Star break?

A big reason the Cubs have faltered is injury. Carlos Zambrano, Am-Ram, Aaron Miles, Chad Fox, Angel Guzman, and Reed Johnson among others have all missed playing time due to the injury bug.

Another major reason is the lack of productivity from players who should be producing. Bradley and Geovanny Soto, (let's hope the Cubs have a clip service so you guys read this in black and white) .242—5-17-24-0 and .231—7-24-18-1 are stat lines that just won't do, if the Cubs are going to compete this year.

For those of you who need just a few more reasons, let's throw in Lou Piniella's lack of fire. He's not the same Lou he was in Cincinnati, or even Tampa Bay. He's mellowed out a lot, and for guys like Bradley who need a fire lit under them, this serves the Cubs' faithful in a bad way.

Lacking the intensity that made him the Lou Piniella he was could force the Cubs into a difficult place come September.

An even bigger reason that the Cubs are fourth in the NL Central is that teams are getting better, or didn't get much worse. CC Sabathia leaving Milwaukee Brewers without a legitimate ace hasn't hurt them as much as anyone thought, and the St. Louis Cardinals are back to their form in 2009.

Throw in Cincinnati finally hitting their stride and Pittsburgh playing better thanks to Nyger Morgan and Andrew McCutcheon's outstanding work; this division gets cloudy quick.

So where does this put the Cubs?

Bring in Matt Holliday. Simply put, bring him in to spark the offense. They've already shown an interest in trading with the Athletics and moving a few guys to add Holliday if even for a half-season would greatly benefit the Cubs.

Force Milton Bradley to work for his keep, or even better, just bench him until he shows he wants to win.

Another option is Colorado's Clint Barmes. Fontenot is not, nor will he ever be, the option at second base. Asdrubal Cabrera from Cleveland is probably a reach, but right now, when you need anything, a reach is worth exploring.

When Am-Ram comes back the Cubs will get better. They will even make the playoffs. However, without making an acquisition to solve the Fontenot or Bradley problems, they will probably be swept in the opening series.

The World's Greatest Tag Team Return to SmackDown This Past Friday

Will Howard — Sat, 09 May 2009 13:01:24 -0400

Last night I got what I wanted.

In a match between John Morrison and Charlie Haas, you knew it was gonna happen.

Charlie Haas came out to the "World's Greatest Theme Song" which common sense says is the theme music to the World's Greatest Tag Team. Shelton Benjamin accompanied Haas, and you knew it.

Todd Grisham and Jim Ross made all sorts of TWGTT references throughout the match and there's something floating around WWE universe that next week Morrison with team with R-Truth to do battle with yes, I am going to say it, The World Greatest Tag Team.

Carlito and Primo might be on the verge of a WWE Superstars showdown with Haas and Benjamin if they are reuniting, they immediately become the best tag team on the roster, in the company, in professional wrestling period.

Haas and Benjamin are good for the tag team division. Saviors, probably not, but a major step in the right direction.

Smackdown raises the bar even higher.

On a side note, Ortiz and Mike Knox both got used this week. Is Smackdown not getting better by utilizing all of it's talent from the draft?

Jets fans should lower expectations

Will Howard — Fri, 08 May 2009 14:45:14 -0400

During this year's NFL draft, the Jets traded up to get someqone they think is their savior. Mark Sanchez has all the makings of the best offensive player taken in the draft.

The Jets also made the most of their other picks, selecting Thomas Jones' eventual replacement in Iowa's Shonn Greene and a capable guard in Matt Slauson.

Currently the Jets are involved in talks of shipping Jones and some future picks to the Browns for Braylon Edwards.

The Browns are a likely trade partner for the Jets as they were used to acquire the pick for Sanchez. It doesn't hurt that former Jets coach Eric Mangini will be roaming the sidelines for the Browns this season and loves Jones' style of play.

I see this as a great thing. The Jets need a solid wideout for Sanchez to rely on, and while Chansi Stuckey and Jerricho Cotchery are both good receivers, they aren't Braylon Edwards.

This deal also would open the door for the Jets to sign befuddled back Edgerrin James—a veteran presence to help Shonn Greene to mature.

With Jones gone, Leon Washington could focus more on special teams work. Washington would almost certainly be relegated to third string behind Greene, who could be what Tim Hightower was to James last season in Arizona.

I like the Jets defense. It's underrated really, because so far it hasn't lived up to the talent promised by guys like Vernon Gholston and Calvin Pace.

Bart Scott was brought in to lead the linebacking corps out of mediocrity, and the veteran former Patriots backer Larry Izzo will provide veteran experience on a defense that has to play high-powered offenses in New England, Atlanta, and Indianapolis, as well as the progressive offenses of Houston, Buffalo, and Tennessee.

D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Alan Faneca, Nick Mangold, and Damien Woody have the offensive line sured up, allowing Sanchez adequate time to throw.

It's only a question of bringing in the proper weapons to catch the ball.

Long-range cannons will always miss their targets if the targets aren't the right ones, and guys like Marc Bulger and Matt Hasselbeck can back me up on that.

The Jets rebuild, but they only win eight games this season, at most. Sanchez will probably win Offensive Rookie of the Year, but that doesn't always equal success as a team. In fact it hardly ever does anymore.

Sorry, Jets fans, this is just another season in your paradise lost.

The Buffalo Bills: Is This the Year?

Will Howard — Fri, 08 May 2009 13:50:24 -0400

If I were a Buffalo Bills fan, the thoughts of two games a piece against Miami's defense, or a new look, Mark Sanchez led Jets, or even Tom Brady, Randy Moss, and the New England Patriots wouldn't scare me this year.

This year might indeed be the year there isn't a 7-9 record attached to these Bills.

Yes they play in the toughest division in the NFL where every team could finish at least 8-8, if not with a winning record, and yes their schedule is tough, but the Bills are built for this season.

With home games that should be won against Tampa Bay, the Saints, Cleveland, the Jets, and Miami, and games that should be winnable at Ralph Wilson against New England, Houston, and the Colts, a 5-3 or 6-2 record at home this season is feasible.

The road might prove to be a different mistress as no one likes to go to New England. Atlanta, Tennessee, and Carolina all play tough at home and had winning records last season, and no one can truly count Jacksonville out at home.

The Jets, Miami, and Kansas City, round out their road schedule and in my estimation, the 5-3 is possible, if not, then 4-4 certainly wouldn't be bad marks given the intensity of their opponents at their home stadiums.

In the offseason, the Bills added a lot of fire power for Trent Edwards, giving him probably the most complete receiving corps in the league.

Lee Evans is turning into a stud, and now with Terrell Owens if only a year, which is probably as long as Owens will stand being the number two wide-out on a team, they match up with any other team's top two wide-outs.

Josh Reed, Roscoe Parrish, and James Hardy complete the group, with any of the three capable of being a No. 2 receiver if need be.

Some experts expect Parrish or Reed to get moved for drafts picks sometime this year, but I suspect it won't happen until next offseason.

Dominic Rhodes joins Fred Jackson and the troubled Marshawn Lynch in the backfield, and if the woes of Lynch, or the inexperience of Jackson prove to be too much, Rhodes is capable of being a worthy substitution.

The Bills went primarily defensive in the 2009 draft selecting Aaron Maybin to team with Aaron Schobel as defensive ends, and Jairus Byrd, Nic Harris, and Cary Harris are all worthy cogs on a defense that suffered it's share of injuries over the past few seasons, primarily to linebackers.

Two rookies look to start on the offensive line this season with Andy Livitre and Eric Wood at the guard spots respectively.

Personally, if I were the Bills, I would take serious consideration into signing released Bengals guard Levi Jones. Jones sures up the line and makes Edwards life a lot easier in the long run.

The Bills are always going the be the enigma of the AFC. you never know which way their dominoes will fall, but I think this is the year their dominoes fall right into the Wild Card round of the playoffs, and Terrell Owens will be playing for the love of money and for a ring, so you can expect at-least one playoff victory, maybe more.

This season, the Bills become the Cardinals of last season. They have to. Owens' career depends on them succeeding. He might be one of the top 15 wideouts to ever touch a football, but without a ring, he's just another Donte Stallworth, a car wreck waiting to happen.

I predict the Bills win ten games. A hard, miserable 10-6 record that by no means will be pretty, but no one in Buffalo thinks anything should be done the easy way.

The Bengals, Finally Hope In Cincinnati?

Will Howard — Thu, 07 May 2009 14:53:51 -0400

News circulating around the NFL is that the Cincinnati Bengals have sign former Cowboys safety Roy Williams.

He will be reunited with Mike Zimmer, the former Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator., a guy who took the Bengals defense from 27th to 12th in just his first season on the job.

He gets added to a revamped defense that cut Mike Doss, signed Darryl Blackstock and former Bears defensive tackle Tank Johnson, and picked up highly coveted rookie Ray Maualuga when he slipped to pick No. 38 in the second round.

Michael Johnson, a bruising defensive end from Georgia Tech, was grabbed in the third round with pick No. 70. Johnson fell amidst concerns that he isn't fond of playing the run, but the opportunity for a team to take a physically gifted player such as Johnson proved too tempting for the Bengals.

Morgan Trent, a speedy cornerback from Michigan, and Clinton McDonald, a potential steal at defensive lineman from Memphis rounded out the great defensive draft by the Bengals, and put Mike Zimmer in a very solid position as the Bengals look to rebound from a 4-11-1 season.

Maualuga could supplant the Bengals 2008 first round choice Keith Rivers (who in my opinion would be a great back up option at middle linebacker) and join Dhani Jones, who threw out a monster 116-tackle year in 2008.

Throw in Johnathan Joseph and 2007 first-rounder Leon Hall, who tabbed 75 tackles last season, and the rookies and free agents could turn this defense from 12th overall to one of the top five or 6 this season, meanwhile taking some major pressure off of an offense that will take all the help it can get.

The offense lost T.J. Houshmandzadeh in free agency, but the bigger issue is the fact that all of last season they lost Chad "Ocho-Cinco" Johnson due to his spending too much time in his own world rather than on the field at Paul Brown Stadium.

The Bengals acquired Laveranues Coles via free agency from the Jets in the off-season. Coles is a consummate professional and leader on the field, and he could be what helps put Johnson's head on straight.

Cedric Benson, the former Bears first-round bust, is back and looks to improve on the 747 yards and two scores he racked up last year.

The O-Line received a massive makeover after the Bengals drafted character concern Andre Smith with the 6th pick and released 2002 10th overall pick Levi Jones, leaving Andrew Whitworth as the lead left guard.

Potential starters Johnathan Luigs at center and Chase Coffman, a potential stud tight end, were also taken for the offense, as well as backs Bernard Scott, Fui Vakapuna, and Freddie Brown, a wideout from Utah

If Carson Palmer can play an entire season, and the offensive plays with some sort of consistency, look for this team to win nine, maybe ten games and contend for a playoff berth.

If not look for a 3-13 or 4-12 season, and the hope of drafting Colt McCoy from Texas to relieve Palmer of his duties.

Pro Wrestling: Passing On the Tradition

Will Howard — Mon, 04 May 2009 15:25:17 -0400

Last night I couldn't sleep so I went up to my room, actually started cleaning, and I came to find my old WWF and WCW tapes from events like the early WrestleManias, Starcade, and even the first edition of SummerSlam.

I brought my tapes down and randomly popped them in. Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard from their WWF days is something to watch if you have a copy of the SummerSlam where the Hart Foundation and the Brain Busters wrestled. A quality wrestling match if their ever was one.

About two hours into my blast from the past night, my soon-to-be two-year-old daughter came down and climbed into our recliner, and just started staring at the television.

I thought she had gone back to sleep until she started cheering and giggling when Rick Rude's match from SummerSlam had come on.

I think it was his "super pose off" with the Ultimate Warrior, but I'm not exactly sure. She just started taking an interest in what he was doing.

So I got to thinking, maybe I should've taken her on my excursion to WrestleMania this year.

Maybe, just maybe, a two-year-old can understand the concept of wrestling and enjoy it, or at least have fun with the colors and take in the ambiance of the lights, music, and superstars on a wrestling card.

When is it okay to welcome a newer, younger member in the the group of "it's not fake" faithful that are pro wrestling fans?

Since it's choreographed, you can't really call it violence. But at the same time, when is it okay to expose a child to the type of micro-nudity associated with the divas?

When we are in Washington, D.C., she will get exposed to it. I mean, it's going to happen.

Who am I to keep a child from the past, present, and future of something that plays such a tremendous role in my life as my primary source of non-Wii related entertainment?

I am going to give her a major history lesson, though. She's going to know about everyone from George Hackenschmidt of the 1920s to Lou Thesz and Jerry Graham in the 1950s, and so on.

I'm going start her at the beginning, not with all this John Cena, Vickie Guerrero crap where talking on the microphone and cutting promos triumphs over great wrestling.

She will know of international stars like Mil Mascaras, Antonio Inoki, Jushin Liger, and the Great Muta. The Hart Family and the Guerreros—only skipping the Vickie part.

To know where you're going, you have to know where you came from, and a lot of the current WWE stars don't know where wrestling was when they weren't around.

I don't want my daughter not to know the past because the past was the golden age of wrestling, and today it's only a shell of what it was then.

Why Being "John" Spells Success in the WWE

Will Howard — Sat, 02 May 2009 14:43:48 -0400

In the WWE, a lot of times your success can be based on how well your gimmick goes over, how many titles you win, or how many times you throw a "W" into the win column.

I've noticed that one name breeds success more than any other, "John."

Look at past stars with John in their names. Rocky Johnson, one of the best African-American superstars of the pre-1980's era.

You can also look at his son Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. What didn't the Rock do in his time in the WWE?

He had the perfect gimmick for himself, won numerous titles, and probably biggest of all, led fans to believe his was wrestling's messiah, only to abandon them for an easier career with less wear and tear on his body.

John Layfield, aka JBL, also enjoyed a successful run as one of the longest reigning champions in the WWE, and had a successful tag championship run with Farooq in the process.

JBL set standards for heels and did things that no mildly overweight superstar probably should've been allowed to do, but he was believable in his gimmick.

Ken Johnson, aka Slick, the "Doctor of Style," and manager of Akeem and the Big Boss Man, Johnny Jeter-(Spirit Squad), John "Romeo" Roselli, and Johnny "the Bull" Stamboli all enjoyed some measure of sucess while in the WWF/E.

Johnny Valiant and John "Earthquake" Tenta both provided a great deal for the WWE during their time in the ring and Tenta has to be considered one of the most underrated heels of all time in the WWE.

Perhaps looking at the present instead of the past to see how the name john shapes the landscape of the WWE is what's best.

John Cena is a main eventer and multiple time champion and will probably surpass "Stone Cold" Steve Austin as the most popular WWE star ever by the time is career is over.

Last and not least by any stretch is my bro-mance crush on John Morrison, the champion in waiting on Smackdown.

Is it just me, or do "Johns" really make better wrestlers? If so how come no one named Johnny Johnson has ever made it big? Would Johnny Jeter be a world champion if he last name was Johnson?

Or is this all just one big coincidence?

WWE: April Begins Return to Glory?

Will Howard — Sat, 02 May 2009 13:43:34 -0400

This April we wrestling fans were given almost everything. From Wrestlemania 25 to Backlash, from the WWE's Draft to CM Punk's Money in the Bank eruption last night (it was taped on Tuesday), it's truly been a banner month.

Here's a list of the highs and lows for April—a month that may be remembered for starting the WWE's rebuilding process.

Thumbs Up: Singles Matches Featuring John Morrison

This has been one great month to be John Morrison. Just consider his rivalries with Evan Bourne, Shelton Benjamin, and R-Truth. He's shown that he can hang with some of the more athletically gifted stars in the WWE, and his match with Evan Bourne was nothing short of ECW match of the year.

Thumbs Up: John Morrison Going Face

Chris Jericho makes everyone he works with better. It's hard to believe, but Morrison is only about 70 percent as good as he can be. Jericho will push him to his limits, and—no pun intended—"break the walls down," allowing Morrison to hit superstardom.

Morrison had reached his ceiling as a heel and needed a new direction if he was ever going to reach true championship level. Going face allows Morrison to join the upper echelon of the WWE.

Right now Jericho is the most hated star on the roster due to his habit of destroying legends. Edge pointedly called it "messing with senior citizens."

John Morrison doesn't sport a pair of Depends undergarments, and Jericho doesn't scare him. This should be good and could be another potential match of the year featuring the "A-List Superstar."

A match between Morrison and Edge would be a sight that most people in the wrestling world only get to see on a video game.

Morrison is asserting that he doesn't want to be the new HBK, or Bret Hart, or Jericho, but wants to keep being the first coming of John Morrison.

Thumbs Down: Wrestlemania 25

I said it. The WWE Divas battle royal was so unspectacular that they didn't even give the Divas proper entrances. No introductions, nothing worth watching. It looked more like a befuddled mess than an actual match.

John Morrison and the Miz vs. Carlito and Primo for the unified tag team titles was a dark match, and the whole setup of Wrestlemania looked less realistic than in years previous.

It took a lot to make Wrestlemania bad, and the WWE went all out to make a $200 ticket feel like a colossal waste of money.

Thumbs Up: The Draft

MVP is on Raw, where he's being groomed as heir to the world title; ECW managed to get slightly better, and Smackdown won the lottery.

John Morrison vs Jericho, CM Punk vs Umaga, Rey Mysterio's imminent feud with Dolph Ziggler, and no Vickie Guerrero—Smackdown certainly benefited from the draft.

Raw gets to see the feud between John Cena and Big Show, MVP gets a new outlook on life, and Maryse gets to do battle with Mickie James.

ECW got DH Smith and Tyson Kidd as the New Hart Foundation, assuming Smith doesn't get busted for steroids again.

Thumbs Up: Using Mid-card Talent and Youth Correctly

Dolph Ziggler made an impression by getting a non-title win over MVP, the Miz was brash about challenging Cena, MVP and John Morrison are being groomed for superstardom, and we finally saw Jack Swagger's growing pains.

Tyson Kidd has had an intriguing mini-feud with Finlay, which I expect to lead to Sheamus O'Shaunessy (find out more about this here).

It's going to be interesting to see how some of this stacks up, and if it can lead to growth of the product which right now is below average for WWE standards.

So, what do you guys think?

The ABCs Of Smackdown

Will Howard — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:53:52 -0400

This article is more for my own enjoyment. Maybe someone with take something from this, but probably not, so I have forewarned you.

A. Is for the "A-List" Superstar John Morrison. Just as he's on top of this list, by the end of the year he will be on top of Smackdown as the Heavyweight champ.

B. Is for the "Burn-out" or "Borderline" as is Jeff hardy's mental state for the 400th time in his life, 367 of the times have occurred while in the WWE

C. Is for "Candice Michelle," both in name and cup size. It's a 40 "C" but still a nice size.

D. Is for "Dirty, trash bag, bottom feeding wh*re," a favorite saying of the former Chris Jericho, which happens to best describe former GM Vickie Guerrero.

E. Is for "Edge" who will bring the title back to Smackdown, only to lose it to CM Punk. Also for "Eaton Lambert Syndrome:"

In this form of episodic muscular weakness, the muscles of the trunk, shoulders, and hips are the ones most affected. It is often associated with cancer-(See Vickie Guerrero); the most common one being oat cell carcinoma of the lung.

The course of this disorder is usually progressive to some degree. Males are affected more often than females.

F. Is for the rating of the Women's Division. Grade "F" on Smackdown. Candice is only going to make everyone else look bad.

G. Is for Gail Kim, probably the only thing keeping me from using the restroom during "Divas" matches.

H. Is for Hardy, well after June, it was for Hardy. With Matt on Raw and Jeff burned out, again, Smackdown is left without either of the brothers from Cameron,NC.

I. Is for the Intercontinental title, which Rey Mysterio has made me a fan of.

J. Is for Justin Roberts, the most under-appreciated, yet one of the most quality announcers, who spends his Fridays hanging out with the ring bell guys.

K. Is for Kane, who is probably retiring this year. He's probably the most under-rated big man in the history of the WWE, while statistically, he has the highest winning percentage in WWE history, according to Wikipedia.

L. Is for Long, Theodore R. Long. Teddy is a talent machine, first in signing MVP to Smackdown, then going to ECW and getting Jack Swagger and Tyson Kidd.

Note to CM Punk, John Morrison, Dolph Ziggler, and Mike Knox, learn everything you can from this man. He's managed, refereed, helped run a promotion, and been a GM. The guy is Midas and he makes things go gold.

M. Is for Michelle McCool, and Maria, and Melina, all of whom, along with Gail Kim, will need to step it up to make the "Divas" brand worth watching for more than bouncing chests.

N. Is for Naki, Kung Fu Naki, who for a while there was as funny as Santino. Man the WWe likes to exploit foreigners for S and G.

O. Is for Oh My God! Which is what you'll be saying when John Morrison and CM Punk square off.

P. Is for Punk, CM Punk, who should be holding the Heavyweight title within three weeks of this article.

Q. Is for Quality talent. Raw got the superstars in name only. Smackdown made the biggest gains by grabbing talent hungry to have their names in lights.

R. Is for R-Truth, cuz really, "That's What's Up!"

S. Is for the Six-One-Nine, Rey's area code and the reason why the IC title probably isn't going anywhere.

T. Is for Todd Grisham, he's like Michael cole, without the homosexual tendencies.

U. Is for the Undertaker, without a doubt in a class by himself

V. Is for Viagara, which is what anyone, outside of the Great Khali of course, would need is large quantities to maintain a stiffy while looking at Santina Marella.

W. Is for the World's Greatest Tag Team. Please put Benjamin and Haas back together, please, come on please!

X. Is for X-Rays, which probably wouldn't be a bad idea to get for Khali to search for a blood clot in his brain or something. God knows Santina looks like something my cat ate, then threw up, then ate again and buried in the litter box.

Y. Is for Y2J, because a countdown without Jericho just doesn't make sense.

Z. Is for Ziggler, his name is Dolph, that's probably all he wants you to know

Jeff Hardy Leaving WWE?

Will Howard — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 13:54:36 -0400

Several sources are reporting this morning that Jeff Hardy has told the WWE that he will not be signing a new contract once his current one expires in early June.

He has cited "Burn-out, wanting to spend time with Beth, and needing to make myself right" as reasons why he is choosing not to re-sign. However, word is that he will probably only be out until around the Survivor Series or the Royal Rumble.

Other sources have alleged that he is back on crystal methamphetamine, and this time off might be for rehabilitation purposes as well.

He will be returning to the WWE. He just plans to take some time off à la Shawn Michaels, except that he won't be bound by a new contract.

Five Changes the WWE Should Implement to Improve the Product

Will Howard — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:42:43 -0400

As some of you might know, I followed the WWE from WrestleMania XXV to the draft, from Houston to Atlanta, much like a "Dead-Head" would follow around the Grateful Dead.

Before that, I went from the Royal Rumble in Detroit, all through Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois this year.

So, in my infinite wisdom, I have come up with five changes the WWE needs to make so their product is worth watching. Well I should say, "to improve the quality of the programming."

Honestly, even if I had to watch Vladimir Kovlov vs. Batista 40 weeks in a row, I'd still be watching.

1. A Unified Divas Division

Forget Divas on all three brands. I say unify the Divas and Women's championships and send the Divas to one brand. Keep some Divas to serve as valets. (Valets aren't on this list, but came in sixth on my overall listing. We need more Francine Fournier-type Divas.)

Say we move all the Divas to Raw, Smackdown could be more open to matches utilizing guys like CM Punk, Mike Knox, and John Morrison.

We'd Keep Alicia Fox, Layla, and Eve Torres for eye candy and interviews, and ultimately only four or five Divas would be moved.

2. A Unified Tag Team Division

Say Raw has the Divas, give Smackdown Primo and Carlito back. Throw Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas back together.

Make R-Truth and Ricky Ortiz team together, throw Tyson Kidd and DH Smith as the next-generation Hart Foundation, along with Cryme Tyme and maybe Santino Marella and the Great Khali as a team, and you have a good Tag Team Division right there.

Maybe even, and this is just an idea, bring Ted DiBiase and Mike Rotunda, or Ricky Steamboat and Jimmy Snuka or Dean Malenko back for a short program with whomever gets the tag titles and poof; nine years of tag team turmoil has been solved.

You'd have your good heel team with Haas and Benjamin and your comical yet effective teams in Santino and Khali, and Cryme Tyme. Your upstart, "these guys should be the champs" team in Smith and Kidd, R-Truth and Ortiz would be fun to watch, and of course the Colons as the champs.

I'd watch a team team division with those teams, heck, i'd even watch if Natalya didn't wear those tight outfits, because tag team wrestling used to mean something and right now it means something worse than Santino in a dress, or Beth Phoenix's adam's apple.

3. Better Storylines or New Writers

If a Vickie love triangle is the best you guys have, then you need someone new running the writing staff.

The Orton/McMahons & Triple H thing is old. It's overplayed and has gotten to the point where it's not even believable anymore.

The highlight storyline of the year was probably when R-Truth and Funaki were talking and it turned out Sho Fu Naki's name wasn't Sho, it was Kung Fu Naki, and honestly, that's sad.

Personally I like the Matt/Jeff storyline, but it's done. They are on opposite brands, London and Los Angeles if you will.

I could see a Jack Swagger/John Cena storyline being fun, but again, that won't happen.

Something has to happen though, and soon, or I'd send a bunch of writers to the unemployment line.

4. The Four Horsemen

Yes, it's time for the next installment of the Four Horsemen.

Ric Flair needs get someone like John Morrison, tutor him, give him, Joe Hennig, and Heath Miller from Florida Championship Wrestling, bring Dean Malenko back, and put the Horsemen together.

This would work. It would work so well I can't believe I'm even saying it where everyone can read it, but honestly, if this happens, Smackdown's rating will go up; I guarantee it.

Y2J could feud with Morrison, allowing Morrison to go face, further keeping Y2J heel and eventually setting up Morrison's Heavyweight title push.

Hennig and Miller are a legitimate tag title team if used correctly, much like Miz and Morrison were, and Malenko provides the in-ring presence that you look for in a Four Horsemen team.

5. Lower PPV and Ticket Prices

They'd fill up house shows, and get more PPV buys, so this one is self-explanatory.

Art Imitating Life, Part 2

Will Howard — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:48:42 -0400

The second round of my series in the anthropological study of the WWE, focuses on the future, and the ever existent brother/brother co-existence.

First the story of John Morrison/Johnny Nitro.

This is the story of the kid everyone knew would succeed. The kid everyone was jealous of because he had the natural looks, talent, and charisma to succeed at pretty much anything he wanted to do.

He's the jock guy who gets the girl, and has few barriers or limitations. Because you might hate his attitude sometimes, you love the potential he has to do good for you.

He was born John Hennigan, went to UC Davis for geology of all things, and film. Succeeded to some extent there, decided he wanted to wrestle, so he went to SPW to train and eventually made it onto the show Tough Enough, where along with Matt Cappotelli.

His revolving door of gimmicks started with Johnny Blaze, then onto Johnny Spade, and finally in an attempt to draw Raw GM Eric Bischoff's attention, Johnny Nitro.

He became Bischoff's apprentice and assistant.

After a departure from television he was reintroduced as a part of the photogenic super-group MNM, or Mercury-(Adam Birch, aka Joey Mercury) Nitro, and Melina Perez, Hennigan's long time girlfriend.

The team achieved great success in the tag division. 3 times he and Mercury wore tag team gold until he turned on Mercury and went to the Raw brand.

On the Raw brand he achieved success by capturing the Intercontinental championship on two occasions. After a short stint in the land of mediocrity, he was traded to ECW.

In ECW he was used as a fill in for Chris Benoit and captured the ECW title in a match over CM Punk. His name was officially changed to John Morrison. After a violation of the WWE's wellness policy, he began teaming with the Miz.

While with the Miz, he achieved winning both the WWE, and World tag team titles, as well as the Slammy for Tag Team of the year, and for their online column, the "Dirt Sheet."

Now that he's back in single action, Morrison looks to continue on with his Manifest Destiny to acquire any and all gold he feels the need to.

Side-note: Just reading this makes me like him a little bit less, and I'm a big Morrison supporter.

The next study focuses on the Older brother/Younger brother sibling rivalry.

I have two younger brothers myself, so this is something from experience. The older brother always has to set the bar, and most often the family pushes the older brother to set the bar so high that they have to help the younger one succeed, often times leading to coddling or spoiling of the younger one to get them motivated.

Often times jealous feeling, resentment, or other tainted feelings arise from the treatment of the younger sibling and the feeling of neglect the older one often feels.

The older one is held to a higher standard and the younger one is left to meander through life, never having to take responsibility for his actions.

Enter the "Black Cloud" Matt Hardy, and punch drunk Jeff Hardy.

Matt to my knowledge and research has never had a DUI, been arrested, been suspended for violation of the wellness policy, and was even a year into an engineering degree. Jeff, not so much.

Where to start with Jeff. In 2003 he was released by the WWE for erratic behavior, drug usage, refusal to attend rehab, tardiness, and no showing events, and for his ring skills being severely compromised by drug use.

In TNA he was busted for no showing events as well.

In March of 2008, Jeff was busted for his second violation of the wellness policy in the WWE.

Yet, after all this, Jeff gets the big push, and the WWE Championship. albeit Matt was the ECW champion, let's face it, he was only keeping it warm for Jack Swagger.

This is sibling rivalry at it's best. Matt is the better athlete, person, and potential role model, yet Jeff is more extreme and fun to watch so he gets what Matt should have.

Ultimately, Matt should succeed, but in the WWE's eyes. Jeff probably wins at Backlash.

So what do you think?

Art Imitating Life: This Is The WWE, Part One Of Several

Will Howard — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 16:49:10 -0400

I've heard (and it's always been said) that art imitates life.

Yet sometimes the reverse is true. But I'm going to explore the ways that the WWE, as modern an art-form as anyone can hope to have in these times, does indeed imitate life.

Let's take the scenario of Vickie, Edge, and the Big Show.

More often than not there's one person in a company or at a job that will do whatever it takes to get to the top. Then, they take further, often more drastic steps to maintain their place in the upper echelon.

Edge is sneaky, manipulative, and as crafty as they come. Yet somehow (just somehow) he managed to miss some time. The boss, who he was working over, got tired with him not there and found someone else.

Often times the boss finds someone completely opposite from the first person. Edge is crafty, sneaky, and wild. On the other hand, Big Show is, well, big and mean.

He puts it to her in a way that shows her he could be in control, yet respects her authority enough not to.

Next, let us look at Mike "The Miz" Mizanin, and his bro-mance best friend, John Morrison. Almost every guy has a best friend that they'd go to bat for in any situation. One of you is the talented one while the other pretty much is a sponge.

After John Morrison carried the Miz for a long time, the Miz (like the rat he can be), used the friendship to turn on Morrison when it came time for them to split up. The facade that Miz wants people in his new place to believe is that his skills are better.

Now, on to Cryme Tyme.

Yeah, cars get stolen. There indeed are swindlers out there along with gang-bangers, and other things street-related. No one is going to deny that. I certainly won't.

I could make the generic gang reference but I'm not going to. I'm going to make the reference to the kids in Brooklyn or Los Angeles and maybe Chicago or Detroit, who sit on the block with their best friend doing anything they can to do all they can with what little they are given.

Shad and JTG are said to be friends straight out of Brooklyn—"homies" since before there were Starbucks on every corner in the NYC.

They made it to the big time and stayed friends, hustling and doing their best to get where they are. That's the point I'm trying to make.

Next, is John Cena.

Everyone wants to be Superman. Cena is probably as close to a modern day Clark Kent as we can get in the WWE and, honestly, as much as I dislike him he's probably the only guy who can pull it off.

I will continue this as a series because for some reason the anthropological study of the WWE has become fascinating to me.

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

Total Draft Recap, and Observations

Will Howard — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 16:46:17 -0400

Here's a total recap, and some interesting conclusions from yours truly:

RAW

Ken Kennedy from Smackdown

Primo Colon from Smackdown

Nikki Bella from Smackdown

"Lap-dog" aka Chavo Guerrero from Smackdown

Hornswoggle from ECW

Carlito from Smackdown

Festus from Smackdown

The Brian Kendrick from Smackdown

Brie Bella from Smackdown

Joining HHH, Matt Hardy, Big Show, MVP, Maryse, and The Miz

SMACKDOWN

Shad Gaspard from Raw

Alicia Foxfrom ECW

Mike Knox from Raw

Candice Michelle from Raw

Ricky Ortiz from ECW

Layla Milani from Raw

John Morrison from ECW

JTG from Raw

Dolph Ziegler from Raw

Charlie Haas from Raw

Joining Melina, Y2J, Rey Mysterio, CM Punk, and Kane

ECW

Ezekiel Jackson from Smackdown

Zack Ryder from Smackdown

DH Smith from Smackdown

Natalya from Raw

Hurricane Helms from Smackdown

Joining Vladimir Kozlov

Looking at the total draft board five major things occur to me, and just let me make you believe what I think.

1.The Cruiserweight Division is coming back, probably to ECW exclusively.

Hurricane Helms, Evan Bourne, Tyson Kidd, and yes, even Zack Ryder -(6-foot-1, 205 pounds) could remake the Cruiserweight division.

Helms getting drafted almost assures this of happening, and an Extreme Cruiserweight division would be a welcome addition to the show.

2. I was right.

Morrison and Miz got split up, Vickie and Edge did as well. This is probably the best part of the entire draft for me personally, as the love triangle was making me not watch Smackdown.

The Next Generation Hart Foundation is coming. Natalya and DH Smith both landed in ECW and Tyson Kidd is already there, also Jim Neidhart has said he's returning the WWE programming come June, so don't be surprised if the Next Generation Hart Foundation makes pink look cool again, at least for a little while.

A reunited World's Greatest Tag Team could be on the horizon. With Haas and Benjamin on the same show, and Charlie Haas pushing heavily for it, and lately Shelton's career has been stagnant.

Miz and Morrison will both be single champions by the end of this year. Mark my words, set it in stone and call me Miss Cleo.

Throw in my Matt and Cena feud which should happen by Summerslam, and Ezekial Jackson and Brian Kendrick getting split up, and I think my sources did pretty well.

The one thing that leaves me hanging is no Edge vs. Christian, but that could happen on WWE Superstars.

3. John Morrison, CM Punk, and Jack Swagger are probably the future of their brands

John Morrison has already started his path to the title with a win over Evan Bourne, and (spoiler alert) another win over R-Truth on Smackdown this Friday.

CM Punk will probably be his opponent, if not Edge. These two stars are going to make Friday nights worth watching, and I think Smackdown did well in the draft.

Jack Swagger impressed people in his match against Cena, and with Kozlov coming over, assumingly to face Finlay, Ezekiel Jackson to do battle with Mark Henry, this leaves Christian and Swagger.

Christian is going to turn Swagger into a main event talent over the next year, and put him through his paces. Swagger will one day be on a top brand and do huge things and he'll have Christian to thank for it.

4. This was an awesome draft for Tag Team Wrestling.

Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas might be reuniting, Kidd and Smith will be forming a new Hart Foundation, there's a small chance that Edge and Y2J might team, and Undertaker and Kane could reform, so despite losing Miz and Morrison to singles aspirations, the tag team division might very well be back.

5. Smackdown actually "won" the draft.

First off, yes, Cena stayed on Raw, and HHH, MVP and others went there, but look at what we got, and lost.

They lost Kozlov, Vickie, Kendrick, and Maryse. Vickie is annoying, Kozlov has no charisma, and can't really wrestle. Kendrick is always stoned, and Maryse might look good, but really, her wrestling isn't much of anything.

What they got was a GM who loves the brand. Teddy Long did so much good for Smackdown, and you know his heart was always on Friday nights.

Ricky Ortiz, Mike Knox, Cryme Tyme, and Charlie Haas are great puzzle pieces for Friday.

Rey Mysterio, Y2J, John Morrison, and CM Punk are golden tickets to Vince McMahon's chocolate factory of wrestling dreams, and Friday nights will never-eeever be the same again!

Who knew Chris Jericho could be right?

Wrestling Draft: Let's Get Supplemental, The Continuation

Will Howard — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 16:11:52 -0400

OK, guys, so I made the mistake of calling the wrestling draft over at 18 when in reality there are 24 or 25 picks this year. My mistake.

But on to more pressing issues.

Picks 19 and 20 were both by Smackdown; the first reunited JTG with Shad, reforming the team Cryme Tyme, which for about two hours was nonexistent.

Pick 20 was Dolph Ziegler, a guy who has potential but doesn't seem to use it the right way.

The next pick sent "The Brian Kendrick" to Raw from Smackdown, only without Ezekial Jackson, who was drafted earlier to ECW.

Also, Charlie Haas will join Smackdown and his old TWGTT partner, Shelton Benjamin. I smell a reunion.

The skies are looking stormy in ECW's territory, as they drafted Hurricane Helms for their organization.

And lastly, Brie Bella joined her twin sister and the Colons on Raw. That means we'll have a high school lovefest all over again.

Hopefully, that was indeed the real last pick!

Let's Get Supplemental; Part Three of WWE's Supplemental Draft

Will Howard — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 14:56:39 -0400

Here is a recap of the 2009 WWE Supplemental Draft thus far:

RAW

Ken Kennedy from Smackdown

Primo Colon from Smackdown

Nikki Bella from Smackdown

"Lap-dog" aka Chavo Guerrero from Smackdown

SMACKDOWN

Shad Gaspard from Raw

Alicia Fox from ECW

Mike Knox from Raw

Candice Michelle from Raw

Ricky Ortiz from ECW

Layla Milani from Raw

ECW

Ezekial Jackson from Smackdown

Zack Ryder from Smackdown

Let’s get to the final picks in this year’s draft.

Hornswoggle-ECW to RAW

The next BIG pick—wait, it's Hornswoggle—um the next little pick, Raw acquires Hornswoggle and his lucky charms.

Does this mean Finlay is one of the final five picks, or is it time Hornswoggle goes and gets a job? Punk kid, living under my roof, bedroom, foundation, and pretty much everything else in my house.

DH Smith-Smackdown to ECW

The next pick is going to bring back a team from the ‘80s for the 21st century. DH Smith heads to ECW to join Tyson Kidd. The Next Generation Hart Foundation has arrived!

Again, it's an I told you so moment, as I first reported that a source close to the situation informed me DH and Kidd were going to be teamed, and this pick only confirms it.

Along with Tyson's girlfriend and daughter of Jim Neidhart, you could be looking at the new unified tag champions within a matter of months. Great pick for ECW!

John Morrsion-ECW to Smackdown

The next pick, oh my god, barn-burner, slobber-knocker, and any other generic wrestling terminology you want to use. John Morrison to Smackdown.

Again, more of an I told you so, but common sense states Morrison vs. Edge vs. CM Punk is going to happen.

Will's Thoughts

Two amazing picks in a row, one for ECW, then one for Smackdow. The next pick for Raw has to be amazing…

Carlito-Smackdown to Raw

It is. It's Carlito! The brothers Colon are here on Monday nights.

Raw gets their favorite apple-chucking Puerto Rican, and Carlito gets his baby brother. Win-win situation here.

Natalya-RAW to ECW

DH Smith was selected too. Tyson Kidd is already there. Kidd just made a comment that, "It's time for the Next Generation." Hmm, Natalya's drafting only means one thing, wait, what is that one thing, oh yeah, the next generation Hart Foundation!

Woohoo. Kidd does look like a poor man's Hitman. I love the last four picks.

Festus-Smackdown to RAW

Last pick is Festus; Festus, everybody.

Let's Get Supplemental, Part 2

Will Howard — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 13:56:54 -0400

Let's recap so far...

Raw:

Ken Kennedy from Smackdown

Primo Colon from Smackdown

Smackdown:

Shad Gaspard from Raw

Alicia Fox from ECW

Mike Know from RAW

ECW:

Ezekial Jackson from Smackdown

Back to the draft action with the selection of Primo's lover girl and one half of another Smackdown team Nikki Bella. The Bella twins had been divided over which team they wanted to win the Unification match at Wrestlemania, now all three teams have been split up. Miz & Morrison, Dos Colons, and now the Bella twins.

All three teams getting split up kinda intrigues me a bit, as will Brie Bella, the supporter of Morrison and Miz now side with Morrison on Smackdown?

Nikki Bella SMACKDOWN TO RAW

Smackdown's next choice is the one that everyone knew was coming...Candice Michelle, most likely to go heel and do battle with Gail Kim, someone she openly doesn't like. So, yay, minor applause for Candice on Fridays, still, no John Morrison.

Candice Michelle RAW TO SMACKDOWN

ECW lands one half of the Major Brothers, Edge Heads, wait what's the name of their team, I thought these guys were working selling merchandise now. Zack Ryder. Well I guess this is moving around talent.

Maybe Ryder can start helping move some new Jack Swagger t-shirts.

Zack Ryder SMACKDOWN/MERCHANDISE BOOTH TO ECW.

Next pick for Raw is Vickie's lap-dog Chavo Guerrero. Let's make it official and get Chavo a nice new red dish for the floor of Vickie's office. This further spits on the legacy of the Guerrero's, and it saddens me that he follows Vickie.

Chavo Guerrero SMACKDOWN TO RAW

Pick 11 nets Smackdown Ricky Ortiz. I like this pick, still John Morrison is no where to be seen, but this guy has Intercontinental title written all over him. He's a good average talent guy who with the right system can be a poor man's MVP.

Ricky Ortiz ECW TO SMACKDOWN

The final pick for the second session feature Layla moving to Smackdown. Again, it's one of the dumb picks that needs to be made. With six picks for Smackdown, i'm honestly thinking Morrison's opt-out clause talk is gonna keep him on ECW.

Layla Milani RAW TO SMACKDOWN

Will's Thoughts

What did Morrison do to peeve management? I like Ortiz and Nikki Bella getting traded, the others are just filler spots I think.

Part Three coming at you quick, with the final six picks, there has to be at least one big name in the bunch.

Let's Get Supplemental, Part 1 of 4

Will Howard — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 12:55:05 -0400

The first victim of the 2009 Supplemental draft turned out to be none other than Ken Kennedy. With his career in limbo right now, one can only imagine what might become of him on Monday nights. SMACKDOWN TO RAW

The second selection is the muscle from Cryme Tyme, Shad Gaspard. A 6'6 270 pounder with agility and power leaves his best friend for Friday nights and a possible full fledged heel turn, while JTG is expected to be released here shortly. RAW TO SMACKDOWN

The third pick needs another diva for the Smackdown roster, this time the former Rated R wedding planner turned manager of DJ Gabriel, Alicia Fox. I'm not quite sure about this pick, but time will tell as to what she gets done back on Friday nights. ECW TO SMACKDOWN

Speaking of returning to one's former brand. Primo Colon, one half of the unified tag team champions Dos Colons (two Colons) returns to Monday nights, splitting the promising brother team in half. SMACKDOWN TO RAW

Smackdown lands Mike Knox, a guy who I really like from the Raw roster. 6'5, 255 pounds of vicious, viking-like intensity, Knox should find many beasts on Smackdown to run with this buffalo sized talent. RAW TO SMACKDOWN

Notes from Will

Through the first five picks, Knox and Shad Gaspard have clearly set the bar for Smackdown. Alicia Fox is nice if she's picked up some wrestling skills on ECW, otherwise she's just another backstage interviewer with a nice butt. Nice butts don't equal good wrestling though.

No picks for ECW so far, Ken Kennedy and Primo were kind of shockers to me, and no sign of John Morrison on Smackdown yet.

It's sad that JTG is probably getting released, he was a fun guy to watch, but things do have to change, so if he is released, I wish him the best.

Ok, back to the draft—I TOLD EVERYONE SO—Ekezial Jackson lands in the "Land of Extreme." Welcome to your push Ezekial Jackson, welcome to mediocrity Brian Kendrick.

The big bear has found his way to ECW. He's the perfect fit for ECW, and I love this pick.

That's all for part one, be sure to catch parts two, three, and the big wrap up.

To All BR Wrestling Analysts, Bodyslams, Beers, and Bleacher Report 2010

Will Howard — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 14:56:23 -0400

You, me, and 200 of our closest Bleacher-report amigos, and amigas, Wrestlemania 26 in Phoenix.

What does everyone say. Bleacher-report wrestle-fest in Phoenix next year. Who is with me?

Draft Fallout, Going Supplemental, and Dreams Of Marrying Gail Kim

Will Howard — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 13:29:22 -0400

Well, I was about 40 percent right last night. CM Punk is on Smackdown, so is Rey, and Y2J. Vladimir Kozlov heads to ECW where he will probably end up wrestling Christian, assuming Christian defeats Jack Swagger at Backlash.

The Miz is on Raw, so is MVP, and next Monday Miz goes for the US title. Matt Hardy also wrestles John Cena, albeit in a non-title match, but the "Star-Maker" Matt Hardy could set himself up for a huge push with a win.

HHH left Smackdown as expected, and yes, yes, oh God yes, Big Show, Edge, and Vickie's love triangle looks to be ending. Perhaps Vickie is pregnant though, who the heck knows. Also who knows how many condoms, ear plugs, and paper bags Edge goes through being married to Vickie? The world may never-eeever-(cheap Y2J pop) know.

Aside from draft talk, is there any doubt in anyone's mind anymore, that Jack Swagger is an amazing athlete? That is assuming he stays off the second rope. Sad end to Morrison N' Miz, and I'm going to miss Maryse's tight outfits on Smackdown.

Batista looks like he could be turning on HHH, and Santino might very well be gay after Friday night, although I see him as more Ranjin Singh's type.

For those of you who watched on TV, I was four rows behind the honorable Hall of Famer "Chief" Jay Strongbow, and I made my way for an autograph and sneaked a few questions in.

He was impressed with Jack Swagger, thinks Tanaka was bad for the image of Native Americans when he sold out to Ted DiBiase, and kept calling Ted Jr. "Teddy." Side note, Y2J came over for a hand shake. "Legend Killer" Y2J, I think not.

Now onto tomorrow at noon. Let's get supplemental. Expect Morrison to make his way to Smackdown, a few divas to switch, Tyson Kidd to Smackdown. Next Generation Hart Foundation, gotta love the sound of that.

I still think Ezekial Jackson is getting torn from Brian Kendrick. People are high on Jackson's in ring abilities, much like a former "deacon" if people catch my drift.

Christian's name has been thrown around, but he's more wanting to stay on ECW for the time being. He's another superstar pushing to see Swagger succeed and it's thought that Swagger vs Cena was his idea.

Shelton Benjamin might also get shipped, and there's rumors of a huge name getting picked up in the supplemental draft. That name...Shawn Michaels, his opponent...yeah you know him, my WWE man crush John Morrison, who looks to be going face, setting up his HBK like media turn.

Speaking of him, Morrison apparently made a lot people mad by his decision to say he'd use the opt-out clause in his contract. They won't let him opt-out, so expect something before Summerslam, but don't expect people to be handing him candy like it's Halloween.

So I'm home now, Houston, Atlanta, all the friends I hung with, all the new friends I met, along with the stars, matches, moments, and three seconds of Kelly-Kelly's butt that I saw, still doesn't compare with looking in my baby's eyes and talking her to sleep with the thoughts of dreams featuring Gail Kim as her new mommy.

I've enjoyed the last few weeks and getting to report all the awesome stuff that I've gotten to see. Next year is Phoenix, but I'll think about that in January.

The Supplemental draft will be awesome, so expect me to be on at Noon sharp to inform the masses, and catch a Will does storylines for 2009 story coming up here shortly.

Here's hoping your favorite stars wrestle some great matches, Kozlov gets fired, and we find out that Vickie gave Big Show and Edge, some sort of STD, because as Edge has said "Genital Warts Rule!"

Enough Is Enough: These WWE Storylines Need To Die

Will Howard — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 15:47:03 -0400

First off, some of these storylines are great ones, but they are indeed wastes of time. So please, stick with me here and I promise good reasons for what I'm about to say.

I know you guys are sick and tired of certain gimmicks killing brain cells and taking hours upon hours of potential wrestling enjoyment away from fans who, if not for a love of wrestling, might be watching rugby.

Yeah, I went there!

We'll start with the most obvious storyline that needs to be shot dead:

1. Vickie and Edge Being Married, with Big Show as Vickie's Man-whore.

First off, no one in their right mind—blind, deaf, or so mentally handicapped they think a Vladimir Kozlov matches are great—would want to date Vickie.

In fact, Eddie Guerrero was about to start divorce proceedings with madam Guerrero prior to his untimely death, this from two sources close to Eddie.

Second, Big Show as a "man-whore" takes away from everything that the "World's Largest Athlete" has done over his career. It shows he's letting the WWE make a mockery of him...again.

I mean come on, he's the Big Show.

He is to be feared, not controlled by a 240-pound ring rat who is only trying to mooch off her dead husband's legacy, urinating all over it in the process.

This storyline is so far out of the scope of reality that it alone brings down the quality of Smackdown, and the WWE product in general.

Vickie needs to leave, Edge needs to wrestle Christian to help legitimize his career—unless he actually wants to be known as a joke—and the Big Show needs to go back to being the self-proclaimed "Big, nasty b*stard" he once was.

No one saw Big Show winning at 'Mania, not until he starts fending for himself instead of feeding off some rotten tamale like Vickie.

It might make more sense if Edge was flirting with someone like Stephanie McMahon, but right now, this more than anything needs to end ASAP!

2. The Miz and John Morrison Teaming Together

Okay, hear me out before you all come knocking at my Bleacher Report door, wanting to beat me in the face for bashing Morrison.

On the contrary, I'm praising him.

It's like a guy with a Culinary Arts degree working for Taco Bell. Morrison's career has gone as far as it can go in the tag team division.

He needs to fly on his own, or climb, or do whatever it takes to get a singles title. He's main-event talent stuck in a murky mess on ECW.

Miz can be a legitimate U.S. title contender, but Morrison said his destiny was bigger than he even knew—and he's right.

WrestleMania XXVI awaits for the "Shaman of Sexy" and, depending the route they steer him in, so could the Hall of Fame.

3.Y2J, "The Legend Killer"?

The last time I checked, Randy Orton, not Chris Jericho, was the "Legend Killer." Yet, it looks like the WWE is already recycling the gimmick.

Jericho makes the gimmick work, maybe eve better than Orton did, but it's still Orton's gimmick.

I have far too much respect to watch Jericho suffe in an old gimmick, especially when the whole Mickey Rourke angle could've been a lot bigger than what they did with it.

4. The "All American, American" Jack Swagger

The only thing wrong here is that Swagger needs legitimate competition without carrying the "All American, American" gimmick.

Anyone remember Ron Simmons's old gimmick? Sound familiar.

For as cocky a heel as Swagger is, this makes no sense to me. He needs a gimmick to reflect on his cockiness.

These are the big four that I see issues with. What do you guys think?

Draft Rumors, Potential Storylines, and Gail Kim

Will Howard — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 13:37:27 -0400

All three are reasons why I'm still in Texas. I will head home after the big draft special, as there were great seats still available, and my friend still has no use for his couch.

With the draft coming up, there are thousands of rumors on who is going where, and what's going to come of it.

Here are a few that I have heard over the last week and why they could be on the verge of happening.

John Cena to Smackdown, beating Edge at Backlash, starting a feud with Matt Hardy. C.M. Punk to Smackdown as part of the title hunt.

This makes sense. Matt Hardy has set himself up as a legitimate No. 1 heel on Smackdown. The Cena/Edge storyline is coming to a close after Backlash, and the Matt/Jeff storyline probably ended with Jeff on the stretcher "leaving" Smackdown.

Matt is owed a legitimate shot to be a champion and this could be a long-term storyline that would improve the quality of Smackdown.

Punk would give Hardy another face to work with assuming he gets what is due to him, and Cena eventually drops the title to him.

Punk and Hardy have long wanted to work each other on a short program and this opens it up to happen. A triple threat with Cena, Hardy, and Punk would be a great match.

Beyond great, actually, and it might legitimize C.M. Punk as a world champion, as can Hardy, if it gets played the right way.

Jack Swagger stays on ECW for one more year, Jeff Hardy gets traded to the "Land of Extreme" to battle Swagger.

This is one storyline that I'm drooling over. This makes sense. Swagger needs more seasoning and needs a solid veteran to push him to his limits. Jeff Hardy can do that and so much more.

Ultimately, having Swagger succeed and move onto Raw next year, potentially winning Money in the Bank at Wrestlemania 26.

John Morrison to Raw, feuds with HBK

The cat is out of the bag, Morrison and Miz won't be teaming after the draft. Morrison told the WWE in January that if he wasn't given what he was promised as far as a singles title run, that he could and probably would use his opt-out clause that becomes available to him in June of this year.

He doesn't want to be wasted or misused, and feels he should be getting a C.M. Punk-like push.

Morrison is one of only seven stars to have opt-out clauses in his contract, and only the first to ever threaten to use it. He's also the first star to openly acknowledge his opt-out clause as it's believed the clause might be subject to a gag-order.

Bringing him in as a young guy to battle Shawn Michaels makes sense when HBK returns. It does set up the Morrison becoming the next HBK, and will force people to realize that HBK really does only have a few years left in his tank.

I saw Gail Kim at the Smackdown tapings, took some photos, well actually lots of photos. How can a girl that hot be that talented?

If I hear anything more, I'll let you guys know. Until then, I'm out.

Breaking News: Which WWE Superstar's Career May Be Over?

Will Howard — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 10:43:35 -0400

Several reports are saying that WWE star Ken Kennedy's career is in serious doubt.

This is a tragedy, to say the least, for WWE fans, myself included. My daughter was named after the self proclaimed "Master of the Mic."

It's not a well-kept secret that he should've returned to the ring by now.

By most reports, he should've been back five or six weeks ago, and the speculation was confirmed when it slipped that he was supposed to take part in the 2009 "Money in the Bank" ladder match at Wrestlemania 25.

His shoulder just isn't heeling properly, and there's been rumors of some sort of infection hampering his return as well.

He is supposed to report to Birmingham, Ala. to the office of renowned surgeon Dr. James Andrews around Thursday of next week to discuss various surgical options, among other things.

A source familiar with the situation has been quoted as saying, "It's a shame for Kenny, it really is, but these things happen. A lot of terrific careers get cut short due to injuries, and his is probably going to be one of those stories."

His career is being called "Over, probably as much as 90 percent, you have to hope he hits the 10 percent."

A call to Dr. Andrews office was not returned.

Nice to know doctor-patient confidentiality does still exist.

Kennedy, a former United States champion and 2007 "Money in the Bank" ladder match winner, is no stranger to injuries, having suffered injuries to his triceps, latissimus dorsi, and other various problems.

If his career is indeed over, he has achieved much in a short time.

His 2007 "Money in the Bank" win, his United States title win, numerous indy titles, and having the honor of wrestling Eddie Guerrero in his last televised match prior to his death are among the most prominent accomplishments.

Notes From Wrestlemania Weekend, Live In Houston, Part II

Will Howard — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 16:58:12 -0400

Fans give me their input on Money in the Bank, and a few other things, as well as a guest. All things to look forward to in this episode.

Ladies and gentleman, Money in the Bank will go down as the second greatest gimmick match of all time. First being the Royal Rumble, but let me be the first to make the comparison that Money in the Bank is the Royal Rumble with about six ladders and with a 20 foot differential.

This year MITB has four contenders, two pretenders, and two guys that will probably in some way ruin the match.

I poled 117, yes I asked 117 people randomly who they thought would win and who they want to win. I will display both for you right now, -(two vote margin of error)

First, who the people want to win:

First, the people who will probably ruin the match:

The World's Strongest Man-Mark Henry and the World's Most Annoying Jamaican Kofi Kingston.

six votes of 117 for Mark Henry

10 votes of 117 for Kofi Kingston

Next the Pretenders:

Finlay, and MVP

21 votes for Finlay

30 votes for MVP

Finally, the Contenders:

The Gold Standard-Shelton Benjamin, Kane, C.M. Punk, and Christian Cage.

Nine votes for Shelton Benjamin

Three votes for Kane

20 votes for CM Punk

18 votes for Christian Cage

Now onto who people think will win-(in highest to lowest)

Shelton Benjamin-35 votes
Christian Cage-23 votes
Finlay-21 votes
MVP-19 votes
CM Punk-11 votes
Kofi Kingston-three votes
Kane-three votes
Mark Henry-two votes

I love stats and this really gives us a look at the fact that despite people hating Shelton Benjamin, more people believe his time is now. A lot of people are excited about the thoughts of Christian winning and wrestling Edge.

I like the idea, but don't see it happening.

Again Jack Swagger will sign anything, I might have gotten him to sign a piece of paper selling me his soul, but that's for another day.

My big purchase for the weekend, besides the ticket, airfare, and about $200 in fast food, was about seven t-shirts including the Legacy's "Born Better" shirt, MVP's shirt in black and purple, the Matt Hardy "Unlock Your Destiny" Tee, Ken Kennedy's "War of Words" Tee, another MVP Tee, and both John Morrison and the Miz's t-shirts.

I put the John Morrison tee on and proceeded to the autograph area where the Miz was. He saw the shirt and asked if I wanted it autographed.

Like an idiot, I said "If only a real wrestler were here" which led to an apology and yeah, the greatest human specimen on the planet John Morrison autographing my shirt and a cool voicemail message on my phone which simply says, "Yo, this is John Morrison and the Miz, Will's not answering his phone, because he's better than you are, who do you think you are calling this phone?"

I will give my number out to my friends on here so they can hear this message, absoltely awesome.

Outside of meeting Mike Rotunda, graduating college, meeting Ted Williams once, and having my daughter, this was the highlight of my life and probably my voice-mail recording for all of eternity.

The guest is Morrison, who believes of all people Finlay will win MITB. Never would've guessed.

Again, I bid you adieu from "beautiful" Houston, Texas.

Notes From Wrestlemania Weekend, Live From Houston

Will Howard — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 14:28:29 -0400

First off, let me say that Cody Rhodes will sign anything you put in front of him. Class act even while playing off as a heel. I now have 6 new voice-mail tones features wrestlers gracious enough to take 2 minutes to do so.

Jack Swagger looks amazing, he too, will sign anything you put in front of him.

The big thing I was wondering and eventually was asked by security at the fan axxcess, and autograph sessions, was, when or if Chris Benoit will get into the Hall of Fame. As I mentioned, apparently Benoit's name is still a hot button issue and I was asked politely, and eventually not so politely to not mention his name.

I did however, manage to get six stars opinions. Four stars think he needs in, one wouldn't answer, and one surprisingly said no. Gail Kim, who looked amazing, as well as Cody Rhodes, Todd Grisham, and yes, even Jack Swagger, agreed that he needs to go in.

I could not for the life of me, get Matt Striker to answer me, and a certain "Charismatic" Canadian star actually just said no, and asked me to move along if I didn't have anything for him to sign.

Pretty deep stuff, but my big post Wrestlemania story will be jam packed full of stuff. Signing off for now, from "beautiful" Houston, Texas, I'm out.

Wrestlemania 17-0 Shirt is a Hoax

Will Howard — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 14:03:16 -0400

Thursday night, I went to WWE.com to check on John Morrison t-shirts—yeah, laugh away—but while there I saw something that previewed a future product.

There amidst shirts, hoodies, and other things, I saw an Undertaker 17-0 shirt. Very nice looking by the way. The left had a giant red and white 17 and the right just had a huge red and white zero on it.

The front had the Undertaker's cross design with the point going through a heart and a nice ribbon reading R.I.P. H.B.K. the back simply had the Wrestlemania 25 logo.

*This shirt was found to be a hoax, so I'm changing the article, sorry guys.*

Breaking Down The MLB's National League

Will Howard — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 18:58:57 -0400

I decided to knock out the National League Edition of my MLB rankings today, because I realize my whirlwind travels from New York to watch the Cubs and Yankees open up New Yankee Stadium, then to Houston for Wrestlemania 25, leave me sadly lacking for time this weekend.

Again, I feel the need to point out that, as insightful as I'm about to be, this is only an article of an opinionated nature. No one is perfect at predicting anything, let alone how 30 teams and a minimum of 750 players will do throughout a 162-game season, but I can try, just as the thousands of other writers, players, fans, and everyone else can.

Let us start with the NL East.

1. Philadelphia Phillies—The defending World Series champions will have a tough time repeating anything, let alone winning the tough NL East with a young, scrappy Marlins team and a Mets team determined not to choke again.

Armed with three potential MVP candidates in Utley, Rollins, and Howard, and a couple of speed demons on the base paths in Shane Victorino and Jayson Werth, and Joe Blanton looking more and more like a legitimate number two starter, Philadelphia fans will be coming to the stadium longer than most other teams' fans this season.

2. Florida Marlins—Yes, I'm serious, I think Florida finishes ahead of the Mets, not by much, but I think they do. Fredi Gonzalez's young team will surprise a lot of people. Ricky Nolasco will surprise a lot of people (a former Cubs prospect, but so was Josh Hamilton) and get some Cy Young votes. Cameron Maybin is going to be exciting and will almost assuredly will be the NL's ROY this year.

This offense can be great, and probably will have it's kid-glove moments, but all in all this is a team to watch out for.

3. New York Mets—To me, the Mets almost addressed everything they needed to. Fernando Tatis starting doesn't work for me, but neither does Luis Castillo. Highly overrated, vastly under-talented for big city ball playing.

Perez, Pelfrey, and Maine need another year under their belts, while the Marlins have Nolasco, Johnson, Annibal Sanchez, and Andrew Miller, who is going to get better. Miller is a big leftie with promise, and has shown glimpses of a potential 17-game winner.

To me, the Mets just aren't a safe pick. They crumble too quickly, and I won't lay any faith in them until they prove me wrong.

4. Atlanta Braves—Same boat as the Mets. I love Derek Lowe as a player, but Kawakami, Jurrjens, and Vazquez just aren't dependable. I will change this if Tommy Hansens makes a serious go this year, but otherwise, the tools just aren't here anymore.

5. Washington Nationals—Where to start? Pretty much everything except the outfield needs worked on. Willingham, Dukes, and Milledge is a pretty darned good outfield, and Dunn and Zimmerman are two decent corner infielders, but the rest is a mess. Don't worry too much, though. Stephen Strausberg is on his way here before too long, assuming the draft doesn't go completely out of hand.

NL Central

1. Chicago Cubs—The Cubs are set on ending up in the World Series, and this is the year they get there. Too many solid arms and bats to compete with any team in most any offensive category, the Cubs are primed to end up seizing their chance to be the best team in the league, if only for two years out of every 101.

Marmol isn't the closer, for now. He'll be able to come in from the fifth to the eighth, and the only thing holding this team down will be injuries. Otherwise, pencil them in as NL champions.

2. Cincinnati Reds—Their offense is coming around and features Edwin Encarnacion, Brandon Phillips, Jay Bruce, and Joey Votto. Volquez, Cueto, Bailey, Harang, and Arroyo have had a year to mesh, and this team could be intriguing come September.

3. St. Louis Cardinals—Will be great next year, it's just not their year.

4. Milwaukee Brewers—Had Sabathia or Sheets stayed, they'd be higher. I just can't see Yovanni Gallardo as a legitimate ace. The upper three teams are built better. Milwaukee simply missed its window.

5. Houston Astros—Too old, too many good teams in the division.

6. Pittsburgh Pirates—Hey, these are the Pirates we're talking about.

NL West

1. Arizona Diamondbacks—Pretty solid lineup from top to bottom. Throw "Dependable Jon" Jon Garland and Max Scherzer in the mix with Haren and Webb, and that's a team you think will be playing in October.

2. (tie) San Francisco Giants—Personally, I feel like Barry Zito needs to be closing games rather than starting them. Jonathan Sanchez is a dark horse in the rotation, and Johnson, Cain, and Lincecum will get this team back on track. Pablo Sandoval and Travis Ishikawa will battle each other for NL ROY honors, and the team will look better.

Los Angeles Dodgers—The pieces are all here. Manny and the boys. I just feel that they suffer some sort of season-altering injury. Assuming there's no big injury, though, look for them to be the clear-cut second place team and the wild card team.

4. Colorado Rockies—It's a case of lack of pitching, and the tools just aren't there. No Matt Holiday means no chances for the Rockies this year.

5. San Diego Padres—Once Jake Peavy gets traded, consider this team the Pittsburgh Pirates of the West.

Awards

ROY—Cameron Maybin, Marlins. Runners up—Travis Ishikawa and Pablo Sandoval, San Francisco.

Cy Young—Brandon Webb, Arizona. Runners up—Johan Santana, NYM, Carlos Zambrano, Chicago, Ricky Nolasco, Florida.

Manager of the Year—Lou Pinella, Chicago. Runners up—Fredi Gonzalez, Florida, Tony LaRussa, St. Louis.

MVP—Hanley Ramirez-Florida. Runners up—David Wright, NYM, Ryan Howard and Chase Utley, Philadelphia

Playoffs

Cubs over Marlins

Phillies over Diamondbacks

*Cubs over Philadelphia

Tampa over Los Angeles

Boston over Cleveland

*Boston over Tampa Bay

Leading to the Cubs over Boston in six games to be World Series champions.

2009 Preseason MLB Predictions, AL Edition

Will Howard — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:34:02 -0400

Since everyone else is doing this, I have finally felt so left out as to get serious for a bit. Notice I said a bit, the comedy comes back as soon as this article is done.

**Again, I feel the need to point out that this, yes, as insightful as I'm about to be, is only an article of an opinionated nature, and yes, no one is perfect at predicting anything, let alone how 30 teams and a minimum of 750 players (25 players per 30 teams, etc) will do throughout a 162-game season, but I can try, just as the thousands of other writers, players, fans, and everyone else can, so play ball.**

Let's get started with the ever popular AL East.

The way I see it, this is how they finish.

1. Boston Red Sox- Jacoby Ellsbury, and Jed Lowrie are coming in to their own, Ellsbury could steal 60 bases this year, and the team pretty much looks identical to last year minus Coco Crisp, Curt Schilling, and Julio Lugo taking his spot on the bench.

The Sox have to be the clear favorite, even with the Yankees additions because their core stayed together, Pedroia and Youkilis burst out of their shells to become monster players and you don't bet against a team with all the tools, and honestly, the Stanley company has to be jealous of all the Sox manufactured tools Boston is packing.

2. Tampa Bay Rays- Tampa is back, now with Burrell. B.J. Upton had his coming out party last October, and this team is poised to compete with the Sox and Yankees again. Lightning doesn't strike twice is a long disproved theory has lightning will strike the same place upwards of 11 times.

I think the Yankees get struck, both out by Rays pitching, and by the fact that they will again fail to make the playoffs at the hands of Tampa Bay.

David Price is coming, and soon, this doesn't sit well for AL East batters who don't call Tropicana Field home.

3. New York Yankees- All the cash in the world won't save the Yankees from third place. A-Rod is out, Jeter's getting old, and this isn't a "team" of players, more a group of guys that were superstars on other teams, but just want to collect their Yankee sized paycheck.

The days where the "Bankees" could go and buy a championship are gone. They are going to need to build up their farm system, a la Derek Jeter if they want to compete again.

4. Baltimore Orioles- It's ok Baltimore, September and the Ravens aren't too far away, you'll have a winning team then.

5. Toronto Blue Jays- Alex Rios, come on down, you're the next contestant on trade me, I'm a Blue Jay.

Boston and Tampa Bay make the play offs in this group. Brett Gardner could surprise a bunch of people in the Yankee outfield, and Mark Teixeira, David Ortiz, and potentially any number of Rays or Sox players could be considered for the MVP.

AL Central

1. Cleveland Indians- Armed with newer pieces and some fresh faces, Shin-Soo Choo and company look to rebound. Hafner and Martinez will come back, maybe not to their old selves, but still as quality players.

Kerry Wood, and Mark DeRose join a lineup which lacked veteran leadership, a quality both men ooze out in massive quantities.

Cliff Lee might be a stretch, but the rebounding of Fausto Carmona will be something to watch for. In a tight four team race, Cleveland pulls it out.

2. Chicago White Sox-Hey the Chi-Sox have an A-Ram to match the one the Cubbies have, and he a potential MVP. I'm in man-crush with Alexei Ramirez, but not even a man-crush is enough to put them over the Indians comeback this year.

I'm an intrigued to see a full season from Carlos Quentin. The MVP winds could blow for him as well.

3-(tie)-Minnesota Twins- I think Delmon Young discovers his power again, but this team has too many holes to be a legitimate contender.

Kansas City Royals- Here's hoping the Tampa Bay aura rubs off on these lovable push-overs. They have some talent, but also some holes that a rhinoceros can walk through fairly easily.

Time will tell is the Royals are mean't do do anything, however a winning record this season will go a long way.

5. Detroit Tigers- Bye-bye to that Sheffield guy, still released, but will pay him just to say goodbye. The fire sale has begun.

Lastly for now the AL West

1. Los Angeles Angels- Again it's the Angels and the rest.

2. Oakland Athletics- The window of greatness for the Angels is coming to an end. It was a great run, and might continue next season, but Oakland is built to compete this season and second place is nice, assuming Matt Holiday comes long term.

Holiday, Giambi and some fresh faces will make them a quiet contender in the weak AL West. Losing Justin Duchscherer will hurt, but some no-name star will emerge and take over the staff.

3. Seattle Mariners- A rebuilt team, a new GM, and a great future. A's GM Billy Beane's decision to put money in keeps the M's at third for now, but something is happening in Seattle.

4. Texas Rangers- There's an Elvis sighting. Elvis Andrus and I like the kid. Not enough to believe the hype, or to put Texas doing anything, but I still like him.

American League Awards

Cy Young-Felix Hernandez-Seattle

Runners up-CC Sabathia-NYY, James Shields-TB

ROY-Matt Wieters-Baltimore

Runners up-David Price-TB, Elvis Andrus-Texas

Manager of the Year-Joe Maddon-TB

Runners up-Don Wakamatsu-Seattle, Trey Hillman-Kansas City

MVP-B.J. Upton-Tampa Bay

Runners up-Mark Teixeira-NYY, Alexei Ramirez-Chicago-WS

Stay tuned for tomorrow's National League Predictions.