Bleacher Report - Articles by Rick Gagliano

Cleveland Indians: 2008 Preview

Rick Gagliano — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 08:29:46 -0500

Cleveland Indians

Last season: 96-66 (.593), won AL Central, beat Yankees in ALDS, lost to Boston in ALCS.

2008 Outlook: For a team that accomplished so much in 2007, the Indians made very few offseason moves, though they lost two veteran role-players, Kenny Lofton and Trot Nixon. Lofton was particularly effective in the playoffs, and the Indians haven't done anything to replace either his speed or experience.

Great pitching and timely hitting were cornerstones for Cleveland last season and the big two starters, C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona, should keep them in the hunt throughout. Jake Westbrook could also have a splendid year, after spending much of 2007 on the DL. The middle relief is probably the best in the majors.

The Indians will vie for a repeat win of the Central and another shot in the playoffs.

Biggest Changes: None to speak of, except David Dellucci in left and Franklin Gutierrez in right, flanking All-Star Grady Sizemore. The Indians may be looking around to make a trade for a top-flight outfielder after letting Lofton go.

Rookie/Free Agent Prospects: Reliever Masahide Kobayashi was signed out of Japan to a nice contract, ostensibly as an insurance policy should closer Joe Borowski stumble. Jeremy Sowers, who finished last season in AAA Buffalo, will likely make a re-appearance as a regular starter.

Best fantasy bets: Travis Hafner hits for plenty of power, but his whiffs are high and his batting average is average (.266). Grady Sizemore is a better pick, as he matched Hafner in homers (24) and his 118 runs and 33 steals more than make up for the difference in RBI (100 for Hafner, 78 for Sizemore). Sabathia and Carmona are top-line starters, but the real steal could be Jake Westbrook.

Three Excellent Links:
Wikipedia entry on Progressive Field (formerly Jacobs Field)
Cleveland.com and Cleveland Plain Dealer Tribe news, updates, opinions, blogs.
Larry Doby's Hall of Fame page

Next: Detroit Tigers

Stay on top of major league baseball every day at Baseball On Deck

College Basketball Notes: Big East, SEC In Focus

Rick Gagliano — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 08:56:14 -0500

Five games involved teams ranked in the Top 25, all of which won over unranked opponents...

No. 6 Kansas 75 Iowa St. 64

Jayhawks put it all together in this road rout. Darrell Arthur led the scoring parade with 19 points in 31 minutes. Brandon Rush and Mario Chalmers each hit 3-4 three-pointers and scored 15. Kansas held a 43-30 rebounding edge.

The Jayhawks appear ready to avenge their loss to K-State, when the Wildcats come calling on Saturday.

Tulsa 67 No. 2 Memphis 82

A total breeze for the Tigers, but that's what happens when you hit 13-25 from beyond the arc.

Minnesota 53 No. 16 Purdue 65

Boilermakers continue to play great defense and hit perimeter shots, though being outrebounded 43-29 is a cause for concern. Purdue forced 20 turnovers, which somewhat balances things out.

GA Tech 58 No. 7 Duke 71

Blue Devils hit only 2 of 15 3-pointers, but still breezed as the Yellow jackets couldn't handle the pressure, turning the ball over 20 times.

St. John's 52 No. 11 Georgetown 64

Smothering the Johnnies isn't saying much. Roy Hibbert's 17 points, 3 rebounds and 4 fouls speaks volumes about this team's readiness for serious competition.

Three rebounds? Come on.

Key games from around the nation...

Cincinnati 67 Pittsburgh 73

A much-needed win for the Panthers, but how far can Sam Young and DeJuan Blair (20 and 18 points, respectively) take them? Big rebounding edge (37-25) to the Bearcats, but Pitt won it at the free throw line. These two now tied in the Big east standings at 8-7.

West Virginia 85 DePaul 73

Nice win for the Mountaineers, who have won 4 of their last 5. The offense continues to click. They hit 53% overall and 77% from the foul line, which bodes well for the immediate future. Saturday's game at UConn ought to be a beauty. Big East is still wide open, with 9 teams vying for 7, maybe 8 tickets to the Big Dance. Mountaineers got a leg up with this win, making them 9-6, in sixth place.

Clemson 79 Miami (FL) 69

A key win for the Tigers, now 8-5 in the ACC and a cinch to make the field of 65. Tough loss for Miami, after winning four straight, they drop to 6-7 in the conference, but close out the regular season with Virginia and BC at home, then Florida St., away. Still hope for the Hurricanes.

Texas Tech 54 Texas A&M 98

Blowout win for the Aggies keeps them in the chase, but they've dropped out of the Top 25 and are just 7-6 in the Big 12. This ended a 3-game skid for A&M, which scored 56 1st-half points and cruised from there.

Oklahoma 45 Nebraska 63

Cornhuskers are red-hot, having won three straight, improving to 6-7 in the conference. The 'Huskers face Oklahoma St., Texas and Colorado to close out the season. Will 8-8 in the Big 12 translate to a dance pass? Depends on how the 'Huskers do in the Big 12 tourney. Stay tuned.

In the SEC, Florida won at Georgia, 77-64, improving to 8-5, 21-7. Defending champs look good to return to the NCAA tournament... Mississippi St. turned back Auburn, 89-78, making the Bulldogs 11-3 and clinching at least a tie for the SEC West title. Punch their ticket...Tough road for the Razorbacks, losing at Alabama, 59-56... Arkansas is now 7-6 in conference and on the outside looking in, because Kentucky dumped Mississippi, 58-54, making the Wildcats 10-3 in the SEC East and good enough to meet the committee's approval.

Catch all the college hoops action and key analysis at College Basketball Daily

College Basketball Roundup: Tough Being on Top

Rick Gagliano — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 04:41:34 -0500

No. 1 Tennessee 69 No. 18 Vanderbilt 72

Chris Lofton couldn't hit a 3-pointer late in the game, and his teammates only managed one for the whole game.

Just one day after reaching the No. 1 ranking for the first time in school history, the Tennessee Volunteers suffered a letdown following their upset of Memphis Saturday and fell to SEC East rival Vanderbilt. Lofton scored 25 points, hitting 6 of 15 threes, but his last three were all misses, as the Vols could not overcome Shan Foster's 32 points.

Foster put the Commodores on his back and led them to a huge win, hitting 9-of-13 from the field, including 6-of-9 3-pointers and 8-of-11 from the foul line.

Tennessee's shooters were off all night, shooting just 32 percent for the game. Besides Lofton, the Vols hit only one of 11 from beyond the arc, by JaJuan Smith, who finished with nine points.

Despite the horrible shooting, Tennessee (11-2, 25-3) kept the game close. It was only their second SEC loss, the other coming against Kentucky. The Vols beat Vanderbilt (9-4, 24-4), 80-60, back on Jan. 17 and host Kentucky, with a chance to avenge their earlier loss Sunday.

A win over the Wildcats would all but secure the best record in the conference, the SEC East title, the top seed in the SEC tourney, and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Kentucky is 9-3 in the conference and hosts Mississippi tonight.

Ohio St. 69 No. 12 Indiana 72

Once again, the Buckeyes came up just short. Ohio State (17-11, 8-7) now has lost three straight and five of their last seven, placing them in an iffy, bubbelicious position for the NCAA tourney.

Hoosier Armon Bassett led the scoring with 23 points. Stalwart scorers Eric Gordon and D.J. White had 17 and 16, respectively.

This was the first home game for Dan Dakich, who replaced disgraced Kelvin Sampson, who retired Friday amidst a swirl of recruiting violation allegations and NCAA sanctions. Dakich was greeted warmly by the home crowd as Indiana (13-2, 24-4) won for the second straight time with Dakich as coach and has racked up four straight overall.

No. 15 Connecticut 79 Rutgers 61

The Huskies got back to business after losing to Villanova Saturday, crushing an undermanned Rutgers team that was thoroughly outplayed by taller, faster UConn players. The Huskies outshot the Scarlet Knights, 52-42 percent and outrebounded them 41-24.

It was the eighth straight loss for Rutgers, who fell to the bottom of the Big East at 2-14 and 10-19 overall.

The Huskies (11-4, 22-6) still trail 12-3 Louisville and Georgetown by one game in the Big East standings. Sandwiched in between is Notre Dame at 11-3. All the teams have three regular season games left, except the Irish, who have four.

UConn doesn't play any of the top three, but Louisville has both Notre Dame and Georgetown on the schedule. The Hoyas will have to contend not only with Louisville, but also with Marquette (11-5, 21-6). Notre Dame may just sneak in and win the Big East title. Following the tilt at Louisville Thursday night, they play at DePaul, host St. John's and finish at South Florida. Those three teams are a combined 11-32 in conference play.

No. 20 Drake 83 Missouri St. 86

The Missouri Valley conference is one of the best in the nation, top to bottom. Ample proof of that statement was made by Missouri State last night, knocking off top dog Drake in a game that was anything but a fluke. The Bears of Missouri State are eighth (of 10) in the conference standings with a 7-10 record, but are 15-15 overall and have already posted wins over Bradley, Indiana State, Southern Illinois and Northern Iowa, all teams ahead of them in the standings.

Drake, the only team from the conference who is ranked, already has wrapped up the MVC title, though they've now lost three of their last four in the conference. The upcoming conference tournament should produce a winner other than the Bulldogs and the second entrant to the NCAAs. The conference easily could place four solid teams into the field of 65.

Correction: In a post last week, I mistakenly mentioned that Selection Sunday was March 9. It is actually March 16, which means the championship game will be held on Monday, April 7.

Get your daily dose of college hoops at College Basketball Daily

MLB Previews: Toronto Blue Jays

Rick Gagliano — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 01:32:37 -0500

Toronto Blue Jays

Last season: 83-79, third place, AL East, 13 games behind Red Sox, 11 behind Yankees.

2008 Outlook: The Blue Jays confront the same outlook they seem to have every season: How to catch the Yankees and Red Sox. This season looks to be another exercise in futility for the top spot though catching the Yankees and earning a wild card is a possibility. Both the Sox and Yanks kept almost everything from 2007 intact, which means New York will still have pitching problems.

The Jays will enter the season with four quality starters: Roy Halladay, A.J. Burnett, Dustin McGowan, and Shaun Marcum. If Gustavo Chacin isn't fully recovered from shoulder problems, the fifth starter spot will fall to Jesse Litsch, who had an unexpectedly nice season as rookie in 2007.

The lineup could be imposing or flatline, depending on the health of center fielder Vernon Wells and third baseman Scott Rolen. If both of them produce, this offense will be powerful, especially having Frank Thomas as an everyday DH. He can still smash.

Biggest Changes: Left side: Third baseman Troy Glaus was traded for Scott Rolen and the Cardinals also let go of scrappy shortstop David Eckstein. He fits in nicely for the Blue Jays. Left field will be a competition—and possibly a platoon situation—between Reed Johnson and Shannon Stewart, recently acquired from Oakland.

Rookie/Free Agent Prospects: Adam Lind may end up being the regular left fielder, and Casey Janssen should get plenty of chances as a middle reliever/set-up man for Jeremy Accardo or B.J. Ryan, if his rehabbing is complete by opening day.

Best fantasy bets: Alex Rios (.297, 24 HR, 85 RBI in 2007) has improved his HR and RBI totals in each of his four seasons. He could be a real steal in fantasy drafts. Most managers will opt for Vernon Wells, though he had a down year in 2007, but off-season shoulder surgery is supposed to have fixed that. Spring training stats may offer some indication of whether he's ready for a big year.

Scott Rolen is another player to watch. He battled injuries for most of the past three seasons, and entering his 14th year in the majors, he may not be able to bounce back to previous form. A sure bet is number one starter Roy Halladay, always among the leaders in wins, ERA and WHIP. 16-21 wins an ERA around 3.50 and a WHIP under 1.25 are likely numbers for the perennial All-Star.

Three Excellent Links:
Tornoto Star baseball page
SportSpyder aggregated Blue Jays news
Baseball-Almanac Toronto Team Page: Stats, Records, more

Next: Baltimore Orioles

More team previews at Baseball On Deck

College Basketball: Separation Sunday

Rick Gagliano — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 10:33:10 -0500

Six Top 25 teams took to the hardwoods on Sunday and all six defeated teams in their conference which had high hopes prior to tip-off.

By the end of the day, teams heading for the Big Dance sent a reality check to those chasing the dream...

Wake Forest 73 - No. 3 North Carolina 89

The Tar Heels saw what the Demon Deacons did to Duke, so they invited them over for a little hard medicine.

The home team shot 56 percent from the field and 77 percent from the foul line. Tyler Hansbrough scored 29 points.

Even without Ty Lawson, who may be back by the weekend, the Tar Heels must be feared and respected.

California 69 - No. 9 Stanford 79

Nothing special here except for another home win for the Cardinal. Cal has a good team, and they own wins over USC and Washington State, both of which the Bears face over the next two weeks.

Closing out the regular season isn't going to aid their cause, though, nor is their current 6-8 Pac-10 record.

No. 10 Xavier 57 - Dayton 51

The X-Men put the final nail in the Flyers' coffin, handing them their 8th loss against just five wins in the A-10.

At 17-9 overall, Dayton may need another couple of wins to just make it to the NIT.

No. 11 Wisconsin 58 - Ohio St. 53

Nice try by the Buckeyes, who could be the fifth team from the Big 10 to make the field of 65, but their schedule says they're not going to make it.

Their final four games are at Indiana, at Minnesota, then home against Purdue and Michigan State.

If they win just one, presumably against the Gophers, they'll finish 9-9 in the league and 18-13 overall, which makes them NIT material. Better luck next year.

If the committee lets them in, it'll be a travesty unless the Buckeyes somehow win two or three of these games and don't implode in the Big Ten Tournament.

Michigan State, now in fourth place in the conference, is marginal at best, and these guys can't even beat them.

No. 18 Louisville 75 - Pittsburgh 73

Pitt played one of its best games of the season and they still lost by a bucket. David Padgett and Edgar Sosa had their way with the Panthers, going 9-13 and 7-11, respectively.

No sustained defensive effort and a third straight loss (this one at home) has put the Panthers' season on the edge.

There's still time, but Cincy and West Virginia have passed them in the standings. The Panthers have them both on the remaining schedule, plus Syracuse and DePaul.

Syracuse 87 - No. 21 Notre Dame 94

Cross off the 'Cuse. Whether they were employing coach Boeheim's vaunted 2-3 zone defense or man-on-man, Kyle McAlarney torched them for 30 points, hitting an incredible 9-of-11 3-pointers.

Syracuse falls to 7-8 in the Big East and 17-11 overall. There are too many teams already in front of them for the Orange to be even considered to be on the bubble.

They're young and suffered a number of key injuries this season, so they'll be back with a bullet next season.

Don't miss a single jumper with College Basketball Daily, your source for the best of March Madness.

MLB Previews: New York Yankees

Rick Gagliano — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 13:51:07 -0500

New York Yankees

Last season: 94 -68, AL Wild Card. Lost to Cleveland in playoffs.

2008 Outlook: Still sporting somewhat of a potent lineup, with returning regulars Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada, Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano, Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui and Bobby Abreu, the major question marks are at first base, DH and in the starting pitching staff. Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy and Joba Chamberlain are projected to be starters along with Chien-Ming Wang and aging veterans Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte.

While Chamberlain will probably reprise his role as set-up man for closer Mariano Rivera, Hughes and Kennedy may have competition from Carl Pavano, who is expected to at least contend for a starting role. Pitching is not the Yankees strong suit.

At first, Jason Giambi is back, but he's going to be DH-ing mostly, leaving the job open to prospect Juan Miranda, Morgan Ensberg or Shelley Duncan. It's a hole the Yankees need filled.

Biggest Changes: Manager Joe Girardi takes over from Joe Torre and handling this team (to say nothing of the owner and the media) has been known to be trying. Girardi has been given a large dose of control, but meddling from the front office is about as predictable as rain in April. Girardi will have his hands full.

Rookie/Free Agent Prospects: Ian Kennedy may turn out to be either a bust or a gem in the rough. The Yankees are also expecting much from Chamberlain, while Ensberg and Duncan are likely to fill in at first and DH. Both could become full-time starters.

Juan Miranda, a defector from Cuba, signed in the off-season to a $2 million contract and he'll spend time on one of the Yankees' farm teams. He's another iffy prospect.

Best fantasy bets: Obviously, the #1 pick in most fantasy leagues is going to be A-Rod, and you really can't fault the numbers he puts up every year. Besides Rodriguez, Posada is a very steady backstop, and Cano could be a breakout at second base. If you need a closer, Mariano Rivera is a great choice, not only because he's so talented, but because with the Yanks' pitching, he's going to get plenty of opportunities.

Three Excellent Links:
NY Post Yankees coverage
Ultimate Yankees - history, stats, bios, news
AROD.com

Next: Toronto Blue Jays

Get all your baseball juice at Baseball On Deck

College Basketball March Madness: Bubble Trouble

Rick Gagliano — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 09:07:05 -0500

With the month of Madness just a week away, it's not too early to start looking at which teams have to amp it up a bit to make the field of 65 for the NCAA Tournament. Here's a quick peek at teams that are surely in, those with a solid shot and those on the bubble.

No-Doubters: These teams can relax. They're 99 percent assured of getting in, no matter what.

Memphis
Tennessee
Kansas
North Carolina
Texas
Duke
Butler
Drake
Vanderbilt
Stanford
UCLA
Washington St.
Georgetown
Louisville
Notre Dame
Indiana
Wisconsin
Purdue
St. Mary's
Gonzaga
Xavier
Connecticut
Kansas State
America East Conference Champion
Atlantic Sun Conference Champion
Big Sky Conference Champion
Big South Conference Champion
Big West Conference Champion
Colonial Athletic Association Champion
Ivy League Champion
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Champion
Mid-American Conference Champion
Mid-Continent Conference Champion
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Champion
Mountain West Conference Champion
Northeast Conference Champion
Ohio Valley Conference Champion
Patriot League Conference Champion
Southern Conference Champion
Southland Conference Champion
Southwestern Athletic Conference Champion
Sun Belt Conference Champion
Western Athletic Conference Champion

That's 43 spots already taken. I've included the likely winners or runners-up from the major conferences as individual teams, like Tennessee in the SEC, Duke and North Carolina in the ACC, etc.

That leaves 22 spots remaining to be filled. All records are as of Friday, Feb. 22.

Likely candidates:
Clemson 19-7
Wake Forest 16-8
Marquette 19-6, ,
Michigan St. 21-5, ,
St. Joseph's 16-8
Texas A&M 20-6
Houston 19-6
Wright St. 20-8

That's 8 almost certain to get in, leaving just 14 more spots, but, uh-oh, there are 31 teams on the bubble (and there may be a couple I missed from minor conferences). Texas A&M, Wake Forest, Michigan State and Marquette could get bumped from the likely list if they lose 3 or more games or take early exits from conference tourneys. Overall, however, those still look like they'll make the grade.

On the Bubble:

ACC: Virginia Tech 15-11, Miami 18-7, Maryland 17-10 - The Terps lay claim to a win over North Carolina. Miami upset Duke last week and late-season wins count more. The Hokies have beaten Maryland twice, but essentially, nobody else. With Maryland losing to Miami on Saturday, give the Hurricanes the edge and maybe just five teams from the ACC go dancing.

Big East: Cincinnati 13-12, West Virginia 18-8, Pittsburgh 19-7, Syracuse 17-10, Villanova 16-9 - With 16 teams in the conference, the Big East could legitimately send 7 teams to the party. Villanova got a huge boost on Saturday, breaking UConn's 10-game win streak. Cincy lost to Georgetown, and 13 losses is going to be tough to overcome, even though the Bearcats are now 8-6 in the conference. Pitt's been sketchy to say the least, losing three of their last five. The 'Cuse and Mountaineers could make some noise in the Big East tourney and grab a bid.

Big Ten: Ohio St. 17-9, Minnesota 16-9 - Both teams need to step it up, though it is conceivable that the Big Ten only sends four teams and both of these are out. Most of the smart money is on Ohio State.

Big 12: Oklahoma 18-8; Baylor, 17-8, Texas Tech, 14-11 - Doubtful that even two of these can get to the tourney unless the Aggies continue to implode. Baylor, hot early, needs to win a couple more. The Red Raiders evened their Big 12 record at 6-6, plus their recent win over K-State will look good to the committee, but they have A&M, Texas and Kansas all in a row upcoming. The Sooners have quietly hung around, and early wins over Arkansas, Gonzaga, West Virginia and Baylor should go a long way.

Conference USA: UAB 18-8 - With Memphis running the table in the C-USA and Houston playing well, UAB is about all that's left from this weakened conference.

Mid-American: Akron 9-4, 19-7; W. Michigan 9-3, 15-10 - Kent State looks like the team to beat, and one of these, but not both, could make the final cut.

Missouri Valley: Illinois St. 11-5, 19-8; Southern Ill. 10-6, 15-12; Creighton 9-7,18-8; Bradley, 9-7, 16-12 - With Drake odds-on to win the Missouri Valley title, each of these teams are deserving of a closer look. Bradley has won their last two, against Creighton and Drake, the two Illinois schools are solid. Illinois State had a nine-game win streak earlier in the year that included four straight road wins. The Salukis have won three straight and have loads of playoff experience, plus that great name. Lots to like in the land of the Ozarks and the tournament committee might take a total of four teams from this excellent mid-major.

Northeast: Robert Morris 13-2, 22-6 and Wagner 13-2, 20-6 - these two tip on Saturday, so the winner will likely take the Northeast Conference Champion championship. A sleeper is Sacred Heart, which owns a win over Robert Morris.

PAC-10 USC 7-6, 16-9, Arizona St. 6-7, 16-9, California 6-7, 15-9 , Arizona 6-7, 16-10, Oregon 6-8, 15-11, Washington 6-8, 15-12 - How many Pac-10 teams are going to go? Four, five? Almost certainly not six. That means four of these will miss out. While USC has a leg up in conference play, they don't look particularly well-balanced and could miss out, especially with big games at home vs. Cal and Stanford and a road trip to both Arizona teams coming up. Washington will have the toughest time, and Arizona hasn't impressed all season. From the looks of it, Arizona State, Cal and Oregon will battle it out for two spots.

SEC: Kentucky 8-3, 14-10, Florida 7-5, 20-7, Mississippi St. 8-3, 17-8 , Arkansas 7-4, 18-7, Mississippi 4-7, 18-7 - After Tennessee and Vandy, everybody in the SEC is on the bubble. Figuring that the conference will send a maximum of six teams to the tourney, two of these aren't going to make it and the decision will likely come down to the SEC tournament. Of these, Mississippi, with that losing conference record, looks the weakest. Kentucky beat Arkansas on Saturday and upped their conference record to 9-3. Florida, Mississippi St. and Arkansas may all go, if Kentucky gets their pass.

Confused? You should be. I've identified 16-19 teams on the bubble with good chances of moving forward, but, like I said earlier, only 14 can go. Some good teams will be bumped, as is usually the case.

I'll provide another update next Saturday. Selection Sunday is March 9, so why haven't you bookmarked College Basketball Daily?

MLB Previews: Boston Red Sox Have All the Elements

Rick Gagliano — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 02:15:38 -0500

Last season: Won AL East (96-66), beat Angels and Indians in playoffs, swept World Series over Colorado Rockies.

2008 Outlook: Should win the AL East again with relative ease. The Yankees are retooling and the rest of the competition isn't much.

With a solid rotation and bullpen plus plenty of mashers at the plate, the Sox are serious contenders for a repeat World Series win.

Biggest Changes: Sean Casey will get a little playing time at first base, with Kevin Youkilis the incumbent; David Ortiz takes his usual role as DH. Casey will get loads of pinch hit chances, though, because he's a great singles hitter with plenty of plate presence.

The losses of reliever Eric Gagne and sometime-starter Matt Clement won't have much impact. Neither was a major contributor last year.

Look for Jacoby Ellsbury to get the nod over Coco Crisp as starting center fielder, and watch to see if Dustin Pedroia suffers a letdown after his outstanding rookie season.

Julio Lugo at short is the only possible defect on this team. But if he can hit for even a slightly better average than last season's .237, he should be fine.

Rookie/Free Agent Prospects: Clay Buchholz, who threw a no-hitter in his second major league start, could be the fifth starter or better, depending on Curt Schilling's readiness. RHP David Aardsma could be a middle reliever or spot starter.

Best fantasy bets: Hitters are abundant, but closers like Jonathan Papelbon are a rarity. He should be your top pick from this squad, alongside Ortiz who produces year-in and year-out.

Manny Ramirez turns 36, but is still productive, though injuries limited his playing time last season. Ellsbury could be a steal especially if he does steal—bases, that is. Josh Beckett will be close to the top of everyone's list, and you'll pay a premium for him.

Three Excellent Links:
Over the Monster: A Boston Red Sox Blog
Manny Ramirez career stats - "Being" needs just 10 more homers for 500.
Boston Globe Sports Page

Next Preview: New York Yankees

Published simultaneously at Baseball On Deck

College BB Roundup: Wake Forest, Notre Dame, UCLA Win

Rick Gagliano — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 03:30:59 -0500

Wake Forest 86, (2) Duke 73

Freshmen James Johnson and Jeff Teague scored 50 points themselves and Wake Forest did what no other ACC team has done this season—they beat Duke.

Johnson, a 6-8 forward, scored 24 points on 8-of-13 shooting and snagged a career-best 16 rebounds.

The Blue Devils had no answer for the big man, and when he wasn't dancing inside, Teague was blazing from the perimeter, scoring a game-high 26 points, including 3-of-3 from three-point range.

Duke simply could not guard their opposition efficiently, as all five of their starters fouled out of the game. Kyle Singler, who was coming off his best performance of the season against Maryland, was 6-of-10 and scored 17 points, but the shooting was off for Duke.

Greg Paulus was only 1-6 on three-pointers, and Duke shot just 41 percent for the game, much of that attributable to the Deacons pressure defense.

Other alarming stats for Duke appear at the free throw line. Wake Forest went to the charity stripe 38 times—unusual against a Duke team which almost always gets to the line more than their opponent—and the Blue Devils were also shabby at the line, making only 13-of-25. Wake Forest hit 27 of their freebies, for 71 percent.

While the loss was not critical for Duke, the win was important for Wake Forest, a team squarely on the bubble at 16-8 and now 6-5 in the conference. The win over the No. 2 team in the country certainly improves their chances for an at-large bid.

The Deamon Decons still have to travel to No. 5 North Carolina next Sunday before filling out the regular season schedule with winnable games against Maryland, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and NC State. 19-10 or 20-9 overall should be good enough to make the tournament, considering only five teams in the ACC have winning conference records right now.

Notre Dame 71 Rutgers 68

The Fighting Irish aren't very good on the road and it showed as they struggled past Rutgers. The Irish managed only 41 percent shooting from the field, though they did manage to hit 8-of-17 3-pointers (47 percent). Rutgers was simply worse, hitting only 38 percent including 9-of-25 beyond the arc.

UCLA 56 USC 46

In the West Coast version of Last Man Standing the Bruins, who used only 8 players, outlasted the Trojans, who used just six. USC turned the ball over 22 times against the Bruins trapping defense and were out rebounded, 38-31. Freshman standout O. J. Mayo was held to a season-low 4 points.

Visit College Basketball Daily for a healthy dose of college hoops every day.

NCAA Basketball: Saturday's Top 25 Results

Rick Gagliano — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 04:31:02 -0500

(1) Memphis 79, UAB 78

Closest game so far this season for the unbeaten Tigers, who needed a three-point play from Chris Douglas-Roberts to seal victory.

Memphis was only 12-22 (.545) from the foul line, which won't help their cause in March. Everyone's talking about Memphis' free throws, now we have evidence it can come back to bite them.

Here's a No. 1 with targets on their chests. 25-0 ain't bad, though.

Colorado 45, (3) Kansas 69

Bill Self emptied the bench as this one was done early. KU remains in commanding position in Big 12, and deservedly so. One of the most experienced good teams in the country.

(4) Tennessee 74, Georgia 71

This one figured to be close and it was. Chris Lofton had 18 of his 22 in the second half, and the Vols roll ever closer to clinching the SEC East. Tennessee visits Memphis on the 23rd (Saturday) in a major out-of-conference showdown.

VA Tech 53, (5) UNC 92

Nobody's paying much attention to the Heels, but Tyler Hansbrough (23 points and 9 boards in 29 minutes) is making a bid for player of the year.

(7) Stanford 67, Arizona 66

Stanford got out of Arizona with a loss and a narrow win. As the competition heats up, they have close-out games with Washington State, then at UCLA and USC should prove whether this Cardinal is for real or not.

(8) Georgetown 70, Syracuse 77

Paul Harris, 22 points and eight boards; Jonny Flynn, 17 points. The main strength and vulnerability for the Hoyas is center Roy Hibbert (11 points, three rebounds) and 'Cuse coach Boeheim knew that. Georgetown's center saw plenty of bench time with foul trouble. Syracuse still on the bubble, but this was huge for them.

Cleveland St. 46, (9) Butler 51

Butler has a date with Missouri Valley top dog, Drake, on February 23rd and only three conference games left. Wright State on the 28th should be the clincher for the Horizon league. Mike Green and A.J. Graves make these Bulldogs tough to beat (23-2)

(10) Michigan St. 61, (13) Indiana 80

Down 18-8 early, the Hoosiers went on a 33-15 run to the half and never looked back. Despite the distractions involving coach Sampson, the team is solid and Eric Gordon (game-high 28 points) is ridiculous. Look for him to enter the draft shortly after the Hoosiers are knocked out of the tourney. Spartans have lost three of their last four. In March, two dance limit for them.

(11) Texas 82, Baylor 77

Damion James had 19 points and 10 rebounds in the Longhorns' fifth straight win and 22nd straight over Baylor. The fact that it was close gives the Bears some cred, but they have to start winning a few here and there.

(14) Drake 65, N Iowa 55

The Missouri Valley title clincher for Drake wasn't all fun and games, as the Bulldogs shot just 39% from the floor, but hit 18 of 19 freebies to the Panthers' three of five.

Minnesota 56, (15) Wisconsin 65

Balanced scoring and tenacious defense make the Badgers one of the real sleepers in the nation. Just one game behind Purdue (11-1) in the Big 10 standings at 10-1, they could run the table and the conference tourney and end up a No. 2 or No. 3 seed.

Oklahoma St. 59, (16) Texas A&M 54

Not trying to knock the Aggies, but 18 second half points at home isn't going to cut it in this or any other conference. The loss snapped a five-game win streak, but the schedule suggests that A&M still has work to do.

(17) Connecticut 74, S Florida 73, OT

A tough road win for the Huskies puts them in great position for the post-season. Their ninth straight win and no ranked teams in their final six Big East games means they're a lock for an at-large bid.

Missouri 63, (18) Kansas St. 100

Michael Beasley tied his season high with 40 points (and 17 rebounds) and this one turned into a rout early on as the Wildcats opened up a 21-point lead at the half. Beasley makes K-State one of the more dangerous teams in the nation. Nobody's been able to slow him down yet and it's doubtful anybody will as he's averaging 25.7 and 12.6. No. 1 draft pick? Count on it.

(19) Purdue 71, Northwestern 56

Make it 11 straight for the Boilermakers, who might be a little under-appreciated by the pollsters. Tuesday's visit to Bloomington ought to be killer.

(21) Wash St. 62, Oregon 53

The Ducks hung in until the final three minutes, and both teams may be just good enough to get tourney bids, but how far they'll go is an open question. Lots to still be sorted out in the PAC-10.

(23) Louisville 80, Providence 72

Cardinals now tied with Georgetown at 10-3 in the Big East standings, but have a tough schedule remaining: Syracuse, at Pitt, Notre Dame, Villanova, at Georgetown. Louisville sure to move up in the polls while the Hoyas fall.

Florida 58, (24) Vanderbilt 61

Commodores seem to have their groove on once more, with their fifth straight win. The Gators are still fighting for an at-large bid, but have to contend with three solids in the SEC West: Arkansas, Mississippi and Mississippi State. All four teams have seven losses and winning conference records.

(25) St. Mary's 80, Loyola-Marymount 49

If you can hold a team to 26 percent shooting, your chances for a win improve dramatically. That's what the Gaels did on Saturday, and that tough defense will work in March as well. Big game with San Diego and Gonzaga, February 25th and March 1st, respectively, should tell us more.

Note: Home teams listed second in line scores, rankings in parentheses.

Simultaneously published at College Basketball Daily

Golden Eagles-Panthers: Marquette Bursts Pittsburgh's Bubble

Rick Gagliano — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 01:09:32 -0500

There's a swinging door at the entrance to the NCAA field of 65, and it swung wide open for the Marquette Golden Eagles last night. For the Panthers, though, that door is closing fast, and they may just have to climb in through an open window in the Big east tournament.

Marquette outplayed the Panthers in every aspect of the game: the Golden Eagles shot 49%, grabbed 36 rebounds, dished 20 assists, turned the ball over 10 times, made 6 steals and blocked 4 shots. The numbers for Pitt were 37%, 33, 12, 15, 3 and 1. The Panthers were also a dreadful 1-11 from 3-point range.

Marquette stepped past Pitt in the Big East standings, improving to 8-5 in conference and 18-6 overall. Pitt is 7-5 and 19-6. Both teams are on the bubble, but Marquette served notice that they are worthy of reaching the next level.

Pittsburgh is an enigma wrapped in a sweat sock. Here's a team that's beaten both Duke and Georgetown, but has lost to the likes of Dayton, Rutgers, Cincinnati, UConn and Villanova. They're a horrible 2-4 on the road against Big East opponents and their next game is at Notre Dame, where the Irish have won 34 straight. Pitt will have to raise the ghost of Andrew Carnegie to win that one.

Next Sunday, the Panthers host Louisville, one of the hottest teams in the country, then play Cincy, a team that already beat them. Two road games, against contentious Syracuse and West Virginia precede the season finale against DePaul.

If the Panthers finish up 4-3 or 5-2 in those final seven games, they'll need a bit of a run in the Big East tourney to impress the NCAA selection committee. Winning less than four of their remaining games probably wipes them off the bracket board even before the conference tourney.

Marquette has similar bubble problems, but the win over Pitt really aids their cause. A pair of losses to Louisville, a split with Notre Dame and road losses at UConn and West Virginia are among the negatives. An out-of-conference win over Wisconsin helps, though a March 1 showdown with Georgetown, at Marquette, and the Big East tourney, will be keys to their success.

The Big East is likely to send seven teams to the national tournament. Georgetown, UConn, Louisville and Notre Dame look like locks already. With Syracuse, Cincinnati and West Virginia knocking on the door, Pitt may be the odd team out.

Simultaneously published at College Basketball Daily

Roger Dodger: Clemens Is Not Believable

Rick Gagliano — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 05:00:37 -0500

The bad and sad joke that was circulating yesterday is that the Republicans who heard sworn testimony from Roger Clemens and his former trainer, Brian McNamee, all sided with the real liar of the two, just as they have consistently sided with uuber-liars George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Don Rumsfeld, sleazy Condoleezza Rice and other members of the truth-challenged administration.

To say that the opinions from hearing members was non-partisan would be unfair, unpatriotic and unrealistic. Calling the position of Roger Clemens—denying that he ever took steroids or HGH despite a great deal of evidence to the contrary—and the Republicans who say they believe him (absurd) would be closer to the mark.

Besides the contrary testimony from McNamee, there are also signed depositions from two teammates, Andy Pettitte and Chuck Knoblauch, indicated that they took steroids. Pettitte's affidavit also included a statement that he discussed performance-enhancers with Clemens. The weight of the evidence, and the fact that McNamee would have nothing to gain by lying, seem to indicate that Clemens is unclean, that he took steroids or HGH and that he's now lied to Congress—an act that could conceivably land him in jail.

Then there's the evidence from his stats. Clemens, who looked to be nearly washed up as a pitcher after the 1996 season, when he was traded from Boston to Toronto, went 21-7 and 20-6 for the so-so Blue Jays in 1997 and 1998 with an ERA for the two years combined a smashing 2.35. To baseball freaks that seemed odd because Clemens, who turned 34 in August of 1996, had suffered through four consecutive years of relative ineffectiveness.

From 1993-96, Clemens was a combined 40-39 for the Red Sox, the kind of numbers that might keep him in a rotation, but not anything close to legendary. In those four years, his ERA was approaching 4.00 and in three of those years he worked less than 200 innings.

It appeared that time was gaining on him.

After 1996, Clemens racked up an incredible 162 wins with Toronto and then with the NY Yankees and Houston Astros. The control came back, the ERA dropped, the money and honors flowed his way. Coincidentally, those were the years—1997-2005—in which steroid use became rampant in Major League Baseball. Fans seem to agree with the Democrats on the panel, who backed McNamee's telling of events.

A Yahoo poll posing the question, "After the Congressional hearings, do you believe Roger Clemens took performance-enhancing drugs?" Out of 29,248 total votes as of late Thursday morning (ET), there were some convincing results: Yes: 81%; No: 19%.

It looks like the Rocket is out of fuel. For the sake of the game, Clemens should have owned up to his misdeeds, but, like most overpaid, egotistic, pumped-up athletes of this generation, his ego is too big for him to admit that all his records were at least partly the result of the rejuvenative effects of steroids.

Published simultaneously at Baseball On Deck.