100th Post

Can you believe this is my 100th post? I certainly can not. These short little bits sure add up over time. I noticed that my last post was my 99th, and figured that my 100th should be something special. Good thing for me that today just happens to mark a few significant events to write about! The NCAA basketball championship is being played tonight and Major League Baseball officially gets underway (forget the fact that the Mets and Cardinals played last night)! Does it get any better?

Let's start with the hoops, shall we?

I'm officially out of the running with my pool, which happened when UCLA was flustered by Florida once more. Florida and Ohio State for the national championship, only this time it is a legitimate, playoff oriented, no debates about it, national championship, unlike that facade of a championship these schools played for in January. Make no mistake about it, I don't like either program, but my disdain for DUH Ohio State State far outweighs my un-fondness (I know, not a word) for the Gators. I will therefore be rooting for Florida to become the first team ever to win back to back national championships with the same starting lineup. I love the fact that those kids all came back when some of them could have easily gone pro after last season, like the kids from North Carolina did a few years ago.

Ohio State has been finding ways to win this tournament without the huge presence of Greg Oden, and I commend them for that. But when they play Florida tonight, they will be going up against the deepest and most talented, and the biggest team they have faced yet. Don't forget, these teams played each other back in December in a #1 vs #2 match up in Gainesville and the Gators had no problem cracking the Buckeyes and exploiting them for what they are; pretenders riding the storyline of soon to be NBA top pick Greg Oden. When all is said and done tonight the Gators will etch their spot in history as one of the greatest teams while Ohio State will fall back to the sometimes power of the Big Ten as the guy who is the only reason Ohio State gets so much press is playing in the NBA. They may be a good team still, but nothing like a national champion caliber squad.

Florida wins against Ohio State...again...and I'll love it...again.

Now onto the Boys of Summer (with all due respect to Don Henley...or The Ataris for you emo kids who don't know your musical backgrounds).

Before spring training started I was so pumped for the Phillies and their prospects of making the playoffs for the first time since 1993. Ryan Howard comes in as the NL MVP, Freddy Garcia was supposed to bolster the pitching rotation, and Jon Lieber was supposed to be the guy to get traded in exchange for extra bullpen arm. Oh yeah, Pat Burrell was supposed to be in great shape.

Well, Howard struggled, Garcia is on the disabled list, Lieber is still here, and Burrell is still Burrell. Granted, you can't always take too much out of spring training results, but I always prefer to see some results as opposed to little or no results. There were some reasons to be optimistic though, and it begins with Brett Myers.

Myers has shown that he is ready to get going. He came into spring training in better shape than last year and his pitching has been very good. He is the #1 guy on this team and rightfully so. What happened to Myers in Boston last season was bad, but sometimes those kind of incidents can help in the long run. His wife is still behind him and Myers seems to have a new approach to his game and personality. He isn't as standoffish as he once was, and he seems to be the most motivated to help his team. Look for a 18 or 19 win season from this guy.

Chase Utley should not be forgotten about of course. He is the best second baseman in the National League. There, I said it. Howard may get the recognition for his power, but Utley is the guy who will lead this team to a championship run. If not this year, any year now. Utley is a threat to do just about anything at the plate and his fielding skills are not too shabby either. While Utley and Howard provide some threats at the plate, very few of the rest of the Phillies do.

Jimmy Rollins as a lead off man has yet to really please me, although he has shown signs of being more patient and getting better. He may be the best option on this team so I am ok with it for now. People love Shane Victorino. I do not. Don't get me wrong, I love the guy's energy and enthusiasm (I believe it is unrivaled on the club, except for maybe the Phanatic) but when Victorino comes to the plate, pitchers aren't exactly shaking in their cleats. The bottom half of the lineup has potential with Aaron Rowand and Wes Helms and such, but, to me, the Phillies season and chances of the post season berth so very much coveted, rests on the shoulders of Burrell.

This is the man who is slated to be in the dreaded five spot, behind Ryan Howard. If teams are going to give Howard the "Barry Bonds treatment" then it is up to Burrell to make them pay. There was a brief time in Burrell's earlier days that he could provide a deep threat, but ever since Jim Thome came through town Burrell's bat has had holes drilled in it or had super glue applied to his shoulders. He has been frustrating to watch for any Phillies fan who dreams of October ball. I'm not saying Burrell definitely will step it up this year, but I do have faith that he will provide some more punishment for the opposition after Howard trots down to first base.

Why? Meh, why not?


I have faith in the starting pitching but once the relievers come in I will be nervous, unless they can step it up like they did a few years ago. Trust me, the bullpen was indeed a strong point of this team. When Garcia and Lieber come back form injury Lieber will likely be placed in the bullpen, which would give me some more confidence.

So what do I think will happen with the team this year? I'm thinking about second place with a legitimate shot at the Wild Card. I think the Mets will start slow, but flex their muscle as the season goes, but all bets are off if Pedro Martinez (nobody seems to have mentioned his name this off season and spring training) misses another huge chunk of the season. The Phillies are notorious for starting off slow in April, and their first 40 games including a west coast trip aren't really all that favorable. Three off days if I'm not mistaken, which is not a lot for a team with two starting pitchers on the disabled list. Not to mention a number of games against the Mets, Braves, the nemesis Marlins and the pesky Nationals. Oh yeah, and those Astros roll into town early too.

So here is a glimpse at my predictions for the year:

NL East
1. Mets
2. Phillies (Wild Card)
3. Braves
4. Marlins
5. Nationals


NL West champs: Dodgers (no thanks to Mike Lieberthal though)
NL Central champs: Cardinals

AL East champs: Yankees
AL Central champs: Indians
AL West champs: Angels
AL Wild Card: Red Sox

NL Champ: Mets
AL Champ: Angels

World Series Champs: Angels


It pains me picking the Mets to go that far, just for the record.


And now some looking back.

When I started this blog I talked about the travesty of the NHL lockout canceling the entire season. A lot has changed since then my friends. The NHL is back and the game is better. But the results aren't exactly the most ideal. The numbers are still down and I still say the problems is overexposure. But I don't want to bash a game I am fond of right now, for this is a joyous post filled with happy thoughts (like TO having a bad pinky).

I want to thank anyone who has regularly checked the blog for updates, or saw an update announcement in my AIM profile, anyone who makes a point to read every post, and anyone who has ever commented on a post. The posts help me realize that people are reading or are interested. Actually I'd still be posting even without the comments (it's been a while since I got a post actually, not that I'm lonely and bitter about it)! But I love when somebody sees me and mentions a post in particular or encourages me to continue posting so they can read on. It really is a thrill for me. So the blog will continue as we begin to countdown to the 200th post! Feel free to send me your thoughts or ideas for a future conversation and thanks for checking out my blog!

Thank you all! Game on!