Posts Tagged ‘giants’

MLB 2012 prediction

Wednesday, April 4th, 2012

With Opening Night starting tonight and opening day tomorrow I figured I would take my opportunity to weigh in on some thoughts for the 2012 MLB season. I think the random sprinkle of games that actually count like the Japan games between Oakland and Seattle and Opening night tonight between the new look Miami Marlins and the defending World Series Champion St Louis Cardinals. I miss the traditional opening day when every team was in action starting their season on the same day. Major League Baseball is watering down their product and taking away a special day that separates their product. That said I am very excited for the 2012 MLB season, the one time where anyone has a chance, even though I have to wait for Friday as a Giants fan.

 

The National League is going to be a close race overall and should provide tight battles especially with a second wild card added for 2012.

 

NL East:

The Phillies will win this division. I think the Marlins, Braves and Nationals will challenge the Phillies and make the race a very competitive one late. The Phillies pitching staff is too strong and deep. Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee are all Cy Young caliber pitchers that will carry the Phillies all season. Offensively they are a shell of what they once were. Ryan Howard will be back at June at the earliest and probably wont be back until after the All Star Break. Chase Utley is back but has a knee that must be managed all season.

 

NL Central:

This is the year the Cincinnati Reds win the division for the first time since 1990. A line up anchored by Joey Votto will be helped by Jay Bruce and veterans like Scott Rolen and Jay Bruce. The Reds bolstered their Staff by adding Mat Latos who should provide stability replacing Edison Volquez.

I wanted to pick the defending World Series champions St Louis Cardinals, but the health of Chris Carpenter is a big question mark for St Louis especially with the departure of Albert Pujols. The Cardinals are relying on the emergence of David Freese to carry a line up along with veterans like Lance Berkman and Carlos Beltran who are on the backside of their careers and injury prone is synonymous with these two guys the past couple seasons.

 

NL West:

The Arizona Diamondbacks will win this division. Pitching will be a key for Arizona. They will rely on another fantastic season from Ian Kennedy, along with consistent improvement from Daniel Hudson. They also bolstered a much-improved rotation by adding Trevor Cahill from Oakland. Offensively MVP candidate Justin Upton leads them. The will look for Paul Goldschmidt to take the next step as well as Ryan Roberts and newly acquired Jason Kubel to help Justin Upton provide offense.

 

NL Wildcard:

The San Francisco Giants will get one of the Wild Cards. They have a deep pitching staff with two Cy Young caliber pitchers and Madison Bumgarner ready to make the leap to the elite level. The return of Buster Posey should help an anemic offense. They are also counting on Angel Pagan and Melky Cabrera to make strides to help score enough runs to win games.

 

The Other wild card will go to the Atlanta Braves. Jason Heyward and Freddie Freeman will make strides this season and Chipper Jones will be able to stay healthier. Combine that with a strong pitching staff and stability at the back end of the bullpen they will finish strong and avoid another collapse like last season.

 

AL East:

The Tampa Bay Rays will win this division. They can go 6 starters deep, Evan Longoria will bounce back to anchor a strong line up and will be helped by the return of Carlos Pena. The Yankees and Red Sox will still be really good and push but between injuries, lack of pitching and need to rest older players they will fall just short of the division.

 

AL Central:

The Detroit Tigers will run away with the division and fight for the best record in baseball. They have a deep lineup that can hit. Anchored by Justin Verlander the pitching staff will be solid and a stable bullpen will make the Tigers a force all season.

 

AL West:

Anaheim Angels will win the division. Adding Albert Pujols and CJ Wilson will make the Angels to strong to not win the division. The Angels have an amazing pitching staff that will be among the leagues best and a line up that will not issues scoring runs all season.

 

AL Wildcards:

The Texas Rangers will get one of the wild card slots. They have a strong pitching staff and a lineup filled with stud hitters. They have made the World Series each of the past two seasons.

 

The AL East will occupy the other playoff slot. I think the Yankees will grab the last spot. They will need to stay healthy offensively but should be able to pitch well enough to fend off the Red Sox.

 

Playoff Predictions:

 

AL crown:

The Tigers will beat the Angels to win the American League

 

NL crown:

The San Francisco Giants will beat the Philadelphia Phillies to win the National League

 

World Series:

The Tigers will beat the Giants to win the World series.

 

MVP:

AL- Evan Longoria

NL- Justin Upton

 

CY Young:

AL- Jered Weaver

NL-Cole Hamels

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You cant spell Elite without ELI

Tuesday, February 7th, 2012

And with Eli Manning and the Giants hoisting the Lombardi trophy, another NFL season is in the books. The New York Giants were the better team in Indianapolis. The Giants biggest advantages showed up and paved their way to victory.

The Giants front four was imposing and kept Tom Brady out of rhythm all day. Jason Pierre Paul and Justin Tuck were impressive. The Giants wide receivers made the Patriots underwhelming secondary pay all day. These two building blocks should have the Giants in position next season to make another run. They are getting Prince Amukamara back from injury and should help the Giants secondary. If they can add a few complimentary pieces through the draft and free agency, the Giants along with the Packers should be favorites going into the 2012 NFL season.

As for the Patriots the future is not bleak for them either. They have serious needs to address in the off-season including a beleaguered secondary. But building around Vince Wilfork and Jerod Mayo is a good start. The Patriots need to get young and athletic in the secondary. New England will have another few runs with Tom Brady under center and they must take advantage of that.

The past few seasons has taught me the team that will win the Super Bowl isn’t necessarily the best team but the one that got hot at the right time. Having all your pieces healthy is a must. You also quarterback who can step up and make all the big throws at critical times. The Packers last season and the Giants this season were the hottest team going into the playoffs. They had confidence and a belief that they could not be beat.

 

Vegasinsider.com currently have futures posted for next season. The top 3 highest are

 

Packers 5/1

Saints 6/1

Patriots 7/1

 

Longshots I like (20/1 or more)

Giants 20/1

49ers 20/1

Bears 30/1 *if forte is back

Titans 50/1 *homer pick but kind of a sneaky one

Panthers 50/1



 

You could also place money on teams Peyton Manning could end up on. The odds will get dramatically worse depending on where he ends up.

 

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Special Teams blunders cost teams trip to Indy

Monday, January 23rd, 2012

I can only imagine how frustrated the 49ers and Ravens players must be right now. The idea of spending so much time working towards one goal and to have their seasons end the way they did. The frustration in their respective locker rooms is something I’m not going to try and imagine. I don’t want to place blame on any one player but three players had chances to make plays or avoid making bad ones and couldn’t come through.

In New England, the Ravens did not play up to the ability they had shown all season. The Patriots did a great job slowing down Ray Rice and putting the game in the hands of Joe Flacco. While Flacco did not have an amazing game by any means, he stepped up and made the throws when it mattered most. The pass he threw to Lee Evans was a prefect throw. Lee Evans had the ball in his hands, took two steps and just like the Ravens season, the ball slipped threw his fingertips. I’m not sure if he thought he had possession and let up a little or if Patriots cornerback Sterling Moore was able to get his hand on the perfect spot. Either way there is no excuse for not coming down with the football in that situation. If you want to earn the right to go to the biggest game, you have to make plays when it matters most.

Even with the drop, the Ravens could have kicked a field goal and forced overtime. Unfortunately for Baltimore, a 32-yard field goal was too much for Billy Cundiff to muster. He pushed the ball left and gave the Patriots the victory, When the Ravens were on their final, they mentioned all of Cundiff’s stats from 50 yards away or more, and I remember thinking I hope this game doesn’t come down to him making a field goal. Sure enough, the game was put on his foot and he was unable to come through.

In San Francisco, a team that had had the best special teams all season long were about to be plagued by mistakes. Kyle Williams was back to return a punt with the 49ers up 17-10 late in the fourth quarter, makes blunder number one. A punt that was landing short of Williams and looked clearly like he had no interest in picking up, yet he got close enough where an errant bounce skips off of his knee and gives possession to the Giants. Eli will lead his team to a score, with a short field culminating with Mario Manningham in the back of the end zone.  Fast forward to the overtime, with Kyle Williams back to return another punt. I don’t know if he was trying to make up for his blunder in the 4th quarter, but he picked up the punt and began to run up the field, and before he could take more than a few steps, the ball was stripped from his hands and the Giants recovered. If Ted Ginn is healthy, maybe this doesn’t happen, but you can play on hypotheticals.

I still believe I had the right teams, when I made my predictions,(AFC and NFC) and both teams had the ball late in the game with the chance to make a play, however inability to complete drives, lack off effectiveness from the running backs and costly errors hurt the chances of HarBowl. I’m curious to see what both the Ravens and 49ers do in the off-season to improve their respective teams for next season. I give a lot of credit to the Giants and Patriots. These teams made the plays when it mattered most and showed why they both have super bowl titles in recent seasons.

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NFC Championship Preview

Thursday, January 19th, 2012

This game was a challenge for me to get a solid grasp on. The way Alex Smith showed up last Saturday made me a believer in the Niners passing game and will be able to do enough to keep the Giants defense honest. The Giants front four has been dominant the past month, with the return of Osi Umenyiora. They have been able to apply enough pressure with the front four, allowing the Giants the ability to drop linebackers into coverage to help their beleaguered secondary. Alex Smith is going to be a huge factor on Sunday. He will need to make the throws and keep Vernon Davis involved. The 49ers must spread the ball around keep the Giants honest and allow the Vernon Davis to make plays. The Giants are going to key on Davis after a huge performance the week before against the Saints.

The 49er offensive line must be dominant against the front four of the Giants. If they can protect Alex Smith and give him time to make the throws, they will be able to attack the weakness of the Giants defense. This will also allow Frank Gore the ability have running room, which is huge key for the 49ers to win. The 49ers must run the ball and keep Eli Manning and the high-powered Giants offense on the sidelines.

Running the football will be a key for the Giants to win as well.  The 49ers didn’t allow a 100-yard rushing performance or a rushing touchdown until week 16, when Patrick Willis was hurt. The 49er secondary has been the weakest part of the defense but has shown the ability to make a big play when they it mattered most. The 49ers must be able to apply enough pressure with the front four with Aldon Smith and Patrick Willis applying extra pressure on the blitz, which must get to Eli Manning. Allowing Eli time to find Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz and Mario Manningham, who have been huge all season for the Giants, is going to be pivotal if the 49ers want to win this game. The ability of the Giants receiver to make huge catches and take a short passes and turn them into 80 yards touchdown has been their trademark all season. Combine that with a running game with Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs that has been reinvigorated the past few weeks, the Giants offense has become dynamic and will be a key for victory. Whichever side can win the battle of Eli and the receivers versus the 49er secondary, will win this game.

This game will come down to two things in my mind, which defense can get pressure, specifically with the front four and the second being, which team can make huge defensive or special teams play to change the momentum.

I like the Giants front four more than the 49ers but by a small margin. However, the 49ers special teams are far and away superior and will be a difference maker in this game. The ability of Andy Lee and Ted Ginn to change field position will be a huge factor. It will give the 49er offense a short field and force Eli and the Giant offense to start deep in their own territory all game long.

While I am not feeling super confident in this pick, I think the 49ers do just enough to pull this game out. I think the 49ers defense makes a big play when they need it most and Frank Gore goes over the century mark with 2 touchdowns.

 

49ers 33 Giants 29

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The NFL’s shift

Tuesday, October 7th, 2008

With a quarter or so of the NFL season in the books there are some very interesting things going and things worth noting. There has been a shift in the NFL elite. While the mantra of going to the top can happen from one season to the next has always given fans a reason to hopeful, the same can now be said for teams going to the cellar after being highly touted for many seasons. The Colts, Chargers, Seahawks, and Patriots have all fallen off the pace they are normally setting this time of year. While some of the problems stem from injuries to key players, there is also facts that prove some of the teams are getting old and not reloading. The Colts have looked dismal. They should be 0-4 right now squeaking out wins against the Vikings trailing 15-0 in the 4th quarter and this past weekend down 27-10 with 4 minutes in the 4th quarter. If not for Sage Rosenfels fumbling twice on 4 plays, the Colts are the most disappointing team in football. They still have the offensive potential and they have produced very little. As for the Chargers, they cannot seem to get on track. LaDainian Tomlinson has not been the same since getting injured last season. The defense has looked decent at times but with the offense having problems running the ball and controlling the clock; the defense is tired at the end of games. Even teams like the Bengals and Lions who are terrible overall cannot seem to produce on offense. With players like T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Calvin Johnson, points should be put up and be somewhat competitive. The Seahawks and Pats have been hurt with injuries at key postions, however their defenses are still intact and have not looked good. If they can get healthy or Matt Cassel can play well in the case of the patriots there’s still time to turn it around.

On the Positive side some teams have taken advantage of the draft and free agency and made strides. The effects are showing. Teams like the Bills, Falcons, and Dolphins have taken huge steps. The Dolphins have already won twice the games they won last year. Teams such as the Titans and Redskins have taken their teams from bubble playoff teams to legit contenders. With huge inter-division road wins in Dallas and Philadelphia in back to back weeks has the Redskins looking like a team that can make noise all season. Clinton Portis has really stepped up his game as well as Jason Campbell who is improving and managing the game better than most thought. Jim Zorn has made a huge difference with the Redskins. The offense they employ is similar to what Campbell ran at Auburn giving him some consistency after going through 2 coaches and 4 coordinators in his 4 seasons. The Titans have had consistency at coach giving a huge advantage as well as the emergence of Chris Johnson, who is trying to claim offensive rookie of the year honors as well as take his team deep in the playoffs. The Titans are running the ball and playing great defense which is keeping them close in games and giving them the edge to pull out close victories.

The rest of the season should prove to be interesting and have intriguing story lines.

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MLB Predicitons (NL West)

Friday, March 21st, 2008


With the end of spring training in sight and the baseball regular season quickly approaching I wanted to take some time to make predictions for the upcoming season. That said making predictions in March about who will be playing in October is a difficult task. The chance that one or two players get hurt can drastically change the outlook for a team. Take the Boston Red Sox for instance; if Josh Beckett misses significant time, they are not the same team, especially if it happens in the September or October. Also the possibility of a rookie or two stepping up and making a difference can mean the difference between the playoffs and mediocrity. Just ask the Red Sox how much of a difference rookie of the year Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury and Clay Buchholz.
That said, I will make predictions based on current line ups and who I think might make a big difference this season. I’ll start in the National League West for today and do the rest of the divisions over the next week or so. This division will be as tough as it has been the past few years. The defending national league champs, the Colorado Rockies look just as good as last year if not better with some key additions and all the post season experience all the young players got last season. The Rockies will be able to hit, especially at home in hitter friendly Coors Field, with MVP contender Matt Holliday, Garret Atkins, Brad Hawpe, Todd Helton, and Troy Tulowitzki. This team is young and talented and will give the rest of the division a run for its money. That said, I think the rest of the NL West has too much good pitching and clutch hitting for the Rockies to make a return trip. I think the division will come down to the Diamondbacks and Padres. The division race will come down to the last week. The pitching on both of these teams is deep and talented. With the addition of Dan Haren, the Diamondbacks added talent and depth to an already great rotation. Also they are getting Randy Johnson back this season and if he can pitch anything like he used to it will be one of if not the best staff in baseball along with 2006 CY Young Brandon Webb and Dan Haren. The opening day lineup will also be a formidable one. It will feature Eric Byrnes, who can hit, steal bases and play some amazing defense in center field. This will also be the coming out party for my prediction for the 2008 NL rookie of the year Justin Upton. Assuming they get production from Chad Tracy, Conor Jackson, Stephen Drew, and Chris Young they will compete and make some noise in the playoffs. The team that will be competing the Diamondbacks, San Diego Padres, also possesses a great pitching staff and a solid line up that can hit. With Jake Peavy, 2007 NL CY Young, Greg Maddux, Chris Young and the 4th and 5th starters that will include a combination of Mark Prior, Randy Wolf and Shawn Estes the padres rotation will be very good. The lineup will include studs with Adrian Gonzalez, Kevin Kouzmanoff, and Kahlil green’s awesome defense the NL West race will be a close and exciting one till the end.

Division winner: Arizona Diamondbacks

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Super Bowl XLII

Monday, January 28th, 2008

With Super Bowl XLII fast approaching, i figured i take my opportunity to put my two cents in and make a prediction. After watching Plaxico Burress, Brandon Jacobs, Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora, and company play from week 17 against the Patriots and throughout the playoffs its hard to not like what you see. Eli Manning has looked more like Peyton, with precision timed passes and perfectly placed balls. The Giants defense doing anything and everything they need to do to win, its hard to pick against them. That is except for the fact that they are playing the 18-0 New England Patriots who like one of the best and most complete teams ever assembled. I put them up with the 89 and 94 49ers, 85 bears and the Cowboys teams of the early 90′s based upon star power. I would like to see how many players from those teams are in the Hall of Fame in 20 years or so. With that said its time for a prediciton. As much as I want the Giants to win based on my respect and admiration for Plaxico Burress and Michael Strahan, I can’t go against the Patriots in this one. Patriots will win 36-30 with Eli resorting to his old self on the final drive of the game in the waining seconds. No last minute attempt for Adam Vinatieri in this one. Enjoy the Super Bowl. 

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