Unfortunately, due to the copious amount of homework that I now have due to college, I don't have the time to produce a long, in-depth post for these predictions. However, I'll give a short explanation for my picks.
American League
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Texas Rangers
The Rays have home field advantage, as well as playoff experience. The Rangers have been the feel good story of the year, but this is probably the end of the road for Texas, barring terrific pitching performances by their top three starters.
Prediction: Rays in four
Minnesota Twins vs. New York Yankees
I want to root for the Twins, but something tells me that the end result will look the same as last year's Divisional Series between these two teams. Once again, pitching will probably be the story of this series, and New York holds the upper hand in that department. The Twins will put up a better fight than last year, but won't be moving on.
Prediction: Yankees in five
National League
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Cincinnati Reds
If this were a League Championship Series rather than a Divisional Series, my prediction would probably be different. Cincinnati is a tough, gritty team that I think could win a seven game series against Philadelphia. However, the Phillies trio of Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, and Cole Hamels will be very difficult to beat, especially with home field advantage. Whoever wins this series has a great chance of making it to the World Series in my opinion.
Prediction: Phillies in five
San Francisco Giants vs. Atlanta Braves
Like the Phillies, San Francisco's top three in their pitching rotation are extremely difficult to beat. Tim Lincecum is playing very well right now, and the Braves weren't exactly lighting it up heading into this postseason. With that being said, San Francisco should be able to take care of an Atlanta team that limped into the playoffs. Literally.
Prediction: Giants in four
Again, sorry that this post is so short and uninformative. Hopefully I can do a more in-depth post when the League Championship Series are set. At any rate, on Friday I will be back with my weekly installment of the college football weekend preview. I should also have some baseball related polls to vote on by tomorrow. Any questions, comments, or thoughts can be sent to aroundthecornsportsblog@gmail.com or by posting in the comments section below. Thanks everyone.
- K. Becks
Showing posts with label new york yankees. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new york yankees. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
Time Is Ticking
Time is ticking for the New York Yankees to make a move that will give them another solid arm in their pitching rotation. The trade deadline is just days away, and time isn't the only thing that is working against them. With Cliff Lee gone, Roy Oswalt wanting to stay in the National League (and currently talking to Philadelphia), and now Dan Haren being shipped to Los Angeles, the Yankees options are slipping away one by one. I understand that the Yankees are still playing exceptionally well, and not picking up another pitcher in a trade isn't exactly going to kill them. However, this is the Yankees that we are talking about. They don't leave any room for doubt, and without another great arm in their starting pitching rotation, that is exactly what they will have, even if it is just a little.
You know who is hoping that Terrell Owens will join Chad Ochocinco in Cincinnati? Me; and just about every other sports media outlet in the country. Think of all the possibilities; Ochocinco and T.O. team up to win Super Bowl. Ochocinco and T.O. butt heads in the locker room, causing tension in Cinci. Ochocinco and T.O. leave field to update their fans on Twitter. Any one of those aforementioned "headlines" could realistically happen if the two were to join forces in Cincinnati. In all honesty, the possibility that would be most likely to happen would be that T.O. and Ochocinco would not be able to handle each other, and would create tension in the locker room. Unless T.O. changed his entire persona that he has had throughout his entire NFL career, he will want to be the number one receiver. However, you can't say that having both of them on one team wouldn't be great entertainment. Plus, if Cincinnati is willing to take the risk, it could even work out well for them. Ochocinco is still a good number one receiver, and having T.O. as a two is great for a team that is on the cusp of being an elite team in the NFL. In an ideal world, the two would not only entertain, but compliment each other's play on the field, making Cincinnati a feared offensive team. Well, an ideal world for everyone not in the AFC North.
Welcome to the club, Matt Garza. Tonight, you became the fifth pitcher this year to throw a no-hitter, joining Ubaldo Jimenez, Edwin Jackson, Roy Halladay, and Dallas Braden (the last two mentioned threw perfect games). This is so great for baseball in my opinion. With every perfect game, baseball is distancing itself from the Steroid Era that cast a dark cloud over the game for the past decade or so. Tomorrow on SportsCenter, the talk will not be about Alex Rodriguez, who is still searching for his 600th home run, but about Garza. I'm not saying that we shouldn't cover Rodriguez at all, but the fact that his soon-to-be accomplishment will likely come so soon after a perfect game is fitting. It's almost symbolic, as if these tainted performances we have witnessed will eventually be overshadowed by those that have been done honestly. The sun is finally beginning to peek around that ugly dark cloud that has been around baseball for more than half of my lifetime.
Either Lane Kiffin is a snake, or he is an extremely persuasive man. Almost everyone in Tennessee would choose the first option, as Kiffin is now being sued by the Tennessee Titans for luring away running backs coach Kennedy Pola. I have a hard time figuring out why Pola would want to coach at USC, with their postseason bans and all. Also, I find it hard to believe that you can trust a man who has not once, but twice, left the team he coached for greener pastures. Kiffin is kind of like the bachelor who can get any woman he wants because he has a way with words. Eventually though, the bachelor loses his touch, because it becomes known that his words are hollow. I'm wondering how many more empty promises it will take before Kiffin can no longer talk guys into joining him.
- K. Becks
You know who is hoping that Terrell Owens will join Chad Ochocinco in Cincinnati? Me; and just about every other sports media outlet in the country. Think of all the possibilities; Ochocinco and T.O. team up to win Super Bowl. Ochocinco and T.O. butt heads in the locker room, causing tension in Cinci. Ochocinco and T.O. leave field to update their fans on Twitter. Any one of those aforementioned "headlines" could realistically happen if the two were to join forces in Cincinnati. In all honesty, the possibility that would be most likely to happen would be that T.O. and Ochocinco would not be able to handle each other, and would create tension in the locker room. Unless T.O. changed his entire persona that he has had throughout his entire NFL career, he will want to be the number one receiver. However, you can't say that having both of them on one team wouldn't be great entertainment. Plus, if Cincinnati is willing to take the risk, it could even work out well for them. Ochocinco is still a good number one receiver, and having T.O. as a two is great for a team that is on the cusp of being an elite team in the NFL. In an ideal world, the two would not only entertain, but compliment each other's play on the field, making Cincinnati a feared offensive team. Well, an ideal world for everyone not in the AFC North.
Welcome to the club, Matt Garza. Tonight, you became the fifth pitcher this year to throw a no-hitter, joining Ubaldo Jimenez, Edwin Jackson, Roy Halladay, and Dallas Braden (the last two mentioned threw perfect games). This is so great for baseball in my opinion. With every perfect game, baseball is distancing itself from the Steroid Era that cast a dark cloud over the game for the past decade or so. Tomorrow on SportsCenter, the talk will not be about Alex Rodriguez, who is still searching for his 600th home run, but about Garza. I'm not saying that we shouldn't cover Rodriguez at all, but the fact that his soon-to-be accomplishment will likely come so soon after a perfect game is fitting. It's almost symbolic, as if these tainted performances we have witnessed will eventually be overshadowed by those that have been done honestly. The sun is finally beginning to peek around that ugly dark cloud that has been around baseball for more than half of my lifetime.
Either Lane Kiffin is a snake, or he is an extremely persuasive man. Almost everyone in Tennessee would choose the first option, as Kiffin is now being sued by the Tennessee Titans for luring away running backs coach Kennedy Pola. I have a hard time figuring out why Pola would want to coach at USC, with their postseason bans and all. Also, I find it hard to believe that you can trust a man who has not once, but twice, left the team he coached for greener pastures. Kiffin is kind of like the bachelor who can get any woman he wants because he has a way with words. Eventually though, the bachelor loses his touch, because it becomes known that his words are hollow. I'm wondering how many more empty promises it will take before Kiffin can no longer talk guys into joining him.
- K. Becks
Monday, July 19, 2010
Don't Worry A.J., We'll Take That Door Down
Just when the Yankees thought they had gotten lucky, receiving news that A.J. Burnett's injured hand would not keep him from missing a start, more bad news came their way; Andy Pettitte is now on the DL for at least a month with a groin injury. The Yankees look like the best team in baseball right now, but Pettitte's injury has to make the organization at least a little uneasy. After the Cliff Lee deal slipped through the cracks a few weeks ago, the Yankees are in need of another pitcher in order to feel very confident in the second half of the season. With Sergio Mitre (Sergio who?) being the man who will supposedly take Pettitte's place while he is on the DL, the Yankees need to find a pitcher before the trade deadline. In my opinion, they should aggressively pursue Houston's Roy Oswalt. Oswalt has made it publicly known that he wants to play for a winning team, and that just isn't going to happen any time soon in Houston. Also, the Yankees have the prospects available to make a deal with the Astros, who are in dire need of rebuilding tools, possible. If the Yankees were to land Oswalt, they would be getting a starter who is arguably just as good as Cliff Lee, and much better than Mr. Mitre (with all due respect to Sergio, of course). If it were to happen, talks of an "unbeatable" Yankees pitching core would likely resurface. I'm not saying I want to see it happen; I'm just saying that if I were the Yankees, it'd definitely be something I'd be thinking about doing.
Maybe the Heat organization should tell their superstar trio to stay as far away as possible from all media personnel. Ever since Dwayne Wade, Lebron James, and Chris Bosh hooked up in South Beach, everything they say is being examined under a microscope. Take for instance what Dwayne Wade said on Sunday. In explaining how the media will blow every losing streak the Heat have next season out of proportion, Wade made the mistake of claiming that "you all are going to make it seem like the World Trade has just went down again". Uh oh. Now, I am aware that Wade should not have worded his response differently, but the fact of the matter is he is right. He hit on an extremely sensitive topic, which wasn't necessary, but the media will do exactly what he said. You can't tell me that when the Heat drop a few consecutive road games that ESPN won't be speculating as to whether or not there are locker room issues, and that the Cleveland sports media will be screaming "Karma!". My advice to Dwayne Wade is, next time you have a legitimate point, don't try to use fancy wording.
This isn't all the surprising, but the Reggie Bush case opened the floodgates to the NCAA investigating student athletes receiving illegal benefits. The NCAA is now investigating the University of Florida after an allegation that former offensive lineman Maurkice Pouncey took money from a sports agent sometime between last year's SEC Championship game and the Sugar Bowl. If the allegation is found to be true, then the Gators may have to vacate their Sugar Bowl win over Cincinnati. If the NCAA thinks that they are curbing this kind of behavior by imposing that kind of punishment, they are mistaken. How exactly will Maurkice Pouncey be affected? Will he have to give back his Sugar Bowl ring or any of the other goodies that he received from the Sugar Bowl? No. Will he have to give back the money he received? Not if the NCAA imposes punishments that they have dished out in similar cases in the past. The point is, it's all well and good that the NCAA is trying to curtail this kind of activity, but they aren't really punishing the right people. The University of Florida shouldn't have to shoulder the blame; Pouncey should. The fact is, these kinds of things are happening at the big-time football university near you, and very few people know it's happening until those involved are long gone. Until those who actually committed the infraction are punished, this type of thing will continue to occur.
- K. Becks
Maybe the Heat organization should tell their superstar trio to stay as far away as possible from all media personnel. Ever since Dwayne Wade, Lebron James, and Chris Bosh hooked up in South Beach, everything they say is being examined under a microscope. Take for instance what Dwayne Wade said on Sunday. In explaining how the media will blow every losing streak the Heat have next season out of proportion, Wade made the mistake of claiming that "you all are going to make it seem like the World Trade has just went down again". Uh oh. Now, I am aware that Wade should not have worded his response differently, but the fact of the matter is he is right. He hit on an extremely sensitive topic, which wasn't necessary, but the media will do exactly what he said. You can't tell me that when the Heat drop a few consecutive road games that ESPN won't be speculating as to whether or not there are locker room issues, and that the Cleveland sports media will be screaming "Karma!". My advice to Dwayne Wade is, next time you have a legitimate point, don't try to use fancy wording.
This isn't all the surprising, but the Reggie Bush case opened the floodgates to the NCAA investigating student athletes receiving illegal benefits. The NCAA is now investigating the University of Florida after an allegation that former offensive lineman Maurkice Pouncey took money from a sports agent sometime between last year's SEC Championship game and the Sugar Bowl. If the allegation is found to be true, then the Gators may have to vacate their Sugar Bowl win over Cincinnati. If the NCAA thinks that they are curbing this kind of behavior by imposing that kind of punishment, they are mistaken. How exactly will Maurkice Pouncey be affected? Will he have to give back his Sugar Bowl ring or any of the other goodies that he received from the Sugar Bowl? No. Will he have to give back the money he received? Not if the NCAA imposes punishments that they have dished out in similar cases in the past. The point is, it's all well and good that the NCAA is trying to curtail this kind of activity, but they aren't really punishing the right people. The University of Florida shouldn't have to shoulder the blame; Pouncey should. The fact is, these kinds of things are happening at the big-time football university near you, and very few people know it's happening until those involved are long gone. Until those who actually committed the infraction are punished, this type of thing will continue to occur.
- K. Becks
Friday, July 9, 2010
Wow, Really?
The title is directed at both Dan Gilbert and the Miami Heat organization. For Gilbert, did you really have to make a fool of yourself by writing a letter to the fans, bashing Lebron James in the process? I always say that when you're too passionate about something, you lose your reason, and that is exactly what Gilbert did in the letter. Guaranteeing an NBA championship for Cleveland before Lebron and Company get theirs is preposterous, not only because Cleveland has nowhere near the talent to do such a thing, but because that sort of promise is something you'd hear from someone who is around the age of twelve. As for the Heat organization, was it really necessary to squirt lemon juice into the eyes of Cleveland fans the day after they had just been sucker-punched below the belt? No one but fans of the Heat really cared about the introduction celebration, so why was it necessary to broadcast it on ESPN2? Lebron did not look happy to be there, and if you were him, would you be either? The last thing he wanted to do was pour salt into the city of Cleveland's wound that, by the way, he created. Once again, I'm not saying that he should have stayed; I'm just saying that his departure created the somber mood felt in his hometown.
Now that "The Decision" is over, at least we can get back to focusing on sports that are actually in season. Today one of the bigger trade deals took place in baseball, with Seattle pitcher Cliff Lee being traded to the Texas Rangers. Early in the day, it looked as if Lee was going to be traded to the Yankees, which would have made it almost worthless to watch the MLB come September with the pitching that they would have had. However, this trade makes the American League much more intriguing. With Lee in Texas, the Rangers have a very decent shot at making the playoffs for the first time since 1999, while the Yankees cannot assume the role as overwhelming favorites to win the World Series. Had Lee gone to New York, it would have been extremely hard to contend with the pitching combination of Lee, C.C. Sabathia, Phil Hughes, and Mariano Rivera. Granted, they are probably still the team to beat, but with Lee they could have been runaway favorites. No matter how much New York fans disagree, that would not have been good for baseball.
On Sunday, the World Cup will culminate in Johannesburg when either Spain or the Netherlands will hoist the famed goblet for the first time ever. Unlike Spain, the Netherlands have been to the Finals twice before but have not yet broken through to win the Cup. I predicted that Spain would win it from the beginning, but I think that either way it should be a tremendous game. Both of these teams are well deserving of being called World Cup champions, and it should be an absolute party for whichever country comes away with the win. Something that is worth noting is that the top goal scorers in the tournament (Netherland's Wesley Sneijder and Spain's David Villa) will be playing, and the Golden Boot award winner could very well be the man who wins the World Cup for his respective nation. As long as the game doesn't come down to penalty kicks, because quite frankly it's a tossup at that point, then it should be a wonderful game to watch.
I'm thinking about making shirts to promote the blog, but mostly because I want to wear one myself. I'll be posting some more information about it on the Around The Corn Sports Blog Facebook fan page, so check that out in the next few weeks if you're interested in getting one. Also, if you have any questions or comments about anything sports, always feel free to email me at aroundthecornsportsblog@gmail.com. Thanks everyone.
- K. Becks
Now that "The Decision" is over, at least we can get back to focusing on sports that are actually in season. Today one of the bigger trade deals took place in baseball, with Seattle pitcher Cliff Lee being traded to the Texas Rangers. Early in the day, it looked as if Lee was going to be traded to the Yankees, which would have made it almost worthless to watch the MLB come September with the pitching that they would have had. However, this trade makes the American League much more intriguing. With Lee in Texas, the Rangers have a very decent shot at making the playoffs for the first time since 1999, while the Yankees cannot assume the role as overwhelming favorites to win the World Series. Had Lee gone to New York, it would have been extremely hard to contend with the pitching combination of Lee, C.C. Sabathia, Phil Hughes, and Mariano Rivera. Granted, they are probably still the team to beat, but with Lee they could have been runaway favorites. No matter how much New York fans disagree, that would not have been good for baseball.
On Sunday, the World Cup will culminate in Johannesburg when either Spain or the Netherlands will hoist the famed goblet for the first time ever. Unlike Spain, the Netherlands have been to the Finals twice before but have not yet broken through to win the Cup. I predicted that Spain would win it from the beginning, but I think that either way it should be a tremendous game. Both of these teams are well deserving of being called World Cup champions, and it should be an absolute party for whichever country comes away with the win. Something that is worth noting is that the top goal scorers in the tournament (Netherland's Wesley Sneijder and Spain's David Villa) will be playing, and the Golden Boot award winner could very well be the man who wins the World Cup for his respective nation. As long as the game doesn't come down to penalty kicks, because quite frankly it's a tossup at that point, then it should be a wonderful game to watch.
I'm thinking about making shirts to promote the blog, but mostly because I want to wear one myself. I'll be posting some more information about it on the Around The Corn Sports Blog Facebook fan page, so check that out in the next few weeks if you're interested in getting one. Also, if you have any questions or comments about anything sports, always feel free to email me at aroundthecornsportsblog@gmail.com. Thanks everyone.
- K. Becks
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