Another March, another horrific attempt at predicting how the Madness would unfold. How terrible were my picks?
Baylor over Purdue, Kentucky over Marquette, and USC & Georgia to the Elite Eight sum up only a sliver of my demise; let's just say I'm really glad my gut said to go with Clemson and Pittsburgh...all the way to the Final Four.
Kindergarteners probably would have fared better than me thanks to their familiarity with the names of random Crayola crayons (No. 13 Siena upset No. 4 Vanderbilt last Friday). But can I really complain? Watching the Saints upset the Commodores, as well as minnows Western Kentucky, San Diego, and Villanova all triumph over giants of the regular season was both thrilling and inspiring, each of these epic victories coming a year after one of the most bland tournaments in history that saw two No. 1's and two No. 2's in the Final Four with very few upsets along the way.
Chelsea had a dramatic 2-1 comeback victory Sunday at Stamford Bridge over archrivals Arsenal, leapfrogging the Gunners into second place in the Premiership.
I realized I can't wait for my future son to ask me if there has ever been an NFL team to go 16-0 so I can tell him yes, only one, but they lost in the Super Bowl; and it's baseball season (or watch-the-DirecTV-logo-bounce-around-my-screen season depending on your satellite package)!
America's pastime is resurrected every year at the perfect moment.
Spring is in the air, while splotches of snow gradually start to disappear, the sun's light pervading the campus well into the 7-7:30 p.m. range, giving us all a gratifying sense of renewal and hope, life and baseball are all back.
So rather than struggle to express another sentence of just how overjoyed I am at the changing of seasons, let me give you the top 10 storylines for Major League Baseball 2008 or 1 A.B. (After Bonds) which has the potential to be one of the greatest seasons in history.
10. The Red Sox will not repeat...nor make the playoffs
Are you kidding me? Almost everyone is returning to the squad that ended the year on a seven-game winning streak en route to thrashing the Rockies to capture their second World Series title in four years. Why should the end result be any different this time around?
Two words: question marks, primarily with regards to the pitching staff. Now I realize that Clay Buchholz is supposedly the next Ben Sheets, but what if he's the next Bud Smith, who, as a rookie with the Cardinals also threw a no-no then faded into oblivion.
And I know Josh Beckett probably just didn't want to make the trip to Japan, but what if this back injury of his turns out to be more severe than originally thought? It's not like he's never been to the DL before.
Curt Schilling is a year older, Jon Lester continues to have control problems, and I cannot wait until the game is on the line and the ball is in David Aardsma's hands.
Could they make the playoffs? Of course. Could they win the World Series again? Most definitely.
They're just not going to, at least not this year. They'll come close, but in the end, Cleveland?hungry for revenge after last year's postseason debacle?will wrestle the wild card away from them in the final days of the season.
9. (Once again) No managers will be fired
Relax, Joe Girardi. That first three-game skid won't cost you your job. But knowing Hank Steinbrenner, the first four-game one might.
8. The Marlins will be the most exciting team to watch
Kevin Gregg is their highest paid player this year at $2.5 million. They might relocate soon.
You can identify their mascot Billy before you could most every player.
Expectations really couldn't be any lower in a city that has become the worst in sports with Heat, Dolphins, and Panthers losses (well, wins now for the icemen) blanketing the headlines. The Marlins really have nothing to lose.
Think of them as the team from Major League II: Hanley Ramirez is Willie "Mays" Hayes, Luis Gonzalez is Pedro Serrano, and get this: there's a flamethrower named Rick VandenHurk on the club. I don't have to tell you what character he's supposed to be.
7. Evan Longoria will win Rookie of the Year
No, the sexy actress isn't suddenly playing baseball, but the 22-year old phenom is moments away from making his own Hollywood-like splash on the diamond.
The Rays' third baseman isn't on the opening day roster, but rest assured, in a couple of weeks he will embark on a journey that will make Ryan Braun look like David Bell, and Eva Longoria still infinitely more attractive. (Please note that the "Devil" has been permanently dropped from the original team name?it is now "Rays," as in rays of light and not the marine animal, (As if Devil Rays wasn't scary enough, lookout for sunshine!) all employees of the organization are being fined a dollar every time they are overheard using the name "Devil Rays." I'm dead serious.)
6. Prince Fielder will hit 63 home runs
Not sure how I came up with that number, but it will definitely be more than 60. In his first full season Big Daddy's kid crushed 50 taters out of the park last year, which almost justifies the prediction.
And while his vegetarian diet makes me nervous, with his new hatred of meat, launching homers will be like jacking cheeseburgers out of the yard instead.
5. Justin Verlander will win the Cy Young, his Tigers the AL Central
He was 18-6 last year with support from one of the best offenses in baseball. Now he's got the best offense...by far.
An ERA in the mid-to-low threes and at least 20 wins will lock up the first award for the third-year right-hander, while an unstoppable offense and an average pitching staff will capture both the division and a first round victory over the AL West Champion Mariners...but the Motown train stops there.
4. More like the NL Best
Few times in baseball history do you ever see a division composed of such good teams as the National League West.
The Diamondbacks, Padres, Dodgers, and Rockies are all viable playoff contenders, and who knows what the Giants are capable of now that you-know-who has deprived them of his jovial company.
Arizona will take the division when it's all said and done, thanks to a potent one-two-three punch of Brandon Webb, Dan Haren, and Randy Johnson, and San Diego the wild card with their own triumvirate of current Cy Young-holder Jake Peavy, Chris Young, and Greg Maddux (and maybe even Mark Prior, but only if his name somehow gets drawn from the Goblet of Fire).
Hey Dane Cook: how many October's will the Rockies have played in after this season concludes?
Sorry Colorado fans, but Dane Cook was right: (over the last 13 years) there's only one Rocktober!
3. Kosuke Fukudome will win N.L. MVP
Hey, I picked the Giants to win the Super Bowl (kind of) against an unbeaten juggernaut; this pick is far less out of the question.
The newest Japanese import will be essential to the Cubs' run to the postseason, and while teammates Alfonso Soriano and Derek Lee are more likely candidates to take the award, look for Fukudome to be an excellent addition to Chicago's north side.
Think Ichiro in 2001?when he took home the hardware in his rookie season?just with 50 fewer stolen bases...and 25 more homers.
2. A-Rod will win A.L. MVP again
He will be even better than last year (.314, 54, 156) now that he has rekindled his love for the pinstripes, and there's really no signs of him shutting down any time soon.
The Yankees will win the division for the first time in two years, but will fall once more to the Indians in the first round of the playoffs when they realize again that they don't have a bullpen.
Said A-Rod in Monday's Daily News, "My wife and daughter both love New York. Four days after I opted out [and was living in Miami], my daughter says, 'I really miss my bedroom and my toys in New York.' I wanted to shoot myself. I said to my wife, 'What the ---- are we doing?'" I'm glad that's the reason he stayed, too.
1. The Mets will win the World Series
Outlasting the Indians in an epic seven-game series, Santana, Wright, Reyes, and Beltran will each finally hoist the trophy in the final game at Shea Stadium. Just call the Mets everyone's daddy this year, Pedro.