You just had to go there didn't you? You saw the elephant in the room and just had to ask about it, huh? Well, fine then. If that's how we're going to play the game then I guess I'll have to fess up for your sake: my March Madness picks failed me once again.
I think I knew it was destined to be an abortive shot at near-perfection when I watched my beloved 11-seeded Utah State Aggies (who I had picked to reach the Sweet Sixteen) drop a one-point heartbreaker to six-seed Marquette; or maybe it was when Wake Forest decided to graciously and inexcusably bow out to Cleveland St.—the 51st in our Union, apparently. Three of my Final Four picks—Syracuse, Pittsburgh, and Memphis—also headed home a little earlier than expected.
But two-seeded Michigan State finally redeemed themselves in my book advancing to the semifinals, making up for that time a few years ago when I picked them as a six-seed to go all the way to the Final Four, only to watch them lose in horror to 11-seed George Mason...who went all the way to the Final Four instead. All in all though, one out of four—for me at least—isn't terrible, and for what it's worth, I'll go with the Spartans taking the whole thing, which of course means that they won't by the fact that this very article has been published.
But this curse can't last forever. After all, it's baseball season, and I've got a funny feeling that the following 10 predictions and what actually plays out this year are on a collision course with each other. In other words, they're going to happen.... (Please ignore the fact that this article has been published, so they might not.) Enjoy!
10. No repeat in Philly
A Gary Sheffield signing could be in the defending champs' future, but a second consecutive World Series title is not.
The big three of Rollins, Utley, and Howard will continue to frustrate opposing pitchers, not to mention the newly-acquired lightning rod and durability of Raul Ibañez.
The pitching will be tough as well with Cole Hamels becoming more dominant with each outing, and Jamie Moyer that much closer to the nursing home, which for him, believe it or not, benefit's his arm more so than if he had a curious case of Benjamin Button Syndrome. Philadelphia is an extremely well-rounded club with few holes to seal, and they will likely return to the postseason. But a more prepared Mets, Cubs, and Dodgers will be enough to exterminate whatever hopes of a repeat they have.
9. Red Sox = Odd Team Out
At least in the AL East that is. With the Rays' rapid and unprecedented rise to prominence and the retooled, star-studded Yankees acknowledging the current economic crisis like you would last night's hook-up at Thorne the next morning, the Bo-Sox, and their two walking question marks at the back end of the rotation in the geriatric John Smoltz and the tottery Brad Penny, have to be the favorite to lose the dog fight.
Yes, the offense is there and so is most of the pitching. And yes, I understand that they are the Red Sox. The exuberant Rays and daunting Yanks just have less feeble foundations.
8. They might be Giants
Despite finishing fourth in their division last year at a measly 72-90, the team down by the bay where the watermelons grow looks quietly promising heading into this season.
GM Brian Sabean had an active offseason upgrading the bullpen with veteran lefty Jeremy Affeldt and righty Bob Howry, not to mention bringing on The Big Unit, Randy Johnson and his five Cy Young awards to add to a young staff that includes two former Cy Young winners in Barry Zito and the reigning champ/SI-proclaimed freak Tim Lincecum. Sabean also brought on veteran shortstop Edgar Renteria, who has always thrived in the National League, and is hoping that rookie third baseman Pablo Sandoval will pick off where he left off last season where he hit .345 in 41 games with 24 RBI. Is this the year the ominous, lingering shadow of Bonds finally dissipates? I don't see why not.
7. Introducing Halo 4
And no, I don't mean the video game. Try to name the best outfield in baseball without mentioning that of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (I don't know about you, but those last two words still really bother me). You won't be able to. Bobby Abreu in left. Torii Hunter in center. Vladimir Guerrero in right. The back-up(s) you ask? How about a platoon of Gary Mathews Jr./Juan Rivera which makes for a lethal quartet of outfielders. It's safe to say that this year's Angels really are in the outfield; Roger and J.P. would be proud.
6. The Cubs' championship drought will continue
Bet you never saw that one coming.
5. Here come the Royals
In a sport that, over the last half decade or so, has thrived on formerly paltry and inferior clubs suddenly coming out of nowhere to become instant contenders (see 2008 Rays, 2007 Rockies, 2006 Tigers, etc.), we must ask the burning question: Who's next? And one-seventh of my gut says it'll be Kansas City.
The club with the best uniforms in baseball (see? I'm not that biased) has revamped their bullpen adding flamethrower and Yankee castoff Kyle Farnsworth and the reliable Doug Waechter to the mix to help support all-star closer Joakim Soria. The rotation looks solid led by ace Zack Greinke and Gil Meche as the proverbial one-two punch. And if Alex Gordon can learn to hit a curveball, no one pitcher will want to face the 3-4-5 of Gordon, Jose Guillen, and Mike Jacobs.
Ok, so maybe you're not buying this. But I'm sure that last year around this time, at some other liberal arts school, some kid in his newspaper column predicted that the Rays would do the same thing. And guess what? Not only was that kid probably really happy, but he was also right.
4. The legend of Hanley will grow
The coolest player in baseball—this side of Alex Rodriguez—capped off a stellar last season in which he smacked 33 homers, swiped 35 bases, and finished with a .301 average and a Silver Slugger Award. Just wait until he moves to the three-hole this year...
3. Big Apple-double for the Cy Young
In the N.L., I still like Johan Santana's whose 2.53 ERA led the world last year and whose win total should increase now that K-Rod is slamming the door in the ninth. And in the A.L., I like A.J. Burnett over CC Sabathia and Jon Lester, whose 18 wins were third on the junior circuit last year for Toronto.
The 32-year old right-hander also led all A.L. pitchers with 231 strikeouts and should serve as a panacea for Yankee fans that have not yet recovered from the disastrous, injury-ridden career of Carl Pavano...that is until Burnett himself goes down, in which case I'll be glad I have the backup picks of CC and Lester.
2. A return to MVP
Justin Morneau. Jimmy Rollins. Dustin Pedroia. Just a few names of players who had very good seasons the last few years and ended up taking home the MVP hardware. I'm not quite sure how "very good" recently has become so synonymous with "most valuable," but we can't be concerned with that anymore; it's time to reboot the system. I'll make this plain and simple: In the N.L., I like Manny Ramirez, and in the A.L. I like Miguel Cabrera; now these guys are most valuable players.
1. And the winner is...
If we go by divisions, I think it will be the Yankees, Royals, Angels, and Rays snatching the wild card from the Tigers in the A.L., and the Mets, Cubs, Dodgers, and Phillies as the wild card in the N.L. And since there is absolutely no rhyme or reason as to who wins the World Series nowadays (but especially because Boston will be out of the picture), I'll take the Halos over the Dodgers in a seven-game classic in Southern Cal...and if not them, it'll probably be the Pirates.