MLB Early Season Surprises

The 2009-2010 MLB season is a week into action and there is already plenty of surprises to be had:

Florida Marlins

As great as a 4-0 start is, don't jump all over the Marlins just yet. They beat up on the what could be the worst team in baseball, the Washington Nationals, for three wins. However they did take an impressive series-opener from the New York Mets.

I wouldn't take too much from this perfect start, but nonetheless, they are undefeated for the first time in franchise history.

Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles started off the season in very impressive fashion by taking two of three from the Yankees. They then turned around and took the series opener from the Rays to put them at 3-1 overall.

I know it very early in the season, but those are some huge wins against AL East rivals.

Toronto Blue Jays

Could the AL East be even stronger than we already anticipated? The Blue Jays have started off 5-1, taking three of four from the Tigers, and the first two of a three-game series with the Indians.

This team still has a lot to prove, but scoring 42 runs in the first six games of the season is mighty impressive.

Phillies/ Rays

Last season's World Series contenders have a combined record of 3-5 to start the season.

Masters Update-2nd Round

The 2nd Round of the Masters is underway in Augusta, Georgia and everyone is waiting for Tiger Woods (-2) to make is signature comeback. As of right now, there's a lot of ground to make up, even if you're Tiger.

Tiger Woods has a habit of always making his comeback on Saturday and Sunday in Major tournaments. Tiger might have to have one of his biggest comeback in his illustrious career to win his 5th Masters, which would put him only behind Jack Nicklaus.

Currently Chad Campbell is stealing the show as he sits at the top of the leaderboard at 9-under par, including a 2nd round score of 2-under par.

Campbell was actually in reach of a Major tournament record for lowest first round score but had bogeys on 17 and 18 to end the day. Campbell wasn't the only one to end slow.

Tiger had a shot at going to -4 after the 1st round but let a fairway shot get away from him on 18 that ended up in the crowd of spectators. Tiger went on to bogey the hole. However, Tiger was still pleased with his opening round score.

Here's the leaderboard as of noon today:

1. Chad Campbell -9 Thru 12
2. Kenny Perry -6 Thru 8
3. Jim Furyk -6 1:52 PM
4. Todd Hamilton -5 Thru 17
5. Huner Mahan -5 Thru 10

Notables

• T13 Tiger Woods -2 Thru 7
• T23 Vijay Singh -1 1:30 PM
• T44 Phil Mickelson +1 1:52 PM
• T44 Sergio Garcia +1 2:03 PM
  

2009 NFL Draft: Who Should the Titans Take?

The 2009 NFL Draft is right around the corner and all 32 teams are scrambling to figure out the next piece to the puzzle of building a Super Bowl franchise.

The Titans have the 30th overall pick in the draft and many are speculating on who they should take with that pick. This draft is extremely heavy on wide receivers and the Titans may go that route.

The need for a dominant wide receiver has been a need ever since the Titans came to Nashville in 1999. The Titans have a great opportunity to get that future #1 wide receiver in this draft.

One pick that is in many people's mock draft is North Carolina wide receiver Hakeem Nicks. Nicks is extremely versatile and stands at 6'1''. Having a tall receiver like Nicks would be extremely beneficial for Kerry Collins, and even more so for Vince Young.

Other positions that are in need is cornerback and defensive line. Nick Harper seemed to slow down a step or two last season, and a future replacement might be needed.

Former Vanderbilt star D.J. Moore would be a great option for the Titans and may still be on the board when the Titans' second round pick rolls around.

That would be a huge steal for the Titans if they could snatch him up in the second round. Moore is extremely dynamic and would give you the option of inserting him into some offensive packages along with Chris Johnson.

Here are some possible first round picks for the Titans:

1st Round Possibilities

1. Hakeem Nicks, WR, North Carolina
2. Alphonso Smith, CB, Wake Forest
3. Robert Ayers, DE, Tennessee
   
4. D.J. Moore, CB, Vanderbilt

2009 NCAA Tournament Thoughts- National Championship

Tonight the NCAA men's basketball championship is up for grabs between the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Michigan State Spartans.

North Carolina is looking for the 2nd national title in five years while Michigan State is looking for their first one since 2000.

Very few predicted the Spartans to make it this far, and sadly I am no exception. I didn't think the Spartans had enough to get past Kansas in the Sweet 16. However, the Spartans have kept proving me wrong and they're going to have to do it again tonight against my National Championship pick.

The Tar Heels have proven throughout the tournament that they can beat you from so many directions. The Tar Heels have used a balanced attack to win every game by double figures during the tournament.

The starting lineup for the Tar Heels completely dominated Villanova in the Final Four getting a combined 60 points from Wayne Ellington, Tyler Hansbrough, and Ty Lawson.

One stat comparison that leaps off the page when looking over this matchup is the points per game average among the two teams. The Tar Heels averaging almost 90 points per game while the Spartans averaged just over 60.

The Spartans will have to figure out a way to slow down the high octane offense that the Tar Heels like to push. If the Spartans can slow down the pace of the game and turn it into a half-court game, they may have a chance.

I'm still sticking with my original national championship pick and going with the Tar Heels. Even if the Spartans do slow down the pace of the game, the Tar Heels just have too many weapons they can beat you with.

If Lawson is having a bad game, then Ellington, Green, or Hansbrough will pick him up.

I wouldn't be surprised to see this game close approaching 10 minutes to go in the game, but the Tar Heels will pull away and win by eight.

North Carolina over Michigan State, 79-71

2009 MLB Preview: American League

Tonight marks the start of the 2009 MLB season with the Phillies hosting the Braves.

American League action doesn't kick off til tomorrow with the featured series of the American League with the Rays and the Red Sox beginning a series at Fenway Park.

The AL East may be the strongest division from top to bottom we've seen in a long time. The Rays, Red Sox, and Yankees all have stacked rosters that could lead them to a World Series championship.

Going from one extreme to another, the AL West may be the worst division in baseball with every team seeming to be average at best.

AL East

The AL East will come down to the final week of the season once again to determine the division crown. And sadly once again, a great team will be left out of the playoffs in 2009. But which one will it be?

The Yankees have shown how much money they have again this offseason by acquiring some big players like C.C. Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, AJ Burnett, and Nick Swisher. They're starting pitching rotation will be one of the best in all of baseball. A big question looming is how Alex Rodriguez will respond to getting caught using steroid back in February.

The Red Sox will be the same solid team they always are and the addition of veteran John Smoltz will only add to this already deep pitching rotation. I see the Rays on the outside looking in when the season draws to a close. In any other division I would give them the division crown, but not in the AL East.

AL Central

The Chicago White Sox won a tight division race with the Minnesota Twins last season, but this season may feature two different team racing to the end.

The Minnesota Twins will be the one of the better hitting team in the American League, but their pitching may lose a lot of games for them down the stretch.

The Cleveland Indians seem like the balanced team that will pull this division out with solid hitting and pitching. The acquisition of Kerry Wood will be huge for them when it comes down to closing out big games.

One dark horse in this division is the Kansas City Royals who have looked really good in spring training. I don't think they'll have enough to win the division or get a Wild Card, but the Royals definitely have a shot at 85 wins this season.

AL West

So the question you face when analyzing the AL West is, which average team will come out on top?

The LA Angels have been the dominant team as of late, but with the loss of K-rod and a sub-par hitting lineup, the Angels will fall up short this season.

This entire division faces a lack of pitching, so the better hitting team will probably pull out the divison. The Oakland Athletics will be among the league-leaders in runs scored. This lineup has a ton of power along with great base-hitters with Eric Chavez, Orlando Cabrera, and Matt Holiday. You also can't forget the key additions of Nomar Garciaparra and Jason Giambi.

This lineup will be scary for any opposing pitching staff and that's why they'll pull out the weak AL West.

AL Division winners: Yankees, Indians, Athletics
AL Wild Card: Red Sox
AL Champ: Yankees

2009 MLB Preview: National League

MLB Opening Day is now just two days away with the Phillies taking on the Braves at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The National League produced the World Series Champion last season with the Philadelphia Phillies, but this season looks to be somewhat of a down year for the National League. Let's look at it division by division:

NL East

The NL East will be the strongest division this season with the Phillies and Mets being the favorites to win it. Sports Illustrated has the Mets as their World Series Champ but I wouldn't go that far. The Phillies win this division in another tight division race, with the Mets snatching that Wild Card.

The Phillies are just too balanced in every phase of the game, starting with their lights-out pitching that includes starting pitcher Cole Hamels and arguably the best closer in Brad Lidge.

NL Central


Perhaps one of the strongest divisions in recent year, a dropoff is expected for the NL Central in 2009. The Cubs continued the curse by getting swept by the Dodgers. Will this season break the curse? Highly unlikely. They may win their division if they can beat out the Brewers, but once the playoffs start, I don't see them doing any damage. Some may be wondering where the Cardinals are in this preview. The Cardinals will be non-factors this season, limping to a 70-75 win season. Sorry Cards fans.

The Cubs win the division by a few games over the Brewers only to continue the curse by losing in the first round.

NL West

The NL West may end up being the most lopsided division in all of baseball when 2009 comes to a close. With Manny Ramirez returning to the Dodgers, this team has the potential to win 90 games and completely dominate this division. It may be close early, but the season is 162 games, so be patient. Dodgers win this division by 10 games, and this division once again is mediocre.

NL Division Winners: Dodgers, Phillies, Cubs
NL Wild Card: Mets
NL Champ: Phillies

Cutler Fed Up With Denver and Wants Out

The Cutler fiasco has finally reached the point of no return. Cutler wants out of Denver and numerous teams are ready to make an offer for him.

The problem for Denver is, no matter what comes out of it, they're going to be worse off than they were with Cutler. Of the several possible teams that want Cutler, none of them have anything better than Cutler to offer. Here's some of the possibilities:

• Cleveland- Derek Anderson/Brady Quinn


• San Francisco- Shaun Hill


• New York Jets-Kellen Clemens


• Detroit- Daunte Culpepper

Of these four teams, Cutler's best fit would seem to be the Jets. The Jets have already proven what they're capable of with a gun-slinger type quarterback (Brett Favre). Their defense improved tremendously last season, and Cutler would have a more balanced offesne to work with.

However, the Broncos most likely are not going to trade him to an AFC team where Cutler can hurt them down the road. I could realistically see the Lions dealing their #1 pick and maybe another draft pick to get Cutler.

It's hard to pin-down the exact team Cutler will go to because there are so many teams that need a quarterback right now, but I'm positive it will be an NFC team.

Either way, the Broncos are in trouble. Their defense is horrendous. They have no running game, and their biggest offensive threats in Eddie Royal and Brandon Marshall now have no quarterback to get them the ball.

The only positive for Denver is that they play in the worst division in the NFL and where even a BAD team can win the division and earn a first-round playoff exit. Congrats Denver!