One of the best 2-day stretches (well now 3-day stretches) of the year ...the annual collegiate football draft. Millions of folks scour the internet weeks and months before the draft reading the thousands of mock drafts from the so called experts. I, like those millions, can't get enough. I love it ..I admit it, I am an NFL draft junkie. Mel Kiper and Todd McShay are two guys I'd love to grab a burger with.
If all falls according to plan, Sam Bradford will be a St. Louis Ram, Ndamukong Suh a Detroit Lion, and Gerald McCoy a Tampa Bay Buc. What happens starting with the Redskins at #4 overall is where the debate begins. For those Patriot fans out there, who is the best fit at #22? If Sergio Kindle and Dez Bryant are both on the board, what does Bill do? If I'm running the war room (and god knows I'd love to), I would be torn. 49% of me says grab Dez Bryant, wide receiver from Oklahoma State ...a new toy for Tom terrific - albeit one with question marks. 51% of me says go defensive with stud outside linebacker Sergio Kindle from Texas.
The Super Bowl years featured a dominant defense and an adequate offense. To get back to that level, Bill needs to continue his defensive rebuilding project. The offense needs work as well ..WR, RB, TE ...however these are positions that can be focused on in the later rounds. Kindle would provide much needed boost to the pass rush. He provides alot of what Willie McGinest used to feature during his golden days. Sergio Kindle is the safe pick. He ensures ultimate value for the Patriots. Dez Bryant will be tough to pass up and I'm glad, at the end of the day, I don't have to make the actual decision. It sure would be exciting ...the next Randy Moss for Tom Brady. One thing's for sure here ..this is an important draft for the New England Patriots. There must be alot of hits and very few misses.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
2010 MLB predictions
I'm not much of a believer in predicting anything, nevermind a season that lasts from April through October. So, naturally, here are my non-biased predictions for the 2010 season.
AL East - New York Yankees (97-65)
AL Central - Chicago White Sox (92-70)
AL West - Anaheim Angels (90-72)
AL Wild Card - Boston Red Sox (95-67)
AL Champion - Boston Red Sox (defeating Yankees in ALCS)
AL MVP - Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay
AL Cy Young - Felix Hernandez, Seattle
NL East - Philadelphia Phillies (94-68)
NL Central - St. Louis Cardinals (93-69)
NL West - Colorado Rockies (92-70)
NL Wild Card - Atlanta Braves (91-71)
NL Champion - Philadelphia Phillies (defeating Cardinals in NLCS)
NL MVP - Albert Pujols, St. Louis
NL Cy Young - Roy Halladay, St. Louis
World Series Champion - Boston Red Sox
(defeating Phillies in 7 games)
AL East - New York Yankees (97-65)
AL Central - Chicago White Sox (92-70)
AL West - Anaheim Angels (90-72)
AL Wild Card - Boston Red Sox (95-67)
AL Champion - Boston Red Sox (defeating Yankees in ALCS)
AL MVP - Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay
AL Cy Young - Felix Hernandez, Seattle
NL East - Philadelphia Phillies (94-68)
NL Central - St. Louis Cardinals (93-69)
NL West - Colorado Rockies (92-70)
NL Wild Card - Atlanta Braves (91-71)
NL Champion - Philadelphia Phillies (defeating Cardinals in NLCS)
NL MVP - Albert Pujols, St. Louis
NL Cy Young - Roy Halladay, St. Louis
World Series Champion - Boston Red Sox
(defeating Phillies in 7 games)
Friday, April 2, 2010
Boston Red Sox 2010 Preview
The 2009 season for the Boston Red Sox ended with a thud - a 3-game sweep at the hands of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim ...a team they had previously owned in the postseason (winning 9 of last 10). The lasting image for Sox fans was Jonathan Papelbon hanging his head after giving up 3 runs in the 9th inning of game 3, highlighted by a run scoring single by Vladimir Guerrero.
Turning the page into 2010, the Red Sox and their fans have high expectations. Then again, don't we always? Two World Series titles after an 86-year drought will do that to a region. This past offseason Theo and gang put an emphasis on run prevention. The question is, "Is run prevention a planned theme or a necessary one?" Given the departure of Jason Bay combined with the declines of David Ortiz and Mike Lowell and the inability to sign or trade for a big bat (Adrian Gonzalez anyone?), were the Sox forced into this direction? Or perhaps they are still spinning from being spurned by Mark Teixeira last year? Regardless of the reasons, we must embrace the era of run prevention. The Red Sox are going to be there in the end. They're a 93-96 win type of team. They'll compete for the division title with the Yankees and the Rays. Their defense and pitching will be superior to majority of the league. The question is whether or not their lack of offensive depth will hurt them against the very best?
Here we are on the eve of opening day and the rival Yankees are in town. What a way to start the season. As we get into the grind that is the major leage season (remember, it's a marathon not a sprint), let's review the team and their prospects for 2010. Gone is Jason Bay and his 30+ HRs and 110+ RBIs. Arriving to Fenway are veterans John Lackey, Mike Cameron, Adrian Beltre and Marco Scutaro. Returning are team leaders Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, Victor Martinez and JD Drew. The pitching staff is strong boasting one of the best (if not the best) rotations in the game and a deep bullpen. Highlighting the top of the staff are Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and the aforementioned John Lackey - 3 perennial all-stars and Cy Young candidates. Patrolling the bullpen is Jonathan Papelbon, Hideki Okijima, and young fireballer Daniel Bard.
Regardless of how the offense performs, their pitching will keep them in every game. Having 3 aces is a luxury not many teams can afford. Toss in Clay Buchholz and Tim Wakefield and the Sox starters (if healthy) have the chance to boast five 15 games winners. I believe the Sox offense will be very good against the bad teams. However, their offense as a whole may hinge on how good David Ortiz will be. He struggled mightily for 2 months last season. 2 months! He was able to bounce back and put up decent power numbers (28 HRs and 99 RBIs). Ortiz must get off to a better start to balance out the lineup. The Red Sox can not afford to give him as much latitude this season.
The Sox top 4 will be dynamic. Ellsbury is coming off a 70 steal season and poised for greatness. Can he get 90? Pedroia is a year removed from the AL MVP and will provide his typical .300 AVG/.400 OBP/gold glove caliber defense from the #2 hole. Victor Martinez is now the everyday catcher. He's also in a contract year, so should produce. You can pencil Martinez in for .300 AVG, 25 HRs, and 100 RBI. Kevin Youkilis is the cleanup hitter. He's the heart and soul of the offense providing consistency this team desparately needs night in and night out. At the end of they day, Youkilis will be among the top vote getters for the AL MVP. His versitility in the field will provide the Sox the luxury to move pieces around the infield. Come July, should the Sox go after Adrian Gonzelez, Youkilis could move to 3rd base for the 1st baseman's arrival. Overall the top 4 in this lineup have a chance to be special. They'll set the table for Ortiz, JD Drew, Adrian Beltre, Mike Cameron and Marco Scutaro. For all the talk of run prevention, the Sox very well may be (again) in the top 3-4 in runs scored. The opportunity is there for a productive lineup.
The 2010 Boston Red Sox feature many changes ...all having a chance to provide the Sox an American League East championship and perhaps more. Their pitching and defense will be very good. Can the offense, outside of the top 4, produce consistenty enough to keep up with the Yankees, Rays and the rest of the American League beasts. We'll know pretty soon. Bring on baseball!
Turning the page into 2010, the Red Sox and their fans have high expectations. Then again, don't we always? Two World Series titles after an 86-year drought will do that to a region. This past offseason Theo and gang put an emphasis on run prevention. The question is, "Is run prevention a planned theme or a necessary one?" Given the departure of Jason Bay combined with the declines of David Ortiz and Mike Lowell and the inability to sign or trade for a big bat (Adrian Gonzalez anyone?), were the Sox forced into this direction? Or perhaps they are still spinning from being spurned by Mark Teixeira last year? Regardless of the reasons, we must embrace the era of run prevention. The Red Sox are going to be there in the end. They're a 93-96 win type of team. They'll compete for the division title with the Yankees and the Rays. Their defense and pitching will be superior to majority of the league. The question is whether or not their lack of offensive depth will hurt them against the very best?
Here we are on the eve of opening day and the rival Yankees are in town. What a way to start the season. As we get into the grind that is the major leage season (remember, it's a marathon not a sprint), let's review the team and their prospects for 2010. Gone is Jason Bay and his 30+ HRs and 110+ RBIs. Arriving to Fenway are veterans John Lackey, Mike Cameron, Adrian Beltre and Marco Scutaro. Returning are team leaders Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, Victor Martinez and JD Drew. The pitching staff is strong boasting one of the best (if not the best) rotations in the game and a deep bullpen. Highlighting the top of the staff are Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and the aforementioned John Lackey - 3 perennial all-stars and Cy Young candidates. Patrolling the bullpen is Jonathan Papelbon, Hideki Okijima, and young fireballer Daniel Bard.
Regardless of how the offense performs, their pitching will keep them in every game. Having 3 aces is a luxury not many teams can afford. Toss in Clay Buchholz and Tim Wakefield and the Sox starters (if healthy) have the chance to boast five 15 games winners. I believe the Sox offense will be very good against the bad teams. However, their offense as a whole may hinge on how good David Ortiz will be. He struggled mightily for 2 months last season. 2 months! He was able to bounce back and put up decent power numbers (28 HRs and 99 RBIs). Ortiz must get off to a better start to balance out the lineup. The Red Sox can not afford to give him as much latitude this season.
The Sox top 4 will be dynamic. Ellsbury is coming off a 70 steal season and poised for greatness. Can he get 90? Pedroia is a year removed from the AL MVP and will provide his typical .300 AVG/.400 OBP/gold glove caliber defense from the #2 hole. Victor Martinez is now the everyday catcher. He's also in a contract year, so should produce. You can pencil Martinez in for .300 AVG, 25 HRs, and 100 RBI. Kevin Youkilis is the cleanup hitter. He's the heart and soul of the offense providing consistency this team desparately needs night in and night out. At the end of they day, Youkilis will be among the top vote getters for the AL MVP. His versitility in the field will provide the Sox the luxury to move pieces around the infield. Come July, should the Sox go after Adrian Gonzelez, Youkilis could move to 3rd base for the 1st baseman's arrival. Overall the top 4 in this lineup have a chance to be special. They'll set the table for Ortiz, JD Drew, Adrian Beltre, Mike Cameron and Marco Scutaro. For all the talk of run prevention, the Sox very well may be (again) in the top 3-4 in runs scored. The opportunity is there for a productive lineup.
The 2010 Boston Red Sox feature many changes ...all having a chance to provide the Sox an American League East championship and perhaps more. Their pitching and defense will be very good. Can the offense, outside of the top 4, produce consistenty enough to keep up with the Yankees, Rays and the rest of the American League beasts. We'll know pretty soon. Bring on baseball!
Should the Pats draft Tim Tebow?
If I was the player personnel guru for the New England Patriots (sadly I'm not), I would not draft Tim Tebow (unless of course he's available in round 4 - which he won't be). The Patriots are in a precarious position heading into the 2010 season. They need another influx of young talent on a team that has some glaring holes to fill. Last year's draft was productive and a great start to the retooling process. With their top 4 picks (all within the top 60), the Belichickians selected strong safety Pat Chung, cornerback Darius Butler, defensive lineman Ron Brace, and gigantor offensive lineman Sebastian Vollmer. All 4 of these guys made an impact on last year's season. Another year like last and the Pats are back in business.
Now fast forward to the NFL draft in a few weeks, the Pats are again in prime position with 4 picks in the top 53 (1-1st round pick (No. 22) and 3-2nd round picks (No. 44, No. 47, No. 53). This draft is also considered by many experts to be deep. With the uncertainty of the NFL labor discussions (possibility of no football in 2011), a large number of underclassmen have entered the draft. The talent pool is deep -- most believe 2 rounds worth of first round talent. The Pats so happen to have a few high priority needs - defensive end, outside linebacker, wide receiver, running back, and tight end. The chance of restocking this team for future success is high. Again, putting on my imaginary Patriots player personnel hat, I do NOT take Tim Tebow with 1 of my top 4 picks. Use the picks wisely - draft for the need, not the potential of what could be 4-5 years down the road.
Tim Tebow is a great story. He's the epitome of what a student-athlete should be. He is hard working, dedicated, coachable, tough, and smart. Essentially to sum him up in 4 words: He is a winner. He is a 2-time national champion and won 35 games as a starter over a 3-year span in college. I think some team in the NFL will give him a shot at quarterback and most likely take him in the first round. However, I hope it is not the Patriots.
Now fast forward to the NFL draft in a few weeks, the Pats are again in prime position with 4 picks in the top 53 (1-1st round pick (No. 22) and 3-2nd round picks (No. 44, No. 47, No. 53). This draft is also considered by many experts to be deep. With the uncertainty of the NFL labor discussions (possibility of no football in 2011), a large number of underclassmen have entered the draft. The talent pool is deep -- most believe 2 rounds worth of first round talent. The Pats so happen to have a few high priority needs - defensive end, outside linebacker, wide receiver, running back, and tight end. The chance of restocking this team for future success is high. Again, putting on my imaginary Patriots player personnel hat, I do NOT take Tim Tebow with 1 of my top 4 picks. Use the picks wisely - draft for the need, not the potential of what could be 4-5 years down the road.
Tim Tebow is a great story. He's the epitome of what a student-athlete should be. He is hard working, dedicated, coachable, tough, and smart. Essentially to sum him up in 4 words: He is a winner. He is a 2-time national champion and won 35 games as a starter over a 3-year span in college. I think some team in the NFL will give him a shot at quarterback and most likely take him in the first round. However, I hope it is not the Patriots.
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