The Dwain Chambers Saga

Heading into the London Olympics, one of the great sagas revolved around British sprinter Dwain Chambers.  Chambers is one of the host nation's best track & field athletes.  He has the second-fastest time ever for a British man in the 100 meters.  He won a silver in the event at the 1999 World Championships and gold in the 60 meters at the 2010 World Indoor Championships. 

Even though he's 34, Chambers would be a legitimate medal contender in both the 100 and 4x100 relay in London.  Except for one slight problem.  He's not eligible for the British Olympic team.  The reason?  A two-year drug suspension he served from 2003-05 that caused him to miss the Athens Olympics.  Under British Olympic Association rules, any athlete who's been suspended for a doping violation is banned from the Olympics for life. 

Chambers isn't the only athlete who's been effected by this rule, but he's the only one who was smart enough to challenge it.  It's a good thing he did.  Because he won.  The Court of Arbitration for Sport announced its ruling on the Dwain Chambers case today.  They basically said that the BOA bylaw isn't compliant with World Anti-Doping Agency code and, therefore, cannot be enforced.  Dwain Chambers is free to compete in London.

The Chambers ruling is similar to the decision the CAS reached in October regarding American sprinter LaShawn Merritt (among others).  In that case, Merritt (more specifically, the USOC) challenged an IOC rule that banned any athlete that received a doping suspension of six months or longer from the next Games.  In both cases, the CAS decision said basically the same thing.  It's not an eligibility issue.  It's a disciplinary saction.  And in these cases, it's double jeopardy.  Athletes were being punished a second time for the same offense.

I agree with the CAS decisions.  If an athlete misses an Olympics because they're in the midst of serving a doping suspension, it's their own fault.  But once that ban is served, that should be the end of it.  You shouldn't have to keep paying for the same mistake over and over again.  And that's exactly what these Olympic bans were doing.  In my opinion, if you're eligible for competition, it should be without restrictions.  Past transgressions should be irrelevant.  Yes, the Olympics are the most important competition in the world.  All the more reason why they should be there.  If they qualify for the Olympics, don't they deserve the opportunity to prove they're the best?

Don't get me wrong. I'm all for doping suspensions. If you do the crime, you've gotta do the time. If you do it again, you have to pay the consequences. Even if that means a lifetime ban. Doping is serious and it needs to be taken seriously. Especially when it comes to the Olympics, the greatest event in all of sports.

But not every doping offense is the same.  Some athletes are out there deliberately trying to cheat.  Others aren't.  They might've failed a drug test for any number of reasons.  Back in 2000, Andreea Raducan received a ban and was stripped of her gold medal in the gymnastics all-around because her coach gave her an over-the-counter cold medicine that just happened to be on the list of banned substances (and isn't anymore).  Was she trying to cheat?  Absolutely not!  If she were British, Raducan would be subject to a lifetime Olympic ban because of that "offense."  And in that hypothetical situation, the punishment certainly wouldn't fit the crime.  It would be way too harsh. 

While I get what the BOA was trying to do, there wouldn't be any leeway.  Under the now-overturned rule, the athlete who received a six-month ban for inadvertently taking something banned would've received the same penalty as someone who was banned two years for deliberately cheating.  You can't tell me that's just.

As it is, Dwain Chambers is eligible for the 2012 Olympics.  But that doesn't mean the British team has to choose him.  Maybe that's the solution here.  Just because an athlete's allowed to compete in the Olympics doesn't mean they automatically get to.  First they have to qualify.  Then they have to be selected. 

Dwain Chambers did his crime.  He also served his punishment.  He deserves the chance to represent the host country at the London Games as much as any other British athlete.  If he doesn't make the team, so be it.  If he does, think about the story of redemption it could be.  All Dwain Chambers wanted was that chance.  Forgive me for saying so, but I think he deserves it.

Stanley Cup Playoffs, Round 2

A couple observations from Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs before we move on to my analysis of Round 2. 

• All eight seeds went 1-1 in the first round. 
• The 1, 5, 6 and 7 seeds advanced in the East, while it's 2, 3, 4 and 8 in the West. 
• I don't even remember the last time there weren't any Canadian teams in the second round, but that's the case this year.  Vancouver and Ottawa both lost, and the other five didn't make the playoffs.
• So much for that Penguins-Canucks Finals everyone was expecting.  The Flyers did everybody a HUGE favor by knocking out Pittsburgh.
• We don't get our annual Flyers-Bruins and Canucks-Blackhawks playoff series this year.  However, Rangers-Capitals is quickly becoming a postseason tradition.
• Of the four teams remaining in the West, the most recent Conference Finals appearance was by the Blues in 2001 and the most recent Stanley Cup Finals appearance was by the 1993 Kings.  None of the four has ever won the Cup.  In fact, the Phoenix-Nashville winner will be a conference finalist for the first time in franchise history.  Meanwhile, the four teams that have dominated the West in recent years: Detroit, Vancouver, San Jose and Chicago, were the ones sent home in the first round.
• I'm glad the actual NHL teams proved how stupid this whole four "conferences" idea was themselves.  All four remaining Eastern Conference teams are from the "Patrick" Conference.  They're also all separated by a grand total of 225 miles (New York to Washington, with Philadelphia in the middle) down I-95.

Now on to my thoughts on the four Conference Semifinal series.  The winners here are halfway to the Cup.

Rangers-Capitals: Everybody thought this series was going to happen, it's just a round later than we all expected.  Both teams got through the last round in seven games, with Washington beating the defending champs in overtime on the road to clinch the series.  That could give them a huge boost of confidence going into round two.  The Rangers, meanwhile, survived a scare against a Senators team that wasn't a good matchup for them at all.  The Rangers wanted to play Washington instead of Ottawa in the last round because the Capitals are a much better matchup.  That's still the case.  Personally, I think Washington is one of the most overrated teams in hockey.  The Capitals don't know how to play defense.  Their usual M.O. is to try and outscore you.  That's why they've been sent home early in the last couple years.  However, that approach worked against Boston.  (Although, in fairness, Tim Thomas is just as overrated as Alex Ovechkin.)  With that being said, the Rangers' defense is better than the Bruins' and Boston doesn't have Henrik Lundqvist.  Throw in an offense that never really got going against Ottawa, but has added a dangerous weapon in Chris Kreider, and the Rangers certainly have the edge.  Sure, the Capitals have knocked the Rangers out of the playoffs twice in the past three years.  But Washington had the home ice each time.  With Vancouver out, the Rangers are the de facto President's Trophy winners now.  It made a difference in Game 7 against Ottawa.  If this series goes seven, it will again.  I don't think it goes seven, though.  Rangers in six.

Flyers-Devils: Well, the Flyers sure turned the playoffs upside-down with that series win over the Penguins, didn't they?  In what was probably the craziest of all the first-round series, Claude Giroux went absolutely nuts, with the rest of the Flyers' offense not too far behind.  I'm still not entirely sure how they beat Pittsburgh, but I'm glad they did.  Their reward for doing so is a second round series against possibly the only team they hate as much as the Penguins--the New Jersey Devils.  I give the Florida Panthers a lot of credit.  The Devils are a much better team than they are, but that series went all the way to double-overtime in Game 7.  At times against the Panthers, Martin Brodeur played like the Martin Brodeur of 10 years ago.  I'm not sure he'll have the same type of luck against Giroux and Co., though.  This matchup is a difficult one to handicap.  The Flyers' offense is clearly better.  Significantly so.  But Ilya Bryzgalov hasn't really been tested yet.  He didn't have to win them any games in the first round, so the questions regarding Bryzgalov are still there.  (Remember, he got pulled at midseason and didn't start the Winter Classic.)  I still give the Flyers the edge, but Bryzgalov's going to need to show me something.  The fact that these teams are so familiar with each other is going to make this a very competitive series.  But the Flyers are an experienced playoff team, and they have the home ice.  I'm taking Philly.  Flyers in seven.

Blues-Kings: Of all the first round results, LA over Vancouver in five is the one that shocked me the most.  The Canucks are far and away a better team than the Kings.  But that's what a hot goalie can do.  St. Louis, meanwhile, looked like a team that could potentially be hoisting some hardware in a few weeks against the Sharks.  The Blues completely dominated a good San Jose team in every facet of the game.  I said towards the end of the regular season that I wouldn't be surprised to see St. Louis in the Finals.  Now that they have home ice for the rest of the Western Conference playoffs, I absolutely believe that.  The Kings impressed me against the Canucks.  The Blues impressed me more against the Sharks.  St. Louis has been the better, more talented team all year.  Jonathan Quick might steal a game or two, but I don't think LA has the horsepower to win four.  Part of the reason they knocked off the Canucks was because of the sometimes shaky play of Roberto Luongo.  The Blues aren't going to have that problem.  If Jaroslav Halak struggles, they can bring in Brian Elliott, their backup goalie who made the All-Star team.  I said the same thing about Vancouver and I had to eat those words, but I don't see LA beating St. Louis.  They pulled off one upset.  Two might be a stretch.  The Blues are too talented and too disciplined.  Blues in five.

Coyotes-Predators: Pekka Rinne may single-handedly lead Nashville to the Finals.  He was THAT good against Detroit.  So good that the Predators were the first team to advance, comfortably handling the Red Wings in five despite outscoring Detroit by just four goals in the series.  Their Veniza Trophy finalist was the reason why.  He got pelted by shot after shot in the four wins and basically stood there watching in the one game Nashville lost.  Phoenix is good, but also had an incredible amount of luck on its side against Chicago.  The first five! games of that series went to overtime, with the Coyotes winning three of them.  Although, that 4-0 Game 6 victory in Chicago was certainly impressive.  On paper, these teams seem to be about even.  But there are two key factors that sway the edge towards Nashville.  The Coyotes don't have Raffi Torres.  Torres was rightfully suspended 25 games for his vicious (and dirty) hit on Marian Hossa in Game 5 of the Blackhawks series.  It didn't look like they missed him too much in Game 6, but I wonder how much of an impact not having him will have in a full best-of-seven series.  More importantly, though, the Coyotes don't have Pekka Rinne.  The Coyotes' last two seasons have been a great story.  It might've saved hockey in the desert.  But this season might be the start of something big in the Music City.  Predators in six.

See You In Cooperstown

When Ivan Rodriguez retired the other day, the inevitable questions about whether or not he's a future Hall of Famer rose to the surface.  My response to those questions: "Are you kidding?"  He was the premier catcher of his era and one of the greatest defensive catchers in history.  Of course he's a Hall of Famer.  The only question we should be asking is, "Will he get in on the first ballot?"  The hat he'll wear on his plaque isn't a question, either.  He'll be the second resident of Cooperstown wearing a Texas Rangers hat.

With Pudge now retired, the list of sure-fire future Hall of Famers that are still active dropped by one (although it'll grow by one when Andy Pettitte returns in a couple weeks).  You could probably count on two hands the number of active players that can be viewed as locks for Cooperstown.  There are others like Matt Kemp, Prince Fielder, Joe Mauer, Robinson Cano, Buster Posey, etc., that have gotten off to good starts, but haven't played the required 10 years to be eligible for the Hall of Fame yet.  Here are 10 guys who have reached the 10-year minimum that I think will be giving speeches in Upstate New York once their playing careers come to an end:

1. Mariano Rivera-It'll take about 11 seconds for the writers to vote Mariano Rivera into the Hall of Fame.  Mo's the greatest closer in history.  There's no debate about that, and it's not even close.  Even the closers that are already in the Hall of Fame would agree.  He's the all-time leader in saves, and he's still going strong.  The Yankees don't win seven pennants and five World Series without him.  His number is already retired across the entire sport, but it's safe to say that even if it wasn't, no Yankee would ever wear No. 42 again.  Will "Enter Sandman" also be retired when Mo hangs it up?

2. Derek Jeter-Yes, I made him No. 2 on purpose.  Like his Yankee teammate, voting Derek Jeter into the Hall of Fame won't take very long.  To be the New York Yankees' all-time franchise leader in anything is impressive.  When you're the first guy in franchise history with 3,000 hits, that tells you all you need to know.  He'll have many more Yankee records by the time he's done.  With any other team, we'd be talking about Jeter as potentially the best player in franchise history.  As it is, he's a worthy successor to a legacy that includes the likes of Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio and Mantle.  Jeter got the only single-digit number left.  It won't be the only one left for long.

3. Alex Rodriguez-Say all you want about the steroids.  A-Rod's body of work before and after are Hall of Fame worthy.  I understand there are a number of voters who'll never vote for him because of the steroid allegation (and admission).  They're entitled to that stance, but I don't agree with it.  A-Rod is probably going to pass Barry Bonds' all-time home run record, and there's no argument that he's one of the preeminent power hitters of this (or any) era.  Plus, he's a 14-time All-Star, three-time MVP and two-time Gold Glove winner.  And let's not forget that he switched positions in the prime of his career and didn't miss a beat.

4. Albert Pujols-Now that I've moved on from the three Yankees (it'll be four when Andy Pettitte returns), it's time to move on to the other teams.  And I don't think there's any debating Albert's Hall of Fame worthiness.  If he'd retired last year after 11 seasons in St. Louis, he'd be a no-doubt-about-it first-ballot Hall of Famer.  Albert's first 10 years were better than any player in the history of the game, and the first time he didn't have 30 homers and 100 RBIs was last season.  And he's a .328 career hitter.  Albert's a three-time MVP (and in the discussion every year), and he led the Cardinals to two World Series titles.  He's already on the short-list of greatest hitters of all-time.  If his Angels career is anything like his Cardinals career, he might be considered THE greatest ever.  Especially if he breaks the home run record.

5. Ichiro Suzuki-Ichiro could become the first player inducted to the Hall of Fame in both the United States and Japan.  He was already an established star when he joined the Mariners in 2001.  All he did that season was win the Rookie of the Year and MVP awards as Seattle tied the Major League record with 116 wins.  He holds the Major League single-season hits record (262 in 2004) and had 200 hits in each of his first 10 seasons.  Ichiro also won the Gold Glove and made the All-Star team every year from 2001-10.  In addition, he was a member of the winning Japanese squad at the first two World Baseball Classics.

6. Chipper Jones-This year is the Chipper Jones retirement tour, and at the end of 2012 the careers of all five Hall of Fame locks (Chipper, Bobby Cox and the three pitchers) from the Braves' dynasty will be over.  There's something to be said about a guy who spends his entire career with one team, and Chipper Jones is one of those guys.  He was the first pick in 1990 draft, and he's been employed by the Atlanta Braves ever since.  His official rookie year was 1995, when the Braves won the World Series, and he played in two more in the next four years (1996, 1999).  He was also the NL MVP in '99.  Chipper has better numbers than any switch hitter in history except for Hall of Famer Eddie Murray.  And he's one of the classiest guys in the game. 

7. Jim Thome-Yes, Jim Thome is old.  Which, I think, makes the fact that he's still productive even more remarkable.  Thome's never been a "superstar."  He's just been really good for a long time.  That's why he's been overlooked for long.  I never really thought of Thome as a Hall of Famer until recently, but I've certainly come around.  He's got 600 career home runs.  Only seven other guys can say they've done that (well, six, because Babe Ruth's dead).  Five are in the Hall of Fame, one (Ken Griffey, Jr.) absolutely will be, and the seventh is A-Rod.  That alone will be enough for Thome to get the Cooperstown call.

8. Todd Helton-Talk about underrated, the guy who brought Peyton to Denver has been the Face of the Rockies since 1997.  Since he's spent the last 15 years in Denver, few people have noticed, but Helton has been one of the most consistently solid hitters in the game during that time.  And his numbers aren't simply a product of Coors Field.  He holds every Rockies career hitting record and is, without a doubt, the greatest player in franchise history.  Helton's also the active Major League leader in on-base percentage and second among active players in doubles.  Guys like Helton get overlooked by the fans, but not Hall of Fame voters.  His numbers speak for themselves.

9. Roy Halladay-What, you thought I was only going to have one pitcher on the list?  He started his career in Toronto, where he didn't just hold his own in the AL East, he was arguably the best pitcher in the American League.  Halladay won the Cy Young in 2003.  In 2010, he was traded to the Phillies, where Halladay has only enhanced his legacy.  He dominated the National League that year, unanimously winning the Cy Young.  Halladay threw a perfect game on May 29, 2010, then, in his first career postseason start, threw another no-hitter against the Reds in Game One of the Division Series.  Entering this season, Halladay had a career record of 188-92 with a 3.23 ERA and 1,934 strikeouts, as well as a Cy Young in each league.

10. Paul Konerko-Stats-wise, this final spot should probably go to the newly un-retired Manny Ramirez, but other than the fact that I despise him, I'm not giving it to Manny for a reason.  Even though I'm what I call a "Steroids Era Apologist," I put Manny Ramirez in a different category than A-Rod, et. al.  None of those guys ever officially failed a drug test, and taking drugs wasn't against baseball's rules when they allegedly did it.  Not so with Manny.  He was tested, failed, and was suspended.  TWICE!  For me, that's enough to make a distinction and not throw a Hall of Fame vote his way. 
Instead, I'm giving my 10th vote to Paul Konerko.  The White Sox have so much respect for Konerko that they considered making him a player-manager before deciding to hire Robin Ventura during the offseason.  Early on, he shared the first base/DH job with future Hall of Famer Frank Thomas, but with Thomas injured for much of the 2005 season, it was Konerko that led the White Sox to their first World Series title in 88 years.  He's been the captain of the White Sox since 2006 and is one of the greatest offensive players in franchise history.  Konerko has 400 career home runs, making him one of 48 guys in Major League history to reach that milestone.  I don't think he's as much of a lock as the other guys on this list, or even a lock at all.  But if I had a Hall of Fame vote, Paul Konerko would get it.

30 Greatest NBC Olympic Moments

As part of the countdown to London, and the relaunch of NBCOlympics.com, NBC has unveiled its list of the "30 Greatest NBC Olympic Moments," which will be revealed during a special that will air the week before the Games.  From now until then, fans can watch the moments on the website and vote for their top three.  I obviously significantly like much more than just three of these moments.  Just like there are many, many, many others that I think could also've been included.  But, I'll play by the rules and go with the 30 NBC has selected (keep in mind, these are NBC Olympic moments, so they're only from 1964 and 1988-2008).  Out of those 30, here's my Top 10 (in no particular order):

• 2008: Men's 4x100 Meter Freestyle Relay (Swimming)-I've ranked this one as the "gold medalist" every time I've voted so far.  I can't remember ever in my life being so excited watching a swimming race.  France was heavily favored and had the lead entering the anchor leg.  Jason Lezak was a body-length behind (and actually losing ground over the first 50) before remarkably surging all the way back to touch the wall first, keeping Michael Phelps' quest for eight gold medals alive.  That race was one of those Olympic moments that you'll truly never forget.
• 2008: Men's 100 Meter Butterfly (Swimming)-I'm going to cheat a little bit and make this moment 1A.  It's right up there with the relay as the most dramatic of Phelps' eight gold medals in Beijing.  It looked like eight golds wasn't going to happen.  Phelps was actually behind Serbia's Milorad Cavic for the entire race.  But Cavic reached for the wall a little to early and Phelps took an extra half-stroke.  That half-stroke proved to be the difference, as Phelps won by .01 seconds.
• 2008: Usain Bolt (Track & Field)-The men's 100 and 200 meter finals in Beijing are separate moments on the website, but I'm counting them as one.  Because the two biggest stars in Beijing were Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt.  The 100 was ridiculous.  He made it look like the other guys were jogging.  A world record of 9.69 seconds that would've been even faster if he hadn't started celebrating 10 meters before the finish.  He didn't celebrate early in the 200, and this time Bolt didn't just obliterate the competition once again, he obliterated another world record, posting a time of 19.30 seconds.  Four years later, what he did in Beijing is still mind-blowing.
• 1996: Men's 200 Meters (Track & Field)-The 200 meter world record that Bolt shattered in Beijing was set by Michael Johnson in Atlanta 12 years earlier.  With all due respect to Bolt, I still think of this race as the most dominant Olympic performance I've ever seen.  The rest of the field was completely outclassed.  They were racing for silver, and they knew it.  Johnson was 10 meters ahead at the end of the turn and won by like 25 meters.  His time was 19.32 seconds.  The old world record, which he set in the Olympic Trials on the same Atlanta track a month earlier, was 19.66.
• 1996: Kerri Strug's Vault-This is another one of "those" moments.  It was up to Strug to deliver the U.S. its first-ever Olympic gold in women's team gymnastics.  She fell on her first vault, severely injuring her leg in the process.  But on her second attempt was perfect, and she stuck the landing on one leg to clinch the gold.  And who can forget Bela Karolyi carrying her onto the medals stand for the victory ceremony?
• 2000: Men's Super Heavyweight Final (Greco-Roman Wrestling)-In perhaps the biggest upset in Summer Olympic history (right up there with the Miracle on Ice), American Rulon Gardner stunned Russia's Alexander Karelin, the greatest wrestler in history, to win the gold medal.  To call Karelin "invincible" would be an understatement.  He had won three straight Olympic golds and had a 12-year undefeated streak.  He hadn't even been scored against in a decade.  But Gardner beat him, 1-0.
• 1992: Derek Redmond (Track)-Derek Redmond didn't win a medal.  He didn't even make the final.  But he provided us with one of those moments that remind us what the Olympics are all about.  Redmond pulled his hamstring during his 400 meter semifinal in Barcelona, but he was determined to finish the race.  So he got up and started hobbling towards the finish, whincing in agony with every step.  Then his father came running out of the stands to help his son.  The two of them crossed the finsih line.  Together.  Twenty years later, maybe they'll reenact that moment while carrying the Olympic torch this summer.
• 2004: Men's All-Around (Gymnastics)-Paul Hamm fell on the vault to drop into 12th place with two rotations left.  Incredibly, he surged all the way back (in just two rotations), capped by a nearly-perfect high bar routine, to become the first American ever to win Olympic gold in the men's all-around.  It was the closest finish in Olympic history.  Hamm was just .050 points ahead of the bronze medalist.
• 1992: The Dream Team (Men's Basketball)-I think we can all agree that 1992 was a landmark moment in the history of the Olympics.  From that point forward, the Olympics would never again be a strictly "amateur" endeavor, as the millionaires of the NBA came together to wear the red, white and blue.  It was, without a doubt, the greatest basketball team ever assembled.  The Dream Team was rock stars, and they completely dominated the competition.  They cruised to the gold medal, winning their eight games by an average of 43.75 points.  It also marked the beginning of the end of American domination.  The world caught up, as evidence by the bronze "won" by the 2004 team.
• 2000: Women's 400 Meters (Track)-Nobody has ever been under more pressure to win an Olympic gold medal than Cathy Freeman in Sydney.  And she delivered.  The Australian icon, who lit the Olympic cauldron at the Opening Ceremony, wasn't just running for her country, she was running for the entire Aboriginal population.  Anything less than gold would've been unacceptable, and she knew it.  The race was close for 300 meters, but Freeman pulled away down the stretch, giving Australia its gold and Sydney its signature moment.
• 2008: Women's Gymnastics All-Around-Shawn Johnson vs. Nastia Liukin.  Never before did we enter an Olympics with two Americans capable of winning gymnastics gold.  Johnson was the defending world all-around champion, but Liukin won medals in each of the four individual events at the 2007 World Championships.  Johnson delivered four sensational routines.  So did Liukin.  Only hers were a little bit better.  For the first time in Olympic history, Americans went 1-2 in the women's all-around.

There you have it.  My short list of 10 favorite Olympic moments.  I can think of at least 20 more (and not just the other 20 on NBC's list).  And three months from now, we'll have to make room for some more Olympic memories.  I can't wait to find out what they're going to be.

A Classy Exit

Everything about Pat Summitt exemplifies the word "class."  For 38 years, she was the face of women's basketball.  As much as the late Joe Paterno WAS Penn State to many people, Pat Summitt IS the University of Tennessee in much the same way.  But she was more than that.  In a lot of ways Pat Summitt IS women's basketball.

Her 1,098 wins (the most in NCAA history, men or women) will never be matched.  Her NCAA Tournament records are just as staggering.  Tennessee has never missed the Tournament, which began in 1982.  In fact, the Lady Vols have never received lower than a 5-seed, and they've only failed to reach the Sweet Sixteen once in those 31 NCAA Tournament appearances.  Summitt's teams won eight National Championships and made the Final Four 18 times.  This year's seniors were the first in Tennessee history to go their entire careers without playing in at least one Final Four.  Summitt also won Olympic medals as both a player (1976, silver) and a coach (1984, gold).  Tennesse even asked her (twice!) if she'd consider coaching the men's team.

But her career is about so much more than victories and records.  Never has that been more clear than in her final season.  We were all shocked when Summitt announced in August that she was suffering from early-onset dementia, Alzheimer's type.  But nobody was surprised with the grace she displayed while dealing with her disease.  She came forward right away, not in an attempt to gain sympathy, but as a means of raising awareness.  Pat Summitt quickly became an advocate.  More importantly, she wanted to show people that you can still go about your life even with dementia.

The University of Tennessee did the right thing in letting her go out on her own terms.  Pat Summitt deserved that.  When she said that she wanted to continue coaching in 2011-12, it was with the University's blessing.  Sure she had a reduced role (by her own choice), but she was still Pat Summitt.  That was clear from the first moment you saw that trademark icy stare directed from the end of the Tennessee bench towards one of the officials. 

The season certainly felt like a farewell tour.  But it wouldn't have been fair to anybody, least of all Pat Summitt, if she didn't get that chance to say goodbye.  Or if the women's basketball community didn't get a chance to say goodbye to her.  After Tennessee lost to Baylor in the Elite Eight, you had the feeling it was her last game.  The embrace between Summitt and Baylor coach Kim Mulkey (and the reverence with which Mulkey talked about Summitt in the postgame press conference) was much more than one between and mentor and pupil.  It was as if Mulkey was telling Summitt "Thank You" on behalf of all of us.

As it turns out, what we all suspected was in fact the case.  The 2011-12 season was Pat Summitt's last.  She retired on Wednesday, handing the reins to longtime assistant Holly Warlick (who did much of the day-to-day coaching during the season).  Summitt will remain in the role of "head coach emeritus," meaning she'll still be around the program, albeit in an advisory/consulting role.  Tennessee knew that it was important to keep her involved in the program in some way.

Through it all, the grace and class that Pat Summitt displayed throughout her career was just as prominent in her departure.  The University of Tennessee did right by Pat Summitt.  They didn't dictate any of the terms of her retirement.  And they left the timing up to her.  For all she's meant to the university, they owed her that much.  She wasn't forced out, which is unfortunately how too many college coaching careers end.  Sadly, Pat Summitt was forced out by something much crueler--her health.

Alzheimer's disease slowly takes away your mind.  It's a terrible disease for which there's no cure.  That means Pat Summitt is eventually going to forget her amazing career and how much she's meant to the sport of women's basketball.  Fortunately, the rest of us won't.  We never will.

100 Days

The countdown until the London Olympics has finally dropped below triple digits.  The Games are a little more than three months away, and there were a number of "100 Days" celebrations throughout the day on Wednesday.  Among the festivities were a massive event in Times Square featuring past and current Olympians, as well as the relaunch of one of my favorite websites, nbcolympics.com. 

Along with relaunching the website, NBC announced how it's going to handle this whole live streaming every event thing.  I think they've found an appropriate solution regarding live streaming of the events that are featured on the primetime TV coverage.  They'll show those events live online, but won't make them available on-demand until after they air on TV.  This way, you make the "why don't you show everything live?" people happy while still preserving the integrity of the TV broadcast.  For the events that aren't featured on NBC's primetime coverage, they'll be archived and on-demand pretty much immediately.  They've announced that they're going to stream more than 3,500 total hours, including all 302 medal finals.

They're also going to do something that I think is very cool.  They're going to have simultaneous streams from the same venue.  If you want to watch gymnastics, you can watch regular coverage that bounces around from apparatus to apparatus, or you can watch just the balance beam or just the floor exercise.  Same thing with track & field.  If you're a shot put fan, you can watch the entire shot put competition instead of just the snippets they show in between the track races.  As a fan of the sport, I figure I'll probably be watching the event-by-event track & field stream a lot during the Olympics.  They're going to do the same thing with tennis, which has been done at the four Grand Slams for years.

At the Times Square event, the USOC launched its own initiative--the "Raise Our Flag" campaign.  This is really cool.  Basically, the USOC is asking for $12 donations to contribute stitches to an American flag that's currently being made at Annin Flagmakers in New Jersey.  Fans can watch video of the flag being sewn on the USOC website, and it's supposed to be done by July 13, just in time for the Opening Ceremony.  This is the American flag that will lead the U.S. team into the stadium on July 27, and it may be used in medals ceremonies, as well. 

This is a very creative and unique way to make the average American feel like they're making a difference.  The USOC doesn't receive any government funding, meaning it relies entirely on sponsorships and donations.  Not only is this a great fundraiser, it can also be a great sense of pride.  And something to take ownership in.  How cool will it be to see that flag flying in London and know that you made a contribution (even a small one) to the greatest Olympic team in the world?

Speaking of the greatest Olympic team in the world, how's qualifying looking with little more than three months to go?  Most of the individual sports are nowhere near deciding places on the Olympic team.  In fact, the swimming, track, diving and gymnastics Olympic Trials are all at the same time in late June/early July.  These sports haven't even started their international professional seasons, so it'll be a while until we know who's on the U.S. Olympic team in the Big Four.  I wouldn't recommend missing the Olympic Trials, though.  Especially in swimming and track.  As usual, there are going to be events where Americans that are capable of winning an Olympic medal don't even make the team.  Especially with only two spots per event on the line in swimming and three in track, the finals at Olympic Trials could be more competitive than the Olympic finals.

As for the team sports, qualifying takes on various forms.  Both the men's and women's basketball teams don't have to worry about qualifying.  They automatically clinched Olympic berths by winning the 2010 World Championship.  The U.S. women's soccer team won the North/Central American qualifying tournament in Vancouver in January, while the men's team didn't make it.  The men's volleyball qualifying tournament is in a couple weeks in Long Beach, Calif., while the U.S. women made the Olympics by finishing second in the World Cup last year.  Both water polo teams qualified by winning the 2011 Pan Am Games, as did the women's field hockey squad.  They changed the qualifying process in beach volleyball, but rest assured, Kerri and Misty will be in London.  (And even though they aren't required to anymore, they will be wearing bikinis.)

The Joelympics blogs will become more and more prominent as the Games continue to draw closer.  Olympic fever is starting to take hold.  Catch it.

Breaking Down the Giants' 2012 Schedule

Today was NFL schedule release day.  Only the NFL can turn the release of its schedule into a Must-See TV event.  We say that every year, and it never ceases to be true.  As the defending Super Bowl champions, the Giants get to open the season at home in a nationally-televised Thursday night game.  That game moves to Wednesday this year because of the President's speech at the Democratic National Convention, but we already knew that, and we already knew that the Cowboys were going to be the opponent.  Today we found out the rest of the Giants' schedule.

Since they finished first last year, you knew that the Giants were automatically going to have a more difficult schedule in 2012 because they'll play all of the other first-place teams.  That's always the case the season after you win your division (although New England somehow manages to get the easiest schedule in the league every season, even though it wins the AFC East every year).  Throw in the fact that the NFC East's interconference division is the AFC North, and you've got seven games against playoff teams on the Giants' 2012 schedule.  And don't forget the two games each with Dallas and Philadelphia, which officially gives the Giants the NFL's toughest schedule in 2012, based on last year's winning percentage.

Winning the Super Bowl also means you're bound to have a lot of primetime games, especially early in the season.  In fact, three of the Giants' first four games are nationally televised.  After their Wednesday night game against the Cowboys in Week 1, the Giants play the Panthers on a Thursday night in Week 3, then are back on NBC to play the Eagles in Week 4.  I'm a little confused why Carolina is a primetime game, though.  They play Pittsburgh, Baltimore, San Francisco and New Orleans this season.  All of those would be better choices for a Thursday/Sunday/Monday night game.  In fact, I fully expected Giants-49ers to be a Monday night game.

For those of you that haven't seen it yet, here's the Giants' 2012 schedule:

Wed. 9/5 vs. Dallas-I don't care what anybody says, the Giants-Packers game should be in Week 1.  Put the last two Super Bowl champions against each other.  Instead, we've got back-to-back Giants-Cowboys games at MetLife Stadium, and three straight Giants-Cowboys games on NBC.  Dallas opens the season in New York for the second straight year (they opened at the Jets in 2011).  Instead of having them play each other in Week 1, I would've had the Giants play the Packers and have the Giants and Cowboys meet in Dallas on Thanksgiving.
Sun. 9/16 vs. Tampa Bay-This is their only Sunday afternoon game in the month of September, and their only FOX game prior to Week 6.
Thu. 9/20 at Carolina-Again, I have no idea why this game is in primetime.  With the expanded NFL Network package, every team was guaranteed a primetime game this season.  But Cam Newton and Co. were going to get one anyway.  The Giants have much better games than this one.  Those should be in primetime instead.
Sun. 9/30 at Philadelphia-Their second appearance on NBC in the season's first four weeks.  Seeing as the Giants lose in Philadelphia on NBC every year, I don't really expect that to change.
Sun. 10/7 vs. Cleveland-After playing back-to-back road games, the Giants get an easy home game.  Once again, the "easy" games on the schedule are front-loaded, like they seemingly always are.  (However, the Giants DID lose at home to Seattle in early October last season.)
Sun. 10/14 at San Francisco-You would've thought the NFC Championship Game rematch would be in primetime.  I was all about one of those Giants-49ers Monday night classics like they had every year in the late 80s/early 90s.  There's no reason this should be a run-of-the-mill Week 6 late game.
Sun. 10/21 vs. Washington-The Redskins swept the Giants last season.  I'm glad I'm not the only person who's completely confused by that last statement.
Sun. 10/28 at Dallas-FOX is guaranteed to finally actually have a Giants-Cowboys game.  Even though I think this game should be on Thanksgiving, I don't think scheduling it here was completely wrong.  It's the doubleheader game that also serves as the lead-in to Game 4 of the World Series (which has been across the parking lot from Cowboys Stadium two years in a row).
Sun. 11/4 vs. Pittsburgh-I'm shocked that they didn't make this a primetime game, but as one of the best interconference games they were gonna get this season, CBS might've protected it.  This is the start of a span where the Giants play six of seven games against playoff teams.
Sun. 11/11 at Cincinnati-The Bengals usually mix one year of being good around three or four of being, well, the Bengals.  But between the Steelers and the bye week, this one's got "trap game" written all over it.
Sun. 11/25 vs. Green Bay-They've got the latest bye possible in Week 11, but that also means they've got two weeks to prepare for the Packers.  As my brother-in-law pointed out to me when he saw the schedule, I "got it backwards."  They open with the Cowboys and play the Packers on Thanksgiving weekend, instead of the other way around.  This game could technically get flexed out of Sunday night, but it won't.
Mon. 12/3 at Washington-A Monday night game in Washington seems right.  I don't care how bad the Redskins are.  They've got a primetime game against each of their NFC East opponents.  That's the way it should be.
Sun. 12/9 vs. New Orleans-This is the start of a brutal four-game stretch to end the season.  The Giants got slaughtered on a Monday night in New Orleans last season.  They aren't going to forget that.  I'm curious to see if this game will still be as relevant as it is now come December.  Will the Saints without Payton be like the Colts were last season without Peyton?
Sun. 12/16 at Atlanta-A rematch of last year's Wild Card Game, when the Falcons scored a grand total of TWO! points.  It was the first time in playoff history that a team's only points came on a safety.  In Atlanta against a Falcons team that could be closing in on a division title, I think things will probably be a little different this time.
Sun. 12/23 at Baltimore-The final road game is a tough one.  Knowing how the AFC North usually plays out, the Ravens will either already have a playoff spot locked up or have a chance to clinch one in Week 16.  If it's like last year and they've got a chance to wrap up the division title, that makes this game even scarier.
Sun. 12/30 vs. Philadelphia-You kind of saw this one coming.  This is the third season since the NFL went to only divison games in Week 17, and they've played the Redskins and Cowboys in the finale in each of the last two seasons.  It also means the Eagles will open the 2013 season at MetLife Stadium.  The Giants have opened the season by playing the same team they ended the previous one against (and in the same place) three years in a row now (2009-10 vs. Carolina, 2010-11 at Washington, 2011-12 vs. Dallas).

Now Batting, Number 42

Please don't get me wrong.  I'll never say a bad word about Jackie Robinson.  Jackie Robinson is one of the most important figures in the history of sports.  In fact, his leagcy reaches well beyond the world of sports.  His major league debut on April 15, 1947 was a landmark date for all the right reasons.  It set America on a path that righted a wrong that had gone on way too long.  The fact that he did all this while also having to put up with all that other crap makes him even more of a hero.  Jackie Robinson is a true American icon.

This post has nothing to do with Jackie Robinson.  He was a great man who deserves to be honored.  But the way he's honored on "Jackie Robinson Day" is one of the stupidest things that Major League Baseball does on an annual basis (along with the patriotic hats on holidays).

Jackie Robinson's No. 42 is retired across Major League Baseball.  That was a very appropriate move by the Commissioner's Office.  That's been the case for 15 years, when No. 42 was retired across the board in 1997 as part of the 50th anniversary celebration of his debut.  Every player who was currently wearing the number was allowed to keep it.  Mariano Rivera's the only one left.  When he retires, No. 42 will never be worn again on a Major League uniform.  Except on April 15.  On April 15, everybody's No. 42.

You can't tell the players without a scorecard.  Unless it's April 15.  On April 15, you can't even tell the players apart with a scorecard, since they're all wearing the same number!  (And nothing speaks to Jackie Robinson's legacy more than random white guys wearing No. 42.)  The whole point of uniform numbers is to tell the players apart.  That's kind of tough to do when everybody's wearing the same one.  I watch upwards of 200 games a year, and even I get confused on Jackie Robinson Day!  And to make things even worse, all of the jerseys just have 42's on them.  No names.

This whole thing started a couple of years ago and I absolutely hate it.  For a few years prior to that, any players who wanted to wear No. 42 on Jackie Robinson Day were allowed to do so.  That was a little better, but that doesn't mean there wasn't any confusion.  You might have three different guys on the same team who decided they wanted to wear No. 42.

I'd like to see Major League Baseball drop this whole everyone wears No. 42 thing and go back to a slightly modified version of the previous rule.  I'd allow one player from every team to wear the number on that day.  The criteria for who gets to wear it is up to the team, but each team's only allowed one guy.  (Obviously, only 29 teams would actually be choosing somebody as long as Mariano Rivera is still on the Yankees.)  Then you've only got one player wearing the "wrong" number, but it's a lot easier to explain that than trying to figure out who's who if you don't already know.  Or trying to explain why everybody's wearing the same number.  (I'm not trying to insult the intelligence of baseball fans here.  All I'm saying is that not every fan is astute enough to be able to identify every player by sight.)

I'm not crazy about the Mets having the Jackie Robinson Rotunda with the gigantic 42 at Citi Field, either.  The Mets play in Queens, not Brooklyn.  He had absolutely nothing to do with the New York Mets franchise!  The Jackie Robinson Parkway is a different story.  That's in Brooklyn.  The only team that should be naming an area of their stadium after Jackie Robinson is the Dodgers.  You know, the team he actually played for.

I've got no problem with trying to honor the legacy of a great man.  He deserves to be honored.  But there are tributes that make sense and those that don't.  I understand the idea behind having everybody wear Jackie Robinson's number on the anniversary of his debut.  But in execution, it simply doesn't work.  You can't have 750 players (not to mention all the managers and coaches) across 15 games all wearing the same number.  It's too confusing.

Images of Opening Day

For the amount of complaining I've done, this whole turning 30 thing isn't turning out too badly.  Last night, I saw Jesus Christ Superstar (which was amazing!).  Tomorrow, Wicked.  Sunday, Titanic in 3D (on the actual 100th anniversary of the sinking).  But today takes the cake.  My final day as a 20-something was also a first.  It was my first Opening Day.  Thanks to my boss, Steve, who asked me if I wanted to go to the Yankee game for my birthday.  The answer to that question was an unequivocal "Yes!"

So how'd my first Opening Day go?  See for yourself (there are a lot more pictures on my Facebook page):

Number 42.  Mariano Rivera.  Number 42.

Number 52.  CC Sabathia.  Number 52.

Leading off.  The shortstop.  Number 2.  Derek Jeter.  Number 2.

Jorge Posada throws out the first pitch.

...And Hiroki Kuroda throws the first official pitch at Yankee Stadium this season.

I don't know if you heard, but the Angels got some guy named Albert during the offseason.

This season's first Yankee Stadium home run was A-Rod's 630th, tying him with my all-time favorite player (Ken Griffey, Jr.) for fifth all-time.

Curtis Granderson went yard, too.

Yankees win!  Theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Yankees win!

And just to make the weekend come completely full-circle, the guy who plays Jesus sang "God Bless America."

Stanley Cup Playoff Preview

The next two months are going to be awesome.  Why?  Two words: PLAYOFF HOCKEY!  This year's Stanley Cup Playoffs are going to be even better than in years past because, thanks to the NHL's new TV deal with NBC, every game will be televised nationally.  If you actually want to watch Florida vs. the Devils for whatever reason, now you can (although in New York, I'd be able to watch the Devils anyway).  You're no longer limited to just Philadelphia-Pittsburgh, Boston-Washington or whatever other series is dubbed the "national" one.  Instead of just NBC and NBC Sports Network, CNBC and NHL Network will also carry games in the first round (which one is considered the truTV of the Stanley Cup Playoffs?).  The regional networks will still do the first-round games, but every game from the second round on will be national.

But I digress.  The Canucks won the President's Cup, which isn't easy to do the year after losing the Finals.  The defending champion Bruins won their division again, too.  Meanwhile, the Panthers and Coyotes won division titles for the first time EVER and the Rangers had the best record in the Eastern Conference for the first time since their Stanley Cup season of 1994.  But this is the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  Upsets happen all the time, and one hot goalie can carry you very far.  As for the first-round matchups, here's a look:

EASTERN CONFERENCE
(1) Rangers vs. (8) Senators-The Rangers were the best team in the Eastern Conference all season, but they struggled down the stretch, dropping three of their last four (although, in fairness, those games were against Boston, Pittsburgh and Washington after they'd already clinched).  Everyone thought they were going to play the Capitals, but the Senators ended the season on a three-game losing streak of their own to drop down to the No. 8 seed.  The Rangers probably aren't the biggest fans of that development.  It was Ottawa that won the season series, 3-1.  The Senators present a matchup nightmare for the Rangers, which is how they won three of the four games during the regular season.  Their top line is as good as any in the NHL, and Jason Spezza completely owned the Rangers during the season.  Henrik Lundqvist needs to play like the guy who's probably going to win the Vezina and the Rangers defense needs to find some way to slow down the Ottawa offense.  The Rangers were so good during the regular season because they were capable of winning in so many different ways.  That'll benefit them in the playoffs.  Plus, they're the better and deeper team.  In a best-of-7, that's going to make a difference.  Besides, they've got home ice in a playoff series for the first time in 16 years.  They're not going to squander that opportunity.  Rangers in six.

(2) Bruins vs. (7) Capitals-For a while, it looked like the defending champs were destined for a matchup with the division-rival Senators.  Instead, they get the Capitals, one of the most inconsistent teams in hockey.  Washington's offense is incredibly dynamic, but it can also be incredibly bad (like last year, when the Capitals went out with a whimper against Tampa Bay in the second round).  The Capitals need to rely on their offense, though, because their defense isn't very good.  Boston's defense is anchored by that scary individual known as Zdeno Chara.  The Bruins are good in all three elements of the game.  That's why they won the Cup last year.  That's why it wouldn't be surprising to see them make another run this season.  I think Boston is a flawed team.  But not flawed enough to slip up against Washington in the first round.  This series also features a matchup of two of the most overrated players in hockey in Alex Ovechkin and Tim Thomas.  Bruins in five.

(3) Panthers vs. (6) Devils-The Florida Panthers ended their 13-year playoff drought by winning the first division title in franchise history.  The Panthers' overall record isn't even over .500, but most of their losses came in either overtime or the shootout.  Those one-point losses gave them the division crown over Washington in the NHL's worst division (although the Northwest gives the Southeast a run for its money).  The Devils, meanwhile, finished fourth in the best division in hockey.  They pretty much knew that they were going to be the six-seed and play whoever won the Southeast, and I'm sure that was fine with them.  This matchup incredibly favors the Devils.  Martin Brodeur is a legend.  But he's also getting old.  Let's see if he has another run in him.  The Devils will probably win this series, but I don't think they're capable of holding up for four rounds.  The last time Florida made the playoffs, they got swept by the Rangers.  In fact, the only time the Panthers have ever won a playoff series is when they made it all the way to the Finals in 1996.  The Panthers were a great story in the NHL this year, but the only question regarding their chances in the playoffs is about how many games they're going to win.  It'll be less than four.  Devils in six.

(4) Penguins vs. (5) Flyers-The Penguins gave the Rangers a run for their money for the top seed, finishing one point back.  They can thank the Flyers for that.  Philadelphia won the season series between these two, although they split two meetings last week.  This is by far the best first-round series.  You've got two bitter rivals, both of which are capable of hoisting the Cup come June.  Pittsburgh's got all of the weapons necessary to make a deep run.  This Penguins team might even be better than the one that won the Stanley Cup three years ago.  But the Flyers are a matchup nightmare for them.  Philly knows Pittsburgh better than anybody, and the Flyers have the weapons both to shut down Crosby and Malkin or score with them.  Goaltending has always been Philadelphia's Achilles heel in the postseason, which is why they brought in Ilya Bryzgalov.  It's time for him to earn his contract.  This isn't just the best series on paper.  It'll probably be the best one on the ice, too.  I expect it to go seven and will be very surprised if it doesn't.  So who do I give the edge to?  Pittsburgh has the home ice and more playoff experience.  I think that's enough to make a difference in a series between two very evenly-matched teams.  Penguins in seven.

WESTERN CONFERENCE
(1) Canucks vs. (8) Kings-Seemingly without anybody noticing, the Canucks cruised to another division title, then held off both the Blues for the No. 1 seed in the West and the Rangers for the President's Cup.  That means the Canucks have home ice no matter how long their playoff run is, although we saw in Game 7 of last year's Finals that home ice doesn't guarantee victory.  The Kings were involved in that crazy four-team race in the Pacific Division and ended up with the No. 8 seed and a matchup with Vancouver.  LA is one of the best young teams in the league, but Vancouver is perhaps the most complete team in this year's postseason field.  In my opinion, they were that last year, as well, when they didn't get the job done.  Considering all of the potential first-round opponents the Canucks could've drawn, the Kings present probably the best matchup for them.  Roberto Luongo's inconsistent in net, but against a team like the Kings, that's not going to hurt Vancouver as much as it might in later rounds.  LA might steal a game or two, but the better team will prevail.  Canucks in five.

(2) Blues vs. (7) Sharks-The Florida Panthers were a great story this season.  But not as good as the St. Louis Blues.  We all saw this coming when John Davidson took over as Blues president a few years ago, and this year it all came to fruition under Ken Hitchcock, who should win the Adams Award as Coach of the Year.  The Central Division has been all about the Red Wings for so long that everyone just expected Detroit to win another division title.  But like the Rangers, all the Blues did was win every night, in a number of different ways.  Also like the Rangers, St. Louis drew an unfavorable matchup in the first round of the playoffs.  San Jose is notorious for underachieving in the playoffs.  The Sharks' window of opportunity is rapidly closing.  They know that.  They even flirted with not making it this season.  But the ridiculous talent on that team makes them an incredibly dangerous No. 7 seed.  If the Sharks ever put it all together during the playoffs, look out Western Conference!  Talent-wise, I'm inclined to pick San Jose.  My head tells me that St. Louis will find a way to pull this series out, though.  It really wouldn't surprise me to see either of these teams in the Finals.  Blues in seven.

(3) Coyotes vs. (6) Blackhawks-Coyotes-Blackhawks is in contention with Panthers-Devils as worst series of the first round.  Despite playing in a division that included better teams in San Jose and Los Angeles, the Coyotes managed to win the Pacific Division title.  For a team whose future is still up in the air, I give the Coyotes' players a ton of credit for not letting any of that distract them.  They lost in the first round to the Red Wings last season, while Chicago lost its annual postseason matchup with Vancouver.  I think that Coyotes team that lost to Detroit last year was better than this season's club.  Phoenix has too many question marks to be considered a serious Cup contender.  Chicago's the better, more complete team.  And let's not forget, the Blackhawks won the Cup two years ago.  I think Chicago's playoff experience will come into play, but it won't be the deciding factor.  Like the Devils, the Blackhawks are the No. 6 seed in the conference despite finishing fourth in their own division.  Regularly playing against St. Louis, Detroit and Nashville in the Central Division was like being in the playoffs every night.  Phoenix had no such luck in the Pacific Division.  Blackhawks in six.

(4) Predators vs. (5) Red Wings-Finally, we've got the two teams that want to move to the Eastern Conference.  I don't even remember the last time Detroit didn't have home ice in the first round of the playoffs, but it's the Predators that'll be at home if this series goes the distance.  That's not a completely inconceivable scenario.  Despite being the No. 5 seed, the Red Wings can't be counted out to make a long run.  Not with those veterans and all that playoff experience they have.  That's why it was important for Nashville to finish with more points than the Red Wings.  Detroit was close to unbeatable at home this season, as that ridiculous home-ice winning streak in the middle of the season indicates.  The Red Wings are a different team on the road.  If Game 7 was scheduled for Detroit, there's no way the Predators would win it.  As it is, a Game 7 in Nashville is a whole new ballgame.  The Predators won a playoff series for the first time in franchise history last year.  This year, they've earned home ice in a playoff series for the first time.  It goes without saying that Nashville has been the most successful of the four late-90s expansion teams.  While still considered a longshot, the Predators are definitely at least in the discussion as a possible Finals participant from the Western Conference.  This series is why I'm glad every game of this year's playoffs is going to be nationally televised.  It'll be a beauty.  It's also a toss-up.  Predators in seven.

What's Going On In the Sports World?

It's been a while since I did a blog about nothing in particular.  With the start of baseball season, the Stanley Cup Playoffs getting underway this weekend, and my impending digit change, it seems like I've been all but neglecting the rest of the sports world.  Well, that's not the case.  Let's take a look at what else has been going on.

• NBC and the USOC announced the TV schedule for the Olympic Trials.  And there's a lot of it.  This is a good thing.  NBC is going to show the swimming finals live every night for a week, as well as live track & field, gymnastics and diving.  Those are the "Big Four" sports when it comes to coverage within the actual Olympics, so focusing on them during the Trials makes a lot of sense.  This was one of the purposes of rebranding Versus as the NBC Sports Network.  Besides, what else is NBC going to show during the summer?
• Boston College beat Ferris State in the finals to win the NCAA hockey championship.  Just like Kentucky, the Eagles were the No. 1 overall seed.  And just like Kentucky, they rolled to the National Championship.
• Speaking of National Champions, Baylor's evidently in a whole bunch of trouble.  Apparently they've been making illegal recruiting calls in both men's and women's basketball.  For a while.  It's going to be interesting to see what comes of this.  Especially for the men's team.  It wasn't that long ago that Baylor's men's basketball program was on the receiving end of some pretty massive NCAA sactions after that ugly Carlton Dotson-Patrick Dennehey situation.
• The situation at Howard University is just weird, though.  Last week it came out that Howard was immediately suspending its entire athletic program.  Then they did an about-face and said that wasn't the case at all.  Rather, only certain athletes had been suspended while they did an internal investigation about possible NCAA violations.  This evidently involves book stipends that were being spent on other things.  I've gotta think it's much bigger than that, though.
• On the day Sean Payton was appealing his supension, a tape was released of Gregg Williams in the Saints locker room prior to their playoff game against the 49ers in January where he was encouraging his guys to go after Frank Gore and Vernon Davis.  In other words, the bounty program was still in place as of the most recent Saints game.  Good luck getting reinstated, Gregg.  If it were up to me, "indefinitely" would mean more than just this season.  Speaking of Payton's appeal, it was denied...like we all knew it would be.  He was just trying to buy a little time.  Mission accomplished.  This is the most confusing "one-year" suspension ever, though.  It starts on Monday and ends after the Super Bowl.  That's not a year.
• The top-ranked American, No. 9 Mardy Fish, missed last weekend's Davis Cup quarterfinal in France.  That didn't stop John Isner from leading the U.S. to victory, and their first berth in the Davis Cup semis since 2008, when they lost to Spain.  Who's this year's semifinal opponent?  That would be defending champion Spain.  In Spain.  It'll be the U.S.'s third straight road tie in this year's Davis Cup, all of which, of course, will be played on red clay.
• Magic Johnson's the face of the group that bought the Dodgers for a record $2 billion.  The connection might seem odd, but I think it makes a lot of sense.  Magic Johnson's as identifiable with sports in L.A. as the Dodgers are.  He knows how important they are to the people in that city, and I think the new ownership group will without a doubt make the effort to make the Dodgers the team that everyone expects.  This is one of the marquee franchises in all of baseball we're talking about, after all.
• The Jets claim signing Tim Tebow was a "football move."  How exactly?  They signed Mark Sanchez to a four-year extension, then bring Tebow in and have this massive hullabaloo around a "backup."  Please.  Woody Johnson wanted attention.  Everybody knows it.  What the Jets owner either doesn't understand or fails to accept is that New York will always be a Giants town.  No matter what the Jets do, they're going to be the little brother.  A "football move?"  No.  A desperate attempt to get on the back page for a couple days?  Yes.

Party Like It's 1999

I just came back from seeing American Reunion.  While not as good as the original trilogy, it was still hilarious and did the franchise justice (unlike those incredibly bad made-for-DVD "sequels" that don't even deserve to carry the American Pie name).  Anyway, what I liked best about the movie was that the characters were all grown up and accepted that fact.  Seeing as I'm the same age as them (I'm Class of 2000, but close enough), the timing of the movie's release was pretty perfect.  My impeding age change is next week.

Anyway, American Reunion got me thinking back to my high school days.  It was a time before Apple started coming out with a new product that begins with "i-" every other month, movies came out on VHS, you needed a phone line to get online, you needed film for your camera, cell phones were fairly new and used for talking, you could fill up your car with gas without having to take out a second mortgage, people actually watched NBC, and what's HDTV?  It was also a pretty good year in sports.  So, in the words of Prince, "We're gonna party like it's 1999."

In January, John Elway led the Broncos to their second straight Super Bowl title, then retired.  Fellow Hall of Fame QBs Dan Marino and Steve Young played one final season before retiring themselves.  Current Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning was in his second season with the Colts and led them to a division title.  (Tim Tebow, for the record, was 12, and probably just as capable of running an actual NFL offense as he is today.)  The Buffalo Bills made the playoffs.  It hasn't happened since.  Meanwhile, the St. Louis Rams and the "Greatest Show On Turf" were on their way to a surprise Super Bowl title (which wouldn't officially come until 2000).

On "Yogi Berra Day" at Yankee Stadium, David Cone threw the Yankees' second perfect game in as many seasons.  The Yankees would eventually go on to sweep the Braves for their second straight World Series title.  The Red Sox were 81 years removed from their last World Series title, and would have to wait five more years for their next one, but they hosted an awesome All-Star Game that featured the introduction of the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.  The coolest part was Ted Williams coming out in a golf cart and all the All-Stars gathering around him.  And Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez made the American League his bitch that season in much the same way Justin Verlander did last year.

Wayne Gretzky played his final NHL game and one of the sport's cathedrals, Toronto's venerable Maple Leaf Gardens, closed its doors forever.  "No goal" became a rallying cry in Buffalo, as Brett Hull scored the Stanley Cup winning goal in double overtime to give the Dallas Stars a double-overtime victory over the sabres in Game 6 of the Finals.  The (second) post-Jordan NBA endured a lenghty lockout before playing an abbreviated season (wait, that sounds familiar).  The Spurs won their first title against a Knicks team that wasn't that good, yet somehow ended up in the Finals.  In the WNBA, the Houston Comets Dynasty continued, as they beat the Liberty for their third straight championship.

UConn shed its "best team to have never reached the Final Four" label.  The Huskies didn't just make the Final Four, they upset Duke to win their first national title.  In the regional final, they beat this little unknown Catholic school from the mid-major West Coast Conference called Gonzaga.  Tennessee's attempt at a four-peat on the women's side was halted by Duke in the regional finals.  The Blue Devils became the first program in history to reach both championship games, but lost both.  Purdue won the women's title.

Men's tennis was still dominated by Americans.  Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf weren't married yet.  In fact, it wasn't until they both won the 1999 French Open that they got together.  Agassi came back from 2-0 down in the final to complete a career grand slam, while Graf won her 22nd (and last) Grand Slam title.  Steffi lost to Lindsay Davenport in the Wimbledon final, then retired after the US Open.  Andre lost to rival Pete Sampras at Wimbledon (Sampras's sixth Wimbledon title), but won the US Open.  On the women's side, the US Open trophy went to a young upstart named Serena Williams, who won her first Grand Slam title.

Elsewhere in sports, Charismatic won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, but fell short of the Triple Crown with a third-place finish at the Belmont.  We're still waiting for our first Triple Crown winner since 1978.  Lance Armstrong became just the second American ever to win the Tour de France, earning the first of seven straight titles.  Jeff Gordon won Daytona and Dale Jarrett won the Winston Cup, while some guy named Kenny Brack won the Indy 500.  Payne Stewart won the golf U.S. Open, then was tragically killed in a plane crash that July.  Jean van de Velde had that historic collapse in the final round of the British Open, and Tiger won the PGA Championship.  At the track & field World Championships, Michael Johnson (the Usain Bolt of his era) set a world record in the 400 meters.

But the sports story of the year in 1999 was the Women's World Cup.  Mia Hamm, Brandi Chastain, Julie Foudy and Co. became national celebrities that summer, and gigantic football stadiums were packed for every game.  More than 100,000 people were in attendance at the Rose Bowl for the final, the largest crowd ever to see a women's sporting event.  And of course, the final was a classic, capped by that timeless image of Brandi Chastain celebrating her game-winning goal in the penalty kick shootout that gave the U.S. the title.

Early All-Star Game Thoughts

Baseball season is finally here!  Opening Day 2012 is upon us!  And I know it's early, but I've already started thinking about the All-Star Game.  In fact, I started thinking about the All-Star Game way back in December when Albert signed with the Angels.  It's fair to say that first base in the American League isn't just loaded.  It'll be the hardest position in either league at which to make the All-Star team.  As for all 19 spots the fans get to vote for, here's what I'm thinking:

American League
Catcher-Alex Avila of the Tigers was the starter last season, mainly because Joe Mauer was hurt.  Mauer's still a fan-favorite, so if he's healthy and putting up Mauer-like numbers, I can see him getting a lot of votes.  Russell Martin plays for the Yankees and made the All-Star team last season, which means he'll also be in the running to be the starter.  But I'm going to play a hunch and say Mauer gets the start in Kansas City.

1st Base-Albert Pujols.  Prince Fielder.  Mark Teixeira.  Adrian Gonzalez.  Paul Konerko.  Justin Morneau.  Who do you choose?  My thinking is that Albert is Albert.  Albert fans will vote for him and Angels fans will vote for him.  That's an almost unbeatable combination for one of the best players in the game.

2nd Base-You've got three bona fide stars in Robinson Cano, Dustin Pedroia and Ian Kinsler.  Personally, I love Ian Kinsler.  I think he's one of the most enjoyable players in the game to watch.  But Red Sox Nation loves that annoying little pipsqueak so much that he knocked Kinsler out of the start he deserved a few years ago.  Regardless, Cano's the best player on the Yankees.  I'd be very surprised if he's not the starter.

Shortstop-Has Derek Jeter lost any of his appeal after that All-Star no-show last year?  I don't think so.  Even if he has, who else are people going to vote for as the American League shortstop?  I can't think of anybody who'll even be close to Jeter's vote total.

3rd Base-Alex Rodriguez definitely HAS lost his appeal.  As a result, the guy that you could almost always pencil in for an All-Star Game start for years has virtually no shot of starting this year's game.  I'd expect it to be Evan Longoria.  He's a popular player on a good team.  Adrian Beltre and Kevin Youkilis could also be in the mix.

Outfield-Last year, Ichiro didn't make the All-Star team for the first time in his career.  I voted for him over and over, but that 25-vote limit on MLB.com really hampered my ability to get him on the team.  Problem is, I can't think of three American League outfielders that I'd be able to say will definitely get more All-Star votes than Ichiro.  Red Sox fans have soured on Carl Crawford.  Was Curtis Granderson's start last season a reward for his great first half or a reflection of his popularity.  Did Josh Hamilton's favorite son status take a hit with the stuff he said about the Rangers during the offseason?  If it did, I don't think it was enough to knock Hamilton out of the starting lineup.  Likewise, people like home runs.  Even though he's incredibly overrated, Jose Bautista received an incredible number of All-Star votes last season, and he'll probably get a bunch this year, as well.  With the absense of other candidates, I'll give Ichiro the third spot.

Designated Hitter-David Ortiz is probably going to win.  He always does.  But I'd love to see Michael Young get the nod.  Young's the consummate professional, and he's made All-Star teams at three different positions.  I don't think Michael Young gets anywhere near the amount of respect he deserves.  That's why it would be so great to see him start the All-Star Game.

National League
Catcher-I think we can all agree that Buster Posey was going to be the National League's starting catcher in the 2011 All-Star Game before his season-ending injury.  If he makes it to the All-Star Break this year, he's going to run away with the vote.  Sorry Brian McCann.  Sorry Yadier Molina.  Buster's going to start the All-Star Game this year, and for years to come.

1st Base-No Albert.  No Prince.  Unlike the loaded AL, their departure leaves the NL ballot at 1st base kind of barren.  I'd say it's Ryan Howard's to lose, but he's going to be out until June recovering from that Achilles injury he suffered on the final out of last season's NLDS against the Cardinals.  Back before he was 85 years old, Todd Helton started some All-Star Games.  Maybe he jumps into the discussion.  But I'll say the vote probably goes to Joey Votto.

2nd Base-Like his Phillies teammate Howard, Chase Utley's going to be out for a while.  That probably takes the really only obvious guy out of the running.  If it's not Utley, I have no idea who's going to start at 2nd base for the National League.  Rickie Weeks?  He started last year, so maybe some of that love will carry over.  Brandon Phillips maybe?  I really have no idea.

Shortstop-There are two big stars who play shortstop in the National League.  Troy Tulowitzki and Jose Reyes.  I think one of them starts the All-Star Game.  If the Mets fans still vote for him and Marlins fans actually do exist, I think Reyes starts.  Otherwise, it'll be Tulo.  He'll get everybody else's votes.  Except for the ones from Philly.  But no matter how many times Phillies fans vote for him, Jimmy Rollins isn't going to start the All-Star Game.

3rd Base-In this post-Albert world, the new face of the St. Louis Cardinals is NLCS and World Series MVP David Freese.  Freese went mainstream in October of 2011.  Come July 2011, he'll be making the first of what I expect to be many All-Star Game starts.

Outfield-Matt Kemp is kind of like David Freese.  Nobody knew who he was before last season.  Now everyone loves him.  Kemp is one of the five best all-around players in baseball.  He'll have crazy numbers again.  And I think it's possible he'll be the leading vote-getter in the National League.  Ryan Braun's squeaky clean image is gone.  He got his 50-game steroid suspension overturned on a technicality.  Everyone knows it.  His days of regularly starting the All-Star Game are over.  So who will be the other two starters?  I could easily see us going back to one of those all-NL West outfields we had in the late-90s with Barry Bonds, Tony Gwynn and Larry Walker.  The two guys alongside Kemp in this situation would be Colorado's Carlos Gonzalez and Arizona's Justin Upton.  Or you could get a Matt Holliday.  Or a Shane Victorino (who I'll probably vote for more than a few times).  And who knows?  Maybe Carlos Beltran has worked his way back into America's good graces.  It would be cool to see Andrew McCutchen start, but I don't think there are enough Pirates fans out there.

So, here's my early-April call on who'll be in the respective starting lineups in Kansas City in mid-July:
AL: C-Joe Mauer (Twins), 1B-Albert Pujols (Angels), 2B-Robinson Cano (Yankees), SS-Derek Jeter (Yankees), 3B-Evan Longoria (Rays), OF-Jose Bautista (Blue Jays), Josh Hamilton (Rangers), Ichiro Suzuki (Mariners), DH-David Ortiz (Red Sox)
NL: C-Buster Posey (Giants), 1B-Joey Votto (Reds), 2B-Rickie Weeks (Brewers), SS-Troy Tulowitzki (Rockies), 3B-David Freese (Cardinals), OF-Matt Kemp (Dodgers), Shane Victorino (Phillies), Carlos Gonzalez (Rockies)

The Baseball Preview, Part VI

With the start of the 2012 MLB season finally upon us, it's time to finish off the baseball preview with Part VI: The NL West.  This is one of the most wide-open divisions in all of baseball.  Other than San Diego, everybody has a chance to win it.  The Giants have the best pitching by far, as well as probably the best team, while the Dodgers have the best player, the Rockies have the best 1-2 punch, and the Diamondbacks are the defending division champs.  This race will probably go right down to the wire, and it wouldn't surprise me if more than two teams are involved.  In fact, I think at least one of the wild cards is coming out of the NL West.

1. San Francisco Giants-We can all agree that Buster Posey is one of the most valuable players in all of baseball, right?  The Giants' title defense came to a screeching halt last year when Posey was knocked out for the season when he broke his leg in May.  Without him, they couldn't score.  Now, the inability to score is a problem for any team.  But this one actually has the pitching to get by on 2-3 runs a night.  San Francisco's rotation is the best in baseball.  There's no need to put "arguably" in front of that.  There's no question.  Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain are the best 1-2 punch in baseball, then throw in Madison Bumgarner at No. 3.  Ryan Vogelsong, last year's recipient of the Omar Infante Award as Most Random All-Star, will start the season on the DL, which moves Barry Zito into the fourth spot in the rotation for the time being.  Zito's not worth all the money they're paying him, but their rotation is so deep it made Jonathan Sanchez expendable.  Brian Wilson needs to shave and act like a normal person, but that might take away some of his abilities as a lights-out closer.  Other than Posey, the big boppers in the lineup are Aubrey Huff and Pablo Sandoval.  They need big years from both of them.  I like the addition of Angel Pagan in center field.  He's certainly an upgrade, both in center field and the leadoff spot, over Andres Torres.  Melky Cabrera was the piece they received from the Royals in the Sanchez trade, and he's penciled in left field.  The Giants don't need to hit that much.  They just need to hit enough and have everybody stay healthy.  It worked two years ago.
Lineup: Angel Pagan-CF, Melky Cabrera-LF, Pablo Sandoval-3B, Buster Posey-C, Aubrey Huff-1B, Freddy Sanchez-2B, Nate Schierholtz-RF, Brandon Crawford-SS
Rotation: Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner, Ryan Vogelsong, Barry Zito
Closer: Brian Wilson
Projected Record: 98-64

2. Los Angeles Dodgers-This pick might seem out of left field, but now that the ownership situation is settled, I think the Dodgers could be real contenders this season.  For starters, they've got one of the most overlooked great players in the game--Matt Kemp.  It's not fair how good that guy is.  Kemp was the only thing that made the Dodgers at all worth watching last season.  He's the kind of player you build a team around, which the Dodgers are smart enough to be doing.  Throw in Andre Ethier, James Loney and Dee Gordon and you've got a very stacked lineup for years to come.  Then you've got a rotation headlined by defending Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw.  Kershaw's your ace, and you've got the solid if not spectacular Chad Billingsley, Ted Lilly, Aaron Harang and Chris Capuano behind him.  The Dodgers need to get all the innings they can out of their starters, though, because that bullpen is definitely a weakness.  Losing Jonathan Broxton is going to hurt.  I'm not even sure who they plan on making the closer, and that "closer by committee" thing never works.  But Don Mattingly spent enough time learning under Joe Torre to figure out the little things like that.  Besides, Magic Johnson and the rest of the new owners are desperate to turn the Dodgers back into the franchise they should be.  They'll do whatever it takes to win, especially with Albert and Co. across town.  If they're in the race around the trade deadline, expect the Dodgers to be buyers.
Lineup: Dee Gordon-SS, Mark Ellis-2B, Matt Kemp-CF, Andre Ethier-RF, James Loney-1B, Juan Rivera-LF, Juan Uribe-3B, A.J. Ellis-C
Rotation: Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, Ted Lilly, Aaron Harang, Chris Capuano
Closer: Javy Guerra
Projected Record: 93-69 (1st Wild Card)

3. Colorado Rockies-I don't know why, but I really think the Colorado Rockies have a chance to be really, really good this season.  The only problem I can forsee is the pitching staff.  The Rockies are going to score a bunch of runs, but pitching could be this team's Achilles heel.  They traded their best pitcher, Ubaldo Jimenez, to the Indians in the middle of last season (and Jimenez, of course, just got suspended for throwing at Troy Tulowitziki in a Spring Training game), leaving Jeremy Guthrie as their "ace."  Jamie Moyer's about as old as the State of Colorado, yet he made the team as the No. 3 starter, despite missing all of last season after Tommy John surgery.  It's quite a risk.  But that lineup is so filthy it's ridiculous.  Start with Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez, two stars in their prime that form the heart of the lineup.  Tulowitzki is destined to become the Face of the Rockies.  But he won't inherit the title until Todd Helton actually retires.  The guy responsible for bringing Peyton to Denver (he was Peyton's teammate on the Tennessee football team) is still applying his trade as the Rockies' first baseman.  Colorado has also brought in veterans Michael Cuddyer and Ramon Hernandez, who'll fit well into that lineup.  The Marco Scutaro trade makes about as much sense for the Rockies as is does for the Red Sox, though (aka, none).  I'm curious to see how he'll do at second base.  The Rockies are the exact opposite of the Giants.  San Francisco wants to win games 3-2.  Colorado's going to win a lot of 8-6 games.  Can they win enough of them to make a playoff push?
Lineup: Dexter Fowler-CF, Marco Scutaro-2B, Carlos Gonzalez-LF, Troy Tulowitzki-SS, Todd Helton-1B, Michael Cuddyer-RF, Ramon Hernandez-C, Jordan Pacheco-3B
Rotation: Jeremy Guthrie, Jhoulys Chacin, Jamie Moyer, Juan Nicasio, Drew Pomeranz
Closer: Rafael Betancourt
Projected Record: 89-73

4. Arizona Diamondbacks-A year after being the most surprise division champion of 2011, I think the Diamondbacks come back to earth this season.  Everything went right for them last year, and so many guys had career years that you can't expect them all to do it again.  Regardless, Arizona has a very good manager (Kirk Gibson) and enough talent to contend, at least for a while, in 2012.  Ian Kennedy is Exhibit A among that group of guys who need to prove that their 2011 seasons weren't a fluke.  Kennedy went 21-4 last season.  In my opinion, he'll be lucky to win 15 this year.  Trevor Cahill's a nice pickup.  He doesn't have to be the ace in Arizona like he was in Oakland.  And they've got a very good closer in J.J. Putz.  As for the lineup, outside of Justin Upton and Chris Young, I'm not sure there's anybody that I'm crazy about.  Stephen Drew's decent, but again, you've got to sell me on the Diamondbacks as more than just a one-year wonder.  The big offensive addition is Jason Kubel, who's really a DH.  The problem is there's no DH in the National League, though, so Kubel will be stuck out there in left field.  I guess they're going to tell Young that he has to cover enough ground in center to play both positions.  But for a team in desperate need of power, they need to find a way to have Kubel's bat in the lineup, so left field it is.  Arizona's an enigma.  Which team are they?  Are they the one that won the division last season or the one that went 65-97 the year before?  I think they're probably somewhere in the middle.
Lineup: Stephen Drew-SS, Aaron Hill-2B, Chris Young-CF, Justin Upton-RF, Jason Kubel-LF, Miguel Montero-C, Paul Goldschmidt-1B, Ryan Roberts-3B
Rotation: Ian Kennedy, Daniel Hudson, Trevor Cahill, Joe Saunders, Josh Collmenter
Closer: J.J. Putz
Projected Record: 86-76

5. San Diego Padres-Unlike the rest of the division, the only thing the San Diego Padres are going to contend for this season is the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 Draft.  Much like Houston, the Padres have absolutely no chance of competing in 2012.  After losing Adrian Gonzalez to the Red Sox prior to last season, the Padres saw closer Heath Bell go to the Marlins as a free agent this offseason.  They also traded their ace, Mat Latos, to Cincinnati.  However, they got Edinson Volquez and Yonder Alonso back from the Reds.  That trade could end up being a steal for the Padres.  This is Alonso's first chance to be an everyday player, and he jumps immediately into the middle of a Padres lineup that's actually worse at producing runs than the one in San Francisco.  The Padres have absolutely no power.  They hit only 91 home runs as a team last season.  I didn't think a number that low was even possible until I saw it in Sports Illustrated.  Their best "power guy" is Carlos Quentin, who had 24 home runs for the White Sox last season.  I think leadoff hitter Cameron Maybin has tremendous upside, but they don't have any RBI guys other than Quentin.  While they're probably not going to get there, 100 losses is a definite possibility.  The Padres aren't the worst team in the National League, though.  That honor goes to the Houston Astros.
Lineup: Cameron Maybin-CF, Orlando Hudson-2B, Chase Headley-3B, Carlos Quentin-LF, Yonder Alonso-1B, Nick Hundley-C, Will Venable-RF, Jason Bartlett-SS
Rotation: Edinson Volquez, Cory Luebke, Clayton Richard, Dustin Moseley, Tim Stauffer
Closer: Huston Street
Projected Record: 64-98

And now that all three divisions are complete, it's time to take a look at my projected NL playoff field.  In the wild card game, it'll be the Dodgers hosting the Marlins.  I think the win goes to the Dodgers, who then move on to a Division Series matchup with their archrivals from San Francisco.  The Dodger lineup is good, but Giants pitching is better.  The other NLDS is a rematch of 2010, when Roy Halladay and the Phillies completely dominated Cincinnati.  I think the Reds win a game this time, but not the series.  That gives us a Giants-Phillies NLCS for the second time in three years, and just like in 2010, I think San Francisco walks away with the pennant.

For those of you who don't remember, I've got Albert's Boys winning the AL pennant, setting up a rematch of the 2002 World Series.  That one was all about Barry Bonds, but it was the Angels that ultimately won the championship.  History has a strange way of repeating itself (just ask the New York Giants or, better yet, the Patriots).  That bodes well for the Angels, who begin the Albert Pujols Era with their second World Series title.