2013 MLB Preview: NL West

It's been a bit of a scramble this week, but after a lot of quick research I think I've found some good information to hopefully have some accurate predictions this time around. You can view every other division's predictions in the bar on your right for under the March 2013 posts, or scroll down if you're on the COAS home page. Without further ado, let's finish this off.

NL West
The home of the defending champions is going to be a tough division this year, with a lot of money being spent to improve by some teams. The NL is a little more top-heavy than the AL, so as tempted as I am to pick 2 teams out of this division, I've already filled the wild card quota on this end. Tough decision to make.

1. San Francisco Giants
2012: 94-68, 1st in NL West, won World Series
Buster Posey just signed a long term deal on Friday, so this team has one of its best players locked up into the next decade. Really, this whole lineup is stacked with guys like Hunter Pence and Pablo Sandoval to help out the meat of the order. Sergio Romo is a good replacement for Brian Wilson, and the rotation here is scary good with Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner and Tim Lincecum in the 1-3 spots. Teams are going to be hard-pressed to top this squad.
2013 Projection: 96-66

2. Los Angeles Dodgers
2012: 86-76, 2nd in NL West 
This team spent the most money in free agency, plus with the moves made at the trade deadline last summer, this team is looking like the Yankees of the late '90s or the Red Sox of the early '00s. There's some big names here to help out Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier, and the rotation is good with Zack Greinke (assuming he can handle the big market in LA) helping out Clayton Kershaw. However, unless the Red Sox assets from last year really step up their game, this team won't go anywhere.
2013 Projection: 90-72

3. San Diego Padres
2012: 76-86, 4th in NL West
After a couple down years the Friars started to come back to being a little bit better. There's a decent blend of youth and experience on this squad, and some good pitching on their staff now with Edison Volquez anchoring the rotation. They won't challenge for the division, but they'll be a competitive team this year and might be able to surprise if the Dodgers struggle.
2013 Projection: 80-82

4. Arizona Diamondbacks
2012: 81-81, 3rd in NL West
This team has a good rotation with Ian Kennedy and Brandon McCarthy heading up the staff. Guys like Cody Ross and Jason Kubel bring some good experience in the outfield, but there's still a fair amount of holes left on this team. They will be competitive too, but not close to getting back to the top of the division. There isn't quite enough pitching depth here yet.
2013 Projection: 78-84

5. Colorado Rockies
2012: 64-98, 5th in NL West
Todd Helton is still going after all these years, and guys like Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez are going to drive in a lot of runs in the thin Coors Field air, but there really isn't much in the way of pitching since Ublado Jiminez left town. I'm not sure the pitching staff will be able to keep this squad in too many games as the year goes on.
2013 Projection: 69-93   

2013 MLB Preview: AL West

After some time off between posts, it's time for me to get these finished off. We have 4 divisions down and 2 left to go, with just the West Coast left in play. Let's get back to the American League.

AL West
With the realignment of divisions, the AL West finally gets a fifth team, but it really doesn't add much to the divisional picture as Houston is not good. Even with that, this is a division that could still see a couple teams make the playoffs pretty easily. Based on how I've predicted the first two American League divisions, I'm thinking they definitely will. And maybe this time I'll get the division's winner right.

 


1. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
2012: 89-73, 3rd in AL West
Last year I had these guys winning the division after being one of the winners of the 2011-2012 offseason. They never really got on a great roll though and ended up being behind Oakland and Texas down the stretch. I do think having a full season of Mike Trout will help, as will the addition of Josh Hamilton to an already deadly lineup (that Pujols guy is pretty good too). Jered Weaver anchors a good rotation, and I think this team should get to the playoffs this year.
2013 Projection: 97-65

2. Texas Rangers
2012: 93-69, 2nd in AL West, lost in AL Wild Card Game
Even with you taking Josh Hamilton out of the equation, this team still returns a lot of the key pieces that were part of back to back pennants and the group that had the Rangers in first until the end of the season. Losing Mike Napoli hurts, but picking up Lance Berkman helps the lineup, and AJ Pierzynski is a good catcher even at his age. The rotation can do some damage, and if Joe Nathan stays healthy, this Rangers team should be back in the playoff mix this year.
2013 Projection: 95-67, Wild Card

3. Oakland Athletics
2012: 94-68, 1st in AL West, lost in ALDS
This A's team came out of nowhere last season for all intents and purposes to sneak into the playoffs after no one expected them to. I think that experience certainly helps them for 2013, but I'm not sure they can make it back. Yoenis Cespedes had a good first year in the bigs and I'm sure he will improve in his sophomore campaign, but I'm just not overly impressed with this team. They'll compete in a polarized division, but I don't think they'll make the playoffs.
2013 Projection: 89-73

4. Seattle Mariners
2012: 79-87, 4th in AL West
They actually finished with a better record than I remembered them having last year, which bodes well for this team. Having Felix Hernandez always helps, and there's decent pitching behind him. The biggest question once again will be whether or not they can score enough runs after finishing with the fewest in the American League last year (yet there were a few NL teams that did worse).
2013 Projection: 79-83

5. Houston Astros
2012: 55-107, 6th in NL Central
Houston gets to start off the Major League season on Sunday night against Texas in their first American League game ever. I think you could safely argue that the American League as a whole is better than the National League, so with Houston switching to tougher competition, I think this is going to be a rough year in South Texas. There's some decent youth here with guys like Jose Altuve, but that can only get you so far.
2013 Projection: 49-113

Tomorrow at some point I'll get the last prediction up, probably during the interim between Easter Sunday church and dinner. One more division, and a look at the NL West is next!

2013 MLB Preview: NL Central

I've already done half the teams in baseball to this point and now I get to do my division earlier than I did last year. This time I wanted to get the defending champion the last word, so the NL Central gets bumped to the middle of the previews this time.

NL Central
I was a late comer to baseball, so the Cubs and the NL Central are all I really know for the most part, and it's a little weird to be in a 5 team division now. Or maybe that's just the lack of being able to go on about how the Cubs can avoid the basement because another team in their division sucks more. Do I get that same luxury this year? And will I pick this division a little better this year?

1. St. Louis Cardinals
2012: 88-74, 2nd in NL Central, lost in NLCS
Granted, the Cards will start down a little bit since closer Jason Motte might begin the year on the DL and Chris Carpenter is hurt again. Even without those arms, this is a good rotation anchored by Adam Wainwright. Even in year 2 post-Pujols, the lineup is still scary with Matt Holliday and Carlos Beltran (if he's healthy) looming, and their role players are among the best in the game. And knowing them, they'll be a tough out in the playoffs again. Did I mention I hate the Cardinals?
2013 Projection: 93-69

2. Cincinnati Reds
2012: 97-65, 1st in NL Central, lost in NLDS
I had a tough call between these guys and the Cardinals. I think on the whole, their lineups are pretty balanced, given that Joey Votto is about as good as they come and he's got plenty of protection, including Shin Soo Choo moving across the state. I really like their bullpen, but I think it ultimately comes down to the rotations. Johnny Cueto is really good, and the guys who follow him are good too, but I think I like that Cardinal rotation just a tad better. This is going to be a fun race to follow.
2013 Projection: 92-70, Wild Card

3. Pittsburgh Pirates
2012: 79-83, 4th in NL Central
The last time this team had a winning season, I wasn't even 3 years old yet.  There have been some dismal teams over the years, but the future is finally starting to look bright for this Bucs team. Their pitching is decent and there's some good young pieces in the lineup around Andrew McCutchen. They won't compete for the division this year (though they have spent time in first place in the summer months of late) but this team could certainly break that .500 ceiling.
2013 Projection: 81-81

4. Milwaukee Brewers
2012: 83-79, 3rd in NL Central
Aside from Yovani Gallardo, this rotation has a lot of youth and I'm not too sold on them. Once again though, this is a very potent lineup that can do a lot of damage. The biggest question mark though is with Ryan Braun. He put up good numbers again last year despite the allegations of drug use, and the scrutiny is higher this year with his name showing up on client lists. If he is even eligible to play the full season, he might not perform up to the same standard. Could be a tough year up in Wisconsin.
2013 Projection: 78-84

5. Chicago Cubs
2012: 61-101, 5th in NL Central
With no Houston to thank for sucking more than them, the Cubs might have to deal with the basement this year. It's year 2 of what Cubs fans have accepted as a rebuilding program. Many of the pieces Cub fans are hoping to see bring the team back to prominence will be in the minors this season, and pieces the Cubs hoped to have in place are hurt again (Matt Garza is likely out until May and Ian Stewart will probably start the year on the DL after missing almost all of last season. While I will enjoy a full season of Anthony Rizzo hitting baseballs onto Sheffield and Starlin Castro spray the ball everywhere while hopefully not having any more mental gaffes, otherwise this is going to be a long year in Chicago. Maybe we can at least get the Wrigley deal done.
2013 Projection: 67-95

I'm off work the next 2 days, so I will try to get the last 2 previews up as soon as I can. We head west tomorrow in the American League and see if maybe Houston can avoid the basement in their new home.

2013 MLB Preview: AL Central

We're finally to teams that I know a little bit more about since we're back to the Central divisions this week. Just a few years ago, the AL Central was hailed as one of the best divisions top to bottom in baseball. Now... not so much.

AL Central
Last year I did pick the division winner right, for what it's worth, but I whiffed quite a bit on how everyone else played out. Teams surprise and disappoint every year, but hopefully this year I can be a little more on point (as I'm pretty sure I've said every day so far this week... maybe I'm just not as good a prognosticator as I would like to be).

1. Detroit Tigers
2012: 88-74, 1st in AL Central, lost in World Series
The lineup has a little different look to it this year with Torii Hunter returning to the division and Delmon Young moving on, but you still have that dangerous heart of the order with Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder, now backed up by a healthy Victor Martinez. The starting rotation is really scary top to bottom again this year, anchored by some Verlander guy who from what I hear is really, really good.
2013 Projection: 91-71

2. Chicago White Sox 
2012: 85-77, 2nd in AL Central
This team surprised me and pretty much all of Chicago by being pretty good for most of the year before falling off the table in September. I think the rotation has a chance to be good, and the lineup has a good blend of youth and veteran talent. I asked resident Sox expert Geoffy what he thinks about this South Side team.

"The team's future is just as important as its present, so an all-around effort will be needed if they want to stay with Detroit and an improved Cleveland."

I think they can provide that all-around effort to an extent, though I'm not as worried about Cleveland as Geoffy is. This will be a good, competitive team, but not quite to Detroit's level.
2013 Projection: 85-77  

3. Kansas City Royals
2012: 72-90, 3rd in AL Central
Kansas City has been awful for as long as I can remember, but they've slowly been building up talent and now have a pretty good pitching staff to go with a good young lineup. Guys like Billy Butler, Alex Gordon and Mike Moustakas might not be elite in any sense, but they can put up some good numbers and keep this Kansas City team relevant.
2013 Projection: 80-82

4. Cleveland Indians
2012: 68-94, 4th in AL Central
Cleveland still has that decent 1-2 punch in the rotation with Masterson and Jiminez, but there's a lot of youth in that lineup now that Travis Hafner and Shin Soo Choo aren't with the team. The presence of Michael Bourn will certainly be a boost, and the bullpen isn't bad, but compared to the rest of the division, I just don't think this team can compete.
2013 Projection: 69-93

5. Minnesota Twins
2012: 66-96, 5th in AL Central
After getting rid of top of the order talent in Denard Span and Ben Revere, there's barely anything left on this team other Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau. Scott Diamond will help bolster a thin rotation when he returns from the 15 day DL, and another season of Josh Willingham is a good thing, but it's going to be another rough season at Target Field with so much youth out there.
2013 Projection: 65-97

We're halfway through the divisions. Tomorrow I'll look at how my team will do in 2013 compared with the rest of a decent division.    

2013 MLB Preview: NL East

It's Day 2 of running through the 30 MLB teams and how I think they're going to do this summer. You can view yesterday's post by checking under the "Confessions Archive" on the right. Today we're switching leagues around and going to the National League.

NL East
This division isn't as strong all the way around like the AL East is, but this is a pretty top-heavy division that will probably still see a couple playoff teams. Whether those teams will be able to do anything in the playoffs remains to be seen, and may also depend on whether a team gets screwed over by horrible umpiring/voodoo magic BS that has emanated out of St. Louis the past couple postseasons. (I'm not a bitter Cubs fan or anything, why do you ask?) Hopefully my predictions will be more on point this year than last year. Last year's were way off.

1. Washington Nationals
2012: 98-64, 1st in NL East, lost in NLDS
The nation's capital got its first taste of postseason baseball in a long time last year, but I'm sure those fans were disappointed that the taste wasn't longer (once again, we can blame St. Louis for this). There's no reason to think this team won't be back this October though. They came away with a big prize in Denard Span, who will be a good leadoff hitter for this team leading up to the Bryce Harper-Ryan Zimmerman-Jayson Werth heart of the order. Having a (you would hope) full season of Stephen Strasburg should also help. Hey, Washington fans, you want to switch Davey Johnson and Mike Shanahan around? You might have had deeper runs in both sports and you might not have had to wait for RGIII to have his ACL repaired.
2013 Projection: 99-63

2. Atlanta Braves
2012: 94-68, 2nd in NL East, lost in NL Wild Card Game
While I'm not blown away by this rotation, they're certainly not bad, and the bullpen is in good shape. What really impresses me though is the lineup, especially now that they have both Upton brothers in the lineup. Combine him with Jason Heyward, and you have arguably the best outfield in the league. Scoring runs shouldn't be a problem for these guys, but they aren't quite as complete a team as Washington is. Nonetheless, they have a chance to avenge how last season ended.
2013 Projection: 95-67, Wild Card

3. Philadelphia Phillies
2012: 81-81, 3rd in NL East
The 1-3 of their rotation is still one of the best in baseball, but it's clear they aren't as good as they were billed when they were assembled a couple years ago. Part of the problem last year though was with the offense, especially with Ryan Howard missing half the season. They're mostly healthy going into this season, but their best hitters are all on the wrong side of 30. A rebuild will need to come soon.
2013 Projection: 77-85

4. New York Mets
2012: 74-88, 4th in NL East
There's a lot of youth on this team now, especially in the field, and I'm honestly not really wowed by any of these guys. Certainly they can be in the ballpark of where they were last year, but it will be tough without RA Dickey going every 5th day. Even so, that rotation is decent enough all the way through that they can do a little damage here and there, but probably not to keep up with the elite of the division.
2013 Projection: 75-87

5. Miami Marlins
2012: 69-93, 5th in NL East
A year after being the kings of free agency, Jeff Loria added to his lore as being the worst owner in the sport by blowing up his team again right after using them as a draw to help pay for his fancy new stadium. Shameful. What little remains is a decent starter who should probably be a #2 or #3 starter as opposed to a #1 and a guy who can hit baseballs really, really far. Other than that I'm not impressed with this team at all. Could we see a team that averages fewer fans in attendance than they'll have winning percentage points? Don't rule it out.
2013 Projection: 59-103

Better yet, can we just contract Miami? Or force Loria to sell the team to a guy who at least puts on a front that he gives a crap about the team and their fan base? Hell, maybe as a draw, have LeBron come by for every home game he can to dunk over Loria. You might get some butts in the seats just to see that.

We're heading to the Central divisions tomorrow, starting back in the American League. Don't worry, I won't sell my skills with the English language for a Totino's pizza and having to sit through a dozen SigAlerts in Los Angeles traffic along with a disease to be named later.

2013 MLB Preview: AL East

At this point, a lot of my investment in basketball is over. My bracket is dead, North Central's basketball team bowed out last night in a tough Final Four matchup against Amherst, and I'm not really confident in the Bulls or holding out hope for The Return. So with the start of the MLB season a week away, I figure it's probably time to start previewing that as best as I can.

Like last year's series, I'm going to do this division-by-division, ranking each team 1-5 and noting the two wild card teams from each league. I'll go back to last year's division previews as well and try to forecast how I think each team will do this season.

My other hope is that sometime before the season starts I can finish up a project that has been a few years in the making that you baseball stat geeks might enjoy. It just depends on how much free time I have. Until then, let's preview some baseball.

AL East
I'm starting out here in what is probably once again, top to bottom, the best division in baseball (and I'm not sensationalizing this because of East Coast bias, I honestly think this is probably the best overall division). Last year I wasn't even close on the predictions, if only because I didn't expect Bobby Valentine and the Boston locker room to have such division and I, like most people, didn't see Baltimore coming. Hopefully I can navigate the turbulent waters out there this year a little better.

1. Toronto Blue Jays
2012: 73-89, 4th in AL East
This has been a team on the rise a little bit with the youth movement in Brett Lawrie and the emergence of Jose Bautista as a premier slugger. But this team also got a lot better with some offseason moves/being the beneficiaries of the worst owner in baseball. Mark Buehrle may not be the pitcher he once was, but he can eat up innings, and with the addition of Josh Johnson and R.A. Dickey as well to bolster the rotation, these guys have a lot of balance, and I think that might be enough to get them a division crown for the first time in a long time.
2013 Projection: 95-67

2. Tampa Bay Rays
2012: 90-72, 3rd in AL East
I think the Rays make it back this year despite tough competition. As long as David Price is anchoring that rotation, this team is going to be fine. Their lineup is still solid, and while I don't think they're quite as potent in all areas as Toronto will be, they're going to be right in the race until the very end.
2013 Projection: 92-70, Wild Card



3. Baltimore Orioles
2012: 93-69, 2nd in AL East, lost in ALDS
You can't sleep on this team this year. I like how their lineup looks overall with a lot of really good young players like Matt Weiters and Adam Jones. Really, that outfield might be the best in the division. I think the rotation is good, but not great, and that might hurt them a little bit when you compare them to Tampa (I don't like the lack of a defined ace). They're still going to be in the hunt though.
2013 Projection: 90-72

4. New York Yankees
2012: 95-67, 1st in AL East, lost in ALCS
Even with a good rotation anchored by CC Sabathia and Huroki Kuroda plus the return of Mariano Rivera, I think the Yankees are going to struggle to start the year. Mark Texiera (wrist), Curtis Granderson (forearm) and Alex Rodriguez (hip) are both going to miss at least the first month or 2 of the season. That's only 3 of your best hitters, putting a lot of pressure on Robinson Cano and Derek Jeter, who is nursing an ankle injury and might be ready for Opening Day. With that many question marks, you wonder how well this team can tread water in the interim until they're back to full strength. At that point, 2013 might be a lost cause for the Bombers.
2013 Projection: 84-78

5. Boston Red Sox
2012: 69-93, 5th in AL East
I'm still not used to a world where Boston is awful. That rotation has a blend of young arms and decent veterans, which isn't a terrible thing long term, but I'm not sure how well that bodes for 2013's fortunes. Adding Mike Napoli was a good move, but I think it's going to take John Farrell a little time to get this club together and on board for a good season. It might be a long summer at Fenway.
2013 Projection: 74-88

Tomorrow I'll move across leagues and cover the NL East as we move west across the country. Last year I ended with the NL Central, being a Cubs fan and all, but this year I'm going to end with the division that holds the defending World Series Champion, so we'll do the West last this season. You can read the different previews by clicking on the links in the Confessions Archive on the right for easy navigation, especially since all the previews will be done before the end of March.

NCAA Tournament Preview: Amherst College vs. North Central College

Last evening I was already putting my NCAA Tournament bracket down to be buried. I'm not used to losing a Final Four team on Day 1. Then of course, I lost another one today. Somehow my title game and the rest of my Sweet 16 and Elite 8 were okay after 28 games save that pair of Final Four teams. Fortunately, these things are healed by my alma mater advancing to the Final Four!

NCC has had different guys step up all postseason long, and tonight it was Vince Kmiec, who according to a friend from my WONC days who works at NCTV, was hitting shots from a ways away. His 31 points helped get the Cardinals the space they needed to close the game out and pull within a game of Atlanta. Another NESCAC looms tomorrow night.

Amherst College vs. North Central College
Salem Civic Center (Salem, VA)- Sat. March 23, 2013- 7:30pm

About Amherst College
From Amherst, MA
28-2, NESCAC Champions
Defeated Plattsburgh State 89-72 in the second round, defeated Randolph-Macon 93-76 in the third round, defeated Cabrini 101-82 in quarterfinals

At the outset of the tournament, there was talk about how no one really wanted the bye's and the week off they gave. Amherst got one, and it obviously hasn't hurt them (Mary Hardin-Baylor got the other and they're also still playing). This team scores in bunches, averaging almost 85 points a game, and it starts with junior Aaron Toomey, who leads the team with 17.6 points a game on about 12 shots. He can shoot from just about anywhere (44.6% from the field, including 42.9% from deep) and put up 17 points in the win over Cabrini. I think the bigger threat though is senior Willy Workman. He scored 21 points tonight (up from his 12.4 season average) and he's not quite as good of a deep shooter (36%, though he shoots 46.6% overall), but averages 7.7 rebounds a game plus a combined 3 steals/blocks per contest. Peter Kaasila is the team's anchor in the middle, averaging 13 points a game on over 64% shooting with 6 boards to go with it. Three other players average at least 9 points a game, so there's depth here.

In a very similar note to thinking about North Central's game against Middlebury though, it doesn't seem like this Amherst team has played a defense the caliber of North Central's. The Cardinals played a tough game for most of a tight first half, then came out and played lockdown defense for much of the second half. You worry a bit about fatigue, but what continues to be so great about this Cardinal team (and is essential at this time of the year) is just how deep this Cardinal team is and how so many different guys have stepped up to be heroes in each game. Tonight it was Vince Kmiec, and that takes a lot of pressure of NABC's Midwest District Player of the Year Derek Raridon. With 19 points in the win over Middlebury, I'm convinced Landon Gamble is the best offensive post player in the nation.

The one thing that scares me about this Cardinal team is their struggles from the free throw line. The Cardinals were 19-29 from the stripe tonight and has stayed around that number all season long. However, this team can go on some scary runs from time to time and you have to guard every single guy on the floor at all times. Amherst may be ranked higher (#2 to NCC's #3), but the Cardinals can definitely pull out this one.

Winner goes to Atlanta to play for a national title. I don't know about you, but I'm not ready for this run to end yet. Go Cardinals!

Moving the Friendly Confines?

Photo from a game I went to in 2009.

As an 8 year old I made my first pilgrimage to Wrigley Field. It was 1998, and I remember kind of being in awe of the entire trip there. The ride on the L was something special especially once we were above ground on the Red Line and saw the ballpark in the distance. Even with the troughs in the men's bathrooms, the concrete that wasn't quite as bad as it is now, and the posts blocking view of the game, Wrigley and the area around it has a certain charm you can't really get anywhere else. It's part of what has kept me coming back at least once every year since, along with my love for the Cubs.

And yet even with all that, I'm starting to find myself more in favor with ideas of relocation to a nearby town than I would have guessed. Monday saw a Comcast Sportsnet report about Rosemont mayor Brad Stephens offering a tract of land for the Cubs to use if they wanted to make the move. Right now no one seems to be taking the offer very seriously, but a Tribune writer did entertain the thought in an editorial.

The biggest obstacle I see here obviously lies with cost. Right now owner Tom Ricketts has a $500 million plan to renovate the park, including a complex built across the street on Clark. A brand new one is probably going to cost a lot more than that (probably in the neighborhood of a billion) and I understand and agree with the reluctance of taxpayers to want to foot the bill for a new stadium despite owners nationwide pulling the same fast one over on their neighbors (random biased note that is semi-related: this is why more teams should have similar ownerships to those of the Green Bay Packers, but legally we can't. This should change).

If the cost of a new place is not an issue (and since the land wouldn't cost anything), then I think it's worth it to at least publicly flirt with the idea and see if you can force the city's hand. The Cubs are the only team in the bigs with the issues of needing to cooperate with rooftop vendors across the street as well as having landmark restrictions limiting advertising. As much as I like not being bombarded by advertising everywhere, I'm also not actively looking for it as I'm usually paying attention to the game, so it's not really an issue for me there. That's more of a TV revenue thing, and would allow for more money to stream in.

The trickiest part is with some of the fans who go to Cubs games for the experience of going to Wrigley Field or for the "yuppies" as a lot of people call them who go just to get drunk (which is a waste of money... just saying). Just the prospect of a new ballpark is usually enough to get people to come. Putting it in a decent spot like Rosemont where you have O'Hare in the neighborhood, plus tentative access to public transportation there makes it a pretty attractive and not terribly inconvenient destination (assuming traffic doesn't end up awful because of this, which it usually is in that area during the evening rush anyway).

I'm not saying the Cubs absolutely have to move out there or absolutely have to stay. Whatever Tom Ricketts decides is the best course of action for the club is good enough for me, and hopefully the decision helps the club in the long run (and brings titles. Those are important). Either way, anyone who says they will stop being a Cubs fan if they move is not a true Cubs fan and should stop claiming as such. Yes, Wrigley is a part of the mystique of the Cubs franchise, but true Cubs fans will support them whether they're at Clark and Addison or in Rosemont. If you can get the city of Chicago to go along with renovation plans mostly unhindered and modernize Wrigley into less of a crumbling old relic, go for it. If not, and you can get a deal good for the franchise elsewhere in Chicagoland, don't be afraid to pull the trigger.

I love Wrigley Field as much as any Cubs fan. But if Chicago wants to play hardball, why not try to beat them at it?

ALL of the Brackets

I have a love and passion for pretty much all things sports, but absolutely nothing compares to the first 4 days of the NCAA Tournament. My work schedule aligns such that I have Friday off and can catch several games that day, and needless to say, shortly after the brackets came out I pored over them in trying to figure out how to fill everything out. I do think I got an answer though.

Like last year, I am hosting a tournament pool on Yahoo for anyone who is interested. Nothing special to be offered this time other than the ability to lord over me that you picked winners better than I did. Odds are you probably will; I have a tendency to do well on the Thursday, stumble a little on the Friday without too much damage done, then see everything get destroyed on Saturday. Probably a good thing that I only have a single 1 seed advancing to the Final Four, but I'm sure it will be more chaotic than a Final Four of Louisville, Georgetown, Miami and New Mexico.

If you think you're better at picking this stuff than I am, the group can be found here and it is free to join (both for Yahoo and because I'm not putting money on this... again, the whole "gambling is illegal" thing.) I would love to see this thing fill up!

Good luck!

NCAA Tournament Preview: Middlebury College vs. North Central College

When you are a fan of a Division III school, there's one mecca that you want your school's sports teams to reach: Salem, Virginia. It's the site of the Stagg Bowl, D-III's football championship game (unofficially named the Purple Bowl after seven straight Mount Union/Wisconsin-Whitewater battles there) and in previous years the site of the D-III Final Four. This year they're showcasing twice as many games as they get the quarterfinals and semifinals. And for the first time, North Central is crashing the party at the Salem Civic Center.

I made it 0-3 on tournament games this season and wasn't tracking the game, but fortunately the Cardinals were able to put enough distance between them and the Titans late to secure a berth in the Elite 8. You knew whichever team made it out of the Bracket of Death was going to have a good shot at winning the whole thing, and I certainly believe the Cardinals can. But this is another Bracket of Death the Cardinals will have to navigate. For all the praise the CCIW gets, you certainly have to include the NESCAC as another of those elite conference in Division III with all 3 of its entrants surviving to this point. The Cardinals get one of them on Friday.

Middlebury College vs. North Central College
Salem Civic Center (Salem, VA)- Fri. March 22, 2013- 7:30pm

About Middlebury College
From Middlebury, VT
25-3, At Large team from NESCAC
Defeated Curry 68-66 in the first round, defeated Cortland State 67-63 in the second round, defeated Ithaca 73-72 in the third round.

What really scares me about this Middlebury team looking at their schedule is that of their 3 losses, only one came in regulation, and it was by one point. The others needed at least one overtime to decide (one game needed 3). On the other hand, 2 of those losses were to Williams (sitting on the other side of the bracket facing #1 St. Thomas) and the 3OT loss was to Amhert (#2 seed, possibly looming in the semis). We could be looking at North Central storming through the elite of New England depending on how those other games play out.

At hand though is a very tough team, looking at the numbers and given how many close games they've had to play. Middlebury boasts a better scoring average at 78.5 points a game but also gives up a little over 65, compared to North Central's 69.6/58.5 splits. If anything, if this game gets slowed down it plays more into the Cardinals' favor because they're used to stifling defense.

Individually, the guy who scared me most based on season numbers was big man Peter Lynch, who at 6'6" is like Middlebury's version of Landon Gamble, scoring 15 points a game on 63% shooting. However, he's only averaged 11.7 in the tournament and was held in check by Ithaca last night (8 points on 2-7 shooting). However, the Panthers had their backcourt step up. Guys like Joey Kizel (14.2 on the season, 16 in the tournament) and Nolan Thompson (12.6, 13.7) have stepped up their games to make up for it. They are a streaky outside shooting team (shot 3-18 from deep in the first round and 14-25 last night) but that can be dangerous if they're on. The key is for their role players to step up.

That's what makes me really believe the Cardinals can come through and win the title. Derek Raridon isn't scoring quite as much (13.7 points per game in the tournament, averaging 14.6 on the year), and Gamble hasn't done as much since his 17 point game in the first round (19 in the past 2 games), but other guys have stepped up. Charlie Rosenberg had 11 off the bench in the first round. Last week Brandon Williams was perfect from the field with 13 points en route to knocking off the defending champs, and last night it was Jack Burchett dropping 18. Meanwhile Vince Kmiec has evolved into a great two-way player, setting a new school single-season record for steals with 64 so far, and will probably break the school's all time record before CCIW play begins next season. This team just seems to have an aura about them that seems like they are destined to end up in Atlanta. If the Cardinals win Friday, the winner of the Amherst-Cabrini game would loom on Saturday and hopefully I'll have a couple most posts about this team to come, including one about a victorious return to Naperville with trophy number 31! Go Cardinals!

NCAA Tournament Preview: Illinois Wesleyan University @ North Central College

I didn't make it to Benedictine on Saturday for, from what I heard, was a fun game in a playoff atmosphere. Fortunately the Cardinals held on and made plays late to knock off the defending champs. And for whatever reason, it left some Whitewater folks a little salty. (Kudos to whoever was in charge of the @NCC_Athletics Twitter at the time for a genius response.)

So for the second straight year, the Cardinals have advanced to the Sweet 16, but they weren't the only one to advance from the CCIW. Wheaton got knocked off, but a familiar and deadly foe awaits in the next round.

Illinois Wesleyan University at North Central College
Gregory Arena- Sat. March 16, 2013- 7pm

About Illinois Wesleyan
From Bloomington, IL
23-5, At Large team from CCIW
Defeated Transylvania 80-71 in the first round, defeated Washington (Mo) 71-67 in the second round
1-1 vs NCC this year (won 69-61 at IWU, lost 87-83 in OT at NCC)

With no track championships to tie up parking spots, Merner Fieldhouse can come to life again. The Cardinals remain unbeaten in games where they're considered the "home" team and have not lost in Naperville so far this year, but Illinois Wesleyan is no small task.

The Titans lead the conference in scoring at 72.5 points a game (for the record, NCC is 4th at 69.1) and boast an incredibly balanced attack. Andrew Ziemnik and Brady Zimmer are tied for the team lead with 11.1 points per game apiece, along with 4 other guys who average between 8 and 11 points a contest. Ziemnik has 32 points in the 2 games between these schools so far, and is the key guy to watch out for.

The Cardinals still haven't played a "perfect" game in a while, surviving bad free throw shooting (11-20 Saturday) and an off shooting night in general by everyone not named Brandon Williams or Landon Gamble. But that's been the beauty of this team: they take opponents' best shots and have had different guys step up to make plays throughout the game and the leaders finish it off at the end.

Given the season split between these teams combined with NCC's unblemished record at home, I would find it hard to believe that the Cardinals don't make it to Salem, Virginia and the Elite 8 for a shot at heading to Atlanta in April. If it doesn't happen, it will be because a very good Titan team made the plays and earned their way to Salem and the CCIW should be honored to have one of these teams making it this far.

Get to Merner early on Saturday. Given the rivalry, the gym is bound to be packed, even if NCC will be on Spring Break. We need the support again. Go Cardinals!

Play Fair, Win With Humility, Lose With Integrity

I know most of my posts on here deal with major sports stories about who's who and what's going on in the world of sports (I even said so myself in a Beacon News article posted last week), but I do need to come to the forefront when things unfold like they did in Peoria yesterday.

At work this morning I saw an article on the Tribune's website about the Class 2A Boys' Basketball Championship game and took note of a peculiar headline about the losing team, Seton Academy, refusing its second place trophy. Based purely off the headline, I wasn't quite sure what to think, though reading the article answered a lot of questions. More on that in a moment.

As a sports fan who has maybe too much of a competitive nature (thankfully not to Michael Jordan's extent), in and of itself I don't necessarily mind seeing a team refuse to accept a trophy that isn't for a championship, though the context does somewhat override this. I'm personally not a big fan of the "Everyone gets a trophy!" mentality that seems prevalent in society today, though this isn't the case in the IHSA. You get a plaque for winning smaller tournaments at regional and sectional sites, and then if you make the Top 4 you get a trophy. In order to get one though, that requires 5 or 6 straight wins, and it's hard. In my four years at Aurora Christian, we only won one regional (my senior year, the year I predicted we'd at least get that far) and fell just short against Byron for a sectional title. It was very disappointing, given that I was a senior and that was the end of my direct involvement in ACS basketball, but I was proud to be part of that group of guys that added to ACS lore (as head coach Don Davidson put it, "Good teams play in March," and the sectional title game was in March. We fit the bill.) Had we advanced beyond that, I would have been more than happy to hold a trophy of some kind had we made it to state, even if it was only a 4th place trophy.

Then I read the Tribune article.

What's a Regulation Loss?

I've been largely quiet on the hockey front here, a lot of it due to the fact that of the four major sports, hockey is the one I know the least about. But when a team goes halfway through a season without a loss in regulation, it deserves attention.

I've been home for a lot of these games and have gotten to see chunks of a lot of them, so I've been able to see a lot of the dramatics unfold before my very eyes. And really, this is an incredible run that is (deservedly) getting a lot of national media attention. This is a run the likes of which has only been seen once before (the '79-80 Flyers, who registered 35 straight games with a point) though not in a condensed season like this with back-to-backs and 3-games-in-4-nights throughout schedules. It's not worth comparing that to, say, the Heat's 16 game winning streak as both are impressive in their own ways.

What really impresses me with this Blackhawks team though is how deep they are. In 21 victories, 15 different guys have registered game-winning goals. During their slide last year, the Hawks' stars couldn't get anything going and there was no one left to pick up the slack. This year it's not an issue. The defense has gotten a lot better on all 3 pairings so it's not just Keith and Seabrook doing all the heavy lifting. Most impressive though has been the play of Corey Crawford and Ray Emery. Crawford was much maligned last year for not playing too well, especially in the playoffs against Phoenix. Maybe it was the infamous sophomore slump, but whatever the case, the Hawks are the most complete team in the NHL right now, and it's insane to think about.

Talking heads like Stephen A. Smith seem to think that a streak like this in hockey isn't as impressive as one in basketball, but on the whole, there's so much more parity in hockey. Of the 24 games so far, a majority have been decided by one goal, and the Hawks are not only unbeaten in regulation, they're also unbeaten in the 5-minute overtime. All 3 losses have come in shootouts... which is even more incredible.

Purely based on the Law of Averages, a regulation loss is bound to happen sooner or later and my hope is that it doesn't deflate this team. Of course, a lot of teams and their fans have been saying that the streak is going to end when they take on the Hawks, and it has yet to happen. I don't expect it to still be intact, but I would be beyond thrilled if this stretch is still running come April 19th when I cross "catch a Blackhawks game" off my sports bucket list. I'm sure the second half of this season will be full of as many amazing moments as the first, and hopefully it all culminates in a parade downtown this summer celebrating another Stanley Cup.