2013 N.H.L. Playoff Predictions

Let's do this:
Conference Quarterfinals:
Pittsburgh over N.Y.I. In 5
Montreal over Ottawa in 6
N.Y.R. over Washington in 6
Boston over Toronto in 7
Chicago over Minnesota in 7
Anaheim over Detroit in 6
San Jose over Vancouver in 6
St. Louis over Los Angeles in 7

Conference Semifinals:
Pittsburgh over New York in 5
Boston over Montreal in 7
San Jose over Chicago in 7
Anaheim over St. Louis in 5

Conference Finals:
Pittsburgh over Boston in 7
Anaheim over San Jose in 6

Stanley Cup Finals:
Anaheim over Pittsburgh in 7

2012-13 N.B.A. Award Predictions

Let's go:
N.B.A. Coach of the Year - Mark Jackson Golden State
N.B.A. Executive of the Year - Pat Riley Miami
N.B.A. M.V.P. - Carmelo Anthony New York
N.B.A. R.O.Y. - Damian Lillard Portland

2013 N.F.L. Mock Draft

Here we go:

1. Kansas City - Luke Joeckel O.T. Texas A&M
2. Jacksonville - Barkevious Mingo D.E. L.S.U.
3. Oakland - Dee Milliner CB. Alabama
4. Philadelphia - Eric Fisher O.T. Central Michigan
5. Detroit - Lane Johnson O.T. Oklahoma
6. Cleveland - Chance Warmack O.G. Alabama
7. Arizona - Jonathan Cooper O.G. U.N.C.
8. Buffalo - Keenan Allen W.R. California
9. N.Y.J. - Desmond Trufant CB. Washington
10. Tennessee - Bjoern Werner D.E. F.S.U.
11. San Diego - D.J. Fluker O.T. Alabama
12. Miami - Tyler Eifert T.E. Notre Dame
13. N.Y.J. - Star Lotulelei D.T. Utah
14. Carolina - Sharrif Floyd D.T. Florida
15. New Orleans - D.J. Hayden CB. Houston
16. St. Louis - Kenny Vaccaro Safety Texas
17. Pittsburgh - Justin Pugh O.T. Syracuse
18. Dallas - Menelik Watson O.T. F.S.U.
19. N.Y.G. - Dion Jordan O.L.B. Oregon
20. Chicago - Alec Ogletree I.L.B. Georgia
21. Cincinnati - Jarvis Jones O.L.B. Georgia
22. St. Louis - Justin Hunter W.R. Tennessee
23. Minnesota - Manti Te'o I.L.B. Notre Dame
24. Indianapolis - Kyle Long O.G. Oregon
25. Minnesota - Cordarrelle Patterson W.R. Tennessee
26. Green Bay - Sheldon Richardson D.T. Missouri
27. Houston - Robert Woods W.R. U.S.C.
28. Denver - Datone Jones D.E. U.C.L.A.
29. New England - Jamar Taylor CB. B.S.U.
30. Atlanta - Cornellius Carradine D.E. F.S.U.
31. San Francisco - Sylvester Williams D.T. U.N.C.
32. Baltimore - Tavon Austin W.R. W.V.U.

2013 N.B.A. Playoff Predictions

Let's go:
Conference Quarterfinals:
Miami over Milwaukee in 4
Brooklyn over Chicago in 6
Indiana over Atlanta in 7
New York over Boston in 6
Oklahoma City over Houston in 6
L.A.C. over Memphis in 6
Golden State over Denver in 6
San Antonio over L.A.L. in 4

Conference Semifinals:
Miami over Brooklyn in 5
Indiana over New York in 6
Los Angeles over Oklahoma City in 7
San Antonio over Golden State in 5

Conference Finals:
Miami over Indiana in 6
San Antonio over Los Angeles in 6

N.B.A. Finals
Miami over San Antonio in 5

2013 Basketball Hall of Fame Predictions

Let's go:
Spencer Haywood

The New York Jets' 2013 Offseason Plan

This is what I would do if I was this man.

1. Put the franchise tag on Moore... Moore was a standout this year on an anemic offensive line. However, he's 33 which is why I'd only tag him.
2. Get rid of the following players: Bell, DeVito, Ducasse, Folk, Hilliard, Schilens, Slauson, Eric Smith, Jason Smith, Tebow, Thomas, Wilson... There's no room for Bell or DeVito. Ducasse, Folk, and Hilliard suck. There's no room for Schilens. Eric Smith sucks. There's no room for Jason Smith. Slauson hasn't shown much progression. Getting rid of Tebow is self explanatory. There's no room for Thomas. Wilson sucks. The players that I didn't mention did a good job and deserve to stay.
3. Trade Mark Sanchez and a fifth round pick in the 2013 N.F.L. Draft to the San Francisco 49ers for Alex Smith... Remember that complete and utter faith I had in Sanchez last year, well now it's all gone. That being said Sanchez still has some value in him which is why him and a fifth round pick will net you a good quarterback in Alex Smith.
4. Sign Sebastian Vollmer... Vollmer's one of the best offensive tackles in the game and he'll make Damien Woody seem like Wayne Hunter.
5. Sign Phil Dawson... Dawson hasn't shown his age one bit. He went 13-13 from 40+ yards in 2012 and Folk went 8-11 from 40+ yards in 2012.
6. Sign James Casey... When given the chance, Casey's a good runner and he's already proven that he's a good receiver.
7. Draft Jonathan Cooper... I'd love to get Chance Warmack if he's available, but he's not going to fall out of the top five. If Warmack wasn't in the draft, Cooper would be the best offensive guard in the draft.

2012-13 NF.L. Award Predictions

Here we go:
N.F.L. Coach of the Year - Mike Shanahan Washington
N.F.L. Defensive Player of the Year - J.J. Watt Houston
N.F.L. Defensive Rookie of the Year - Bruce Irvin Seattle
N.F.L. M.V.P. - Tom Brady New England
N.F.L. Offensive Player of the Year - Adrian Peterson Minnesota
N.F.L. Offensive Rookie of the Year - Andrew Luck Indianapolis

2013 Pro Football Hall of Fame Predictions

Here we go:
Jerome Bettis
Tim Brown
Cris Carter
Kevin Greene
Andre Reed
Michael Strahan
Aeneas Williams

2013 N.F.L. Playoff Predictions

Here we go:
Wild Card playoffs:
Houston over Cincinnati
Green Bay over Minnesota
Indianapolis over Baltimore
Washington over Seattle

Divisional playoffs:
Denver over Indianapolis
Green Bay over San Francisco
Atlanta over Washington
New England over Houston

Conference championships:
Atlanta over Green Bay
Denver over New England

Super Bowl XLVII:
Denver over Atlanta

2013 Baseball Hall of Fame Predictions

Here goes nothing:
Craig Biggio
Barry Bonds
Roger Clemens
Mark McGwire
Jack Morris
Rafael Palmeiro
Tim Raines
Curt Schilling
Lee Smith
Sammy Sosa

The New York Yankees 2012-13 Offseason Plan

This is what I would do if I was this man

1. Get rid of the following players: Cabral, Chamberlain, Chavez, Feliciano, Garcia, Granderson, Jones, Martin, McGehee, Pettitte, and Soriano... There's no room for Cabral. Chamberlain sucks. There's no room for Chavez or Feliciano. Garcia sucks. Granderson's turned into Dave Kingman with a glove. Jones, Martin, and McGehee suck. There's no room for Pettitte. Soriano's only good when he closes. The players that I didn't mention did a good job and deserve to stay.
2. Fire Kevin Long and Rob Thomson and name John Valentin and Dave Anderson as their respective replacements. Long's the reason the Yankees got swept by the Tigers. He made the Yankees too reliable on the long ball and it hurt them in the A.L.C.S. The Albuquerque Isotopes were the best hitting team in Triple-A and Valentin's the man responsible. Thomson never holds baserunners. He's like Tim Bogar for God's sake. The Texas Rangers were first in runs last year, and the man responsible for that was Anderson. They're available and the Yankees should get them.
3. Exercise the option on Cano... I know it's a lot of money, but Cano's the best second baseman in baseball today, so you can't risk having him leave.
4. Sign A.J. Pierzynski... I've liked Pierzynski ever since he came up. I've always wanted him in a Yankee uniform and this is the year to bring him in.

2012 M.L.B. Award Predictions

Here goes nothing:
A.L. Cy Young Award - David Price Tampa Bay
A.L. Manager of the Year - Bob Melvin Oakland
A.L. M.V.P. - Miguel Cabrera Detroit
A.L. R.O.Y. - Mike Trout L.A.A.
N.L. Cy Young Award - Gio Gonzalez Washington
N.L. Manager of the Year - Davey Johnson Washington
N.L. M.V.P. - Buster Posey San Francisco
N.L. R.O.Y. - Wilin Rosario Colorado

2012 M.L.B. Playoff Predictions

I don't know why I didn't do this last year:
Wild Card playoffs:
Texas over Baltimore
St. Louis over Atlanta

Division Series:
Texas over N.Y.Y. in 5
Detroit over Oakland in 3
Washington over St. Louis in 4
San Francisco over Cincinnati in 5

Championship Series:
Detroit over Texas in 6
Washington over San Francisco in 6

World Series:
Detroit over Washington in 7

The New York Yankees' 2012 A.L.D.S. Roster Predictions

This is what I would do if I was this man.

Pitchers:

Cody Eppley
Phil Hughes

Hiroki Kuroda

Boone Logan

Derek Lowe

Andy Pettitte

David Phelps

Clay Rapada

David Robertson

C.C. Sabathia

Rafael Soriano

Catchers:

Russell Martin

Chris Stewart

Infielders:

Robinson Cano

Eric Chavez

Derek Jeter

Jayson Nix

Alex Rodriguez

Mark Teixeira

Outfielders:
Chris Dickerson

Brett Gardner

Curtis Granderson
Raul Ibanez

Ichiro Suzuki

Nick Swisher

How to End the N.H.L. Lockout

Before you read this I want you to know that I'm siding with Gary Bettman and the N.H.L.

To quote the great Yogi Berra "It's deja vu all over again". To prevent the length of this lockout from being "deja vu all over again", I've decided to end the N.H.L. lockout. I believe that the issues are hockey-related revenues, revenue sharing, the length of the new C.B.A., player contract length, and escrow payment. I'd give the players 50% of hockey-related revenues. I'd make teams pay $200,000,000 into revenue sharing. I'd make the length of the new C.B.A. five years with a mutual option for a sixth year. I'd make it so no G.M. could offer a contract for more than six years. I'd abolish the escrow account that a certain percentage of the players' salaries go into.

Why Sabermetrics is Wrong

I have absolutely no respect for these two men.

I've seen Moneyball many times, and it was a great movie, but the idea that Sabermetrics is great is so wrong, that I had to blog about how Sabermetrics is ruining baseball. Let me start this off by giving you a brief synopsis of Moneyball, it's about the 2002 Oakland Athletics and Billy Beane being able to get low cost players who got overlooked. One think I've always found amusing is that the Athletics didn't have the lowest payroll in the M.L.B. even though the movie would give you that assumption. The movie also focuses heavily on Chad Bradford, David Justice, and Scott Hatteberg. Now while they did well that year, they were not the reason the Athletics made the playoffs. The reason the Athletics made the playoffs was due to the superior play of Barry Zito, Eric Chavez, Mark Ellis, Mark Mulder, Miguel Tejada, and Tim Hudson, and they're not mentioned in the movie once. This is not a criticism of the movie, this is a criticism of every Sabermetric supporter in the world. One thing that gets lost is that due to Sabermetrics, the Athletics traded Carlos Pena to let Hatteberg play. Now while Pena is hitting 30 home runs a year, Hatteberg is out of baseball. Another thing that gets lost is that under Beane, the Athletics have only won one playoff series. I know the Athletics are doing well this year, but mark my words, they're going to do awfully in the playoffs assuming they get there. The 2004 and 2007 Boston Red Sox supposedly won World Series using Sabermetrics. This is wrong. Now while they did use a little bit of Sabermetrics, the reason they won was due to the superior play of Curt Schilling, Dustin Pedroia, Jason Varitek, Johnny Damon, Jonathan Papelbon, Josh Beckett, Kevin Youkilis, Manny Ramirez, Mike Lowell, and Pedro Martinez. Now thanks to Sabermetrics, we have people worrying about a bunch of useless stats such as B.A.B.I.P., C.E.R.A., F.I.P., U.Z.R., W.A.R., w.O.B.A., and x.F.I.P. And who do we have to thank for this? You guessed it, Bill James. One thing that I hate about James is that when he published his first book in 1977, he was working as a security guard at the Stokely-Van Camp pork and beans cannery and had no prior baseball experience. That's right, James was trying to revolutionize a game he had never even played. James is so stupid, he supports the closer by committee approach. One other thing I hate about James is the effect he had on the M.L.B. Draft. He hates kids being picked out of high school and because of this, the Athletics have been a bad drafting team since Beane embraced Sabermetrics. It's only fitting that James has been working for the Red Sox for nine years.
In conclusion, James and Beane are two glory hogs who have ruined baseball!

2012 N.B.A. Mock Draft

Let's go:

1. New Orleans - Anthony Davis P.F. Kentucky
2. Charlotte - Michael Kidd-Gilchrist S.F. Kentucky
3. Washington - Bradley Beal S.G. Florida
4. Cleveland - Thomas Robinson P.F. Kansas
5. Sacramento - Andre Drummond Center UConn
6. Portland - Harrison Barnes S.F. U.N.C.
7. Golden State - Dion Waiters S.G. Syracuse
8. Toronto - Terrence Ross S.G. Washington
9. Detroit - John Henson P.F. U.N.C.
10. New Orleans - Damian Lillard P.G. Weber State University
11. Portland - Meyers Leonard Center Illinois
12. Houston - Jeremy Lamb S.G. UConn
13. Phoenix - Terrence Jones P.F. Kentucky
14. Milwaukee - Jared Sullinger P.F. O.S.U.
15. Philadelphia - Perry Jones III P.F. Baylor
16. Houston - Kendall Marshall P.G. U.N.C.
17. Dallas - Austin Rivers S.G. Duke
18. Houston - Tyler Zeller Center U.N.C.
19. Orlando - Royce White S.F. I.S.U.
20. Denver - Arnett Moultrie P.F. Mississippi State University
21. Boston - Quincy Miller S.F. Baylor
22. Boston - Andrew Nicholson P.F. St. Bonaventure
23. Atlanta - Marquis Teague P.G. Kentucky
24. Cleveland - Draymond Green S.F. M.S.U.
25. Memphis - Tony Wroten Jr. P.G. Washington
26. Indiana - Moe Harkless S.F. St. John's
27. Miami - Fab Melo Center Syracuse
28. Oklahoma City - Jeff Taylor S.F. Vanderbilt
29. Chicago - Festus Ezeli Center Vanderbilt
30. Golden State - Tyshawn Taylor P.G. Kansas
31. Charlotte - Will Barton S.G. Memphis
32. Washington - Furkan Aldemir P.F. Turkey
33. Cleveland - Evan Fournier S.G. France
34. Cleveland - Kyle O'Quinn Center N.S.U.
35. Golden State - Robbie Hummel S.F. Purdue
36. Sacramento - Scott Machado P.G. Iona
37. Toronto - Kevin Murphy S.F. Tennessee Tech
38. Denver - Doron Lamb S.G. Kentucky
39. Detroit - Jared Cunningham S.G. Oregon State University
40. Portland - Mike Scott P.F. Virginia
41. Portland - John Jenkins S.G. Vanderbilt
42. Milwaukee - Jae Crowder S.F. Marquette
43. Atlanta - Kim English S.G. Missouri
44. Detroit - Khris Middleton S.F. Texas A&M
45. Philadelphia - Hollis Thompson S.F. Georgetown
46. New Orleans - Darius Miller S.F. Kentucky
47. Utah - Orlando Johnson S.G. U.C.S.B.
48. New York - Miles Plumlee P.F. Duke
49. Orlando - Henry Sims Center Georgetown
50. Denver - Kostas Papanikolaou S.F. Greece
51. Boston - Terrell Stoglin S.G. Maryland
52. Golden State - Kevin Jones P.F. W.V.U.
53. L.A.C. - Tornike Shengelia S.F. Georgia (country)
54. Philadelphia - Garrett Stutz Center Wichita State University
55. Dallas - Quincy Acy S.F. Baylor
56. Toronto - Drew Gordon P.F. New Mexico
57. Brooklyn - Robert Sacre Center Gonzaga
58. Minnesota - Tomas Satoransky S.G. Czech Republic
59. San Antonio - Eric Griffin P.F. Campbell
60. L.A.L. - J'Covan Brown P.G. Texas

The Brooklyn Nets' 2012 Offseason Plan

This is what I would do if I was this man.

1. Get rid of the following players: Johnson and Stevenson... There's no room for Johnson. Stevenson sucks. The players that I didn't mention did a good job and deserve to stay.
2. Trade Kris Humphries, Damion James, Brook Lopez, Anthony Morrow, and Johan Petro to the Orlando Magic for Dwight Howard... Howard has said he'll go to the Nets, and when one of the best players in the N.B.A. says he'll go to your team, you make it happen.
3. Draft William Buford... With Morrow going to Orlando, the Nets are going to need a backup shooting guard. Buford will make Nets fans forget about Morrow.
4. Sign Tim Duncan... With a front court of Howard and Duncan, there's no way the Nets can't go to the Eastern Conference Finals.
5. Sign J.J. Hickson... Why the Kings got rid of him is a mystery to me.

2012 N.H.L. Mock Draft

Let's do this:

1. Edmonton - Nail Yakupov R.W. O.H.L.
2. Columbus - Teuvo Teravainen L.W. Fin.-Jr.
3. Montreal - Filip Forsberg Center Swe.-2
4. N.Y.I. - Mikhail Grigorenko Center Q.M.J.H.L.
5. Toronto - Alex Galchenyuk Center O.H.L.
6. Anaheim - Ryan Murray Defenseman W.H.L.
7. Minnesota - Mathew Dumba Defenseman W.H.L.
8. Carolina - Cody Ceci Defenseman O.H.L.
9. Winnipeg - Griffin Reinhart Defenseman W.H.L.
10. Tampa Bay - Morgan Rielly Defenseman W.H.L.
11. Washington - Radek Faksa Center O.H.L.
12. Buffalo - Zemgus Girgensons Center U.S.H.L.
13. Dallas - Brendan Gaunce Center O.H.L.
14. Calgary - Hampus Lindholm Defenseman Swe.-Jr.
15. Ottawa - Olli Maatta Defenseman O.H.L.
16. Washington - Ludvik Bystrom Defenseman Swe.-Jr.
17. San Jose - Jacob Trouba Defenseman U.S.H.L.
18. Chicago - Sebastian Collberg R.W. Swe.-Jr.
19. Tampa Bay - Tomas Hertl Center Czech Republic
20. Philadelphia - Brady Skjei Defenseman U.S.H.L.
21. Buffalo - Pontus Aberg L.W. Sweden
22. Pittsburgh - Stefan Matteau Center U.S.H.L.
23. Florida - Derrick Pouliot Defenseman W.H.L.
24. Boston - Matthew Finn Defenseman O.H.L.
25. St. Louis - Thomas Wilson R.W. O.H.L.
26. Vancouver - Michael Matheson Defenseman U.S.H.L.
27. Phoenix - Nicolas Kerdiles L.W. U.S.H.L.
28. N.Y.R. - Scott Laughton Center O.H.L.
29. New Jersey - Andrei Vasilevski Goalie Rus.-Jr.
30. Los Angeles - Colton Sissons Center W.H.L.

The New York Islanders' 2012 Offseason Plan

If there's an N.H.L. season, this is what I would do if I was this man.

1. Get rid of the following players: Eaton, Gillies, Grahame, Jurcina, Montoya, and Pandolfo... I hate Eaton. Gillies didn't make an impact on the Islanders. Grahame was just a filler. Jurcina and Montoya sucked this year. Pandolfo didn't make an impact on the Islanders. The players that I didn't mention did a good job and deserve to stay.
2. Buy out Dipietro... I know it's a lot of money, but Dipietro's almost always hurt, and when he's healthy, he sucks.
3. Draft Teuvo Teravainen... The Islanders have shaky left wing depth. We have Bailey, a born center playing there. We also have Niederreiter who in 55 games, only scored one point. Now even though I think that Bailey's a better left winger than a center and the fact that I'd give Niederreiter another year doesn't change the fact that the Islanders' left wing depth could use some stabilizing and I think that Teravainen could do just that.
4. Trade Travis Hamonic to the Boston Bruins for Andrew Ference... I hate Hamonic. People anointed him as the next great Islander defenseman but all he does is gets into fights. We have Matt Martin for that. Ference is a good defenseman who doesn't get into fights so I think he'd be a good Islander.
5. Sign Shane Doan... I think that the Islanders need a superstar to become a playoff team. The Islanders also need a right winger. Signing Doan fills both needs.

How to End the N.F.L's Referees' Lockout

Before you read this I want you to know that I'm siding with Scott Green and the N.F.L.R.A.

To celebrate my mom's birthday, I've decided to put an end to the N.F.L.'s referees' lockout. I believe that the issues are the referees' salaries and whether the referees are full time workers or not. I'd give each referee a 100% pay raise. I'd set up a school where N.F.L. referees could go and be given refreshers on film study, the rules, staying fit, and player safety, and for every hour that referees spent there, they'd be given $1,000.00.

2012 M.L.B. Mock Draft

Here goes nothing:

1. Houston - Mike Zunino Catcher Florida
2. Minnesota - Max Fried L.H.P. Harvard-Westlake High School (California)
3. Seattle - Byron Buxton OF. Appling High School (Georgia)
4. Baltimore - Andrew Heaney L.H.P. Oklahoma State University
5. Kansas City - Albert Almora OF. Mater Academy Charter (Florida)
6. C.H.C. - Courtney Hawkins OF. Carroll High School (Texas)
7. San Diego - Carlos Correa SS. Puerto Rico Baseball Academy (Puerto Rico)
8. Pittsburgh - Deven Marrero SS. A.S.U.
9. Miami - Mark Appel R.H.P. Stanford
10. Colorado - Kevin Gausman R.H.P. L.S.U.
11. Oakland - Richie Shaffer 3B. Clemson
12. N.Y.M. - Stephen Piscotty 3B. Stanford
13. C.W.S. - David Dahl OF. Oak Mountain High School (Alabama)
14. Cincinnati - Stryker Trahan Catcher Acadiana High School (Louisiana)
15. Cleveland - Gavin Cecchini SS. Barbe High School (Louisiana)
16. Washington - Addison Russell SS. Pace High School (Florida)
17. Toronto - Corey Seager SS. Northwest Carrabus High School (North Carolina)
18. L.A.D. - Joey Gallo 3B. Bishop Gorman High School (Nevada)
19. St. Louis - Hunter Virant L.H.P. Camarillo High School (California)
20. San Francisco - Brian Johnson L.H.P. Florida
21. Atlanta - Matt Smoral L.H.P. Solon High School (Ohio)
22. Toronto - Kyle Zimmer R.H.P U.S.F.
23. St. Louis - Carson Kelly 3B. Westview High School (Oregon)
24. Boston - Luc Giolito R.H.P. Harvard-Westlake High School (California)
25. Tampa Bay - Clint Coulter Catcher Union High School (Washington)
26. Arizona - Zach Eflin R.H.P. Hagerty High School (Florida)
27. Milwaukee - Jeff Galalich OF. U.C.L.A.
28. Milwaukee - Tanner Rahier SS. Palm Desert High School (California)
29. Texas - Mitch Gueller OF. W.F. West High School (Washington)
30. N.Y.Y. - Daniel Robertson SS. Upland High School (California)
31. Boston - Wyatt Mathisen Catcher Calallen High School (Texas)

2011-12 N.H.L. Award Predictions

Let's do this:
Calder Memorial Trophy - Gabriel Landeskog Colorado
Hart Memorial Trophy - Steven Stamkos Tampa Bay
Jack Adams Award - Ken Hitchcock St. Louis
James Norris Memorial Trophy - Erik Karlsson Ottawa
N.H.L. General Manager of the Year Award - Dale Tallon Florida
Vezina Trophy - Jonathan Quick Los Angeles

2012 Hockey Hall of Fame Predictions

Let's do this:
Adam Oates
Joe Sakic
Brendan Shanahan
Mats Sundin

2011-12 N.B.A. Award Predictions

Let's go:
N.B.A. Coach of the Year - Tom Thibodeau Chicago
N.B.A. Executive of the Year - Larry Bird Indiana
N.B.A. M.V.P. - Kobe Bryant L.A.L.
N.B.A. R.O.Y. - Ricky Rubio Minnesota

2012 N.B.A. Playoff Predictions

I don't know why I didn't do this last year:
Conference Quarterfinals:
Chicago over Philadelphia in 4
Boston over Atlanta in 6
Orlando over Indiana in 7
Miami over New York in 5
San Antonio over Utah in 5
L.A.C. over Memphis in 6
Denver over L.A.L. in 6
Oklahoma City over Dallas in 6

Conference Semifinals:
Chicago over Boston in 6
Miami over Orlando in 5
Los Angeles over San Antonio in 7
Oklahoma City over Denver in 5

Conference Finals:
Miami over Chicago in 7
Oklahoma over Los Angeles in 6

N.B.A. Finals:
Miami over Oklahoma City in 7

2012 N.F.L. Mock Draft

Here we go:

1. Indianapolis - Andrew Luck QB. Stanford
2. Washington - Robert Griffin III QB. Baylor
3. Cleveland - Matt Kalil O.T. U.S.C.
4. Minnesota - Trent Richardson R.B. Alabama
5. Tampa Bay - Morris Claiborne CB. L.S.U.
6. St. Louis - Justin Blackmon W.R. Oklahoma State University
7. Jacksonville - Melvin Ingram D.E. South Carolina
8. Miami - Brandon Weeden QB. Oklahoma State University
9. Carolina - Fletcher Cox D.T. Mississippi State University
10. Buffalo - Riley Reiff O.T. Iowa
11. Kansas City - Michael Brockers D.T. L.S.U.
12. Seattle - Quinton Coples D.E. U.N.C.
13. Arizona - Michael Floyd W.R. Notre Dame
14. Dallas - David DeCastro O.G. Stanford
15. Philadelphia - Shea McClellin O.L.B. B.S.U.
16. N.Y.J. - Mark Barron Safety Alabama
17. Cincinnati - Stephen Hill W.R. G.T.
18. San Diego - Stephon Gilmore CB. South Carolina
19. Chicago - Cordy Glenn O.T. Georgia
20. Tennessee - Dre Kirkpatrick CB. Alabama
21. Cincinnati - Chandler Jones D.E. Syracuse
22. Cleveland - Doug Martin R.B. B.S.U.
23. Detroit - Jonathan Martin O.T. Stanford
24. Pittsburgh - Kevin Zeitler O.G. Wisconsin
25. Denver - Dontari Poe D.T. Memphis
26. Houston - Kendall Wright W.R. Baylor
27. New England - Lavonte David O.L.B. Nebraska
28. Green Bay - Harrison Smith Safety Notre Dame
29. Baltimore - Jerel Worthy D.T. M.S.U.
30. San Francisco - Luke Kuechly I.L.B. B.C.
31. New England - Peter Konz Center Wisconsin
32. N.Y.G. - Mike Adams O.T. O.S.U.

2012 N.H.L. Playoff Predictions

I don't know why I didn't do this last year:
Conference Quarterfinals:
New York over Ottawa in 6
Boston over Washington in 4
New Jersey over Florida in 6
Philadelphia over Pittsburgh in 7
Vancouver over Los Angeles in 5
San Jose over St. Louis in 7
Chicago over Phoenix in 6
Detroit over Nashville in 6

Conference Semifinals:
New York over New Jersey in 6
Philadelphia over Boston in 6
Vancouver over San Jose in 5
Detroit over Chicago in 6

Conference Finals:
Philadelphia over New York in 7
Vancouver over Detroit in 6

Stanley Cup Finals:
Philadelphia over Vancouver in 6

2012 Basketball Hall of Fame Predictions

Let's go:
Dick Bavetta
Spencer Haywood
Don Nelson

The New York Jets' 2012 Offseason Plan

This is what I would do if I was this man.

1. Put the franchise tag on Leonhard... Leonhard's good when healthy and Ryan really likes him, and with all the locker room dysfunction going on with the Jets, you can't get rid of one of Ryan's favorite players. That being said, Leonhard's been placed on I.R. the past two years now, so that's why I'd only tag him.
2. Get rid of the following players: Brunell, Burress, Ducasse, Folk, Hunter, Mulligan, O'Connell, Pool, Smith, Strickland, Thomas, and Tomlinson... Brunell didn't make an impact for the Jets. There's no room for Burress. Ducasse, Folk, and Hunter suck. Mulligan and O'Connell didn't make an impact on the Jets. Pool failed miserably when Leonhard went down. Smith sucks. Strickland and Thomas didn't make an impact on the Jets. Tomlinson publicly blasted the Jets. The players that I didn't mention did a good job and deserve to stay.
3. Name Johnny Nansen the special teams coordinator... Westhoff's going to retire this year so we'll need a new special teams coordinator. The Washington Huskies were the best special teams team in the N.C.A.A. this year and Nansen's the man responsible, so I'd bring him in.
4. Sign Connor Barth... The Jets haven't had a reliable kicker in a long time and Barth is that.
5. Sign Ahmad Brooks... I think Aaron Maybin can be a starting outside linebacker in the near future, but I don't think he can be one now. That's why I would sign Brooks and only have Maybin play first and second downs.
6. Sign Jared Gaither... Even though Gaither's injury prone, he'd still be good to bring in, and besides, anyone's better than Hunter.
7. Sign Josh Johnson... Unlike most people, I have complete and utter faith in Mark Sanchez. However, I do think Sanchez needs some competition and we need a new backup quarterback anyway, and I think Johnson is exactly what we need.
8. Draft Mark Barron... Barron is by far the best safety available in the draft this year. If the Jets draft Barron he could learn from a veteran safety in Leonhard and he'd have the opportunity to start right away.

2011-12 N.F.L. Award Predictions

If only I had started this blog a little earlier, then I would've been able to do this for last year:
N.F.L. Coach of the Year - Jim Harbaugh San Francisco
N.F.L. Defensive Player of the Year - Jared Allen Minnesota
N.F.L. Defensive Rookie of the Year - Richard Sherman Seattle
N.F.L. M.V.P. - Drew Brees New Orleans
N.F.L. Offensive Player of the Year - Maurice Jones-Drew Jacksonville
N.F.L. Offensive Rookie of the Year - Cam Newton Carolina

2012 Pro Football Hall of Fame Predictions

Here we go:
Jerome Bettis
Tim Brown
Cris Carter
Kevin Greene
Curtis Martin
Andre Reed
Aeneas Williams

2012 N.F.L. Playoff Predictions

This is going to be tough since the Jets aren't in it, but I'll do it for you:
Wild Card playoffs:
Cincinnati over Houston
New Orleans over Detroit
Atlanta over N.Y.G.
Denver over Pittsburgh

Divisional playoffs:
New Orleans over San Francisco
New England over Cincinnati
Baltimore over Denver
Green Bay over Atlanta

Conference championships:
Baltimore over New England
Green Bay over New Orleans

Super Bowl XLVI:
Green Bay over Baltimore

2012 Baseball Hall of Fame Predictions

If only I had started this blog a little earlier, then I would've been able to do this for last year:
Jeff Bagwell
Fred McGriff
Mark McGwire
Jack Morris
Rafael Palmeiro
Tim Raines
Lee Smith

A College Football Playoff Idea

This is the worst thing to happen in sports since the College of Coaches.

If you know me you know that I hate the B.C.S., which is why I decided to share my idea for a playoff in college football. Only the conference winners would make the playoffs (I'd count the independent schools as a conference). Seeding would be based on the overall record of the teams. The tiebreakers would be their conference record, their head-to-head record, their record against common opponents, their record against ranked teams, their average in their national rankings in passing yards, rushing yards, points for, and points against, and then a coin toss. The top four teams would get byes. Once the "Teriffic 12" would go down to eight, there would then be a reseeding. The playoff tree would then be devised normally.

The New York Yankees' 2011-12 Offseason Plan

If there's an M.L.B. season, this is what I would do if I was this man.

1. Get rid of the following players: Ayala, Chamberlain, Chavez, Colon, Garcia, Martin, Mitre, and Posada... There's no room for Ayala. I hate Chamberlain. Chavez is going to retire.  There's no room for Colon or Garcia. Martin sucks. Mitre may be the worst pitcher in baseball history. Posada's old. The players that I didn't mention did a good job and deserve to stay.
2. Fire Rob Thomson and name Brian Butterfield the third base coach... Thomson never holds baserunners. He's like Tim Bogar for God's sake. The Toronto Blue Jays were sixth in runs last year, and the man responsible for that was Butterfield. He's available and the Yankees should get him.
3. Exercise the option on Cano... I know it's a lot of money, but Cano's the best second baseman in baseball today, so you can't risk having him leave.
4. Trade A.J. Burnett, Eduardo Nunez, and Rafael Soriano to the St. Louis Cardinals for Kyle Lohse and Mitchell Boggs... Burnett for Lohse is a bad contract swap. The Yankees needed a good 7th inning guy all last year and Boggs is that. That being said the Cardinals won't go for Burnett and Soriano for Lohse and Boggs, so that's why I'd include Nunez.
5. Sign Jamey Carroll... With Nunez gone, the Yankees will need a utility infielder, and Carroll's the best one available.
6. Sign Ryan Doumit... The Yankees need a stopgap for a year so Cervelli can take over two years from now, and Doumit can be the stopgap.
7. Sign Javier Lopez... The Yankees have needed a second lefty for a long time, and Lopez is the best one available.
8. Sign Erik Kratz to a minor league contract... I'd sign Kratz to backup Montero.
9. Sign Rodrigo Lopez... Even though Lopez had a bad year last year, I think he can rebound nicely.
10. Sign C.J. Wilson... The Yankees needed a front line starter all last year and Wilson is that.

2011 M.L.B. Award Predictions

I've waited for this all year, so here goes nothing:
A.L. Cy Young Award - Justin Verlander Detroit
A.L. Manager of the Year - Joe Maddon Tampa Bay
A.L. M.V.P. - Curtis Granderson N.Y.Y.
A.L. R.O.Y. - Mark Trumbo L.A.A.
N.L. Cy Young Award - Clayton Kershaw L.A.D.
N.L. Manager of the Year - Kirk Gibson Arizona
N.L. M.V.P. - Prince Fielder Milwaukee
N.L. R.O.Y. - Craig Kimbrel Atlanta

The New York Yankees' 2011 A.L.D.S. Roster Predictions

This is what I would do if I was this man.

Pitchers:

Luis Ayala
Bartolo Colon
Freddy Garcia
Boone Logan
Ivan Nova
Mariano Rivera
David Robertson
C.C. Sabathia
Rafael Soriano
Raul Valdes
Cory Wade

Catchers:
Russell Martin
Jesus Montero
Jorge Posada

Infielders:
Robinson Cano
Eric Chavez
Derek Jeter
Eduardo Nunez
Alex Rodriguez
Mark Teixeira

Outfielders:
Chris Dickerson
Brett Gardner
Curtis Granderson
Andruw Jones
Nick Swisher

Note: I won't do this for the A.L.C.S. or the World Series because those rosters will be almost the same.

How to End the N.B.A. Lockout



Before you read this I want you to know that I'm siding with David Stern and the N.B.A.

Alright, alright, I'll put an end to the N.B.A. lockout. I believe that the issues are B.R.I., maximum salaries, revenue sharing, and the salary cap. I'd give the players 50% of the B.R.I. I'd make it so no G.M. could offer a contract for more than $120,000,000 and for more than six years. I'd institute a revenue sharing program similar to the $100,000,000 one that the N.F.L. had. I absolutely hate the soft salary cap. It's so complicated that E.S.P.N. had to put up a special tool for people to see if trades would work, so that's why I'd institute a hard salary cap at $120,000,000.

2011 N.H.L. Mock Draft

Let's do this:

1. Edmonton - Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Center W.H.L.
2. Colorado - Gabriel Landeskog L.W. O.H.L.
3. Florida - Sean Couturier Center Q.M.J.H.L.
4. New Jersey - John Gibson Goalie U.S.H.L.
5. N.Y.I. - Sven Baertschi L.W. W.H.L.
6. Ottawa - Jonathan Huberdeau Center Q.M.J.H.L.
7. Winnipeg - Joel Armia R.W. Finland
8. Philadelphia - Adam Larsson Defenseman S.E.L.
9. Boston - Jonas Brodin Defenseman S.E.L.
10. Minnesota - Mika Zibanejad Center Swe.-Jr.
11. Colorado - Dmitri Jaskin R.W. Cz.Rep.-Jr.
12. Carolina - Dougie Hamilton Defenseman O.H.L.
13. Calgary - Nathan Beaulieu Defenseman Q.M.J.H.L.
14. Dallas - Oscar Klefbom Defenseman Swiss-Jr. 2
15. N.Y.R. - Samu Perhonen Goalie Finland-Jr.
16. Buffalo - Ryan Strome Center O.H.L.
17. Montreal - Ryan Murphy Defenseman O.H.L.
18. Chicago - Magnus Hellberg Goalie Sweden-2
19. Edmonton - Duncan Siemens Defenseman W.H.L.
20. Phoenix - Miikaa Salomaki R.W. F.N.L.
21. Ottawa - Max Friberg L.W. Sweden-3
22. Anaheim - Rasmus Bengtsson Defenseman Sweden-2
23. Pittsburgh - Joe Morrow Defenseman W.H.L.
24. Detroit - Nikita Kucherov L.W. Russia-Jr.
25. Toronto - Ty Rattie R.W. W.H.L.
26. Washington - Joachim Nermark Center Swe. Div. 1/Jr.
27. Tampa Bay - Jamieson Oleksiak Defenseman N.C.A.A.
28. San Jose - Markus Granlund Center Finland-Jr.
29. Vancouver - Klas Dahlbeck Defenseman Sweden
30. Toronto - Brandon Saad L.W. O.H.L.

2011 N.B.A. Mock Draft

All my N.B.A. mock drafts will be full ones, so let's go:

1. Cleveland - Derrick Williams P.F. Arizona
2. Minnesota - Jan Vesely S.F. Czech Republic
3. Utah - Kawhi Leonard S.F. S.D.S.U.
4. Cleveland - Klay Thompson S.G. W.S.U.
5. Toronto - Enes Kanter Center Turkey
6. Washington - Chris Singleton S.F. F.S.U.
7. Sacramento - Jordan Hamilton S.F. Texas
8. Detroit - Jonas Valanciunas Center Lithuania
9. Charlotte - Kyrie Irving P.G. Duke
10. Milwaukee - Brandon Knight P.G. Kentucky
11. Golden State - Kemba Walker P.G. UConn
12. Utah - Alec Burks S.G. Colorado
13. Phoenix - Marshon Brooks S.G. Providence
14. Houston - Nikola Vucevic Center U.S.C.
15. Indiana - Tristan Thompson P.F. Texas
16. Philadelphia - Nikola Mirotic S.F. Serbia
17. New York - Bismack Biyombo P.F. Congo
18. Washington - Jimmer Fredette P.G. B.Y.U.
19. Charlotte - Tyler Honeycutt S.F. U.C.L.A.
20. Minnesota - Tobias Harris P.F. Tennessee
21. Portland - Kenneth Faried P.F. Morehead State University
22. Denver - Marcus Morris P.F. Kansas
23. Houston - Jimmy Butler S.F. Marquette
24. Oklahoma City - Davis Bertans S.F. Latvia
25. Boston - Markieff Morris P.F. Kansas
26. Dallas - Kyle Singler S.F. Duke
27. New Jersey - Justin Harper P.F. Richmond
28. Chicago - Chandler Parsons S.F. Florida
29. San Antonio - Donatas Motiejunas P.F. Lithuania
30. Chicago - Nolan Smith S.G. Duke
31. Miami - Norris Cole P.G. Cleveland State University
32. Cleveland - Iman Shumpert P.G. G.T.
33. Detroit - JaJuan Johnson P.F. Purdue
34. Washington - Travis Leslie S.G. Georgia
35. Sacramento - E'Twaun Moore S.G. Purdue
36. New Jersey - Bojan Bogdanovic S.F. Bosnia
37. L.A.C. - Reggie Jackson P.G. B.C.
38. Houston - Malcolm Lee P.G. U.C.L.A.
39. Charlotte - Greg Smith Center Fresno State University
40. Milwaukee - Scotty Hopson S.G. Tennessee
41. L.A.L. - Josh Selby P.G. Kansas
42. Indiana - Jordan Williams Center Maryland
43. Chicago - Jon Leuer P.F. Wisconsin
44. Golden State - Keith Benson Center Oakland
45. New Orleans - Jeremy Tyler P.F. Japan
46. L.A.L. - Jamie Skeen P.F. V.C.U.
47. L.A.C. - Jamine Peterson S.F. N.B.D.L.
48. Atlanta - Giorgi Shermadini Center Georgia (country)
49. Memphis - Willie Reed P.F. St. Louis
50. Philadelphia - Andrew Goudelock S.G. C. of C.
51. Portland - Darius Morris P.G. Michigan
52. Detroit - Jereme Richmond S.F. Illinois
53. Orlando - DeAndre Liggins S.G. Kentucky
54. Cleveland - Damian Saunders S.F. Duquesne
55. Boston - Charles Jenkins P.G. Hofstra
56. L.A.L. - David Lighty S.G. O.S.U.
57. Dallas - Jon Diebler S.G. O.S.U.
58. L.A.L. - Justin Holiday S.F. Washington
59. San Antonio - Shelvin Mack P.G. Butler
60. Sacramento - Isaiah Thomas P.G. Washington

The New York Islanders' 2011 Offseason Plan

This is what I would do if I was this man.

1. Get rid of the following players... Hillen, Joel Martin, Lawson, Martinek, and Nabokov... There's no room for Hillen. Martin's a career minor leaguer. Lawson sucks. Martinek's never healthy. Nabokov doesn't want to be an Islander. The players that I didn't mention did a good job and deserve to stay.
2. Buy out DiPietro, Eaton, and Hunter... I know it's a lot of money, but DiPietro's never healthy. Eaton is just plain awful. Hunter's never healthy.
3. Trade Josh Bailey, Travis Hamonic, and our 2011 and 2012 first round picks to the Colorado Avalanche for their 2011 first round pick and use that pick to draft Gabriel Landeskog... The Islanders don't have good left wing depth, and Landeskog's going to become a great player, so that's why I'd draft him.
4. Sign Andre Benoit to a two way deal... I'd sign Benoit to backup Wishart.
5. Sign Alexandre Giroux to a two way deal... I'd sign Giroux to backup Landeskog.
6. Sign Ben Walter to a two way deal... I'd sign Walter to backup Haley.

2010-11 N.H.L. Award Predictions

Let's do this:
Calder Memorial Trophy - Jeff Skinner Carolina
Hart Memorial Trophy - Corey Perry Anaheim
Jack Adams Award - Dan Bylsma Pittsburgh
James Norris Memorial Trophy - Nicklas Lidstrom Detroit
N.H.L. General Manager of the Year Award - Mike Gillis Vancouver
Vezina Trophy - Tim Thomas Boston

The New Jersey Nets' 2011 Offseason Plan

If there's an N.B.A. season, this is what I would do if I was this man.

1. Get rid of the following players: Gadzuric, Uzoh, West, and Wright... Gadzuric didn't make an impact on the Nets. I'm a huge Ben Uzoh fan and I think that he'll be a very good player for years to come, but there's no room for him. The other players just didn't make an impact on the Nets. The players that I didn't mention did a good job and deserve to stay.
2. Trade the Miami Heat's 2012 second round draft pick and our 2013 second round draft pick to the Detroit Pistons for Richard Hamilton... Hamilton has said he wants out of Detroit and the Pistons have shown that they'll comply, so I think that for a couple of draft picks, they'll get rid of Hamilton.
3. Trade Kris Humphries, Damion James, Anthony Morrow, Travis Outlaw, and Johan Petro to the Orlando Magic for Dwight Howard... Howard has said he'll go to the Nets, and when one of the best players in the N.B.A. says he'll go to your team, you make it happen.
4. With the 27th overall pick in the draft, draft Nikola Mirotic... the Nets had horrible depth at the small forward position, heck, at the end of the year we had guards starting there. The Nets need good depth there and Mirotic will provide it.
5. With the 36th overall pick in the draft, draft JaJuan Johnson... with the Nets getting rid of Wright, they're going to need a backup power forward, and at the 36th overall pick, Johnson's the best one available.
6. Sign Samuel Dalembert... The New Jersey Nets lacked a good backup center all of last year. We tried the Johan Petro experiment and it failed miserably. Dalembert's the best backup center available, so he can give Lopez some rest.
7. Sign Tayshaun Prince... Like I said, the Nets had horrible depth at the small forward position. Prince has been very good in Detroit, so I think that he can transfer that success to New Jersey.

Note: all two team trades that I'll post will be approved by this site's trade analyzers: http://www.fantasysp.com/.

2011 M.L.B. Mock Draft

I can't believe I'm about to attempt an M.L.B. mock draft, but here goes nothing:

1. Pittsburgh - Gerritt Cole R.H.P. U.C.L.A.
2. Seattle - Anthony Rendon 3B. Rice
3. Arizona - Danny Hultzen L.H.P. Virginia
4. Baltimore - Bubba Starling OF. Gardner Edgerton High School (Kansas)
5. Kansas City - Dylan Bundy R.H.P. Owasso High School (Oklahoma)
6. Washington - Jed Bradley L.H.P. G.T.
7. Arizona - Blake Swihart Catcher V. Sue Cleveland High School (New Mexico)
8. Cleveland - Mikie Mahtook OF. L.S.U.
9. C.W.S. - Alex Meyer R.H.P. Kentucky
10. San Diego - Francisco Lindor SS. Montverde Academy (Florida)
11. Houston - Trevor Bauer R.H.P. U.C.L.A.
12. Milwaukee - George Springer OF. UConn
13. N.Y.M. - Taylor Jungmann R.H.P. Texas
14. Florida - Matt Barnes R.H.P. UConn
15. Milwaukee - Javier Baez SS. Arlington Country Day School (Florida)
16. L.A.D. -  Levi Michael SS. U.N.C.
17. L.A.A. - Josh Bell OF. Jesuit Prep. (Texas)
18. Oakland - Archie Bradley R.H.P. Broken Arrow Senior High (Oklahoma)
19. Boston - Andrew Susac Catcher Oregon State University
20. Colorado - Brian Goodwin OF. Miami Dade College
21. Toronto - Cory Spangenberg SS. Indian River College
22. St. Louis - Austin Hedges Catcher JSerra High School (California)
23. Washington - Jackie Bradley Jr. OF. South Carolina
24. Tampa Bay - Taylor Guerrieri R.H.P. Spring Valley High School (South Carolina)
25. San Diego - Henry Owens L.H.P. Edison High School (California)
26. Boston - Charles Tilson OF. New Trier High School (Illinois)
27. Cincinnati - Sonny Gray R.H.P. Vanderbilt
28. Atlanta - Tyler Goeddel OF. Saint Francis High School (California)
29. San Francisco - Dillon Howard R.H.P. Searcy High School (Arkansas)
30. Minnesota - Daniel Norris L.H.P. Science Hill High School (Tennessee)
31. Tampa Bay - Travis Harrison 3B. Tustin High School (California)
32. Tampa Bay - Nick Delmonico Catcher Farragut High School (Tennessee)
33. Texas - Anthony Meo R.H.P. C.C.U.

I also have the Yankees drafting Larry Greene with the 51st overall pick, an outfielder from Berrien County High School in Georgia.

2011 N.F.L. Mock Draft

This is my first attempt at a mock draft, so don't go crazy if you disagree:

1. Carolina - Marcell Dareus D.T. Alabama
2. Denver - Robert Quinn D.E. U.N.C.
3. Buffalo - Ryan Mallett QB. Arkansas
4. Cincinnati - A.J. Green W.R. Georgia
5. Arizona - Blaine Gabbert QB. Missouri
6. Cleveland - Julio Jones W.R. Alabama
7. San Francisco - Von Miller O.L.B. Texas A&M
8. Tennessee - Nick Fairley D.T. Auburn
9. Dallas - Patrick Peterson CB. L.S.U.
10. Washington - Tyron Smith O.T. U.S.C.
11. Houston - Corey Liuget D.T. Illinois
12. Minnesota - Prince Amukamara CB. Nebraska
13. Detroit - Jimmy Smith CB. Colorado
14. St. Louis - Mark Ingram R.B. Alabama
15. Miami - Jake Locker QB. Washington
16. Jacksonville - Aldon Smith D.E. Missouri
17. New England - J.J. Watt D.E. Wisconsin
18. San Diego - Da'Quan Bowers D.E. Clemson
19. N.Y.G. - Mike Pouncey Center Florida
20. Tampa Bay - Muhammad Wilkerson D.E. Temple
21. Kansas City - Randall Cobb W.R. Kentucky
22. Indianapolis - Anthony Castonzo O.T. B.C.
23. Philadelphia - Nate Solder O.T. Colorado
24. New Orleans - Cameron Jordan D.E. California
25. Seattle - Gabe Carimi O.T. Wisconsin
26. Baltimore - Aaron Williams CB. Texas
27. Atlanta - Ryan Kerrigan D.E. Purdue
28. New England - Akeem Ayers O.L.B. U.C.L.A.
29. Chicago - Derek Sherrod O.T. Mississippi State University
30. N.Y.J. - Adrian Clayborn D.E. Iowa
31. Pittsburgh - Ras-I Dowling CB. Virginia
32. Green Bay - Cameron Heyward D.E. O.S.U.

Note: all my mock drafts will be done by if I was the team's G.M., not by who I think they'll pick.

2010-11 N.B.A. Award Predictions

Let's go:
N.B.A. Coach of the Year - George Karl Denver
N.B.A. Executive of the Year - Pat Riley Miami
N.B.A. M.V.P. - Kevin Durant Oklahoma City
N.B.A. R.O.Y. - Blake Griffin L.A.C.

How to End the N.F.L. Lockout

Before you read this I want you to know that despite his bad taste in hats, I'm siding with Demaurice Smith and the N.F.L.P.A.

To celebrate my birthday, I've decided to put an end to the N.F.L. lockout. I believe that the issues are a rookie wage scale, an 18 game season, financial information, revenue sharing, and the salary cap. I like the idea of a rookie wage scale because I don't think that rookies are worth giving $60,000,000 contracts to, so I'd institute a rookie wage cap with the limit being $40,000,000. If the players really don't want an 18 game season, then don't make them have one. The owners aren't the ones putting their lives on the line every week. I would have a mutually agreed upon third-party view the last 10 years of the N.F.L.'s finances. I'd reinstate the $100,000,000 annual revenue-sharing program. In negotiating, you have to give to get, which is why if there's a rookie wage cap, I would put the salary cap at $140,000,000 and the floor at $120,000,000.

2011 Basketball Hall of Fame Predictions

Let's go:
Dick Bavetta
Cotton Fitzsimmons
Spencer Haywood
Don Nelson

The New York Jets' 2011 Offseason Plan

If there's an N.F.L. season, this is what I would do if I was this man.

1. Put the franchise tag on Harris (assuming it's still meaningful)... Harris is the heart and soul of the linebackers of the Jets, and you don't get rid of a guy that the Jets voted team M.V.P. That being said, Harris hasn't really made a big impact on the Jets, so that's why I'd only tag him.
2. Get rid of the following players: Clemens, Coleman, Cromartie, Edwards, Ellis, Folk, Gholston, Hartsock, Ihedigbo, Jenkins, Laury, O'Connell, Pryce, Richardson, Eric Smith, and Westerman... Clemens and Coleman didn't make an impact on the Jets. Cromartie sucks. Edwards has dropped too many passes. Ellis' production has gone down the past three years. Folk sucks. Gholston's shaping up to be mentioned in the same breath as Johnny Lam Jones and Blair Thomas: Jets' draft busts. Hartsock and Ihedigbo didn't make an impact on the Jets. Jenkins has been injured for the past two years, and Pouha did a great job this year. Laury and O'Connell didn't make an impact on the Jets. Pryce and Richardson are old. Smith and Westerman didn't make an impact on the Jets. The players that I didn't mention did a good job and deserve to stay.
3. Sign Jason Babin... With a line of Babin, Pouha and DeVito, there's no way the Jets can't win the Super Bowl.
4. Sign Richard Marshall... With the Jets' great pass rushing and now with a tandem of Revis and Marshall, it'll be impossible for any quarterback to have a good game against the Jets.
5. Sign Adam Vinatieri... The Jets have made it to the A.F.C. Title game back-to-back years, and both times they've lost. The Jets need a playoff closer, and who better than the best kicker ever, Adam Vinatieri? Let me answer that for you, no one!
6. Draft Randall Cobb... With Edwards leaving, the Jets are going to need another wide receiver, and I really like Cobb and I think he's going to be a great player.

Note: for all offseason plans, I won't take salary restrictions into account.

2011 Hockey Hall of Fame Predictions

Let's do this:
Dave Andreychuk
Ed Belfour
Doug Gilmour
Adam Oates

The New Jersey Nets' Backup Plan

He'll become a Net if Billy King proposes this.

Unfortunately, Carmelo isn't coming to New Jersey. However, the Nets can still get Nash if they propose this trade:
New Jersey will get Hamilton, Hill, Lopez, Nash, and Warrick. Phoenix will get Favors, Harris, Morrow, Outlaw, Ross, and two of New Jersey's first-round picks. Detroit will get Murphy and Petro. No need to fret fellow Net fans.

2011 Pro Football Hall of Fame Predictions

Here we go:
Jerome Bettis
Tim Brown
Cris Carter
Chris Doleman
Curtis Martin
Andre Reed
Deion Sanders

Why Brian Cashman Should be Fired

Let us pray that when you read this, this man will be out of a job.

I've been ripping Brian Cashman whenever I've gotten the chance now for a while, so since I've started blogging, I've decided to give the Steinbrenners some reasons to fire Cashman:

1. Not signing Mark Prior when the Yankees drafted him... Even though Prior became more injry prone then Nick Johnson, I still think that he would've gotten the Yankees over the hump in 2003 and 2004.
2. The Mike Lowell trade... In 1999, Cashman traded Lowell for Todd Noel, Mark Johnson, and Ed Yarnall. Now some of you may be saying we had Scott Brosius why keep Lowell, and my response to that is that you could have put Brosius at D.H. instead of a 39 year old Chili Davis and you could have put Lowell at third.
3. The whole Damaso Marte saga... For those of you who think that Marte was involved in only one trade with the Yankees let me tell you something, in 2001 Cashman traded Marte for Enrique Wilson. Now while Marte was becoming one of the best lefties in baseball, Wilson was wrapping up his career with the Yankees with a .216 average with 12 home runs and 69 R.B.I.s. But here's the best part, in 2008 Cashman traded Jose Tabata, Jeff Karstens, Ross Ohlendorf, and Daniel McCutchen to the Pirates for Marte and Xavier Nady. Now while Nady was good in his short time with the Yankees, Marte was signed to a three year deal worth $12,000,000. With that contract, he's pitched in only 76 games in three years with the Yankees and has a 6.02 E.R.A.
4. The Jeff Weaver trade... In 2002, Cashman traded Jason Arnold, John-Ford Griffin, and Ted Lilly for Weaver. Now while Arnold and Griffin did nothing in the majors, Lilly has become a very good pitcher while Weaver just plain sucked for us.
5. The Kevin Brown trade... it's not what the Yankees gave up for Brown that made this a bad trade, it's the fact that the Yankees wasted $31,428,572 dollars on him.
6. The whole Javier Vazquez saga... For those of you who were born after 2004 let me tell you something, Cashman traded Nick Johnson, Juan Rivera, and Randy Choate for a Puerto Rican playing in Canada, a.k.a. Vazquez. Now let me tell you something about the Yankees, they only care about one thing, beating the Red Sox. So when Vazquez gave up a home run to Johnny Damon on his first pitch in game seven of the 2004 A.L.C.S., Cashman could have packed Vazquez's bags right there, and he did. However, on 12/22/09 Cashman decided to bring Vazquez back. He proceeded to suck. Now since his sucking was so great, I'll only say one thing about it, he didn't even reach the playoffs.
7. Giving up on Jose Contreras... In 2003, Cashman gave the Cuban phenom Contreras a four year deal worth $32,000,000. And how many of those years did Contreras stay with the Yankees? Not even two. Cashman traded him for Esteban Loaiza. We all know that Loaiza was dreadul with the Yankees, but how has Contreras done? He's evolved into a pretty good reliever.
8. The Carl Pavano signing... I feel that I can sum up this siging with one measly six word sentence: Cashman chose Pavano over Josh Beckett.
9. The Jaret Wright signing... Wright epitomizes the term "waste of money", the Yankees signed him to a three year deal worth $20,000,000, and with that contract Wright only recorded a 16-12 record and a 4.99 E.R.A.
10. The Kyle Farnsworth signing... Even though Joe Torre destroyed Farnsworth as a Yankee, Cashman shouldn't have given him $17,000,000 when he posted a 4.45 E.R.A. prior to the signing.
11. Trading Tyler Clippard... In 2007, Cashman traded Clippard for Jonathan Albaladejo. Now even though I liked Albaladejo, he's no Clippard. While Albaladejo is playing baseball internationally, Clippard's evolved into one of the best setup men in the game.
12. The A.J. Burnett signing... I don't need to say anymore than this, for $82,500,000, Burnett should have one year with an E.R.A. under four for the Yankees.
13. Not having a backup plan for Cliff Lee... The crown jewel of the 2010 M.L.B. off-season was Lee, who is arguably the best pitcher in baseball. The Yankees did everything they could to make him a Yankee, but when he signed with the Phillies, they decided to wait for Andy Pettitte to make his decision. No offense Andy, but you're not a second starter. The Yankees need a 2nd starter, even with Pettitte back, their rotation is Sabathia, Hughes, Pettitte, Burnett, and Nova. If Pettitte doesn't come back, their rotation is Sabathia, Hughes, Burnett, Nova, and Prior. Prior hasn't pitched in the majors since 2006. Neither of those rotations are going to get the Yankees to the playoffs. If I was Cashman, the minute Lee signed with the Phillies, I'd have been on the phone with John Mozeliak asking for Chris Carpenter. His contract is up next year and the Cardinals are going with the youth movement, so I think that they'd give him up for the right price.

In conclusion, Hal & Hank, when you decide to fire Cashman, you know where to find me or Logan White.

How Carmelo Anthony Will Become a New Jersey Net

He'll become a Net if Billy King proposes this...

Since I'm so tired of all this Carmelo talk, I've decided to put an end to it once and for all by posting a trade:
New Jersey will get Anthony, Dowdell, Hamilton, Harrington, Lopez, Nash, and Williams. Denver will get Favors, Morrow, Outlaw, Uzoh, and two of New Jersey's first-round draft picks. Phoenix will get Graham, Harris, Petro, Ross, and two of New Jersey's first-round draft picks. Detroit will get Murphy. Problem solved.
Note: all of the basketball trades that I'll post will be approved by the E.S.P.N. Trade Machine.