Recapping the Week 2/28-3/6

NFL- There was finally some good news in my quest to avenge my fantasy football disappointment last season, this good news being that the league deadline for the CBA to expire was pushed back one more week to this coming Friday. Most NFL experts are cautiously optimistic about this latest development but I still think that there will be a lockout of some kind. Money, obviously, is still the main issue separating the two sides but at least we finally got some good news from this ongoing lockout saga. After catching up more on the lockout issue this week, tradeaplooza kind of ruined last week I’m still recovering, I think there is one issue that is very troubling. If you haven’t read ESPN.com writer Bill Simmons article I highly recommend it because it is a highly disturbing look at what I will be talking about. I’m sure that this has already been talked about but NFL players for the most part have very short careers (Brett Favre never got the memo apparently) and most likely can’t afford for a lockout to happen. What I’m trying to get at is that due to their short career lengths I think that current NFL players might seriously harm future generations of players by making shortsighted decisions to prevent themselves from not getting paychecks in the upcoming season. The NFL players association has the average NFL player playing in the league for only 3.3 years. For a player in his athletic prime, also your prime money earning years, it would be very difficult to sacrifice a season in which your supposed to be earning the most in your career and ultimately I think that this will lead to the players caving to the owners demand in one main area.

The main area I see NFL players caving is in the creation of an 18 game schedule. Brief side note out of all the sports I feel like the NFL is the one major league that has the number of games right so I’m still trying to figure out why they want to change this. Simply put football is a brutal game on the human body and athletes keep getting bigger, stronger, and faster which will probably produce more devastating injuries (concussions being the most worrisome) in the future. Through the preseason and eight regular season games this past year there were 154 reported concussions, which was a 21 percent jump from the preseason and first eight weeks of the 2009 season. The NFL public relations machine somehow hailed this as progress (?) but this has to be a major red flag for current and future players. The NFL called this progress by stating that more teams and players were reporting concussions, but I think that the 154 reported concussions is still a very understated figure to the amount of concussions that actually occurred. It is good news that the NFL has in recent years has made concussions a more serious issue but these concussion problems are only going to get worse as athletes continue to become bigger, stronger, and faster. Making the NFL season two games longer really has no benefits for current players as no team is entirely healthy for the entire season. The only team that may be in favor of a longer season might be the Green Bay Packers who seemed to get better as the injuries piled up this past year. Of course they get two extra game checks from the extra games but is anybody going to be healthy enough to cash these checks besides the kickers and punters of the world? Obviously I’m not completely plugged into the lockout situation but the more that I look into the situation the more I find myself hating the owners in the league. They’re the ones asking players to sacrifice their bodies for two more games so they can earn more money. The only way I could justify a lockout of a major sport is if there was an inherent danger for the athletes if they continued to play the sport. The NFL does have such a problem, as evidenced by former players struggles after retiring, but instead of looking at new helmet models, such as making the one worn by DeSean Jackson mandatory, the owners are worried about making more money. Last time I checked these owners are some of the richest individuals in the world and even with the sixteen game schedule they own for the most part profitable organizations. As President Obama, figured it was time to incorporate the Prez in the blog, stated when asked about the lockout,

“We’ve got owners, most of whom are worth close to $1 billion; you’ve got players who are making millions of dollars. My working assumption at a time when people are having to cut back, compromise, and worry about making the mortgage and, you know, paying for their kids’ college education, is that the two parties should be able to work it out without the president of the United States intervening. I’m a big football fan, but I also think that for an industry that’s making $9 billion a year in revenue, they can figure out how to divide it up in a sensible way. And be true to their fans, who are the ones who, obviously, allow for all the money that they’re making. So my expectation and hope is that they’ll resolve it without me intervening, because it turns out I’ve got a lot of other stuff to do.”

I have the over/under on six blog posts before I mention Obama again (smart money is on the over). But really whoever wrote this for Obama couldn’t have summed it up any better but I also understand the players holding out and if they end up sitting out an extended period of time I am completely fine with that even if it means there is no fantasy football until 2012. I obviously don’t mean this because the 2012 season will never reach the playoffs due to our impending extinction in 2012, so 2011 is really my only chance at avenging this past season.

NBA- The Miami Heat are losing so all is good in the world according to Dwayne Wade, it always gets me that he somehow still acts surprised when he says this. The big news in the NBA as you may have guessed is that the Miami Heat went winless this past week. Of course this brought the panic level to DEFCON 1 in Miami, credit to junior history for ingraining in my head the DEFCON levels, upon the Heat’s elimination from the playoffs (or at least they acted like it was the playoffs). Or at least that was the reaction coming from the Heat locker room where head coach Eric Spoelstra said players were in tears. Quick name the only three teams in the NBA with team names that don’t end with an s. First one to respond to that on my twitter (@MaxCWaterman) gets a follow from me; try not to crash twitter with your responses. Too be honest I’m not quite sure which worries me more, the Heat losing just about every close game to playoff teams or the fact that they are in tears following a regular season game. My money is on Chris Bosh crying but the sneak pick has to be Mike Bibby who must be wondering why he requested a buyout from the surging Washington Wizards. No the Wizards aren’t surging for those that are wondering. I don’t think I ever cried after a regular season game in my career but maybe the Heat after their losses watch The Notebook I just don’t know. Yes it’s disconcerting to see the Heat struggle against teams that they will have to beat in the playoffs but this whole reaction has been a little ludicrous. The Heat are still going to be top four seed in the East come playoff time and if they can make at least to the title no one will remember this besides me because I will still be trying to prove that Chris Bosh was the one that was crying. By now you should realize that Chris Bosh isn’t one of my favorite players in the league. I will admit I am a little perplexed why they run plays for Chris Bosh when they need three pointers and why LeBron is the first option on all last shots (someone tell Spoelstra that D-Wade is a top five player) but the Heat are still a title contender. Then again they are apparently on the verge of a mental breakdown so who knows what the Heat will do next. The Blazers are next on their schedule, which is actually one of their easiest games for the next couple of weeks so it will be interesting to see if they can right the ship. Moving from the East Coast to the West the Lakers have somewhat quietly gone on a tear following the all-star break. The Lakers advanced their post all-star break record to seven wins and zero losses following a rout of the Spurs in San Antonio. I have maintained that the Lakers are the team to beat in the West throughout this season and games like this are why the Lakers will be tough if not impossible to beat in a seven game series. I don’t really believe in “statement games”, (was it a statement for the Cavaliers when they beat the Lakers?) but this was an impressive performance for the Lakers highlighted by Ron Artest destroying a helpless fan while chasing a loose ball. I think that Ron Artest should personally thank me for jinxing him out of his slump because after weeks of ragging on him he now once again is able to play offense. It’s either me jinxing him back to usefulness or he found a good psychologist again. I will say that after watching the Charlotte Bobcats play for the first time in a year that they are the worst team to watch in the league, there is legitimately nothing exciting about that squad. For those wondering the Bobcats barely nudged out the Detroit Pistons for this dubious honor. Crazy Kevin Love line of the week took place on Saturday when Love recorded 20 points and 21 rebounds to push his double-double streak to fifty games against the surging Washington Wizards.

MLB- I have downgraded my Mariner season wins prediction to 71 wins upon looking at their roster and realizing that they will score on average 1.7 runs per game.

AL Central

1. Chicago White Sox- Let me start by saying that I expect this to be the most contested division in the MLB but ultimately I see the White Sox snagging the crown near the end of the season. They have some serious power with Paul Konerko and Adam Dunn anchoring their lineup but they also have what I feel is a top five rotation in the league. Midseason acquisition Edwin Jackson returns for a full season in a White Sox uniform and then their rotation will be bolstered with the return of Jake Peavy from injury. The biggest unknown with this team is who will take over the closer role with Bobby Jenks defection to the Red Sox. This team should win the division and with their rotation set themselves up for a deep run in October.

2. Detroit Tigers- This team might be the most interesting team besides the Los Angeles Dodgers in terms of who knows what you’re going to get. This team could easily switch positions with the White Sox or Twins because they have the talent but they also have a very troubled roster with injuries and off the field issues. This team will need Miguel DUI Cabrera (not a laughing matter but a great fantasy team name nonetheless) to have another monster year but who knows if he’ll be able to provide that with his well documented struggles off the field. A playoff contender based on talent but really nothing would surprise me as for as records go with the Tigers.

3. Minnesota Twins- The defending AL central champions will have their work cut out for them this year as they still await the return of Justin Morneau from lingering concussion symptoms. The good news is that Joe Mauer is still ready to spray the ball to all fields and that closer Joe Nathan will return from injury. Manager Ron Gardenhire every year has this team competing for the AL central crown on a modest payroll but this year I just don’t quite see their rotation getting it done. For heavens sake Carl Pavano is their ace. Nothing against Carl Pavano but he in reality at this point in his career he should be your number three starter at best. Look for this team to end with around eighty-five wins and an October in which they can watch the playoffs from home.

4. Kansas City Royals- The race between the Royals and the Indians for worst team in the Central will certainly be must watch TV but in the end I think that the Royals will end up with a slightly better record than the Indians. This team has been in rebuilding mode for the past 25 years, at least that’s what it feels like, and this year promises to be like many previous years in that the Royals will not be pretty to watch but experts have consistently stated that the Royals have the best farm system so maybe times might actually be changing. Unfortunately for the present the Royals no longer have Zach Grienke so there really is no reason to watch this squad. Prediction for the Royals is 72 wins which is good for six more than the Indians.

5. Cleveland Indians- Continuing with the theme of Cleveland sports teams being awful is the Indians who will be in contention for worst team in the MLB throughout the season (luckily the Pirates seem to have an unbreakable grasp on this). The big question for this team is if Grady Sizemore can return from a string of injuries that have plagued his once promising career. There are a couple of bright spots on this team including Shin-Soo Choo, a player that the Mariners basically gave away for no reason, promising catching prospect Carlos Santana, and enigmatic pitcher Fausto Carmona. Besides these players there is Travis Hafner who isn’t feared anymore and a bunch of garbage, which will lead to team that might only be slightly better than the Cavaliers (I promise that will be the last cross sports comparison ever).

NL Central

1. Cincinatti Reds- The defending champs are looking like the favorites once again in the NL Central but I expect this to be another close divisional race. This team returns basically all of the players from last year’s squad but I really don’t have a problem with this as the Reds are still a relatively young team. This team is loaded on offense with reigning MVP Joey Votto leading the way but they also have a solid starting rotation and a lockdown eight and ninth inning duo in Aroldis Chapman and Francisco Cordero. This team should be able to fend off the Cardinals for the NL Central crown but I’m not sure their rotation is championship caliber so I wouldn’t label them championship contenders yet.

2. St. Louis Cardinals- As I mentioned before I was really liking this team as a dark horse title contender before the Adam Wainwright season ending surgery happened, still this team is a force to be reckoned with the thirty million dollar man guiding the offense. Along with Albert Pujols the Cardinals have Matt Holiday and rising star Colby Rasmus providing support and they also picked up Lance Berkman through free agency in what I think will end up being a great move. Their rotation obviously lost a stud in Wainwright but they still will possess what should be at worst an above average rotation in the National League. Ultimately I think this will be a team that contends with the Reds for the central crown and if they fail to get that they should be able to snag the National League wild card spot.

3. Milwaukee Brewers- This will most likely be the last year that Brewers are competitive for a little bit as there payroll will once again prevent them from being able to retain elite talent but I don’t think this is a playoff team anyway. The acquisition of Zach Grienke gives them a top-flight one-two punch with Grienke and former staff ace Yovani Gallardo but behind third starter Shaun Marcum the pitching situation gets dicey to say the least. The Brewers struggled to hold leads last year in the late innings and I see this becoming a problem once again this coming season. Their offense, led by Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder, will make the Brewers a winning squad but I think that they will fall short of a playoff bid.

4. Chicago Cubs- The good news for the Cubs is that Carlos Zambrano hasn’t gotten into a fight with any teammates or coaches so far this year. The bad news is that pitcher Carlos Silva and third baseman Aramis Ramirez lasted less than ten games preseason games before they found it fitting to start throwing punches. The Cubs in an effort to get back to the playoffs invested in Carlos Pena and acquired Matt Garza through trade but I just don’t get the feeling that this team is a real contender for a playoff berth. Just looking at this roster makes you think that this team could be a contender but at least to me it seems like there's something missing. A team that I believe will struggle with consistency en route to sub .500 season.

5. Pittsburgh Pirates- Yes I realize that I picked the Pirates to finish somewhere other than last but I figured it was about time for them to climb out of the cellar, plus have you looked at the Astros? Their roster is way too depressing. Back to the Pirates their recent youth movement is beginning to pay dividends with the influx of promising young players Andrew McCutchen, Jose Tabata, and Pedro Alvarez. This of course is offset by the fact that their pitchers will struggle to give up less than eight runs a game but still there is some hope for the future of Pirates baseball.

6. Houston Astros- If I asked you to name the Astros starting infield I would bet that you couldn’t name one let alone two of them. It doesn’t help that they also lost their top prospect and starting catcher to a torn ACL earlier in the week but that’s just the way things have been going for the Astros recently. Wandy Rodriguez and Brett Myers are quality-starting pitchers but behind them it isn’t pretty. The outfield group is the only group that would rate above an average level on this team and because of this the Astros will allow the Pirates to move into the envious fifth slot in the NL Central.

NCAA Basketball- Less than one week until Selection Sunday and I still have no idea who I’m liking for the title, not good.

Wet Bandits forfeit defeat to Unnamed opponent- If you didn’t see on ESPN our magical season came to the end due to our manager misreading the date for our playoff game. Fan reaction to this news in Eugene was ugly to say the least and its safe to say that the managers job is definitely in limbo. As for how the star player (me) took the loss, rough but there were no tears in the locker room mainly because we got the news in class. Still this isn’t even the worst playoff story in my distinguished career, I’ll go way back into the memory banks to sophomore year of city league basketball for this horror story. Morning of the championship game anticipation was high when yours truly realized fifteen minutes before the game that I didn’t have my jersey (pregame preparation was never my strong area). Following a frenzied search through every nook and cranny of the house it was realized that my jersey had magically disappeared. Sounds crazy but I actually think the other team cursed us and made my jersey disappear because the jersey was never found. Back to the story, I was able to grab a replacement jersey at the beginning of the third quarter but we just couldn’t pull it out. Because of this it has been said that I am the greatest player in Lake Oswego City League history to go with out a title, certainly has a nice ring to it doesn’t it? Certainly a disappointing end to the intramural season but lets be real a team by the name Wet Bandits didn’t have much of a chance. No word on potential off season acquisitions but the teams core players promise to hit the film and weight rooms over the offseason and hopefully be able to win those free t-shirts next year. No word on when the commemorative season DVD comes out but when it does I’ll let you know.

The Week Moving Forward-

NFL- The future of the league is once again in question, at least until Friday when the latest deadline expires. Then in other news my Yahoo newsfeed apparently decided that Tom Brady now having a ponytail is newsworthy. So there you have it the two biggest story lines for the coming week, the future of the league and Tom Brady’s hair.

NBA- Hopefully we can all witness LeBron and the Heat crying on the court after they lose to the Blazers but this might be too much to ask for. The Spurs will continue to have the best record in the league but everyone including myself will overlook them as title contenders. Maybe I’ll catch on by next week but its tough to call a team with Matt Bonner a legitimate title contender. Then again the Celtics had Brian Scalabrine and won a title so maybe it is possible to win with one awkward ginger on a team. Yes I realize I did Bonner a great disservice by comparing him to Scalabrine, but does he have any other legitimate comparisons? We can only hope that the Basketball Gods somehow unite Scalabrine and Bonner on the same team in the near future.

MLB- Approaching twenty days until the regular season starts and I am left wondering which hat to add to my modest collection. By modest I mean my collection consisting of a Pittsburgh Pirates and a Milwaukee Brewers cap. I think that it’s a safe bet to say that if I do buy a hat for opening day I will continue in my tradition of buying hats of terrible NL central teams, the Astros would presumably be up next. Don’t worry I know you guys are on the edge of your seat so I’ll keep you updated through the coming weeks.

NCAA Basketball- With the NCAA tournament moving to 68 teams there will now no longer be any snub teams right? Never quite understood the addition of three extra teams but what do I know. At least this year we finally get the awesome sports coverage of TruTV (?) who will be handling the first two games. From Wikipedia I have gathered that TruTV used to be Court TV so I am just as confused as you as to why they are now branching off into the NCAA tournament. I’m guessing there’s going to be some sort of revolt when all of Judge Judy’s fans turn on the TV only to see first round action of Bucknell playing Eastern Washington (hypothetical of course).