Monthly Archives: November 2011

November 28, 2011

Fresh Starts

By nalstradamus

Two NHL coaches got the axe early this morning, but before I get into that I just want to touch briefly on what happened here in Vancouver over the weekend. I live right in the middle of downtown and I see crazy things all the time. However, this weekend had to be the drunkest weekend downtown Vancouver has ever seen. Of course this was all to celebrate Grey Cup weekend and I had no idea the Grey Cup was this big of a party. People were dressed not only in football uniforms, but in crazy costumes that seemed to have very little to do with football. People were stumbling around hammered before noon each day starting on Friday. If the Grey Cup is this much of a party…imagine what the Super Bowl must be like. Wifey…bust out the credit cards we’re going to Indianapolis!!!

What a party!

Now back to the ice and the big news of the day, the firings of Bruce Boudreau and Paul Maurice. Both firings weren’t surprises, Boudreau has been on thin ice since the Caps failed to get passed the 2nd round of the playoffs (again) last year. Maurice and the Canes were floundering in 14th place in the East this season after painfully missing out on last year’s playoffs by losing their last game at home. Both coaches had success with their now former teams, Boudreau led the Caps to 4 straight division titles and 1 President’s Trophy, Maurice took the Canes to the 2009 Eastern Conference finals and in a previous stint took them all the way to the cup final in 2002.

The pressure is on big time for Ovie

As for the new coaches, Dale Hunter has an embarrassment of riches at his disposal in Washington while Kirk Muller has a much less star studded team in Carolina. Hunter has the more difficult task at hand with the Caps. He will need to find a way to motivate one of the greatest players in the game in Ovechkin back to the MVP level of play we are so use to seeing. He will need to inspire a team with little playoff confidence to battle hard and push through the early stages of the playoffs, something they failed to do under Boudreau. Muller has much lower expectations placed upon his shoulders and has veteran cup winners at his disposal to help mentor and push the younger players into playing solid consistent hockey.

Eric Staal is a woeful -17 this season...expect that and his 5 goals to change in a big way

I am anticipating both teams benefiting from the coaching changes with their best players (Ovechkin and Staal respectively) turning their lacklustre seasons around in a big way. I still think the Penguins win the East and rep the East in the Cup final, but I think the Caps do finally make it past the 2nd round. The Canes on the other hand will likely hang around the 8th spot all season long, but I think they painfully miss the playoffs yet again.

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November 23, 2011

Sal’s Week 12 NFL Picks…Turkey Edition

By nalstradamus

Bacon wrapped turducken...I kind of marfed

Last Week: 5-7-2

Season: 75-76-8

My season record has dipped under .500 for the first time since week 2. Wifey also had a terrible week with her random picks going 3-9-2. This NFL season has the most parity we’ve seen in maybe…forever. Other than the Packers who continue to be unstoppable. This season has also been a season full of injuries to fantasy football stars. I’m going to try really hard not to whine, but with Fred Jackson’s season ending injury I have now lost both my starting running backs (the other being Jamaal Charles).  However, there have been notable injuries all over the league like Jay Cutler, Matt Schaub, Kenny Britt, Peyton Hillis, etc. Anyway, I’m short on time this week so I’m going rapid fire with the picks this week. Prrrrat.

Green Bay -6.5 at Detroit

Pick: Packers -6.5, finally a Thanksgiving game in Detroit that means something. Aaron Rodgers is an alien.

Miami at Dallas -7

Pick: Dolphins +7, this is purely because the guy I play in fantasy has 4 Cowboys on his team. Praying for a miracle.

San Fran at Baltimore -3.5

Pick: 49ers +3.5, I’m going to keep rolling with them since they are undefeated against the spread this season

Minnesota at Atlanta -9.5

Pick: Falcons -9.5, No AP for the Vikes means big trouble.

Houston -3.5 at Jacksonville

Pick: Texans -3.5, Yes Matt Leinart is under centre now, but the Texans don’t need to throw with 3 running backs that can plow.

Tampa Bay at Tenn -3.5

Pick: Bucs +3.5, no magic reasons here, just pure gut

Arizona at St. Louis (no line)

Pick: Cardinals, seriously would you actually bet on this game?

Cleveland at Cincy -9

Pick: Bengals -9, Bengals d will be too much for a weak Browns offense to handle

Buffalo at NYJ -9

Pick: Jets -9, the Bills are decimated by injuries and Fitzpatrick will continue to struggle behind a beat-up O-Line.

Carolina -3.5 at Indy

Pick: Panthers -3.5, Cam Newton may throw for 300 and run for 100 in this one.

Washington at Seattle -3.5

Pick: Seahawks -3.5, The Hawks are tough at home and their defense is tough against the run. Grossman being forced to pass is not an ideal situation.

Chicago at Oakland -4

Pick: Raiders -4, No Cutler no win

New England -3 at Philly

Pick: Patriots -3, the dynamic TE duo against a weak linebacker corps means another tough loss for the Eagles

Denver at San Diego -6

Pick: Tebow +6, I can’t back the Chargers right now, they are in pure freefall mode

Pittsburgh -10.5 at KC

Pick: Steelers -10.5, likely a repeat of Pats beatdown last week

NYG at New Orleans -7

Pick: G-men +7, Eli and his receiving crew can keep up with Brees and the boys. The Giants d is coming around.

Wifey’s random picks:

Packers -6.5

Cowboys -7

49ers +3.5

Vikings +9.5

Texans -3.5

Titans -3.5

Rams

Bengals -9

Jets -9

Colts +3.5

Seahawks -3.5

Bears +4

Eagles +3

Saints -7

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November 21, 2011

The Kid’s Back

By nalstradamus

Please no one hit him...

The long awaited return of hockey’s best player is happening as I type this. You’d think Crosby would have some rust with being out of the NHL for almost a year…umm, yeah, he’s destroying those thoughts right now. He has 4 points in his return including 2 goals. If he gets a hat-trick I’m going to do something reckless…not sure what this is right now, but something that will definitely anger the wife. Crosby’s return tonight was the most anticipated return since one of his mentors Mario Lemieux made a comeback in 2000. Weirdly enough the score in that comeback game was the same as in tonight’s game.

There are many other star players in the NHL, but no one comes close to the star power of Sidney Crosby. He is the most important player in the game, not just talent wise, but also marketing wise. He is the face of the NHL and all the players in the league know he is the most important player for the growth and future of the game.  Hell, maybe Ovechkin hasn’t been playing well (to his standards anyway) because he wasn’t being pushed by his division rival and fellow king of the NHL competitor. We all had a feeling Crosby would eventually come back, but I’m sure many thought it would be sooner. Crosby had said all along that he would not come back until he was 100%. For those conspiracy theorists out there, do you think Bettman and the other owners had anything to do with delaying his return? Maybe they wanted to take every precaution necessary to ensure their prized possession was completely healed? Bah, who cares, all that matters is that the kid is back.

So how is he going to do the rest of the year? I’m going to go with somewhere in the region of 70-75 points (61 games left). The Penguins were already on top of the league before his return and now with a healthy Crosby they have to be the favourites to win the East.

Looks like the game just ended and no hat-trick for Crosby…saves me from doing something dog-house worthy.

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November 16, 2011

Sal’s Week 11 NFL Picks

By nalstradamus

Last week: 8-8

Season: 70-69-6

Not sure what this has to do with football...oh well

This is getting embarrassing, wifey has defeated me two weeks in a row (she went 9-7 last week). This week we’re starting off with her picks and this week I’m including her rationale for her picks (remember, she has never watched football). I’ll add my picks at the end…not that it matters anymore :(

NYJ -6 at Denver

Pick: Jets -6

Reason: “People from New York seem to be winners”

Carolina at Detroit -7

Pick: Lions -7

Reason: “Lions would win in a street fight, they’re the king of the jungle”

Tampa Bay at Green Bay -14

Pick: Packers -14

Reason: “Of all the teams, the team I know best. You seem to like them”

Dallas -7.5 at Washington

Pick: Cowboys -7.5

Reason: “The Redskins sound racist”

Buffalo at Miami -1

Pick: Dolphins -1

Reason: “Dolphins are the much smarter animal, they would outwit a buffalo if they fought”

Jacksonville at Cleveland -1

Pick: Jaguars +1

Reason: “What’s a brown? If it’s just the colour then that’s stupid”

Oakland -1 at Minnesota

Pick: Vikings +1

Reason: “Vikings seem tougher than pirates, more vicious”

Cincinnati at Baltimore -7

Pick: Bengals +7

Reason: “Seriously? a Bengal against a bird?”

Seattle at St. Louis -1

Pick: Rams -1

Reason: “Because you told me that the Seahawks suck”

Arizona at San Fran -9.5

Pick: Cardinals +9.5

Reason: “I don’t know what a 49er is, I know what a Cardinal is”

San Diego at Chicago -3.5

Pick: Bears -3.5

Reason: “Bears are cuddly”

Tennessee at Atlanta -6

Pick: Titans +6

Reason: “Titans sound tough, although I have no idea what a Titan is”

Philadelphia at NYG -4.5

Pick: Giants -4.5

Reason: “Giants should always win against any animal”

Kansas City at New England -14.5

Pick: Chiefs +14.5

Reason: “I don’t have anything nice to say about the Patriots so I won’t say anything at all”

I actually like her picks…sigh…here are my picks…

Jets -6: Rex will have the boys raging after losing to their arch enemies last week. Tim Tebow vs. a pissed off Jets defence scares me.

Panthers +7: This one seems too easy for me, this line screams out that the Lions are the no brainer play. Panthers are awful on the road, Lions are coming off an embarrassing loss. When it’s too easy…it usually is

Packers -14: The Bucs are free falling and this is the worst scenario possible for a struggling team. Seriously, is Aaron Rodgers human?

Redskins +7.5: I know the Skins are awful right now, but this just seems like too many points in a rivalry match up. These two teams historically play tight games and I don’t see that changing here.

Bills +1: The fins have won 2 games in a row while the Bills have lost 2 in a row in ugly fashion. I still believe in the beard of Fitzpatrick and the legs of Fred Jackson.

Jaguars +1: The Browns’ offence is awful. The Jags are nothing special either, but they are mere millimetres better than the Browns. Good enough.

Raiders -1: The Raiders are coming off a monster win last week against the Chargers.  Carson Palmer looked re-born last week lobbing up bombs to his young speedsters. He may have another big day against a Viking secondary that just lost it’s best pass defender Antoine Winfield for the year.

Ravens -7: After facing the bruising Steelers the Bengals have to face an angry Ravens team that were embarrassed last week by the lowly Seahawks. The Bengals also lost a huge piece of their secondary for the year last week in Leon Hall. I think the Ravens win by 2 touchdowns or more.

Rams -1: Both teams coming off wins, but the Seahawks are due for a letdown after their huge upset win last week.

49ers -9.5: I’m going to keep picking the 49ers every week until their ATS streak is popped. The 49ers are 8-0-1 against the spread this year. A lot of points especially with Frank Gore a little dinged up, but John Skelton on the road against a not so terrible 49ers d is scary.

Bears -3.5: I agree with wifey, bears are cuddly. Norv Turner is done-so for sure if the Chargers don’t make the playoffs this year. I don’t see happiness this week for the Chargers who are facing a Bears team that seems to have figured it all out. The offensive line has learned to protect Cutler and Mike Martz is giving in and letting Matt Forte run wild instead of relying on 12 foot drop type routes.

Falcons -6: This one is a tough one for me to call. Which Titan team is going to show up…actually which CJ is going to show up is the better question. The Falcons secondary seems to keep any team in the game, but I just have a feeling Matty ice and the boys find a way to pull this one out at home.

Giants -4.5: Mike Vick may not play this week due to some sore ribs. Regardless, last week’s loss to the Cardinals was unforgivable. I’ll take the G-men at home even if Vick plays.

Patriots -14.5: This could get ugly early. Tyler Palko will get the start for the Chiefs at QB…that’s all I needed to hear.

 

My face after I beat wifey this week

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November 9, 2011

Sal’s Week 10 NFL Picks

By nalstradamus

Last week: 6-8

Season: 62-61-6

Can't wipe the smile off her face

Last week was an embarrassment not only because of the sub .500 record, but also because the wife’s randoms picks went 7-7. I just told her about her win and she won’t stop cheering. Thursday night games start this week and thus the reason for posting the weekly pics a few days earlier this week. The confidence is at an all time low…FADE ME!

Oakland at San Diego -7

Pick: Chargers -7, this is a monster game for both teams, but maybe more so for the Chargers who have lost 3 in a row. Philip Rivers has been a picks machine this year, but I think he’s going to have a monster game this week against a very weak Raiders d. The Raiders will again be without their superstar running back Darren McFadden and their offence just isn’t the same without him. Carson Palmer won’t be able to keep up with the offensive onslaught from the Chargers this week. Desperation and home field…I’ll take the chargers

Jacksonville -3 at Indy

Pick: Colts +3, this matchup makes me a little nauseous and if there was a week where the Colts could win a game this would be it. I have about 2% confidence in this pick, two below average teams, I’ll take the home team if I had to choose.

Denver at KC -3.5

Pick: Chiefs -3.5, the Tebow show pulled it out last week against the Raiders while the Chiefs stunk up the joint against the previously winless Dolphins. These teams match up pretty evenly. My thinking may be whack here, but Id rather take the home team coming off an embarrassing loss rather than a team coming off a huge win on the road.

Pittsburgh -3 at Cincinnati

Pick: Steelers -3, a monster game for both teams this week. The Bengals have shocked the world so far with their 6-2 record, but their schedule has been very favourable the last 4 weeks. The Bengals defence has been their strong point this year, but again the only strong offence they’ve faced this year was the Bills. The Steelers avenge last weeks big loss to their mortal enemies and spank the cats in this one.

Buffalo at Dallas -5.5

Pick: Bills +5.5, the Bills were taken to town by their division rival Jets last week, while the Cowboys had a virtual bye week in a win versus the Seahawks. This will be a tough road game for the Bills, but I believe in Fitzpatrick and the beard more than I believe in Romo and his inconsistent play.

New Orleans -1 at Atlanta

Pick: Saints -1, another monster match up between division rivals. This should be a fun game to watch as it seems all games between these two teams comes down to the wire. Both defences will have trouble stopping the other team, but I feel the Falcons will have a tougher time of stopping Drew Brees an co. then vice versa.

St. Louis at Cleveland -2.5

Pick: Browns -2.5, the complete opposite of the above matchup, this game could potentially be the least watched game of the week. The Browns defence is actually serviceable while the Rams struggle on both sides of the ball. I see an ugly 13-6 type of outcome in this one.

Washington at Miami -4

Pick: Dolphins -4, The fish got off the snide last week with a big road win against the Chiefs. The Redskins continue to spiral down the NFC East losing 4 straight. The Dolphins seem to have figured it out on offence…feed the ball to Brandon Marshall and Reggie Bush. The ‘fins have been fairly steady on defence lately and they face an out of sorts ‘Skins offence without their top playmaker Santana Moss.

Houston -3.5 at Tampa Bay

Pick: Texans -3.5, the Texans are rolling right now and they’ve been doing it by pounding the rock with their two headed monster running attack with Arian Foster and Ben Tate. The Bucs have been inconsistent all year and I don’t see them having enough to keep up with the Texans offensive attack.

Tennessee at Carolina -3.5

Pick: Panthers -3.5, I think I’m too heavily biased in this one because Cam Newton is my fantasy QB and I am in a dogfight for one of the final playoff spots in my league. Numbers wise these teams match up fairly well on defence, but it’s on offence where the Panthers have a big advantage. I’ll take the rested Panthers at home.

Arizona at Philadelphia (no line out yet)

Pick: Eagles, the line will be monstrous, probably in the -14 range. The Cardinals may be without Kevin Kolb again this week and that does not bode well against one of the tougher pass defences in the league. The Eagles are coming off a big loss on Monday night and will be the more desperate team in this one.

Baltimore -7 at Seattle

Pick: Seahawks +7, this could be a huge letdown game for the Ravens after their huge win against the Steelers last week. It’s tough to pull the trigger on the ‘Hawks, but I’ll use evidence from earlier this year when the Ravens beat the Steelers and put up a stinker against the Titans the following week.

NYG at San Fran -3.5

Pick: 49ers -3.5, the Giants are coming off a monster win last week winning at New England…no one wins in New England other than Tom Brady. It’s tough to back them for back to back wins on the road. The 49ers are an amazing 7-0-1 against the spread this year. I’ll back the soon to be NFC West champs.

Detroit at Chicago -2.5

Pick: Bears -2.5, it looks like the Bears offensive line has figured out how to block and Cutler has shown if he has time he can be top tier material. This a revenge spot for the Bears as the Lions beat them 4 weeks ago in Detroit. I’ll back the home team in yet another monster rivalry game.

New England at NYJ -1

Pick: Jets -1, wow, this has to be the best week for match-ups so far this year. An endless assortment of games to drool over. Is it panic time in New England? Maybe. This game is too tough to call in my opinion, all the voices in my head scream Pats because they can’t lose 3 in a row right? However, maybe the lustre is fading with the Pats and the first ominous sign was last week’s home loss. The Jets on the other hand are on fire and would love to continue their arch rivals losing ways.

Minnesota at Green Bay -13

Pick: Packers -13, Can anyone stop the Packers offence? It is just ridiculous what they have been able to do week in and week out this year. The back door cover is always possible, but I don’t see the Aaron Rodgers train slowing down this week.

And here to show me up for the 2nd straight week is wifey with her wifey random picks for this week:

Raiders +7

Colts +3

Broncos +3.5

Steelers -3

Cowboys -5.5

Saints -1

Rams +2.5

Dolphins -4

Texans -3.5

Titans +3.5

Eagles -14 (made up line, no line available)

Ravens -7

Giants +3.5

Bears -2.5

Jets -1

Packers -13

 

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November 5, 2011

Sal’s Week 9 NFL Picks

By nalstradamus

Last week: 6-6-1

Season: 56-53-6

Listen to the gut

Last week was tough, monster double digit lines filled the board. 4 out of the 5 double digit dawgs covered last week with the Rams producing the shock of the week beating the Saints. This week the lines are a bit tighter with the week highlighted by two marquee match ups in the Jets vs Bills and Ravens vs Steelers. I’ve been over thinking things the last few weeks, so this week it’s all about gut…scary! I’m also going to introduce a fun segment at the end of this weeks post. Onto the picks…

Atlanta -7.5 at Indy (line opened at -9)

Pick: Colts +7.5, I would have liked to have the extra 1.5 points, but oh well. Yes, I understand the Colts are tied for the Andrew Luck championship of the world, but I just can’t back the Falcons on the road with that awful defence. Even the ugliest of dawgs have their day, just look at the Rams last week. In all honesty, I would just plain out avoid this game.

NYJ at Bills -3 (line opened at -1)

Pick: Jets +3, it seems obvious to pick the Bills in this spot, they are 4-0 at home while the Jets are 0-3 on the road. However, I say forget all logic and look at these facts. The Bills are still an average to below average defence, especially against the run. The Jets specialty is stubbornly still ground and pound and I see them being able to eat up clock all day tomorrow. Ryan Fitzpatrick may have his least productive game of the season tomorrow going against a top tier passing defence and Revis island. Fred Jackson will need to be a monster for the Bills in order to pull this one out. I see the Jets ground game and defence pulling this one out for them tomorrow.

Cleveland at Houston -10.5 (line has not moved at most places)

Pick: Browns +10.5, I’m not even going to try to BS this one…this is pure guessing. I wouldn’t bet this game personally.

Miami at KC -4 (line opened at -5)

Pick: Chiefs -4, after a terrible o-3 start the Chiefs have somehow overcome devastating injuries on both sides of the ball to win 4 straight. The Dolphins are winless and are my choice to win the Andrew Luck sweepstakes. The Dolphins have been playing well the last few weeks, especially Reggie Bush who had his first 100 yard rushing game last week since 2006. However, I don’t see the ‘fins having enough against one of the hottest teams in the AFC, in one of the tougher road venues in the league.

San Francisco -4 at Washington (line opened at -3.5)

Pick: 49ers -4, this pick seems to easy just like the Bills game. However, the Redskins are not the Jets. The ‘skins are also banged up on offence and may now be without their only real offensive threat in Fred Davis. The 49ers are an ATS machine this year, covering the spread in 6 out of 7 games this year with the lone non-cover being a push. The ‘skins on the other hand have failed to cover the spread in 3 consecutive games. I don’t see this one being close at all…the 49ers have the edge on offence, defence and even kicking…good night.

Tampa Bay at New Orleans -9 (line opened at same number)

Pick: Bucs +9, this is a scary pick because the Saints are coming off a humiliating loss to the Rams last week and this is also a revenge game as the Bucs beat the Saints in Tampa just a couple weeks ago. The Saints will come out flying in this one, but I think the Bucs will be able to hold their own and I think they have a good chance for the outright win. LaGarrette Blount should be back for the Bucs and this should give more balance to the offence and help milk some clock to keep the aerial attack of the Saints off the field.

Seattle at Dallas -11 (line opened at -14)

Pick: Cowboys -11, I don’t really like backing a Romo lead offence when the line is double digits, but I don’t see the alternative being all that exciting. The ‘Boys were spanked by the Eagles last week and will be hungry to put that loss behind them. The Seahawks have had 2 straight horrible games, although it can be mainly blamed on the Whitehurst experience. The Dallas aerial explosion will be too much for the Hawks to keep up with and this one will likely be a comfy win for the ‘Boys at home.

Denver at Oakland -7 (line opened at -8.5)

Pick: Broncos +7, the Raiders have dominated this matchup recently winning 4 straight against their arch rivals. The Broncos and Tim Tebow were thoroughly annihilated in their last game against the Lions. This could be the last episode of the Tebow experiment and because of this, I see his best effort yet coming tomorrow. The Raiders will be without their star running back McFadden and will also be in game 2 of their own QB experiment with Carson Palmer. I see this being a close game with Tebow doing just enough to give himself another week of ridiculous QB scrambles.

Cincinnati at Tennessee -3 (line is -3 everywhere except Pinnacle where it’s -1.5)

Pick: Bengals +3, who could have predicted the Bengals would have 5 wins at this point in the season? This a big game for both teams as both will want to keep pace with their respective division leaders. I give the edge to the Bengals because of their stout defence. Chris Johnson has showed little this season and with no running game the Titans will be forced to move the chains via the air which will be tough against a physical Bengals secondary. I see a close defensive battle in this one with the Bengals pulling out an improbable 6th win of the season.

NYG at New England -9 (line has not moved)

Pick: Giants +9, I still think the Pats will win this game, but I see the game being closer than the number suggests. The Pats defence will have big time problems against Eli and his assortment of big play receivers (although it looks like my fantasy team’s best receiver Hakeem Nicks is out for this one). The Giants defence isn’t all that exciting either and thus it’s shaping up to be shootout…last score wins :)

St. Louis at Arizona -2.5 (line opened at -3.5)

Pick: Rams +2.5, this could be an ugly affair with the game shaping up to be a battle of the back-ups AJ Feeley vs. John Skelton. This is a flat out guess by the way…both teams are just as mediocre as the other so your guess is as good as mine.

Green Bay -5.5 at San Diego (Line opened at -6)

Pick: Packers -5.5, my initial pick was the Chargers, but I changed my mine because I just can’t trust Philip Rivers right now. That was an unbelievable loss by the Chargers last week where a botched snap by Rivers lead to a later OT win by the Chiefs. Typically I would back the team who came off an embarrassment such as last week, but in this case I’m not confident that the Chargers have that resolve this year. I think the Pack continue their dominating ways and the Chargers continue their slide down the AFC West.

Baltimore at Pittsburgh -3 (line opened at -3.5)

Pick: Steelers -3, the game of the week without a doubt. The Steelers will be looking for revenge against their bitter enemies who utterly destroyed them 35-7 in their last matchup. This time it’s in Steeltown and the Steelers will be hungry for revenge against a Ravens team that hasn’t looked all that sharp in their last 2. Pittsburgh has been dominant at home with a 4-0 record while the Ravens only win on the road this year came against the lowly Rams. Should be a great game to watch.

Chicago at Philadelphia -7.5 (line opened at -8)

Pick: Eagles -7.5, the Eagles have started to look like the team everyone expected them to be. Both teams are on 2 game winning streaks, but I don’t like the matchup of Cutler vs. the Philly pass defence. Cutler is a top end talent, but his receivers are not. He likely will not have enough time to find the open man as the Eagles pass rush is fierce. I still think the Eagles win the NFC East and they roll at home on Monday night.

I may be setting myself up for a ton of embarrassment, but I am including a new segment to the weekly picks called Wifey’s Randoms. The wife has made her selections this week based on the names of the teams she thought were the coolest. She has never watched a football game in her life…if her picks beat mine I may light my computer on fire…

Colts +7.5

Bills -3

Browns +10.5

Dolphins +4

49ers -4

Bucs +9

Cowboys -11

Raiders -7

Bengals +3

Giants +9

Cardinals -2.5

Chargers +5.5

Ravens +3

Bears +7.5

Actually, looking at her picks…I might just like them more than mine…kind of scared now.

 

 

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November 2, 2011

Blue Jays Year in Review

By nalstradamus

A great year of baseball has now come to a close and now it’s onto the busy offseason where teams will be overspending for talent and trading away their future for a shot at quick success. GM’s will be evaluating their pieces one-by-one trying to come up with the magic formula to bring them to the big dance. Lets do a review of our own and play a little armchair GM with Alex Anthopoulos and the Toronto Blue Jays.

Rotation

Ricky Romero (CHARLIE RIEDEL/AP PHOTO)

Ricky Romero: A third straight year of progress for the ace of the staff. 15 wins and an ERA under 3 are solid stats and put Romero near the upper tier of AL pitchers. He has also steadily increased his innings each year with 225 innings this past year. He brings the tenacity and determination you want from an ace. Blue Jays pitcher of the year by far.

Brendan Morrow: Big things were expected from Morrow after his solid first year with the Jays. However, Morrow did not make big strides this year as thought and there were whispers during the year that possibly a move back to the closer role may be ideal. My personal opinion is that he would be better off in the rotation. It is rare to have a power arm in the rotation that the opposition fears and that can single handedly win the game for you. Getting ahead of hitters and cutting down on the walks will be the main focus for next year.

Brett Cecil: The year started off horribly for Cecil as his velocity was down and he was inevitably sent down to the minors to regain his form. He showed some flashes of talent upon his recall, but overall the year was disappointing as he finished the year 4-11 with a 4.73 ERA. His long term future in the rotation is cloudy at best with all the young guns in the minors getting closer and closer to MLB readiness.

Henderson Alvarez: Alvarez had a solid first 10 starts in the bigs and he likely has a spot in next year’s rotation. He has a power arm, but needs to develop his secondary pitches a bit more especially his slider if he will be truly effective. He could be special.

Dustin McGowan: The feel good story of the year for the Jays. McGowan overcame all odds to make it back to the bigs after overcoming what was widely thought as career ending injuries. His spot in next year’s rotation is far from guaranteed, but would be an amazing accomplishment if he was able to pull it off.

Kyle Drabek: A disappointing first season for the centre piece in the Roy Halladay deal. Walks were a problem all year for Drabek and they continued for Drabek after his demotion to the minors. The Blue Jays will give Drabek all the chances in the world to make the team and succeed. He has electric stuff and if he can get it all together he can be in the rotation next year and for many years after.

Off-season Plans: The Blue Jays will be actively searching for rotation help. There have been rampant rumours that they are also heavily interested in acquiring Japanese star Yu Darvish. The starting pitching free agent pool is not very exciting this year so AA may go the trade route to satisfy his needs. However, the Jays pitching talent pool is deep so he won’t be desperate to overpay for talent.

Infield

Brett Lawrie (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

Brett Lawrie: Has any other Blue Jays prospect generated as much buzz and excitement as Lawrie? Probably not. His bat is clearly MLB ready and his compete level is something every team would kill for. Jays fans will be drooling to see what he can achieve in a full season.

Yunel Escobar: Escobar had a solid season both in the field and at the plate. He showed excellent plate discipline at the top of the order and could find himself there again next year. He did show the occasional mental gaffs, but it appears he is dedicated and focused under the tutelage of some of the vets like Jose Bautista. Will be the starting SS for many years to come barring injury.

Adam Lind: A hot and cold kind of season for Lind. When he was hot, he was scorching, but he also went through painful cold streaks. He likely will not return to .300 form like in 2009, but the power is still there. Is he the long term answer at first base? In my opinion no. He strikes out far too much and gets on base far too less (under .300 OBP in consecutive years).

2nd Base: To be determined. Kelly Johnson ended the year at 2nd for the Jays, but it’s not a guarantee that he will be back. The free agent pool is thin this year and there isn’t an up and comer in the minors. Johnson could be back, but he will be a temporary stop gap for the Jays until they can figure out a more permanent solution.

Edwin Encarnacion: EE is reportedly working on outfield skills this offseason. The Jays are likely to continue to give EE chances to succeed as he has shown flashes of potential in each of his years with the Jays. His future is not in the infield and he is probably better suited in a DH/4th outfield type of role.

Off-season plans: Obviously 2nd base needs to be addressed and I see the Jays bringing back Johnson for another go. The big question is will the Jays make a big splash and go for a big name first baseman. The Jays have repeatedly denied interest in any of the big names such as Fielder or Pujols. Another name that has been spinning about is Joey Votto. He is not a free agent, but there have been rumours that he is being made available for trade offers. The Jays would have to give up a lot of their prized possessions to have any hope of landing the Canadian. I would do it though in a heartbeat for Votto. I doubt the Jays have any chance at signing Pujols or Fielder.

Catcher

JP Arencibia (Nathan Denette/Canadian Press)

JP Arencibia: A solid rookie season for Arencibia at the dish with 23 HR and 78 RBI. The average left a lot to be desired (.219), but the Jays will take the 20+ HR’s and run production any day. Arencibia’s game calling and defence is still a work in progress. Arencibia doesn’t have much lee-way to fail as the Jays have Travis d’arnaud tearing up the minors behind JP. Something will eventually give here as d’arnaud won’t stay in the minors long and the Jays will not make either of these guys a back-up.

Jose Molina: Arguably the best back-up catcher in the league. An important mentor for Arencibia and virtually another coach on the bench for the Jays. His skills may be declining, but his influence in the clubhouse is priceless

Off-season plans: No changes here, my thoughts are that d’arnaud gets called up in September and is eventually the starter for the Jays in 2 years.

Outfield

Jose Bautista (FRED THORNHILL/REUTERS)

Jose Bautista: For the 2nd straight season Bautista is the MLB home run king and a Silver Slugger Award winner. There were doubts that he would be able to replicate his magical season of a year ago, but all he did was go out and have a better all around year this year. In my opinion right up there in the top 5 players in the league. He not only is a dangerous hitter, but also a feared defender with his cannon in right. The lucrative deal the Jays’ signed him to last offseason is looking like the deal of all deals right now.

Colby Rasmus: You have to wonder how Rasmus feels these days after seeing his former team win the World Series. It is widely thought that the trade between the Jays and the Cards involving Rasmus was the catalyst for the Cards late season surge into the playoffs and eventual World Series win. The talent for Rasmus is there, defence, power, speed…the whole package. It’s the heart and character that is questionable right now and if the Jays can do a Yunel Escobar intervention on Rasmus they may have their best centre fielder since Devo.

Eric Thames: Thames came virtually out of nowhere to thrust himself into the future plans for the Jays. A starting spot is not guaranteed for Thames, but it is his to lose. His defence is his weakest link, but he showed during the season he is willing to put in the extra time to improve. His future depends on the next guys future…

Travis Snider: A disastrous year for Snider last year. This year was thought to be his breakout year and instead it was a year of regression. It seems like he has been around forever, but he is still only 23 years old. His upside is arguably much higher than Thames’, but it’s uncertain if the Jays front office has much confidence in him any longer. Potentially a large trading chip for AA this off-season.

Off-season plans: I thinks the Bautista, Rasmus and Thames alignment is the one we will see on opening day, with Rajai Davis and EE rotating in here and there. I just a have a feeling Snider will be packaged along with some other prospects to land some big fish.

Bullpen

The Terminator

I’m not going to break this group down individually because the bullpen will be undergoing a complete teardown this offseason. The bullpen was by far the weakest part of the team this year. The Jays were tied for first in the AL with 25 blown saves, converting on only 57% of their save opportunities. Incumbent closer possibilities Frank Francisco is likely gonzo and Jon Rauch was bought out. There are a boat load of free agent closers this off-season highlighted by Papelbon, Madson and K-Rod. However, I don’t see the Jays blowing the bank on Papelbon and will likely instead go for middle to low tier options like Madson, Cordero or Broxton. AA will likely wait to add a big name closer once the team is closer to contention. So for now, the Jays and their fans will have to suffer through nervous ninths until the next Tom Henke or Duane Ward is brought in.

 

Blue Jays fans will need to have patience because the Jays are still a few years away from being serious playoff contenders. AA and his staff have laid out a sustainable plan to build a consistent winner not just a flash in the pan one year wonder. It will be interesting to see if AA continues to be patient this offseason or give in to the pressure and blow some $$$. In my opinion I hope he stays the course and in 2-3 years blow the $$$ to put the Jays over the top, like how Gillick did it with the 2 championship teams in the 90′s.

 

 

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