Here at ASD we like to make predictions just as any sports fans. We also like to take a moment at the conclusion of each season and look back on how wrong we were about our prognostications. Today, the Giants are the World Series champions. If you didn't know that Jerome Bettis is from Detroit then you might be unaware that the Giants won their first World Series since 1954 and the first in San Francisco. Tim Lincecum pitched a gem and Edgar Renteria won MVP on the strength of his game-winning hit. I've seen that somewhere before.
I predicted a BCS matchup between the Yankees and Phillies this year but apparently there is a playoff in baseball.
NL (complete picks here)
Phillies over Brewers(Wild Card winners)
Cardinals over Rockies
NLCS
Phillies over Cardinals
Not sure what I was thinking with the Brewers there. I expected the Rockies to make their traditional August/September run and they did but not enought to overtake the Giants or Padres. Watch me kind of give the Giants props but completely miss on the big picture:
The additions of DeRosa and Huff are supposed to bolster the Sandoval-led line-up but no one is holding their breath no that one.
And of course, my big bust was having the Padres picked last in this division but I know I wasn't the only one. However, my Mets analysis was spot, fucking on:
I am merely going to sit back and watch the team blow leads, make hideous errors, fail to hit HRs in their own park, and Johan to break down. Then when the smoke clears hopefully Omar Minaya and Jerry Manuel will be gone and the team can start from scratch....again.
Good luck Sandy Alderson.
AL (all the picks here)
My AL predictions worked out a lot better. I did pick the Yankees to take the east and the Rays wildcard but that was reversed. I did get all four playoff teams right.
AL Playoffs
Yankees over Twins(again)
Rangers over Rays
ALCS
Yankees over Rangers
World Series
Phillies over Yankees
I was more than happy to have the Rangers prove me wrong. I did think they had a winning formula though:
But with Nolan Ryan calling out pitchers and Ron Washington doing lines who knows what can happen!
Congrats to the Giants, even Barry Bonds is happy for you. Lincecum and his dong hat can ride off into the sunset. 2010 MLB Season, FIN.
schlong on a hat via
Tuesday, November 2
How Wrong Were We: 2010 MLB Season
Tuesday, May 26
The Road To Omaha Is One To Watch
The attention paid to the 65-team college baseball tournament is minuscule compared to its basketball counterpart, but the same elements exist in both. Last year, Fresno State became the lowest seed ever to win the NCAA Championship during an improbable run just like Villanova did in 1985. There are the familiar powerhouses in the tournament: Texas, UNC, Florida State, Arizona State, Rice and Cal State Fullerton. They are akin to the UCLA, Kentucky, Carolina, Duke, and Michigan State of hoops. There are incredible streaks similar to Arizona's long run in basketball; the University of Miami is in the tournament for a record 37th consecutive year.
The action begins this Friday at 8 regional sites. In each regional 4 teams play a double-elimination tournament. The 8 hosts of the regionals are:
1. Texas (41-13-1)
2. Cal St Fullerton (42-14)
3. LSU (46-16)
4. North Carolina (42-16)
5. Arizona State (44-12)
6. UC Irvine (43-13)
7. Oklahoma (41-18)
8. Florida (39-20)
You can see the full bracket here. Many shun the college game because of the PING! factor but the games are just as entertaining as any baseball playoff and perhaps even more so. I can admit that I do not follow much of the regular season in college baseball but this time of year my eye always turns to the road to Omaha. It has always been on my list to travel to Rosenblatt stadium and see a CWS and those that have gone have told me it is well worth the trip. I was fortunate enough to work the regional last year hosted by Coastal Carolina in South Carolina and the energy of the teams and fans was unbelievable. Coastal is the Davidson of college baseball if you will out of the Big South Conference. They made it to the Super Regionals last year but fell short to North Carolina. The Chanticleers will start their quest to become the George Mason of college baseball in Chapel Hill as the two seed as the Tar Heels host the regional.
Among the many story lines is the story of San Diego State pitcher Stephen Strasburg, the projected number one pick in the upcoming MLB draft. Some scouts are touting him as the "best baseball prospect ever" and he has already signed with Lucifer Scott Boras himself. Strasburg leads the nation with a 1.34 ERA and 174 strikeouts in 94.3 innings pitched. It is also reported he can hit 102 on the gun but as a co-worker of mine wisely said, "They said the same thing about Todd Van Poppel." The Nationals have the number one pick but considering their horrible team, attendance, spelling ability, it will be hard to fathom them successfully signing Strasburg. Aztecs manager Tony Gwynn (Tony Gwynn folks!) has not said for sure whether he will pitch Strasburg Friday against Virginia, who just won the ACC tournament, or he will rest him until the likely match-up with regional host UC Irvine. The Anteaters are the favorites to move on so it might behoove Gwynn to rest Strasburg but if they do not beat UVA they face elimination. It is all part of the strategy of baseball which takes on a new dimension when it comes to the college game which is part of the reason it makes it so captivating to watch.
Just like basketball, a field of 64 teams (after the opening round game) that will be narrowed down to one after a long hard-fought battle of blown calls, great plays, role players becoming stars, and a little bit of good fortune.
Texas grabs No. 1 baseball seed [ESPN]
