J.H. Naner's 2006 Baseball Preview

Alright, I have no Stats games to do and I'm a loser, so I'll spend an hour or so here on a Friday giving my 2006 MLB predictions.

AL East
1. Boston Red Sox- Okay, I know a lot of people think they'll finish third, and I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility, but I really like the offseason moves they made. I think Coco Crisp will be just as good as Damon and he doesn't throw like his arm is a limp noodle. The defense on the infield should also be improved with Alex Gonzalez at short. Loretta is a solid pickup, and they got Josh Beckett. Plus Schilling and Foulke cannot be as bad as last year.

Surprise contributer- Rudy Seanez.
Weakness factor- No gaping holes, so I'll say Julian Tavarez going crazy and shooting up the clubhouse is the biggest risk.

2. New York Yankees- Okay, the lineup is ridiculously good and I know they had some pitching injuries last year. But I refuse to believe Shawn Chacon and Aaron Small will pitch like last year. Kyle Farnsworth could fill in to replace Tom Gordon without a problem, but he could also be too distracted trying to pick up chicks and have an era of 5.50. Tough to pick against them, but I just think the Red Sox rotation is significantly better.

Surprise contributer- Not really a surprise, but Robinson Cano was extremely solid as a rookie and if he improves a little on defense and offense he could be a superstar in no time.
Weakness factor- I don't trust the bullpen.

3. Toronto Blue Jays- Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know the Blue Jays went out and spent some money. But throwing $95 million at A.J. I act like I'm 5 and didn't have to pitch against Boston and the Yankees ten times a year Burnett was a bad signing in my opinion. B.J. Ryan could be really good, but only has one year of real closer experience. They'll be competitive but are still not in the class of the big two yet.

Surprise contributer- I think Shea Hillenbrand will have a very solid year with Glaus and Overbay added to the lineup.
Weakness factor- O-dog isn't there anymore to get a web gem every night and the lineup still includes unproven Reed Johnson, Alex Rios (who I actually think should be pretty good), Russ Adams, and Aaron Hill.

4. Baltimore Orioles- I really wanted to put the D'Rays here b/c in about two years I think their offense will be top 5 in the league, but I have to give the nod to Baltimore b/c of Rockin' Leo Mazzone. The starters could turn from a weakness to at least adequacy. The offense should be good, and I think Ramon Hernandez was a good signing and will deepen their lineup.

Surprise contributor- Daniel Cabrera. This guy's got really good stuff and combined with Mazzone could mean a much needed big year.
Weakness factor- The bullpen. Wow.

5. Tampa Ray Devil Rays- I enjoyed watching them last year and have the feeling about 50% of this team will end up playing for the Yankees about five years down the road. They've got a very nice mix of speed and power and can only get better.

Surprise contributor- Scott Kazmir. Had the Mets not traded him for Victor Zambrano, I might be inclined to call the Mets a legit World Series threat.
Weakness factor- Everyone else on the pitching staff. Seth McClung can throw about 100mph, but until he controls it, his era will be high reaching, too.

AL Central

1. Chicago White Sox- How can you not pick them to win it? Their rotation remains the best in baseball and if Jim Thome returns anywhere near to form, the middle of the order will be a bear. Although some of the fear put in the opponents heart will be gone since Carl Evereally insane is gone. Freaking dinosaurs.

Surprise contributer- Rob Mackowiak. Solid utility player that will give them flexibility and depth.
Weakness factor- Maybe the bullpen? I've heard Dustin Hermanson's back is as bad as BBL's and word from BBL is also that Bobby Jenks may be having Rick Ankiel like control problems.

2. Cleveland Indians- I really like the Indians personally. Although part of my affinity left when Coco Crisp left town. This team should be good, but I can't say that they improved from last year. I think trading Crisp was a bad idea and while Millwood didn't get any run support last year, he kept them in tons of games. Also, Bob Wickman is about 53 years old and really fat.

Surprise contributer- Paul Byrd is much steadier and valuable than he gets credit for.
Weakness factor- I don't see their lineup being wild card contender good.

3. Detroit Tigers- Tough call for me between the Twins and Tigers. I'll give Detroit the nod I guess. To me this is a team that if everything goes right, they could make a small run at the wild card, but more likely they'll be .500ish. They've got a lot of good hitters but nobody that really scares you.

Surprise contributer- Curtis Granderson.
Weakness factor- Jim Leyland death watch could be a distraction

4. Minnesota Twins- I've seen an "expert" actually predict them to win the Central. Well, this person works for cbs sportsline and therefore is a pretty good chance he makes his predictions by if he likes a team's logo. How can you have such awesome gamecenter and such terrible writers sportsline? Anywho, Johan will anchor a staff that should be pretty good, but may be a little too thin to get the job done considering a lineup that I think will be pretty terrible.

Surprise contributer- Justin Morneau. I think he will bounce back and probably be their most productive hitter.
Weakness factor- Tony Batista is their starting 3rd baseman.

5. Kansas City Royals- I almost hate to admit this, but I kind of am excited to see the Royals, which for many who know me is a rarity. It might just be b/c this team actually has some semblance of a major league team after last year's softball squad. Having said that, they will still be God awful.

Surprise contributer- Not really a surprise, but I think Reggie Sanders will definitely help this lineup more than he really should. Hopefully Alex Gordon can get up there and do some Ken Harvey like rookie damage.
Weakness factor- They're infield still might only hit a combined 50 hrs, leaving the outside chance that the kiss cam will still be the most exciting part of the game and send me back into a loathing of the Royals.

Al West

1. Oakland A's- A lot of people seem to really love this team. I think they'll be very good, but frankly I'm not in love with this team. I think a lot hinges on if Bobby Crosby and Nick Swisher have good years. Their starting rotation has the potential to be on par with the White Sox.

Surprise contributer- Dan Haren. He was good last year, and I think he will only get better.
Weakness factor- Already known for penny pinching, Billy Beane may have to spend all spare income on security. The combination of the city of Oakland and Milton Bradley? I think that's the picture in the dictionary under "volatile".

2. Seattle Mariners- A bit of a surprise here, but I think this team had a good offseason. I like the addition of Jarrod Washburn, especially when teamed up with Safeco field. And if Kenji Johjima is worth his price tag, the offense will be formidable. And Felix Hernandez is the man.

Surprise contributor- I'm going to go with Adrian Beltre. He didn't do much last year, but I expect him to bounce back and be more in the .280/30hr/100 rbi range.
Weakness factor- This team always seems to underachieve in some manner or another and Carl Everett may say something about his disbelief in coffee and/or rain and start a riot.

3. Anaheim Angles of Los Angeles, California of the United States of America, Earth- This to me is an aging team that passed its prime. Vladimir is good and all, but I think Garret Anderson has taken a step back and to be honest, I think their lineup is really weak. I wouldn't be surprised if they were finished 3rd of even last.

Surprise contributer- Kelvim Escobar. This guy is good. Just needs to put it all together.
Weakness factor- Do they have a catcher who can take advantage of the staff, let alone not be a dangerous liability on an already thin offense?

4. Texas Rangers- I may eat my words for putting them here later, since their lineup is awfully good. Some people like their rotation, but I don't buy Adam Eaton being all that good, or healthy, and something tells me Francisco Cordero will regress.

Surprise contributor- Brad Wilkerson could have a field day in the humidity of Texas and out of cavernous RFK. But he could also try to hit 50 hrs and hit .235.
Weakness factor- This team has absolutely no speed since Soriano is gone.

NL East

1. New York Mets- I could really see any of my top three teams winning this division, so this is kind of an instinct feeling. I think the general public have never really realized how good Carlos Delgado is and now that he's playing for the Mets, he might get the exposure to prove it. With the exception of second base, this lineup is stacked.

Surprise contributer- Xavier Nady wil be one of the better hitters in the 7 hole in the league.
Weakness factor- If Pedro goes down, so do the Mets hopes of winning the division. That pitching staff does not inspire confidence. I think the lineup makes up enough for it, though.

2. Philadelphia Phillies- This is the NL version of the Mariners in that they always seem to underachieve. But this lineup has the chance to be just ridiculous. Ryan Howard could be the NL HR leader if he gets a little more consistent against left handed pitchers.

Surprise contributer- Aaron Rowand is pretty good and should improve the defense.
Weakness factor- I'm not sure I buy Tom Gordon as a legitimate closer anymore. Especially in that park.

3. Atlanta Braves- Yes, this is the year I believe it all comes to an end. Boy do I hope I'm right. They still have a decent lineup and decent starting pitching, but I just don't think they have enough, especially with Leo Mazzone gone. Although Edgar Renteria will probably get good again and they'll have 35 rookies who are awesome and prove me wrong.

Surprise contributer- Horacio Ramirez. If he can stay healthy I think he's pretty good. I also think Adam Laroche will continue to improve.
Weakness factor- That's not a real strong bullpen and I expect Jorge Sosa's numbers to be significantly worse than last year.

4. Washington Nationals- Still marred by the ultimate screw job from MLB, the Nationals just don't have enough pieces to be a real contender. I think Soriano will still hit pretty well, but the left field experiment could go horribly wrong. Hopefully a new ballpark and greener pastures are on the way.

Surprise contributer- I'm drinking the J.T. kool aid about Ryan Zimmerman. Hopefully my fantasy team will reap the benefits.
Weakness factor- Some say winning a lot of one run games is a sign of a good team. I say it's a sign of almost losing.

5. Florida Marlins aka 2005 KC Royals with better future- The Memorial Stadium of Major League Baseball. So much selling out. I heard Miami is hoping the polar ice caps melt to put out the fire sale. Ba-zing.

Surprise contributer- Could be almost anyone since pretty much nobody on this team has any big league experience.
Weakness factor- Those who are surprise contributers will probably suck.

NL Central

1. St. Louis Cardinals- Much like the AL West, I think this is a tough division to handicap. The Cardinals don't scare me as much as they did two or three years ago, but they still have a good ballclub. Moving into a new stadium could be an x-factor until the players get comfortable in the new confines. Also putting a dangerous animal in a new environment (i.e. Sidney Ponson) and anything can ensue.

Surprise contributer- Call it a gut feeling, but I think Juan Encarnacion is going to be better than people think.
Weakness factor- No glaring weakness here, but if Chris Carpenter's last month wasn't an aberration last year, this team could vulnerable. Edmonds isn't getting any younger, either.

2. Milwaukee Brewers- This is more of a hope than what I necessarily think will happen. I think there is a lot of parity between teams two through six in thie division, so this I'll put this more in the order of what I want to happen. I kind of think the Brewers are still a year or two away from being legit, but you never know. Maybe Miller Park's special brat sauce will be enough of an intangible for a second place finish.

Surprise contributer- All of their prospects are not really a surprise in fact they are the reason for all the optimism in Milwaukee, so I'll throw Jose Capellan out there from the bullpen b/c he throws really, really hard.
Weakness factor- Too green to handle the pressures of the optimism? Perhaps. Also, Ben Sheets must stay healthy.

3. Houston Astros- I don't really like the Astros for some reason, but they did go to the World Series last year. They also had Roger Clemens. And Andy Pettite pitched amazingly well. Those two factors may not be there this year. Jeff Bagwell's surgery was a blessing in disguise in terms of clubhouse tension.

Surprise contributer- Preston Wilson. He strikes out a lot, but the left field dimensions was originally designed for a little league field.
Weakness factor- I just think this team overachieved last year.

4. Chicago Cubs- 2004- Red Sox, 2005- White Sox, 2006- Not the Cubs. Sorry, MP. To borrow a line from JT, "if ifs and buts were candy and nuts, we'd all have a merry christmas." A.K.A, if Mark Prior and Kerry Wood were healthy, the Cubs could be a title contender.

Surprise contributer- Matt Murton will hit 30 hrs according to MP, so I'll go with him. Most others on this team you know what you are getting from.
Weakness factor- The human body's vulnerability/curses.

5. Pittsburgh Pirates- This team is kind of like the baby Brewers in my mind. They've got potential for sure, and honestly if everything falls into place, I could see them finishing as high as 3rd in the division. I think the addition of veterans Sean Casey, Joe Randa, and Jeromy Burnitz will bring some legitimacy and experience to this really young core of talent already there. Jason Bay is basically Vladimir Guerrero when he played for Montreal and nobody knew who he was. One of the best 10 hitters in baseball and now he'll even have a little protection. They also should be one of the best defensive teams in baseball.

Surprise contributer- Oliver Perez has buckets of talent and is the key to putting the Pirates on the right track to respectibility.
Weakness factor- Hard to improve dramatically in a division that has improved itself.

6. Cincinnati Reds- Who knows with this team. They could be okay, but they seem to be MLB's version of purgatory to me. No more Jose Rijo = no more glory.

Surprise contributer- Aaron Harang. This guy is pretty damn good, and he's pretty damn good in a hitter's ballpark.
Weakness factor- Ken Griffey and Austin Kearns are to the Reds as Prior and Wood are to the Cubs.

NL West

1. San Francisco Giants- I expect a big bounce back for Jason Schmidt. Of course the wild card here is Barry Bonds and who knows what will happen with that mess. Still, this team has a deeper rotation than anyone else in the division and if Armando Benitez can stay healthy , the Giants will close out more games than last year. Matt Morris should be a solid addition.

Surprise contributer- I look for Steve Finley to bounce back a little from his horrific 2005 and give the team a lift. Randy Winn was hot since getting traded from Seattle last summer and teammates this spring say he is locked in like never before.
Weakness factor- Is Barry isn't dominating, I think he's a detriment to the team overall.

2. Los Angeles Dodgers- I'm kind of torn on this team. I like the addition of Rafael Furcal, but only b/c I don't drive on the LA freeway. If Nomar returns to some resemblence of his former self and Gagne and J.D. Drew stay healthy, this team definitely has enought talent to win the division. But they could also be an overpriced group of underachievers, too.

Surprise contributer- Brad Penny
Weakness factor- This team to me is stuck in a transition between having a lot of old guys before that deep farm system starts taking over.

3. San Diego Padres- I hope my favorite team can repeat the unforgettable and magical 2005 division win, but there was just so much freaking turnover to the roster that it's hard to tell. I think the team has a nice mix of veterans and young talents, but kind of seem like the Tigers of the AL. They've got a lot of decent players, but except for Jake Peavy, they don't have anyone that truly is a game changer. Hopefully Josh Barfield and Adrian Gonzalez are fast learners.

Surprise contributer- I think a move to Petco could help Shawn Estes have a pretty solid year. I expect an era in the 3.50-3.75 range with 12-15 wins.
Weakness factor- The bullpen may go from the club's biggest strength to a question mark. Also, Khalil Greene needs to stop being a potential star and actually do it.

4. Arizona Diamonbacks- I don't really have much of a feeling for this team. They will not be terrible, nor good. Will Luis Gonzalez play forever? Seems like he has been.

Surprise contributer- Orlando Hudson as mentioned in the Blue Jays preview (which I wrote about 2.5 hours ago now), is a very solid player and Brandon Webb may want to take a side trip to Vegas to elope with O-Dog b/c he is a hoover at second base between his glove and his big mouth.
Weakness factor- They are paying Russ Ortiz $8 million.

5. Colorado Rockies- I'd consider these guys a less explosive NL version of the Devil Rays. They've got a lot of young hitters who look like they have solid potential. Of course, they also play in the mountains. Todd Helton can only improve off of 2005, but his big drop off does make me question whether that steroid accusation was true.

Surprise contributer- I think Matt Holliday could continue to improve into one of the more dangerous hitters in the league. Also, any team with Jose Mesa gains some likeability in my book.
Weakness factor- Still very young and still very hard to find a pitcher who can be successful at Coors.

Playoff predictions

A.L.- Boston over Oakland
Chicago over New York, then Boston over Chicago

N.L.- St. Louis over Philadelphia
San Francisco over Mets, then St. Louis over S.F.

World Series- Boston over St. Louis. It's 2004 all over again!!!

A.L. mvp- David Ortiz
A.L. cy young- Rich Harden

N.L. mvp- Albert Pujols
N.L. cy young- Jason Schmidt

Did anyone read this entire post?

J.H. Naners

Vegas toys with Awesome Inc.

(Note: Pics have now been added)

JT and JH Naners have weighed in with their takes on the Vegas excursion that took place a week ago, so I will not rehash their stories, but attempt to add to them. If you haven't figured it out already, the common theme during the trip was losing money and lots of it, but we still managed to have a great time doing it. The losing started Wednesday night, but so did the good times. As JT pointed out Syracuse and Michigan State have been added to our "Dead to us" list with the Detroit Pistons earning "You're on notice" status for their efforts on consecutive nights. Had those games turned out differently, this trip would probably have turned out to be the best yet (It was trip 8 for JT and myself FYI).

While there weren't any extra crazy nights during the trip, each one offered good times and a fair share of hilarious quotes that JT can post at some point. Wednesday was pretty slow going as we eased into the trip, but still managed to down quite a bit of alcohol before hitting the sack at a reasonable 1 am. By that time I had been up for 33 straight hours, which was a new personal record, and with the Dance starting the next day it was time to call it a night.

Thursday was pretty much the same with more losing and more drinking. Some of the group hit some bets, so it wasn't as bad as the following days, but still wasn't good. Syracuse's effort against Texas A&M led me to the Barbary Coast bar and the comfort of video blackjack and comp'd rum and Cokes. Ellis Island and their $1 beers (Light, Regular, Weiss, and Root) also aided my plan to forget about stupid Gerry McNamera and the Orange.

Friday was St. Patty's day and I'll just do this for a recap:

• Screw Michigan State (although now losing to George Mason doesn't seem so bad)
• Walking to the Stratosphere from the Wynn takes a long time
• Footballs full of Pina Colada are really good before turning into a job to finish the last third
• Finding a cab in downtown Vegas is harder than one would think
• Ellis still has a great restaurant with great prices
• Screw Michigan State!!!

JT recapped Saturday pretty well already, but I just want to reiterate how hilarious the guy dancing and the karaoke video of Play that Funky Music were to all of us and that MP was extra drunk that night to make things even funnier. That helped get our minds off of the stupid Pistons and JH Naners losing streak reach a day and a half. (As you might have gathered from his post, he was not able to end that streak before leaving Vegas)

That's about it for my recap.

BBL

Life is a cold, hard bitch

You broke my heart, Antoine. Imagine going through a rough few days. Every decision you make is the wrong one. If the butterfly effect focused on you, the world would cease to exist a short time later. Every instinct you have is faulty. You begin to doubt yourself. You feel your competency and everything you thought you knew just slipping away. And just when you think you're about to get your life back on track, Antoine Walker makes a three pointer with two seconds left and the Heat already leading 108-100 to break the over by one point.

Why must you haunt me like that, Antoine? I didn't call for your head when you were missing layup after layup a couple years ago. Sure I cracked a few fat jokes, but come on, you were the Daunte Culpepper of the NBA. Maybe you were still upset about Uconn beating your alma mater (yes that is their license plate) earlier in the day, but did you have to take it out on me? I will not hold a grudge against you despite your unnecessary padding of your stats and de-padding of my wallet. But let's just say when you make some critical error in the playoffs this year, I will not feel sorry for you. You just don't toy around with a man down on his luck like you did and get away with it.

J.H. Naners

OHHHH DID YOU FEEL THAT!!?!??!?!?!

So I'm sitting in Ellis Island last week, some people call it "The Gateway to $1 Beers," and I'm playing blackjack. Things hadn't gone well all trip, Syracuse and Michigan State had already lost and I was down a couple hundred bucks. I was sitting next to my friend Phil and this dealer was just crushing us. Every so often I glance to my left, a man is in the anchor position, actually he was playing hands in both of the last two spaces. He was probably sixty, grey hair, a strange outfit (like a guy who rode in the Tour de France about thirty years ago and hasn't changed clothes since) and two watches on his right arm. This guy kept getting great hands and when he would win he would gasp in a strained voice, "Oh thank you Jesus!!! Thank you Jesus!!! OHHHHH did you feel that?" and naturally I replied, "I did feel that one, I felt it." Then he looked me straight in the eye and said, "It takes poise." I had no idea what the hell he was talking about, but I should have listened because I promptly lost $100.

I ask you reader, is there a better place on earth to make you feel better about losing $100 than a karaoke bar, and apparently Ellis Island has a pretty damn good one!!! We sat down at a table in the back where we couldn't really see the singers, but we could definately see a 30-year-old nerdy looking guy dancing by himself, seemingly in a rhythm only he could hear. His style was very hippyish, lots of long languid movements, and he often stuck on arm straight above his head and danced like that for awhile. We were all mesmorized, watching this characiture of a man when all of the sudden a very drunk young lady sat down in BBL's, yes BBL's, lap.Well, evidently Bobby wasn't into her because he said, "I think you broke my hand." Well she was all like, "Talk to the hand" after that.

This is only part of the story however and where it gets a little cloudy for me. BBL will have to take it from here. All I remember is that "Play that Funky Music White Boy" came on the karaoke and a video went up on the screen that went with the song and it was the funniest thing I've ever seen.

JT.

It's Madness!!!

Well that time of the year is upon us when work productivity takes a sharp decline, people are obsessed with sheets with connecting lines on them, and two bald idiots can rant endlessly with millions watching. It's March Madness time people! This is the greatest time of the year with seemingly endless days of college buckets filled with great players, great upsets, and great finishes. Awesome Inc. will be in Vegas for these four hoops-filled days and a finer place we could not be. When you combine the greatness of Vegas with the greatness of March Madness you have a perfect storm of awesomeness!
We will have a complete recap of the goings on in Sin City upon our return, but for now here are BBL's picks for the Big Dance:

Biggest Upset in the First Round - Utah State over Washington
Best Game in the First Round - Arkansas vs. Bucknell

Biggest Upset in the Second Round - Seton Hall over Tennessee
Best Game in the Second Round - Kansas vs. Pittsburgh

Biggest Upset in the Sweet 16 - Kansas over Memphis
Best Game in the Sweet 16 - Villanova vs. Boston College

Elite 8 - Duke over Texas, Kansas over Gonzaga, UConn over North Carolina, Villanova over Georgetown

Final 4 - Duke over Kansas, UConn over Villanova

Championship - UConn over Duke

Until next week!!

BBL

Have I Got a Deal For You!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know how you kids like your music, just take a look at the post below, you can't get enough of the stuff. I mean, it's on the radio, records, tapes and now cd's!!!! They even have these ipods now, you can actually download music from the computer to these machines and listen to the music anywhere!!! The only problem is that each song costs $.99. Not free like they used to be during the Napster days. Well, you know what else isn't free? Freedom. So here's my offer, I'll just write it down here and slide it across the table to you, see that impish glint in my eye? You know you won't be able to turn this down!!! Just click on that link below.

Here you go.

Can you believe it?!!!? Three FREE songs!!!! And you will probably listen to them all the time where you will be going. I don't know if I can stress this enough...that's $2.97 worth of music. All you have to do is let someone call you every day for the next five years trying to get you to go to Iraq. Most of you 'hipsters' with the ipods out there are teetering on the edge of trotting down to the recruitment office and signing up anyway, well if three free songs doesn't push you over the edge then I'm not sure what will. Just sign there and I'll give you a hearty handshake and send you on your way!!

For those of you already serving in Iraq, we are working on getting you adequate body army and Hum-Vee plating, but you might be getting some new friends with three FREE songs!!!!


JT (To all those serving, get home soon)

PS Best shirt ever?

And Monkeys might fly out my butt!!

It's been a week without any posts here at Awesome Inc., so I thought I'd chime in with a short and sweet music review. We don't talk much about the music scene on this blog, mostly because there is usually very little to talk about, but there are three albums that have come out/will come out soon that are fantastic and should be mentioned.
Firstly, a new British rock band called the Arctic Monkeys (How cool is that name by the way?!?) and they have skyrocketed up my list of favorite bands and into the top 5. Every song on their album "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not" is fantastic. Cop it! Here's their video for "When the Sun Goes Down." For fans of the movie Snatch, you'll notice that Stephen Graham, who played Tommy, is in this video as well.


Secondly, a fav group of mine for a while now is Blackalicious and they have a new album out that is on par with their older stuff. The 'licious has come a long ways from playing in front of the U of Nebraska Union to having a semi-hit with Make Me Feel that Way off a prior album "Blazing Arrow". The Gift of Gab is one of the best rappers going right now I believe and definitely worth a listen.
Finally, I'm highly anticipating the release of the full album by The Raconteurs. The band is made up of Jack White of The White Stripes and his friends, so that alone means there is potential. The fact that the first two singles from the album are awesome make it very likely that the rest of the tracks will live up to the high standard set by The White Stripes. The full album releases in May, so check it out then.
Feel free to comment on any of these bands or some others out there we should check out.

BBL