Pat Morgan's Fearless 2008 MLB Predictions

On the day of the Red Sox/Athletics opener in Japan, here are my 2008 predictions!

AL East: *Boston (O 94), New York (U 93.5), Toronto (O 85.5), Tampa Bay (U 75), Baltimore (U 64.5)
AL Central: Detroit (O 93.5), Cleveland (O 90), Chicago (O 79.5), Minnesota (O 75), Kansas City (U 73.5)
AL West: Seattle (O 85), Los Angeles (U 92), Oakland (O 73.5), Texas (U 76)
MVP: Miguel Cabrera
Cy Young: Erik Bedard
Rookie: Joba Chamberlain
Comeback: Vernon Wells
Manager: John McLaren

The AL is clearly still the dominant league even with Johan Santana and Dan Haren being dealt to the NL. The AL has eight teams that I can see having really good years. The big six that no one will really dispute with are Boston, New York, Detroit, Cleveland, Seattle, and Los Angeles. I would consider Toronto and Chicago as two long shots, but could contend for the wildcard.

My AL East and Central picks are the popular picks, and I think the wildcard will come down to the Yankees and Indians around 92-93 wins. I think with the Angels pitching injuries that will give the Mariners the inside track to dethrone them in the West. I absolutely love the Bedard, King Felix 1,2 punch leading into perhaps the league's best closer (not named Mariano) in J.J. Putz. Detroit is my pick to win the World Series because of their great lineup and deep rotation. Should they lose, it will be because of their injury plagued pen, and Todd Jones in the closer spot. I think that will cost them homefield, but hopefully Zumaya will be back to stabilize things come October.

NL East: *New York (O 93.5), Philadelphia (O 87.5), Atlanta (U 85.5), Washington (U 72.5), Florida (U 69)
NL Central: Chicago (O 87), Milwaukee (U 84.5), Houston (O 75), Cincinnati (U 77.5), St. Louis (U 76), Pittsburgh (U 70)
NL West: Arizona (O 87.5), Los Angeles (O 86.5), Colorado (O 83), San Diego (U 84.5), San Francisco (U 73)
MVP: Chase Utley
Cy Young: Johan Santana
Rookie: Geovany Soto
Comeback: Andruw Jones
Manager: Willie Randolph

The NL appeared to be up for grabs when it seemed that the Mets would not be able to acquire Johan Santana from the Twins. Their patience with Minnesota paid off however and they got the game's best pitcher for basically nothing. With Santana, I expect the Mets to win well north of 90 games and cake walk to the NL East crown and homefield in the playoffs.

The NL Central and especially the West are up for grabs. I'll take Chicago as the best overall team in the Central. They have a good lineup, good rotation, and I think Kerry Wood is made to be a closer if he stays healthy. Milwaukee has a better lineup, but I think that is the only spot another team can say they are better than the Cubs in a certain area. I want to pick the Dodgers in the West, but its hard to ignore the Webb-Haren-Johnson trio in Arizona. Expect the top 4 teams in the West to be within 5-8 games of each other at the end of the year.

ALDS: Boston 3, Seattle 1; Detroit 3, New York 2
NLDS: New York 3, Chicago 1; Philadelphia 3, Arizona 2
ALCS: Detroit 4, Boston 3
NLCS: New York 4, Philadelphia 2
World Series: Detroit 4, New York 2
World Series MVP: Justin Verlander

Pat Morgan

From 65 to 16 as the Second Round Shapes the Field

The field of 65 has been whittled down to 16. The first weekend of the 2008 NCAA Tournament had many twists and turns, and I think it was one of the best opening weekends ever. Now on to the highlights of the second round.

Top Player Performance (AGAIN): Stephen Curry (30 pts, 8-21, 5-15 3s)

Not the unconscious numbers he put up against #7 Gonzaga, but he was even more clutch in this round. Midway through the 2nd half, he converted a 4-point play that really set him off after a sluggish start. He made play after play after play to demoralize Georgetown. Usually after such a big comeback a player will be worn out, but Curry stayed hot and iced the game with his three from the top of the key to put the Wildcats up 65-60 with under 2 minutes to play. I looked hard for another player in the second round to avoid a duplicate from the first round, but Curry was so impressive it was impossible to go elsewhere.

Biggest Stunner: #10 Davidson's 17-point comeback to defeat #2 Georgetown 74-70
& Best Team Going Home: #2 Georgetown

It is absolutely stunning that this experienced Hoyas team would blow a 17-point lead to anyone. You can look no further than Georgetown committing over 20 turnovers. They are generally such a smart team that does not beat themselves. They do go into scoring droughts and that really hurt them today. Roy Hibbert was hampered by foul trouble too, but he hasn't been the factor I thought he would be for Georgetown this year.

Give credit to Davidson though. Stephen Curry has been absolutely fantastic by delivering his Wildcats to the Sweet 16. I can't remember a better single performer in the NCAA Tournament. Everyone one of his combined 70 points came under great pressure. Both wins for Davidson were comebacks, so it wasn't like Curry ran up his stats in blowouts. He came through great when the pressure was at its peak. Even some of the best melt in those situations. Think those ACC teams are regretting turning him away?

Highlight of the Second Round: Brook Lopez's driving layup in OT to defeat #6 Marquette 82-81

After Trent Johnson was ejected, did anyone think the Cardinal would survive this game? They really hung together with the Lopez twins dominating inside. Marquette was the quicker, scrappier team that almost overcame the huge disadvantage of facing Robin and Brook Lopez. Give great credit to Stanford though who really gutted out a victory that will go down as their survival win should they find a way into the Final Four. I think it is safe to say any of the teams remaining can win the South region.

Survival Game to the Truest Sense: Darren Collison's coast-to-coast game-winning layup to save #1 UCLA against #9 Texas A&M

While this layup saved UCLA from a premature elimination, there were many things to be concerned with if you are a Bruins fan. You've all heard a lot about the great comeback yesterday, but to be honest I really wasn't impressed. Their defense was fantastic as it always is, but it took them 15 minutes to comeback from 10 down. In those 15 minutes, UCLA only allowed Texas A&M 9 points! That means UCLA only scored 19, so it was like the turtle catching up on the sleeping rabbit. They got away with a poor scoring night against the Aggies, but UCLA will not overcome their now typical slow starts if they hope to defeat Memphis, UNC or anyother big teams to win the National Championship. I'm not saying they have to blitz their competitors because of their great defense, but they do have to score more. Think about it, they scored 51 while UNC scored 108 in their second round victories.

Underrated: Wisconsin & Washington State

The Badgers and Cougars have quietly gone about their business in the tournament. Wisconsin clobbered Kansas State yesterday. Unlike last year, the Badgers came into the tournament playing well and have really locked down their opponents with their terrific systematic play. If Davidson wants to continue their Cinderella run they will have to really earn it against Wisconsin.

Washington State held Notre Dame to just 41 points yesterday. That is half the season average for the Irish. It will be interesting to see if the Cougars can slow tempo, as they do so well, against the best team in the country in UNC. Any fluke that both these programs are stamped by Gary Bennett?

Overrated: Tennessee

They haven't been all that impressive in their two victories. #15 American gave them all they could handle, and today #7 Butler took them into overtime after having the ball with a chance to win in regulation. I know Butler is much better than your average #7 seed, but if your a National Title contender like Tennessee, you've got to find a way to play better than you have. They will face a red hot Louisville team in the next round who just pounded UNC by 30. That might be the best matchup of the Regional Semifinals.

To the Sweet 16!

Pat Morgan

Upsets a Plenty as First Round Comes to a Close

The best two days of the sports year did not disappoint. Well, at least Day 2 of the First Round after a so-so Day 1. Six of the 16 games on Friday were won by the higher seed, and that included the site of Tampa seeing all four underdogs win. It was the first time ever in the history of the NCAA Tournament where one site saw all four higher seeds win.

Top Player Performance: Stephen Curry (40 pts, 14-22, 8-10 3s)

Curry led Davidson to their first tournament victory since 1969. Gonzaga was destroying Davidson in every facet of the game in the first half, but somehow the Wildcats survived behind Curry's great shooting. The play of the game was when Davidson saved a ball from going out of bounds and the pass went right to a wide open Curry for a three. That gave Davidson a comfortable lead they would not relinquish. But how this kid, who plays in North Carolina, eluded ACC recruiting is beyond me. My Dukies could definitely use him right about now!

Biggest Stunner: Tie - #12 Villanova overcoming an 18 point deficit to defeat #5 Clemson, and #13 Siena blowing out #4 Vanderbilt by 21.

Nova's tremendous defense frustrated the hell out of the Tigers in the 2nd half. Jay Wright is rising among the best coaches in the country. Other than a dumb technical, he did a brillant job keeping his Wildcats under control after having their doors blown off by Clemson early in the game. Clemson's inexperience killed them tonight. They were clearly stunned when Nova made their run. A team with Final Four talent lost because they didn't know what do to when their opponent got up after an early knockout blow.

Siena shocked me by just destroying the Commodores. I kept waiting for a Vandy second half run, but they were never able to get inside of 7 points. Normally, CBS would switch everyone to a #13 with a chance to win, but since this game was so lopsided, they left this game to go to others. That's all you need to know in a nut shell right there.

Best Team Going Home: #5 Clemson

It really isn't even close. Clemson rose up many individual's rankings after their great ACC Tournament last weekend. They then opened up an 18 point lead right out of the gate. How they lost today is really a credit to Villanova.

Connecticut is the second best team to go home. San Diego really played with a lot of heart when it appeared that UConn's inside game was going to be the Toredos downfall. What a shot by Rob Jones to send the Toredos to an improbable second round matchup with Western Kentucky.

Drake is another #5 going home, but being from the Missouri Valley, we really don't know how good they were. They fought hard to erase a 16 point deficit, but Ty Rogers's three ends their magical year. Vandy doesn't deserve to be in this discussion as they were embarrassed by Siena.

Highlight of the First Round: Ty Rogers's buzzer beater for Western Kentucky.

The rush up the floor by Tyrone Brazelton and the unselfish pass to Rogers was a thing of beauty. You'll see this highlight run like Bryce Drew's winner for Valparaiso back in 1998. Rob Jones's winner for San Diego is a close second.

Overrated: Duke

They nearly lost to #15 Belmont if it wasn't for Gerald Henderson's big drive and layup. The Blue Devils are clearly tired from overachieving this regular season. I sort of expect them to be sent packing by West Virginia, who is playing extremely well right now. #2 Tennessee really struggled with #15 American today as well, but it didn't come down to the final seconds like it did for Duke.

Off to the second round. The madness is in full swing!!!

Pat Morgan

Bracket Munching Time!

The greatest sporting event of the year is here! Selection Sunday has come, and I must say the committee did a tremendous job putting the field together. I thought the only teams that should not have made it were Arizona and Baylor. I would have put Virginia Tech and Dayton in instead.

However, no one can really gripe this year because many bubble teams did not step up this year. There were no Syracuse snubs like last year. Other than that, my only other concern was the weakness of the West region. It is perhaps the easiest road for a #1 seed that I have ever seen.

After munching on the brackets for a day its time to breakdown each region and pick a National Champion:

East
Region Strength: 1
Sleeper: Indiana
Overrated: Washington State
1st Round Upset? (12+): #13 Winthrop
Best Possible Matchup: Regional Final-North Carolina/Tennessee
Player to Watch: Tyler Hansbrough
Winner: North Carolina

South
Region Strength: 3
Sleeper: USC
Overrated: Michigan State
1st Round Upset? (12+): #12 Temple
Best Possible Matchup: Regional Semifinal-Memphis/Pittsburgh
Player to Watch: D.J. Augustin
Winner: Texas

Midwest
Region Strength: 2
Sleeper: Clemson/Davidson
Overrated: Georgetown
1st Round Upset? (12+): None
Best Possible Matchup: Regional Semifinal-Kansas/Clemson
Player to Watch: Stephen Curry
Winner: Clemson

West
Region Strength: Distant 4
Sleeper: West Virginia
Overrated: Duke
1st Round Upset? (12+): #14 Georgia
Best Possible Matchup: Regional Final-UCLA/Duke
Player to Watch: Kevin Love
Winner: UCLA

Final Four
National Champion: UCLA
Most Outstanding Player: Kevin Love

Pat Morgan

Favre Finally Calls it a Career

After multiple offseasons of retirement talk, Brett Favre has finally decided to hang up the cleats once and for all. Over his 17-year career, Favre has set many different records for quarterbacks. Favre owns the completion, yardage and touchdown records. Favre has won three MVP awards, and is a Super Bowl champion.

The most impressive feat of Favre's career is his 275 consecutive starts. That is over 15 seasons, including the postseason, without missing a start. That is unbelievable in a sport where injuries get you at every turn. That record will probably never be topped, and only Peyton Manning has a chance to possibly sniff it. Favre probably is one of the top 10-15 quarterbacks in NFL history.

However, Favre also owns the interception record. He did have fatal flaws in his game. Just a month ago, Favre's last NFL pass was picked off by the Giants in overtime of the NFC Championship. He was outplayed in his own building by Eli Manning. Favre has had other rough playoff games as well. He threw six interceptions against St. Louis in the 2000-01 playoffs. He also lost Super Bowl XXXII as a heavy favorite to the Denver Broncos. These dreadful performances lead me not to put Favre in the elite of the elite. He is not on the level of Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw, or even Tom Brady.

Even though this is the third year in a row we have had to deal with Favre pondering retirement, I am shocked he is leaving after the Packers' great season in 2007. I figured he'd want to come back and take one last stab at a Super Bowl with this talented roster. There are things behind the scenes that we will probably never know about. I do think Aaron Rodgers can keep the Packers competitive next year. I was impressed with his performance when Favre went down vs. Dallas, and I think if he can beat his injury problems he will do alright for Green Bay. He certainly will not be the next Brett Favre though.

Pat Morgan

Two Weeks til Selection Sunday!!!

The greatest event of the sports year is rapidly closing in. In just 12 days we will be getting ready to munch on some brackets! Here are my top 10 teams which could drastically shuffle in two weeks.

1.) UCLA
2.) North Carolina
3.) Kansas
4.) Memphis
5.) Tennessee
6.) Texas
7.) Duke
8.) Georgetown
9.) Wisconsin
10.) Stanford

#1 Seeds: East-North Carolina, South-Memphis, Midwest-Kansas, West-UCLA

Pat Morgan

With Decent Pitching, Wins Will be Brewing in Milwaukee

The Milwaukee Brewers were a pleasant surprise in 2007 and were in the playoff hunt until the last week of the season. The San Diego Padres eliminated the Brewers during the last weekend of the season, but Milwaukee won the final two games of the season-ending series, forcing the Padres into a play-in game against the Colorado Rockies. The Padres ended up missing out on the playoffs. so the Brewers were partly responsible for that. This team showed me that they have a lot of heart and didn't lay down once they were eliminated from playoff contention. I think that will carry over into this season and eventually lead to a decent outcome. Making the playoffs depends on how well the pitching staff performs. As for the offense, there shouldn't be a problem in that department.

Slugger Prince Fielder is some kind of hitter, and the Brewers are lucky to have him. He hit .288 with 50 homeruns and 118 RBI last season. He has only two full seasons under his belt, and should be signed to a long-term contract in the near future. J.J. Hardy is a promising young shortstop who has a lot of pop, and Ryan Braun (.324 34 HR 97 RBI) returns after winning the National League Rookie of the Year Award last season. With this offense, Bernie Brewer will be taking a lot of trips down the slide at Miller Park this upcoming season.

The pitching staff isn't as potent as the offense, but it might get them by. Ben Sheets has to stay healthy for most of the season, and Chris Capuano needs to have a bounce back year. If those two guys can be consistent throughout the season, this team will be playoff bound. Jeff Suppan pitched over 200 innings last season and I don't see why that should be a problem in 2008. After that, it's a little suspect. Dave Bush had a 5.12 ERA last season and needs to improve on that, while Claudio Vargas isn't much better.

Eric Gagne was signed in the offseason, but the Mitchell Report saga surrounds him. The former Cy Young award-winner needs to prove that he can be the same pitcher that converted 84 consecutive saves when he was a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Brewers will not win the division, but the wild card is certainly within their grasps. I want to say 88-90 wins for this team, but that's only if the pitching holds up. Fans of the Brew Crew should be into this team from start to finish.

Shawn Marosek

Don't Look Past Atlanta in the NL East

It seems like everyone is talking about the Mets and Phillies to battle for the NL East title in 2008. How about the Atlanta Braves? I know it has been two years since they won their last division championship, but remember the long stretch they had before that. I'm not saying that Atlanta is going to win the division, but they are going to be damn close by season's end. This team looks pretty good, and I could easily see them contending with the Phillies and Mets this season.

The pitching staff is pretty solid. Tim Hudson and John Smoltz are at the top followed by Tom Glavine, who returns after a four-year stint with the Mets. Mike Hampton will try to stay healthy for once and Chuck James rounds out the fifth starter position. There are others mixed in that might make some noise, but if this rotation stays injury free, it lines up pretty well against the rest of the National League.

I think this offense might be a tad underrated. Brian McCann had a good season last year for a catcher (.270 18hr 92 RBI) and Jeff Francoeur continues to impress (.293 18 hr 105 RBI). His patience at the plate improved dramatically last season, which was a question mark going into the 2007 campaign. Kelly Johnson performed well out of the lead off spot as well. This team is balanced offensively, especially with the veteran talent of Chipper Jones and first baseman Mark Teixeira in the lineup. Jones has had a terrific career with the Braves, and I think he should be considered for the Hall of Fame. People might think I'm nuts, but as a Mets fan, I've seen enough of Jones to think that way. Teixeira is going to have a great season, like he usually does and being with a good team instead of the Rangers will only boost his confidence. He was traded to Atlanta midway through last season and ended up being a great pickup for the Braves.

I really like this Braves team and I think it's going to be a three-team race until the end of the season. Bobby Cox is an awesome manager and he will lead this team to success in 2008.

Shawn Marosek

Blue Jays Will Be Mediocre Once Again

Every year we hear the same thing when it comes to the Toronto Blue Jays. How many times have we read in a season preview that Toronto is ready to compete with the Big Boys in the AL East. The Red Sox and Yankees have dominated the division for the last 15 years, and the Blue Jays haven't made a postseason appearance since they repeated as World Champions in 1993. This season are we going to hear that this team from north of the border is going to keep pace with Boston and New York?

Well, I guess it depends on your definition of being competitive. This team will finish at least 10 games out of the division, and will stay in it for maybe the 1st half of the season. They will probably be 6-7 games back in third place at the All-Star break and won't make a serious run the rest of the way. The Red Sox and Yankees will be too tough. Now, there are people out there that think the Yanks will be down from last season, which is a possiblity. However, who in their right mind could think that the Blue Jays will finish ahead of the Yanks in the division and squeak out a second place finish. I know I don't.

Well, Toronto signed David Eckstein and acquired Scott Rolen in the offseason. That's the most noise they made during the winter months and I don't see it being that big of a deal. Yes, Rolen is a talented 3B, but he was hindered by injuries last season and might not be 100 percent the entire season. Eckstein is a scrappy player but not one that will completely turn around a franchise. Aaron Hill, Lyle Overbay and Rod Barajas round out the infield. Does that really scare anyone?

Vernon Wells is coming off a subpar season and we'll see what he brings in 2008. The only player I have confidence in is Alex Rios, who hit .297 with 24 hr and 85 rbi. Even those numbers aren't stellar in today's game. Frank Thomas, who reached the 500 HR milestone last season, returns as the DH. He will hit at least 30 homeruns if he stays healthy and will dive in his fair share of runs, but the Blue Jays can't rely on Thomas to have an injury free season. He's been a long time veteran in this league and he turns 40 in May.

As for the pitching staff, Roy Halladay is always the name that stand out. He's had his injury concerns in the past, but when he stays healthy, he is one of the best in the game. I'm surprised he is still with this ball club and hasn't signed with a powerhouse like the Yankees or Red Sox. They still have A.J. Burnett, who is still trying to prove himself in a Blue Jay uniform but after that, it's nothing to brag about.

Closer B.J. Ryan, who was Toronto's big acquisition two years ago, had a great 2006 campaign. In 2007, he suffered a season ending elbow injury last year and now is looking to make a succuessful comeback. He's the anchor of this Blue Jays bullpen and with a suspect pitching staff, this team will need all the relief help they can get.

It's as simple as this. The Blue Jays will finish third again. How can they not? The Red Sox and Yankees are the class of the division and the Orioles are horrible. The Rays might make a run at being third, but will fade late. The Blue Jays have finished third several times over the last decade and will see similar results in 2008.

Shawn Marosek

Coach K Nets 800th Career Victory

With Duke's comeback victory at North Carolina State, Mike Krzyzewski became the sixth coach to register 800 wins. Duke struggled the first 35 minutes with poor defense and 30% shooting, but fought back behind some late three pointers to get the win.

Coach K now has an 800-264 overall career record, and at only 61 years old, Krzyzewski should easily break Bob Knight's career victory record. He has racked up wins at a furious pace, averaging 24 victories a year in his 33 seasons as a head coach. Coach K might even find a way to 1,000 career victories.

The coach has been to 10 Final Fours which have resulted into three National Champions. He also owns the record for victories in the NCAA Tournament with 68. When it's all set and done, Coach K may be known as the best head coach ever that is not named John Wooden.

Krzyzewski has done another remarkable job this year leading this young Duke team to a 25-3 record. I believe that he should win the Coach of the Year award for having this team where they are. They probably won't win the National Championship or make the Final Four, but to have this team in the discussion for a #1 seed is remarkable. And if they beat UNC next weekend for the second time this year, Duke will win their 11th Regular Season ACC Championship under Coach K.

Lets go Blue Devils!

Pat Morgan