Major League Baseball Is Back

This is one of my favorite time of the year...Opening Day around Major League Baseball. This time of year everyone has a shot to win it all, everyone has a chance to have a magical year, everyone is even at 0-0 and are in first place.

The season begins on Thursday. There are some teams that look very promising to do well and content for the World Series. There are other teams that, if we are being realistic, don't have a chance this year as they are rebuilding. But who will emerge at the end of this 162-game season as the World Series Champs? Only time will tell.

Here are my predictions for this next season:

*American League West Division Champs: Houston Astros
It pains me to say this, but I don't see the Astros losing their hold on the division this year. The majority of their team from last year's World Series champion team is back and they've added pitcher Garritt Cole in a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates. They will also have a full season with Justin Verlander as the ace of their pitching staff. Their lineup is scary with reigning AL MVP Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Alex Bregman, and George Springer just to name a few. The rest of the AL West will have a hard time catching the Houston Astros.




*American League Central Division Champs: Minnesota Twins
This is my upset pick. Many think it'll be the Cleveland Indians and they've got a great shot to win the division, but the Twins adding Lance Lynn and Jake Odorizzi to their pitching rotation to go along with guys in their lineup like Byron Buxton, Brian Dozier, Joe Mauer, and adding Logan Morrison will give Minnesota the edge to win their division in 2018.

*American League East Division Champs: New York Yankess
How can you not pick the Yankees to win the division this year? They added the best player in the game today in Giancarlo Stanton to go along with Aaron Judge.  They have a complete lineup to go along with a great pitching rotation. First year Aaron Boone has a great group to work with.

*American League Wild Card: Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers
The Boston Red Sox will be in contention for their division for most of the season, but I think will fall away late in September. Their rotation looks similar to last years rotation and their lineup looks similar as well. They aren't quite good enough to catch the Yankees due to the Stanton trade, but they will be good enough to host the AL Wild Card game at Fenway Park.

The Texas Rangers are another surprise I'm calling to make the playoffs as the 2nd Wild Card team. They have a lot of questions, but with Adrian Beltre and Elvis Andrus as the leaders of the clubhouse to go along with the big bat of Joey Gallos their offense should produce a lot of runs. They will need Roughned Odor to start swinging at only strikes and will need Shin Soo-Choo to stay healthy all year. Their rotation has been revamped completely with the additions of Mike Minor, Matt Moore, and Doug Fister will make their pitching staff better. The bullpen will be much better than last year as Alex Claudio will go into the closer's role full time and additions of Chris Martin from Japan, Tim Lincecum, as well as a full season of Jake Diekman back from injury and a healthy Matt Bush should be enough to boost the Rangers to the second Wild Card spot in the playoffs.

*National League West Division Champs: Los Angeles Dodgers
This one won't even be close. The Los Angeles Dodgers will run away with this division.  Their pitching staff is strong, their lineup is a killer, and they have unfinished business after losing in Game 7 of the World Series. This division will be wrapped up by mid-September.

*National League Central Division Champs: Milwaukee Brewers
I'm sure everyone is picking the Chicago Cubs to win the division, but I'm not and it's because of their acquisition of Yu Darvish that I'm not picking them. Darvish is not good under pressure. When the game is on the line and they need a big start from him, they won't get it. He proved during his time in Texas and then again in the World Series with the Dodgers that when there is pressure for him to pitch well, he will crumble. I believe that the Brewers, with their big signing of Lorenzo Cain and trade for Christian Yelich will be what they need to knock the Cubs out of the division driver's seat.

*National League East Division Champs: Washington Nationals
This is a no brainer. No other team in this division will be able to keep up with the Nationals. Now...the Phillies will be better this year after signing Carlos Santana and Jake Arrieta. But they won't have enough to catch the Nationals. They are still the team to beat in the East behind that monster pitching rotation of Stephen Strasberg and Max Scherzer.





*National League Wild Card: Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies

The Chicago Cubs, while I don't believe will be the division champions, will be the good enough to host the Wild Card game at the friendly confines. While Darvish does cave under pressure, he will give the Cubs 15-17 wins which will be good for them. Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks will also be solid for the Cubs in their rotation. It's hard to argue their lineup with the likes of Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant in it. The Cubs will be good...just good enough to grab that number one wild card spot.

The Philadelphia Phillies will be the big improvement team this year. Under first year manager Gabe Kapler, the Phillies will make a solid stride to returning to the glory they once were back about 10 years ago. Carlos Santana will be a solid piece in their lineup while Jake Arrieta will anchor the pitching rotation. The Phillies will surprise some people and will make it back to the playoffs as a wild card.

*PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS

AL Wild Card: Boston over Texas

NL Wild Card: Chicago over Philadelphia

ALDS: Houston over Boston; NY Yankees over Minnesota

NLDS: LA Dodgers over Chicago; Washington over Milwaukee

ALCS: NY Yankees over Houston

NLCS: LA Dodgers over Washington

WORLD SERIES: LA Dodgers over NY Yankees in 7 games

What is your MLB predictions for 2018?

Daniel Bryan Is Back Competing In The WWE

Ok...ok...ok...I know wrestling isn't real. So please let's not start in on "oh it's fake" and "it's scripted so it's not a sport." Yes I know it's scripted to a certain degree. But with that said it's hard not to be excited about the announcement that was made earlier today about WWE Superstar Daniel Bryan.

Two years ago, Daniel Bryan was forced to retire after several neck injuries. It was a very emotional night in Seattle when he announced on live TV that he was being forced to retire due to injury. But tonight on SmackDown Live from Dallas, Bryan announced that not only have neck specialists medically cleared him to get back in the ring, but so has the WWE doctors. They have officially cleared him to compete again in the squared circle.

Whether you like wrestling or not, you have to love this story. A man who was forced to retire from doing something that he has lived his entire life to do and getting his love back. Bryan worked for two years and has finally been allowed to wrestle again.

So for you non-wrestling people...how can I put into words that you will understand? It'd be like seeing Lou Gehrig, after announcing he has a serious disease, working hard and doing treatment to beat his disease and getting back on the baseball field. It'd be like seeing Joe Theismann coming back from his nasty broken leg and making it back to being on the football field. That's what seeing Daniel Bryan getting back into the ring is like.

So to Daniel Bryan I say...Congratulations brother. Can't wait to see you in the ring again.

YES!!! YES!!! YES!!!

OU??? Really???

I’ve never claimed to be a big time basketball guy. I like the NCAA Men’sTournament, but I don’t watch a whole lot of college basketball, or basketball in general. But this basketball season I’ve paid closer attention to college basketball.

 I’m trying really hard to understand something, but so far I can’t wrap my mind around this one. On Thursday (3/15) the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament will begin and the Oklahoma Sooners are a 10-seed in the tournament and will be taking on 7-seed Rhode Island. How on God’s green Earth did Oklahoma make it to the tournament? It makes absolutely no sense. They finished 9^th in the Big 12, only ahead of Iowa State. But schools ahead of them (Baylor, Oklahoma State) didn’t make the tournament. Oklahoma finished 8-10 in Big 12 play, were swept by Texas, and lost 8 of their last 10 including an 11-point loss to Oklahoma State (71-60) in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament.

Selection committee: please explain to me just how can you justify Oklahoma being in the NCAA Tournament? It makes no sense whatsoever. Baylor or Oklahoma State should have been in before Oklahoma. The Sooners were not deserving and will get their butts kicked and out of the tournament after round one. Normally I don’t have an issue with the selection committee on who gets into the tournament, but you guys really screwed this one up.

Sorry Oklahoma and OU fans, but you don’t deserve to be in the tournament. Well…not the NCAA Men’s Final Four Tournament anyway.

I'm Back, Jack

Well...well...well...Guess who is back and ready for more sports blogging? That's right. I'm back Jack. Where have I been you ask? Well...I had forgotten my password to get logged into my blog and couldn't for the life of me remember what it was. But I finally remembered and I'm back. Sooooo...this is a short blog for now, but more will be coming.

Quick update...I'm a high school teacher and football/basketball/baseball coach. I'm a coach at Mt. Calm ISD just outside of Waco, Texas. We are Class 1A/Division 2, which is the smallest classification in the state of Texas. Mt. Calm has had some down years, but our new Athletic Director and myself along with our other coaches are working hard to change the mindset of our athletes. And it's working. They are working their butts off right now because they are bound and determined to win next football season.

As far as baseball goes...we had to cancel our season this year. Not enough players to play. That happens sometimes in small town schools. But those who wanted to play are working out and we have several middle school kids that are playing little league this year to get ready to come play for me in the future. So Panthers Baseball has a bright future.

That's enough about me for now. My sports opinions will be coming more frequently now. Have a great day and God bless.

Yes It's Sad, But It's Not Tony Stewart's Fault

I don't write much about NASCAR. I mean I'm not a big fan of the sport and I don't follow it so usually I have no opinion on anything going on in the sport. However, this past weekend an incident occurred that goes beyond sports. On Saturday night on a dirt track in upstate New York, a driver by the name of Kevin Ward Jr. lost his life after he was struck by Tony Stewart's car. It's extremely sad because a 20-year old guy lost his life. But ever since this happened, people have been speculating that because of his past with anger issues that Stewart hit the guy on purpose.

If you think that Tony Stewart hit Kevin Ward Jr. on purpose during that race, then 1) you haven't seen the video and 2) you are an idiot. I've seen the video. If anyone is at fault here, it's Ward Jr. I'm sorry he passed away, but he put himself in grave danger by leaving his car and looking to confront Stewart while a race was still going on. You don't leave your car and try to chase down a guy who is still driving in the race. That's just stupid. Also, if you watch the video then you'll see Ward was not where anyone could see him before he was hit. He was behind another car and then emerged a split second before Stewart hit him. I don't see when watching the video any time that Stewart had any time to try to miss hitting him. It was an accident that was caused by the stupidity of a 20-year old kid.


It's very similar to the Josh Brent and Jerry Brown Jr. case. Former Dallas Cowboy Jerry Brown was sober at the time of the crash that he died in. Josh Brent was plastered drunk, yet Jerry Brown still got into the car and allowed his friend to drive. It's sad that Brown died, but it was his own fault for getting into a car where the driver was as drunk as Brent was. It's very similar here. It's sad that Ward lost his life, but if he stays in his car and waits until after the race to confront Stewart then he'd still be alive.

I know many of you will think I'm not being sensitive over this, but it's hard to have sympathy when someone's death is caused by their own stupidity. With that said, my thoughts and prayers do go out to his family as well as Tony Stewart.

Who Actually Won The MLB Trade Deadline?

The Major League Baseball trade deadline came and went last week and whew!!! it was definitely a trade deadline to remember. So many big name guys were traded to different teams and for each other instead of trading a big name for prospects. Here's a rundown of some of the big trades before the trade deadline.

*The Boston Red Sox send ace left handed pitcher Jon Lester and outfielder Johnny Gomes to the Oakland A's in exchange for outfielder Yoenas Cespedes.

*The Boston Red Sox send pitcher John Lackey to the St. Louis Cardinals for outfielder Allen Craig and pitcher Joe Kelly.

*The Boston Red Sox send left handed reliever Andrew Miller to the Baltimore Orioles for pitching prospect Eduardo Rodriguez.

*The Boston Red Sox send shortstop Stephen Drew to the New York Yankees for infielder Kelly Johnson

*The Seattle Mariners, Detroit Tigers, and Tampa Bay Rays made a three way trade. Ace left handed pitcher David Price went from Tampa Bay to Detroit, outfielder Austin Jackson went to the Seattle Mariners, and pitcher Drew Smyly and infielder Nick Franklin went to Tampa Bay.

*The Arizona Diamondbacks send utility man Martin Prado to the New York Yankees in exchange for minor league player Peter O'Brien.

Now there were several other trades made last week, but these were the biggest named trades of the trading deadline. So you might be thinking "What team won the trading deadline?" I am here to argue with you that I believe the team that won the trading deadline is a team that did NOT make one...single...move and that'd be the Texas Rangers. How can the Rangers win at the trading deadline when they didn't make a single trade? Yes I understand they traded Joakim Soria to the Detroit Tigers, but the two guys they got back in return have major star potential. So how can the Rangers be the winners of the trade deadline? Well that's because they kept the main guys who were in trade rumors. The biggest names on this year's Rangers' squad mentioned in trade discussions were Alex Rios and Neal Cotts. Both guys have a team option for 2015 and both will be very important to next year's team. When guys like Derek Holland, Prince Fielder, and Mitch Moreland are 100% healthy the Rangers will compete again. They have some holes to fill in the off-season, but they will content next year. Roughned Odor has proven he is the second baseman of the future for this team. But he's only 20 years old. The Rangers need to go get a decent second baseman on a 2-year deal so Odor can properly develop at Triple A Round Rock. They also need to look at picking up another bat (Jon Daniels please swallow your pride and sign Nelson Cruz. Just sayin...), but they really need to make a HUGE investment in one of the big named pitching free agents. Jon Lester is a free agent after this year and I can't imagine he'll want to play at O.Co Coliseum for the next several years. Also Max Scherzer of the Detroit Tigers will also be a free agent. Ownership and Jon Daniels need to seriously go after one of those two major free agent pitchers. You add one of those two guys to our pitching rotation, sign Nelson Cruz, and get a decent second baseman, then this team will be a World Series contender. So for now, good job Jon Daniels on staying pat and not making a trade that didn't need to happen.

2014 Big 12 Football Preview

Today is the start of the Big 12 Media Days at the Omni Hotel in Dallas, Texas. Since this is the same day that the Dallas Cowboys begin Training Camp out in Oxnard, California this is the day that football is officially back. Now I love football. I really do. But if you've followed my blog at all, then you know I'm a baseball guy. But since the Texas Rangers haven't been good at all this season (come on number 1 overall pick in the Draft next year. Let's get healthy and re-stock our farm system. We'll be back in 2015), then I'm getting more and more excited for football season this season. I'm going to run down every team in the Big 12 and preview their season. Now the previews will not be my opinions. I don't know enough about every team to preview them all. But I will give you my prediction as to how the standings will round out at the end of the season.

1. Oklahoma State Cowboys: The Oklahoma State Cowboys finished the season with a 10-3 record and won 10 of their first 11 games. As usual, Oklahoma State had one of the best offenses in the country, averaging 39.1 points per game and a defense that ranked 19th in the country in points allowed. Mike Gundy continues to take Oklahoma State to new heights, as he’s led the program to double-digits wins in three of his last four seasons. Still, it always feels like Oklahoma State is a bounce or two away from playing for a national title. We’ll find out just how good Oklahoma State is going to be opening weekend against Florida State. But if you can’t wait that long, it’s tough to imagine OK State being as good as last season. The Cowboys lost way too much experience, have no true answer at quarterback and have an extremely young defense. Oklahoma State is still going to score its points and remain competitive but don’t expect a Big 12 title or anything crazy. (Read more at http://sportschatplace.com/cfb-picks/2014/07/20/college-football-preview-the-2014-oklahoma-state-cowboys#xJccWzgcTGFiMdbo.99)


2.Oklahoma Sooners: The Oklahoma Sooners won double-digit games for the fourth straight year under head coach Bob Stoops and capped their season off with a BCS bowl victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide. The Sooners finished second in the Big 12 and had wins over ranked opponents such as Notre Dame, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State. The Sooners have now won 10 or more games in seven of their last eight seasons, and you can bet the Oklahoma fan base is expecting to be one of the four teams making the playoffs this season. In a conference that isn’t loaded with great defensive teams, Oklahoma will have the chance to bully its way through the Big 12. The Sooners should have the best defense in this conference and that’s going to be good enough to win a lot of the games on their schedule. Oklahoma now just needs consistent production from its offense and for Knight to start scratching the surface of his potential. Oklahoma has more than enough to win the Big 12 and is worth a look to win the national championship with the odds we’re getting. (http://sportschatplace.com/cfb-picks/2014/07/20/college-football-preview-the-2014-oklahoma-sooners)


3. Baylor Bears: The Baylor Bears continue to take steps forward under head coach Art Briles, as they reached a BCS bowl for the first time in program history and won 11 games, which were the most in school history. Baylor had the best scoring offense in the country, averaging 52.4 points and improved its defense to where it ranked fourth in the Big 12. At one point the Bears looked to be a national championship contender as they started the season with nine straight victories. With now four straight bowl appearances and 37 wins in the last four seasons, Baylor has proven it is more than capable of being a powerhouse football team. It won’t be easy to repeat as Big 12 champs in a conference that continues to improve year by year. However, Baylor has a shot with a potential Heisman winning quarterback and an offense that can score at the drop of a hat. Baylor’s defense is going to have to mature before our very eyes and come up with the timely stops needed to secure games. There are question marks with this team and this version of Baylor may not be as talented as last years. But there’s still more than enough for Baylor to go bowling for the fifth straight season. (Read more at http://sportschatplace.com/cfb-picks/2014/07/20/college-football-preview-the-2014-baylor-bears#B0GoLYVD3zux8KZP.99)


4. Texas Longhorns: The Texas Longhorns experienced another mediocre season with an 8-5 record and a loss in a bowl game. It was the fourth straight season the Longhorns failed to win double-digit games, and it pretty much forced head coach Mack Brown to step down from a position he’s held since 1998. Former Louisville coach Charlie Strong has taken over the head coach position and will begin this new chapter with this historic program. Getting off on the right foot will be critical considering Texas is a program that’s tired of settling for second and third best.A new head coach and a mystery at quarterback don’t spell a championship season for Texas. It also doesn’t help that the Longhorns have a tough Big 12 schedule that also includes UCLA and BYU. Texas may very well experience another up and down season. However, if there’s any team capable of surprises, it’d be Texas. The talent is always on this team and it’s what gives Texas a chance to beat anybody any given week. However, while I just don’t expect much this season from the Longhorns, there will be plenty of chances to make money off this team. (http://sportschatplace.com/cfb-picks/2014/07/21/college-football-preview-the-2014-texas-longhorns)


5. Texas Tech Red Raiders: Overall, the Red Raider offense looks to be a better unit in 2014, as Webb looks much improved. The offensive line will likely be much better and deeper as well, which likely will result in improved numbers in the ground game. On defense, it’s still a bit of a mystery, as the Red Raider coaching staff will have to wait until fall camp to see the revamped defensive line — heavy with junior college transfers — in action. If these players do live up to their hype, things could be looking up on defense, and overall, for Texas Tech in 2014. - (See more at: http://athlonsports.com/college-football/top-25/2014-college-football-preview-and-predictions-no-41-texas-tech-red-raiders#sthash.xojvqt3X.dpuf)


6. Kansas State Wildcats: Kansas State started 2-4 last year, but there was no shame in losing to North Dakota State, Texas, Oklahoma State or Baylor. The Wildcats played better over the final seven contests, finishing with six victories in that span, with the only loss coming against Oklahoma. With 10 starters back, Kansas State has a chance to build off that total in 2014. K-State finished 2013 strong by winning six of seven. The Wildcats will need to take advantage of that momentum with an early trip to Iowa State and a home game with Auburn looming before October. If they do, it could be a special season in Manhattan. (See more at: http://athlonsports.com/college-football/top-25/2014-college-football-preview-and-predictions-no-20-kansas-state-wildcats#sthash.aq5IJQtQ.dpuf)


7. Iowa State Cyclones: Iowa State must improve significantly on both sides of the ball if it hopes to bounce back from last season’s disappointing three-win season. With Mangino on the staff, there is legitimate hope for better production on offense. There are some nice pieces at the skill positions for the former Kansas head coach to work with. Defensively, however, there are major issues. The staff will be relying on several junior college transfers — always a dangerous proposition. If the Cyclones want to reach a bowl game in 2014, they will have to do it by simply outscoring the opposition. (See more at: http://athlonsports.com/college-football/top-25/2014-college-football-rankings-66-iowa-state-cyclones#sthash.TJNIjEDv.dpuf)

8. TCU Horn Frogs: It became clear to coach Gary Patterson during the Horned Frogs’ second year in the Big 12 that major changes were in order on the offensive side of the ball. His defense, long a program hallmark, was maintaining its success in the new league. But the Frogs missed the postseason for the first time since 2004 largely because the offense — which had moved the ball with ease in the Frogs’ final years in the Mountain West — failed to produce. If the offense, under new leadership, can make modest gains, the Frogs could emerge as a surprise contender in the Big 12. TCU went 4–8 in 2013, but the Frogs lost four games by a combined 11 points, including one in overtime. In two other 10-point losses, TCU had a chance to win late in the game. With better play at quarterback and along the offensive line — two areas that underperformed in 2013 — TCU will be in position to win a few more of those close games and put itself back into postseason play. (See more at: http://athlonsports.com/college-football/top-25/2014-college-football-rankings-39-tcu-horned-frogs#sthash.Css2fh2v.dpuf)

9. West Virginia Mountaineers: It may be summer in Morgantown, but the heat has been on Holgorsen for a couple of seasons. In 2012, the Mountaineers went 2–6 after a 5–0 start that included a win at Texas. Last year, WVU finished 4–8 and out of the bowl picture. Athletic director Oliver Luck felt compelled to issue a statement after the latter “difficult and trying” season and backed the coach, if seemingly only for this season, adding he has “high expectations” for 2014. The problem for Holgorsen is that the Mountaineers might be better, but that might not translate into a sterling record. WVU opens with Alabama, visits Maryland and plays a full Big 12 schedule. (See more at: http://athlonsports.com/college-football/top-25/2014-college-football-rankings-67-west-virginia-mountaineers#sthash.Uef5eLab.dpuf)

10. Kansas Jayhawks: During his first two years at KU, Weis was careful to not set specific win total goals for his rebuilding football team. That’s changed this season, as he enters Year 3 with the most talent he’s had and a solid base of upperclassmen. “Before you can be a perennial winning program, the first thing you’ve got to do is get to .500,” Weis says. Though this probably isn’t a “bowl or bust” season for the Jayhawks, Weis likely will need to improve his win total to avoid the hot seat in the third year of a five-year contract. (See more at: http://athlonsports.com/college-football/top-25/2014-college-football-rankings-predictions-78-kansas-jayhawks#sthash.sP9YL8L3.dpuf)

Ok so there are other websites' previews of the Big 12 for the 2014 Football season. Now here is my prediction as to how I think the standings will shape up.

1. Oklahoma

2. Baylor

3. Oklahoma State

4. Kansas State

5. Texas

6. TCU

7. Texas Tech

8. West Virginia

9. Kansas

10. Iowa State

So here is my thinking on my standings prediction. Oklahoma is coming off a great end to the 2013 season and they lost very few players. Now I understand Baylor is coming off winning their first ever Big 12 Championship, however, they have lost a lot of players on their defense and a few key players on their offense. And on top of that, Baylor has to travel to Norman to play Oklahoma this season. It's going to be a very hard road for Baylor to repeat as the conference champions. Now I'm not saying that Baylor can't do it. They most certainly can, but it's going to be hard. Oklahoma State, I believe, will slip up against Baylor and someone else along the way while Texas, who I believe will be good again in the next few years, aren't ready to make the jump this year under new head coach Charlie Strong. On average, most first year coaches don't make the team a contender. We'll know more about what kind of coach Charlie Strong is in a few years when his recruits are the starters for the Longhorns. As for the rest of the conference, TCU will make the biggest jump in the standings. They will win a few games they aren't expected to win, including over the Texas Tech Red Raiders who won't be as good this season as people are thinking. And then after Tech, it falls off. West Virginia won't be very good, Kansas will be normally bad in football, and Iowa State will bring up the rear of the conference standings. All in all the Big 12 will send the top 4 teams to bowl games. Now I'm a big Longhorn fan. Hook 'Em Horns!!! But I believe they will miss a bowl game this season under Coach Strong. We get started on August 27th. College football is almost here folks. Let's get going!!!