Monthly Archives: April 2012

MLB Power Rankings – Week 4

23 Monday Apr 2012

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After a week absence the MLB Power Rankings are back (apologies for last week). It’s still early in the season and there is still a lot of fluctuation in the rankings. Because there were no rankings last week there is even more movement. Seven teams moved double digits since the Week 2 rankings. A team that didn’t move that much is the Texas Rangers, moving up only two spots but overtaking the top spot in the rankings. Texas is playing great and has clearly been MLB’s top team thus far. They took three of four on the road against an impressive Detroit team this weekend. Record means a lot more in this week’s rankings than previous ones. Look for that trend to continue as we get deeper in the season. Now, for the rankings… Continue reading →

Halo Hangout – Looking at the Slow Start

20 Friday Apr 2012

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I wrote about the Angels’ slow start over at Halo Hangout.

The link: “Looking at the Slow Start”

The Angels are tied for their worst start in franchise history through 13 games and haven’t played all that tough of a schedule facing Kansas City, Minnesota, New York (AL), and Oakland. The team has yet to put together a string of complete efforts as starting pitching and a new batting order almost every game have led to inconsistency. Still, the season is still young and it’s not time to panic.

Update – Belated Halo Hangout Announcement

19 Thursday Apr 2012

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Hey there,

Some of you may already know, but I have been meaning to post something about a new writing opportunity I have recently undertaken. A few weeks ago I agreed to become a staff writer for Halo Hangout, a blog focused on all things related to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. So, I will be writing on Halo Hangout about the team a couple times a week. I have already posted four pieces there. Here are the links if you are interested:

In case anyone is wondering, this isn’t going to effect any of my plans for Wedge Hammer. I will still be writing here just as before. I will probably start linking my pieces for Halo Hangout here as well.

One other thing. Apologies, but I was unable to do this week’s MLB Power Rankings because I had to take care of some personal business early in the week. I plan on having rankings early next week.

Thank you very much for reading. I genuinely appreciate it.

Best regards,

Wes

Thoughts on Season 3 of ‘Justified’

11 Wednesday Apr 2012

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***WARNING: SPOILERS ABOUND***

When season three of FX’s “Justified” premiered this January it had some big shoes to fill – both in the cast and story – after the series’ tremendous breakout second season. What I am referring to here is the absence of Margo Martindale and her portrayal of Mags Bennett, a role that won Martindale an Emmy for Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. With Mags and the rest of the Bennett family dead or incarcerated, “Justified” had a void needing to be filled.  Continue reading →

MLB Power Rankings – Week 2

09 Monday Apr 2012

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Considering how young the season is there is a lot of room for ranking fluctuation. After the first weekend of the season we have a new team atop the rankings in the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays swept the New York Yankees at home coming back against Mariano Rivera in the first game, breaking out the sticks in the second, and clinching the sweep behind a brilliant start from Jeremy Hellickson. A team that dominated competition in their first series was the Detroit Tigers who looked incredibly impressive in sweeping the Boston Red Sox at home. Detroit averaged over 8.5 runs scored per game – over two runs higher than another other team – in the series and had an average margin of victory of +4. Other teams that have started out hot include the St. Louis Cardinals, with a 3-1 record beating the Miami Marlins on Opening Night in Miami and taking two out of three from Milwaukee on the road, along with the Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Mets, and Baltimore Orioles, each of which had a home sweep in their first series. Some teams that looked unimpressive include the Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves, Minnesota Twins, San Francisco Giants, and Colorado Rockies. Continue reading →

MLB Power Rankings – Week 1

04 Wednesday Apr 2012

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I’ll be posting weekly Major League Baseball power rankings during the 2012 season. The rankings will reflect the overall quality of the teams. Wins/losses and roster makeup will be the two main determining factors for the rankings. I will give slight consideration to forecasting where the teams will be later in the season. The plan is to have a numbered list ranking the teams 1-30 (as seen below) with a summary of the rankings and the past week included. The power rankings will post each Monday unless something unforeseen occurs. Without further ado, the power rankings for week one (preseason essentially) of the 2012 MLB season. Continue reading →

2012 MLB Predictions

03 Tuesday Apr 2012

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The 2012 Major League Baseball season has already begun with two games in Japan featuring the Seattle Mariners and the Oakland Athletics. The first game in the states is tomorrow and I’ve got a bunch of predictions for the season.

I first list my final standings predictions and how I feel teams will perform relative to the over/under win total set by Bovada. There is a snippet on the makeup of each division too. After that I have predictions on the playoffs (I had a heck of a time picking the National League teams to make the playoffs and which ones would advance), awards, and some general feelings I have on players/teams.

Please share your thoughts/predictions for the season as well. Thanks! Continue reading →