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 →

2012 MLB Preview: St. Louis Cardinals

30 Friday Mar 2012

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One would think after winning the World Series an organization would come into the next season happy, confident, and with some momentum. I’m sure the St. Louis Cardinals organization still has some of that feeling after winning the franchise’s 11th World Series, second most all-time (*), but the offseason didn’t go as the organization or fans hoped. The team lost the “face of the franchise,” Albert Pujols, as he left for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and a ludicrous $240 million contract (**). The loss of Pujols left a mammoth sized hole for the front office to fill. Winning the World Series may feel like a distant memory, however, the Cardinals still have a roster capable of winning a lot of games. Continue reading →

2012 MLB Preview: Texas Rangers

29 Thursday Mar 2012

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The Texas Rangers are currently in the most successful period in the organization’s 50-plus year history. After making three playoff appearances with zero series wins through 2009, the team has won the American League West in consecutive years and gone to the World Series both times before falling to the San Francisco Giants in 2010 and the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011. In 2012, the Rangers return a strong group of players that is more than capable of making another run to the World Series with a chance to win it. At the same time winning the AL West will be tougher than it has been the past two years with an improved Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim team lurking and looking to overtake the Rangers. It will be far from easy, but the Rangers have the talent to claim Major League Baseball’s ultimate prize. Continue reading →

2012 MLB Preview: Milwaukee Brewers

29 Thursday Mar 2012

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The Milwaukee Brewers claimed its first division title since 1982 last season; it was only the second playoff appearance in that time period (*). The 2011 season was a great one for the club. Many thought they were primed for a possible World Series championship. Ultimately, the team lost in the National League Championship Series to the eventual World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals. A season with the highest of hopes was nearly realized. The offseason did not bring what the organization was hoping for as Prince Fielder decided to move on and join the Detroit Tigers. The loss of Fielder hurts for a variety of reasons on-and-off the field but the team still has a decent group of players in a division up for grabs. Continue reading →

2012 MLB Preview: Detroit Tigers

28 Wednesday Mar 2012

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The Detroit Tigers semi-unexpectedly won the American League Central division last season. The team then beat the mighty New York Yankees in the first round of the playoffs before being taken out by the Texas Rangers for the AL pennant. 2011 was the organization’s first division title since 1987. In a weak division and with one big impact addition the Tigers are primed to repeat as division champions in 2012. Continue reading →

2012 MLB Preview: Philadelphia Phillies

27 Tuesday Mar 2012

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Led by their four all-star caliber starting pitchers and a capable offense, the Philadelphia Phillies posted the best regular season record of any Major League Baseball team in 2011. Unfortunately for Philadelphia regular season success was not realized in the postseason as the team was bounced in the first round of the playoffs by the eventual World Series champions, the St. Louis Cardinals. 2011 marked the fifth consecutive National League East division title for Philadelphia. In 2012 it will be more difficult for the Phillies to continue their stranglehold on the division. Miami and Washington are improved and Atlanta still lurks while Philadelphia is headed closer to the pack due to losses on the roster and age. Continue reading →

2012 MLB Preview: New York Yankees

23 Friday Mar 2012

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The New York Yankees, Major League Baseball’s most successful franchise in history, continue to be a top-tier organization. Having a $200+ million payroll, about $40 million larger than the next highest team, certainly helps. But one has to give the Yankees some credit for spending their money well enough to field a team with a chance to win the World Series every year. In the past 17 seasons the Yankees have made the playoffs 16 times, winning the World Series five times. Recent years haven’t been as successful by Yankees’ standards. Since the Boston Red Sox epic comeback against New York in 2004 the team won one World Series (2009), but also missed the playoffs for the only time during that 17-year stretch and was bounced in the first round four out of six trips. Again, these are by Yankees standards, not a normal team. In 2012, the Yankees are positioned once again to make a playoff run. Continue reading →