MLB Predictions

With MLB Spring Training underway it is time for season's predictions.With the parity in the league increasing every year this is getting constantly getting harder to do. However, I'll give it my best shot.

A.L. East

1. Baltimore Orioles 92-70
2. Toronto Blue Jays 90-72
3. Boston Red Sox 83-79
4. Tampa Bay Rays 73-89
5. New York Yankees 70-92

The last couple years this division has been the most wide open I have seen it in a long time, and this year is no exception. To me the Orioles are the strongest team, but the Jays look to be close competitors. I put the Orioles ahead of them though because they have a proven and more complete starting rotation, where as the Jays is young and somewhat questionable. The Jays also did not get the bullpen player they needed so badly. However, despite this the Blue Jays look the strongest they have in a long time. Despite being somewhat questionable the rotation looks fairly solid, and the offense is potent. The only question mark is the bull pen. This Jays team should be competing for a wild card spot and potentially the division. The Red Sox added some pieces which should keep them hanging around most of the season. They will definitely be better than last season, however, are they good enough to get back to the post season? I don't believe so. They have too many streaky players. If players like Boegarts and Bucholz show up, watch out for the Sox. However, if these (and their other role players) slump for any reason, it's going to be a long season in Boston. I believe they're good enough to be above .500, especially with the addition of Pablo Sandoval, but I'm not sure if they're much better than that. The Rays are a team who's best days with this squad are behind them. They have good pieces like Longoria, Cobb, and Moore, however, other than a few pieces there isn't much there. Finally the New York Yankees, you can almost never count out the Yankees, but this year it seems a pretty safe bet to do so. They're full of aging stars who's best days are behind them, and I doubt A-Rod is leading them anywhere anymore. They have a few bright spots, but a few bright spots is about it.

A.L. Central
1. Detroit Tigers 85-77
2. Kansas City Royals 83-78
3. Chicago White Sox 82-80
4. Cleveland Indians 78-84
5. Minnesota Twins 59-103

 The Tigers aren't the power houses they once were. Yes they still have Cabrera, and yes their core of infielders is still together. However, everyone's getting older and their pitching rotation isn't what it once was. Their bullpen does look good. I'd look for Detroit to win the divsion this year, but don't have expectations of them running away with it, despite the fact that it's a weak divison. Detroit has taken a few steps back and look to be declining from their power house days. Kansas City lost Shields, and look like they may be taking a step back this year. I don't think they'll be terrible, but don't expect another magical run either. The Chicago White Sox did a lot of good things in the off season, but to me it isn't a complete team yet. They will be vastly improved and also in a playoff hunt, however, with this roster they aren't there yet. Maybe if they make an early or mid season trade they can push themselves there. The Indians are no longer a power squad either. They have pieces to keep themselves afloat, however they're aging, and not much on this roster really pops out at you. The Twins are pretty much an after thought, there really isn't much there and will likely be another dismal season.

A.L. West
1. LA Angels 102-62
2. Seattle Mariners 91-71
3. Oakland Athletics 82-80
4. Texas Rangers 81-81
5. Houston Astros 77-85

Whoo! This is the strongest division so far. The Angels look like they could be Championship ready behind Mike Trout, this is a very strong team, look for them to go deep this year. The Mariners made big strides signing Robinson Cano last year. To me, this team looks good enough to be playoff bound. Nobody really knows what Billy Beane is up to. He traded Donaldson to the Jays and shipped out some other major talent. They still look good enough to be decent, but decent won't get you very far in this league. The Rangers have to improve after last year don't they? I think they have too good of a roster to be that bad again. I'd look for them to be around .500, but in this strong division their time may have passed. The Astros are steadily on an up swing, they aren't playoff bound yet, but they won't be the laughing stock and punching bag of the league anymore either, I'd look for them to creep up on the .500 mark.

This brings us to the A.L. side of the playoffs. Here's how the seeding turns out.

1. LA Angels
2. Baltimore Orioles
3. Detroit Tigers
4. Seattle Mariners
5. Toronto Blue Jays


Wild card game Toronto Blue Jays at Seattle Mariners
First up we got the wild card game, which would feature the Toronto Blue Jays at the Seattle Mariners. Neither team has a ton of playoff experience, however, I believe the additions of Russel Martin, and Josh Donaldson would go a long ways in preparing the team for what it needs, however, the Mariners do have Cano, who knows a thing or two as well. The Jays would likely have to face Felix Hernandez, which could be tough, however, pitchers who haven't been into the playoffs very much, if at all can sometimes struggle. I'm going to give the one game playoff to the Blue Jays, as I think they're ready to move into the playoffs and make a little noise.

ALDS: Toronto Blue Jays vs. Los Angeles Angels
Notice how I said the Jays are ready to make a "little noise?" Yeah, this season it will likely only be restrained to a little. I do think this would be a close series, however, I'm going to have to go with Angels in five here. I think they're more prepared, and the better team.

ALDS: Detroit Tigers vs. Baltimore Orioles
Can the Tigers find a way to win in the post season? I don't think so. After getting a taste of the post season last year the Orioles are going to be hungry to get back and go deep. Orioles got a taste and have an idea now of what it takes. Orioles take this series in four.

ALCS: Baltimore Orioles vs. Los Angeles Angels
Man this would be a really good series. However, I believe the Angels are deeper and better than the Orioles. To me this looks like a special year for the Angels. I'll take the Angels in six here.

Now on to the National League to find out who gets to dance with the Angels in the World Series.

N.L. East
Washington Nationals 102-60
Miami Marlins  83-79
Atlanta Braves 78-84
New York Mets 74-88
Philadelphia Phillies 68-94

The Washington Nationals look good, they have what looks to be the best rotation in baseball and could be competing to be the best team in baseball. The Marlins look pretty good as well. They have some good young talent and will likely get Jose Fernandez back mid-season which would be a huge boost to the lineup. I think they fall just short of the playoffs this year, but they will definitely be in the hunt. The Braves aren't the power house they once were, they have a few bright spots, but I don't see much from them. The Mets have one of the top farm systems in the league. However, this talent has yet to develop, and for right now they aren't going to be very good. The Phillies need to start over, build a farm system and build for the future. There really isn't much in Philly right now and there isn't much to look forward to this year.

N.L. Central
St. Louis Cardinals 91-71
Pittsburgh Pirates 86-76
Chicago Cubs 82-80
Milwaukee Brewers- 74-88
Cincinnati Reds- 70- 92

The Cardinals are going to be the Cardinals and continue their top play and once again take the division. The Pirates are essentially the same team that's made the playoffs the last couple years, however, they lost Russel Martin. They're going to be good and right in the playoff race, but I think they're just going to miss out. The Cubs had a really good off season and made some vast improvements. They'll have an outside chance at the playoffs, but I don't think they're quite there yet. The Brewers are interesting, they have the pieces to potentially be really good, but they could also flop. I don't see them doing it. I think they're a couple pieces away yet. The Reds are also a team with potential, however, other than a couple seasons they really haven't done much, they have a decent roster that might be capable of being good, but it just hasn't happened. These are my predictions for this division, but it could be wild, any of these teams have a roster potentially capable of jumping around.

N.L. West
LA Dodgers 93-69
San Francisco Giants 90-72
San Diego Padres- 88-74
Colorado Rockies- 64-98
Arizona Diamond Backs- 59-103

The top three of this division will competitive. The bottom two not so much. The Dodgers look good again and ready to take the division. Despite losing Sandoval the Giants are still going to be competitive. With the off-season they had I think San Diego is ready for a playoff race. And just like that three teams in a division make the playoffs. The final spot will be a tight race between them and the Pirates and I think they just edge out the Pirates, however it could go either way. Neither the Rockies or the Diamond Backs look good. Both will likely be in the running for worst record in baseball.

Now for the N.L. Playoffs here's how the seeding shakes out.
1. Washington Nationals
2. LA Dodgers
3. St. Louis Cardinals
4. San Francisco Giants
5. San Diego Padres

Wild Card Game: San Diego Padres at San Francisco Giants
The Padres are finally good enough to get to the playoffs, even if it just is the wild card game. Unfortunately for them, this is as far as they get. The Giants are too deep and too good to lose out as a wild card.

NLDS: St. Louis Cardinals vs. LA Dodgers
The Dodgers haven't shown much at being a playoff team in the past. If Kershaw can find his way they would be really good. However, a historic non-playoff team plays what's historically a very good playoff team in St. Louis, I have to take the playoff team. Cardinals advance in 4.

NLDS: San Francisco Giants vs. Washington Nationals
The Nationals do have guys who have been to the playoffs before and they have made it as a team as well. However, the Giants have made it very hard to bet against them in the post season. This one is almost too close to call, however, I believe the Nationals can pull it off, they don't strike me as a team that will be continually failing in the playoffs, I think they have what it takes and I think they win in 5.

NLCS: St. Louis Cardinals vs. Washington Nationals
A lot of times the hot team wins. To take out the Giants the Nationals would likely be coming into this series hot. I think with everything they have and the run they will be putting together at this point will be hard to overcome for St. Louis. I really like the Nationals this year. I think they win in six.

World Series: Washington Nationals vs. LA Angels
What a titanic matchup this would be. Both teams with prolific offenses and dynamic pitching staffs. I think pitching staff is what this series will come down to. I give the Nationals the edge in that regard and I think they win. Nationals win the World Series in seven.


-Darren


-What do you think of my predictions for the MLB season? Let me know by either commenting below or find me on twitter @thewildman111


photo taken from sportsconflict.org

Rethinking the Slam Dunk Contest

For many years the slam dunk competition has been one of the most anticipated events of all star weekend. From Dr. J starting it all to Michael Jordan dunking from the free throw line to Air Canada (Vince Carter) putting on a show the dunk contest has lived up to the hype many times in years past. Now fast forward to all-star weekend 2015. For quite a few years now the superstars of the NBA have not participated. What would the ideal slam dunk lineup look like right now? It would probably be something like Lebron James, Blake Griffin, Demar Derozan, and maybe this year's winner Zach Lavine gets in. One out of four guys on that list actually competed this year. Gone are the days when the Vince Carters and Michael Jordans of the league compete. The slam dunk contest has turned into a competition for rookies and rising stars. While this isn't necessarily a bad thing- Lavine and Oladipo showed they can put on a show- it can also lead to parts of the contest being rather boring. Let's use this year as an example. Giannis Antetokounmpo showed some promise in what he was attempting, but failed in execution, so while he could have put on a show, he just didn't live up to what he might be capable of. I also found Mason Plumlee to be a complete snore fest. This is a guy who was just picked to please the hometown crowd when he isn't even ranked as a top 12 dunker this season. Plumlee wasn't a promising dunk prospect, and didn't really perform well either, he had one decent dunk, and one other dunk get the lowest possible score of 36. This year, and the last few past years beg multiple important questions. Do we want stars in the dunk contest? Can we get stars back into the dunk contest to make it more interesting?  And finally, what should the format of the slam dunk contest look like?

The first question is probably the most important one as the answer depends on the answer to the next questions and the overall format of what the contest. I think we can all agree that we want to see at least some of the stars. Who wouldn't want to see Blake vs. Lebron? Or to see what Andrew Wiggins could potentially do? Not to mention guys like Deandre Jordan or Demar Derozan as well as others. It's easy to see the attraction of having these players in the contest, however, I don't think many people see the disadvantages. Right now the dunk contest is mostly rookies and rising stars. It's a chance for these young players to show what they're capable of. If we make the contest just for the best dunkers these young players would rarely- if ever- get a chance to show why they're considered rising stars. Lebron and company are in the spot light often enough. Do they really need to be in it again for yet another event? The bigger question is could they even be convinced to re-join the slam dunk contest?

I think there are ways to get the stars back in the slam dunk contest. Maybe they need extra incentive such as an extra pay check for participating. While it could work a lot of people would have a problem with stars earning yet more money and I don't believe it's necessary. Another option would be for the NBA to start handing down fines or suspensions from skipping All-Star events. However, I'm not a huge fan of this idea either. I don't believe the league would like it either as it would make it seem that they have to force players to come to the all-star game. This would not be a good image for the league to have. I do believe that there is a way to both bring the stars back and keep the excitement of having rising stars, but doing so would mean completely revamping the slam dunk contest.

What would the slam dunk contest now look like you might ask? Well picture this. First we would need to expand the number of competitors from four to either six or eight. Right now it's just too short, would be more exciting with a few more competitors. However, the six or eight contestants wouldn't be just any players. Half of them would be ranging from rookies up to 4 years in the league. The other half would be guys who've been in the league for 5+ years. This would add a veterans vs. rising stars element to the dunk contest, as well as potentially bringing back some of the better high fliers due to the added competition. Granted there's no guarantee this brings in Blake Griffin or Lebron James, however it would have a good chance of bringing back some of the better dunkers in the league and still being more entertaining than it is now. Of course if not even decent dunkers are interested then it wouldn't work, but I don't think that would happen. As soon as some good dunkers go in, it could attract others from around the league and revive the competition. I believe there is a genuine opportunity in a format like this to see some young fresh talent against some veteran high fliers. This is what I believe could turn the dunk contest around.

The slam dunk contest definitely isn't what it once was. The lack of star high fliers is definitely noticeable and sometimes the young kids just can't live up to the hype of the slam dunk contest. However, maybe we can bring back the veterans and keep the young stars in it. This would go a long ways in restoring the Slam Dunk Contest to its former glory.


-Darren


-What do you think of redoing the Slam Dunk Contest? Let me know by either commenting below or find me on twitter @thewildman111


-photo taken from espn.go.com

Oilers Of Next Year

With this season for the Oilers essentially being a wash we can look ahead to next season and see what the team might look like on opening day. Let's start with the leaving players.




Departures

Jordan Eberle
This will by far be the most controversial trade among Oilers fans, if Mactavish does this he absolutely has to get something good back. The reason I believe he does it is because the Oilers need pieces in key positions, and Eberle is the only piece of the Oilers core that is expendable. Of all the pieces on the trade block for the Oilers, Eberle is also the most valuable. I believe a deal gets done.

Justin Schultz
His game has improved under Todd Nelson, and this is part of the reason why I believe he's being shipped out. I believe some team will see Schultz's upside and ask for him in a trade. I think Craig Mactavish sees this and uses it to his advantage. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Schultz is gone at either the trade deadline or in the summer.

Jeff Petry
Man, I am a Jeff Petry fan. He's one of the most established defenders the Oilers have, however, with his contract being up and with hearing almost nothing for new contract talks it seems inevitable that Petry is done.

Martin Marincin
It seems odd to me that Marincin hasn't gotten more chances this year. I believe he's done and I think he is a fairly valuable trade asset. A team will see the time he's had here and see what he could potentially do if given a chance and will ask for him in a trade. The right deal will come a long and Craig Mactavish will pull the trigger.

Ben Scrivens
It's clear the Oilers need a legitimate #1 goalie and need to quit rolling the dice on young back ups who've had a promising start. Because of this Ben Scrivens is very likely done as an Oiler in order to make room for a new goalie Scrivens will either be traded in a package for the new goalie, or the new goalie will come as a free agent and Scrivens will be used in another deal. Either way he's done.


Arrivals

This is where it gets fun. Who will be entering the team via free agency or trade for the Oilers? Let's have a look at what I think Mactavish may have up his sleeve.

Keith Yandle, Antoine Vermette
You know how I said Mactavish trading Eberle would need to be something big? Well I believe he does with this deal. Yandle would definitely help stabalize the back end, and Vermette would be a nice addition at centre. I realize Vermette is a UFA and there's no guarantee we keep him, for that reason the Oilers might trade for Hanzal instead in this case as well. Or to guard against that risk they can have a conditional draft pick coming back. Or they could just ask for a third piece, that isn't a UFA so that then they have two pieces to stick to the team. There are ways around Vermette's pending UFA status, and he is the better player than Hanzal. Who knows? Maybe Vermette resigns here if traded, or maybe the Oilers do this trade for Yandle and another piece and sign Vermette in the off season. They do have options. If the Oilers are going to give up Eberle, a pick (likely Pittsburgh's first rounder), and likely another piece (this could be where Marincin goes), I want them getting back the best players possible.

Eric Gryba
The Senators reportedly have an interest in Jeff Petry, and the Oilers are almost certainly going to trade him. However, they would likely need an established defenseman in return. Gryba is twenty-six years old and plays about sixteen minutes a night. That sounds like something that could help the Oilers. Gryba does only have a short contract, but his numbers don't scream that he's deserving as a massive long term deal. The Oilers should be able to lock him up on a reasonable deal when his current contract expires if they were to land him.

Cam Ward
I think Ward comes as a trade. I know, I'm usually the one saying Oilers won't land a good player, however, I think there are reasons he would come here and resign. Sometimes good players do want to help a young, struggling team improve. I think Ward might want to do that. The fact that he's originally from the Edmonton area doesn't hurt either. And he's 30, he's not likely to land a massive record breaking deal anywhere so he should be affordable for the Oilers. For once a star player willingly coming to the Oilers makes sense. As for who is traded it could be an interesting package. I'm not totally sure who it would be. Maybe some picks or prospects, or Ference might be a possibility.

Karl Alzner
The Oilers may want to lock up a winger with Eberle now gone, and Washington could use a back up goalie. So could Scrivens, and a piece for Alzner potentially work? I don't see why not, Washington needs a goalie and Alzner would be a welcome piece on the Oilers. I doubt it would be Scrivens for Alzner straight up, this could be where Schultz goes as well. In Washington Schultz could get to play behind some veteran defensive defenseman, he would have a chance to work on his defensive game without always being in the spotlight.


Intorducing the starting lineup for your 2015/2016 Edmonton Oilers

Taylor Hall-Ryan Nugent-Hopkins-Nail Yakupov
Benoit Pouliot- Antoine Vermette- Teddy Purcell
Matt Fraser- Derek Roy- Iro Pekarinen
Matt Hendricks- Boyd Gordon- Rob Klinkhammer

Keith Yandle- Mark Fayne
Oscar Klefbom- Karl Alzner
Erick Gryba- Andrew Ference

Cam Ward
Victor Fasth


-Darren


What do you think of my roster for the 2015/2016 Edmonton Oilers? Let me know by either commenting below or find me on twitter @thewildman111


photo taken from hockey30.com