Look Alike Tuesdays!

While visiting Pablo in Boynton Beach this past week. We were watching an ESPN special on Todd MacCulloch who is now a pinball expert. He also resembles someone else I know, known as "The Big Cat". Here's the first of many Look Alike Tuesdays!

AL East Preview

Like I normally do since the start of The Nutz, I give you my predictions in every sport that I will follow faithfully. All this week I will give you a post about the upcoming season. Today my focus is on the AL East. It goes without saying that this is the best division in baseball. So let's do some previewing!!!

This is how I am going to decide who wins the AL East this season. I'll take a piece of paper, rip it into 3 pieces, and write on them Yankees, Red Sox, and Rays respectively. Put them in a hat, have my Mom pull one out at a time and that will be how the East will be won this season. I really have no idea where I am leaning this year. Too deep, too competitive, and too fun! And honestly I can pick out cons on why each team shouldn't make the playoffs and pros for each as well. That is why this is so difficult to do this season for a huge baseball fan like myself. And the only thing that I will write about today as far as the two "other" teams in the division are concerned is...Toronto and Baltimore are a year or two away from competing. They both have made some serious strides in the draft and trading with getting the right young players in their organization.

Back to my 3 pieces of paper. Before my mother picks one out of the hat, here's the rules. To make the drama that much more fun, the first piece of paper mom pulls will miss the playoffs. The second will be your Wild Card winner, because let's be serious...the Wild Card will be coming out of the East for a very long time. And of course finally the last piece pulled will be you Division winner. Here we go.

Mom is very confused. "Pull a piece of paper out of the hat, MOM!"

I explain what is going on, and she pulls the paper out of the hat. The pressure is building because I told her that the team that she pulls will not make the playoffs this season. Hand shuffles around the hat...paper is pulled.

Out of the playoffs, again are the New York Yankees. The major concern I have of the Yanks this season is the how healthy they will be during the season. They made major strides to get back to the World Series this off season. Especially with a need that had to be done, starting pitching. CC Sabathia, who I believe will get hurt at some point this season, should eat up innings that was desperately missing from this team a year ago. Also, AJ Burnett who I loved as a pitcher couple of years ago. But, I am not the only one that thinks this transaction smells a little like the free agent signing of Carl Pavano a few years ago. I do think that Chien Ming Wang will have a great season after an injury filled 2008. I am also happy to hear that it was just announced yesterday, that Brett Gardner will start the season in center. Besides Derek Jeter he is my favorite Yankee at this point. He really works hard out there and deserved to start. And the biggest signing I believe this season was Xavier Nady. Nady is going to be very important to the success of the Yankees offense this season. No matter how you look at the AL East season it will be down to the wire and the Yankees will be there. But their most important month probably won't be September this year...it will be April.

Mom shuffles the pieces of paper in the hat, the pressure is really building on her now. I said this will be the Wild Card winner this season. Her hand goes into the hat, "I hope I don't pick the Red Sox!". She grabs one piece...and then changes to the other piece left in the hat. Pulls out that paper and grimaces while handing it to me. The winner of the Wild Card is the Red Sox.

"DAMN!" is echoed throughout the house.

Can the Red Sox still have the best line up in the Division this season even without a guy like Manny Ramirez? The answer is yes. Because winning the Wild Card this season won't be because of their deep pitching staff. It is all about how good their offense really is and the strength of the bullpen. Like Wang from New York, many believe that Josh Beckett will have a bounce back year. He better if they want to advance to the post season this year. If Boston will be gracing us with their presence in October, it will have to be because of another MVP like season from Kevin Youkilis and somebody else. Youk, is the blue-collared hitter that gets it done when it counts. And filling the void of a hitter like Ramirez can't be by just one player. David Ortiz has to stay healthy all season this year as well. I can definitely see another 35 homer season out of Ortiz, especially if Jason Bay can continue to shine on the big stage in Boston. If you take a look at Bay's combined stats from a year ago, you will see that he finished with these numbers .286/31/101 with a Slugging percentage of .522. How much do I think that Bay is going to excel this season? Well, let's put it this way. In one of my Fantasy Baseball league's I decided to keep Bay over Matt Holliday. Playing in Fenway is a right-handed batter's dream. The Red Sox's major success with their offense will rely heavily on Bay batting behind Ortiz. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.

With the final piece of paper lying in the hat. And the disgusted look on my mother's face tells it all. The AL East will be won by the Rays this year. Why? Why not! Each team that I have wrote about today has a flaw. The Rays flaw, for me, will be them handling the pressures of doing what they did again for a second straight year. Also, obviously, is being in the wrong division. Of course, we doubted them back in July so they love the underdog card. The youngest pitching staff in baseball could very well be the best pitching staff in baseball. And let me tell you this Matt Garza and Andy Sonnanstine are no slouches, they just happen to be behind guys with names like Shields, Kazmir, and a new name with dollar signs like Price. Another flaw that I just remembered was their offense's ability to strikeout way too much. Yea, their offense has great young talent that can be better than what they are on paper, but the strikeout ratio needs to go down for success this season. BJ Upton is one of the best players in the game today, but injuries need to be limited this season for the success of their offense. Upton showed the world what he can do with the bat when he is fully healthy back in October. 9 homers will not cut it from Upton this season. I expect the Rays to slowly get Upton back from his recent shoulder injury and put up MVP type numbers. One sleeper in this line up for the success of the Rays will be the play of newly acquired and starting right fielder Pat Burrell. He will be huge in the how the Rays fare this season. Also, expect David Price to be called up in 3 weeks and put up Rookie of the Year type numbers when he gets the call up.

There you have it. Thanks to my mother for my AL East preview. No matter how you look at it, this season has all the makings of being a truly fun year. Maybe just as fun as I had doing this piece today.

Guitar Hero

oh my god!

The Sweet Sixteen (Thursday Edition)

In all 4 brackets the top 3 seeds advanced which should keep the ratings high and the spreads low. So many great match ups so little time. One question I have about tonight's games are why in the world are both the 2-3 match ups at 10:00? Some of us do have to work early in the morning. Here's a look at Thursday's games with predictions...

5) Purdue vs. 1) Uconn 7:07

Watching Uconn the past couple of weeks you have to wonder if a team that doesn't normally play zone will go ahead and give it a shot against the Huskies. Maybe a match up zone at least. I do love the Boilermakers match ups defensively again the Huskies. But, no matter how you look at it, Uconn has played well against much lesser teams and Purdue is better than what they seem. The game has to be very low scoring and Robbie Hummel has to be able to score tonight in order for Purdue to win tonight. I don't think that Purdue is ready for a guy like Hasheem Thabeet tonight though. Uconn 78-68

4) Xavier vs. 1) Pittsburgh 7:27

Xavier is one of the most patient teams left in the tournament thanks in large part to one of the best coaches in the country in Sean Miller. Pitt is pretty patient to though. The Panthers haven't played well from the rest of the country's standards, but in my opinion they looked great down the stretch in both games. This is what a great team does, and Pitt has proven that they can close game all year. As much as I would love to see both #1 seeds leave the tournament during the 7:00 o'clocks and shut Pablo's Big East mouth, I find it hard to believe that even if B.J. Raymond, Derrick Brown and C.J. Anderson play well that Xavier will advance. Expect another strong performance out of Sam Young tonight, he has really stepped up his play in the tournament. Pitt 75-70

3) Missouri vs. 2) Memphis 9:37

One of the most exciting games in the tournament will be played tonight. Aside from Louisville, Memphis is probably the deepest and most talented team left in the tournament. Missouri's coach Mike Anderson probably wasn't too happy seeing Memphis on his side of the bracket having played the Tigers enough times while at UAB. But he knows more than anyone what John Calipari is going to do with his team. Missouri needs to establish a inside presence tonight to get the Tigers into foul trouble and disrupt their face paced game. But, I like Memphis. Early and often tonight, especially out on the perimeter. Memphis 88-79

3) Villanova vs. 2) Duke 9:57

The best match up tonight, so I have to take a thorough nap after I get out of work today. Everybody is picking Villanova tonight so I guess Duke shouldn't even show up. Can I ask why? Is there a team left in the field that is as dangerous from the perimeter than the Blue Devils? The big question for the game tonight is how effective is Nova's inside game will be tonight. Also, what will the play of Kyle Singler be tonight. He could easily find himself on the bench with two fouls in the first 3 minutes of the game. Anytime Scottie Reynolds and Dante Cunningham are playing well on the same night, the Wildcats are the best team in the nation. The key for me though is how Gerald Henderson plays. He tends to force things at times when Duke gets down early and puts everything on his shoulders. Duke needs, and I stress needs, a total team effort tonight. And even though I picked Villanova in my bracket, I love Duke tonight playing the disrespect card. Duke 84-82

What Would You Do?

The Davidson Wildcats and their junior guard, Stephen Curry, had their 2008-2009 season end on Monday in the second round of the NIT. Certainly it was not the way the Wildcats saw their season ending after the incredible run to the Elite Eight a year ago. As a super sophomore, Curry stepped onto the national stage as an electric shooter, with great charisma and a knack for getting the ball in the hole. This season, the Wildcats had a tougher schedule and did not sneak up on as many opponents as they did last season. Which caused for more losses and a trip to the 3 most hated letters in NCAA basketball (N.I.T). Now Curry has a big decision to make. With a weak NBA Draft expected this summer, some experts are saying that he is a lottery pick if he decides to come out this season. What would you do? Curry is a different kind of kid that usually will leave early for the NBA. He has a solid family foundation, his family has money, and most of all...he has a father that has been there. I realize that the money that he could make at the NBA level is money that I will never see in my entire life, but honestly what is the rush. I know that the way that he and Davidson ended the season this year was not the way he wanted to leave the college game. I was listening to ESPN radio the other day and Doug Gotlieb said that Chris Paul was asked recently what he would do if he was Stephen Curry. He said, "All I know is that there is not one day that goes by where I wish that I stayed another year in college and got a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament again." I honestly believe that a lot of NBA players feel the exact same way. Once you leave college to become a professional that is it. No more frat parties, no more hangin with the co-eds, no more hangin with your teammates/friends. It's over! Now a lot of you will say, "What if he gets hurt and loses his draft stock?" Listen, this isn't football and he is not a left handed pitcher. Curry is a very different kind of player that enters the NBA. The dude can flat out shoot the rock and he has it (whatever it is, he has it), and that is something that he will never lose! I dunno, this might be just me. Even though Curry is really a one man show on his Davidson basketball team, he is known for being the ultimate team guy. He loves his teammates and I firmly believe that if he decides not to come back for one more possible Davidson run, he'll never forgive himself. So I will ask my readers today, "What would you do?"

"That's a little harsh!?"

Probably the only commercial I don't mind seeing every break during the NCAA Tournament.

ReCapping the 1st Weekend

Chalk, chalk, and more chalk was the talks of the 1st and 2nd rounds of the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. Is this a good or a bad thing? Well, for myself I have mixed emotions. On one hand the tournament committee got the seedings correct which looks good for them and makes me look like a jerk, since I didn't think they did a very good job this season. And this way, we really get to watch the best teams face each other and see who is actually better. On the other hand...we have no Davidson or George Mason. I really don't think that I need to waste your time when I say that.

During my trip back home from visiting Pablo, I got a chance to listen to The Herd on ESPN radio, something that I don't get to enjoy in my hometown. And the host of the show Colin Cowherd mentioned something that I did not really realize in March. People don't want to see the Cinderellas play. They really don't. We as a nation want to see Villanova play Duke this week. Not Western Kentucky verses LSU. All you have to look at are the facts:

NEW YORK (AP)—Television ratings for the first and second round of the NCAA tournament are up 6 percent from last year.
Overnight ratings released Monday show CBS earned a 5.4 rating and 12 share, up from a 5.1 rating and 12 share for the first two rounds in 2008.
On Sunday, the overnight rating was up 10 percent from 2008. The final group of games, including a tight contest between top-seed Louisville and surprise Siena, earned an 8.1 overnight rating and 14 share, the highest rating for the 5-7:45 p.m. EDT slot since an 8.2 in 2006.

And just so that we are all on the same page...Arizona is not a Cinderella. We know who Arizona is, hell they have been to the Final Four 4 times since 1988 and been to the finals twice. That is not a stat for a Cinderella, I don't care if they are a 12 seed or not. Now they are an underdog, so is Gonzaga, and even though they have a Big Ten title so is Purdue. But these programs can not be considered as Cinderellas, not a chance.

The best performances of the tournament for me thus far excluding Arizona, have to be the play of Gonzaga and Syracuse. It has been a long time coming but the Bulldogs have finally come to play in the tournament. Yea, they played Akron and Western Kentucky but their guard play has been phenomenal and I have been thoroughly impressed with not just the wins but how they have won. And I really believe that they will cause problems for a UNC team that has had problems scoring on the perimeter so far. With the Orangemen how can you not be impressed? After playing the most minutes in a Big East tournament the players (and coaches) have shown no signs of being fatigued. I didn't really give them a chance against Arizona State, little did I know that one of my favorite coaches in the game in Herb Sendek would have a brain fart a play a zone against the nation's deepest deep threats. As with Gonzaga, Syracuse is poised to move on with their match up with Oklahoma in the Sweet Sixteen. I love 'cuse's zone against the Sooners.

Later in the week before the games start on Thursday I will preview each match up. But to give you a little taste. What do you think is the best match up in the next round? How about the one nobody is talking about...Michigan State verses Kansas. Tom Izzo verses Bill Self. Can I ask why I haven't heard anyone say boo about this yet. Well, don't worry I'll get into it soon. Enjoy the days until the tournament.

The Final Four

So today is the day and for once I am going to act like an adult and go to work and miss the first games and half of the 2 o'clocks. But it is going to drive me insane! Now that I have gave you my predictions on who I think will be playing in Detroit, let's get into who will be leaving there as winners.

So to recap I have Wake Forest out of the MidWest taking on Memphis out of the West. And Pittsburgh out of the East facing North Carolina. All have great teams with future NBA players playing for them. A couple of the teams are young, a couple of them are veteran. Be that at it may, I thought that the ACC had the better quality of teams in it this season so if some of you are asking yourselves way the 2 ACC schools, that is why. If Wake and Memphis do end up at this point I think that cash will be coming my way in the pools. This is a tough match up! And I love it! Memphis and coach John Calipari like I said before will play the disrespect card throughout the tourney and this game will be no different. I like Memphis to move on with a defense that looks great on television but for the players playing against it...it can't be fun! In the other match up I have 2 #1 seeds squaring off. And I am just going to cut to the chase with this one. I picked UNC at the start of the season and I am sticking to it. Once and I said once, Ty Lawson is healthy, I really don't think that they are going to be beaten. So since I have to get ready for work and need to post something. I am making this short and saying that the Tarheels will be dancing around the streets of Detroit with a championship trophy, Final score 88-81.

South Bracket

Finally, the South Bracket! I know that I said that I thought that the East is the toughest bracket, but the South bracket is certainly bottom heavy and quite possibly could be the most competitive of all the brackets. Anytime the Toe would like to grace The Nutz with his picks, we would sure be appreciated. My Championship selection show will be posted tomorrow before the first game. Let's get to my views and predictions on the South!

My South Bracket

1) North Carolina vs. 16) Radford

8) LSU vs. 9) Butler

5) Illinois vs. 12) Western Kentucky

4) Gonzaga vs. 13) Akron

6) Arizona State vs. 11) Temple

3) Syracuse vs. 14) SF Austin

7) Clemson vs. 10) Michigan

2) Oklahoma vs. 15) Morgan State

What is the health of Ty Lawson? This quite possibly could be the biggest question heading into the NCAA Tournament. When watching the Selection Show and the South Bracket was being selected last, during the commercial break I ran off the top 6 seeds in my head, going by process of elimination which was pretty easy to do, so I ran them off: UNC, Oklahoma, Syracuse, Arizona State, Gonzaga and Illinois. Little did I know that the committee this year really...really downplayed the Pac-10 and gave Arizona state a 6 seed and rewarded Illinois a 5. That totally shocked me. Now you have one of the best possible match ups in the second round for the entire weekend. But, I'll get into that later. As for the first round match ups, I really wish the nation had a chance to appreciate the school of Radford but they get a 16 seed and will be out early, but if you get a chance check out their center. I have Western Kentucky making another run in the tournament this year with an upset over an injury filled Illinois squad. LSU should beat a young Butler team, but who honestly would put it past the SEC to go winless in the tournament this year. If you are a basketball lover though, the Clemson/Michigan match up is a dream. An up and down pressing style offense/defense verses a half court team with many defensive and offensive sets. I'll take the Michigan team that starts 4 guards and really can have anyone break the press of the Clemson Tigers, but the real key to the game is which team controls the tempo and hits outside shots. To the second round I love all the higher seeds to advance, except in the best match up in the second round for the weekend. Before the tournament I told the Pitbull that I will find it hard not to advance Herb Sendek and his Arizona State squad far in the tournament, and he agreed. Little did we know that they would be playing his team in the second round in Syracuse. That is tough, and I would be pissed if I was an Orangemen fan. Veteran leadership, a marquee play maker, and a different style of offense with a disrupting defense usually leads to nice tournament runs. And I really love the Sundevils to make one as a 6-seed.

"I'm a Sundevil, Jerry!"

And I think that they are able to beat Oklahoma as well. Oklahoma has had some problems as of late with their guard play, and I think Blake Griffin alone can only take you so far. As far as North Carolina is concerned, even with the uncertainty of Lawson, how can you not put them into the Final Four. It is very possible that this is a major concern for the Tarheels, but they might be just pulling our chains and trying their best to keep Lawson on the bench to rest until he is at 100%. What has me tossed though is...what if he is never at 100%? Will the Tarheels and Tyler Hansbrough get to the Final Four and make a bigger mark on his NCAA career. I think the answer is still yes. I picked the Tarheels to go to the National Championship at the start of the season and I am not about to knock them out before the Final Four now. So I got the Tarheels moving on to Detroit but it won't be easy. But it will be interesting!

East Bracket

We are now heading East. If this isn't the toughest bracket, it is certainly loaded with teams that found the place in the top half of the AP Polls most of the season, which include 6-seeded UCLA, 7-seeded Texas, 9-seeded Tennessee, and 12-seeded Wisconsin. Let's find out where I am going with my East predictions.

My East Bracket

1) Pittsburgh vs. 16) East Tenn St

8) Oklahoma St vs. 9) Tennessee

5) Florida State vs. 12) Wisconsin

4) Xavier vs. 13) Portland State

6) UCLA vs. 11) VCU

3) Villanova vs. 14) American

7) Texas vs. 10) Minnesota

2) Duke vs. 15) Binghamton

The first thing that jumps out to me in the East bracket is the balance in power conferences throughout the bracket. I knew heading into selection Sunday that Duke was going to be the 2 seed in Pittsburgh's bracket, but I didn't realize how many great programs will be along with them. Like I said earlier, the bracket is loaded with teams that were "suppose" to have a great season and found themselves early and often on the AP Polls. For this reason, I can not find a single Cinderella team among all these teams, unless of course you want to call the Texas Longhorns a surprise team. Two first round games really jump out to me in the opening round, the first of course are the contrasting styles of the 8-9 game between Oklahoma St and Tennessee, and the 6-11 match up between UCLA and VCU. I have tried hard for the past two seasons defending Bruce Pearl and the Volunteers of Tennessee but I am done. The reason for them not being a successful team is the lack of discipline found on the basketball court. Fouling on the perimeter, poor shot selection, and their team chemistry needs to change or they will never win. For that I am going with the Cowboys. In the other game that I love, Darren Collison and the Bruins try to make it to a 4th consecutive Final Four while Eric Maynor and the Rams look to rekindle a spark that saw them defeat a Duke team in the 6-11 match up then almost defeating a very good Pitt team back in the 2007 tournament. Maynor has shown a lot more maturity over the past few years and I think that he will keep his Rams team in the tournament for another day come Thursday night. Other then them I really can't find a Cinderella in the bunch, I do like Portland State but not against Xavier. In the second round games they all look very, very dangerous. All 4 top seeds could find themselves on the next flight out at the end of the game. But I am going to stay positive. I like all the higher seeds to advance except for the Xavier when they face Florida State. The Seminoles are riding a high wave and have been the most impressive team to me over the last 3 weeks. So in the Elite Eight I really have no surprises, it's a Big East/ACC showdown. The East bracket is a real test to just how well the Big East is going to fair in this tournament and with much debate I am going to stick with their teams...but I am not very confident about it especially having followed and been very impressed with the play of the ACC all season. I have loved the play though of both the Pitt Panthers and Nova Wildcats all year and instead of picking one or the other I am going to go with both of them to face each other in the Big East Elite Eight match up. So the drought for a Big East team making the Final Four will stop this season. My heart would love to see Jay Wright fighting in the Final Four for a National Championship, but I have to stick to my guns and go with the veteran bunch of the Pitt Panthers to finally have a good NCAA tournament and get coach Jamie Dixon to a place where he can finally get some respect as a great NCAA coach.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

MidWest Bracket

The next bracket that I am going to dive into today is the Midwest. There are a lot of mixed feelings about this bracket. Where you have the overall #1 seed and a couple of bubble teams that made it into the field late. Let's get right into my predictions and view of the Midwest bracket.

My MidWest Bracket

1) Louisville vs. 16) Play in Winner

8) Ohio State vs. 9) Siena

5) Utah vs. 12) Arizona

4) Wake Forest vs. 13) Cleveland St

6) West Virginia vs. 11) Dayton

3) Kansas vs. 14) North Dakota St

7) Boston College vs. 10) USC

2) Michigan St vs. 15) Robert Morris

The first team selected into the MidWest bracket ended up being the overall #1 seed in the 2009 NCAA Tournament. Did you know that Louisville, though given this great achievement, did not hold as the #1 team in the nation in the AP or Coaches Poll at any point during the season? Then you have the bubbles teams. Right off the bat, the selection of Arizona as a 12 seed hits the television screen, crushing the other teams that are on the bubble. To make matters worse, some say another bubble team in Boston College goes on the list of 65 just a couple of slots later. My overall view of this bracket is that it can potentially be the weakest of all the brackets, but it can also be the most exciting. Meaning that, in the lower part of the bracket besides Robert Morris, I can see any of these teams advancing into the Elite Eight. It can be potentially the weakest by Louisville not getting to play a single competitive team if Wake Forest ends up not advancing to the Sweet Sixteen, and the Cardinals breeze through their competition unscathed. And Wake could very well find themselves in trouble right away with the Horizon League Champs in the 1st round. If the Demon Deacons refuse the shoot well on the perimeter they will be in some serious trouble, this will be not only in the 1st round but with whoever they face in round two. The obvious best match up in the first round is the 7-10 game. The 10 seeded USC Trojans won their way to the Tournament by winning the Pac-10 title, but they have never faced a point guard that controls the game like Tyrese Rice. I think that the Trojans have no shot in this match up, just like the Utes from Utah in the 5-12 game. Any time the past few years a team that many thought shouldn't be in the tournament, ended up winning their first round game. And that is exactly what is going to happen when the Arizona Wildcats play the Utes on Friday. In the second round the lower half of the bracket should be paid attention to the most. Like I said before any team can come out of this part of the bracket. I went with the Mountaineers over the Jayhawks just for the simple fact that Huggins is overdue for a tournament run. In the other match up I went with the Spartans because coach Tom Izzo is the ultimate motivator and will get his team to the Elite Eight...I hope. Louisville up in the top half will have a fun match up with the Wake Forest in the Sweet Sixteen, a match up that totally plays in the hands of the Demon Deacons. If Wake can get by the first two match ups which will really test them, I don't see why they can't win a game in the Sweet Sixteen playing the style of ball that won them 24 games this year. So in the Elite Eight game I have Wake Forest against the Spartans from Michigan State. As much as I think that this bracket is really going to kill me because I am so tossed, and have been trying to over think every scenario, I am going to go with Jeff Teague and the Demon Deacons advancing as a 4 seed to Detroit. Teague is the best player in the MidWest Bracket in my opinion and he will bring Wake to the Final Four...if I am wrong it is because they couldn't get past Cleveland State, watch.

The NCAA Tournament (West Bracket)

I am a very humble person I think. Yea, I kid every now and then about how great I am at things, but it's all in fun. Today, instead of complaining about the difficult job that the NCAA Committee did yesterday, and before I start my predictions for the tourney I would like to tell you about how well I did in my predictions back in November for the NCAA basketball season.

At the beginning of the 2008-2009 NCAA season I gave you my predictions on who would be the conference winners and the at-large teams to advance into the tournament. And I can honestly say that I actually will do a lot of reading and debating on who I think might be good enough to make the tournament in March before I did my blog. How hard is it to do well on something like this? Just think of it this way, there was 33 teams that made the tournament this season that were not on your brackets a year ago. Well, I thought that I did very well. I correctly picked 37 teams to make the tournament this pre-season, correctly picking 13 of the conference winners. That's 57 %! I could have done a lot better too, at least 10 teams either finished in 1st place at the end of the regular season or went to the conference championship game and ended up losing in their conference tournament. So today I apologize for my gloating, but I gotta say I feel pretty good about my predictions I made back in November. I am just not going to get into me picking the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to make it into the Final Four though, not today. Let's get into my predictions for the NCAA Tournament this season.

My West Bracket

1)UCONN vs. 16) Chattanooga

8) BYU vs. 9) Texas A&M

5) Purdue vs. 12) Northern Iowa

4) Washington vs. 13) Mississippi St

6) Marquette vs. 11) Utah State

3) Missouri vs. 14) Cornell

7) California vs. 10) Maryland

2) Memphis vs. 15) Cal St Northridge

I started with the West because honestly it was by far the easiest bracket to do. Which means, at least to me that the top seeds have an easy road until they face each other. And the top seeds are UCONN and Memphis. Once I saw the bracket I saw no bump at any point, no matter how you look at it, for the Huskies road to advancing to the Elite Eight, something that I am tired of seeing. Are there any objective UCONN fans out there that will agree with me? Does this mean that I think that this is the weakest bracket...no. But, that could mean that a sleeper is really hidden in this bracket, and have I found them?...possibly. I would really like to know a person filling out their sheet(s) that doesn't pick UCONN, Memphis, or Missouri to come out of this bracket. Because I am sorry, I just don't see where another Final Four team is in the West. My toughest pick in the 1st round was the 4-13 game between the Huskies of Washington and SEC Champions from Mississippi State. I went with Washington just for the fact that I believe the Pac-10 really got disrespected in this tournament this season. Even though the past 3 Final Fours found a Pac-10 team in them (UCLA all 3). The Big East, hasn't had a Final Four team since UCONN's Championship in 2004. Think about that. In the second round, my most intriguing match-up is the Utah State / Missouri match up. For those of you that have been following my NCAA blogs, you all know how high I am on the Aggies from the WAC. And as much as I would love to see a Missouri/Memphis match up in the Sweet Sixteen I think Utah State will make the big push and be the Cinderella in the West Bracket and face Memphis. Talking about the Sweet Sixteen, I now have UCONN facing Big Ten Champion Purdue in the other match up. This will be the Huskies toughest match up thus far, but coach Jim Calhoun will have 4+ days to prepare for the Boilermakers something that favors the Huskies. While in the other game, Memphis' speed and defense will be very overwhelming for the Aggies which leaves us to the Elite Eight game. Not being pushed to the brink since the loss to Syracuse in the Big East tournament will hurt the Huskies and having one day to prepare for a defense like Memphis will also be tough for this Husky team. How do you beat a pressing team? By pressing them. The Tigers will play the disrespect card throughout the tournament like they did a year ago and advance to their second straight Final Four.

WOW!

I was extremely sick yesterday. Like I didn't get off my bed. So to make matters worse, the first two games I watched were the Miami/Va Tech and Michigan/Iowa games, saw the second half of the Nova game which I guess was a smart move on my part so at least that was good. Then I slept through the entire Penn State game, which tends to happen. I watched Pitt and Oklahoma lose. Then came this game. At the mid-way point of the 1st half I was struggling. Started getting the chills and decided enough was enough. Went to sleep at half time. Awoke from a really screwed up dream with 5 minutes left in regulation. Couldn't go back to sleep. Finally in the 3rd overtime when it looked like UCONN was in control and Syracuse's exhaustion was passed to me. I had enough. Decided to go to work this morning and saw that it went 3 more overtimes. Too bad Husky nation, I hope that all of you that have to work this morning didn't stay up for the entire game. God your day is going to suck today. Well, at least it's nice out...wait that's here! Haha

Bubble Watchin'

It sounds easy. In or Out. This is the worst week in the world for bubble teams, when a team like Cleveland State defeats an at large team like Butler in the league championship game, the bubble teams get slimmer and slimmer. All of these teams are routing for the favorites to win their conferences just to make the number of at-large teams as big as it can. Many of the bubble teams breathed a sign of relief the other night when Gonzaga went out and won their conference leaving the door open to another at-large team. But for those teams on the bubble it's easy, at least to me..."Play your way in!" Here's a look at some of the bubble teams the need to be paid attention to the rest of the week and my prediction for them as of 03/11/09 at 10:15 a.m.

Miami - The Good: a SOS of 26 is very good. great home victories verses Wake Forest and Florida State. a season sweep of bubble team Boston College. The Bad: a 7-9 conference record is never good for a bubble team. a loss at home verses fellow bubble team Va Tech. FORECAST: A good showing in the conference tourney gets them in IN

Penn State - The Good: 6 wins against the RPI's top 50. 21 wins total and a 10-8 Big Ten record. Sweep of Illinois and win at Michigan State. The Bad: a SOS ranked 98. and a laughable non-conference schedule ranked 309. FORECAST: 1 victory in the Big Ten tourney should lock them IN

Florida - The Good: 9-7 SEC record. defeated 9 of RPI's top 100 teams. The Bad: 2 wins over the RPI's top 50. a terrible loss to Georgia. 2-7 road record in the SEC. FORECAST: The Gators must win the SEC tournament or they'll be OUT

Boston College - The Good: a 9-7 ACC record. victories over Duke and FSU at home and UNC on the road. The Bad: a loss verses Georgia Tech Saturday. a SOS ranking of 70. FORECAST: A loss to Virginia in the opening round of the ACC tourney should knock them out but I don't see them losing that game so their IN

Wisconsin - The Good: 10-8 Big Ten record. a SOS ranked 15th in the nation. The Bad: 4-9 verses the RPI's top 50. Swept by Minnesota. The quality of wins are hard to find. FORECAST: It's hard to figure that a Bo Ryan team might not make the tourney, but I see better teams getting in over them so their OUT

Oklahoma St - The Good: a SOS ranked 6th in the nation. 25th in the computer's RPI. 9 of their 10 defeats come by the hands of the top 36 RPI teams. The Bad: 3-9 verses the top 50 RPI teams. a 1st round loss to Iowa State would really hurt. FORECAST: I find it hard to believe that the Cowboys won't get IN

Michigan - The Good: Victories over two top 5 teams UCLA and Duke. a SOS ranked 10th in the nation. the win at Minnesota Saturday was huge. The Bad: Swept by Wisconsin and Michigan State. Went through a stretch where wins were hard to come by. FORECAST: The committee can't look away from the quality wins, and the SOS but for some reason I have a bad feeling the the Wolverines will find their way OUT of the tournament

Providence - The Good: 10 wins in the Big East conference. an RPI and SOS ranked 71st and 49th respectfully. victory over then #1 Pittsburgh. The Bad: Only two wins against the RPI's top 50. 6-12 verses the top 100. FORECAST: Defeating Depaul today would help but I don't see them beating Louisville in the next round so they are OUT

Instant Classic

While most of the nation was tuned into Championship Week for college basketball, over on the MLB Network there was an instant classic going on in the World Baseball Classic. A Netherlands team consisting of mostly wanna be MLB players that have a total of 0.4 million dollars earned during the '08 season from Major League Baseball defeated and eliminated an All-Star line up from the Dominican Republic in 11 innings last night, in one of the better baseball games you will ever see in early March. When I say that the Dominican has an All-Star line up, I am not joking. When you have Hanley Ramirez and Jose Reyes swap positions every game from shortstop or DH, or Big Papa dropping bombs in the clean up spot, or Robinson Cano playing second. Not to mention Miguel Olivo behind the plate, Jose Guillen in right, Willie Taveras in center, Miguel Tejada playing 3rd, and having a pitcher on your staff with the a couple Cy Young's in Pedro Martinez. Those are just some of the names, overall the entire roster of the Dominican have a total of 23 current, I'll repeat current Major League players. While the Netherlands have a grand total of 2. The Netherlands got themselves out of numerous jams with the little things that don't show up in the boxscore, and inning by inning pitching performances by players with last names like : Stuifbergen, Smit, and Cordemans. After 10 scoreless innings, the Dominican got on the board first in the top of the 11th. When Eugene Kingsale misplayed Jose Bautista's two-out liner to right for an error that let the speedy Reyes score all the way from first base. It all seemed to be over at that point with the Dominican bringing in their stud closer and future MLB star Carlos Marmol. But Kingsale would get his revenge! Pinch-hitter Sidney de Jong doubled to start the bottom half, a ground out moved over the runner to third with one out (little things). Then Kingsale stepped up and hit the game-tying RBI single to right. He then moved all the way to third on a throwing error from the attempted pick off from Marmol. Marmol then got a strike out then intentionally walked a batter to get to Yurendell DeCaster, who had struck out 3 times during the game. On a 3-2 pitch DeCaster slapped a liner to 1st which Willie Aybar couldn't handle and DeCaster beat the play to first allowing Kingsale to score the game winner. It truly was an incredible game last night. Here's the final play...

People Getting Punched

So stupid, it's funny!

It's Fantasy Time!

Every year for the past 10 years during the 1st week of March I start scrounging the numbers in Fantasy Baseball. I get Nutz! I take pride in being the best at drafting my squad for the baseball season. This year is no different, only I am in three different leagues now. An all AL league, a Rotisserie league with 2 keepers every year, and of course the league I have been a part of for a long time, the Meriden Fantasy Baseball League a 3-keeper league. Since creating The Nutz, I have helped my opponents by giving them either sleeper picks or the leagues best. I love to change things up but I am going to stick to my roots and give you my studs/duds/and sleepers for the fantasy baseball season. Enjoy!

NL Catcher AL

Brian McCann STUD Joe Mauer

Jesus Flores DUD Kenji Johjima

Chris Snyder SLEEPER Jeff Clement

NL 1st Base AL

Albert Pujols STUD Mark Teixeira

Casey Kotchman DUD Paul Konerko

Nick Johnson SLEEPER Billy Butler

NL 2nd Base AL

Chase Utley STUD Dustin Pedroia

Kelly Johnson DUD Aaron Hill

Jeff Baker SLEEPER Gordon Beckham

NL 3rd Base AL

David Wright STUD Evan Longoria

Troy Glaus DUD Mike Lowell

Ryan Zimmerman SLEEPER Adrian Beltre

NL Shortstop AL

Hanley Ramirez STUD Derek Jeter

Edgar Renteria DUD Julio Lugo

Cristian Guzman SLEEPER Jason Bartlett

NL Outfielders AL

Ryan Braun STUD Grady Sizemore

Carlos Beltran STUD Josh Hamilton

Carlos Lee STUD Jacoby Ellsbury

Raul Ibanez DUD CarlosGomez

Juan Pierre DUD Johnny Damon

Ryan Church DUD Coco Crisp

Cameron Maybin SLEEPER Ryan Sweeney

Justin Upton SLEEPER David DeJesus

Lastings Milledge SLEEPER Ken Griffey Jr

NL Starting Pitchers AL

Tim Lincecum STUD CC Sabathia

Brandon Webb STUD Roy Halladay

Rich Harden DUD AJ Burnett

Brett Myers DUD Fausto Carmona

Clayton Kershaw SLEEPER David Price

John Lannan SLEEPER Aaron Heilman

NL Relief Pitchers AL

Francisco Rodriguez STUD Jonathan Papelbon

Matt Capps DUD Brian Fuentes

Matt Lindstrom SLEEPER Frank Francisco

Early Premiere: Miss March

After a while of not getting free tickets into an early screening I finally got into Miss March which opens this weekend. Heres the story line: A young man awakens from a four-year coma to hear that his once virginal high-school sweetheart has since become a centerfold in one of the world's most famous men's magazines. He and his sex-crazed best friend decide to take a cross-country road trip in order to crash a party at the magazine's legendary mansion headquarters and win back the girl.

My Synopsis: Writers and Actors Zach Cregger and Trevor Moore burst into the movie theater with this hilarious comedy. Throw in Craig Robinson and this thing was a hit. Cregger and Moore are know for their hilarious skit TV show "The Whitest Kids U Know". I recently posted my lookouts for funniest movies of 2009 in a post and this movie would of at least cracked the top 5 of last year. Zach Cregger was incredibly and mix in the a little Raquel Alessi and you have my attention! If your looking for a good laugh go see it. This might be the sleeper of 2009. Don't even watch a Trailer--Just go!

My Grade: A-

Deez' College Basketball Power Rankings

Another great weekend of college basketball just passed, and we are exactly 6 days and 5 1/2 hours away from Selection Sunday. With three teams already punching their ticket to the big dance, there are many conference championship games left and many, many bubble teams needing help. Today I am going to get into my power rankings while tomorrow my bubble teams. Enjoy!

1. North Carolina - Another impressive win over the Dukies yesterday keeps the Tarheels #1 on my list. I think that they locked a 1 seed yesterday, no matter what they do in the ACC Tournament.

2. Pittsburgh - The sweeping of Uconn should shut the Husky fans yappers for a little while. We all know how the Panthers are at MSG, but what is going to happen come tourney time.

3. Louisville - They had the weakest Big East schedule out of every team in their conference. But they still won the nation's best pound for pound BCS conference.

4. Memphis - Is it wrong to think that this team is bound for another 30 win season and a 1 seed in the tournament? I don't think it is. Calipari must have rolled more balls out for practice this season.

5. Uconn - Still has the possibility of a 1 seed with an impressive outing at MSG. If Syracuse wins the opening round game, the Husky/Orangemen matchup will be interesting.

6. Michigan St - I done told you about the Spartans. Quite possibly could finish the season as a 1 seed by winning the Big Ten tourney. Are currently winners of 8 of their last 9 games.

7. Duke - Despite the loss at Chapel Hill Sunday, the Blue Devils did their job the last two weeks by defeating Maryland, Va Tech, and FSU. 2 seed still in the future.

8. Wake Forest - Winners of 4 in a row since the tough loss at Duke heading into the ACC tournament. Is their a more exciting player in the NCAA then Jeff Teague?

9. Oklahoma - I think that out of all the possible scenario for who is getting a 1 seed, the Sooners will lock one up with the Big 12 conference title this weekend.

10. Washington - Did anyone really think that the Huskies would win the Pac-10 regular season title? If you said that you did, your a liar. Jon Brockman is finally stepping it up.

11. Kansas - Even though the loss to Texas Tech was not impressive to say the least, the victory the Longhorns on the other had was very impressive.

12. Xavier - You can't really look that closely to the loss to Richmond. Coach Sean Miller has his Musketeers team playing the best team ball in the nation as of late.

13. Missouri - How scary is this team? Well, for one nobody follows them enough. And two, DeMarre Carroll is the best player in the nation that nobody talks about.

14. Villanova - I said this once and I'll say it again. Coach Jay Wright is the best coach in the nation. They need to do well at MSG to at least get a 3 seed though, because you don't want a 4 or 5 seed.

15. UCLA - I wrote during my last power rankings that this team hasn't peaked yet. Well they finished the year running off 4 straight wins, is now the time. I think that the Bruins are finally here!

16. LSU - Still not sold on anything or anybody in the SEC. But I have finally caught a couple of their games and the Tigers are really, really athletic.

17. Gonzaga - The Zags go for another WCC title tonight. A team with three players averaging over 13 ppg is as impressive as their 35 point victory over a solid Santa Clara team.

18. Syracuse - Have been the most impressive Big East team as of late. It is very hard to find a team in the NCAA with 5 players averaging double figures in points per game.

19. Butler - It is hard to believe that this team is doing this well with a 32 year-old coach and a team that relies heavily on their freshmen and sophomores.

20. Clemson - Yea they are still in my top 20 despite losing 3 out of their last 4 games. But think of this, do you have any feeling that this team can still win the ACC tournament then you just proved my argument for them.

Are you Serious?

Did the Buffalo Bills seriously sign Terrell Owens? That was quick! All the talk about who would want to go after him and how long it would take was shot down faster that I thought, or should I say hoped for. Here is my reasoning on why the Bills picked up T.O, and why it makes sense.

1. They really need to pick up their attendance. There was a ton of talk about the Bills relocating out of Buffalo this past season. And what way to shut down those talks than getting a high profile wide receiver like TO.

2. Owens can still play a little bit people. 10 touchdowns and his 9th 1000 yard season last year.

3. This move makes life easier for quarterback Trent Edwards. That's correct. Along side Owens will be Lee Evans, who has deep ball potential and now the Bills have 2 big play receivers.

4. If it doesn't work, then they can say good-bye. If the Bills find that Owens is a distraction, then the 1 year 6.5 million dollar deal was worth the chance. They didn't pay him a lot and the city of Buffalo is in desperate need of a winner right now.

5. Buffalo is not Dallas or Philly. It is a small market team that will keep TO out of the papers more. Well, let's just say less than if he was in a big time city.

Random Thoughts Today

Have you ever heard of the question...What can you live without more? Your television, your cell phone or your computer, which would it be. Well, I can tell you after 5 days without computer access that I CANNOT live without a computer these days. I figure that I would take a couple of days off last week because of the arrival of my parents last weekend. Little did I know that my mother (who I love right now), told me to cancel my computer subscriber for one of theirs that would save me money. OK MOM! 4 days later my Internet access was restored. I was going crazy. Been receiving text messages making sure that I am ok. And going into my room on numerous occasions to use the computer, then throw my hands in the air. Good thing that my brother stepped it up on my behalf huh! He sucks. Let's get right into some random thoughts I have a ton on my mind.

How bout my Nittany Lions?! They played awful last night, just awful and I gave them no chance to come back and win the game with 3 minutes left so I went to sleep, something that I haven't had much of either lately. GOOD MORNING! Penn State basically clinched their ticket into the dance last night, an accomplishment that hasn't happened since they went to the Sweet Sixteen back in 2001. They are in desperate need of some rebounding help, but hey 20+ wins without it, who am I! Been a great time to be a student at Penn State, just wish that I was taking a class this semester. Thank you front office!

How bout my Redskins?! They better not get TO. The addition of Albert Haynesworth was H U G E ! Finally some off season money well spent, especially since the guy is a 27-year-old. The DeAngelo Hall signing in my opinion was very important. The Redskins haven't had much from their overrated d-backs the last couple of seasons. And Hall was very productive for them at the end of last season, making plays like D-Hall of old. What was nice was they didn't spend a lot on him and growing up Hall was a huge 'skins fan so hopefully he will shape up his act and finally want to win. Overall it was a great week to be a Redskin fan, but it could turn very sour if a certain wide receiver is signed this week.

Work sucks, I have sun burn and I haven't even made a trip to Bike Week yet.

I am thoroughly impressed with George Karl's sitting of Carmello Anthony this week. Obviously it worked because Melo played his ass off last night...and he only shot three three-pointers.

Did I mention that my parents are here?

I love the World Baseball Classic! I have to be in work at 7 in the morning and usually will get up at 5:45 for the day. Not during the classic. I have found myself turning on ESPN2 at 5 o'clock, just in time for the 2nd inning. Love international ball, and you should too!

By the way, why was Alex Rodriguez going to play for the Dominican Republic? A-rod, didn't you play for USA in 2006? You know what, you were born in Miami, make USA money, a lot of it by the way and you want to play for the Dominican? Go there and stay there you bum!

I am such an addict! I haven't stopped on the computer since I got it back. 60 unread messages need to be tended to. More blogs will be coming you can....."WRITE IT DOWN, TAKE A PICTURE, I DON'T GIVE A .....!"