The Best NFL Draft Pick by Your Team

ESPN Insider had a great idea leading up to the draft. Team by team they put the top 10 draft choices in the history of the franchise. One thing that I didn't like was that they put draft picks like John Elway on the top 10 for the Colts or Brett Favre for the Falcons. Starting today up until the Draft next Saturday here at The Nutz, I will be listing the best picks by a franchise in their history. But it'll be a little more insightful. My criteria is as follows: value at pick, value for the franchise as a whole, overall success by the player, and what he meant to the team during his career. I will go division by division. Hope you enjoy and if you think that I am wrong in anyway...you know what you can do!

AFC South

Houston Texans- Andre Johnson 2003 Rd. 1 Pick 3

Even though at the beginning of his career he was like a see-saw, he is finally starting to get it and in my opinion is one of the top wide receivers in the league. Every time you watch a Texans game their are Johnson's #80 jerseys in the stands. The success of the Texans revolves around him getting the football and making plays. Why do you think that they signed him in '07 to a 6 year extension over 60 million? At 27, he has already been to 3 Pro-Bowls with two 1st team All-Pro selections.

Indianapolis Colts- Peyton Manning 1998 Rd. 1 Pick 1

Wilipedia calls him the NFL's most markable player. They are correct! I didn't think that it was much of a toss up when he was drafted over Ryan Leaf, but obviously it really wasn't. Since being drafted by the Colts Manning has been the ultimate driver behind the one of the league's most potent offenses. Finally winning a Super Bowl in 2006 has capped a career filled with Pro-Bowl selections and 3 NFL MVP awards.

Jacksonville Jaguars- Fred Taylor 1998 Rd. 1 Pick 9

I didn't really get a sense of how valuable Taylor was to this franchise until I moved down to Florida. All the football he has ever played has been played in the state of Florida, for that he is a leader in the community. Fred Taylor jerseys have filled the entire northern part of Florida for ten years. Even though he has not received much recognition for his play the man was still very valuable to this franchise as far as staying competitive. He was asked to go to his first Pro-Bowl in '07, and even through 3 injury filled seasons, each year he wasn't hurt he rushed for over 1200 yards.

Tennessee Titans- Bruce Matthews 1983 Rd. 1 Pick 9

It doesn't happen enough times that teams get a great amount of credit when drafting an offensive lineman in the first round. But, when that player sticks with your time through good times and bad for 18 years, he was well worth the pick. Matthews, is one of the best offensive lineman in the history of the game, having been selected to 14 Pro-Bowls, 9 All-Pro 1st teams, and a member of the 1990s All- Decade team. Whatever and wherever asked to play, he just did. Having started 292 of his 296 games at all the positions on the offensive line.

How Bad Can Things Get?

Just when you thought things couldn't possibly get any worse for the Washington Nationals. Something like this happens during Friday night's game against the Marlins!

Look out everyone...here comes the Washington N A T I N A L S!

NBA Playoff Preview (1st Round)

I don't know about most of my readers, but I have had a tough time following the NBA this season. Yea, I know all about how Lebron, Kobe, and Dwayne have played this season since ESPN talks about them constantly. But, between football, college basketball, and now baseball the NBA just can't get a hold of someone like me. And it has been this way for a while. Yea, I still check out scores and have an idea of what is going on in the NBA when it is on television, but I never really go out of my way to find out what happened in the league the night before. The NBA Playoffs begin tonight with lots at stake, and still, I find it hard to look for great story lines. Yea, you have Lebron looking for his first title, KG out in Boston, and some possible upset specials in the 1st round of the Western Conference. But, the last couple of seasons for me the regular season always started this weekend. So I am going to try my best and follow the NBA a little closer over the next 3 months (at least it feels that long) and do the best I can to handicap the games for my readers. Here's a look at my 1st round predictions...

EAST

#1 Cleveland vs. #8 Detroit

No chance for the Pistons. Lebron is going to take over this series early. CAVS 4-1

#2 Boston vs. #7 Chicago

The baby Bulls will hang in there, but ultimately the Celts will prevail. CELTS 4-2

#3 Orlando vs. #6 Philadelphia

The Magic have to get rid of the Sixers early, just so that they can be ready for Rd. 2. MAGIC 4-2

#4 Atlanta vs. #5 Miami

Watching the Hawks on SportsCenter has impressed me, but so has Wade! HEAT 4-3

WEST

#1 Los Angeles vs. #8 Utah

Phil Jackson is so dominate in the first round and he doesn't even break a sweat. LAKERS 4-1

#2 Denver vs. #7 New Orleans

My NBA upset special. As long as I have a blog, I will never go against Chris Paul. HORNETS 4-3

#3 San Antonio vs. #6 Dallas

Everyone loves the Mavs in this series, not me! I thought the Spurs are great at home? SPURS 4-2

#4 Portland vs. #5 Houston

Somebody needs to help me out with this one, I really don't have a clue. So I am going with a push meaning my pick won't occur until game 7.

The Best NFL Draft Pick by Your Team

ESPN Insider had a great idea leading up to the draft. Team by team they put the top 10 draft choices in the history of the franchise. One thing that I didn't like was that they put draft picks like John Elway on the top 10 for the Colts or Brett Favre for the Falcons. Starting today up until the Draft next Saturday here at The Nutz, I will be listing the best picks by a franchise in their history. But it'll be a little more insightful. My criteria is as follows: value at pick, value for the franchise as a whole, overall success by the player, and what he meant to the team during his career. I will go division by division. Hope you enjoy and if you think that I am wrong in anyway...you know what you can do!

AFC East

Buffalo Bills- Thurman Thomas 1988 Rd. 2 Pick 40

For 12 seasons Thomas was the face of a franchise that owned the AFC during the early 90s which led to 4 straight Super Bowl appearances. He led the league in total yards for 4 consecutive seasons, a Pro-Bowler 5 times, 1991 League MVP, and a spot on the NFL's All-Decade team of the 90s. Thomas finished his career with the Bills as the all-time leading rusher.

Miami Dolphins- Dan Marino 1983 Rd. 1 Pick 27

Even though he was the last of the great quarterbacks drafted in the '83 draft, he was definitely the most important. Marino had held or holds almost every single NFL passing record. Even though he never won a Super Bowl, Marino was the major reason for the success of the franchise during his time there. Marino was a 9-time Pro-Bowler and NFL MVP in 1984. How much did Marino mean to the Dolphins? Well, he has a bronze statue of himself outside Dolphin Stadium, and the city of Miami renamed the street the Stadium is on from Stadium Street to Dan Marino Blvd.

New England Patroits- Tom Brady 2000 Rd. 6 Pick 199

This really wasn't a difficult choice. It is one thing for a drafted player in the 6th round become a Pro-Bowler, it's another for that player to lead their team to 3 Super Bowls wins. At the age of 31, he is already regarded as one of the best quarterbacks in the history of the game, with a NFL MVP in 2007, two Super Bowl MVPs, and Sporting New's Sportsman of the Year 2005. I can't think of a late round draft choice that has meant more to his team than Brady.

New York Jets- Mark Gastineau 1979 Rd.2 Pick 41

Regarded as one of the best defensive linemen in the history of the game. For ten seasons he was the face of the Jets defense which led to 5 Pro-Bowls, a NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award in 1982, and in 1984 he recorded at that time 22 sacks in a single season which was a NFL record. His shocking retirement after only ten seasons was hard for Jets fans to swallow, but he left the game as the all-time sack leader and his #99 will always be remembered in New York.

Random Thoughts Today

Sorry for the couple day hiatus, been trying to get over my trip to Orlando, where "snowbirds" are owning the streets for hopefully one last week. The weather in the dirty south has been unbelievable! So much so that we are starting are hurricane season a little earlier than usual. I have many thoughts on my mind today with the baseball season and other topics in sports. I heard that the Connecticut weather has been great lately! And just so you know, the high school baseball regular season is coming to a close...in April!

During my entire life of watching football on Sundays (or Mondays) I have heard the voice of John Madden. For better or worse Madden was always there to make you chuckle. Whether it was Sunday afternoons, Monday Nights, or Sunday nights he was the voice you really just got use to over the years. His passion for the game of football really showed while he was broadcasting games, especially for the older players on the field. Ones that put their time in the game, like he did. Madden announced his retirement today from being the ultimate color-man on television during the fall. It is certainly going to be a weird season not hearing his voice, especially during the playoffs. I don't know if I am going to miss him in the booth, but he certainly will never be forgotten!

My father decided last week during the opening of the season, and more so now, that he is going to root hard for all the underdogs in the Major League this year. He sure picked one hell of a year to do that. 5 of the six divisions in the Majors currently have 1st place teams leading the division that were suppose to finish in the gutter at years end. Out of all the teams the Florida Marlins are currently 8-1, after sweeping the Braves this afternoon. My father quickly has jumped on the bandwagon. Living in Florida and watching young talented kids playing the game you love is awesome! That's why it was so easy for me to like the Rays last season. There is something about watching young prospects make a name for themselves that is fun to watch. Yea, some might be playing for themselves so that they can get that multi-year contract. But they are all playing hard and every inning you see them taking the extra base or diving for balls. How can you not love that? I just hope the Mariners can keep it up!

It was just announced on ESPN that Kevin Garnett might miss the playoffs. Sorry Boston, maybe next year!

The hateful Duke basketball guard Greg Paulus is now trying to play football. After a being a 4 year bball player as a Blue Devil he is going to try and play a sport that won him Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior in high school. First he tried out with the Green Bay Packers, like Aaron Rodgers doesn't have enough to worry about, and now he says that he is going to compete for the Michigan quarterback job. You heard correctly, the University of Michigan Wolverines! NCAA rules state that if a player does not have a red-shirted year, and since he is graduating this year, he can go to a graduate school and play one more season. And since Michigan really doesn't have much of a competition for their starting QB job, why not the Wolverines? Obviously, having sat on the bench a little more this season at Duke got him to thinking about the future and his alternatives. He's 6'1'' and 180 pounds, if he does get to play this year, maybe being a hated Dukie really wasn't worth it after all.

I never thought that I would say this but...I hate Mel Kiper right now. Yea, I can't stand the quarterback situation in Washington right now, but that doesn't mean I want a QB taken 13th overall in this month's draft. Kiper has the Washington Redskins taking Mark Sanchez with their 1st of 5 picks in this years draft. With so many needs at other positions, this makes me look forward to the upcoming season less and less. And now owner Dan Synder wants to draft him. Somebody must hate me!

Oh and before I leave, if Isiah Thomas' reputation hasn't taken enough of a hit. Did you hear the Athletic Director announce him to the podium as "Isiah Thompson"? Still trying to find the video so I can show it. Hilarious!!!

Happy Easter Weekend!

It must be Easter Weekend, since I found myself drinking each of the last 4 days. Easter Weekend all got started at "The Apartment", and I can't help but to think about the time I spent being an absolute drunk for 4 consecutive days. So from us here at The Nutz ,to everyone, hope you have a safe and happy Easter Weekend. Ahh...memories huh BadChoiceMilk?

Deez' Big Board

We are exactly 2 weeks away from the biggest day for college players and NFL teams during the spring season. I have some time before I make my predictions on who is going where in the draft, so before I make my trip to see America's Favorite Couple here is a look at my top 25 players on my Big Board for the NFL Draft.

1. Michael Crabtree WR Texas A&M

2. Brian Orakpo DE Texas

3. Aaron Curry OLB Wake Forest

4. Jason Smith OT Baylor

5. BJ Raji DT Boston College

6. Jeremy Maclin WR Missouri

7. Matthew Stafford QB Georgia

8. Aaron Maybin DE Penn State

9. Knowshon Moreno RB Georgia

10. Eugene Monroe OT Virginia

11. Andre Smith OT Alabama

12. Malcolm Jenkins CB Ohio State

13. Chris Wells RB Ohio State

14. Robert Ayers DE Tennessee

15. Percy Harvin WR Florida

16. Everette Brown DE Florida State

17. Rey Maualuga ILB USC

18. Mark Sanchez QB USC

19. Brandon Pettigrew TE Oklahoma State

20. Tyson Jackson DE LSU

21. Hakeem Nicks WR North Carolina

22. Brian Cushing OLB USC

23. Peria Jerry DT Mississippi

24. Vontae Davis CB Illinois

25. James Laurinaitis ILB Ohio State

Way Too Soon

I would be lying if I said I knew of Nick Adenhart before his death early Thursday morning. Getting the chance to watch his final game was an honor. I don't thank Directv ever, but this time they did something right for me, without even knowing it. Directv allows us baseball fans with no money to preview their MLB package for the first two weeks of the season. While watching their game-mix, you get the opprotunity to watch 8 games at once. So, I got home late from work Wednesday night, there were only a few games for my viewing at 10:00. One of the games was the Athletics/Angels game. I saw this kid pitching that I didn't know for a couple innings absolutely owning the A's. And I thought "wow", this kid is pretty impressive. To that I had enough and was getting tired and work at 7:00 am was in the back of my mind. So I turned off the television, not knowing that live on tv, Nick Adenhart was pitching the last game of his life. The 22-year old, a year less than my youngest brother, was taken away from this cruel earth by a drunken driver after the game of his life. He had just finished pitching 6 strong innings of shut-out ball for his Angels. Something that many thought wasn't possible after overcoming majors odds against him. Tommy John surgery before the MLB Draft dropped him to the 14th round, 4 seasons in the minors, and in his 3 previous starts in the majors his ERA was 9.00. But all that was behind him for 2 hours Wednesday night. He pitched the game of his life at the Major League level with his father in the stands. Why would God take him away after such a glorious day? The Angels are favorites to get to the post season this year and you'd be ignorant to think that God doesn't work in mysterious ways. For one night, Nick Adenhart made a name for himself, unfortunately most of us wouldn't of appreciated his work if it wasn't for his death.

Rivals.com 2009 Top Recruits

For my final post about college basketball here is a look at the top recruits and their schools for next season. You can click on the player or the school and check them out for yourselves. These players in Rivals top 25 are all 5 star recruits. Thanks to Rivals.com!

2009 Rank Pos Ht/Wt Schools

1- John Wall Raleigh (NC) Word Of God Christian Academy G 6-4/184 list

Blazingly fast with the basketball, Wall is an impeccable ball handler with court savvy. The right hander has a penchant for beating defenders with his left hand and can then counter with a terrific left to right behind the back dribble. Finding teammates on the move is his forte, but he is also an excellent finisher at the rim. His jumper is still a work in progress, but it is good enough to keep the defense honest.

2- DeMarcus Cousins Mobile (AL) LeFlore F 6-9/250 Kentucky

Power forward with top notch inside/outside skills.

3- Xavier Henry Oklahoma City (OK) Putnam City G 6-6/210 list

Sweet shooting lefty also has size.

4- Derrick Favors Atlanta (GA) South Atlanta C 6-9/220 Georgia Tech

Skilled post player with soft touch.

5- Jordan Hamilton Los Angeles (CA) Dominguez F 6-7/210 Texas

Point forward with a strong all around game.

6- John Henson Tampa (FL) Sickles F 6-10/200 North Carolina

Developing prospect has lots of upside.

7- Kenny Boynton Plantation (FL) American Heritage School G 6-2/187 Florida

Compact scorer has a more than reliable pull up jumper.

8- Avery Bradley Henderson (NV) Findlay Prep G 6-3/175 Texas

A big time scoring threat from the off guard position.

9- Lance Stephenson Brooklyn (NY) Lincoln G 6-6/195 list

Physical guard who plays with an aggressive attitude.

10- Renardo Sidney Los Angeles (CA) Fairfax F 6-10/250 USC

Good in both the high post and the low post.

11- Michael Snaer Moreno Valley (CA) Rancho Verde G 6-4/185 Florida State

Athletic shooting guard has a complete game.

12- Milton Jennings Summerville (SC) Pinewood Prep F 6-9/200 Clemson

A serious inside/outside scoring threat.

13- Abdul Gaddy Tacoma (WA) Bellarmine Prep G 6-3/170 Washington

Rangy point guard with a great feel for the game.

14- Mouphtaou Yarou Rockville (MD) Montrose Christian F 6-9/210 Villanova

Physical post player with a skill game.

15- Latavious Williams Humble (TX) Christian Life Center F 6-7/195 list

Ultra-athletic forward with a high ceiling.

16- Dominic Cheek Jersey City (NJ) St. Anthony G 6-5/175 Villanova

Dead-eye shooter with ball handling skills.

17- Dexter Strickland Elizabeth (NJ) St. Patrick G 6-3/175 North Carolina

Great feel for the game and even better scorer.

18- Thomas Robinson Wolfeboro (NH) Brewster Academy F 6-8/222 Kansas

Athletic post player who is a relentless rebounder.

19- Royce White Hopkins (MN) Hopkins F 6-7/210 Minnesota

A multi-dimensional forward with a surprisingly polished game.

20- Ryan Kelly Raleigh (NC) Ravenscroft School F 6-9/205 Duke

Finesse forward with dangerous face up game.

21- Alex Oriakhi Tilton (NH) Tilton School C 6-9/245 Connecticut

Athletic power forward who can go and get the ball.

22- Daniel Orton Oklahoma City (OK) Bishop McGuinness C 6-10/260 Kentucky

Long big man who is good in the high post.

23- Wally Judge Jacksonville (FL) Arlington Country Day F 6-9/218 Kansas State

Intriguing forward who can own the boards.

24- Dante Taylor Fort Washington (MD) National Christian Academy F 6-8/230 Pittsburgh

A raw talent with great upside.

25- Maalik Wayns Philadelphia (PA) Roman Catholic G 6-1/190 Villanova

Tough, physical point guard in the Philly mold.

Tyler Hansbrough's Legacy

After another successful season of The Nutz predicting a champion in a pre season post, in North Carolina, I can't help to remember that I picked them to win the last two years. The main reason why is I had all the confidence in the world with the man pictured above. I have never ever been a bad critic of him, instead I have embraced all is positives and stayed away from the negatives. Today, the ESPN radio show Mike and Mike in the Morning asked the question I never even thought about.

"Is Tyler Hansbrough on UNC's all-time 1st team?"

Tough question? I think not. Here's his credentials:

All-American 1st team 07, 08, 09

All-American 2nd team 06

Naismith Player of the Year 2008

ACC Player of the Year 08,

All-ACC 1st team 06, 07, 08, 09

Most career point in ACC history

And now a National Championship

Hansbrough is the epitome of what a college basketball player is. Night in and night out he comes to play. He leaves it all on the floor. He came back for one reason, win a National Championship. It wasn't about the scoring record, or more personal achievements. It was about one last run with his coach and his teammates. I am not at all talking about what this kid can do at the next level, that's for another day. But, I will say this, I wouldn't doubt him at the next level. Even with all his achievements from his freshman year, he has progress into one of the more dominate players in NCAA history. He might not look good doing it, but he always got the job done. In this day of the college basketball player, you don't find many that have enormous talent that want to stick around for all 4 years. I will say this, you will never again see another kid like Tyler Hansbrough and for this reason he has to be on UNC's all-time team. So thank you Tyler it certainly has been our pleasure.

My all-time North Carolina team:

G - Kenny Smith, 1984-87

G - Michael Jordan, 1982-84

F - James Worthy, 1980-82

F - Antawn Jamison, 1996-98

F - Tyler Hansbrough, 2006-09

39 Years Young

Ken Griffey Jr. in his second stint with the Seattle Mariners, hits a homer in his debut in Minnesota last night. Many questions surround what "The Kid" will be able to do this year. So far so good. As Junior tied the Major League record with his 8th homerun on Opening Day as well as hitting his 41st homer verses the Twins, the most against any team he has played against. Pretty remarkable considering he played 9 seasons in the NL. Keep it up Ken!

Random Thoughts Today

As I wait anxiously for the actual start of the season (why can't everyone play on Sunday), I have a few things on my mind that I would love to get into. We have the NCAA Championship game tonight along with numerous MLB games, well maybe not numerous...

When are the geniuses in the Major League Baseball front office going to wise up and change the start of the season schedule. We already have two games canceled today, the Boston/Tampa and Chicago/Kansas City games. Can someone explain to me why on earth these games are being played in Boston and Chicago in the first week of April. Is it really that important to play these games in the northern part of the country to start the year? These are divisional opponents as well, they play 18 times during the season. You can't tell me that it is that big of a deal to play in a dome in April. Am I wrong here? What is going through MLB's mind? I am truly lost for words right now so I am going to jump to another topic.

I was talking to the Pitbull yesterday and he asked me if I thought if Michigan State won the game verses Connecticut or did Connecticut lose the game. This is probably the most commonly asked question in big games when a very good team loses to an underdog. I didn't even studder. "Michigan State totally out played UCONN!" Out hustled them in every aspect, and more importantly, in Pitbull's own words..."Out-muscled them!" I couldn't put it better myself. For the first time this season I saw a very good Husky team get "out-muscled", it was really stunning to watch. Say what you want about the Big Ten, but I really believe that UCONN's toughest games in the tournament were by their games against the Big Ten opponents (Purdue and MSU). And Coach Tom Izzo put it best that they are a blue-collared sort of team. That is exactly what the Big Ten is all about! They might not produce lottery picks, but the teams in the Big Ten are blue collar teams that leave it all on the court every night. They run offensive sets in the half court, and they will body it up with anyone, including a guy like Hashemm Thabeet.

I am so sick and tired of everything that doesn't have to do with sports. Netflix is driving me insane. I think that I have had Zack and Miri Make a Porno in my Queve for at least 2 months. Is there a problem Netflix? There must be! I went out for the first time and used a RedBox today. One dollar a day for a rental, and I was able to see Slumdog Millionaire this morning, which was great. So Netflix is getting closer and closer to cancellation, especially with me on the verge on buying a house. Also, HBO is another one driving me Nutz. I have been giving HBO the benefit of the doubt and been keeping it on my Directv package. But enough is enough. The movie selections are awful lately. The same movies all day long. And to make matters worse Directv just raised the price of HBO to 14.99 a month, a two dollar increase. April 17th is my next statement date, which will be the last day for HBO in my house. I gotta start saving and their is no better way to start then eliminating HBO and Netflix from my budget. Sorry guys but a man has to eat!

Finally, back to the game tonight. I am sure that most of you heard that Magic Johnson gave the Spartans a speech before their game verses UCONN. Well, tonight a special guest is suppose to be in the Tarheel locker room before the game. That's right, it's today's Hall of Fame inductee Michael Jordan. Magic verse Michael again?

Hall of Fame?

The Basketball Hall of Fame will be announcing it's 2009 class today. Anyone that doesn't vote for Mike today should lose the right to ever vote or for that matter, get fire from whatever job he holds.

2009 MLB Predictions

Sorry for the lack of MLB posts this week. It's been hot and the lack of liquids to the body brought me to much needed nap times. This morning before the season begins tonight i will give you my predictions on the Major League season. I decided to stick with the AL East predictions that was given to me from my Mom earlier this week. So make sure your fantasy rosters are set and hope you all enjoy the 2009 MLB season.

American League

A couple of things about the American League that's intriguing, that has nothing to do with the top AL East teams, is just how good the Twins are this year and who can be this year's Rays. Well, with the latter first, the Rays are going to be this years Rays. They are too good in the wrong division and will love playing the under appreciated card all season. But as for the others, I really like Oakland this season, even though I firmly believe in a down year if you wanna call it that from Matt Holliday. Kansas City is going to be a lot better than what people think this season. Look out for Gil Meche as a darkhorse Cy Young candidate. Toronto and Baltimore are very close and will both show signs of it with a few series victories over the rest of the AL East. As far as the Twins are concerned, wow I like this team. Can you believe that there were talks not to long ago about dis banning the team? The Twins are loaded with young talented players with speed and contact hitters in their line up, and a starting rotation that is going to turn heads. Especially with my sleeper stud Kevin Slowey. The Angels should run away early, but keep a close eye on the A's in late July when they make their run at the division title. Here's my predictions...

East

1. Tampa Bay - $

2. Boston 2 *

3. New York 4

4. Toronto 18

5. Baltimore 26

Central

1. Minnesota - $

2. Cleveland 5

3. Chicago 6

4. Kansas City 10

5. Detroit 15

West

1. Los Angeles - $

2. Oakland 3

3. Seattle 11

4. Texas 17

National League

As far as the NL is concerned there are not any surprises on my part for this league. Everybody including myself have the same 4 teams making the playoffs and I really can't find an argument for anyone else. The race for the NL East is all about bullpens. The best bullpen will win the division. I am really hating on a repeat performance for Brad Lidge this season. So for this reason, I love what the Mets have done and they will actually play well in September because of the bullpen and win the division. And by the way, the Nationals aren't half bad (my father). My team under the radar is going to be the Cardinals. Their offense is still loaded, and who am I to say that Chris Carpenter won't come back to full form. The Cubs should run away with this division, but watch for the Cards. A lot of people are very high on the Diamondbacks in the West. Why may I ask? The Dodgers will win the division and the Diamondbacks must finish in second, but keep an eye on the Giants. I love what the organization has done with their young prospects and it was like they saw the future without Bonds and found a team to become a great unit. Without too many surprises here's my finishes...

East

1. New York - $

2. Philadelphia 2 *

3. Atlanta 8

4. Florida 11

5. Washington 15

Central

1. Chicago - $

2. St. Louis 7

3. Milwaukee 9

4. Cincinnati 13

5. Houston 16

6. Pittsburgh 30

West

1. Los Angeles - $

2. Arizona 5

3. San Francisco 8

4. Colorado 15

5. San Diego 18

Playoffs

Tampa Bay defeats Minnesota

Los Angeles defeats Boston

New York defeats Los Angeles

Chicago defeats Philadelphia

Los Angeles defeats Tampa Bay

New York defeats Chicago

World Series

New York Mets defeat Los Angeles Angels 4-2

Hungry at the Park

If your hungry at the park or just want something to go with your $8 beer. The best choice to go with is of course...peanuts. $4 or $5 for a bag that will fill you up and last you several innings. If your looking for something new....I've always enjoyed the ice cream in a helmet(especially just to get the helmet). The Brevard County Manatees(Washington Nationals Spring training facility) took it to another level with their 'Taco in a helmet'. Yummy.....However, the one getting the most press right now is the best deal. Weighing in at 4 lbs. and 4,800 calories(Thats about 2.5 days of caloric intake, based on a 2,000 calorie diet). The Western Michigan White Caps did it right...And despite the negative attention by being called a "dietary disaster" by the White Caps own trainer. I present the Fifth-Third burger.... $20 of filthiness on an eight inch bun. Just think about this...Since the calories are over 2 days worth...You just spent $20 dollars on 2 days of food. 5 burgers, a cup of chili, salsa, cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese, fritos, sour cream..pure awesomeness!!!

Fifth Third Ballpark Burger

Final Four

How's everyone's picks? Probably like mine, unless of course your a blogger that runs his own tournament pools, he's not even a college basketball guru (Big East or Uconn only), and somehow is winning his own bracket. Whatever, I can hate all I want since I am 1500 miles away and this is my party and I'll cry if I want to. The fact of the matter is this weekend, that there are only 4 teams and only 4 days left. So thank god for baseball season starting on Sunday because I would be lost until the week before the NFL Draft. Everybody is expecting the only 1 seeds left to advance to Monday's Championship match up. Is it that clear cut? We here at The Nutz don't think so. So I am going to just make arguments in my preview for the underdogs. I'll explain...

Michigan State vs. UCONN 6:07

Let's get right to the first game and all of my favorite UCONN fans. My only wish right now, at this point, would only be me in Connecticut and getting the chance to know how all of Huskymania feel about their next game. Because I would only smile at all of them that think that they have a this game in the bag. And for those of you that are crying about Michigan State playing a "home game", well cry me a river, if your good enough then just win the game and stop complaining. Lot's of hate out of me today, huh? Alright well let's get to the game. Who will win the rebounding stat and the Spartans outside shooting are my keys. As we saw with Missouri and Purdue they stayed in the game while they were hitting their jumpers, when they weren't, well we already know. As for the rebounding, I wouldn't care about Uconn's fast break points with the team that Coach Izzo has on the floor, so I would send 4 guys crashing the boards. That's just me. And if the Huskies decide to rebound like the way they got away with it against Purdue, they surely will lose. I saw a stat today that doesn't surprise me one bit, and I am going back to my "always complaining about something" Husky fans. Uconn has a season ratio of trips to the foul line compared to their opponents of 8.5 to 1. So I will guarantee you this, Uconn in foul trouble or Michigan State is at the line more often, the Huskies are going down...Connecticut...DOWN!

Villanova vs. North Carolina 8:47

I have been a huge fan of watching Villanova in HD all season long. So when Scottie Reynolds hit the game winner last weekend, I danced around the bar like a jerk. People probably thought that I went to Nova, or I had them in my bracket. Well, they were wrong, I was just happy to see them play another game. Even though beating Pitt wasn't good for my picks. Problem is in this game is that this match up heavily favors the Tarheels. The Wildcats want to run, they want to play man to man, and well they want to run. This is what makes North Carolina successful. I posted after the Duke/UNC game that Coach Krzyzewski is too proud to change his defensive tactics against a team like the Tarheels and that is why they lost. Coach Jay Wright needs to change it up...no, has to! And honestly, I would go right at Tyler Hansbrough...right at him! Find a way to frustrate him, and there is no better way to frustrate a competitor like Tyler than have him sitting on the bench early in foul trouble. Nova's defense is really going to have to shine and turn turnovers into instint points. I really don't see many Tarheel fans packing the streets of Detroit for this one. So expect like in the first game for the fans to cheer louder for the underdogs. The start of the game is important, don't let the Tarheels up early...stay in the game as long as you can and keep the fans on your side. Don't worry Wildcats, even though the Tarheels were my pre-season pick on The Nutz to win it all, I will rooting for you again. So do me proud and give me another attempt at my dancing at the bar...like a jerk!

My Thoughts...

I am sure that most of my readers, which might total up to a handful, are interested on how I feel about the latest news about Jay Cutler and the Washington Redskins. Many of you already know how I feel about Jason Campbell. So when I hear "experts" about how this makes no sense on the Redskins behalf of going after a guy like Cutler. All I can say is...

"Are you NUTZ!!!!!!!!"

The Broncos want 2-1st round picks for Cutler...that's great, give it to them Washington!

The Broncos do not want to package a quarterback...fine we'll keep Campbell around for s#!ts and giggles.

Jason Campbell was great at the start of the season...what happened after the start?

Jason Campbell is still young and has potential...you want him you can have him.

The Redskins always do this with high profile guys and it backfires...maybe with 40 year-olds not with 25 year-olds!

Jay Cutler threw 18 interceptions last season...he also threw 25 TDs and over 4500 yards

Jay Cutler will become a cancer...we haven't been to the Super Bowl in 18 years, I'll take my chances.

All 24 and Under Team

We are at a very special time in Major League Baseball. I can't remember when I have seen so many young up and coming players that will be gracing us on the playing field for the next ten years. We have seen more and more organizations bringing up their prospects sooner and sooner. This is something that doesn't happen often. Many of these top prospects that come out of high school aren't even playing in the minors for very long. Something that many general managers thought was nutz, especially when the Mariners did it with a certain kid named Junior. Today in honor of the young studs that we will be getting the pleasure to see for a long time, I will be posting my American and National League 24 and under teams, with their age, position, and team. Some of them have already made a name for themselves while others will be very, very soon. Enjoy!

American League

BJ Upton-24-OF-Tampa Bay

Adam Jones-23-OF-Baltimore

Travis Synder-21-OF-Toronto

Brandon Wood-24-SS-Anehiem

Evan Longoria-23-3B-Tampa Bay

Gordon Beckham-22-2B-Chicago

Billy Butler-22-1B-Kansas City

Matt Wieters-22-C-Baltimore

David Price-23-SP-Tampa Bay

Joakim Soria-24-RP-Kansas City

National League

Jay Bruce-21-OF-Cincinnati

Matt Kemp-24-OF-Los Angeles

Cameron Maybin-21-OF-Florida

Emmanuel Buriss-24-SS-San Francisco

Ryan Zimmerman-24-3B-Washington

Ian Stewart-23-2B-Colorado

Prince Fielder-24-1B-Milwaukee

Pablo Sandoval-22-C-San Francisco

Tim Lincecum-24-SP-San Francisco

Jonathan Broxton-24-RP-Los Angeles

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.