Yakcy - Twitter for Sports

Victor Rojas, the Angels new play by play man started a social networking site geared specifically toward sports. It is pretty cool, check it out www.yakcy.com

2010 MLB Preview

With opening day just a few days away, it is time for the first annual TSO MLB Preview. Some of you may know this better as "the word."

NL West
If the Dodgers are going to repeat, they are going to need all of the young guys to really step up. Ethier, Kemp and Loney will all need to produce a ton of runs to protect a starting rotation that looks average at best. Kershaw looks to be the real deal, but behind him things look bleak. I just do not see enough pitching to get it done this year. Despite a strong finish last season, one of the more overlooked teams going into the season is the Colorado Rockies. They will take home the division crown.

1. Colorado Rockies
2. San Francisco Giants
3. Los Angeles Dodgers
4. Arizona Diamondbacks
5. San Diego Padres

NL Central
On paper, this appears to be a one team race. The Cardinals clearly have the strongest rotation anchored by Wainwright and Carpenter. Oh, by the way, they also have a couple of guys named Pujols and Holliday who can put some runs on the board. The Brewers may have enough offense to keep it interesting for a little while, but I just do not see enough pitching to hang in there. The Cubs will be better than most people think with the overrated, clubhouse cancer Milton Bradley out of town. Here is how I see it shaking out.

1. St Louis Cardinals
2. Chicago Cubs
3. Milwaukee Brewers
4. Cincinnati Reds
5. Houston Astros
6. Pittsburgh Pirates

NL East
The Phillies are the obvious choice here, but don't overlook the Braves. If Cole Hamels does not return to his 2008 form, this division will be much closer than most think. The Braves have a very strong rotation and a solid lineup that will provide enough run support to keep this race tight.

1. Atlanta Braves
2. Philadelphia Phillies
3. Florida Marlins
4. New York Mets
5. Washington Nationals

NL Wild Card: Philadelphia Phillies

AL West
The team that made the most noise this offseason was clearly the Seattle Mariners. They shored up their pitching and defense and added the always productive Chone Figgins. The problem is they finished things off by adding the aforementioned Milton Bradley. Bradley is a guy who has never lived up to his hype, but always to his reputation. Sounds like the prototypical cleanup hitter to me. Not sure that the rotation is deep enough for the regular season, but a 1-2 combo of Hernandez and Lee would be tough to face in the playoffs. I just don't see it all coming together for them. AL West should finish up like this.

1. Los Angeles Angels
2. Texas Rangers
3. Seattle Mariners
4. Oakland Athletics

AL Central
This division always seems to come down to the wire. You can typically take the Royals out and pull the rest of the teams out of a hat without much argument. This year might not be too much different. The difference maker here could easily be Jake Peavy. If he can bring all of his success to the American League, he and Beurhle make a pretty good 1-2. I'll take it like this.

1. Chicago White sox
2. Detroit Tigers
3. Minnesota Twins
4. Cleveland Indians
5. Kansas City Royals

AL East
Easily the most top heavy division in baseball, one deserving team will be left watching in October. Tampa Bay looks to have a chance to return to their 2008 success. If they do not get out of the gates fast, however, they could look to trim payroll and break it all down. Look for Joe Maddon to keep things on track and keep them near the top all season. The Red Sox have a very deep rotation, but their lineup is a step behind the Yankees and Rays. Here's how they end up.

1. Tampa Bay Rays
2. New York Yankees
3. Boston Red Sox
4. Baltimore Orioles
5. Toronto Blue Jays

AL Wild Card: New York Yankees

NLDS
Phillies over Cardinals
Rockies over Braves

NLCS
Rockies over Phillies

ALDS
Angels over Yankees
Rays over White Sox

ALCS
Angels over Rays

World Series
Angels over Rockies

Hot Stove Thoughts

Lackey to the Red Sox: On paper, this looks to be a great deal for the Red Sox. They get a number 1 starter that will likely slot into the third spot of their rotation. Apparently, they have lost faith in Matsuzaka. He now becomes the fourth, or maybe fifth starter, behind Bucholz. Two things would worry me as a Sox fan. The first is the Angels unwillingness to go to five years. Lackey has missed the start of the last two seasons with injuries, so it makes you wonder what the Angels know. They clearly know him best, so you have to wonder a bit. The second thing that would worry me a little is his desire to sign with a team where he will clearly be looked at as a number three. Maybe he is the ultimate team player, but most top flight pitchers have the attitude that they are number one and that is what makes them perform at their best.

Halladay to the Phillies/Cliff Lee to the Mariners: You have to think this keeps the Phillies at the top of the National League as of now. Word is they will lock him up for an additional three years as a condition of the trade. Hard to argue with adding Halladay, although you have to figure he starts diminishing at one point. My only problem is that unless Hamels bounces back, they are back in the same spot as last year and one dominant pitcher has not proven to be enough in the playoffs. The Mariners will team Lee with King Felix at the top of the rotation to create a pretty potent 1-2 punch. If they can get into the playoffs, they will be a tough out with those two leading the way. If they can agree to extension with Lee, it will also provide them with some insurance if Hernandez proves to be too expensive.

Matsui to the Angels: You would have to think this marks the end of the Vladimir Guerrero era in Anaheim. Matsui can provide plenty of pop from the DH spot and has proven to be a clutch hitter in the postseason. The Angels have clearly lost more than than they have gained to this point of the offseason, but you have to give GM Tony Reagins the benefit of the doubt based on recent success. At 1 year and 6.5 million, Matsui could prove to be the steal of the season much like Bobby Abreu did last year.

It should be noted that while all of these deals appear very likely, none have been officially announced.

LVSC Week 13 NFL Rankings

Every week Las Vegas Sports Consultants, the world's largest oddsmaking company, releases their top polls/rankings for the major sports. They describe their polls as ones in which "teams are ranked purely by the numbers, without media, regional, league, conference or any other biases – just the facts as determined by LVSC’s team of experts." Because they use the same information that is used to make the betting lines, it is perhaps the most complete and accurate poll. We will post the updated college football poll here every Tuesday and the updated NFL rankings on Wednesdays.



Two moves of note this week. First, the San Diego Chargers continue their climb up the ladder as they jump ahead of the Steelers into the fifth spot. I have been saying for the last few weeks that the Chargers are really hitting their stride, and that continued with a dominating victory over the Chiefs. Sure the Chiefs are not a great, or even good, team but those can be the toughest games. As I said with a Saints big win over Tampa two weeks ago, the truly great teams win the games they are supposed to win and do not look past opponents. The Chargers are not going to go quietly. The other move that caught my attention is the Patriots drop from second to fourth. Clearly, Vegas has taken notice that the Pats defense can not slow down the top offenses. I'm not sure I would even have them ahead of the Chargers at this point. In the NFC, the Saints and Vikings will battle it out for a Super Bowl trip. In the AFC, I'll take the Colts and the Chargers.

LVSC Week 14 College Football Rankings

Every week Las Vegas Sports Consultants, the world's largest oddsmaking company, releases their top polls/rankings for the major sports. They describe their polls as ones in which "teams are ranked purely by the numbers, without media, regional, league, conference or any other biases – just the facts as determined by LVSC’s team of experts." Because they use the same information that is used to make the betting lines, it is perhaps the most complete and accurate poll. We will post the updated college football poll here every Tuesday and the updated NFL rankings on Wednesdays.



The most interesting move this week is TCU jumping into the third spot ahead of Alabama. Vegas is confirming what most experts have been saying all along, that TCU can hang with the big boys. While still seen as 3.5 points below Texas, the Horned Frogs are clearly making their presence felt. Not sure I would want to draw them as my BCS bowl opponent. A team to keep an eye on this week is Nebraska. Checking in at nineteen, they have the capability to give Texas a tough game in the Big 12 Championship. Texas better be sure they are not looking ahead to a BCS Championship game, or they may get knocked out of it. Texas is clearly the better team, but Bo Pelini's Huskers have the ability to give them a tough game. One other team to note is USC. They move back up into BCS contention at number thirteen, which makes them eligible for an at large berth. Can you imagine the outcry from all of the Trojan haters if they were to slide into a BCS game? It is definitely a very outside chance, but just something to think about.

Be Careful What You Ask For

Don't you just love when grown men feel the need to show whose is bigger? In a classic battle of egos, an otherwise dreary crosstown rivalry turned into a pissing contest. With 52 seconds remaining and a 14 point lead, USC quarterback Matt Barkley took the snap and dropped to a knee to begin running the clock out. Apparently, UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel decided that he would decide when the game was over as he called his first of three timeouts to extend the game. With a third down play coming and UCLA still with two timeouts, USC could have run one more play and punted the ball back to the Bruins with around 40 seconds remaining. Pete Carrol, however, decided that if Neuheisel wanted to keep playing, he would oblige. Barkley took the third down snap, faked the hand off and threw a 48 yard touchdown to Damian Williams. UCLA took offense and benches cleared as the USC team celebrated on their sideline and the Bruins left their sideline to cross the field. To me, two things stand out about the situation.

First. If Rick Neuheisel is going to call timeout and extend the game, he has to have his team ready to play defense. Was it the best idea for USC to throw the ball deep? Maybe not, but this is a rivalry game. If the winning team has already decided to take a knee and let the game end, you have to let it be. It is hard to agree with the argument that Pete Carrol showed no class and poor sportsmanship when he directed his team to take a knee in the first place. If UCLA wanted to decide when the game was over, they should have played better and been in the lead. Otherwise, if you want the game to continue; you better keep playing.

Second. It is rather comical to hear fans talk about how classless this move was by USC when two weeks ago they defended Stanford's decision to go for two when the game was a blowout. Going for two simply to try and reach 50 points when a game is clearly out reach is a completely different move. Had USC gone for two after the touchdown, you could use the comparison. If you approve of Stanford's move, you do not have a leg to stand on in arguing against USC's late touchdown.

Thanksgiving Pigskin Preview

Green Bay at Detroit: The Lions, coming off a dramatic comeback victory over the Cleveland Browns, welcome their long time rival to Ford Field for a Thanksgiving showdown. The Packers are looking for a win to remain in the NFC playoff picture, while the Lions are simply looking to put back back to wins together for the first time since 2007. It is going to be a tough task for the home team in this one. For starters, the Lions secondary is all banged up and they will be forced to start safety Marvin White, who was signed only a month ago after being cut by the Cowboys. Starting alongside him will be rookie Louis Delmas who is nursing injuries of his own. Add that to the fact that starting QB Matthew Stafford is nursing an injury to his non throwing shoulder after separating it at the end of last weeks game, and things look even worse. It is hard to imagine the Lions secondary being able to stop Aaron Rogers and company in this one, but it may be closer than the most people think.

Oakland at Dallas: The Raiders travel to Jerry's World after an improbable victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, while the Cowboys come off a very uninspiring defeat of the Washington Redskins. The Raiders offense seems to have found some rhythm behind new starting QB Bruce Gradkowski, probably because his throws are actually to his receivers. If the Raiders defense can put some pressure on Tony Romo, he will make plenty of mistakes and make this game closer than it should be. I'll take the Raiders and the upset as Romo will again prove that he is not a top flight NFL QB.

New York Giants at Denver: Boy how the Broncos have come back down to Earth. The team that had everyone talking about how wrong they were to start the season is now proving everyone right. The Denver defense is still playing very well, but the lack of offense is catching up to them. As opponents have had a chance to watch tape of Kyle Orton, the lack of any ability to throw the ball deep has become evident. Teams are now taking away the short stuff and forcing Orton to throw the ball down the field more. The Giants snapped their four game losing streak with an overtime win against the Falcons last week, but they have been struggling themselves of late. The Broncos defense should be able to keep this game close through the first half, but the offense will not be able to keep us as the game wears on. Look for the Giants to win this game by two scores.