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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.

LVSC Week 12 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.



No big changes here. The top 5 stays the same while San Diego moves into the 6 hole. I would not be surprised to see them move ahead of Pittsburgh soon as well. The Chargers have definitely found their identity and, as a result, started playing great football. Philip Rivers is definitely one of the better leaders in the game. His confidence, borderline cockiness, seems to have rubbed off on his teammates. The big matchup this week will see the Saints and Patriots battle it out for the top spot on Monday Night.

LVSC Week 13 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 top 5 spots stay the same this week, but Oklahoma drops from the six hole down to tenth following their loss to Texas Tech. They continue to be the team with the most disparity from the BCS polls as they remain unranked by the BCS. Stanford's loss drops them 5 spots to number 18. Interestingly, they are back behind USC who they destroyed just two weeks ago. It goes to show how much pure athleticism factors into college football. Notice that TCU holds a 2 point margin over fifth place Oregon. I am telling you, this team is for real. They definitely have the talent to hang with the big boys.

The Most Impressive Teams Today

In looking at today's games, two teams really stood out. New Orleans went down to Tampa Bay and beat the Buccaneers 38-7. While Tampa Bay is far from a top flight team, these are the games that have a tendency to jump up and bite the favored team. These are the games that an undefeated team has a tendency to look past. It is easy to get up for the big games, but it isn't quite as easy to get up for the games that everyone knows you're supposed to win. Top teams always win the games they are supposed to win and that's what the Saints did on Sunday. The second team that caught my attention was the San Diego Chargers. I have been saying for the past couple of weeks that the Chargers really seem to be hitting their stride and Sunday that continued. They went into Denver and took over the division lead with a dominant victory over a division foe. While the Broncos may not be quite as good as their record, they are still no pushover. That is especially true at Invesco. The Chargers defense, however, went into Denver and completely controlled the game. The offense didn't put up huge numbers, but they still managed to put 32 points on the board. The Chargers again continue to build momentum and, if this keeps up, they are going to be very tough to beat come playoff time.

Oh Neaux!

What was Les Miles thinking? With a chance to win the game, he let his team down. QB Jordan Jefferson was sacked with 17 seconds left in the game to create a 4th and 26 and Miles let eight seconds run off the clock before using his last timeout. Boy would those eight seconds have come in handy. On 4th and 26, Jefferson completed a deep pass to WR Terrance Tolliver that would have setup a field goal to win the game. Instead with only one second left on the clock, the field goal team was not ready to run on the field and Jefferson spiked the ball to stop the clock. As it turns out, spiking the ball with no time left on the clock doesn't help much. Had Miles called his timeout properly after the 3rd down play, LSU would have had plenty of time to spike the ball and kick the field goal. Had he had his field goal team prepared, they could have at least tried to get the last play off as a field goal attempt. Unfortunately for the Tigers, he did neither. You can chalk this loss up to the coaching staff.

Games of the Day

Ohio State at Michigan: The Wolverines welcome Ohio State to the Big House today in the latest installment of this storied rivalry. Clearly Michigan is not playing at the high level it is used to and Ohio State has already clinched the Big Ten title and a trip to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl. Despite all that, you never know what is going to happen in these rivalry games. Ohio State should be able to score at will and win this game going away against a soft Michigan defense. I imagine the Wolverines will keep this game close for a little while, but Ohio State should pull away. One thing is for sure, Rich Rodriguez could definitely use an upset to help get some of the Wolverine faithful off his back.

Cal at Stanford: Stanford is easily playing the best football in the country right now as they welcome the Cal Golden Bears to town for "The Big Game." Hard to imagine Cal pulling this one out, especially without star running back Javhid Best. Best will miss today's game as he continues to recover from a severe concussion suffered in the game against Oregon State. Andrew Luck, Toby Gerhart and the entire Cardinal offense has been absolutely rolling in recent weeks. The overpowering run game allows Stanford to get a lead and then just take the air out of the ball and control the clock. I think this game is closer than you would guess, but Stanford comes out on top.

Oregon at Arizona: In a wide open Pac Ten, there are still multiple teams fighting for a trip to the Rose Bowl. Arizona needs the win to remain in contention. Oregon would seem to be the better team, but Arizona is incredibly tough to play at home. Mike Stoops has the Wildcat defense playing at a high level and QB Nick Foles is one of the better, unknown players in the country. I think Arizona takes this one and joins the rest of the teams atop the Pac Ten.

Great View of the World Series

Check out this great time lapse photography from Game 6 of the World Series. From CNBC's Darren Rovell "If you want a good look at the future of sports journalism, watch this incredible World Series time lapse through the lenses of 26-year-old photographer Robert Caplin.

The project involved shooting for about nine hours during Game Six with three Canon EOS 5D Mark II cameras. Caplin edited down the 12,000 images with his girlfriend Laia Prats into the short piece, which ended up running at 24 frames per second. He then matched it to Chopin’s Waltz No. 5."

Click this link to see the video http://www.robertcaplin.com/Videos.html

Clippers Announcers Suspended For Tonight's Game

Legendary Los Angeles Clipper broadcaster Ralph Lawler and partner Mike Smith have been suspended for tonight's game because of comments made during Wednesday's game against the Grizzlies. The exchange came as the two discussed Hamed Haddadi, the first Iranian born NBA player. The exchange is below:

Smith: “Look who’s in.”

Lawler: “Hamed Haddadi. Where’s he from?”

Smith: “He’s the first Iranian to play in the NBA.” (Smith pronounced Iranian as “Eye-ranian,” a pronunciation that offended the viewer who complained.)

Lawler: “There aren’t any Iranian players in the NBA,” repeating Smith’s mispronunciation.

Smith: “He’s the only one.”

Lawler: “He’s from Iran?”

Smith: “I guess so.”

Lawler: “That Iran?”

Smith: Yes.

Lawler: “The real Iran?”

Smith: “Yes.”

Lawler: “Wow. Haddadi – that’s H-A-D-D-A-D-I.”

Smith: “You’re sure it’s not Borat’s older brother?”

Smith: “If they ever make a movie about Haddadi, I’m going to get Sacha Baron Cohen to play the part.”

Lawler: “Here’s Haddadi. Nice little back-door pass. I guess those Iranians can pass the ball.”

Smith: “Especially the post players.

Lawler: “I don’t know about their guards.”

Really? First of all, for a viewer to be offend that Iran was pronounced (eye-ran) rather than the correct (ear-on) is one of the most ridiculous things I have heard in a long time. While I do not typically find it appropriate to tell someone else what they should be offended by, I have to call bs on this one. I suppose it is reasonable to think a person of Iranian descent could be offended by the Borat remarks, it is a stretch to consider it suspendable. Clearly Borat is a joke and no harm was meant by the comments. Ralph Lawler is the only classy, successful aspect of a joke of an organization. It is sad to see a fine broadcaster and all around guy like Lawler be disrespected by an organization who has worked so hard for. For the Clippers to not have his back, when he really should not need it in the first place, is just another embarrassment from the NBA's doormat. Here's to you Ralph Lawler, you deserve so much better.

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JaMarcus Russell Finally Benched

The Oakland Raiders have finally replaced JaMarcus Russell with journeyman Bruce Gradkowski. How it took this long we will never know. I suppose when you are paying a player as much money as the Raiders are paying Russell, you want to give him a chance to succeed. Russell was given plenty of time and has not seemed to make any improvement. He was pulled from the game 2 of the last 3 weeks, so patience was clearly running thin. While the Raiders haven't exactly surrounded him with talent, Russell clearly just does not have what it takes to be an NFL quarterback. To this point in the season he has only completed 47% of his passes and thrown only two touchdowns while turning the ball over 15 times. To make matters worse, he has reportedly been late for meetings all season and not shown the work ethic necessary to get better. It is one thing to struggle, it is another to not work at improving. Not sure what the Raiders can do with him at this point, but if he gets any fatter maybe they can switch him to the offensive line.

LVSC Week 11 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.



The Bengals made the big move this week moving up to the sixth spot after completing a season sweep of the Pittsburgh Steelers. A team that continues to rise is the San Diego Chargers. They really seem to be firing on all cylinders right now. They are going to be a very tough out come playoff time. You have to love the confidence, or cockiness depending on your view, of Philip Rivers. The team really seems to respond to him. You always have the feeling that he is going to find a way to win.

Who Is Your Top Team?

Vote for a team not on the list by posting in the comments section.

Week 12 LVSC College Football Poll

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.



Not surprisingly, the biggest drop this week comes from USC who drops 10 spots down to sixteen. Stanford, on the other hand, rides its demolition of USC all the way up to the thirteenth position. Oklahoma remains a favorite of the LVSC despite not appearing in the BCS rankings. Florida and Texas remain the clear favorites as both are seen as at least a three point favorite over Alabama.

A Trade That Needs to Happen

The San Diego Padres are looking to trade All Star 1B Adrian Gonzalez, and they need to get a deal done. Trading your only true star player is not an easy move to sell to your fans, but it will pay dividends in the long run. The Padres will not be able to resign Gonzalez who will be in line for a huge contract at the end of the 2011 season and they cannot afford to let him walk and get nothing in return. If they trade him this offseason, they will be able to get some combination of 4 top prospects and/or major league ready players. While it will be hard for fans to accept at first, they will appreciate the payoff in the end. With or without Gonzalez the Padres are not contend for a playoff spot this year, so they need to do what is best for the team. The most likely destination is the Boston Red Sox as Jed Hoyer will likely feel most comfortable with the prospects he should know well coming from his former team. Don't rule out the Mets who desperately need a big bat.