2012 NFL Predictions

Just simply not enough time in the day for me to write an extensive NFL post, but wanna at least document something.   So, here's how I think the season plays out:

AFC East:
1 - New England Patriots (12-4)
2 - Buffalo Bills (9-7)
3 - New York Jets (6-10)
4 - Miami Dolphins (5-11)

AFC North:
1 - Baltimore Ravens (11-5)
2 - Pittsburgh Steelers (11-5)
3 - Cincinnati Bengals (9-7)
4 - Cleveland Browns (4-12)

AFC South:
1 - Houston Texans (12-4)
2 - Tennessee Titans (10-6)
3 - Indianapolis Colts (8-8)
4 - Jacksonville Jaguars (5-11)

AFC West:
1 - Denver Broncos (11-5)
2 - Kansas City Chiefs (10-6)
3 - Oakland Raiders (8-8)
4 - San Diego Chargers (7-9)

NFC East:
1 - Dallas Cowboys (10-6)
2 - New York Giants (10-6)
3 - Philadelphia Eagles (9-7)
4 - Washington Redskins (8-8)

NFC North:
1 - Green Bay Packers (13-3)
2 - Chicago Bears (10-6)
3 - Detroit Lions (9-7)
4 - Minnesota Vikings (2-14)

NFC South:
1 - Atlanta Falcons (10-6)
2 - New Orleans Saints (9-7)
3 - Carolina Panthers (7-9)
4 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-10)

NFC West:
1 - San Francisco 49ers (12-4)
2 - Seattle Seahawks (9-7)
3 - Arizona Cardinals (5-11)
4 - St. Louis Rams (4-12)

Wild Card Teams:
1 - Pittsburgh Steelers
2 - Tennessee Titans
1 - New York Giants
2 - Chicago Bears

Super Bowl:
San Francisco 49ers defeat Baltimore Ravens
Super Bowl MVP - Patrick Willis

MVP - Tom Brady
Coach of the Year - Mike Munchak
Offensive Player of the Year - Tom Brady
Defensive Player of the Year - NaVorro Bowman
Offensive Rookie of the Year - Robert Griffin III
Defensive Rookie of the Year - Morris Claiborne
Comeback Player of the Year - Peyton Manning

Awesomeness Abounds Projections

Welcome, one and all, to the fantasy football season!  Fantasy Football, played by millions of people around the world, has become a staple of the NFL season.  I am in quite a few leagues, myself, but the most important is, of course, Awesomeness Abounds featuring many Twitch.TV personalities all vying to establish themselves as the best.  The bragging rights are there for the taking and I am primed and ready to defend my 2011 Awesomeness Abounds championship.  I am all set to take this league to the next nerdy level and write up a whole preview for the league, RIGHT HERE.  We did a pretty in-depth league this year with many roster spots and a lot of teams.  It's really going to take a keen fantasy mind to come out victorious this year.  It's anyone's game.

A Look at the 2012 MLB All-Stars

I am such a nerd, I know this.  I adore debating all-stars for any given league.  There's always someone voted in who didn't deserve it, someone who shouldn't be starting, and someone who got snubbed.  It makes for spectacular debating and just a fun time for a super nerd like me.  With injuries, schedule conflicts, and just plain not wanting to play, look for a lot more guys to be added in over the next coming weeks.  Those guys trickling in usually make up for the snubs, but I always look at them as the back-up all-stars, not quite on the level of the guys originally voted on.  The guys I shall be talking about, that is.

We Got Wood

Today saw the last appearance for Chicago Cubs pitcher, Kerry Wood.  Kerry announced Friday afternoon that he'd be retiring after the game today between his Cubs & their crosstown-rival Chicago White Sox.  The White Sox beat the Cubs in Wrigley Field, but the lasting memory will be that of Wood's final appearance on the baseball field.  Wood was summoned to the mound to face Dayan Viciedo.  Wood, who has been struggling mightily this season, channeled his inner 20 year old rookie self & promptly struck out Viciedo on 3 pitches, the final one being a nasty curve that scewed Viciedo into the dirt.  After the strikeout, the Cubs made a pitching change & Wrigley Field created a moment that will live on forever.  Wood began shaking hands with his teammates around him & turned around as he made his way to the dugout.  The Wrigley faithful, both the Cubs & White Sox fans, stood up and gave the man the standing ovation he deserved.  Kerry gave the fans, the very same fans he has pitched in front for 12 of his 14 year career, a tip of the hat.  Kerry's young son emerged from the dugout & gave his dad a hug in front of everyone as Kerry lifted him up, smiling.  He disappeared into the dugout, but the cheering didn't stop.  Kerry was given one last curtain call as he once again emerged from the dugout & offered a 2nd tip of the hat to the fans who loved him so much.  It was one of the greatest moments I have ever seen in Wrigley Field.  Well deserved for Kerry.

The 2011-12 Chicago Bulls

I did not anticipate writing this recap for the Chicago Bulls this early.  The Bulls, who were the number 1 seed in the East & had finished with the best record in the NBA, were knocked out of the playoffs by the 8 seed Philadelphia 76ers in the opening round of the playoffs.  This shortened NBA season was killer for all teams, but most notably for the Bulls as they dealt with injuries all year long.  The injury bug finally caught up to the Bulls in the playoffs.

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No more classes means I actually have time to do this every day.

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All NBA Edition!

The Miami Heat scorched the one-man show known as the New York Knicks in round 1 & the Indiana Pacers took out the no-man show in Orlando, knocking out the Dwight Howard-less Magic.  Both teams did so in just 5 games, the Pacers finishing the job before the Heat.  So what does this mean for round 2? Round 1 featured a pretty easy fluff match for the Pacers, seeing as the Magic are a shell of their former self.  Then again, it is a young team, one that gave the number 1 seed Chicago Bulls fits last year.  They're learning & have improved since then, there isn't a chance they'll be taking the Heat lightly.  

What about the Heat?  This was a team that pretty much dominated the Knicks in the first round, which was a pretty easy match-up considering they only had to stop Carmelo Anthony & they knew they were set.  New York didn't help things by having ball-chucker J.R. Smith playing point for most of game 5.  

The Heat/Pacers round 2 series may not have the glitz & glamour of other playoff series, but it may be the best one yet.  In a 1st round filled with duds, the NBA playoffs are eagerly anticipating a series with some heart & excitement.  This one may be just what they are looking for.  The Heat took care of Indiana in the regular season, winning 3 of 4 games, so take that as you will.  

The reason why I like Indiana so much in this series is because their strengths are Miami's weaknesses.  The Pacers are anchored by their all-star center, 7'2 Roy Hibbert, who has a chance to absolutely dominate this series.  This could be his coming out party if he plays his cards right.  The Pacers also have a legitimate point guard in Darren Collison who, unlike the Heat's Mario Chalmers, can control a game & run an offense.  He has been coming off the bench as of late, giving George Hill the spotlight, but he played very well in the final 2 games of the 1st series with the Magic, scoring 30 points with 15 assists to close out the last games of the series.  The depth of the Pacers is nothing to sneeze at either.  I just mentioned the depth at point guard with Collison & Hill, but it doesn't end there.  The frontcourt was bolstered this past offseason when they added former all-star forward David West.  He's no focal point on this team, not while Hibbert, Danny Granger, & Paul George are around, but he doesn't have to be.  With Miami's less than fleet footed frontcourt of Joel Anthony & Ronny Turiaf, all West has to do is set up at the top of the key & hit some mid-range jumpers.  This clears the paint for a guy like Paul George, Indiana's young budding star, to drive to the hoop like he does best.  Like Collison, Tyler Hansbrough was starting for this team last year, but thanks to offseason additions, they just fill out a very formidable bench.  Leandro Barbosa was added at the trade deadline, but injuries have affected his game so far in the playoffs.  Maybe these couple days off will improve his health, it would be a huge boost for Indiana to have a scoring option like him coming off the bench & playing well.  

Some people may think I was overly focused on the Pacers here, but let's be honest, we all know about the Heat.  It's the 2 & a half man show.  LeBron is the best basketball player on the planet & Dwyane Wade is in the top 5.  Chris Bosh is probably the greatest 3rd option of all-time, even if he plays soft.  Other than that, save for an occasionally productive Mario Chalmers, this team doesn't have much else.  That's fine, because LeBron & company have been proving they can handle the load. I just live in a world where I can see the Pacers pushing them to the brink, scaring them, making them think that they just might lose.  The series begins Sunday & I'll be watching.  I expect this game to go 6 or 7 games, provided Indiana plays up to the level I have come to expect from them.  Ultimately, I believe the Heat will get the series win, just because the East is so weak, but it will be the first & only true test until they get to the Finals.

The 2011-12 Chicago Blackhawks

Last week, my beloved Chicago Blackhawks season ended abruptly, losing to the Phoenix Coyotes in game 6 of the opening round of the Western Conference Playoffs.  It was a tough pill to swallow, but thinking about it sort of inspired me for a new idea.  A year-in-review for my favorite teams & since the Blackhawks season is the first to end in the year 2012, I see no better time to start than now.

My Incredibly Underwhelming 2012 MLB Predictions

So yeah, I had begun writing out an obnoxiously long and detailed MLB predictions post, but life sorta happened.  Stuff came up and my desire & motivation to write anything was shot.  Kinda disappointed, because I do enjoy writing them a lot, it just got to the point where I just didn't want to do it.  I figured at the very least, I could write a very short post documenting my predictions.  The season has been going for a month now, but I will not waiver on my original picks I was making just because I've watched some of the games.  These are the predictions I had Opening Day.

American League East:

1 - New York Yankees

2 - Boston Red Sox

3 - Tampa Bay Rays

4 - Toronto Blue Jays

5 - Baltimore Orioles

American League Central:

1 - Detroit Tigers

2 - Chicago White Sox

3 - Kansas City Royals

4 - Cleveland Indians

5 - Minnesota Twins

American League West:

1 - Los Angeles Angels

2 - Texas Rangers

3 - Seattle Mariners

4 - Oakland Athletics

American League Wild Cards:

1 - Texas Rangers

2 - Boston Red Sox

National League East:

1 - Philadelphia Phillies

2 - Miami Marlins

3 - Atlanta Braves

4 - Washington Nationals

5 - New York Mets

National League Central:

1 - Cincinnati Reds

2 - St. Louis Cardinals

3 - Milwaukee Brewers

4 - Chicago Cubs

5 - Pittsburgh Pirates

6 - Houston Astros

National League West:

1 - Arizona Diamondbacks

2 - San Francisco Giants

3 - Los Angeles Dodgers

4 - Colorado Rockies

5 - San Diego Padres

National League Wilds Cards:

1 - Miami Marlins

2 - Atlanta Braves

World Series:

Detroit Tigers defeat the Miami Marlins

MVP:

American League - Prince Fielder

National League - Giancarlo Stanton

Cy Young:

American League - Jered Weaver

National League - Stephen Strasburg

Rookie of the Year:

American League - Matt Moore

National League - Zack Cozart

Sports Teams I Bandwagoned as a Child

     In the sports world, bandwagoning is a mortal sin.  Like butt-fucking a priest on the Sabbath, rooting for a team simply because they're good is something that can get you ostracized in your community.  I've always been the type of person who is inclined to believe that you should root for your local teams.  I don't see how anyone gets all that much gratification from watching the Pittsburgh Steelers win the Super Bowl from Seattle.  Of course, there are extenuating circumstances, such as moving to another city and still rooting for your original team.  If I met a Patriots fan living in Miami that informed me that he moved as a teenager, I would not feel the need to call him a raging bandwagoning loser.  I think having a "2nd team" to root for besides your primary one is just as bad as well.  Call me a snobby sports fan, but that's just how I feel.  I believe we all go through that time in our lives, mainly while growing up, where we decide to root for other teams.  Call it intrigue or boredom, but it tends to happen.  I am no exception to the rule, because you'll see in this post the most prominent teams I had cheering allegiances to for various reasons growing up.

Most Disappointing Players in Chicago Cubs History

     A couple weeks ago I did 2 posts, the Most Disappointing Players in Chicago Bears history & Most Disappointing Players in Chicago Bulls history.  After a bit of a break, I have returned with today's post, the most disappointing players in Chicago Cubs history!  Now then, the Cubs have had...A LOT of disappointment. God knows they've broken my heart countless times and have more than a few deserving candidates.  It was actually tough to narrow it down, but I believe I've got the list down pat.

NFL Awards

     Way the heck back in August, I did an NFL predictions post and needless to say, I was a bit off.  It was still a fun year of real football and fantasy alike (fantasy champion, right here) and now that the regular season is over, I am here to post who I think should win the awards.  I will also go ahead and predict what I think will happen in the playoffs.  Hopefully these little predictions end up faring better than those I made months ago!

Most Disappointing Players in Chicago Bears History

     Several hours ago I did my Most Disappointing Players in Chicago Bulls History post, now here I am with the one for the Bears.  Yesterday, the emBEARrassments got shellacked by the Packers and eliminated from the playoffs.  It's been a pretty awful past couple weeks for a team on the brink of getting into the playoffs, that is, until Jay Cutler & Matt Forte both got hurt.  Anywho, this list isn't just about this year, it includes all of the Bears over the years who have made all of us Chicago fans just plain sick.  Chicago will always be a Bears town, plain and simple, so these names I provide to you will forever live in infamy here in the Windy City...but not for good reasons...

Most Disappointing Players in Chicago Bulls History

     Yesterday marked the beginning of the NBA season and the Bulls thrilled their fans.  Derrick Rose & Luol Deng led the team to a comeback victory over the Lakers in Los Angeles, Rose hitting the game-winning shot after a key Deng steal.  I had an inspiration to begin writing a series of posts documenting the most disappointing players in the major Chicago teams and because the Bulls are most prominent on my mind this morning, I've chosen them as the team to start off with.  The Bulls have won 6 championships in their history, which is good for the 3rd most in the history of the NBA.  There have been quite a few bad stretches for this team though, most notably in the early 2000s.  Whether it be free agent signings, trades, or draft picks, these are the players who just made you slap your head and hang it in shame as you watched them don the Chicago Bulls uniform.  I remember watching a lot of these guys play and even remember being forced to play as them in NBA video games.  Thank goodness those days are long gone as the Bulls are one of the better teams in the NBA.  So here's the top 10 most disappointing players in Chicago Bulls history...

2011-12 NBA Preview

     Here I am writing the post that I thought would never happen.  The NBA preview for the 2011-12 season!  Due to the horrifically bad & painful lockout that lasted for 160 days.  The lockout began on July 1, just a short time after the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat for the NBA championship in 6 games.  Last year was such a phenomenal year for the NBA, it's a damn shame the fans were screwed out of 324 games.  That's 324 games featuring young superstars on the brink of becoming the faces of the NBA with Derrick Rose & Kevin Durant, the Miami Heat embracing their villain mentality and showcasing their talents across the NBA, & the initial splashes of potential rookie phenoms Kyrie Irving & Derrick Williams.  That's all in the past now, as the lockout has been officially over since early December.  We now get to look forward to watching the season play out as there will be 66 games, rather than the normal 82, due to the lockout.  It will be interesting to see how this plays out for teams.  There's going to be several instances of teams playing back-to-back-to-back games.  That could take a toll on the older teams.  OKAY!  Enough of this silly intro.  It's time for my personal predictions for the final standings in each conference, team's records, the awards, & ultimately the NBA championship.

If Your NHL Team Name Isn't the Blackhawks, Then I Don't Give a Shit about You

     Since I write about every other sport on here (well...the ones that matter.  Fuck off Nascar, tennis, golf, horse racing, squash, cricket, soccer, volleyball, gymnastics, archery, bowling, cycling, boxing, & mixed martial arts.  Oh and nobody better try and tell me playing Starcraft is a sport) now then,  where was I...oh yeah!  Hockey!  The NHL season begins promptly at 6 PM CT with the Flyers, Bruins, Canadiens, & Maple Leafs all battling.  Frankly, I don't give a shit about any of those teams, but there is ONE team that I will have an undying allegiance to...

2011 MLB Awards

     Just like with my NFL Predictions post, I am going to make my predictions for a sport.  This time it will be for the MLB and I will try and determine who I think should win all of the major awards.  From the league MVP down to the Rookie of the year, I'll toss out who I believe should win the award.  I've really been looking forward to doing this post, but knew I should wait until September was close to ending, to coincide with the ending of the MLB regular season.  I'll start with the American League winners and then the National League's.  I'll even post who I think will win the American & National League and also ultimately, the World Series.  The stats that I post with the selections are accurate as of today (September 24th) while they probably won't change drastically between now and the end of the season, it's worth noting.  I finally get to make my predictions and here they are...

2011 NFL Predictions

     The day has finally come.  The NFL returns tonight, August 11, 2011.  Okay, so maybe it doesn't REALLY return, it is just the first pre-season games, BUT STILL, we went through a summer of uncertainty.  Instead of hearing about where which free agents would go where and who Brett Favre sent a picture of his penis to, we heard about lawyers and money.  The lock-out was a long & annoying process we as fans had to anxiously sit through as we dreaded the thought of the greedy powers that be taking away our precious football.  Now we rest easy at night knowing the labor stoppage is now over and the NFL season will begin right on time.  In just one month, September 8 the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers will take on the 2009 champion New Orleans Saints.  I'm currently engulfed in a cornucopia of fantasy football goodness (3 leagues and counting) so I figured, what better time to post my NFL predictions post?  You know what I love about having this blog?  I can post my predictions for the world to see and when I get it right, I can totally brag and use this post as proof...or...when I have egg on my face at the end of the season when everything I predicted went the other way, I can pretend this post never happened.  This will be one mega-comprehensive analysis of the teams and the eventual champions, I will also include my predictions for all the awards as well.  Be forewarned, this post is LONG.  So perhaps you just look up your favorite team and/or their division as well?  Whatever you do, I loved writing this and I am damn proud of it, no matter what happens this season.  So I have one question for you.  Are you ready for some football?

Locked Out

      Since March of this year, the National Football League has been in full-on lockout mode.  It has been almost half a year of constant discussion about a group of billionaire owners fighting with a group of millionaire players about money.  Lately it seems as though the lockout may be coming to an end, possibly as soon as next week, all depending on whether or not the players union agrees upon the currently proposed Collective Bargaining Agreement from the owners.  For many NFL fanatics, this news is causing euphoria amongst the masses, precious football will not be lost (except the Hall of Fame game between the Chicago Bears & St. Louis Rams but who gives a shit about preseason) I've always been a fan of football and am very much appreciative of the fact that it seems no regular season games will be lost and one of my favorite hobbies (fantasy football) will not be hindered.  I also get to rage at the ineptitude of Jay Cutler & his offensively bad offensive-line.  All of this is bittersweet for me because of something going on in my favorite sport.  The National Basketball Association has just entered lockout mode a few weeks back and it looks about 100x's messier than the NFL's.  Just when I think I'm done hearing about the bullshit that is union/owners disputes in sports, the NBA decides to prolong it.

And You Wonder Why I Love Sports So Much

     I already know that, even though not many people read this thing, I am going to lose even more potential viewers from the title alone.  I haven't written in this thing for a couple days, which is probably a good thing.  If I write a blog entry, it normally means that something was keeping me from sleeping and I was looking for something to occupy myself.  Unfortunately that's happened again tonight, so here I am.  I'm switching things up a little bit, I guess.  For the first two entries, I listened to my iPod while writing and it got me pretty emotional.  What am I doing tonight?  I'm watching the Indigo Plateau season of Pokemon online.  Maybe that will put me in better spirits?  We'll have to wait and see.