It took me a while but I was finally able to get this podcast up. Again it is not edited but we have streamlined the show so that it is about 60 minutes long. Today we talk about NBA trades, the impact of Adam Wainwrights injury and about some of the better nicknames in sports. We are continuing to work on improving the show,
hope you enjoy.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Podcast 2-17-11
Sorry it took a little while to upload this one, its been a very busy week. I wanted to get a chance to edit this but I wasn't able to because as I said it was a busy week. But in this podcast we talk about the Albert Pujols contract negotiations and the Carmello Anthony trade saga. There are also 2 new segments that we did but overall this is a shorter show than usual. Hope you enjoy!!!
Sunday, February 13, 2011
MLB Power Rankings #19-#15
After a hiatus we have finally started working on my Power Ranking posts!! To speed up this process a little bit i am going to sum up the #19-#15 teams in this post. Instead of in depth reviews of each i will breifly summarize each team but i will still list their rotation, bullpen and lineup. I am only doing this for these teams and will return to doing each team individually for the top 10. So lets take a look at the #19-#15 teams in my Power Rankings.
#19- Los Angeles Angels
Rotation-
1. Jered Weaver
2. Dan Haren
3. Ervin Santana
4. Scott Kazmir
5. Joel Pineiro
Bullpen-
CL- Fernando Rodney
SU- Scott Downs
SU- Hisanori Takahashi
MR- Kevin Jepsen
MR- Francisco M. Rodriguez
Lineup-
1. Erick Aybar-SS
2. Howie Kendrick-2B
3. Torii Hunter-RF
4. Vernon Wells-LF
5. Kendry Morales-1B
6. Bobby Abreu-DH
7. Alberto Callaspo-3B
8. Jeff Mathis-C
9. Peter Bourjos-CF
The rotation is the strength of this team with 2 top of the rotation arms anchoring several middle of the rotation arms. The bullpen is improved with Takahashi and Downs coming in this season, but the closer situation may be a problem. They need to find an upgrade over Fernando Rodney at closer. The offense should be improved from 2010 with Kendry Morales returning from injury and the addition of Vernon Wells. But they are still a fairly mediocre offense that has power but in terms of getting on base they may struggle. Bourjos should provide some speed but he is only a temporary option in center till Mike Trout reaches the majors which will be sooner rather than later. This is a team that should finish around .500 but it will be tough to compete against the Rangers and A's in 2011.
#18- Florida Marlins
Rotation-
1. Josh Johnson
2. Javier Vazquez
3. Ricky Nolasco
4. Anibal Sanchez
5. Chris Volstad
Bullpen-
CL- Clay Hensley
SU- Leo Nunez
SU- Brian Sanches
MR- Randy Choate
MR- Ryan Webb
Lineup-
1. Chris Coghlan-CF
2. Omar Infante-2B
3. Hanley Ramirez-SS
4. John Buck-C
5. Mike Stanton-RF
6. Gaby Sanchez-1B
7. Logan Morrison-LF
8. Wes Helms-3B
The Marlins are pretty good all around, the staff has an ace in Josh Johnson, they got some help in the pen by trading Cameron Maybin and Hanley Ramirez anchors a powerful offense. The rest of the staff outside of Johnson are good middle of the rotation talent and Javier Vazquez add some experience and more strikeout potential. The bullpen should be pretty good and Hensley looks to be a solid closer in 2011. The best part of this Marlins team in my mind is the offense, there are so many great young players on this roster that are just beginning to blossom. Mike Stanton may very well be the most powerful player in major league baseball and combined with young outfielders Logan Morrison and Chris Coghlan they look pretty good. At third they will likely start Wes Helms to start the year but before the All-Star break we will see top prospect Matt Dominguez. This is a team that has a good long term outlook (as usual) and while they may not go to the playoffs this season, once they get in their new stadium they will have a shot.
#17- Detroit Tigers
Rotation-
1. Justin Verlander
2. Max Scherzer
3. Rick Porcello
4. Phil Coke
5. Brad Penny
Bullpen-
CL- Jose Valverde
SU- Joaquin Benoit
SU- Ryan Perry
MR- Brad Thomas
MR- Daniel Schlereth
Lineup-
1. Austin Jackson-CF
2. Brennan Boesch-RF
3. Magglio Ordonez-DH/OF
4. Miguel Cabrera-1B
5. Victor Martinez-C/DH
6. Ryan Raburn-LF
7. Carlos Guillen-2B
8. Jhonny Peralta-SS
9. Brandon Inge-3B
This is another team that is pretty solid all around. The pitching staff has a legitimate ace in Justin Verlander and Max Scherezer is a very good number 2 starter. There is somewhat off a drop off after those 2 but Rick Porcello has a lot of upside and Phil Coke is an intriguing starting option. The main concern will be the health of Brad Penny as he has a long injury history. The bullpen was bolstered by the addition of Joaquin Benoit and they have a good closer in Jose Valverde. The offense was also bolstered in the off season by adding Victor Martinez to most likely but can catch and play first when needed. With V-Mart now in the lineup we should see Miguel Cabrera's numbers continue to rise and don't be surprised if he finishes as the AL MVP in 2011. It will really depend on if they can keep up with the White Sox and the Twins in a top heavy AL Central.
#16- New York Mets
Rotation-
1. Johan Santana
2. Mike Pelfrey
3. Jonathan Niese
4. R.A. Dickey
5. Chris Young
Bullpen-
CL- Francisco Rodriguez
SU- D.J. Carrasco
SU- Manny Acosta
MR- Pat Misch
MR- Bobby Parnell
Lineup-
1. Jose Reyes-SS
2. Angel Pagan- RF
3. Carlos Beltran-CF
4. David Wright-3B
5. Ike Davis-1B
6. Jason Bay-LF
7. Ronny Paulino-C
8. Ruben Tejada-2B
Some may think this is a little bit of a reach but I think the Mets are a bit of a sleeper team in 2010. They have their faults especially in their rotation but i think the offense is much more talented than what they showed in 2010. Chris Young will be an interesting guy to watch in 2011, if he can stay healthy he could really elevate this staff. The Bullpen is the main area of concern as Francisco Rodriguez has had some off field trouble and they will be relying on some health risks to give them innings in the pen. The offense should rebound as most of these guys experienced injuries last season and most are healthy now. I don't care what you may say about Jason Bay, there is no way he only hits 6 homers again unless he gets hurt. Carlos Beltran is another bounce back candidate for the Mets this season and Jose Reyes is looking to rebuild his value. They have motivation and desperately want to become relevant again so I think they will make a push to be a .500 team in 2011.
#15- Tampa Bay Rays
Rotation-
1. David Price
2. James Shields
3. Wade Davis
4. Jeff Niemann
5. Jeremy Hellickson
Bullpen-
CL- Kyle Farnsworth
SU- J.P. Howell
SU- Joel Peralta
MR- Adam Russell
MR- Andy Sonnanstine
Lineup-
1. Johnny Damon-LF
2. Ben Zobrist-1B
3. Evan Longoria-3B
4. Manny Ramirez-DH
5. Matt Joyce-RF
6. B.J. Upton-CF
7. John Jason-C
8. Reid Brignac-SS
9. Sean Rodriguez
2011 may be a down year for the Rays, but they will still be competitive. They have an extremely tough rotation with ace in the making David Price and up and comers in Wade Davis and Jeremy Hellickson. The bullpen lost almost everyone from the dominant 2010 pen but still looks to be solid although closer may be an issue. The place that took the biggest hit was the offense with the losses of Carl Crawford, Carlos Pena and Jason Bartlett who were mainstays of the Rays franchise. But they brought in some veteran help new young players adjust to the big leagues. Manny should be a huge upgrade at DH and Damon should help offset the loss of Carl Crawford (although he will never be replaced only succeeded). They also have several young stars coming into their own in Reid Brignac, Sean Rodriguez and possibly Desmond Jennings later in the season. As I said this may be a down year but they have excellent management and have plenty of options on the farm to replace what they have lost.
That is the #19-#15 teams on my Power Rankings, I will post my #14-#11 teams later in the week, so look out for that. Before I get into the top 10 i will do a brief recap of all the teams thus far. Please give me feedback on my rankings!!
Chris "da Franchize" Hart
#19- Los Angeles Angels
Rotation-
1. Jered Weaver
2. Dan Haren
3. Ervin Santana
4. Scott Kazmir
5. Joel Pineiro
Bullpen-
CL- Fernando Rodney
SU- Scott Downs
SU- Hisanori Takahashi
MR- Kevin Jepsen
MR- Francisco M. Rodriguez
Lineup-
1. Erick Aybar-SS
2. Howie Kendrick-2B
3. Torii Hunter-RF
4. Vernon Wells-LF
5. Kendry Morales-1B
6. Bobby Abreu-DH
7. Alberto Callaspo-3B
8. Jeff Mathis-C
9. Peter Bourjos-CF
The rotation is the strength of this team with 2 top of the rotation arms anchoring several middle of the rotation arms. The bullpen is improved with Takahashi and Downs coming in this season, but the closer situation may be a problem. They need to find an upgrade over Fernando Rodney at closer. The offense should be improved from 2010 with Kendry Morales returning from injury and the addition of Vernon Wells. But they are still a fairly mediocre offense that has power but in terms of getting on base they may struggle. Bourjos should provide some speed but he is only a temporary option in center till Mike Trout reaches the majors which will be sooner rather than later. This is a team that should finish around .500 but it will be tough to compete against the Rangers and A's in 2011.
#18- Florida Marlins
Rotation-
1. Josh Johnson
2. Javier Vazquez
3. Ricky Nolasco
4. Anibal Sanchez
5. Chris Volstad
Bullpen-
CL- Clay Hensley
SU- Leo Nunez
SU- Brian Sanches
MR- Randy Choate
MR- Ryan Webb
Lineup-
1. Chris Coghlan-CF
2. Omar Infante-2B
3. Hanley Ramirez-SS
4. John Buck-C
5. Mike Stanton-RF
6. Gaby Sanchez-1B
7. Logan Morrison-LF
8. Wes Helms-3B
The Marlins are pretty good all around, the staff has an ace in Josh Johnson, they got some help in the pen by trading Cameron Maybin and Hanley Ramirez anchors a powerful offense. The rest of the staff outside of Johnson are good middle of the rotation talent and Javier Vazquez add some experience and more strikeout potential. The bullpen should be pretty good and Hensley looks to be a solid closer in 2011. The best part of this Marlins team in my mind is the offense, there are so many great young players on this roster that are just beginning to blossom. Mike Stanton may very well be the most powerful player in major league baseball and combined with young outfielders Logan Morrison and Chris Coghlan they look pretty good. At third they will likely start Wes Helms to start the year but before the All-Star break we will see top prospect Matt Dominguez. This is a team that has a good long term outlook (as usual) and while they may not go to the playoffs this season, once they get in their new stadium they will have a shot.
#17- Detroit Tigers
Rotation-
1. Justin Verlander
2. Max Scherzer
3. Rick Porcello
4. Phil Coke
5. Brad Penny
Bullpen-
CL- Jose Valverde
SU- Joaquin Benoit
SU- Ryan Perry
MR- Brad Thomas
MR- Daniel Schlereth
Lineup-
1. Austin Jackson-CF
2. Brennan Boesch-RF
3. Magglio Ordonez-DH/OF
4. Miguel Cabrera-1B
5. Victor Martinez-C/DH
6. Ryan Raburn-LF
7. Carlos Guillen-2B
8. Jhonny Peralta-SS
9. Brandon Inge-3B
This is another team that is pretty solid all around. The pitching staff has a legitimate ace in Justin Verlander and Max Scherezer is a very good number 2 starter. There is somewhat off a drop off after those 2 but Rick Porcello has a lot of upside and Phil Coke is an intriguing starting option. The main concern will be the health of Brad Penny as he has a long injury history. The bullpen was bolstered by the addition of Joaquin Benoit and they have a good closer in Jose Valverde. The offense was also bolstered in the off season by adding Victor Martinez to most likely but can catch and play first when needed. With V-Mart now in the lineup we should see Miguel Cabrera's numbers continue to rise and don't be surprised if he finishes as the AL MVP in 2011. It will really depend on if they can keep up with the White Sox and the Twins in a top heavy AL Central.
#16- New York Mets
Rotation-
1. Johan Santana
2. Mike Pelfrey
3. Jonathan Niese
4. R.A. Dickey
5. Chris Young
Bullpen-
CL- Francisco Rodriguez
SU- D.J. Carrasco
SU- Manny Acosta
MR- Pat Misch
MR- Bobby Parnell
Lineup-
1. Jose Reyes-SS
2. Angel Pagan- RF
3. Carlos Beltran-CF
4. David Wright-3B
5. Ike Davis-1B
6. Jason Bay-LF
7. Ronny Paulino-C
8. Ruben Tejada-2B
Some may think this is a little bit of a reach but I think the Mets are a bit of a sleeper team in 2010. They have their faults especially in their rotation but i think the offense is much more talented than what they showed in 2010. Chris Young will be an interesting guy to watch in 2011, if he can stay healthy he could really elevate this staff. The Bullpen is the main area of concern as Francisco Rodriguez has had some off field trouble and they will be relying on some health risks to give them innings in the pen. The offense should rebound as most of these guys experienced injuries last season and most are healthy now. I don't care what you may say about Jason Bay, there is no way he only hits 6 homers again unless he gets hurt. Carlos Beltran is another bounce back candidate for the Mets this season and Jose Reyes is looking to rebuild his value. They have motivation and desperately want to become relevant again so I think they will make a push to be a .500 team in 2011.
#15- Tampa Bay Rays
Rotation-
1. David Price
2. James Shields
3. Wade Davis
4. Jeff Niemann
5. Jeremy Hellickson
Bullpen-
CL- Kyle Farnsworth
SU- J.P. Howell
SU- Joel Peralta
MR- Adam Russell
MR- Andy Sonnanstine
Lineup-
1. Johnny Damon-LF
2. Ben Zobrist-1B
3. Evan Longoria-3B
4. Manny Ramirez-DH
5. Matt Joyce-RF
6. B.J. Upton-CF
7. John Jason-C
8. Reid Brignac-SS
9. Sean Rodriguez
2011 may be a down year for the Rays, but they will still be competitive. They have an extremely tough rotation with ace in the making David Price and up and comers in Wade Davis and Jeremy Hellickson. The bullpen lost almost everyone from the dominant 2010 pen but still looks to be solid although closer may be an issue. The place that took the biggest hit was the offense with the losses of Carl Crawford, Carlos Pena and Jason Bartlett who were mainstays of the Rays franchise. But they brought in some veteran help new young players adjust to the big leagues. Manny should be a huge upgrade at DH and Damon should help offset the loss of Carl Crawford (although he will never be replaced only succeeded). They also have several young stars coming into their own in Reid Brignac, Sean Rodriguez and possibly Desmond Jennings later in the season. As I said this may be a down year but they have excellent management and have plenty of options on the farm to replace what they have lost.
That is the #19-#15 teams on my Power Rankings, I will post my #14-#11 teams later in the week, so look out for that. Before I get into the top 10 i will do a brief recap of all the teams thus far. Please give me feedback on my rankings!!
Chris "da Franchize" Hart
Friday, February 11, 2011
Podcast 2-8-11
It's been a little bit of a gap again but we finally have our next podcast up. Today we recap the Super Bowl, talk about the current College Basketball season, NBA All Star Team snubs, surprises and disappointments of the current NHL Season and the Albert Pujols contract negotiations and Michael Young trade rumors. Hope you enjoy!!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
MLB Power Rankings #20
Again there has been a bit of delay in posting. I apologize for making you wait so long for the #20 team but we did get a new podcast up and hopefully will record another one this week. I also plan on doing some sort of fantasy baseball preview that may include podcasts throughout the season. But today we have finally reached the #20 team in my power rankings, and there is a bit of a jump in quality of teams at this point. This is a team that could very well win their division and go to the playoffs but based on my statistical evaluation i think they fall in this spot. This team would be the Los Angeles Dodgers, they have made several moves in this off season that set them up to compete in 2011 but I'm not sure they stand up against the competition ahead of them. Lets take a more in depth look at the Dodgers.
1. Clayton Kershaw
2. Chad Billingsley
3. Ted Lilly
4. Hiroki Kuroda
5. Jon Garland
This is by far the best pitching staff we have looked at thus far. They have a top of the rotation starter in Clayton Kershaw who may become one of the most dominant left handed starters in the game. He may regress some this season because of increased workloads and just being a young pitcher but he should still be a solid top of the rotation arm. Chad Billingsley is a guy who looked like he was becoming the ace of this team after a stellar 08' season. But regressed in 09' and got better in 10' but not to the level he was at before. He is a solid middle of the rotation arm who may have some upside but it looks as if 08' was a fluke. Ted Lilly came over from the Cubs at the deadline last year and was dominant for the Dodgers. He is another solid middle of the rotation arm who doesn't have great velocity and is homer prone but he is a bulldog and can be dominant at times. Hiroki Kurdoa is another solid middle of the rotation arm who will post solid ERA's and strikeout totals and should fit perfectly in the number 4 spot in the rotation. Jon Garland is a solid back of the rotation starter who's success is driven from his ability to induce ground balls. This is a very deep rotation that could easily get a team to the playoffs, it just depends on how the rest of the team performs.
Pen-
CL- Jonathan Broxton
SU- Hong-Chih Kuo
SU- Matt Gurreir
MR- Kenley Jansen
MR- Ronald Belisario
Jonathan Broxton had his struggles last season but i think he has enough of a solid track record to suggest he could be good again this season. He has some nasty stuff and he is a bulldog on the mound, he should be able to rebound. Hong-Chih Kuo was excellent in a setup role last season posting a 1.20 ERA in 60 IP with solid peripheral stats. Matt Gurreir was the big addition to the pen this year after being one of Minnesota's dominant set up man since 2005. Kenley Jansen was excellent last season as well, posting a .67 ERA in 27 IP. He should prove to be a solid middle relief option for this pen. Ronald Belisario struggled in his second season, posting a 5.04 ERA with a minimal amount of strikeouts. He could be better this season as middle relievers are some of the most unpredictable players in baseball. This bullpen is improved from last and should prove to be one of the better ones in the league.
Lineup
1. Rafael Furcal-SS
2. Matt Kemp-CF
3. Andre Ethier
4. James Loney-1B
5. Juan Uribe-2B
6. Casey Blake
7. Rod Barajas-C
8. Jay Gibbons-LF
There be some big names on this roster, but overall this is the weakest part of the Dodgers roster. Rafael Furcal is a solid leadoff hitter, he can hit .300 with a solid OBP and good speed. Matt Kemp was being counted on to be one of the young stars of this team, but failed to do so in 2010. He has pop and speed but didnt get on base enough and played horrendous defense last season. Kemp is a guy that the Dodgers need to bounce back if they want to be competitive in 2011. Andre Ethier was outstanding early on in the season in 2010, but an injury knocked him out for a while and he wasn't the same after his return. The dodgers need to do better than Loney at cleanup and at first base. He can drive in runs but as you know RBI's are a worthless statistic in terms of talent evaluation. He is a middle of the pack hitter who is being relied to do more than he can. Juan Uribe is a nice addition to this offense, he doesn't get on base enough or hit for a high average but he has good pop for a middle infielder and has great versatility. His bat should add some punch to a lineup that really lacks it. Casey Blake is on the downside of a solid career and we are really beginning to see his production fall of here as the average went below .250 last season. He still can play defense and has some pop but he is on the decline. Rod Barajas was effective at the end of the season for the Dodgers last season and has replaced the former star catcher Russell Martin, whose production really fell of this past season. Barajas provides solid pop behind the dish but he isn't going to hit for a high average and is on the downside of his career. The true weak link of this team is in Left Field were they are attempting to platoon a washed up Jay Gibbons and Marcus Thames. Thames can provide some pop but Gibbons hasn't played a full major league season since 2005. His minor league numbers last season look good and he played effectively when brought up last season and if he is effective he should provide some nice pop. But more likely than not Left Field is going to be a problem area for the Dodgers. The Dodgers could be a playoff team if their offense plays to its upside and if the pitching stays healthy. But worse case scenario i think they are around a .500 team.
Rotation
1. Clayton Kershaw
2. Chad Billingsley
3. Ted Lilly
4. Hiroki Kuroda
5. Jon Garland
This is by far the best pitching staff we have looked at thus far. They have a top of the rotation starter in Clayton Kershaw who may become one of the most dominant left handed starters in the game. He may regress some this season because of increased workloads and just being a young pitcher but he should still be a solid top of the rotation arm. Chad Billingsley is a guy who looked like he was becoming the ace of this team after a stellar 08' season. But regressed in 09' and got better in 10' but not to the level he was at before. He is a solid middle of the rotation arm who may have some upside but it looks as if 08' was a fluke. Ted Lilly came over from the Cubs at the deadline last year and was dominant for the Dodgers. He is another solid middle of the rotation arm who doesn't have great velocity and is homer prone but he is a bulldog and can be dominant at times. Hiroki Kurdoa is another solid middle of the rotation arm who will post solid ERA's and strikeout totals and should fit perfectly in the number 4 spot in the rotation. Jon Garland is a solid back of the rotation starter who's success is driven from his ability to induce ground balls. This is a very deep rotation that could easily get a team to the playoffs, it just depends on how the rest of the team performs.
Pen-
CL- Jonathan Broxton
SU- Hong-Chih Kuo
SU- Matt Gurreir
MR- Kenley Jansen
MR- Ronald Belisario
Jonathan Broxton had his struggles last season but i think he has enough of a solid track record to suggest he could be good again this season. He has some nasty stuff and he is a bulldog on the mound, he should be able to rebound. Hong-Chih Kuo was excellent in a setup role last season posting a 1.20 ERA in 60 IP with solid peripheral stats. Matt Gurreir was the big addition to the pen this year after being one of Minnesota's dominant set up man since 2005. Kenley Jansen was excellent last season as well, posting a .67 ERA in 27 IP. He should prove to be a solid middle relief option for this pen. Ronald Belisario struggled in his second season, posting a 5.04 ERA with a minimal amount of strikeouts. He could be better this season as middle relievers are some of the most unpredictable players in baseball. This bullpen is improved from last and should prove to be one of the better ones in the league.
Lineup
1. Rafael Furcal-SS
2. Matt Kemp-CF
3. Andre Ethier
4. James Loney-1B
5. Juan Uribe-2B
6. Casey Blake
7. Rod Barajas-C
8. Jay Gibbons-LF
There be some big names on this roster, but overall this is the weakest part of the Dodgers roster. Rafael Furcal is a solid leadoff hitter, he can hit .300 with a solid OBP and good speed. Matt Kemp was being counted on to be one of the young stars of this team, but failed to do so in 2010. He has pop and speed but didnt get on base enough and played horrendous defense last season. Kemp is a guy that the Dodgers need to bounce back if they want to be competitive in 2011. Andre Ethier was outstanding early on in the season in 2010, but an injury knocked him out for a while and he wasn't the same after his return. The dodgers need to do better than Loney at cleanup and at first base. He can drive in runs but as you know RBI's are a worthless statistic in terms of talent evaluation. He is a middle of the pack hitter who is being relied to do more than he can. Juan Uribe is a nice addition to this offense, he doesn't get on base enough or hit for a high average but he has good pop for a middle infielder and has great versatility. His bat should add some punch to a lineup that really lacks it. Casey Blake is on the downside of a solid career and we are really beginning to see his production fall of here as the average went below .250 last season. He still can play defense and has some pop but he is on the decline. Rod Barajas was effective at the end of the season for the Dodgers last season and has replaced the former star catcher Russell Martin, whose production really fell of this past season. Barajas provides solid pop behind the dish but he isn't going to hit for a high average and is on the downside of his career. The true weak link of this team is in Left Field were they are attempting to platoon a washed up Jay Gibbons and Marcus Thames. Thames can provide some pop but Gibbons hasn't played a full major league season since 2005. His minor league numbers last season look good and he played effectively when brought up last season and if he is effective he should provide some nice pop. But more likely than not Left Field is going to be a problem area for the Dodgers. The Dodgers could be a playoff team if their offense plays to its upside and if the pitching stays healthy. But worse case scenario i think they are around a .500 team.
Rotation
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