By Josh Roth
NL East Standings
1. New York Mets
2. Atlanta Braves
3. Philadelphia Phillies
4. Florida Marlins
5. Washington Nationals
NL Central Standings
1. Chicago Cubs
2. Milwaukee Brewers
3. St. Louis Cardinals
4. Cincinnati Reds
5. Houston Astros
6. Pittsburgh Pirates
NL West
1. Los Angeles Dodgers
2. Arizona Diamondbacks
3. San Francisco Giants
4. Colorado Rockies
5. San Diego Padres
Wildcard
1. Atlanta Braves
2. Philadelphia Phillies
3. Arizona Diamondbacks
4. Milwaukee Brewers
5. St. Louis Cardinals
NL MVP
1. Manny Ramirez, LAD
With Manny back for his first full year with the Dodgers, he should put up monster numbers. It also helps with Furcal and Hudson at the top of the order right in front of Manny, he should put up a lot of RBIs.
2. Aramis Ramirez, ChC
Here is the dark horse in the competition. He has quietly been one of the top third baseman in the league. Last year he was more patient and with his homerun total to be around 30 hit should bode well for his OPS. Not only that, but he will drive in more runs and put more numbers up due to the addition of Milton Bradley, but Bradley needs to stay healthy, which could be a big question mark. He still put big numbers up even without Bradley though.
3. David Wright, NYM
If the Mets do make the playoffs expect David Wright to be right in the mix for the MVP award. He will no doubt put up the numbers to win the award and is a fan and press favorite.
4. Albert Pujols, StL
It is obvious why his name is on the list, considering he is the best hitter in the National League and probably in all of baseball. Oh yeah and he won the award last year. The only question one may ask is why he is so low, well I think he will have enough competition this year and his team will likely miss out on the post season.
5. Ryan Braun, Mil
The best hitter on the Brewers and is turning into one of the best hitters in the National League. He has nice protection with Fielder, Hardy and Hart. He could improve his chances if guys like Weeks and Hall produce and if the Brewers make the playoffs. However, I think the Brewers will just miss the playoffs, thus decreasing his chances on winning.
NL Cy Young
1. Dan Haren, Arz
Many people may consider Brandon Webb to be the best pitcher on the Diamondbacks, but I think this year Haren will be. Haren strikeout rate was at his highest point last year, had his lowest WHIP number last year, and walked only 40 guys last year (that makes for a good K/BB ratio!). Expect big things from him this year with an ERA right around 3.00, quite possibly below that.
2. Johan Santana, NYM
Expect big things for Johan in his second year with the Mets, not that he didn't do well last year. He might be the best pitcher in baseball, but I see him coming up a little short. However, it won't be a surprise if he wins it.
3. Derek Lowe, Atl
Derek Lowe had a very good last year and if he would have gotten more wins could have made a case for the CY Young last year. He is an underrated pitcher, partly because he doesn't put up big strikeout numbers. If the Braves make the playoffs he should get more attention and should be a big reason why they get there.
4. Tim Lincecum, SF
Coming off a Cy Young year I expect a little drop off, but should still be a top ten, probably top five pitcher in the National League. Lincecum struck out a whopping 265 guys last year, but did walk over 80 guys. If his walk totals stay high and he winds up striking out less he may be less fortunate. He is only 24, going on 25 and should be a CY Young candidate for the years to come.
5. Yovani Gallardo, Mil
This guy has ace stuff and will clearly be the Brewers best pitcher with C.C. Sabathia being gone. The big question will be health which has hampered him a bit in his early career. If he does have a healthy year expect him to put up big strikeout numbers, a low WHIP, and a low ERA.
(Check out http://thegoldenwhip.wordpress.com/ for more in depth coverage, including team by team previews)
National League Preview
1st Weekend of the NCAA Tournament
by Brandon Hurley
As usual, we got a taste of some excitement over the first weekend of the NCAA tournament. Most of the top seeds struggled on in the second round except for UCONN, who blew out a solid Texas A&M team, 92-66, after coming off a 56 point smackdown over sixteen seeded Chattanooga. Louisville slithered their way from an up and coming mid major power house, Siena. North Carolina had to rely on banged up point guard Ty Lawson in order to sneak past LSU, and Pitt got a giant game from Sam Young dropping 32 points and also received a few clutch baskets from point man Levance Fields to overcome the fight of the Cowboys from Oklahoma State.
While on the topic of the no. 1 seeds, I believe Ty Lawson showed absolutely no signs of his toe injury. When the Tar Heels needed a basket, Lawson pulled a quick crossover and used his speed to get to the rack. After a few plays mid way through the second half I had already forgotten about his injury showing us why he won ACC player of the year. The Heels are a completely different team with Lawson in the lineup. He makes them run like a well oiled machine. Now if he can stay healthy for the rest of the tournament there is no doubt UNC will reach the Final Four. They only have to get past Gonzaga and either Syracuse or Oklahoma.
Even though Louisville struggled in their first two games I still have no doubt they will run through the rest of their bracket. They have nothing to be concerned of because, T-Will, Terrance Williams, had another NBA caliber game dropping 24 points while snagging 15 boards and knocking done four trey balls along the way, and Earl Clark had a double-double as well pulling down 12 rebounds and adding 12 points in the win against Siena. I see the Cardinals making the Final Four but they will get tested by Arizona and the winner of the colossal coaching matchup of Tom Izzo's Michigan State Spartans and Bill Self's defending champion Kansas Jayhawks. Each of these games Lousiville will have to fight to pull out the victory but I don't see anyone being able to bring them down. Pitino's squad just has too much overall balance for anyone to keep up. If T-Will isn't getting his points he can affect the game in other areas with steals and assists.
Then on the other side of the bracket, Pitt looks to have the tougher road to Detroit. The Panthers have to face a Xavier team out of the Atlantic 10 that is totally outmatched. They don't have enough players to shut down Dejuan Blair down low, Young on the wing and Fields at the point. They only way I can see Xavier pulling the upset is if the fairy godmother comes out of nowhere and blesses the Musketeers with superior shooting ability and Blair is eliminated from Pitt. Other then that it's highly unlikely that Xavier gives Pitt a fight for the entire game. The elite eight game is where it gets dicey for the Panthers. They have to face either either Villanova or Duke. I definitely see Nova over Duke with the way they are playing, but if the Dukies hit a hot streak anything can happen. Now when Nova gets past Duke, it's nearly a toss up from here. The Wildcats beat Pitt at home earlier this year and this game is in Boston, so the crowd will most likely be split. It's tough to say who will win, but if Nova keeps shooting like it did against UCLA, and Dante Cunningham keeps roaming the paint down low, and Pitt continues its struggles, I could very easily see Nova punching it's ticket to Detroit.
No doubt UCONN has the easiest route of the four top seeds. They face a slow Purdue team in the Sweet Sixteen, then face either Mizzou or Memphis in the elite eight. Memphis hasn't really been tested in the last two months besides it's opening round matchup against upstart Cal State Norhtridge who gave the Tigers a giant scare and Mizzou can play with anyone because of their pressure D, but they can also get blown out like they did at Phog Allen Field House against Kansas about a month ago. So UCONN should make the final four with relative ease, especially after not even having to play their starters the whole game for either of the first two games.
For those harping that the Big Dance doesn't have anymore stunning upsets, I say to them, big deal. The NCAA was made to settle who the best team in the nation is, and if a fifteen seed doesn't beat a two seed every year it's nothing to cry about. We got our fair share of first round upsets with thirteenth seeded Cleveland State blowing out fourth seeded Wake Forest, 12th seeded Arizona taking down fifth seeded Utah, even though that wasn't much of an upset because 'Zona was actually favored in Vegas, 11th seeded Dayton knocking off sixth seeded West Virgina, 12th seeded Western Kentucky upsetting a five seed for the second year in a row against the Fighting Illini of Illinois and 12th seeded Wisconsin beating fifth seeded Florida State. The upsets haven't been major, but they have been there. If you really know basketball, you will appreciate the top seeds moving on. So what if it is chalk? It makes for good basketball games between great teams. We don't need a George Mason going to the final four every year. Parity is good, but the reason most people watch the NCAA tournament after the first two rounds is because they want to see the best teams in the nation face off against eachother. What game would you rather see, Cleveland State vs. Western Kentucky, or North Carolina vs. Pitt? Case and point. If it was the regular season, nobody would even watch that first game probably just the fans of the team. Prennial powerhouses are what people want to see, not the Horizon League versus the Atlantic Sun. It has no draw to it.
Even the games that weren't upsets were exciting. Gonzaga had to come down to a last second layup to beat Western Kentucky in the second round, Utah State missed a three pointer near the end of the game and Marquette escaped with a first round victory, then staged a monstrous comeback behind the courageous play of senior guard Dominic James only to fall short to Missouri in the second round. Michigan State held off an upstart USC team behind a career high 18 points of Travis Walton to give Izzo another trip to the Sweet Sixteen, and Oklahoma held off a feisty Michigan team. Heck Duke pulled a typical coach K style game getting favorable bounces and calls to knock off a very underachieving Texas team. Scheyer's save was an incredibly lucky and skillful play. Then to make matters worse Texas is out rebounded one Dukie while they had three guys lined up around him. The Sweet Sixteen is filled with many coaching geniuses which include; Izzo, coach K, Self, Jamie Dixon, John Calipari, Roy Williams, Jim Boeheim and Mark Few. Not only is the Sweet Sixteen loaded with talented players, but also with bright minds, so settle in and enjoy some more exciting March Madness in the weeks to come.
A Real Humm(el) Dinger
by Jordan Loperena 3/15/09
In what was probably the best game of the weekend, the Purdue Boilermakers captured the Big Ten Tournament title today over the Ohio State Buckeyes by a final score of 65-61. The Buckeyes made quite a run and gave a very outstanding effort, as they did all weekend. However it was not enough.
E'Twaun Moore, JaJuan Johnson, and Chris Kramer were spectacular for the Boilers and so was Keaton Grant off the bench. However, the Most Valuable Player award belonged to Robbie Hummel. He was not only statistically impressive throughout the entire tournament, but Hummel defined the phrase "lead by example". He's not your 30 points per game type of leader. He's not your double-double every single game type of leader (but close). Robbie Hummel is your put the ball in the basket, grab the rebound, down to business type of leader. You will rarely see him holding his jersey up so the crowd can read "Purdue". He won't jump up on the scorers' table after scoring the game winning shot. He definitely won't be found taunting his opponents' players or fans. He plays the game the way it is supposed to be played and respects it the way it's supposed to be played. That is why I was more than happy to see Purdue take this tournament. Ohio State will get into the NCAA tournament after an impressive showing this weekend and Evan Turner will continue to turn heads after he made his best efforts for Big Ten Tourney MVP this weekend.
Time for the real March Madness to begin, should be a fun month!
See Ya Later Sparty ... or Should I Say "#2"?
by Jordan Loperena 3/14/09
Ohio State took care of business in impressive fashion today and looked hotter against the #1 team in the tournament than they did against the #4. Maybe it was the matchup. Maybe it was the pre-game and halftime speeches. Maybe it was the beds in the hotel they were staying in. All I know is that today, Ohio State looked like the team fighting for a #1 spot in the NCAA Tournament. While North Carolina was in the process of losing and Pitt, UConn, and Oklahoma had already lost - a #1 seed for the Spartans seemed almost automatic if they could just win the Big Ten Tournament. Not the case today, my friends.
P.J. Hill was outstanding on defense for the Buckeyes as he may have been the speediest defender I had ever watched live. The Spartans could not make the shots when they needed to and could not seem to find their rythm. The Buckeyes were the team playing with authority and let me tell you know - this rotation of B.J. Mullens and Dallas Lauderdale could become deadly for their opponents in the NCAA Tournament. That's 10 fouls that you can give total to two very legitimate Centers vs. teams who only have one big man and thus will only get 5 fouls. Evan Turner also has made probably the best campaign for tournament MVP than anyone else who has taken the floor at Conseco Fieldhouse this weekend. Let's just say it was a gloomy scene at the Westin Indianapolis, where we were staying along with the Michigan State Basketball squad and what seemed to be a mass amount of their fans.
Purdue came out and ran circles around the Illini in the 2nd game of the day and Illinois failed to capitalize on opportunities to grab momentum and Kramer, Moore, and Hummel were too much for the Illini as their close to dominant performance against the Wolverines was all for none as they fell to the Boilers 66-56. The atmosphere inside Conseco was more electric for this game than any other game this weekend. Illinois traveled a bunch of fans, unlike their football team - their basketball team knows how to bring along a road following. Purdue brought a fan section that you would imagine them bringing, playing about an hour away from West Lafeyette.
Tomorrow's championship game featuring #5 Ohio State and #3 Purdue should be a dandy. These two teams have been the most impressive in their games. I know you're thinking "obviously Jordan, you idiot, they are the most impressive teams because they are in the championship". However, what I mean is that these are two teams that won their games and were in control of the entire game for the most part. These are not the teams who threw down some crazy Cinderella 3's in the final seconds. These are not the Top Dogs who underperformed but managed to shatter this time of the year's favorite Disney Princess's glass slipper in the final minutes. These are two teams who came to Indianapolis to play some basketball and that they have done. If Ohio State can pull of their 3rd straight upset in as many days - Mr. Turner will be the tournament MVP. If Purdue wins, the field will be wide open for that honor. I'm just hoping for a great game, a buzzer beater would be nice to see this time of year.
The Big Boys Are in Town
by Jordan Loperena 3/13/09
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - In the 2nd day of Big Ten Tournament Action, the big boys came out to play and did so in impressive fashion. An Illinois team that suffered a stunning and potentailly momentum stopping loss to Penn State for the second time this year to wrap up their Big Ten regular season showed that they were here to play. A Michigan team that knocked down 70% of its shots from the field against our Iowa Hawkeyes yesterday was held to 33% from the field. That was basically the story as a late run from Michigan wasn't enough but at least closed the gap to make the final score look respectable as the Illini took this one: Illinois 60- Michigan 50.
Ohio State took care of Wisconsin in a 61-57 behind Evan Turner's 19 points. Dallas Lauderdale and B.J. Mullens were able to control things down low as they held Wisconsin's Joe Krabbenhoft to 4 points. The Badgers put three players in double digits but that wasn't enough as Ohio State wrapped this one up in the final minutes.
Michigan State takes care of Minnesota with no problem as they were firing on all cylinders. They never quite let Minnesota have a chance and the more interesting game going on during this time slot feautred the ACC Tournament. Virginia Tech lost to UNC in the final minute and caputred a lot of attention at the local Hooters - not that I was there, just happened to hear it from a little local birdie.
Purdue also put Penn State away early and never let them in to the game. Talor Battle was contained in the first half and Penn state never had a chance. A disappointing day if you were looking to catch some upsets, but one thing was made apparent to me. There are some teams here that don't belong on the bubble. They should either be in the tournament with no bubble talk or have their bubble burst.
As of today
In - Ohio State, Michigan (Despite the loss)
Out - Penn State (looked like they rely way too much on one player and don't appear to have much depth)
Bubble - Minnesota, Wisconsin (remained competitive but a loss to an unranked team could hurt. If Ohio State knocks off Michigan State this loss may be less harmful).
The Beatings Will Continue Until Morale Improves
by Jordan Loperena
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - In one of the least inspiring efforts I have seen a Hawkeye athletic team put up in quite some time, Iowa took a beating this afternoon, falling - scratch that - plummetting to the Michigan Wolverines. The Hawkeyes showed no sign of the effort they put up against the Wolverines just a couple of weeks ago when they were able to take down the Maize and Blue in an overtime victory inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Apparently, that is the only court Iowa decided to play on a level even close to Division-I NCAA Basketball this season. They had stretches of hope within individual games, but failed to finish on many occassions. However, I will cut them some slack - they at least put up impressive efforts in almost every one of their games during the last half of the Big Ten season.
After the trouncing Michigan State handed to them inside Carver on a night in which the students finally decided to pack the Hawk's Nest, the Hawkeyes seemed to turn things, well - not completely around - but at least in the right direction. This is what makes the Hawkeyes' 73-45 defeat to the Michigan Wolverines at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis this afternoon so disappointing. The signs of hope, the stretches of improvement, the admirable effort all disappeared. It looked as if the Hawkeyes decided to give up on a season they had fought so hard to repair during the last half of conference play. At this point, the beatings will continue until morale improves. Call it cliche - call it stupid if you want, but it puts things in perspective for the Hawkeyes. If they can improve their morale by keeping this bad taste in their mouth they can become a dangerously hungry and fresh team for next season. If they look at this as just another Big Ten loss on a court besides their own - if they even use that as another excuse - the beatings will indeed continue. Keep your heads up Hawk fans, it's the small things that count - and the small things that we can improve to prevent another disappointing finish next season.
Senior Night for Women's Basketball vs. Illinois
by Josh Bolander
The Iowa women’s basketball team improved its overall record to 19-9 (12-5) Thursday night at Carver Hawkeye Arena with a 69-56 victory over Illinois 8-20 (4-13). The win was extra sweet for the five Hawkeye seniors who, during the last three minutes of the second half, took the court for the first time together since their freshman year against Purdue. Senior night provided many highlights but perhaps the most intriguing was that seniors Wendy Ausdemore, Megan Skouby, and Kristi Smith broke the Big 10 all time trio scoring record after combining to score the first six points of the game. Although Illinois put together a late charge in the second half, behind 20 points and 8 rebounds from Big 10 player of the year candidate Jenna Smith, the Hawks were able to control the final ten minutes and lock up there twelfth Big 10 win and secure the fourth seed in the upcoming Big 10 tournament. Bench scoring turned out to be the difference in the game with the Hawks outscoring the Illini 16-3.