2009 MLB Preview - Introduction

Gather up your peanuts and Cracker Jack. It's almost time for the 2009 Major League Baseball Season. While the amount of baseball fans seem to be dwindling these days, I am not one of them. Unlike the NFL, I do have a favorite team (Go Tribe!) but as always, I will try and be impartial in all of my opinions.

We are officially 32 days away from Opening Night with the Braves vs. Phillies on Sunday, April 5th. So, in an effort to get you prepared for the season and to keep this blog relevant and updated daily, I will be previewing each team as we countdown to April 5th. On the final day, I will have my predictions.

These posts won't be long so feel free to just check-in, get your fix, and head elsewhere on the web. A blog drive-thru if you will. Of course, feel free to leave comments as always. I will have the posts up by noon everyday (this one doesn't count) and will be done in alphabetical order.

But before I go to far thinking about 2009, let's take a quick look back at 2008. And well, let's just say, what a year it was. Manny Ramirez shipped to Los Angeles in the year's biggest trade. The Detroit Tigers falling flat on their face despite numerous offseason moves that should have bolstered the lineup and pitching staff. The Nationals playing like, well, the Washington Nationals. All in all, there were some surprises but some things just stays the same.

In the AL, the Red Sox were the Red Sox, playing great ball all season and in the postseason. Meanwhile, the rival New York Yankees found themselves on the outside looking in, missing the playoffs for the first time in what seems like an eternity. The Angels cruised in the AL West again but despite the gaudy record, fell in the playoffs. The AL Central title went to a White Sox team, who weren't pushed by the Tigers or Indians but the Twins. The team of the year though was the Tampa Bay Rays. The team came from nowhere, led by a young pitching staff and lineup, to capture the AL crown.

The NL West was won by the Dodgers but no one really deserved a playoff spot in that division. The Mets found a way to miss the playoffs again while the Brew Crew took full advantage of their C.C. Sabathia pickup, parlaying it into a wild-card playoff spot. The Cubbies were favored to make the series but really, did any of us think that would really happen? But the NL and World Series were won by the Philadelphia Phillies. They were not the best team in baseball all year, but they were the best team when it mattered. With a solid combination of starting pitching, solid bullpen, and solid lineup, they took the series in 5 games.

Dustin Pedroia won the AL MVP while Albert Pujols won the NL MVP. The Cy Young awards went to Cliff Lee and Tim Lincecum. Evan Longoria and Geovany Soto were the Rookies of the Year. No managers were fired to end the season. Instead, two interim coaches were just not brought back (Seattle and Milwaukee).

So there ya have it. A quick review, leading to the 30-day preview of each team. Hope you'll check it out, even if it's just the preview of your favorite team.

Tomorrow's Preview: Arizona Diamondbacks

Barnes Bracketology - March 5th

It's 4 a.m. on Wednesday night/Thursday morning. What are you doing? Well, if you are me, that means finishing up your latest projections for the 2009 NCAA Bracket. I figured do it on my day off when I really would feel inspired. There were a ton of upsets last night that really shook things up and also causing me to work much harder. But nothing in life comes easy. Here we go.

MY PROJECTED FIELD OF 65
(new teams in italics)

LOCKS: Some teams are getting very close to earning a spot in this category. But I'm not absolutely sure so I don't want to prematurely put a team here.

LOCKS (28): Duke, UNC, Clemson, Florida St, Wake, Pitt, UConn, L'Ville, Villanova, West Virginia, Syracuse, Marquette, Michigan St, Illinois, Purdue, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Washington, UCLA, Arizona St, LSU, Utah, Memphis, Xavier, Butler, Gonzaga and Texas.

AUTO: No changes here. But with conference tourneys already underway, we'll see movement here soon enough.

AUTO (20): Vermont (Am. East), Belmont (A-Sun), Weber State (Big Sky), Radford (Big South), Long Beach St (Big West), VCU (Colonial), Cornell (Ivy), Siena (MAAC), Buffalo (MAC), Morgan St (MEAC), Creighton (MVC), Robert Morris (Northeast), Tenn-Martin (Ohio Valley), American (Patriot), Davidson (SoCon), Stephen F. Austin (Southland), Alabama St (SWAC), ND State (Summit), Western Kentucky (Sun Belt), and Utah St (WAC)

AT-LARGE: Thanks to some games last night, there have been some huge changes here. There were losses by BC (74-69 @ NC State), Florida (80-71 @ Miss. St) and Wisconsin (51-46 @ Minnesota). BC though stays in but isn't as safe as it once was. Meanwhile, welcome new additions Minnesota and Kansas State.

AT-LARGE (17): California, Ohio St, BYU, OKST, Tennessee, Dayton, Arizona, South Carolina, Michigan, UNLV, Texas A+M, St. Mary's., Providence, Penn State, Minnesota, BC, and Kansas State.

BUBBLE WATCH

Besides the games I mentioned earlier, there were more that involved bubble teams. BYU, UNLV, San Diego St and Texas A+M all avoided the upset bug, which is key right now. The same can not be said though for Miami (FL) and Kentucky, who both lost to the worst teams in their conference. The 'Canes to Georgia Tech 78-68 and the 'Cats to Georgia in Lexington 70-65. Both losses in my mind burst the bubbles of each team. At this late in the game, it will take a deep run in a conference tourney to get a second chance. And with a road win at LSU, I have added Vandy to the bubble watch.

BUBBLE (29): BC, Maryland, VT, Cincinnati, Providence, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio St, Michigan, Penn St, OKST, Texas A+M, Kansas St, California, Arizona, Tennessee, South Carolina, Florida, BYU, UNLV, San Diego St, Dayton, Utah St, Creighton, St. Mary's, Rhode Island, Davidson, New Mexico and Vanderbilt.

SEEDING

So I decided to bracket the entire tournament. Here are the guidelines I used (same as the selection committee). First, avoid having two teams in the same conference meet until at least the Sweet 16, but most preferably in the Elite 8. Secondly, avoid regular-season rematches in the first two rounds. Thirdly, put higher-seeded teams in locations that are close to them. This took me roughly 90 minutes to do. There is probably a second-round rematch I missed but I know I did good with the conferences at least. Hope you enjoy it.

EAST-WEST vs. SOUTH-MIDWEST (Click on bracket to have it enlarged)

EAST REGION (Boston)
1 UConn vs. 16 Morgan State (Philadelphia)
2 Michigan State vs. 15 Belmont (Minneapolis)
3 Wake Forest vs 14 American (Miami)
4 Xavier vs. 13 Western Kentucky (Portland)
5 Arizona State vs. 12 Kansas State (Portland)
6 Texas vs. 11 Davidson (Miami)
7 West Virginia vs. 10 UNLV (Minneapolis)
8 Utah vs. 9 Ohio State (Philadelphia)

SOUTH REGION (Memphis)
1 North Carolina vs. 16 Robert Morris (Greensboro)
2 Louisville vs. 15 Stephen F. Austin (Dayton)
3 Missouri vs. 14 Vermont (Boise)
4 Illinois vs. 13 Buffalo (Minneapolis)
5 Marquette vs. 12 St. Mary's (Minneapolis)
6 Butler vs. 11 Penn State (Boise)
7 Florida State vs. 10 Utah State (Dayton)
8 Arizona vs. 9 Tennessee (Greensboro)

MIDWEST REGION (Indianapolis)
1 Pittsburgh vs. 16 Long Beach St/Alabama St (Dayton)
2 Duke vs. 15 Tennessee-Martin (Greensboro)
3 Kansas vs. 14 Weber State (Miami)
4 LSU vs. 13 Virginia Commonwealth (Boise)
5 Purdue vs. 12 Creighton (Boise)
6 Syracuse vs. 11 South Carolina (Miami)
7 Gonzaga vs. 10 Dayton (Greensboro)
8 BYU vs. Texas A+M (Dayton)

WEST REGION (Phoenix)
1 Memphis vs. 16 Radford (Kansas City)
2 Oklahoma vs. 15 Cornell (Kansas City)
3 Villanova vs. North Dakota St. (Philadelphia)
4 Washington vs. 13 Siena (Portland)
5 Clemson vs. 12 Michigan (Portland)
6 UCLA vs. 11 Boston College (Philadelphia)
7 California vs. Minnesota (Kansas City)
8 Oklahoma St vs. 9 Providence

THURSDAY'S GAMES TO WATCH
Providence @ Villanova - A loss by Providence here won't hurt them. A win though puts them in for sure. Nova needs this too though to secure playing in Philly in the first 2 rounds.
Dayton @ Xavier - Big one for the Flyers. Win and in the tournament for sure. Xavier is fighting for a top 4 seed.
Illinois @ Penn State - The Nittany Lions have been getting a lot of help from other teams lately. Win over a ranked opponent at home would be real nice right now.
Tennessee @ South Carolina - I'll go out on a limb and say the winner will be a LOCK. The loser will have work left to do in the SEC tournament.
California @ Arizona - Both teams are in great shape to make it, no matter the result. But a lopsided result for either team may sway the minds of the committee, and me.


Okay, that's plenty for your Thursday. Again, comments are appreciated. I will have another update after Thursday's games and will even include pictures of this wonderful process. Again, comments about any of this are appreciated. 2 weeks until the madness begins!

Barnes Bracketology - March 4th

What up? It's Wednesday and thanks to a crazy Tuesday, there has been some moving and shaking among my field of 65. That is both good and bad. Good, because it gives you some new stuff to criticize and scrutinize. Bad, because it makes for a lot more work for myself, a working man and bracketologist in training.

MY PROJECTED FIELD OF 65
(new teams in italics)

LOCKS: Despite some big wins by teams in my AT-LARGE category, none of them were big enough to move up into the LOCKS category.

LOCKS (28): Duke, UNC, Clemson, Florida St, Wake, Pitt, UConn, L'Ville, Villanova, West Virginia, Syracuse, Marquette, Michigan St, Illinois, Purdue, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Washington, UCLA, Arizona St, LSU, Utah, Memphis, Xavier, Butler, Gonzaga and Texas.

AUTO: No changes here. Trust me, there will be at some point.

AUTO (20): Vermont (Am. East), Belmont (A-Sun), Weber State (Big Sky), Radford (Big South), Long Beach St (Big West), VCU (Colonial), Cornell (Ivy), Siena (MAAC), Buffalo (MAC), Morgan St (MEAC), Creighton (MVC), Robert Morris (Northeast), Tenn-Martin (Ohio Valley), American (Patriot), Davidson (SoCon), Stephen F. Austin (Southland), Alabama St (SWAC), ND State (Summit), Western Kentucky (Sun Belt), and Utah St (WAC)

AT-LARGE: Big changes here as 6 teams that were in the BUBBLE category played Tuesday night and some won and some did not. Ohio St (win @ Iowa 60-58) and OKST (win vs. Kansas State 77-71) moved up. Meanwhile, Maryland (loss vs. Wake 65-63) and Cincinnati (loss @ South Florida 70-59) dropped out, making way for two new teams in Providence and Penn State. And just a reminder, that these are in order of most safe to not so safe.

AT-LARGE (17): California, Ohio St, BYU, OKST, Tennessee, BC, Dayton, Wisconsin, Arizona, South Carolina, Michigan, UNLV, Florida, Texas A+M, St. Mary's., Providence, and Penn State.

BUBBLE WATCH

We have some moving and shaking here as well. The biggest news is that Georgetown's bubble has burst after a 59-56 OT loss to lowly St. John's. You just can't afford a loss like that this late in the year and expect to make the tourney. Oh, and don't forget that they have a 6-11 Big East record, same as St. John's. Meanwhile, Cincinnati's chances are much worse with a bad 70-59 loss to South Florida. Maryland isn't out of it yet but beating Wake at home would have been big for them. Same goes with Kansas State, who fell to OKST on the road. The Wildcats have to beat Colorado on Saturday and win at least 2 games in the Big 12 tourney to feel good. Finally, welcome New Mexico to the Bubble Watch, thanks to an upset home win against LOCK Utah. The Lobos are 20-10 and are working their way into the mix.

BUBBLE (30): Miami (FL), BC, Maryland, VT, Cincinnati, Providence, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio St, Michigan, Penn St, OKST, Texas A+M, Kansas St, California, Arizona, Tennessee, South Carolina, Florida, Kentucky, BYU, UNLV, San Diego St, Dayton, Utah St, Creighton, St. Mary's, Rhode Island, Davidson and New Mexico.

SEEDING

No changes to my top 4 seeding this week. I will say that Wake Forest's win over a fringe tourney team in Maryland was almost enough to move them to a 2 seed over Michigan State since MSU beat a lowly Indiana team. But MSU's overall resume is still slightly better. Other than that, expect some movement Wednesday and Thursday as well as my attempt to seed the entire field by Thursday (or Wednesday...who knows?)

EAST-WEST vs. SOUTH-MIDWEST (Click on bracket for enlarged bracket version)

EAST REGION (Boston)
1. UConn (Philadelphia)
2. Michigan State (Minneapolis)
3. Wake Forest (Miami)
4. UCLA (Portland)

SOUTH REGION (Memphis)
1. North Carolina (Greensboro)
2. Louisville (Dayton)
3. Kansas (Boise)
4. Marquette (Minneapolis)

MIDWEST REGION (Indianapolis)
1. Pittsburgh (Dayton)
2. Duke (Greensboro)
3. LSU (Miami)
4. Missouri (Boise)

WEST REGION (Phoenix)
1. Oklahoma (Kansas City)
2. Memphis (Kansas City)
3. Villanova (Philadelphia)
4. Washington (Portland)

WEDNESDAY'S GAMES TO WATCH
North Carolina @ Virginia Tech - For North Carolina, a loss could mean a fall from the top seed. For VT, a win over UNC could move them from the bubble to the at-large category.
BYU @ Wyoming - We've already seen teams like Georgetown and Cincinnati fall to bad teams in the road. BYU cannot deserve to do this.
Air Force @ UNLV - This should be an easy one for the Rebels. A win here will just solidify their chances to gain an at-large spot.
Colorado St @ San Diego St - The Aztecs are still on the outside looking in my opinion but with every win and losses by other teams, their odds of getting in get better and better.
Wisconsin @ Minnesota - Couple of bubble teams that really want/need this. A road win for Wisconsin would be huge. A home loss for Minnesota would give them 6 losses in 8 games. That wouldn't be good.
Texas A+M @ Colorado - As of now, I think the Aggies have done enough to be in good shape. But a loss to the 9-19 Buffaloes will change all of that.
BC @ NC State - BC has beaten UNC, Duke, and Providence, hence why they are in great shape. A win may put them in the tournament. Losing to NC State should not be an option.
Miami (FL) @ GT - The 'Canes are still missing that real marquee win so losing to a team like GT hurts more than most think. The Jackets are good enough to pull off this upset too.
Georgia @ Kentucky - If Kentucky wants any chance of making the tournament with an at-large berth, they cannot only win this game, but win it convincingly. The Dawgs are awful.
Florida @ Mississippi St - The Gators should be in wonderful shape with this road win. The Bulldogs have already beaten Kentucky and South Carolina. Gators better be ready to go.


Okay, that's your update for now. As you can see, a lot of games Wednesday to watch and that means, a lot at stake. I'll have your next update tomorrow and will be working hard (on my day off nonetheless) to seed the entire tourney. Again, please leave your opinions, criticisms, compliments and more by clicking on the comments below. Until then, enjoy the games!

Barnes Bracketology - March 3rd

Welcome back. The countdown to Selection Sunday continues and today, I'm going to take my projections a bit further by sharing not only my projected field of 65 but also the top 4 seeds. Here we go!

MY PROJECTED FIELD OF 65
(new teams in italics)

LOCKS: With their convincing win over Baylor, I am moving Texas into this category. The win gave them 20 for the year and even with a loss to Kansas on Saturday, they have done enough.

LOCKS (28): Duke, UNC, Clemson, Florida St, Wake, Pitt, UConn, L'Ville, Villanova, West Virginia, Syracuse, Marquette, Michigan St, Illinois, Purdue, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Washington, UCLA, Arizona St, LSU, Utah, Memphis, Xavier, Butler, Gonzaga and Texas.

AUTO: No changes here.

AUTO (20): Vermont (Am. East), Belmont (A-Sun), Weber State (Big Sky), Radford (Big South), Long Beach St (Big West), VCU (Colonial), Cornell (Ivy), Siena (MAAC), Buffalo (MAC), Morgan St (MEAC), Creighton (MVC), Robert Morris (Northeast), Tenn-Martin (Ohio Valley), American (Patriot), Davidson (SoCon), Stephen F. Austin (Southland), Alabama St (SWAC), ND State (Summit), Western Kentucky (Sun Belt), and Utah St (WAC)

AT-LARGE: With Texas now a LOCK, that leaves 17 at-large spots. Again, these are in order of safest to no so safe. Also, the 3 BUBBLE teams that are in the AUTO category were not considered for this category. No changes besides Texas moving out.

AT-LARGE (17): California, BYU, Tennessee, Ohio St, BC, Dayton, Wisconsin, Arizona, South Carolina, Michigan, Maryland, UNLV, Florida, OKST, Texas A+M, Cincinnati, and St. Mary's.

BUBBLE WATCH

Big news today is that Notre Dame is out. That's right, their bubble has been burst after a 77-60 home loss to Villanova. And with Texas safe from Bubble Watch now, that leaves 30 teams fighting for their NCAA Tournament lives still.

BUBBLE (30): Miami (FL), BC, Maryland, VT, Georgetown, Cincinnati, Providence, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio St, Michigan, Penn St, OKST, Texas A+M, Kansas St, California, Arizona, Tennessee, South Carolina, Florida, Kentucky, BYU, UNLV, San Diego St, Dayton, Utah St, Creighton, St. Mary's, Rhode Island, and Davidson.

SEEDING

This will be my first go at this. I did my best to seed the top 4 teams as well as place them in one of 8 first/second round locations. This wasn't really easy as it's tough to place the top 4 seeds without doing the rest of the bracket. But that will come in time. So for now, here's what I have.

EAST-WEST vs. SOUTH-MIDWEST (Click on bracket for enlarged bracket version)

EAST REGION (Boston)
1. UConn (Philadelphia)
2. Michigan State (Minneapolis)
3. Wake Forest (Miami)
4. UCLA (Portland)

SOUTH REGION (Memphis)
1. North Carolina (Greensboro)
2. Louisville (Dayton)
3. Kansas (Boise)
4. Marquette (Minneapolis)

MIDWEST REGION (Indianapolis)
1. Pittsburgh (Dayton)
2. Duke (Greensboro)
3. LSU (Miami)
4. Missouri (Boise)

WEST REGION (Phoenix)
1. Oklahoma (Kansas City)
2. Memphis (Kansas City)
3. Villanova (Philadelphia)
4. Washington (Portland)

So what do you think? Lemme know in the comments section. I will update these daily now and as the days go by, I will be adding more seeds and yeah, someday, project the full bracket. That'll come later though. Gimme some time...please.

TUESDAY'S GAMES TO WATCH

Wake Forest @ Maryland - For Wake, this is a chance to move up to the 2-seed. For Maryland, this is almost a must-win. A win over Wake really helps the portfolio.
Georgetown @ St. John's - Simply put, a loss by Georgetown to lowly St. John's bursts their bubble
Ohio State @ Iowa - OSU is 3-6 on the road and 8-8 in the Big Ten. They cannot afford a loss to Iowa if they want to feel comfortable come Selection Sunday
Cincinnati @ South Florida - The Bulls have beaten Marquette already in Tampa. If they beat Cincinnati, the Bearcats will be facing an uphill climb to stay in the at-large conversation
Kansas State @ Oklahoma State - Two bubble teams in this one and it may be a win-and-in game. Both teams are 8-6 in the Big 12. Bigger for K-State than for OKST.

Alright, that's all for now. More Barnes Bracketology tomorrow. Again, leave all comments below. I love reading them and lets me know my hard work isn't going for naught. Later.

Barnes Bracketology

As you can see the countdown above, selection Sunday is coming quick. And that means the Madness is on the way too. In some ways, I feel March Madness is one of the reasons I am alive. Without it, I don't know what I would with my life. The first four days are the best four days in sports in my mind. Yes, that means better than the likes of the Masters (though that may change this April).

So in my effort to post more regularly on this blog, I am going to do a bit of bracket-guessing myself. As we get closer, I will become more detailed in terms of seeding and such but for this opening post, I am going to lay the groundwork and then, my hope is to update this every night after work. Trust me, I have the time.

So here is how it will work. We'll start with my LOCKS. In my mind, I think right now, there are 27 locks for the tournament. This means, they are in whether or not they win their conference tourney. They are, in no particular order:

LOCKS (27): Duke, UNC, Clemson, Florida St, Wake, Pitt, UConn, L'Ville, Villanova, West Virginia, Syracuse, Marquette, Michigan St, Illinois, Purdue, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Washington, UCLA, Arizona St, LSU, Utah, Memphis, Xavier, Butler, and Gonzaga.

After that, I picked who I thought would win the conferences and earn the automatic bid. I only picked conferences that did not have a representative in my LOCKS category. I call this my AUTO category. Right now, I have 20 of them. They are, in no particular order:

AUTO (20): Vermont (Am. East), Belmont (A-Sun), Weber State (Big Sky), Radford (Big South), Long Beach St (Big West), VCU (Colonial), Cornell (Ivy), Siena (MAAC), Buffalo (MAC), Morgan St (MEAC), Creighton (MVC), Robert Morris (Northeast), Tenn-Martin (Ohio Valley), American (Patriot), Davidson (SoCon), Stephen F. Austin (Southland), Alabama St (SWAC), ND State (Summit), Western Kentucky (Sun Belt), and Utah St (WAC)

So that means with 27 LOCKS and 20 AUTO, that leaves 18 AT-LARGE spots. From here, I compiled a list of teams who I consider on the bubble as of March 1st. As of now, I have a list of 32 BUBBLE sqauds. The thing is, 3 of them are also in the AUTO category because they are legit shots to earn an AT-LARGE if they lose their conference tourneys. So right now, these 32 teams are on the BUBBLE. They are, in no particular order:

BUBBLE (32): Miami (FL), BC, Maryland, VT, Georgetown, Cincinnati, Notre Dame, Providence, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio St, Michigan, Penn St, Texas, OKST, Texas A+M, Kansas St, California, Arizona, Tennessee, South Carolina, Florida, Kentucky, BYU, UNLV, San Diego St, Dayton, Utah St, Creighton, St. Mary's, Rhode Island, and Davidson.

Now again, I am just laying the groundwork right now, so I am not looking at conference numbers, SOS, or RPI. Instead for tonight, I am picking with my gut. I've watched a lot of college basketball this year and read about it even more so I feel fairly good about my 18 AT-LARGE selections. For the sake of this too, I did not even consider the 3 teams that were also in the AUTO category (Utah St, Creighton, Davidson). So, here are my 18 AT-LARGE teams. This one though, is in order for who I think is most safe to not so safe.

AT-LARGE (18): California, Texas, BYU, Tennessee, Ohio St, BC, Dayton, Wisconsin, Arizona, South Carolina, Michigan, Maryland, UNLV, Florida, OKST, Texas A+M, Cincinnati, and St. Mary's.


So there you have it. That's my field of 65 as of now. The LOCKS, AUTO, and AT-LARGE. Of course, this can all change daily. That's why I will be doing a post every night (hopefully) to give you my take on how things have changed. For now, here are the games to watch Monday that could play a major factor in my field of 65 projections.

MONDAY GAMES TO WATCH
Villanova @ Notre Dame - A must-win for the Irish. A loss all but bursts Notre Dame's already shaky bubble.
Baylor @ Texas - Longhorns are probably in as of now. But a loss here would hurt their case, especially with Kansas coming later in the week.

That's all for now. I'll get a bit more in-depth with my picks. Plus, I'll start adding some seeding. Hope you'll check back tomorrow. Until then, try to get as much work done as you can because when the Madness begins, it ain't getting done.