Baseball Power Report, Memorial Day edition

The season has been going for a couple months, things are settling into position. Memorial Day, about a quarter of the way through the season, is really the first great opportunity to classify each team.

Let me say that finding a unique and interesting statistic or two for each of 30 teams takes a while. Especially as things change every day. This is like my 3rd attempt at it this season.

1. Rangers. They still lead the American League in runs scored, fewest runs allowed, and as a result, winning percentage, and that’s the magical triple crown in sports. Josh Hamilton is playing as good as anyone ever, and I believe he will win the batting Triple Crown. Yu Darvish is 5-0 at home (if Yu considers Texas his home).

2. Dodgers. 16-7 (68%) with Matt Kemp, 8-4 (67%) without him. 21-5 at Dodgers Stadium. At age 33, Chris Capuano has been one of baseball’s most consistent pitchers. Wait, who?

3. Nationals. Nats have won all five series they’ve played against division rivals. Pitching has been stellar. None of their starting five have even missed a start. Bryce Harper has come out with a bang. While none of their hitters has really stood out, everyone is contributing.

4. Cardinals. You may think this is high for a team trailing in their own division, but the Cardinals are showing all the signs of a great team. Their hitting post-Pujols and without injured Berkman is only behind the Texas Rangers. The pitching rotation has been healthy and very consistent. Compare this team to last year: new coach, 3-4 sluggers injured or gone, ace of the pitching staff hurt, led by Renaissance men Carlos Beltran and Rafael Furcal.

5. Rays. Joe Maddon continues to do his thing, reload and keep firing. Longoria has been hurt and the four Rays with the most at bats are all hitting .235 or worse yet the team is still in the middle in most offensive stats. Closer Kyle Farnsworth has been out all year and Fernando Rodney stepped in and has been brilliant. All Jeremy Hellickson does in the majors is win.

6. Orioles. O’s have been the most surprising team in baseball. The pitching has likely overachieved, but let’s see how long they can keep it up. Baltimore hasn’t had a winning team for 14 years. The bullpen currently holds a record of 11-5 and has been the brightest spot.

7. Reds. Aroldis Chapman has been practically unhittable and seems to have found his niche as a closer. Joey Votto continues to show he is a regular MVP candidate.

8. Yankees. The starting rotation is giving up tons of home runs, most in the majors. Andy Pettitte has been better than the Yankees could have hoped for in his return. After a sluggish start, Teixeira and Cano are heating up. A-Rod has hit in the cleanup spot all year but is 6th on the team in runs batted in, and that’s pathetic.

9. Indians. How they maintain a division lead, I don’t understand. Mediocre offense, below average starting pitching, worst bullpen ERA in the American League, -15 run differential. But a league-best 10-2 record in close games has made the difference for them. I don’t see that record holding up through summer.

10. Marlins. Quietly the hottest team in May. As a team they have stolen 58 bases, 13 more than anyone else.

11. Angels. After a dreadful start, they are right back in contention led by outstanding starting pitching. 7 wins in a row and they are back to .500.

12. White Sox. Winning 10 of their last 11 games has carried them close to the top of the division. Adam Dunn remembered how to hit. Paul Konerko, Mr. Quiet Consistence, is now batting close to .400.

13. Mets. Another very surprising start as the other team in New York is sitting in second place in the division. David Wright is really carrying the team. The bullpen has real issues. Injuries are starting to pile up and look at this upcoming schedule: Phillies, Cardinals, Nationals, Yankees, Rays, Reds, Orioles, and Yankees. Check back with me on June 24 and tell me how they are doing.

14. Phillies. Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee have not been their usual dominant selves this year, which is bad news with the poor hitting behind them. But Cole Hamels has stepped up to keep the team afloat. Carlos Ruiz has been one of few bright spots in the lineup, along with Hunter Pence’s power.

15. Blue Jays. Starting to fade after a nice start. Edwin Encarnacion (15) is only 2 home runs shy of last year’s total, making up for a slow start for Jose Bautista.

16. Braves. A rough week drops them from first to last. I know he’s a legend in Atlanta, but Chipper Jones should have retired years ago. Brandon Beachy has allowed 2 or fewer earned runs in 9 of his 10 starts.

17. Red Sox. Scoring runs is never an issue with the Red Sox. I don’t get why Bobby Valentine is playing his 3-time Gold Glove winning first baseman, Adrian Gonzalez, in right field, so that an unproductive Kevin Youkilis can play first.

18. Giants. Sad but true: Tim Lincecum has been the worst starting pitcher in the National League. Meanwhile, Melky Cabrera is going nuts, hitting .426 over the last month.

19. Tigers. Detroit was supposed to coast through an easy division but here we are at Memorial Day and they are 23-25. It’s not because of their stars as Verlander, Cabrera and Fielder have been excellent.

20. Pirates. Andrew McCutchen is developing into a real superstar, but he’s the only batter on the team that is doing anything. Pirates are dead last in runs scored. But the stellar pitching has kept them at .500 to this point. Let’s see if they can keep it up for 114 more games.

21. Diamondbacks. Last year looks like a one year wonder for the Dbacks, who haven’t had any player do particularly well so far.

22. Astros. They are hanging in there and I still can’t name any player on their team.

23. Athletics. Josh Reddick has been a lone bright spot for the A’s, who have now lost 6 in a row. As a team they are batting .211 and have scored the fewest runs in the AL. This is a team going nowhere in a hurry.

24. Mariners. 2-10 against the AL East, good thing they don’t play in that division.

25. Brewers. Rickie Weeks is batting .115 in May and striking out in 41% of his at bats.

26. Royals. 5-17 home record, what?

27. Rockies. The curse of Coors Field has returned as the Rockies rank at the bottom of the league in pitching. Carlos Gonzalez is leading the team in every offensive stat.

28. Padres. 16 games out of first place already.

29. Twins. Justin Morneau has found his power stroke since coming off the DL. The starting pitching has been awful, as is evident by 9 different starting pitchers being used this MONTH.

30. Cubs. Finally ended their 12-game losing streak, but that was 12 games too late. The bullpen has blown 57% of their save opportunities. Here’s a stat: 1-9 in games facing a lefty pitcher.

crazy but true

After an agonizing week capped by a pathetic 6-0 shutout against the Royals on Monday, I prepared to write a blog about the demise of the Yankees. A busy work schedule left me no time to write it. Two games later things look slightly better. The Yankees hit rock-bottom Monday night and hopefully the only way to go is up.

This season has left us no shortage of oddities. Here are a few stats that are worth a second look. Let me know of any others that you find.

- Winning cures all? The Cleveland Indians are off to a hot start, holding a surprisingly comfortable division lead. But despite being in first place, the Indians are dead-last in attendance. What gives? Meanwhile, the Phillies are struggling and currently in the division cellar. As you might guess, they lead all baseball in attendance.

- Game attendance isn't a number most people notice so how about some more interesting figures: the percent that ballparks fill up when a road team comes to town, or in other words, the road teams that draw the best crowds. #1 is the Cubs, and #2 is the Padres. Both teams are in last place. Logical, of course.

- As Nancy Kerrigan says, "why, whyyyyyyyyy?" It's not a statistic you have a lot of control over perhaps, but the numbers for times players get hit by a pitch is eye-opening. After 46 games the Seattle Mariners have been hit by a pitch 3, count them, 3 times. Meanwhile, those Tampa Bay Rays have been hit by 29 stray pitches. That's 10 times as many incidents.

- Must be the coaching: the same team leads the American League in strikeouts, times grounding into double plays, and worst stolen base percentage. They are 2nd to last in most errors. Naturally, this is the Baltimore Orioles, who happen to have the best record in the AL.

- Mets ownership decided that the field in their new stadium was too big and too hard to hit a homer in so they moved the fences in closer before the season. Last year the Mets averaged 0.67 home runs per game. This season? Less (0.56 per game).

- Key to winning is score more than your opponent, right? The Rangers have this figured out. They lead the American League in runs scored and fewest runs allowed.

- Time to move: the Mariners are batting .249 on the road and .201 at home.

- Pitching to win? The Phillies and Angels pitchers have had the most quality starts (6+IP, 3 ER or fewer). Both are in last place.

- Tigers are definitely off to a bad start. One reason could be that batting average of .129 with the bases loaded. Yikes!

- Why bother? Pinch hitters for the Blue Jays are 1-19 (.053). The Indians have only used 6 pinch hitters and don't have a hit.

- Season slump: Rickie Weeks is batting a woeful .155 (coincidentally, after 155 at bats).

- Thanks, guys: Statistically, Red Sox Clay Buchholz has been the worst starting pitcher to still have a job. He also has a 4-2 record. How is that? 12.22 runs of support per game, yeah, that would do it.

- Compare that to poor Ervin Santana, who's Angels got shut out in 5 straight games that he pitched.

- So if each team has 5 starting pitchers that would be 150 current starting pitchers in baseball. Yankees' Phil Hughes (11), Hiroki Kuroda (10), and Ivan Nova (10) are all in the Top 8 for most home runs allowed. Sabathia (8) isn't far behind.

- Batters are hitting .167 against Nationals' Gio Gonzalez this year. That's nasty.

Miller's NBA Playoff Predictions

No time for anything cute, straight to the point.

EAST

Bulls over 76ers 4-0
Heat over Knicks 4-0
Pacers over Magic 4-2
Celtics over Hawks 4-2

Bulls over Celtics 4-1
Heat over Pacers 4-2

Heat over Bulls 4-2

WEST

Spurs over Jazz 4-2
Thunder over Mavs 4-3
Lakers over Nuggets 4-3
Grizzlies over Clippers 4-2

Grizzlies over Spurs 4-2
Thunder over Lakers 4-2

Thunder over Grizzlies 4-2

FINALS

Heat over Thunder 4-1

reflections on Opening Weekend

What a sports weekend. And yeah, Bubba Watson won a mostly uneventful Masters and the Knicks won a couple big games, but baseball was all that truly mattered. My wife, even my 14-month old son sat with daddy and watched America's great ball game. What's better than that?

1. Gotta start with my Yankees. A lot to say after an 0-3 start, something from each pathetic game. First game, first inning, ace on the hill. Let CC pitch! Joe Girardi's afraid of Sean Rodriguez in the first game of the season? Over-coaching all ready. Let him pitch!

1b. Hiroki Kuroka can't get out lefties. No secrets in his scouting report. Coming from the soft-slugging NL West to the nightmarish AL East, what was Cashman thinking would happen?

1c. Raul Ibanez was brought here to be the DH. So in the 3rd game of the year Girardi has him in right field, and in the first inning the first ball hit to him gets by him and costs the Yankees a run. Is Nick Swisher so exhausted after two games that he can only DH?

2. Lest my heckling Red Sox fan friends feel any justification in heckling, the worst bullpen in baseball is stationed in Boston. Add to that the fact that Beckett and Buchholz each allowed 7 earned runs in their starts, and things aren't looking so good in Beantown.

3. Toronto won their first game in 16 innings, the second game in 12 innings, and in the third game they had the bases loaded in the 9th down by one. Let's see how well the bullpen holds up.

4. It probably says more about the Twins than the Orioles, but after the 3 game series the O's team ERA is 1.00.

5. Andrew McCutchen had walk-off hits in back-to-back games for the Pirates. He is a stud.

6. The Phillies have a weak lineup, below average even for the NL. Only Philly fans will recognize half the names in the starting lineup, and the other half are past their prime. That being said, a season with Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels will cover some of those offensive shortcomings.

7. The Giants are praised for also having one of the best top of the rotations. Lincecum, Cain and Bumgarner have a collective ERA over 8.2.

8. The first series of the season is open season for overreactions. But the one team that looks much better than I expected is the St Louis Cardinals. The starting rotation is still strong without Carpenter and the hitters are showing some pop, too.

look into my crystal ball

For all the rants and ravings (including mine) about how Opening Day was ruined forever, today was an excellent day of baseball. We got to see Roy Halladay, Stephen Strasburg, Justin Verlander, Johan Santana, Jon Lester, and five minutes of Clayton Kershaw all pitch. Scoring was down, but what do you expect on a day when everyone is throwing their ace?

A couple interesting notes:

- Jose Valverde did not blow a single save the entire season in 2011. He blew one today the first game of the season.
- The Blue Jays/Indians 16 inning marathon was the longest Opening Day game in history.
- Former Red Sox Jonathan Papelbon closed out the Phillies win. His Beantown replacement didn't blow a save but he lost the game.
- 6 out of 14 teams that played Thursday scored 1 or fewer runs. If you include the game from yesterday and from last week, that number is 9 of 17. The Decade of the Pitcher continues.

Onward to Miller's Fearless Projections
I know the season has started but have no worries; none of these were adjusted unfairly from today's outcomes.

If you have gripes about where your team places then write your own blog. Or post a comment on mine. Then check back in October.

Lots of surprises. I love the Nationals this year. Pirates will reach 81 wins. Blue Jays will finish 3rd.

American League
East
*Yankees 96-66
*Rays 92-70
Blue Jays 88-74
Red Sox 87-75
Orioles 62-100

Central
*Tigers 95-67
Twins 79-83
Indians 78-84
Royals 77-85
White Sox 68-94

West
*Angels 97-65
*Rangers 95-67
Mariners 75-87
Athletics 66-96

National League
East
*Nationals 92-70
*Phillies 91-73
*Marlins 86-76
Braves 84-78
Mets 63-99

Central
*Brewers 87-75
Reds 84-78
Pirates 81-81
Cardinals 79-83
Cubs 73-89
Astros 56-106

West
*Diamondbacks 91-71
Dodgers 84-78
Giants 80-82
Rockies 76-86
Padres 73-89

Playoffs
Rays over Rangers
Angels over Rays
Yankees over Tigers
Angels over Yankees

(Ugh, do I have to pick the NL?)
Phillies over Marlins
Brewers over Nationals
Phillies over Diamondbacks
Brewers over Phillies

2012 World Series
Angels over Brewers

Okay, that's right. I'm not picking my Yankees. Happy?
Maybe now they will win because of that.

Okay, Miller's unofficial other pick:
Yankees over Brewers

Awards, etc.
AL MVP: Miguel Cabrera
NL MVP: Giancarlo Stanton
AL Cy Young: Dan Haren
NL Cy Young: Stephen Strasburg
AL Rookie: Matt Moore
NL Rookie: no idea. who are the candidates?
AL Manager: Joe Maddon
NL Manager: Davey Johnson
AL Comeback: Kendrys Morales
NL Comeback: Adam Wainwright
AL: Batting Champ: Miguel Cabrera
NL: Batting Champ: Andre McCutchen
AL Homer Leader: Jose Bautista
NL Homer Leader: Troy Tulowitzki

Baseball Preview

I remember in high school when Opening Day was a holiday worthy of celebration. TVs were on in the library and I walked in to watch Armando Benitez close out a win for the Mets. And then a few years ago Opening Day was on Monday, the same day as the NCAA National Championship. I think it was a Michigan State/UNC matchup or something similar. What did I watch? The Oakland A's playing the Angels, teams I didn't really care about. But it was baseball! And that's all that mattered.

Since then, Bud Selig is doing everything he can to ruin any anticipation and excitement of the start of the season. A two-game series last week in Japan aired here in the states at 6am a week before everyone else in the middle of preseason was the dumbest idea ever. And now tonight is one game (at night?!), tomorrow has 7 games, there are 9 games on Friday, and not until Saturday is everyone playing. What is the point of that? I guess I am targeting Friday as my time to celebrate the start of the season. But this makes NO sense.

It's like a party where two people come an hour before everyone else, only to leave when they realize the party hasn't started. One couple comes at the scheduled time and start setting up tables. Half hour later more people start trickling in and the grill gets fired up, and a little later while everyone is enjoying some burgers and potato salad the rest of the guests arrive. It's totally awkward for everyone until that moment.

Anywho, "Opening Day", at least the concept of it, is the most optimistic, hopeful moment of the entire year when everyone's team is starting out at the same level (except for the M's and A's, who each have a loss and a win) and dreams of the playoffs run freely. Even here in Jersey, there are actually Mets fans who call up the radio station saying their team has a chance.

Here is my division by division preview:

The AL BEast is one of the strongest divisions in the history of baseball. The Yankees have a lot of depth all around, including starting pitching, which was a very shallow rotation a season ago. ARod will try to prove he still has some pop and Cano will once again contend for the MVP. The Rays' Joe Maddon is the best manager in the league and is fortunate to return practically the entire team from a year ago. The Blue Jays are my surprise pick to ride Johnny Bats (Jose Bautista) into contention in September. Last year's trendy pick, the Red Sox, have not ceased to crumble since September and have now lost their closer for a while, the week of Opening Day; this coming after an offseason where they lost their previous All Star closer. This once star-studded team now has holes all over the place. Orioles are not a terrible team but are in a terrible position. They could be the best team to ever lose 100 games. Whatever that means.

AL Central is a one horse race. Despite the forced move to 3rd base, no one will be happier with the Tigers' signing Prince Fielder than Miguel Cabrera, who should have won the MVP last year without the protection of a 40 homer threat in the lineup. The rest of the division, yuck! Now that Ozzie is out I guess the best manager is the Ron Gardenhire, and with the possibility of a full return of Mauer and Morneau the Twins ought to hang around .500. Indians, what is there to be excited about? I've heard a lot of people that want to pick the Royals to get 83+ wins but think of this: Bruce Chen is their Opening Day starter. Bruce Chen. And the White Sox are headed in the wrong direction.

AL West will have a great season-long fight. The California Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of the United States of North America has just picked up baseball's best player (Pujols), has 3 or 4 legitimate aces in the rotation (Weaver, Haren, Wilson, Ervin Santana), including stripping their division rival's rotation leader, to help an already great manager in Mike Soscia. Rangers have back-to-back World Series appearances and pretty much replaced CJ Wilson with Yu Darvish. Mariners can't be any worse than last year but still over very little excitement. As for the Athletics: you would be hard pressed to name two players on their roster and I don't see how they will be competitive.

Like the AL, the NL East is also a beast with two improved teams to challenge the Phils and Braves. After writing the Nationals in at the top and then changing to the Phils, what the heck: this blog is for fun. I'm picking the Nationals to take the division. Stephen Strasburg has supplanted Doc Halladay as the honored Miles-Miller's-Favorite-Player-Not-On-the-Yankees distinction. The Nats have been on a shopping spree the last couple years and are surprisingly solid in the rotation, bullpen, and lineup. They won 80 last year; with a full year of Strasburg along with additions of Gio Gonzalez and Edwin Jackson, that ought to win at least 12 more. As much as I don't want to pick the Phillies, they still have Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels, and with that trio starting 90 games the Phils are a postseason lock. Their lineup is incredibly average. The Marlins made some big improvements adding Reyes to lead off, Buehrle and crazy Carlos Zambrano to round out the rotation with a now-healthy ace Josh Johnson, Heath Bell to close, and the fiery Ozzie Guillen in the dugout (sometimes). There definitely is the chance for turbulence but there is also 100-win potential. The Braves' 2011 collapse was epic, and since this mostly-young team is mostly-returning, we ought to see a solid but not flashy team. As for the New York Mess, I mean Mets, I like Ike Davis but that's it. There is no upside on this team.

Take away 2 of the 3 biggest sluggers in the division and The National League Central will once again be very, very mediocre. Brewers won the division last year and are returning a solid rotation with Stinky Greinke, Yovani Gallardo and Shaun Marcum, and do have the reigning MVP Ryan Braun. (So the reason he won the appeal is that his positive PED sample was transported incorrectly??) Ought to be enough to win the division handily. Reds are... red. Last year they finished on the wrong side of .500 and their biggest move was resigning Joey Votto, baseball's Pride of Canada. They will stay around that 81-win mark. Speaking of .500, I think this is the year. That's right, I'm picking the Pirates to win 81 games and reach that threshold. Welcome to Pittsburgh, AJ Burnett. Cardinals are the unlikely but lucky champs once again. Losing Pujols and La Russa sounds like a honeymoon swoon is in the works, especially after losing Chris Carpenter again to a lengthy injury. Cubs are a bad team. Houston Lastros are a VERY bad team.

Naturally, the NL West is the division that I am the least familiar with. All I know is that Ian Kennedy couldn't make the major league roster with the Yankees and ended up winning 21 games with the Diamondbacks last year. Their team is much deeper and more talented than anyone else in the division. Dodgers finally seem to have reached some stability in ownership and that ought to create stability on the field. Kemp displayed superstar attributes last year; more of that will keep the Dodgers in contention. Same ol' same ol' for the Giants: one of the best duo of aces in Tim Lincecum and "Richy Rich" Matt Cain to go opposite an impotent lineup. Rockies feature a couple star sluggers in CarGo and Tulo but I couldn't pick anyone else out of a police lineup (besides Helton and Giambi, who are both practically senior citizens at this point). You would be hard pressed to name anyone on the Padres.

There is my semi-quick preview. Tomorrow I will post my predictions and projections for team records and awards.

the Jeremy Lin story

Sometimes we hear great underdog stories of great players that just need a chance to show what they can do. Usually these are in a movie and fictitious. Then there is Linsanity that took the world by storm. I did a little research and here is the background.

- Jeremy Lin went to Palo Alto High School, where he was named Northern California Division II Player of the Year, and as a captain he led the basketball team to a 32–1 record and upset nationally ranked Mater Dei for the California Division II state championship. But it seems like no one noticed him.

- Lin applied to Stanford (right where he grew up) and UCLA, but they only invited him to try the team as a walk on. Harvard and Brown were the only teams that guaranteed him a spot on the basketball team, but Ivy League schools do not offer athletic scholarships. At first, Harvard said the team wasn't interested in him, but a few weeks later changed their mind. So he went to Harvard.

- At Harvard he was a unanimous selection for the Ivy League First Team. He led the 2010 team to a school record for wins and non-conference wins, and finished his college career as the first Ivy League player to compile and 1,450 points, 450 rebounds, 400 assists, and 200 steals. Still, it seems like no one noticed him.

- Lin went undrafted in the 2010 NBA draft. The Dallas Mavericks were the only team that invited Lin to play in the Summer League. A few teams offered him a contract and he signed with his hometown Golden State Warriors. He made the opening day roster but was placed on the inactive list. He played in 29 games, mostly on Asian Heritage Night for whatever arena the team was playing in. He went to the D-League 3 times that season, but played so well that he was recalled up each time. Lin was cut by the Warriors on the first day back after the NBA lockout.

- A few days later he was claimed/picked up by the Houston Rockets. He was cut by the team on Christmas Eve, right before the season started.

- The Knicks claimed him a few days later when Iman Shumpert got injured to be a backup behind Toney Douglas and Mike Bibby. A week later he got sent to the D-League again. A couple days later he had a triple double (28 points, 11 rebounds, 12 assists) in a win. A few days later he was recalled. By Feb 3, he had played in just 6 games for the Knicks and scored 32 total points, while the Knicks were sitting at a record of 8-15.

And then the rest of the story

- On Feb 4 against the New Jersey Nets, Lin came off the bench to score 25 points and electrify the crowd as the Knicks won.

- Lin started the next game against the Jazz. All Star Amar'e Stoudemire was injured and did not play. Carmelo Anthony was injured in the first quarter and didn't return. Lin played 44 minutes, scored 28 points, and the Knicks won again.

- The Knicks were without both All Stars against the Wizards. Lin scored 23 and the Knicks won again.

- On Feb 10 against the Lakers, Jeremy Lin scored 38 points, outplayed Kobe Bryant, and the Knicks beat the Lakers. The 38 was the most points by a Knicks player this year.

- In the next game, Super Lintendo hit some last second free throws to beat the Timberwolves. He finished the game with 20 points.

The point is

Here is a guy that has succeeded at every level he has played at but fails to get noticed. He was not offered a college scholarship. He was undrafted. He was waived by two NBA teams. Two weeks ago he was in the D-League. A week ago no one knew who he was.

And now, Lin has led the 8-15 Knicks to five wins in a row despite being without their (other) two best and most important players. In those 5 games he has averaged nearly 27 points (near Kobe's NBA season-best 29), 8 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals. If that's not impressive enough for you, remember that these were the first NBA games he has started in his career, and a week ago you never heard of him.

How did nearly every university miss this? How did every NBA team blow the opportunity to get him? How has everyone in authority overlooked this guy's skills and abilities so long? Give him a chance and look what happens.

This isn't one of those cases like the 1984 Miracle on Ice where some underdog surprises the world and plays better than their ability. This isn't Tim Tebow, a terrible quarterback with a world famous resume who leads a bad to the playoffs. This is a situation where a player with insane skills has emerged out of practically nowhere, completely whiffed by everyone, and takes a league by storm. Given a chance to play for an underachieving team with no other great players, he leads the team to 5 straight wins including one where he outplayed one of the best players in NBA history. If that isn't enough for you, please tell me one other undrafted player in the NBA who has made an impact on the court. Especially in the NBA, that never happens.

Linsanity, Lincredible, AmazLin, whatever you want to call it, it's a story for the ages. And it has just begun.

it's Super Bowl Time!

Anyone who knows me on Facebook will know that I love the New York Giants and the New England Patriots. This is the Miles Miller Super Bowl, as one of my west coast friends put it, and a repeat of (in my opinion) the greatest Super Bowl ever from a few years ago.

Some people find it hard to believe or understand why I could be a Giants fan (NYC) and a Patriots fan (Boston). This really is not an issue. It is not like Yankees vs. Red Sox, two hated rivals from the same division that play 20 times a season, vying for the same playoff position and whose new coach declares "I hate the Yankees." These are teams from different conferences that meet once every four years during the regular season and only beyond that in the Super Bowl.

- I grew up listening to the Giants on the radio. I waited through the Dan Reeves and terrible Dave Brown years, cheered for the Jim Fassel, Kerry Collins and Tiki Barber team, and now root for the Eli and Coughlin team.
- I have not always been a Patriots fan, but I love Tom Brady. He has been my favorite player for the last 10 years. If you have a problem with me rooting for my favorite player's team then you need to get a life.
-Along with that, the Patriots and Giants are both the biggest rivals of the New York Jets, the football team I detest the most. That's another reason why I'm happy to see them succeed.

This game has so many of my favorite players: Brady and Eli Manning are my favorite QBs, Rob Gronkowski is an advancement in evolution, and Jason Pierre-Paul has emerged as one of the most exciting and explosive defensive players in the league.

What My Heart Says
A lot rides on this game for Tom Brady, Belichek and the Patriots. If Tom Brady wants to justify his claim as the greatest quarterback of all time he needs to win this game. And if he does win, there isn't much critics can argue about. But Bill and Brady haven't won the big game since like 2004, and frankly I don't think they will get another chance after this.

As for the Giants, they have already exceeded expectations this year. All I cared about was that they beat the Cowboys in Week 14 and the Jets in Week 16 and I was happy. They were picked to be 3rd in the division, but they split with the Eagles and swept the Cowboys to grab the playoff spot, then dominated the Falcons and the 15-1 Packers and squeaked past the 49ers, which is more than even Giants fans could expect. Eli has already won a Super Bowl MVP, and he will get more opportunities to repeat over the next decade.

What My Brain Says

The Patriots have Brady, Gronkowski, and Wes Welker, and are slight favorites, but the GMen are clearly the better team. They have beaten the Patriots twice in a row and have the recipe to do it again: an elite pass rush. They have better receivers, a better ground game, better defense. Brady and Belichek are possibly the best QB/coach combo in history, but at this point Eli and Coughlin are just as good. (Coming from someone who hated Eli a year ago, that is saying something!) 49er Alex Smith is probably the most improved offensive player in the NFL but Eli is the runner up.

Who is going to guard Victor Cruz? What about Hakeem Nicks? And if the Patriots manage to do that, what about Mario Manningham, last game's hero? The Pats can't put pressure on Manning and they won't be able to guard all those playmakers. Especially with how the GMen have been playing the last 6 weeks, the Giants will put a lot of points on the board.

Rob Gronkowski is the X-factor. He has a bad ankle right now and while it is highly unlikely that he won't play, his effectiveness is questionable. However, Gronk is the most unguardable player we've seen since, well... ever. If he's on he can score a couple touchdowns and be the difference. Brady will have to have an incredible game for the Patriots to win. Again, that is not outside the realm of possibility, he is Tom Brady. But four reasons for him to be worried: Justin Tuck, Jason Pierre-Paul, Osi Umenyiora, and Mathis Kiwanuka.

The Giants were 9-7 and the Patriots 13-3, but the Giants are the best and most complete team in the NFL right now and that's why they made it through the NFC. And since the Saints were eliminated already and they don't have to play the Redskins again...

I am only looking for a well-played, entertaining game, and I will be happy with either team winning.

Prediction

Giants 35, Patriots 27