Like it or not, the UCONN Women streak is one of the greatest accomplishments in sports

On Tuesday night, the UCONN women's basketball team defeated the Florida State women by 31 points, the 89th consecutive win for Geno Auriemma's squad, surpassing John Wooden's UCLA teams for the longest winning streak in the history of college/professional sports.  But like anything, there needs to be nay-sayers downplaying the streak and how remarkable it is.

The main excuse- its womens sports, the competition is not as great as the men, therefore it is nowhere close to UCLA's streak because it was a lot less difficult as a result of the competition and the lack thereof.

Is the women's game as competitive?  Of course not, in fact I would say there are actually more good mens teams in the Big East (UCONN's conference) than there are in all of women's college basketball.  But the fact of the matter is, is that dominance is dominance, and that is what UCONN has done over the years- dominated not just women's college basketball, but women's basketball in general.  Here are some numbers that dates back to the 1993-1994 season that should prove their dominance:

Record- 584-43
National Championships- 7
Final Four Appearances- 10
Elite 8 appearances- 15
Big East Championships- 14
National Players of the year- 6 (Rebecca Lobo, Sue Bird, Diana Tuarasi (2), Maya Moore, Tina Charles)
WNBA first overall picks- 3 (Sue Bird, Diana Tuarasi, Tina Charles)

Those are the facts.  I don't care what you're playing, who you're playing against, or who you're playing with, 89 straight wins is an extremely remarkable accomplishment, and it should be recognized in that way.

NFL Week 15 Picks

CLE @ CIN, Cleveland- Neither team is very good, but the Browns put up a good fight in just about every game this year, despite being 5-8.  The Bengals have packed it in.
WAS @ DAL, Dallas- The mess in the Landover just got even messier this week with the McNabb saga going to another level, while Dallas has moved beyond Wade Phillips and have played the way everyone thought they would before the season began.
HOU @ TEN, Houston- Tennessee has lost 6 in a row, and I believe Houston will help make it 7.
JAC @ IND, Indianapolis- Peyton Manning and the Colts aren't having the year we are used to seeing them have, but I still say they're more than capable of beating the Jaguars at home.
KC @ STL, Kansas City- I feel the Chiefs are the better team, and will win with Cassel at quarterback.
BUF @ MIA, Miami- The Dolphins are 1-5 at home, while the Bills are 1-5 on the road.  I think this will be another story of the Bills losing a close game.
PHI @ NYG, Philadelphia- Both teams are streaking into this one, with the Eagles winning their last 2 and the Giants winning their last 3, but Andy Reid knows how to beat the Giants, winning their last 7 matchups.
DET @ TB, Tampa Bay- Tampa Bay is the definition of a good, not great team.  They beat up on the bad, and get beat up by the best, and Detroit is a team in the bad category.
ARI @ CAR, Carolina- Not the most anticipated matchup of the week, but I like Carolina winning their 2nd game of the season at home against the Cards, who are 1-5 on the road.
NO @ BAL, New Orleans-The Ravens are 1-3 against current playoff teams, and I love how the Saints have played during their 6 game winning streak.  No Corey Ivy, no problem for New Orleans.
ATL @ SEA, Atlanta- The Falcons have won their last 7 and are the best team in the NFC.  I think they'll walk all over the Seahawks in this one.
DEN @ OAK, Oakland- The Raiders are 4-0 in the division and beat the Broncos by 45 in their first meeting this year.  I don't see how Tim Tebow will help that.
NYJ @ PIT, Pittsburgh- The Steelers have been playing as good as anyone since losing to New England 4 weeks ago, while the Jets seem to have lost their identity since losing by 42 to the Pats 2 weeks ago.
GB @ NE, New England- If the Packers want to win, they'll have to outscore Brady and the high-flying Pats offense.  With no Rodgers, I don't see that happening.
CHI @ MIN, Chicago- With the game being played outside, I like Bears to dominate this one, trying to bounce back from last Sunday's loss to New England.

Walt Dropo 1923-2010

 The New England Sports World suffered received sad news Saturday when it was learned that Walt Dropo passed away at the age of 87.  Dropo, who is most notably known for being the first Red Sox player to win Rookie of the Year, was a person who simply was pure New England blood.

Dropo grew up in Moosup, CT, a small mill village in rural northeast Connecticut, and was a standout athlete a Plainfield (CT) High School before going to UCONN, where he emerged as one of the all-time great Huskies, starring in football, basketball, and baseball.  Dropo was the face of UCONN athletics in a time long before Calhoun, Aurriema, or Edsall.

He would go on to be drafted by the NFL, NBA, and MLB, opting to play baseball.  Dropo would go on to have a lengthy career which spanned over parts of 13 seasons, playing for 5 different teams.  His career numbers was .270 AVG, 152 home runs, over 1100 hits, and was notoriously hard to strike out, with his average strikeouts over 162 games being just 73.  His most notable season came in 1950 with the Boston Red Sox, when he hit .322 with 34 homers, 144 RBI (led MLB), scored 101 times, and had a .961 OPS, good enough for the AL Rookie of the Year.

Walt Dropo was simply a New England kid in every sense of the word, and will be truly missed in the New England sports world.

Week 14 Picks

Cleveland @ Buffalo, Buffalo- Feel Buffalo will rebound from last week's embarrasment to Minnesota, beat Cleveland in a close one.
Green Bay @ Detroit, Green Bay- Detroit still one of the NFL's worst teams, just not as bad as a couple of years ago.  Green Bay is one of the best, with a 5-1 record in their last 6 games, the only loss coming in OT to Atlanta, who I feel is the NFL's best.
Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh- Cincinatti has mailed in the season, while Pittsburgh is coming off an impressive come from behind win against Baltimore on the road.
Tampa Bay @ Washington, Tampa Bay- I say Tampa gets back on track this week with a win against Washington, a team I feel remains in limbo.  Still say the Bucs aren't legit, but showed me alot in the last 2 weeks against two of the NFL's best in Atlanta and Baltimore.
Atlanta @ Carolina, Atlanta- I'm not going to waste my time talking about this one.
Oakland @ Jacksonville, Jacksonville- Wouldn't say the Jags are a great team, but Oakland is 0-4 against AFC teams outside their division, and 2-4 on the road.  Jaguars are certainly good enough to win this one.
St. Louis @ New Orleans, New Orleans- The Saints have looked like the team we saw win the Super Bowl last year over their 5-game winning streak, I feel they will be too much for the Rams who take a 2-4 road record into the Superdome.
Seattle @ San Francisco, San Francisco- This is a game where neither team is any good yet their both playing for a playoff spot, but I like the niners in this one, who have a 2-1 division record, and are looking to make up for the 25-point blowout in week one.
New England @ Chicago, New England- Was thinking Chicago at first, but I feel the Tom Brady and the Pats are on such a roll right now that its going to take alot to beat this team.  The Bears are going to need to out-discipline the Patriots, which I don't see happening with Cutler at QB.  Theres also snow and wind in the forecast, which is Tom Brady weather.
Miami @ NY Jets, Miami- Miami has been the NFL's best road team (5-1), and I think the Jets are emotionally crushed from a Monday night loss.  Miami always gives the Jets a hard time, and I think this will be no different.
Denver @ Arizona, Denver- Arizona is a mess right now, and I think Denver will have the new coach factor in this game.
Kansas City @ San Diego, San Diego- Kansas City will have to play this one without Matt Cassell against a San Diego team that I feel will want to make up for their home loss to Oakland.
Philadelphia @ Dallas, Philadelphia- Dallas has played well under Garrett, but will come up short against Michael Vick and the high-flying Eagles.
NY Giants @ Minnesota, Minnesota- It seems like the Vikings are finally playing to their fullest potential with a 2-0 record under Leslie Frazier, and the final quarter of the season is where we have seen the Giants fade in past years.  I like Minnesota in an easy victory at the Metdrodome.
Baltimore @ Houston, Baltimore- Not sure what I think about Houston, but I see Baltimore as one of the NFL's best, and will be able to win this one on the road.

Sox 2011 Lineup will be lethal

Tito's job, after being seemingly one of the hardest managing jobs in 2010, could be one of the easiest managing jobs in 2011 with the Christmas shopping that Theo did this week--a $296 million trip to Walmart that brought two of the game's best players to Boston.  It should be interesting to see how this team does in 2011, I'd say this is a potential 100-win team. 
Lets begin the lineup.  Adrian Gonzalez brings one thing with him, and that is everything the Sox lost when Manny left.  In the 2+ seasons since Manny brought his talents to Chavez ravine, the Sox have scored lots of runs, but it is the timely hitting that has killed them.  Adrian, a guy I see as a 40 homers-40 doubles guy playing 81 a year at Fenway, now puts that beast back in the middle of the order, making the Sox lineup once again a pitcher's worst nightmare, much like it was in 2004 and 2007.
Now all they need is solid pitching, which I believe they have.  To begin, Jon Lester is their ace and in my opinion the best lefty in baseball, Clay Buchholz emerged as one of the game's most dominant starters in 2010, and someone I see as the close runner-up ace to Lester.  Ohh and by the way, they have Josh Beckett and Jon Lackey who were terrible last year, but I see them having solid bounce back years this year, and at their best, I see both them being legit #2 guys, maybe aces.
This how I see the Sox lineup panning out:

Carl Crawford, LF- Prefer him 2nd, but I feel the speed at the top of the lineup is important.
Dustin Pedroia, 2B- Good player, but I feel Laser Shows happen when Pedroia is batting 2nd.  This is also a great guy to put behind Crawford and Jacoby, given his grinder-like ability at the plate and ability to move runners along.
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B- Put your best power hitter and run-producer third.  He is one of the best power hitters and run-producers in baseball, I feel this guy will put up monster numbers as a result of not playing at Petco.
Kevin Youkilis, 3B- .311 AVG/.972 OPS hitting cleanup, plus sticks a righty between Papi and Gonzo.
David Ortiz, DH- Still say he can hit third, Gonzo is just the better option..wouldn't be surprised if he were to hit 40 home runs this year.
Jed Lowrie, SS- Scutaro deserves to be a starter, but could also be a great 10 position player like he was on the A's.  I just feel Lowrie needs to be in the lineup as a result of his ability to switch-hit and hit LHP (.309 career AVG vs. lefties), and it takes away the opposing manager's ability to bring in a lefty late in the game to face Papi and Drew back-to-back.
JD Drew, RF- Like Drew in the 7-hole, not quite a top of the order guy in my opinion.
Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C- This can allow him to quietly have a great season, not having to be the young up and coming superstar at the top of the order.  Instead, it allows him to test some things out, and I can honestly see him finding his stroke and being a 20-homer guy.
Jacoby Ellsbury, CF- A .363 career hitter in the bottom third of the order, brings a second leadoff hitter to the bottom of the lineup, not to mention NFL running back-like speed.  It also makes for a nice Jacoby-Crawford-Pedroia-Gonzalez batting order in the lineup.

Since there is no show this weekend, here are my week 12 picks

Thursday
NE @ DET- New England, Detroit will keep it close, but the Lions will fall short with Brady and the Pats.
NO @ DAL- New Orleans, With Bush returning, the Saints will bring the Cowboys back to earth.  At 7-3, the defending champs are pretty underrated.
CIN @ NYJ- NY Jets, T.O. was pretty accurate after Sunday's game, the Bengals are "terrible".

Sunday
GB @ ATL- Atlanta, both teams have been playing great over the past month, as they both bring 4-game winning streaks into the Georgia Dome.  I'll take take Atlanta based on the fact they are in the Georgia Dome, where the dirty birds are 5-0 this season.  But this can go either way.
PIT @ BUF- Pittsburgh, Buffalo has played great, but the Steelers are one of the NFL's best teams, and despite their 2-game winning streak, the Bills are still one of the NFL's worst.
CAR @ CLE- Cleveland, Carolina is a mess right now, how long it takes to explain what is wrong in Charlotte depends on how much time you've got.
TEN @ HOU- Houston, they return home after almost beating the Jets in the Meadowlands, while Tennessee is coming off a home loss to Washington, and another Vince Young episode.
JAX @ NYG- NY Giants, the Giants need this win after losing 2 straight in the division.
MIN @ WAS- Minnesota, happy to have Childress gone, Minnesota will come out flying.  Don't be surprised to see the Skins down 28-0 after one quarter for the 2nd time in 3 weeks.
MIA @ OAK- Miami, the Dolphins play their best football on the road, and I just can't get myself to believe in the Raiders.
KC @ SEA- Seattle, Kansas City isn't a bad team, but will show they're growing pains in Qwest Field, where the Seahawks are always tough.
TB @ BAL- Baltimore, Tampa Bay beats up on the bad teams, with their 7 wins coming against teams with a 16-44 record, and 3 losses coming against teams with 22-8 record.  Baltimore is in that 22-8 category.
PHI @ CHI- Philadelphia, Michael Vick or Jay Cutler? choice seems like a no-brainer to me.
STL @ DEN- Denver, St. Louis is yet to win on the road this year in 4 games, don't expect them to win a Mile High, a very tough place to win if you're not the Broncos.
SD @ IND- San Diego, most years I would pick Indy coming off the loss to New England, but this Colts team doesn't scare me like they have in recent years.  The Chargers on the other hand, put the fear of God in me, especially the way Rivers is playing.
SF @ ARI- Arizona, I have given up on the 49ers, just too many problems and have seem to have packed it in.  Singletary's days in the bay are definately numbered.

Relevancy: The one thing missing in an ESPN MNF broadcast

During the Monday night football game this past Monday, which involved the Eagles shlacking the Redskins 59-28, the good people at ESPN once again had to remind us of Michael Vick's troubled past, which involved prison time for Vick on rackatering and dogfighting charges.  How much did that have to do with the Eagles victory Monday, a game in which Vick had a career performance? The answer- NOTHING.  Here are some relevant facts: 20 completions on 28 passes, 333 passing yards, 4 passing TDs, 80 rushing yards on 8 carries, 2 rushing touchdowns, 59 points by the Philly offense led by Vick.  Looking beyond the game, Vick is 4-2 in 6 games played, a 115 QB rating (1st NFL), 1350 passing YDs, 11 TD, 0 interceptions.
So am I saying Michael Vick is a good person, or should be forgiven for what he did? By no means at all.  He killed countless animals, lied about it, and never really showed any remorse.  However, you don't need to be a good person to be a good player.  Thats what he is, a good quarterback, and that does not make him a good person.  He has been playing great, therefore he deserves the accolades that come forth to him, which could be quite a bit of hardware if he keeps playing the way he does.

MLB posteason superlatives and some bold 2011 predictions

AL MVP
Joe Mauer (MIN)- In the second half of the season he was the best player in baseball, and in the second half the Minnesota Twins were the best team in baseball.  Do the math.  My biggest apology to Josh Hamilton of course, who also made a strong case.
NL MVP
Joey Votto (CIN)- Had that breakout season everybody was waiting for, and the breakout season of .324-37-113 took him out of the shadows of Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder, and he established himself as the premier 1B in the NL central, and propelled the Reds to their first division crown since 1995.
AL CY Young
Felix Hernandez (SEA)- One of the high points of an atrocious 2010 Seattle Mariners Campaign, he had his best season yet, setting career highs in ERA (2.27), Complete Games (6), Innings Pitched (249.2), Strikeouts (232), and WHIP (1.057).  All this after an impressive '09 season, where I also felt he was the Cy Young winner.
NL Cy Young
Roy Halladay (PHI)- Had an amazing 1st year in the NL, living up to all the hype, pitching his way to a 21-10 record, a 2.44 ERA, 250 IP and 219 strikeouts, one of those 21 wins being a complete game.
AL Rookie of the Year
Neftali Feliz (TEX)- Played a big role in the improved Texas bullpen, emerging as a lights out closer, saving 40 games and finishing 59, which lead the majors.
NL Rookie of the Year
Buster Posey (SF)- From the time he was called up in late May, he was the big bat in the SF lineup, and they probably don't win the World Series without him.  Possibly the clone of Joe Mauer.
AL Manager of the Year
Terry Francona (BOS)- If anyone said the Sox would win 89 games with two starting outfielders, the whole right side of the infield, both catchers, and two starting pitchers missing considerable time with injury, they would have been called crazy.
NL Manager of the Year
Bud Black (SD)- Took a team with very little talent in San Diego and somehow got them to win 90 games.


AL First Team
C- Joe Mauer (MIN)
1B- Miguel Cabrera (DET)
2B- Robinson Cano (NYY)
3B- Adrian Beltre (BOS)
SS- Derek Jeter (NYY)
LF- Carl Crawford (TB)
CF- Josh Hamilton (TEX)
RF- Ichiro Suzuki (SEA)
DH- David Ortiz (BOS)
LHP- David Price (TB)
RHP- Felix Hernandez (SEA)
RP- Rafael Soriano (TB)

NL First Team
C- Brian McCann (ATL)
1B- Joey Votto (CIN)
2B- Martin Prado (ATL)
3B- Ryan Zimmerman (WAS)
SS- Troy Tulowitzki (COL)
LF- Carlos Gonzalez (COL)
CF- Marlon Byrd (CHC)
RF- Corey Hart (MIL)
LHP- Clayton Kershaw (LAD)
RHP- Roy Halladay (PHI)
RP- Brian Wilson (SF)

Biggest Suprise Team
San Diego Padres- Not a great lineup outside A-Gon, but the pitching staff was the NL's best, with no real big names.  Got to give credit to Bud Black, who I feel did a marvelous managing job, despite losing first place in the NL West during the last week of the season.

Biggest Disappointment
Seattle Mariners- After acquiring Chone Figgins and Cliff Lee in the off season, this team looked like a possible contender.  Their pitching was not bad, but their lineup was maybe one of the worst in major league history, and its hard to win games when you can't score runs, no matter how good your staff is.

Breakthrough Player
Jose Bautista (TOR)- Went to Toronto, a swing-away savvy club, and had a 50-homer campaign.  He just ended up going to a place that would allow him to reach his full potential, with the Jay's style catering to his type of talent, a raw power type of guy.  It probably also helped that he was playing for a team other than the Pirates.

Biggest Disappointing Player
Curtis Granderson (NYY)- To his credit, he did miss time with injury and still hit 24 home runs.  But .247, 67 RBI, 76 runs, slugging .468 and a .792 OPS sums up a very disappointing first season in the Bronx for Grandy.  I really thought he would be a guy who could hit 40 homers, drive in 100 with the lineup he was in.


Best Trade
Cliff Lee to Texas- The trade looked like a near disaster going into the playoffs, but this team does not make it to the fall classic without this guy at the top.  Texas need an ace, and they sure got him.  Now can they resign him?

2011 Predictions
- The Pittsburgh Pirates will once again be terrible
- Mike Quade will have one of the worst jobs in sports as the manager of the Cubs
- The Houston Astros and Baltimore Orioles will be baseball's two surprise teams
- Cliff Lee will be in pinstripes, Joba Chamberlain will not
- The LA Angels will take the AL West division crown back to Anaheim
- Neither Texas nor San Francisco will return to the playoffs
- Jacoby Ellsbury will not play more than 18 games next season as the Red Sox left fielder, but will play 150 in center.  Carl Crawford will be the guy in left.
- The AL East will once again be the class of MLB
- The ASG will be in Phoenix, and ESPN will stuff the politics behind the Arizona immigration law down our throats, as if that actually has something to do with baseball
- Spring Training will be overshadowed by March Madness and Barack Obama's perfect bracket- its good to know theres at least one situation where the guy actually has a clue about what he's talking about
- A-Rod will do something stupid and make the whole country forget about the antics of Brett Favre and LeBron James.
- Ratings in September and October will be the highest its been in a while.  Selig can thank Roger Goddell for that one.

Curt Young will be a good fit for the Sox

Unfortunately, John Farrell has moved on to Toronto.  There is no doubt he has done a great job as pitching coach, with his best accomplishment being his involvement in the development of Lester and Buchholz.  The new guy in Boston is Curt Young, who is not a bad pitching coach either.  Actually, you might say he is a very good one.  He spent the last 7 seasons as Oakland's pitching coach, where he has flown under the radar as a result of the A's not being that great, but just like Farrell, he has done an exceptional job of developing young pitchers.  During his time as pitching coach in Oakland's system which stems all the way back to 2000 (spent 4 years as PC in the minors), 2 Oakland pitchers have won ROY (Huston Street in 05 and Andrew Bailey in 2009), and 2002 Cy Young Winner Barry Zito came up through the Oakland system under his watch.  He also played key role in the development of Trevor Cahill, Brett Anderson, Dallas Braden, Gio Gonzalez, Dan Haren, Joe Blanton, and Rich Harden, all of whom have developed into respectable MLB starters in his time in Oakland.  All things aside, this is a man who is well-respected throughout baseball, and knows how to develop young arms, which the same person we have come to know John Farrell as over his 4 years in Boston.

2010 NBA Preview: Look to see 2009 rematch

Eastern Conference
Miami (55-65 wins)
Orlando (50-60 wins)
Boston (50-60 wins)
Chicago (45-55 wins)
Atlanta (50-60 wins)
Milwaukee (40-50 wins)
Charlotte (40-50 wins)
NY Knicks (35-45 wins)

Outside looking in
Toronto (35-45 wins)
Washington (35-45 wins)

Eastern Conference Finals- Orlando over Miami

Western Conference
LA Lakers (55-65 wins)
Dallas (50-60 wins)
Oklahoma City (50-60 wins)
Portland (45-55 wins)
Phoenix (45-55 wins)
Utah (45-55 wins)
Golden State (40-50 wins)
Memphis (40-50 wins)

Outside looking in
Sacramento (35-45 wins)
Denver (40-50 wins)
LA Clippers (35-45 wins)

Western Conference Finals- LA Lakers over Oklahoma City

Finals- LA Lakers over Orlando
MVP- Kevin Durant, OKC
Rookie of the Year- DeMarcus Cousins, SAC
Defensive Player of the Year- Dwight Howard, ORL
Coach of the Year- Keith Smart

LeBron's Most Overlooked Narcissistic Stunt

Lebron James was the most coveted free agent in recent memory in early July.  Then the decision happened.  He was the biggest public enemy in recent memory.  His act seemed as if he shown the finger to the whole city of Cleveland...and also Boston?  Possibly.  When he "brought his talents to south beach", he didn't bring the number 23 with him, citing that it is Michael Jordan's number, the 2nd greatest player in NBA history behind Lebron (at least in Lebron's mind).  This is where the other finger goes up.  Am I saying Jordan wasn't a great player or in the conversation for the best ever? Not at all.  What I am saying is that Lebron maybe should have maybe taken a NBA history lesson before deciding on his new number.  Because the number he took (6), was the number of another NBA immortal, Bill Russell, who won 11 championships in 13 years, 8 of which were consecutive, the NBA's 56-game hitting streak.  There is no way Lebron is unaware of this, which is why I call this another "narcissistic stunt" by Lebron.  He is totally disregarding the Celtic's legacy, showing no respect for the team that has virtually owned him over the course of his career.  To say all he has about MJ, and change his number to 6, the number of Russell, who did just as much and maybe more than Jordan, in my mind is nothing more than a total insult to the Boston Celtics franchise and everything it stands for.  Don't fool yourself- Lebron was definately up to something when he made this number change.

Bruins Looking Awful Lot like 2008-2009 Team

Two years ago the Bruins came within one point of winning the President's Trophy, led by Phil Kessel's 35 goals, as well as Norris Trophy winner Zdeno Chara, and Vezina Trophy winner Tim Thomas.  Last season, following the trade of Phil Kessel (which eventually brought Seguin to Boston), the Bruins could not make up for the loss of Kessel's 35 goals, as well as injuries to Savard, Sturm, and Krejci, the Bruins had the worst offense in the NHL.  Now this season, through five games, last season looks an awful lot like a distant memory, with the team being in the top 10 in the league in many categories, including goals/game, goals allowed/game, plus/minus, PP%, and PK%.  To add to that the line of Krejci (6 pts), Horton (7 pts), and Lucic (6 pts), have been one of the most productive lines in the NHL, and TT has 133 saves on 136 shots through 4 games.  If they continue this roll, and stay healthy, this team is going to be very hard to beat, especially come playoff time with all their depth, especially at the blue line.

NHL Preview Part 2: Sid the Kid raises second cup, gets Hart Trophy

Stanley Cup Champions- Pittsburgh Penguins
Presidents Trophy- Washington Capitals
Hart Memorial Trophy- Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh
Vezina Trophy- Jimmy Howard, Detroit
Calder Memorial Trophy- Tyler Seguin, Boston
Art Ross Trophy- Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh
Norris Trophy- Christian Ehrhoff, Vancouver
Jack Adams Award- Guy Boucher, Tampa Bay
Maurice Richard Trophy- Alexander Ovechkin, Washington

NHL 2010 Preview: Vancouver, Pittsburgh will be the last 2 standing

 
Eastern Conference  
1 Washington- The powerhouse offense will get them lots of wins, but lack of toughness and goaltending will keep them from raising the cup
2 Boston- added Horton and Seguin to help league-worst offense, if young blue line can stay healthy and play to potential, the Boston may very well see their first cup in 39 years.
3 Philadelphia- Will build off strong playoff run with a solid team led by young guys in Carter, Richards, and Giroux, as well as veterans Briere, O'Donnell, Pronger, and Timmonen
4 New Jersey- With the improvements at blue line with signings of Volchenkov and Tallinder, as well as the first full year with Kovalchuk and Brodeur in net, New Jersey might have what it takes to win their first cup since 2003
5 Pittsburgh- They have the best player in hockey in Sidney Crosby, a healthy Malkin with a blue line led by Brooks Orpik, Kris Letang and Paul Martin, followed by Fleury between the pipes, Pittsburgh looks to be a frontrunner for the cup
6 Buffalo- very good offensively, with Ryan Miller between the pipes.  If they can build a defense around 2010 Calder Trophy winner Tyler Myers, this team will be scary.
7 Ottawa- This is another very strong offensive team, led by young guns Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek, as well as Alfredsson, Fisher, and Kovalev.  The addition of Gonchar should help their blue line, but questions still linger regarding goaltending.
8 Tampa Bay- This could be the surprise team in the East with Stamkos, St. Louis being two of the best playmakers in hockey, as well as Lecavlier when he wants to be.  They also brought in veterans Brett Clark and Pavel Kubina to help their blue line.

Outside looking in
Montreal- A team that has seemed to have taken a step back with no true goal scoring threat outside of Piekanic (70 pts.) and Cammallleri (50 pts.), and a lack of depth at the blue line behind Markov and Spacek.  Between the pipes, Carey Price will have to rebound from a tough 09-10 season if Montreal expects to contend.
NY Rangers- A team with several holes in their lineup, led by Gaborik (86 pts.), Prospal (58 pts.), and Dubinsky (44 pts.), suffers from lack of depth, epsecially on the blue line, but do have one of the best goalies in hockey in Lundqvist.
Carolina- A team that struggled most of last year before coming on strong late, and are led by Eric Staal, Eric Cole, and Cam Ward, the same players that led them to a stanley cup just 4 1/2 years ago

Eastern Conference Finals- Pittsburgh over Boston

Western Conference

1 Vancouver-  Looks to be the best of the west with a strong offense led by the Sedin twins, Alex Burrows, and Ryan Kesler, as well as one of the best defenseman in hockey in Christian Ehrhoff.
2 San Jose- Another offensive powerhouse, this team has been a regular season dynasty since the lockout, with at least 99 pts. every year since the lockout has yet to do much in the postseason.  Niemi and Nittymaki replacing Nabokov could help
3 Chicago- The defending champs will need another Niemi-like run by Turco in the spring if they want to repeat
4 Detroit- After a rough 09-10 season, Detroit need to build off a strong second half and carry it through 82 games.  A full season with Jimmy Howard in net should help.
5 LA Kings- The youth movement of Brown, Kopitar, Doughty, and Quick reminds me much of a young Chicago Blackhawks team a couple years ago that was led by Toews, Kane, Seabrook, and Keith.  This Blackhawks team eventually won the Stanley Cup, but LA needs a better blue line if they want to get to the promised land
6 Colorado- A sleeper team in 09-10, they will look to build off that season and make some noise in the postseason.
7 Phoenix- The best team that nobody watches, shocked the hockey world last year with a 50-win season.  They may not replicate that this year, but look for them to still be successful behind Bryzgalov, one of the game's best goalies.
8 Calgary- Iginla is still a very good player, Kiprusoff is still a very good goalie, and there are pieces around them which will allow them to contend.

Outside Looking in

St. Louis- This team made the bick pickup getting Jarislov Halak, and if they get in watch out because they could possibly be what Philadelphia was last year.
Nashville- An all around well balanced team offensively and defensively, that can sneak in and make some noise.

Anaheim- A healthy Ryan Getzlaf along with Bobby Ryan and Corey Perry will make for a lethal first line, maybe the best line in hockey, but the retirement of Neidermayer and the trading of Giguere could cause uncertainty at the blue line and between the pipes

 Western Conference Finals- Vancouver over San Jose

Give The Pats an A+ with their handling of the Randy Moss situation

It is official now, the Randy Moss era in New England has come to an end, and to a certain extent, an ugly end.  Unfortunately, it was the way it had to end, but at the same time, we must praise the Pats for allowing it to end that way, and not letting the situation escalate and have him leave in an even uglier fashion (see Manny Ramirez).  Instead, Moss left with nothing but good things to say for the team and coach Bill Belichick, and the coach with nothing but good things to say for Randy after the fact.  It had come to a point where it was necessary for both sides to go their separate ways, and it was able to be done by getting a third rounder in return, as well as sending one of the NFL's premier deep threats to the NFC.  So to those who criticize the Pats for getting so little in return, the alternative most likely Moss being released, and possibly going to Miami, Indy, Houston, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, the Jets, or another AFC playoff contender, which would have made the path to Dallas, or the playoffs for that matter, that much harder. 

Welcome

My name is Pat O'Rourke, I'm 18 and a freshman at WNEC, majoring in journalism with hopes of becoming a sports reporter.  The blog is designed to promote the radio show I cohost with my friend Mickey McGuire on Saturdays from 6-8 on WNEK radio 105.1 FM.  Don't forget to listen on the show as well as reading my posts and commenting I love feedback and hearing other people's opinions.  If you have something to say on radio, feel free to call in at (413)782-1586.  It's the happiest 2 hours on the radio! Happy Hour with O'Rourke and McGuire.