Revised Predictions

Astros over Cardinals in 7
White Sox over Angels in 6

Astros over White Sox in 6

The Elite Eight

It's playoff time. Don't have a lot of time to elaborate, but here are my predictions:

National League

Padres over Cardinals in 4
Astros over Braves in 5

Astros over Padres in 6

American League

Red Sox over White Sox in 4
Angels over Yankees in 5

Red Sox over Angels in 5

World Series

Red Sox over Astros in 6

Fantasy Football Time!

Went over to my man J. Heinz's place for my fantasy football draft this evening. Good times were had. Drinks were drunk, food was ate, poker was played, and 19 rounds of sweet, sweet fantasy football were drafted. I drew the third pick, in a ten team league, with the following positions:

1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE, 1 K, 1 DEF, 1 DL, 1 DB, 7 BENCH

The first two picks were Tomlinson and Peyton. In odd numbered rounds I had pick #3, and in even numbered rounds I had pick #8, as the draft snaked. I made the following picks -

Rd Pos Pick
1 RB Shaun Alexander - Best non-QB on the board. Quite happy.
2 RB Kevin Jones - Excited about this pick. KJ is awesome and slipped too far.
3 RB Rudi Johnson - Couple of mediocre backs taken instead of Rudi, I benefited.
4 QB Matt Hasselback - Best QB on board after Peyton, Culpep, and McNabb.
5 WR Hines Ward - Waited a little long for this pick, but happy with him in Rd. 5.
6 TE Jason Witten - Several TEs had already gone, but Witten was #1 on my board.
7 WR Drew Bennett - The great white hope was the best remaining WR on my board.
8 QB Tom Brady - Maybe a little early here, but QBs are most valuable pos in this lg.
9 K David Akers - First big mistake, should have taken DB Ed Reed.
10 RB Cadillac Williams - With Reed gone, and top tier DEFs gone, went back to offense.
11 DB Ronde Barber - Best DB on my board after Reed. Little risky, getting old.
12 WR Rod Smith - Big steal here, he slipped way too far.
13 DEF Chicago Bears - Best good defense left, couldn't let DEF slip any further.
14 DL Keith Bullock - Best D player on my board, very happy with this pick.
15 DL Donnie Edwards - 2nd best D player on my board, similarly happy.
16 WR David Givens - DG. Good pick here in 16th round, could have big year.
17 DB Dunta Robinson - 2nd DB, was very good in rookie season last year.
18 WR Brandon Lloyd - SF #1 receiver, good value here because of that.
19 TE Ben Watson - Waiting for the breakout, lots of potential.

All in all, I am very happy with this draft. My position grades:

QB: A Hasselback, Brady
RB: A Alexander, Jones, Johnson, Williams
WR: B- Ward, Bennett, Smith, Givens, Lloyd
TE: A Witten, Watson
K: A Akers
DEF: B CHI
DL: A Bullock, Edwards
DB: B+ Barber, Robinson

I don't think I had the best WR draft from a talent standpoint, but I believe I got good value for the rounds in which I drafted them. At QB, RB, TE, K, and DL, I got at least 1 player in my top 3, which is astounding. Either I got lucky or I have a warped sense of value, because no one should get that many of their top players. I'm looking forward to this season a great deal, and think I have a great squad at the outset of the season.

Condiment Rankings, Part I

Condiments are a vastly underrated component of the food world in which we live. Today, let's look at store bought condiments. Tomorrow, we'll look at condiments that you get at various eating establishments.

#1) A1 Steak Sauce - I don't know how you could pick anything else.
#2) Kraft Light Parmesan Cheese - On top of Mt. Smoky...
#3) Ranch dressing - Always a great choice. Hard to screw up ranch dressing. Fat Free Hidden Valley Ranch with Bacon is especially good.
#4) Heinz ketchup - None of that Hunt's crap.
#5) Kraft Light Mayo - Hellman's had its day in the sun, but that time is over. In general though, don't buy mayo these days, trying to wean myself off my once disastrous mayo habits.
#6) Kraft Thick and Spicy Honey BBQ sauce - Mmm...honey bbq sauce.
#7) Tostitos Chili con Queso - Perfect with Tostitos Gold chips and NFL football (preferably Pats)
#8) Caesar salad dressing - Along with ranch dressing, these 2 dressings make salads palatable.
#9) Log Cabin Maple Syrup - Always look to find good local maple syrup, like in Vermont and Canada, but when you have to go grocery store, nothing beats Log Cabin. Move over Aunt Jemima!
#10) Tie - French's Honey Dijon Mustard and Sour Cream - Sour cream of any brand is good, as is honey or dijon mustard. French's has combined both, and there's not a lot better than that. Except the other 9 items on this list of course.

You may look at this list and say, hey what the hell happened to peanut butter and cream cheese? Well my faithful reader, those are good enough to actually be meals, so they don't fall under the condiment umbrella. The deciding factor is, would you eat a spoonful of it without anything else? For these eleven condiments, the answer is likely no (never say never). For peanut butter and cream cheese, I have eaten spoonfuls, and probably will again in the future, so they get bumped up to "meal" status. Tune in tomorrow (or whenever I get to it) for the fast-food list.

food

Have you ever had a left over oven-fried pork chops sandwich on wheat toast, with shredded cheese and fat free bacon ranch dressing? well, i did this afternoon, and it was delicious.

Been a while

Checking in, haven't posted in awhile. Just relaxing tonight, I haven't technically had a day off since the 7th, (I called in last Tuesday) and I don't have to work tomorrow. Not that I'm going to be really taking it off. I have some SRO work to do, for my newest account. Most of my attention recently has been focused on my upcoming event I am planning at the Rockies. My colleague and friend John John are planning the spectacular "First Annual College Night with the Colorado Rockies". It's going to be a great time. We have been all around the Denver area making visits at colleges, getting the word on the streets. Today I was up in fabolous Greeley, home of the Monforts, at Aims Community College. They had what was probably the nicest community college campus I have ever seen.

My fabulous sister-in-law Chandel Marie left us this past Saturday, having spent a month with us here in the D-Town. She was doing field work over at Children's Hospital, where she built invaluable experience as she strives to become a Child Life Specialist. She's doing great so far.

My sister Laila is also about to make a big step, she's got her bags packed for the Big Apple. She's wanted to move to the Dirty Rotten since she was 17, so I'm glad she's finally taking the plunge. It just seems like something she has to do. Hopefully she can keep her head above water, or I will make fun of her a lot. But I don't anticipate that. I think she'll do just fine for herself.

Me, it's another day another dollar, just filing Prospectus Notebook articles and hoping for the best for my wife and myself. Say a prayer for her, she takes the first leg of her CPA this weekend.

Weddings, Receptions, and Honeymoons, oh my!

On July 9, I went to the best wedding I've ever been to. Which is fortunate, because it was my own wedding. The day started harmlessly enough, as my sister took me to an overcrowded IHOP. We didn't wait long, being a party of two. I had my traditional Cheese Blintz with Strawberries and Sour Cream, with a bagel and cream cheese on the side. I don't remember what Laila had, but I remember she liked it a lot.

Following breakfast Laila had to scamper off to the hotel, and I was left alone with my parents and my friend Kevin, who was staying at my parent's house with me. We hung around for awhile figuring out what everyone in my wedding party was doing. My best man Nick, and my three cousins Dave, Danny, and Russ, all ended up coming over to the house to get dressed in our tuxes with Kevin and I (Kevin was also one of my groomsmen). Only my groomsman Andy, who didn't have a lot of sleep that week, had to meet us at the church.

Once we arrived at St. George's Orthodox Cathedral we had some time to kill. The only other person at the church was Fr. Michael, and he was as usual tending to some business in the church office, so we kept to ourselves. The cathedral has a wall with plaques that remember parishioners who have passed away. I used to see the same names on the wall each Sunday, but looking at it that day drove home the point of how infrequently I'm there now that I live in Denver. In any event, people started filing in, and since it wasn't appropriate for Nick and myself to stand in the front of the church and just hang out and wave to people, we went into the altar. I was in the altar no more than two minutes when I got the first of many annoying requests from the photographer to come outside and take some pictures.

Once back in the altar, I was able to properly greet the other clergy who would partake in our Wedding ceremony, Bishop Basil, Fr. Romanos, and Dcn. Seraphim. It was a pleasure to see them all, and catch up, however briefly.

Before I knew it everyone had arrived and it was time for the ceremony to begin. Nick and I actually emerged from the altar late, as two of the groomsmen and bridesmaids had already arrived on the altar. Oops! But I was there in plenty of time to see my beautiful bride walk down the aisle. She looked exquisite in her gown, and I was glad to wait so long to be surprised by it.

The only hiccup in the ceremony was when Summer had to sit down from the heat. She's so cute, I wanted to sit down with her, it was so hot in the church. The church has an extremely high ceiling, and the air conditioner definitely wasn't turned on in time to cool the church sufficiently. Nevertheless, the ceremony continued unabated. The Orthodox ceremony is not like the typical ceremony we are used to seeing from Hollywood, but it is much more meaningful, rooted in our beliefs of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The ceremony took about 45-50 minutes, and then Summer and I walked back down the aisle as husband and wife.

We decided not to do a receiving line, because they are extremely awkward and we were worried it was going to start raining as well. After we walked back down the aisle, we sat down in the limo to quickly catch our breath. Then we headed back onto the church lawn to take pictures. We took bridal party pictures, family pictures, just us pictures, so many pictures. I was very concerned that it would start raining and ruin Summer's beautiful dress though. Once we were finally done with pictures, we hopped into the limo and he drove us the fifteen or so miles to the Indian Meadows Country Club, where we had our wedding reception extraordinaire. Right after Summer and I stepped inside, the sky opened up and it poured for a half hour. We got in just in time.

Once inside, we joined our bridal party in a room set off from the reception, where we enjoyed some appetizers and cocktails. Kevin gave a really nice, but brief toast, as did my mother, and then it was time to be introduced to our adoring public. Everyone filed in, announced by the DJ, Summer and I going last. Nick had us stay out on the dance floor while he gave the Best Man toast to the entire audience, and he did a fantastic job. He fooled everyone in the crowd when he said, "And I'd like to thank the two people who brought us here, without whom this event wouldn't be possible....the BARTENDERS!" That was funny. We mingled with people before and after dinner, making our way to every table. It was great so see everyone. We had people come from all parts of the world: lots of local people obviously, but also Virginia, DC, Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, LA, Ireland, Australia, etc. Good times.

Overall, the reception went off without a hitch. The DJ didn't have a real great music selection, but it was good enough to keep our drunk asses on the dance floor. We also got a brief set of Arabic music from Richie and Eddie, which was classic, almost everyone danced to it. The photographers, while annoying, did a good job. The flowers were good, because I never noticed them and the women loved them, which is exactly how flowers should be. And the food was tremendous, our host Kenny went out of his way to get us some of the juiciest prime rib I've ever had, and we got tons of compliments on it.

Once the reception was over, Summer and I changed and my dad whisked us off to the Hotel Commonwealth, where we spent our wedding night. While most of the young people headed off to carouse some more at J.J. O'Rourke's, we were at the hotel that overlooked the place we first met, Floor 2X of Myles Standish at BU. While the stay was short-lived, we were only there about six hours, I highly recommend that hotel, excellent in every fashion, and close to Fenway.

When we got to the airport, I was stunned to see so many people in line so early in the morning. Good ole US Air. Fortunately, there was a separate line for flights to Aruba, which is where we were headed on our honeymoon. We got through security swiftly, and had some time to eat breakfast and wait for our flight. The flight was uneventful, sleeping and reading for me, and Summer actually dozed off a little, her drugs and fatigue combining to temporarily numb her fear of flying.

Once on the ground, we went through customs, which wasn't too bad, and found the bus that we got with our package deal, set up by my cousin Lorrie, who's a great travel agent. I wasn't ready to truly relax until we got into our room. We had a momentary scare on check-in when they told us there were no king-side beds available in our room size, and that we would need to pay $50 a night extra to upgrade. After I explained to the woman at the front desk that we were honeymooners, the room that we were supposed to have magically appeared. Funny how that works.

We did a whole lot of nothing that Sunday, just hanging around in our room and resting. To be sure, most of the week followed that same pattern, hanging around in our room, at the pool, or on the beach. I didn't end up getting much of a tan, but Summer did because she already had a base tan. We had an all-inclusive package, so we ate all of meals at the hotel minus one dinner. The only other food we ate consisted of some popcorn when we went to see War of the Worlds, and some Haagen Daaz after said movie. The dinner we had outside of the hotel was at the Amazonia Steakhouse, which was incredible, I highly recommend that to everyone visiting Aruba.

Other things we did in Aruba included taking the bus down to the local supermarket, then for some shopping as well. We went shopping twice, though mostly just to buy presents for family. We also took a nice, long walk on the beach walkway, spent some time in the hotel casino, and right before we left on Saturday we got facials at the hotel spa. Other than that, it was lounging , maxin' and relaxin', armed with some fruity drinks, a nice book, our wedding bands, and really big smiles. I wouldn't have had it any other way, and I definitely had the time of my life.

The trip back was not much fun at all, between our delayed flight from Aruba, running through the Philadelphia airport to catch a connecting flight, our temporarily lost luggage, and finally our delayed flight out of Denver to Boston, which forced us to rely on a $70 cab ride rather than my friend Johnny to take us back to Centennial, but I don't want to dwell on the negative. I got to spend a wonderful week with my family, a wonderful week with just my baby, and in between I had the best wedding any man could ever hope to have. Amen.

Peter "Don't call me wrong next" May

Peter May is up to his old tricks. There is no question that May has learned little from watching the C's last year, which given his insider status and job description, is astounding. One can only hope that as training camp rolls around May will change his tune, but it looks like he's about to be very wrong once again. Steve Bulpett, on the other hand, has got the right idea, highlighting the qualities of Green, Reed, and Delonte during Summer League play. Memo to Peter May: young players do develop, and the way to build a winner is to have them all do it at the same time. Just because it doesn't happen often in the lazy world of the NBA, doesn't mean it is not the right approach. Even if it doesn't work out, the C's will be able to garner significant demand for their plethora of young, talented players. At this point we should all know better than to start questioning Ainge's plan. I know that I'm not. Go C's!

Your Love is like a Shadow

I came back from my honeymoon (more on that later) to hear my friend Adam comparing Wedding Crashers to Old School. I wanted to see Wedding Crashers already, but this merely upped the ante. The result: Wedding Crashers does not in any way, shape, or form compare to Old School.

Don't get me wrong, Wedding Crashers is funny, but it can't hold a candle to Old School. The major difference is that Wedding Crashers features legitimately sad moments, something that Old School simply does not have. Was it funny when we see a despondent Owen Wilson reading the "Don't Jump" book? No. That's very much sad-making. Possibly the saddest moment in Old School, when they are all expelled, is hilarious, because Weensie details how his mother will kill him. When Blue dies, there's Will Ferrell singing, and Vince Vaughn telling Luke Wilson that "hey that's what old people do, they die".

Another black mark on Wedding Crashers is that the scene with and cameo by Will Ferrell was not even remotely essential to the plot. It was like they were sitting around at the last minute and said, "hey wait this isn't funny enough, maybe we should actually have a scene with Chaz, get Will Ferrell on the phone".

Wedding Crashers does have Christopher Walken, but Old School has a whole movie worth of Will Ferrell, plus Snoop Dogg, Sean William Scott, Craig Kilborn, Andy Dick, Elisha Cuthbert, more nudity, more explosions, and more KY wrestling. Not to mention Jeremy Piven, one of the more underrated actors of my generation.

Also, the plot of Old School is only going to lead to more frat-related shenanigans. Wedding Crashers could have some serious societal ramifications. How many assholes that think they're smooth are going to try to crash weddings and funerals trying to get laid now?

Another point against Wedding Crashers is that they utilized the deceptive trailer pitch. The trailer makes it seem like the whole thing is about crashing weddings, when it really only focuses on one wedding, and then becomes a love story, with a cheesy, very predictable ending. Old School employed no misleading advertising.

Wedding Crashers had no bloopers in the credits. What the &^*)_ ? Sorry, I need to see some Vince Vaughn out-takes. And a lot of the comedy was physical comedy, like when hothead kept decking Vaughn in the football game, or beating up Owen Wilson, or Vaughn decking him at the wedding. Little comedic value there in contrast to say, Will Ferrell kicking a stranger's shopping cart at the grocery store and yelling "I am BACK!".

Overall, there really is no comparison. Wedding Crashers comes off more as a Wedding Singer or a 50 First Dates. You know it's funny, but the jokes are a little less funny each time. It's kind of a guy's chick flick. Whereas Old School is right up there with Animal House, Spaceballs, Stripes, etc. as one of the funniest movies of all time, one that loses no comedic value each time it is viewed. Wedding Crashers just doesn't have lines like "Hey you think KFC is still open?" or "Maybe Bed, Bath, & Beyond. I don't know, I don't know if we'll have enough time".

Old School is a 10. Wedding Crashers is an 8. That's not to diss Wedding Crashers, as far as movies go, an 8 is damn good. It's just not a 10.

Draft

The Celts had a great NBA draft. Gerald Green falling to pick 18 is even sweeter then when Pierce fell to 10. Simply amazing. And when Gomes slipped to pick 50, when the team was considering him at pick 18, well that's either good fortune, there's a lot of people who have differing opinions from ainge and co., or theyre's a lot of morons in draft war rooms.

So here's the roster, made up of 13 players plus Antoine and Payton:

1
Delonte West
Marcus Banks
Orien Greene

2/3
Paul Pierce
Ricky Davis
Tony Allen
Justin Reed
Gerald Green
Ryan Gomes

4/5
Al Jefferson
Raef LaFrentz
Kendrick Perkins
Mark Blount

So assuming that Payton and Walker are gone, which seems a safe assumption at this point, then your starters are West, Pierce, Davis/Allen, Jefferson, LaFrentz. The roster will shape out a lot more during the Shaw's Summer League, but at this point Banks and either Allen or Davis, whomever doesn't start, figure to get the most minutes off the bench.

Then of course there is the issue of trading Pierce. Without Pierce, the roster would be wide open, but we likely would get a player with a huge salary back, due to NBA trade rules. However, since there isn't a solid rumor regarding Pierce yet, I'm going to refrain from speculating as to what the roster would like without him. Either way, the team has young players who figure to play for a long time at each position on the court. The point guard position has the least depth, but that is likely true of most teams.

I'm excited for some NBA basketball. Let the summer leagues begin!

Holy Hiatus Batman

It's been almost a whole month since I've made a post to this blog. That is a long time. I have had my reasons, I assure you. Not only have I been super busy working three jobs and traveling a lot, but I have a wedding to plan. In eleven short days I will be wed, and then off on my honeymoon, so time has been short lately. Some thoughts on the sports world:

1) The Rockies have a better won-lost record this month than they had in April and May individually. While this is due mostly to the fact that the Rockies have spent most of the month at home, it should be viewed as progress nonetheless.

2) The Red Sox, despite tonight's poor showing, are on the verge of taking over the AL for good. The only team that poses a legitimate threat at this point are the White Sox, and I don't think they match up well with the Red Sox. They play extraordinary defense, but I think the Red Sox have the ability to batter their pitching staff to the point where it will not matter.

3) I am praying that Hakim Warrick slips to #18 in the NBA Draft tomorrow night. After reading today's writeups on ESPN and SI, that seems highly unlikely. He has been rumored to go to Golden State at #9. That would be a shame. I'm just hoping that Danny can avoid a foreigner or high schooler. I know the argument that the C's can afford to stash another young guy and continue to develop the current roster, but I'm not buying it.

4) So glad that the NBA avoided a lockout. And it couldn't have worked out better. Now if only the NBA can fix their TV problems, and make sure that the NBA Finals take less than 3 weeks to finish, it'll be all to the good. Most of the country, including me for the most part, just missed an exilirating NBA Finals.

5) Went to the US Women's Open yesterday. Highlights:

- School buses carting around spectators and volunteers from the parking lots to the course. Classy.
- The weak attempts to make everyone surrender their cell phones and cameras at the gates. Cause that happened.
- The Denver Post listing the tee times as Eastern time. Fu^&*ng morons.
- My good friend Meg leaving me free tickets. Good lookin'.
- Watching some exciting, if not underwhelming golf. The women had a tough time with the uphill holes, which were the 9th and 18th. My friend Murr and I got to see Michelle Wie, Birdie Kim, the Pressels girl, and Stupples tee off from both the first and fifth holes. In between, we saw Annika tee off on 11. Annika was awful overall, but the drive we saw her hit she nailed perfectly. Maybe we should have followed her around all day.
- From the fifth tee we walked up to the 18th green, and parked there for the rest of the day. The best part there was standing around talking with some older fellow, gauging the hotness of the golfers. Winners were the Gulbis girl, Pressel, Paula Creamer, and Wie.
- When Birdie Kim knocked in for birdie from the bunker on 18, my friend Murr was able to grab the ball when she threw it into the crowd. AND got her to sign it. Simply amazing.
- Getting back to our car as it was starting to pour.

In the past month, as I mentioned, I got to do some travelling as well. I went home to do some wedding planning. During the trip I was home in Shrewsbury and Worcester, went to Boston to see my sister, went to Wright's Chicken Farm in RI for an eatoff, which I lost miserably, then drove to New York for what turned into my surprise Bachelor Party. I couldn't have possibly had more fun in a 24 hour span than I had that night. It was tremendous, and my friends went to seemingly incredible lengths to pull it off. I'm pretty lucky like that.

I also went to San Diego this past Friday. Got to see a great city, a great movie (Batman Begins - kick ass x 10), a great ballpark, and was able to meet a lot of members of the Padres front office, including CEO Sandy Alderson and GM Kevin Towers. Good times.

I probably won't be back with another post before I travel back to Shrewsbury for the wedding this weekend. I am going to see, perhaps for the last time, Roger Clemens pitch tomorrow night at Coors Field. Friday I am having my Denver Bachelor Party, and I fear/hope that I will end up face down in the gutter afterwards. How lucky am I to get 2 bachelor parties? Saturday night we head home.

Lastly, a pre-emptive congratulations to both my cousins Danny & Elsa, who are expecting their first child tomorrow, as well as my collegaue, client, and friend, Steven Goldman, whose wife will be delivering their second child through C-section tomorrow.

Links

- The reason we sing Sweet Caroline is finally explained. The two people that don't like it should be shot.

- Check out Baseball America's Draft Tracker, where they are forecasting who will be selected in the first round of the upcoming MLB draft.

- My good friend, colleague, and client Steven Goldman kept a running diary of tonight's Red Sox triumph over the Yankees at his YES-sanctioned Pinstriped Blog. Check it out, it's good stuff. I was actually talking to him on IMer most of the game, I don't know how he was doing two things at once, but I guess after you edit two books at the same time for six months, everything else is Parchesi. Also, check out his blog entry on May 25 entitled "Star Kabuki: The Love Suicides at Coruscant", it's his Star Wars: Episode III review. As always, Steven finds a way for you to enjoy something that you didn't agree with, as was the case for me here. The Rapid City line is priceless.

- Did you know Mark Cuban has his own blog? It's pretty cool, he has some cool business ideas, whether or not he ever makes good on them.

- Looking to get an in-depth look at Red Sox prospects and insiders? Check out the interviews on Red Sox Nation.

- Joe, I couldn't agree more...

- More on the draft, Boyd's World is one of the best, if not the best source for college baseball info and news on the Web.

- Good story out of Detroit on Pudge's weight loss...

- And finally, my last Prospectus Triple Play. It was supposed to run on Thursday but got pushed back one day. It's not my last article, just my last PTP. You'll see why soon enough.

Well Then

Two important things happened today:

1) Edgar Renteria's coming out party. I hope all of you people shut the heck up about him not being good enough for the Boston "spotlight". What a drubbing. I'm sure glad Carl Pavano's mother is/was a Yankees fan.

2) The Cubs compounded their bad luck with complete stupidity, trading LaTroy Hawkins for Jerome Williams and David Aardsma of the Giants. It was a bad trade for one reason: they did it with the wrong intentions. The intention, to me, is that they wanted to ship out a guy the fans didn't like. In Jerome Williams they acquired a pitcher who has the skills to be very good, but after making 21 and 22 starts in 2003 and 2004, he has been in the minors most of 2005.

Perhaps this will work out well for the Cubs, but making trades under these conditions is not the formula for success.

Also, one tragic thing happened today. Actually, it happened a long time ago. Fox became idiots. They typically televise three games as part of their "national" coverage. They use broad geographical blocks for televising these games. This usually pisses me off to no end living in Denver, because the "Eastern" game usually involves the Red Sox. Here's today's lineup:

- Red Sox at Yankees
- Rockies at Cubs
- Padres at Giants

Now, in all seriousness, Fox could not expect to get much ratings from the Cubs or Giants games. The Red Sox at Yankees game could be reasonably expected to get much better ratings. However, I can understand trying to be a little more regional with the coverage. So with that in mind, the Rockies at Cubs would clearly be the game televised in Denver, would it not? It would not. We got the Padres at Giants game instead. So not only was I unable to watch my favorite team, but then I also wasn't able to watch my LOCAL team. This is something that should never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever happen. In fact, the NFL goes to the trouble of making sure local fans never miss a moment of their games, to the point where if an early game goes to overtime and the Broncos game is starting, they cut it off for the Broncos. Apparently, Fox and MLB don't really care all that much about local fans, as long as they can trumpet their ridiculous "national" schedule. Bravo!

Checking In

Today was a good day. Got to help out at the Rockies charity Home Run 5K Run/Walk this morning, which was a lot of fun. Then I got to come home and see both the Sox and Rox win. Complete game for Clement. Oh, he's so unpredictable? Why did we spend so much for him? Hah. Great game.

The Rockies weren't as clean, but I'll take a win from them any way I can get them. In the season ticket department, we predict how many games the team will win each month, with the winner getting a statue called "The Predictor" next to their desk the next month. Needless to say, my optimistic prediction of 15 wins in May is going to fall a little short. The Rox are up to 7 wins this month, which is already 1 win better than last month. The Rox were 6-15 in April, and are 7-13 in May thus far, so baby steps are being made. But for me to get the statue, the Rox will have to go 8-1 for the rest of the month. I'm not holding my breath. The Brewers walked into Minnesota this weekend and are about ready to win the 2nd of 3 games there. The Cubs are good enough to split a four game series, and the Cardinals are up to their old tricks. But tomorrow is a new day.

Last Night

Made me feel younger than I have in a while. I went to the midnight screening of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, and sat in a theater with young people and old, die-hard fans. Being around both made me feel a little younger. And then there was the movie. Get off your ass and go see it. No excuses, it was a tremendous flick! Get to the theater this weekend or be doomed to the fate of the Dark Side, you will.

Moments

"You do have your moments. Not many of them, but you do have them..."
-- Princess Leia, The Empire Strikes Back

This seems like a fitting quote for this past weekend. My best man Hollywood Nicky was in town, and we had a great time. It was the first time I've seen him since I went home for the World Series, which is far too long. Fortunately, I was able to get some time off from work, and we painted the town burnt umber. It was an excellent prelude to June and July, when I will get to see him, and my family, when I make two trips back east, to the West side.

The Good, The Bad, And The Future (It Ain't Ugly)

The Good:
1) The Celtics won the division for the first time in 13 years this year. No matter the competitive level in the East, that is still a noteworthy accomplishment.

2) Antoine Walker reminded us why he deserves to be in Celtic green next year. Antoine played sparkling basketball over the last seven quarters of this series, and other than Payton, seemed like the only one trying in last night's 3rd quarter.

The Ugly:
1) Losing 97-70 at home in a Game 7 when the whole city turns out to watch you play. That hurts any way you slice it.

2) Paul Pierce's play in the final two games. Ill-advised shots, ill-advised displays of emotion, all around ugly.

The Future:
1) Of the twelve men we have on our team, there is only one (Mark Blount) I can honestly say I don't want around. And he's not the worst twelfth man in the league, even though he's paid to be a starter.

2) "I walked into the locker room," said Rivers, "and every single one of the young guys was sitting there crying. They are not used to this. And this is not anything you want to get used to. Al [Jefferson] walked into my office after that and he was still crying. I love their passion."

The future is bright Celtics fans. It is a credit to Danny Ainge that the rebuilding process ramped up quicker than anticipated, but go back and look at how many media rags picked us to finish last in the Atlantic. That tells you all you need to know about the Celtics future. I can't wait 'till next year.

Sean "The Hack" McAdam

If Sean McAdam was any more of a hack, he'd be wearing a Jason mask. The sub-header to his article today is "The Red Sox pitching is suspect". Yes, so suspect that Bronson Arroyo fired a 3-hitter today to improve to 4-0, and Keith Foulke has pitched two straight perfect innings, and hasn't blown a save in over a week. Overreact much? Yes, Wells had a fluke injury, and Schilling came back too soon, but management knew the risks. We have some guy named Wade Miller coming back Sunday, and while the old guys are out, the Sox can turn to veterans like John Halama and Jeremi Gonzalez, rather than rookies like the Yanks have been doing. The Sox will be just fine.

In addition, I find it hard to take the Orioles seriously. On May5 last year, the Orioles were 13-12. This year they are 18-9, which is a 3 game improvement in the loss column. They have added Bruce Chen to their rotation. Bruce Chen is a decent pitcher, but am I really supposed to believe that Chen, and some improvement on Erik Bedard's part, are the difference between the middling 78 win team they had last year and a division championship in 2005? Why don't I just start believing in unicorns or talking rabbits? No thanks. Adding Sosa was nice, but the fact is that this IS your 2004 Orioles, playing in 2005. They will fall back to the pack eventually.

Unfortunately, writers don't get paid these days to write headlines like "The Sox will be just fine" or "It's only May, calm down!". At least Sean McAdam isn't.

Hop on the Railroad

Welcome to the NBA Playoffs ladies and gentlemen!

The Celtics have officially been railroaded.

Antoine Walker is suspended for Game 4 tonight, while Jermaine O'Neal only warrants a fine? Are you f****ng kidding me?

Point 1: Early in the game, Jermaine O'Neal grabbed a ref by the arm as he was walking to the scorer's table to announce a foul. The league said that Antoine's case was clear cut because he made contact with an official. Well...SO...DID...O'NEAL! There's no two ways about it. O'Neal grabbed the ref by the arm, and what's worse is that he KNOWINGLY did it. When Antoine bumped the official after being tossed, he was flailing about, and did not know who he pushed.

Point 2: The reason Antoine got the second technical is because O'Neal elbowed Delonte West in the head. For the league to look the other way on that is simply baffling. O'Neal received a technical on the play the same as Antoine for his shenanigans. But O'Neal is only fined $10,000, and can still play. Really? Because that fine means anything to O'Neal?

The NBA's complete double-standard on a lot of issues usually doesn't bother me. But this is insane. The refs dictated game 3 (38 foul shots for Indy, 17 for Boston) and now they have already dictated game 4. To make matters worse, they waited until after the Celtics had finished practice to announce the suspension. Really Stu? It took you a whole work day to look at some tape and make 5 phone calls? Really? Wow, can I have your job? I'd love to get in 18 holes before I start my work day. Must be tough pal.

All aboard the railroad, next stop, the NBA promoting the "rematch" of the fight at the Palace, the Indiana Pacers and your world champion Detroit Pistons. Let's hope the Celtics can play spoiler, and thwart Stern's master plan. Unreal. We need The Truth, in more ways than one.

ouch

Yesterday's Celtics game was painful. Very painful. I can't express it better than the Sport's Guys Cowbell post today, so let's link that up.

So far, my Dallas to the Finals and Nets upset picks are looking pretty crappy. Serves me right for banking on Dirk Nowitski and Jason Kidd, aka the Bird wanna-be and the wife beater. Maybe they'll still make me look smart, but it doesn't look good so far.

Episode III

Got my tickets to Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith today. Then locked them in the safe, so I don't lose them. To say I'm excited about this movie is an understatement, I'm basically expecting it to be the greatest movie I've ever seen. Episode VI: Return of the Jedi was the first movie I ever saw in a theatre, and I've always love the Star Wars movies. I grew up wondering what the Clone War was like. May 18, I get my answer.

Quick Hits

I'm very tired, but a few things need to get out:

1. Great, great, great, great, great win by the Celtics tonight. Keep whinin' Reggie. Incredible effort. To be up by 30 points before Pierce makes a field goal? Wow. I'll take 15 more of those please.
2. Schilling came back too early. Something is not right there.
3. Jaret Wright is injured, too bad.
4. Not only will Nomar not play again this season, but his career as an elite player is over.
5. Don't look now but the Rockies have won 4 of their last 5, and 5 of their last 8. The Rox split a series in Philly, and have taken 2 straight from the division-leading Dodgers. 6-11 isn't a world-beating record, but it's better than being 2-10. Keep it up.

NBA Playoff Picks

Two quick hits:

1) 2 in a row for the Rockies, way to go, keep building on this.
2) Credit due to MLB and the Red Sox for their reactions to the faux-incident with Sheffield and the idiot fan last week.

On to the playoff picks:

Western Conference first:

1 Phoenix vs. 8 Memphis - This could be a good matchup, but Memphis didn't exactly sail in on a high note. Phoenix has been on cruise control for awhile, I expect them to turn it up a notch here. Suns in 5

4 Dallas vs. 5 Houston - Tracy McGrady has never won a playoff series, and that will not change this year. Look for the big baby to go down with a bad back after game 3. Mavericks in 5

2 San Antonio vs. 7 Denver - The poor, poor Nuggets. As hot as they were, when they had the chance to move up into the 6 or 5 seed and get a Seattle or Dallas team they would match up good with, they choked it off against Houston and Phoenix in the last week. The prize? The well-rested Spurs. Maybe next year. Spurs in 6

3 Seattle vs. 6 Sacremento - This is a situation ripe for an upset. Seattle has struggled, the Kings have a veteran team that has been there before. Kings in 7

Second Round
1 Phoenix vs. 4 Dallas - Steve Nash will soon regret his decision to snub Cubes and the Mavs. Mavericks in 7

2 San Antonio vs. 6 Sacramento - The Spurs are just too good. Spurs in 6

Conference Finals
2 San Antonio vs. 4 Dallas - This will be a fun contrast in styles. In the end, I think this is Dirk's year. He has willed the team to a great record, and Avery Johnson's first season at the helm will be a success.

Eastern Conference
1 Miami vs. 8 New Jersey - Miami is a 2-man team. One of those men is injured. One on five isn't going to be fun for Dwayne Wade. And now the Nets get back Jefferson? I smell upset. Nets in 7

4 Chicago vs. 5 Washington - Boy, is this gonna be a fun series or what? I'm looking forward to this series. Bulls in 7

2 Detroit vs. 7 Philadelphia - The Sixers didn't want this matchup. Boston or Miami would have been infinitely better. Pistons in 4

3 Boston vs. 6 Indiana - A lot will be made of the Pacers 2-1 season edge, as if 3 games is any kind of sample size. First, all 3 games were before the Antoine trade. Second, the first game was the second game of the season, when Indiana still had Ron Artest. And that's really the bottom line. Who do the Pacers have to stop Paul Pierce? Nobody. Earlier when I made my depth comparison, I said that if Artest is in the lineup then the Pacers are deeper. But Artest is not in the lineup, and that gives the edge to the C's. Celtics in 6

Second Round
4 Chicago vs. 8 New Jersey - There will be a lot of people picking New Jersey here, but the baby Bulls will outrun Jersey's old men. Bulls in 6

2 Detroit vs. 3 Boston - Can you wait for all the old '80's highlights of the Bad Boys vs. Larry's crew? Neither can I. This will be a great series. My gut tells me the Celtics can take them in 7. My head tells me the Pistons will prevail in 7, and I'll be bitching about it all summer. Pistons in 7, with game 7 going into 3 OT's

Conference Finals
2 Detroit vs. 4 Chicago - Rematch of the late '80's and early '90's Bad Boys vs. MJ series. That cycle will start anew, as the Pistons prevail in the East for a 2nd year in a row, but next year, the Baby Bulls could rise up and thwart their foes to the north. Pistons in 5

NBA Finals
Detroit vs. Dallas - Dallas won 58 games, Detroit 54, so Dallas gets home court. It won't matter. In the end, the Pistons will take advantage of the fact that Dallas has no point guard with any significant experience. But this should be a fun series, the kind that makes people remember why the NBA can be great. Lots of great passing, lots of scoring despite Detroit's killer D. Drum roll please......Pistons in 7, MVP Rip Hamilton, who will have to provide the scoring punch the Pistons need to win.

Sheff Special

I have to admit that at first, I was angry with Sheffield, because at live action it looked like he took a swipe at the fan for no reason. However, after watching the video slowed down, I have to agree with Boston Dirt Dogs. The fan definitely took a swipe at Sheffield. While I would have made the play first, as a quick throw may have got Varitek at 3rd or made him think about stopping, Sheffield was right to react. In any event, the time has come for fans to get lifetime bans from ballparks and stadiums. Fan behavior like this should not be tolerated. As Varitek hit the ball I yelled "nobody touch it!" While most fans cooperated, that yokel couldn't control himself. If anything is disappointing, it's that the cops just kicked him out, and didn't take him in some backroom, kick the crap out of him, and then arrest him. At least the Sox won.

Rox look to get a little payback tomorrow night against the Giants.

The Boys Are Back In Town

Great 8-1 win today. Too many good things happened. Wake on a roll. Good outing for Mantei. Just a great day to be at Fenway Park. I'm supremely jealous of all 36,000 or so who got to attend today's festivities at the greatest little ballpark there is. Top 10 moments of the day, Letterman style:

10) A-Fraud's errors. When he made the one that led to runs 5,6, and 7 I was on the phone with a Rockies customer who exclaimed, "Oh the billionaire made an error? Aww, I'm so sad for him!" Ha.

9) Joe Castiglione on the field. Who's better than Joe Castiglione? If there is, I'd like to meet 'em.

8) No speeches from the ownership or Theo. They made it about the players, and I enjoyed that.

7) You knew that Dr. Charles Steinberg had a trick up his sleeve. Today it was "Davvvvveyyyyy, Davey Roberts, King of the Wild Frontier!" Did I mention I love Ellis Burks also? I do.

6) Bill Russell's first appearance at Fenway in 40 YEARS! That's awesome.

5) The moment of silence for Dick Radatz. Several years ago, when I worked at The Souvenir Store, The Monster was at the store for one of the live feeds on WEEI, and I had a chance to meet the man. Great guy. I was really sad at the way he passed. Given his girth, I suppose something like that was inevitable, but that doesn't make it right either. He was the original closer. RIP.

4) Terry Francona hugging Tedy Bruschi after the Ceremonial First Pitch. Glad to see them both back. If anyone doubts that Tedy Bruschi won't do what is necessary to get back on the the field this fall, then shame on you. Tedy Bruschi is the toughest man alive.

3) "Do the Mirabelli" laying the smack down on the Chipmunk, er the Moose. The game ended and the party really started when he slammed that first pitch out. Do the Mirabelli!

2) The cheers for Mariano Rivera. And Mo's reaction. Priceless. I'm glad he reacted the way he did cause if he got pissed and flipped off the crowd, I would have feared for his safety. But he looked like he genuinely enjoyed it. Good for him.

1) Pesky and Yaz raising the flag in centerfield. The only thing that could have made it better was if Teddy Ballgame was there to help out, but I am certain he was smiling down on all of us.

Stay Positive

Rockies broadcaster George Frazier summed it up succinctly when he said after today's game:

"The Rockies should be 3-1, not 1-3."

So why are they 1-3? Simple. Scott Dohmann can't keep his fastball down in the zone. Little 'ol Michael Tucker tore the Rockies heart out today, jacking a first-pitch fastball into McCovey Cove, spoiling Jamey Wright's masterful (except for 5 walks) start.

Last night was even worse. The Rockies battled back from a six run deficit, only to have Dohmann blow it by giving up the game-winner to Marquis Grissom. To be fair, Dohmann did not create that problem. But he did create today's problem.

Brought in with one man on and two men out, Dohmann created a bases-loaded situation. He was squeezed a bit by the ump, but that is not an excuse. It should have been lock-down time. Dohmann simply didn't get it done.

The Rockies, to their credit, are not screwing around. Allan Simpson, while he has good stuff, was a disaster the other night. They traded him for Jose Acevedo, who at the very least should be able to chew up more innings in the middle of the game. This, to me was the biggest problem with the makeup of the Rockies bullpen before, lots of short relievers, no long relievers. With the team apparently turning to BK to be the closer, that eliminated him as a long set up guy as well. Acevedo should be able to fill that need. I think this probably means they put Bobby Seay in the Springs, but we'll see. That is what I would do. I think Seay is nice, certainly more useful than Reggie Taylor, but if Brian Fuentes is not the closer, there is little need for 3 lefty short relievers in the pen. Having Acevedo creates a much better mix.

In any event, Dohmann needs to do a better job keeping the ball down in the zone. He almost cost the Rox Opening Day, and he helped cost us both games vs. the Giants.

World Series Preview

If you read my respective AL and NL Previews, you should know that I have the Red Sox and Phillies representing their respective leagues in the World Series. Much of the advantage, unfortunately, will come down to the All-Star game, as the outcome of this game sadly determines home-field advantage for the World Series. As I mentioned before, I think the AL has the goods on the NL again this season. Of course, a lot of that depends on who plays in the All-Star game, and who has an unexpected first half, but for the sake of simplicity I am going to assume that the AL wins the All-Star game, giving the Red Sox the home-field advantage in the playoffs. Let's go game-by-game, assuming that the matchups will break so that #1 pitches against #1, #2 vs. #2, and so forth:

Game 1: PHI Jon Lieber at BOS Curt Schilling
Game 2: PHI Brett Myers at BOS David Wells
Game 3: BOS Matt Clement at PHI Randy Wolf
Game 4: BOS Wade Miller at PHI Cory Lidle
Game 5: BOS Bronson Arroyo at PHI Gavin Floyd
Game 6: PHI Jon Lieber at BOS Curt Schilling

This is how it should look. However, when Boston gets up 3-1, winning games 1, 3, and 4, Philly will get desperate, changing the matchups to:

Game 5: BOS Bronson Arroyo at PHI Jon Lieber
Game 6: PHI Randy Wolf/Gavin Floyd at BOS Curt Schilling

This ploy will work in game 5, as the Phillies will send it back to Boston. There the Red Sox will get the chance to do what they did not last year: celebrate a World Series clinching win at Fenway, in front of the faithful. As the green weirdo on the cars.com ad says, "it's a thing of beauty."

Brett Myers will come of age, outdueling David Wells in Game 2, and it will be a close series, but the Red Sox are the deepest team in baseball, and that will help them immensely as the series progresses.

NL Preview

If you missed the AL Preview, it's right here. If you weren't prepared for the AL Preview, well, as they say in Hollywood, "you ain't seen nothing yet". Let's get right to it.

NL East Record GB
Phillie 91-71 --
Braves** 87-75 4
Mets 85-77 6
Marlins 83-79 8
Nationals 65-97 26

Two things to note here. One, someone finally wrestles away the NL East from Atlanta, and that someone is Philly. Second, I have the Phillies as the best team in the NL this year, and that would make them the Wild Card in the AL, which tells you all you need to know about the balance of the leagues.

Why will this finally be Philly's year?
1) The media doesn't have Larry Bowa to beat around anymore.
2) Eric Milton and Kevin Milwood were replaced by Jon Lieber and Cory Lidle. While they are relatively similar in talent, Lieber and Lidle figure to be healthier and steadier than Millwood and Milton. This should help a great deal.
3) Chase Utley and Ryan Madson get further established further in the Majors.
4) Gavin Floyd emerges
5) They have Jose Offerman!

Ok, so maybe #5 is a joke, but the Phillies are a very good team, and the Braves will not be able to hang. The combo of Mondesi and Jordan isn't going to last for even a half season. That could get ugly, or it could lead the Braves to put Andy Marte in at 3B and push Chipper Jones to the OF. Let's hope for option B, but I still don't think it will be enough to overtake the Phils, either for the division or for the NL crown. But they will hang around enough to make it interesting.

Count me among the minority in the "Marlins are overrated" camp. I just don't see it. This is a team wasting roster spots on Jeff Conine, Damion Easley, Chris Aguila, Lenny Harris, Juan Encarnacion, and Brian Moehler. Moehler came out of nowhere, and BP doesn't even have a PECOTA projection for him. Their bullpen doesn't impress me either, there's not one guy outside of "closer" Guillermo Mota who I'd want on a team I was building. There is a lot of very good top shelf talent on this Marlins team, but the rest of the team doesn't have much to offer. In a tight race, I'd rather Placido Polanco than Damion Easley, or Jason Michaels over Chris Aguila.

NL Central Record GB
Brewers 87-75 --
Cardinals 86-76 1
Cubs 83-79 4
Reds 75-87 12
Astros 69-93 18
Pirates 68-94 19

Yes, those Brewers. The same Brewers whose mascot, Bernie, has a slide, and the same Brewers who have those fantastic sausage races. Yes, them. As I mentioned in my first article on Baseball Prospectus back in January (yes I really wrote it) the Brewers offense is going to be much better this year. This, along with a solid bullpen, a good rotation featuring Ben Sheets, Doug Davis, and Chris Capuano, and some breakdowns elsewhere in the division, add up to a Brewers division crown. You heard it here first.

The Cards will provide the toughest competition, but their Team Health Report was frightening. Only 2 of 17 players received green lights, and when those 2 guys are So Taguchi and Jeff Suppan, it reminds me of that old Sporty Thieves ditty - "Uh oh, those chicks ain't gettin nada". The Cards aren't chicks, but somewhere along the line injuries are going to play a role. The Cards front office does come up with some very nice trades, and that will have to be the case again this year. Baseball America ranked their farm system 30th out of 30 teams, and they will not find much help there.

Elsewhere, the Cubs will be slightly above average, but in the end will find a way to blow it. The Reds could be better if they keep Griffey and Kearns healthy, but as Homer likes to say "sweety that's a pretty big if". The Astros are barely going to be watchable, and the Pirates will not be. Poor senor Serbin, I mourn thee.

NL West Record GB
Rockies 85-77 --
Giants 85-77 --
Padres 82-80 3
Dodgers 78-84 7
D-Backs 69-93 16

This is truly a dismal group. To be sure, while I see the Brewers as a legitimate threat, there is a little bit of work-related bias in this Rockies selection. But not much. The Rockies are heading into this season with possibly their best rotation ever. Smart acquisitions for Mike Restovich and Bobby Seay have only solidified my thinking in the past week. The Rockies have a good risk/reward proposition with BK Kim, who looked great this past week. 4 innings, 4 baserunners, 6 ground balls vs. 3 fly balls = so far so good. In addition, the Rockies can look forward to a full year of Preston Wilson, and the emergence of young guns Matt Holliday, JD Closser, Brad Hawpe, and Clint Barmes. They're a young team that plays well together, enjoys each others company, and will be a tough beat.

Injuries to Barry Bonds and Moises Alou will make it an uphill climb for the Giants. That is nothing compared to the tap-dance act that Jim Tracy will have managing a rotation that features wounded/battered pitchers Brad Penny, Eric Gagne, Odalis Perez, Wilson Alvarez, and Scott Erickson, they are going to have a tough time competing, let alone winning. It is a testament to Jim Tracy and Paul DePodesta that I have them pegged for 78 wins at all.

The Padres will come up just short, as they have too many players who are on the back nine of their careers. They also signed Woody Williams. I don't know why either. The D-Backs are thinking that Russ Ortiz is as good as Randy Johnson. They also think that their pathetic offense was one Troy Glaus away from respectability. They're wrong on both accounts. Arizona also lost their two best offensive players in Shea Hillenbrand and Steve Finley. Troy Glaus will help with some of that, but the D-Backs off-season was a classic case of activity being misconstrued as progress. They will suck, many much sucking.

On to the playoffs:

NLDS
1 Phillies vs. 3 Rockies
Phillies in 4 games

2 Brewers vs. 4 Braves
Braves in 4 games

NLCS
1 Phillies vs. 4 Braves
Phillies over Braves in 7 games

The Rockies and Brewers magical rides will end quickly. The Rockies will get one win out of 2006 ace Jeff Francis, but otherwise will not have enough in the end to beat the Phils. The Braves veteran moxie will be good for the edge over Milwaukee. This sets up the NL East matchup in the NLCS. This will be a great matchup. In the end, I just like the Phillies this year. I'm sure I could come up with a better explanation, but I just think it boils down to that in the end.

AL Preview

Yes I know it's a week late. Trust me when I tell you my opinions on the season have not changed at all this week. Here we go:

AL East Record GB
Red Sox 101-61 --
Yankees 90-72 11
Orioles 80-82 21
Blue Jays 77-85 24
D-Rays 67-95 34

Yes, the Sox are that good. They will be the best team in baseball. That is my boldest prediction right there, out of the way early. The Red Sox depth compared to the Yankees depth is laughable. The Yankees had bad depth last year, and it will only be worse this year. Last year the Yankees had a good 5th starter in Brad Halsey as their 6th starter, and were able to bring El Duque back into the fray in July. In addition, they had Tanyon Sturtze. This year? Just Sturtze. Halsey was traded to Arizona and El Duque signed with the Chi Sox. Loaiza, the man brought over in exchange for Jose Contreras, gone to Washington. What makes this lack of depth even more startling is the fact that last year the Yanks had horses like Jon Lieber and Javy Vazquez. They replaced them with Jaret Wright and Randy Johnson. Johnson will probably be fine, but Jaret Wright will always have a balky shoulder. In other words, the Yanks will likely have a greater need for a 6th starter. If they have to pull Sturtze out of the bullpen to be a starter, then who will be the long reliever when Sturtze gets killed as a starter? Answer: no one.

The Red Sox meanwhile have 7, count 'em 7 Major League starters: Schilling, Wells, Clement, Arroyo, Wakefield, Miller, and Halama. Hopefully Wakefield and Halama will be in the bullpen for the majority of the season. Schilling will be back next week, and Miller is now due back more than a month ahead of schedule, in early to mid May. The Sox depth here, as well an on their bench, will propel them to an unprecedented season, and a repeat World Championship.

The rest of the AL East is undistinguished. The Blue Jays are the same middling team they were last year. Hopefully the increase in payroll they will see in the next three years will make them competitive once again. But Roy Halladay is definitely back. It's good to see. The Orioles will be average again, as somehow they managed to come up empty searching for pitchers yet again. The D-Rays screwed themselves by demoting BJ Upton and Jonny Gomes before the season started. They will be awful yet again.

AL Central Record GB
Twins 92-70 --
Indians** 91-71 1
Tigers 79-83 13
White Sox 74-88 18
Royals 66-96 26

What are those asterisks next to the Indians name you ask? Well, those asterisks indicate the Indians as my Wild Card team. Yes, that's right, I have the Yankees missing the playoffs for the first time in a decade. There is a lot to like about both the Twins and the Indians. The Twins retained the players they were supposed to: Johan Santana, Brad Radke, Jacque Jones, and ditched the players who were not worthy: Christian Guzman and Corey Koskie. The Twins have a lot of offensive muscle all of a sudden, with upgrades at SS in rookie Jason Bartlett, C in Joe Mauer (finally healthy, we think...), and a full season from 1B Justin Morneau. 3B Mike Cuddyer figures to be as good as Koskie, if not better. And with my good Rockies' friend Lynn's grandson Jesse Crain in the bullpen all season, they figure to be better there as well. A fourth straight division championship, and a lot of great stories from Lynn, are definitely within sight.

The Indians will nip at their heels all season long this season, as opposed to the 4-5 months that they did last year. Upgrades to their bench, bullpen, and back end of the rotation figure to bring them the improvements they need. The ninety-one wins would be an 11 win increase over last year, which may seem a bit high, but the Indians bullpen was truly terrible last year. I believe that if they can keep Wickman healthy for the majority of the year, the additions of Arthur Rhodes and a full season of the "new" Bobby Howry should bode well for the Tribe in '05.

Elsewhere, the Royals were a disaster this year, and don't look much better this year. Hopefully Denny Bautista, Zack Greinke, Calvin Pickering, David DeJesus, and Ruben Gotay can give the Royals something on which to build. The White Sox got significantly worse, both in talent and philosophy. This is unfortunate, because the White Sox have a very nice front office, particularly Rick Hahn and Roland Hemond. But when you commit yourself to a run-run-run strategy without the necessary people to execute it, then you're in for a world of hurt. The Tigers are a great sleeper, as you can expect to see Jeremy Bonderman become a bona-fide ace, and Mike Maroth become the Joe Dumars to Bonderman's Isiah. The Tigers have to hope however, that Magglio Ordonez and Troy Percival don't disintegrate, and that Carlos Pena and Brandon Inge's retain their improvements from 2004. Also, look for Omar Infante to have a minor-breakout season.

AL West Record GB
Athletics 93-69 --
Angels 87-75 6
Rangers 83-79 10
Mariners 72-90 21

Yup, the A's again. No Hudson? No Mulder? No problem. The A's got better this off-season. In the worst case, the A's will be slightly worse as a pitching staff this year. They have a significant upside with all of their young pitchers, and can be much better than last year. What's more, they will do it at a fraction of the cost.

The Angels will again be good, but not as good. Adding a player with a translated career line of .262/.309/.403 (AVG/OBP/SLG) isn't the smartest move, but that is what the Halos did by adding Orlando Cabrera. O-Cabs is a likeable guy, but the bottom line is that he sucks. David Eckstein, at .285/.357/.365 wasn't much better, if at all, but at least he got on base at a respectable rate to set the table for the mashers. Plus, he cost about half as much. Dallas McPherson is expected to take over for Troy Glaus, but to date his back has had other ideas.

The Rangers will also see a bit of a drop-off, although I like them a little better than the 83 wins I have them pegged for. However, the Mariners nine extra wins this year have to come against someone, and thus the Angels and Rangers suffer a bit as a result. The Mariners will still not be good. As you may have seen in my article on Baseball Prospectus, the Mariners rotation is going to suck hard-core. Their offense, thankfully, will be improved. Just not enough to make them respectable.

So that's the regular season. The playoffs shape up thusly:

ALDS Result
1 Red Sox vs. 4 Indians
Red Sox in 3 games

2 Athletics vs. 3 Twins
Twins in 5 games

ALCS
1 Red Sox vs. 3 Twins
Red Sox in 6 games

The Red Sox exact some more revenge for the Indians crushing victories of '95 and '98, as the Indians are simply overmatched in their first playoff run since Pedro and Troy O'Leary laid the smack down in one of the ten greatest playoff games in MLB history. The A's once again find a way to not get it done in the first round. The Schilling vs. Santana matchup will not happen in the ALCS as they will need Santana in Game 5, and that, along with Manny and Papi, and better managerial decisions by Francona vs. Gardenhire, will be keys in the Red Sox victory and return trip to the World Series.

NL Preview coming up after I walk to the library with my gorgeous bride.

Finally...Paul...has come back to the blog

I'm sure you all missed me this week, about as much as you miss Hitler. Anyways, for those that were looking forward to my early season thoughts, I apologize. Standing on my feet for the better part of 12 hours during Opening Day on Monday took a bigger toll on me than I thought it would. Here are some Opening Week thoughts:

1) Pedro was amazing on Monday.
2) The Rockies had a great win on Opening Day, followed by two heart-breakers. Both games were winnable, and last night's should have been won. The Rox got screwed on the "home run" by Jason Ellison, and the first-base umpire buying Omar Vizquel's slide. He was out. Those two plays cost the Rockies two runs. Finals score: Giants 10 - Rockies 8.
3) Some great games during the opening week. 1-0, 12 innings Pirates vs. Padres game was chief among them. Jake Peavy looked great. The Rockies Opening Day win, the Opening Day Mets vs. Reds game, last night's Tigers vs. Indians game, with David Riske working into and then out of a bases loaded jam in the 8th, the Opening Day 1-0 duel between Mark Buehrle and Jake Westbrook, the 2-1 13 inning affair between the Braves and Marlins, the 12-inning affair between Texas and Anaheim, and of course the Red Sox' 5-run 9th inning vs. Mariano Rivera on Wednesday. And on and on...
4) With each coming year, I am more and more astounded at the activity in my fantasy leagues during the first week. Calm down people! Give guys a chance to play into their seasons! I understand digging for a shortstop or third basemen when Bobby Crosby and Garrett Atkins come up lame, or other such injury replacements. Other than that, you shouldn't have to juggle too much in the first week. If you do, then you had a crappy draft.
5) More to come in about an hour with my AL preview.

Opening Day

I can't possibly let Opening Night ruin the splendor of Opening Day. For those worrywarts in Red Sox Nation: fear not. David Wells pitches to contact, and when the air is cold and damp, as Pedro has informed us so often in the past, your balls just don't break (ha). Wells will be fine. Johnson's stuff was off too, and though he worked his way out of some jams, we had some very good AB's vs. him.

In any event, here is the link to my new column at Baseball Prospectus. It's free, so be sure to check it out.

Also, in case anyone cares, in addition to attending/working today's Padres vs. Rockies game, I am TIVOing the Mets vs. Reds and Brewers vs. Pirates. Those seem like the most intriguing early matchups.

Video Killed the Radio Star

Today I made my first radio predictions on Baseball Prospectus Radio. While BP Radio is found mostly on the Internet, it is broadcast on a few sports radio stations across the country. The piece was pre-recorded, with an easy format. The piece asked for one "solid" prediction, one "interesting" prediction, and one "out-there" prediction. I realize I may be spoiling the broadcast by letting the six people in on what my predictions were.

"Solid" prediction: Boston Red Sox win the AL East and repeat as World Series champs
"Interesting" prediction: Todd Helton wins his first National League MVP
"Out-There" prediction: Milwaukee Brewers win the NL Central

So there you have it. Sometime this weekend I'm going to get around to my 1st annual (and very possibly last annual) MLB preview post. Until then...keep looking to the skis, I mean skies...

Draft by Cell Phone

This afternoon I participated in my keeper league made up of guys from my home town Shrewsbury, and people they know from UCONN and Wesleyan. This is the fourth year (I think) that I have been involved in the league. Last year was the first year that we did keepers. The league works with a $200 budget for 21 players, so you have to be careful in your bidding. My keepers heading into the draft were:

2 year keepers:
SP Josh Beckett $22
1B, 3B, OF Aubrey Huff $11 - The plan was to use him primarily at 3rd
C Joe Mauer $9

1 year keepers:
RP Octavio Dotel $15
SP Edwin Jackson $11
C AJ Pierzynski $2

I was fairly happy with this group. Dotel came over in a trade last year, and his price is high but acceptable. Edwin Jackson however, was a disaster. As he is a one year keeper I can drop him once the draft concludes, but it was one less player I was able to draft today.

So heading into today's draft I had $130 to spend on 15 players. This was about average, there were four other teams with more money to spend on average than myself. I decided to wait things out a little bit. Randy Johnson was the first pick, going for $29. The early rounds featured the usual heavy hitters: Todd Helton @ $26, Vlad Guerrero @ $38, Albert Pujols @ $42 were a few of the first to go. After probably 15 or so picks, I made my first purchase:

OF Juan Pierre for $12. I was very happy with this. It was still early, Crawford was still on the board, but Podsednik is a keeper, so I thought I might get more competition. Pierre has had calf problems in spring training, but I am banking on him being ok.

Next I grabbed SP Ben Sheets @ $25. I was ecstatic with this purchase. I had Sheets valued at $40, so to me this was a bargain. Sometime after that pick, we took a short break. Then I really started to heat up.

Following the break, I nabbed:

SP Brad Radke @ $8
SS Jimmy Rollins @ $7
1B Justin Morneau @ $8
SP Zack Greinke @ $4
OF Dave Roberts @ $4
RP BJ Ryan @ $11
OF JD Drew @ $8
2B D'Angelo Jimenez @ $2
RP Chad Cordero @ $7
2B Ray Durham @ $2
OF Lew Ford @ $2
P Bronson Arroyo @ $4
OF Jeremy Reed @ $2

Cap Room: $24.

I knew that after I nabbed Jimmy Rollins for 1/2 of what I had him valued at, I knew it was going to be a great draft. I didn't get anyone I didn't want, and lost out on few that I did. I think doing it on the cell phone actually helped slightly, simply because I was able to concentrate easier. So here's the depth chart for 2005:

C: Joe Mauer ($9), AJ Pierzynski ($2)
1B: Justin Morneau ($8), Aubrey Huff ($11)
2B: D'Angelo Jimenez ($2), Ray Durham ($2)
3B: Aubrey Huff ($11)
SS: Jimmy Rollins ($7)
OF: Juan Pierre ($12), Dave Roberts ($4), JD Drew ($5), Lew Ford ($2), Jeremy Reed ($2), Aubrey Huff ($11)

SP: Josh Beckett ($22), Edwin Jackson ($11), Ben Sheets ($25), Brad Radke ($8), Zack Greinke ($4), Bronson Arroyo ($4)
RP: Octavio Dotel ($15), BJ Ryan ($11), Chad Cordero ($7)

Needless to say I am extremely happy with this team. I think I may be short on power in general, particularly at 2B, SS, and the OF. Other than that I believe I am doing quite well. I am very happy with my rotation, and I got 3 solid closers. Dotel may not be in Oakland all season, but it's a good bet that if he is traded he will retain his closer role. Having $24 in cap room will allow me some flexibility in acquiring additional power. I believe my power output will depend on JD Drew's health and Lew Ford's progress and playing time.

Falling On Their Sticks

BU had a great season, there is no doubt about that. Unfortunately, their last two games, losing 5-2 to UNH in the Hockey East Semi's and getting blanked in the first round of the Frozen Four tonight, 4-0 at the hands of North Dakota, were quite ugly. That is a tough way to finish what was a productive season.

With the NHL canceling their player entry draft, it is a safe bet that BU will return its immensable productive freshman class next year, so it makes it even more important for those young guns to take away more from this experience than they lose.

Basketball City

I'd love to say I've been paying attention to the Red Sox spring training. But that would be a blatant lie. Between paying attention to Rockies spring training as I look for reasons to tell season-ticket holders not to cancel their seats, combined with the Celtics revival, and March Madness, I haven't paid much attention to the Sox. Nor will I until Opening Day. In Theo and Ben I trust, and it's their way or bust.

So how 'bout those Catamounts! I feel like a dick for not picking them. I said I would pick them after BU got knocked out of the America East tourney, I said it when they beat NU to win the America East tourney, and then I saw their matchup: Syracuse. I have a hard time picking Syracuse to lose, and I caved to the conventional power pick. I also thought, with much less conviction, about picking Bucknell. I decided more firmly that Kansas had too many seniors who had been there and done that. Surely they would take care of business. Whoops!

Still, after two days my bracket has not been busted. I still have 13 of my Sweet 16 intact, 7 of my Elite 8 intact, and all of my Final Four and Championship game. While that is more than a lot of people can say, I piss myself off with the uncanny ability to miss scoring on some big upsets, instead going for emotional upsets like Penn over BC. Still, if West Virgina knocks off Wake Forest tomorrow I will be in great position. I think it will happen because a) WV shoots the 3 very well, and b) they have a virtual home court advantage. Winston-Salem is 467.71 miles from Cleveland, while Morgantown, WV is a mere 201.60 miles away. That's about a five hour trip, not very much for a college student. West Virgina fans should be all over Cleveland tomorrow, giving their Mountaineers an added boost.

Big win for the Celtics tonight in Houston. For the C's it's 6 in a row and 10 in their last 11. Here's the C's breakdowns by month:

NOV: 5-8
DEC: 8-8
JAN: 8- 8
FEB: 8-4
MAR: 8-1

After holding serve throughout a grueling stretch of two 16 game months, the C's are 16-5 since February. They have 5 more games in March for a total of 14 in March, followed by 11 games in 20 days in April. 16 games left. Tonight's win gave them one more win than they had all of last season. The C's are now officially the 3rd best team in the East, and if they play .500 ball over the last 16 games, will finish at 45-37, which would be a nine game improvement. However, at the rate the C's are going, I don't think 50 wins is insurmountable. Let's run down the last 16 games of the season:

@ NO: Win
@ NY: Win
CHI: Win
@ DET: Loss
DAL: Loss
@ ATL: Win
PHI: Win
@ WAS: Loss
MIL: Win
@ NJ: Win
@ PHI: Loss
@ MIL: Win
MIA: Win
@ TOR: Win
@ CLE: Win
NJ: Win

So that's 12-4 over the last 16 games. 49 wins. Wow. Get ready for banner #17!

Dirty Dancing

Oh yes. It's that time of the year again.

Just to lay it down to give you a little context, here are where my NCAA B-Ball allegiances lie:

Love: Boston University, Holy Cross, UMASS, Syracuse, Michigan
Like: North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Manhattan
Eh: University of Denver
Hate: Duke, Kentucky, Michigan State
LOATHE: Boston College, Louisville

So now you know. If you need reasons as to why I like each, let me know, I'm not taking the time right now.

Here's my Sweet 16:

Chicago:
#1 Illinois vs. #13 Penn
#4 Arizona vs. #2 Oklahoma State

Albuquerque:
#1 Washington vs. #5 Georgia Tech
#3 Gonzaga vs. #7 West Virginia

Austin:
#1 Duke vs. #4 Syracuse
#2 Kentucky vs. #3 Oklahoma

Syracuse:
#1 North Carolina vs. #4 Florida
#2 Connecticutt vs. #3 Kansas

On to the Elite 8:
Chicago: #1 Illinois vs. #3 Arizona
Albuq: #5 Georgia Tech vs. #7 West Virginia
Austin: #1 Duke vs. #3 Oklahoma
Syracuse: #1 North Carolina vs. #3 Kansas

Final 4:
Illinois vs. Georgia Tech
North Carolina vs. Duke

CHAMPIONSHIP:
North Carolina 86 - Illinois 79

Roy finally wins it. Dean smiles. Sean is the MOP and a top 5 pick in June.

Other notable upsets:

#13 Penn over #4 BC - BC Sucks. Period.
#12 New Mexico over #5 Villanova
#10 St. Mary's over #7 So. Illinois

#10 Iowa over #7 Cincinnati

#10 NC State over #7 Charlotte

#9 Iowa State over #8 Minnesota

#7 West Virginia over #2 Wake Forest

I really don't see a whole lot of upsets happening this year. In a way, it will be an upset that there aren't a lot of upsets, in a sense. But my one big call is obviously the West Virginia into the Elite 8, knocking off Wake and Gonzaga. If Bill Simmons has taught me anything, it's that if one team is an unseemly favorite, go the other way in your bets. There's a reason Wake dropped to a #2 seed, and it's because they finally were exposed.

It hurts being this smart

Actually it hurts to knock down 4 margs at the Rio Grande in 4 hours, which I am paying for with lack of sleep right now. However, I don't care. The C's beat the Pistons in Double OT tonight. This is what I had to say about the Pistons in one of my last posts:

Overall, they are a team built on a solid foundation of starters, but Larry Brown is a great coach, and gets what he needs from his subs, which is why they win. However, on paper this is not a very talented bench. Edge: C's

Tonight, in a game that lasted 58 minutes, the Pistons played only 9 people, with 3 people picking up DNP's. One of the 9 people, Darvin Ham, only played 2 minutes. Going with an 8 man rotation through 2 overtimes is the kind of decision that could wear out Detroit before the playoffs even start.

The REAL story here though, is how Paul Pierce finally stepped up to the plate and did again what he so often did in that magical run to the conference title that got that traitor O'Brien a second job in the NBA. Antoine's magic ran out for one night, and he had a horrible night, shooting 4-19, 0-5 from 3 pts, and committed 4 turnovers. Though he netted 8 rebounds and 4 assists, this is the kind of game that used to get us killed, especially against a good team like Retroit. Not tonight. Halluleuh! No matter what anyone says about Antoine, he brings out the best in Paul Pierce. Although I did not watch this game as I was busy getting hammered, I know that Antoine's influence is what spurred Pierce on, and afterwards, Pierce was finally talking like a man again, instead of the mopy "woe-is-me" quotes we've been hearing the past two seasons.

Bill Simmon's predicted the other day that the C's would get to 40 wins before they get to 30 losses. Looking at the schedule, only a big road game in Houston stands in the face of that goal. But it doesn't matter. Last year the C's won 36 games total and didn't deserve our 8 seed in the playoffs. This year we've already won 33 and we're well on our way to a 3 seed courtesy of our 3 game lead on Philly, but we are currently 6th overall in the conference. In addition, we are just a 1/2 game behind Cleveland and Chicago for the 4 spot, and 1.5 games behind Washington for the 3 spot. With Washington and Cleveland struggling, and given the fact that we've already handed Chicago their lunch twice this season, it is no longer a stretch to say that the East will come down to Miami, Detroit, and Boston. The Celtics have a major advantage over each team. We have better depth than Detroit, and we have more than one way to make our offense run, something that Miami doesn't have. Miami has little depth, and the two good players they do have, always have the ball in their hands. That's a recipe for disaster, just ask the C's of 2001-2002.

In the end, I know that no matter how it turns out, this has already been a great season. After the game ended tonight I immediately got three phone calls. The Celtics of 2004-2005 are special, and people care about the C's again. I couldn't be happier.

Let the Fantasies Begin

Today marked the official start of the Fantasy season for me, as I had my first draft. Due to some scheduling difficulties, it was in the middle of the day, and I couldn't participate myself. Fortunately I went in prepared and my boy NPD hooked me up for the important rounds. The league is a ten team, head-to-head league, with the following categories:

Offense: R, HR, RBI, SB, BB, K, OPS
Defense: IP, W, L, SV, K, ERA, WHIP

A league constructed like this puts very little emphasis on closers in my mind, because they will help significantly in one category: saves. Now, if this was a regular rotisserie league, I would have to compete on saves, so as to not finish in the cellar in that category. However, this is a weekly league, and I would rather have a significant advantage in six categories and suck in one, than to be pretty good across the board and hope things break my way each week. Lastly, if you have two great closers, but one of your teams is in a slump in a given week, you essentially have one useless pitcher. Why bother? I purposely excluded closers in my draft strategy. Here are the results:

Round 1, Pick 1: Albert Pujols
Round 2, Pick 10: Jason Schmidt
Round 3, Pick 1: Curt Schilling
Round 4, Pick 10: Ben Sheets
Round 5, Pick 1: Eric Chavez
Round 6, Pick 10: JD Drew
Round 7, Pick 1: Matt Clement
Round 8, Pick 10: Joe Mauer
Round 9, Pick 1: Ray Durham
Round 10, Pick 10: Brian Giles
Round 11, Pick 1: Andruw Jones
Round 12, Pick 10: Zach Greinke
Round 13, Pick 1: Brad Radke
Round 14, Pick 10: Milton Bradley
Round 15, Pick 1: Kaz Matsui
Round 16, Pick 10: Scot Shields
Round 17, Pick 1: Atnori Otsuka
Round 18, Pick 10: Bronson Arroyo
Round 19, Pick 1: Corey Koskie
Round 20, Pick 10: Mike Sweeney
Round 21, Pick 1: D'Angelo Jimenez

Incredible. Simply incredible. A rotation of Schmidt, Schill, Sheets, Clement, Greinke, Radke, and Arroyo. 7 awesome pitchers. And while I didn't have the greatest lineup, it was more than solid. From here the real fun begins. Larry, our league commish, doesn't like waivers. Neither do I to be honest, but I have become accustomed to them. I'm sure someone will abuse this privilege later in the season, and I may bring that to his attention, but for now it's very cool. Changes made:

D'Angelo Jimenez dropped for Trot Nixon
Mike Sweeney dropped for BJ Upton
Kaz Matsui dropped for Mike Gonzalez
Milton Bradley dropped for Tadahito Iguchi

So here's how things shape up:

C: Joe Mauer
1B: Albert Pujols
2B: Ray Durham, Tadahitp Iguchi
3B: Eric Chavez, Corey Koskie, BJ Upton
SS: BJ Upton
OF: JD Drew, Brian Giles, Andruw Jones, Trot Nixon

SP: Jason Schmidt, Curt Schilling, Ben Sheets, Matt Clement, Zach Greinke, Brad Radke, Bronson Arroyo
RP: Scot Shields, Atnori Otsuka, Mike Gonzalez

Suffice to say I'm pretty happy. It's hard to be nitpicking after such a good draft, but potential weaknesses lie in a lack of steals, and possibly wins, as Sheets and Greinke pitch for below average clubs, and Arroyo is somehow not a lock for the rotation. Upton faces a similar fate, as Sweet Lou is almost completely irrational at this point. If Upton gets sent down to AAA that would suck, but I suppose I could pick up Khalil Greene or Matsui.

All in all, this might be my best first draft of the season on record. I suppose it is actually my second draft, what with my Scoresheet league and all, but that didn't have the same feel, because I was able to take my time with each pick.

Fun Fact for the Day

From Will Carroll:

Last season, one of every nine pitchers in the majors had undergone Tommy John surgery.

25 days 'til Red Sox Opening Night!
26 days 'til Rockies Opening Day!

Depth

My good friend NP asked me yesterday, where would I rank the Celtics depth now that we have the Glove back in the fold? That was a good question, not surprised, because he often comes up with good questions. Well, here I am, Saturday morning, and my fiancee won't be up for probably four hours. So let's take a look at this shall we?

We'll use ESPN.com depth charts for simplicity's sake:

At PG, the C's now have GP, West, and Banks. Very solid. West and Banks are still raw, but have played extremely well as of late.

ESPN.com lists Ricky Davis and Tony Allen as SG, and Pierce and Justin Reed as SF. I think Pierce and Davis can play the 2 or 3, but I'll go with ESPN here. That leaves us deeper at SG in the long-term, though right now Allen has an ankle injury. I haven't seen enough of Reed to comment on him, but I know Doc and Ainge like him. But for right now, we have the least depth at SF, which is fine because Pierce can play 40 minutes a game, and people can rotate from other positions to the 3 when he sits.

The front court is becoming our real strength. At PF, we now have Employee #8 and BIG Al Jefferson. That is a very formidable 1-2 punch at the 4. At the 5, we now have LaFrentz starting, with Blount and Perk coming off the bench. This is great depth here. Three seven footers, all with shot blocking ability. Limiting Blount to twenty minutes or less per game is just what this team needed, and it seems to have re-energized Blount as well, so maybe it's a win-win.

Now let's go around the league, in alphabetical order:

Atlanta: Atlanta may have the worst bench in the NBA. Outside of rookie Donta Smith, and he's a reach, I don't think there is one bench guy I would rather have than what the C's have. Edge: C's

Charlotte: They have a good 1-2 at C in Brezec and Ely. Kareem Rush is a good sub off the bench at #2. Overall, not as good depth as the C's. Edge: C's

Chicago: This is a real contest here. The way ESPN lists it, the C's definitely have better PG depth, but the Bulls combo of Hinrich and Gordon wins at SG, as does the Deng/Nocioni combo at SF. They also have Antonio Davis as PF1 and Tyson Chandler as PF2. I don't know that's true, and it doesn't matter anyways, I'll take 'Toine and BIG Al over those 2, as solid as they may be. Overall, it's close. The Bulls record is better by a half game, but we beat the Bulls twice this year before we got Antoine back, so I have to give the C's the nod here. Edge: C's

Cleveland: Great PG depth with McInnis/Snow. Lots of names at SG, but not a lot of production to date. Same with SF, although LeBron/Welsch/Jackson is still better than Pierce/Reed. They have good depth at PF with Gooden and Traylor, but both of those guys run hot and cold. Diop hasn't proven a credible backup yet behind Z. Edge: C's

Dallas: This is no contest, Dallas has better depth at 1-4, and you can make a case for Dampier/Bradley over Lafrentz/Blount/Perk. Edge: Dallas

Denver: PG depth is about equal, little more seasoning for Miller and Boynkins, but Miller is a bad passer, so they are often forced to play together, which is counterintuitive of having depth. SG is a strength when Voshon comes back healthy, and right now he isn't. SF and C are their best positions. With 'Melo/Najera/B Russell at SF and Camby/Nene/Elson at C, they have better depth than the C's at those spots. This is close, but - Edge: Deeeez Nugs

Detroit: Boston's likely opponent in the 2nd round this spring. Good 1-2 at PG with Billups and Arroyo. Not much there at SG besides Rip, although they like Delfino off the bench. Again, not much past Prince at SF, though they find ways to work Dupree and Ham into the game. At the 4, they have 2 solid guys in Wallace and Dice. Big Ben is by himself at the 5. Overall, they are a team built on a solid foundation of starters, but Larry Brown is a great coach, and gets what he needs from his subs, which is why they win. However, on paper this is not a very talented bench. Edge: C's

Golden State: Getting better by the day. Now with Baron Davis and Fish, they might have the best 1-2 PG combo in the league. Richardson and Pietrius is a strong combo at the 2 as well. They don't really have one good 3 at all, I don't know if they're still starting Dunleavy, but if they are that's a mistake. There's not much to love in the front court outside of the oft-injured Troy Murphy, and that really lowers their marks. Edge: C's

Houston: Much like Detroit, this is a team with a lot of role players from which Van Gundy squeezes every drop of effectiveness. I can't say that Sura/Mike James/ C Ward is a better group than the C's talent-wise, but they get the job done. You can throw Moochie Norris in there as well. Same goes for SG: I'll take Ricky Davis and Tony Allen over David Wesley and Jon Barry, but the latter does enough to complement McGrady and Yao to be effective. At SF, I think Justin Reed has a better future than Ryan Bowen, who had his shot with the Nuggets the last couple of years. At PF, the quartet of Juwan, Padgett, 'Spoon, and Vin the Gin Baker aren't that formidable themselves. At C they have a true edge with Yao and Dikembe, if for comedic purposes only. Edge: C's

Indiana: There's not much to love at PG. SG will be a strength even after Reggie retires, as the Pacers will still have pyscho Stephen Jackson and Fred Jones. Assuming Artest is on the roster, they win at SF over the C's as well. O'Neal and Croshere is a close call between 'Toine and Jefferson. Center is a close call as well, but Harrison is third on that chart, and he proved he could step in and be effective earlier in the year. Edge: Indiana

LA Clippers: Good depth at PG, SG, and PF, but only for this year. Maric, Kittles, and Wilcox will all hit the bricks as free agents this summer, returning those strengths back to normal. Edge: C's

LA Lakers: They play better than they look on paper, which I suppose is a tribute to Kobe, although not much of one. The Laker real depth is in 3 and 4. They have Butler, Jumaine Jones, Devean George, and Luke Walton at the 3, with Brian Grant, Brian Cook, and Slava M listed at the 4. This is a close call between the C's, but the C's should have won both games, and the lack of a backcourt prescense when Kobe was injured killed this team. I don't think the same would be true for Boston if Pierce was hurt. Edge: C's

Memphis: This is a frustrating team, as they go two deep at every position, but never seem to put it all together. Their listed subs at each position, Earl Watson, Mike Miller, Shane Battier, Brian Cardinal, and Strohmile Swift would be a good starting 5 for some teams. Throw Dantae Jones in there as well, and that's a solid 11 guys, 10 of whom have good NBA experience. Edge: Memphis

Miami: This is the team that will be exposed the most for their lack of depth once the marathon that is the playoffs starts. I am predicting a round 2 upset at the hands of LeBron for this bunch. Keyon Dooling isn't much of a backup at PG and SG2 Steve Smith should have retired two years ago. They have good depth at SF with Eddie Jones, Rasual Butler, Shandon Anderson, and Qyntel Woods. Haslem and Laettner fit well at PF, but they're not better than the C's duo. They have good depth at C now that they have Zo, but this matters very little with Shaq, and seems like money poorly spent. They should be spending their money trying to find a backup PG. Or a starting PG for that matter. Edge: C's

Milwaukee: Is TJ Ford back? I like him. They have good depth at SG as well, I hope Redd stays in Milwaukee this summer. They have a good 1-2 at the 3 with Mason and Kukoc. There's not much in the front court however. Edge: C's

Minnesota: Great depth at PG, SG, and SF. Don't really need their depth behind Garnett, but that is solid too with Madsen. They have nothing at C at all, but the rest gives them the nod. Edge: Minnesota

New Jersey: Nothing behind Kidd, which killed all shots of making the playoffs. Nothing behind VC. I guess Ron Mercer is a good backup for RJeff. Collins, C Robinson, and Scalabrine is pretty good at PF. They have nothing at Center. Edge: C's

New Orleans: Ugh. Some intriguing talent here, but outside of Magloire, their starters are backups on other teams. Edge: C's

New York: In terms of talent, they're better than last year. That's as positive as I can be about this bloated payroll full of underachievers. They're deep at SG with Crawford, Houston, and Penny, and they run 3 deep at SF with Thomas, Williams, and Ariza, on whom my buddy Kev is very high. They run 3 deep at PF as well. On paper, they're deeper than the C's, but they're led by Starbury, who sinks every ship he boards, so it will never matter. Edge: New York

Orlando: Jameer Nelson is like Delonte and Banks, talented but raw. He also gets less time on the floor with Stevie Franchise running the show. Christie and Turkoglu is solid at SG. Hill, Garrity, and Plastic Man are good at SF. They're deep at PF also with Dwight Howard, Battie, and Brandon Hunter, though I think Hunter should be listed in front of Battie. Overall, they're riding a lot of veterans, and thus their depth won't last long-term. Edge: C's

Philadelphia: Ollie isn't much of a backup at PG, but with AI there it doesn't matter. The four guys listed at SG - Korver, McKie, Green, and Salmons are solid. Not much of anything behind rookie Iggy at SF. Rogers is servicable as Webber's backup, as is Jackson as as Dalembert's, with Jackson being more effective of the two. By position, I like the C's depth better at PG, SF, and PF. Give a slight edge to Philly at SG with C being a toss up. Edge: C's

Phoenix: Nash is the man, and Barbosa is talented. Joe Johnson and Jim Jackson is a good duo. Quentin Richardson and Waltah are good, but I'll take Pierce and Reed over them. Marion, Hunter, and Outlaw are about a draw with 'Toine and Big Al. Stoudemire alone is better than the Celtics 3 centers, and Voskuhl is no scrub either. Edge: Phoenix

Portland: Similar to NY, as their talent is better than their record, probably one of the reasons Maurice Cheeks was just released. Great PG depth, although they're losing at least one of the two in Van Exel and Stoudemire, possibly both. I can't wait to see Telfair get more minutes next year. They have nothing at SG. Great depth at SF in Shareef, Miles, and Patterson. Ratliff and Randolph are a formidable duo at PF. Nothing to speak of at the 5. This is close, but they lose points because they will lose a lot of this depth after the season and because they have played so poorly together. Edge: C's

Sacramento: Talk about dismantling. Even with the losses of Christie and Webber, they remain deep however. Bibby/Jackson/House is great depth at PG. Stojakovic and Corliss is good at the 3. Thomas and Songalia are decent at the 4. Miller, Ostertag, and Skinner are better than decent at the 5. Overall, the C's win at SG and PF, the Kings win at PG and SF, and experience and size tips towards the Kings favor enough at C to give them the edge there as well. Edge: Sacramento

San Antonio: Parker might be France's best export since wine and cheese, and Udrih has been a relevation as his backup. Ginobli/Barry/D Brown is a great 1-2-3 at SG. They have Big Game Bob Horry behind Duncan, and Mohammed behind Rasho. If they don't end up in the NBA Finals that is an upset. Edge: San Antonio

Seattle: Ridnour and Antonio Daniels are both capable starters. The same is true for Ray Allen and Flip Murray at the 2, and for Rashard Lewis and Vlad Rad at the 3. Their depth is also very solid at the 4, with Reggie Evans, Fortson, and Collison. If Robert Swift is as good as Danny Ainge thinks he is, then they have something at the 5 as well. That the C's beat this team in both meetings this year is a major achievement. Edge: Seattle

Toronto: A team in shambles. Rose and Mo Pete are good at the 2. Bosh and Marshall are good at the 4, and Araujo is supposed to be good eventually. Otherwise, there's not much depth here. Edge: C's

Utah: Giving up on Carlos Arroyo was a typically hardheaded Jerry Sloan move. A very stupid move. Instead of having 3 backup point guards and one starter they now just have 3 backups. Any could start with similar results. They do have good depth at SG and SF. They have promise at PF with Boozer and Humphries, though I'm not sure that Humphries has as much promise as Big Al. Collins has been a dissapointment at C, and at best Okur cancels out LaFrentz. They should have been better with Kirilenko out, but not having a good point guard will kill you. Edge: C's

Washington: This is a close call. They have good depth at PG. Peeler is servicable as Hughes backup. Jeffries and Hayes are solid at SF. Jamison and Thomas are good, but not as good as the C's PF's overall. Haywood is solid, but Kwame Brown has been a failure thus far. Edge: C's

Overall, the Celtics rank 11th in depth, behind Dallas, Denver, Indiana, Memphis, Minnesota, New York, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Antonio, and Seattle. Does this mean the C's are the 11th best team? Maybe, maybe not. Of this list, I think the C's are a better team than Denver, Indy, Memphis, Minnesota, and New York. However, teams like Cleveland and Detroit may be better than the C's overall, even though they do not have the depth the C's do. It should be noted that this isn't based on statistics, but rather talent level and my gut instinct. My optimism also has to be tempered by the fact that GP and Antoine could very well be history in three months. However, given how quickly Ainge has righted the ship, I am confident that if the Payton and Walker do leave, Ainge will find the right replacements. I also have a good deal of faith in Doc Rivers, who was a victim of a selfish McGrady in Orlando, a fact the Magic all but admitted in the offseason when they traded him. Overall, the C's are at worst the 4th best team in the East right now, and they have a legitimate shot to make it to the NBA Finals this season as their upside. In any case, it's going to be a fun ride.