2013 MLB Preview: Teams and Prospects

Chicago While Sox, Cleveland Indians, and Kansas City Royals

Dayan Viciedo
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These three teams above will be fighting for the second spot in the AL Central. All three teams have the potential to make a surprise playoff run. The team that will get the second spot will need a good balance on offense and have solid pitching. For Chicago to take the spot, they will need three major things to happen. Adam Dunn will need to have another season like 2012 with 17+ wins from Chris Sale and 12+ from two the starters (most likely Jake Peavy and Gavin Floyd), and a big season from Dayan Viciedo. Viciedo, a Cuban defector, hit 25 homers and drove in 78 ribbies in 2012, his first full season. I believe he will have even better numbers this year. For the Indians to succeed, they will need to play well in the second half of the season. They were 47-42 and 44-41 before the All-Star Break in 2011 and 2012 respectively. Then, they dropped off and finished the season at 80-82 in 2011 and 68-94 in 2012. This year, they have the team to do it. They have a nice blend of contact and power hitters. The additions of Michael Bourn, Mark Reynolds, and Nick Swisher will help the team tremendously. The rotation is sketchy and will hurt them in the long run. The Royals are an intriguing team. The last few years always seemed to mark the return of the Royals. This year, the key to make this their "return" year will depend if the young hitters have improved and the pitchers can throw strikes. It seems simple, but it never is.


Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays have high expectations. Their lineup is stacked and their pitching rotation is strong. In the past few years, they have been one of the best power hitting teams. This year, they will also have many contact hitters. Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion will be two of the leaders in homers in the MLB, while Jose Reyes and Melky Cabrera will set them up. I would also expect very good seasons from Brett Lawrie and J.P. Arencibia. All five starting pitchers are very good front of the rotation pitchers. I wouldn't be surprised if all five have 13+ win seasons. The only question I have is their bullpen. They don't have a true closer or top notch set-up men.

Pittsburgh Pirates

The last few seasons the Pirates have come very close to going over .500.  Something they have not achieved in over twenty years. This year may be the year they get over the hump and have a winning record. The team is led by MVP candidate Andrew McCutchen. Looking to improve on an impressive 2012 season is 3B Pedro Alvarez. Alvarez, the second pick in the 2008 MLB Draft, hit 30 homers and 25 doubles last season. However, he needs to improve his batting average and cut down on his strikeouts. McCutchen, Alvarez, and Garrett Jones will need some other players to contribute for a successful season. 

Texas Rangers

Jurickson Profar asnd Elvis Andrus
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The Rangers lost some of their most important players in the off-season. However, it was time for them to move on from the club. Even with the losses, the Rangers are still a playoff team. With that said, there will be a lot of drama down in Arlington. The reason for the problems will be because of a limited amount of spots in the line-up. Their infield of Mitch Moreland (1B), Ian Kinsler (2B), Elvis Andrus (SS), and Adrian Beltre (3B) is very good. But, they have two top prospects on the cusp of the majors. Jurickson Profar and Mike Olt are two of the best young players in baseball. However, their natural positions are short for Profar and the hot corner for Olt. Up until last season, those two positions are the only one they had played in the minors. Olt will end up moving to first base if he wants to play. Beltre is an All-Star and Gold Glover at third. The middle infield situation is much more complicated then the third base dilemma. Luckly, the dilemma won't begin at the start of the season due to Profar being sent down to Triple-A. They have put Profar at second, but Kinsler is an All-Star at the position. Andrus is also and All-Star at short. Profar is a can't miss prospect who is MLB ready now. It is unlikely they have any of them DH because Lance Berkman is slotted to DH and is being payed ten million. You can't put ten million on the bench. I see no good result coming from the situation

This is like the Michael Young situation they had for the last few years. Young first moved from second base to shortstop for Alfonso Soriano at the start of the 2004 season, then from short to third for Andrus in 2009, followed by a move to DH/Utility Infield in 2011 for Beltre. The result of all these moves, he became unhappy and was traded before the season. He had every right to be unhappy.  He was an All-Star and was treated like a bench player. Like Michael Young, someone will be dealt away, and I expect this to happen sooner rather then later.

Prospects

Last year, the league was swept up with excitement by highly anticipated rookie All-Stars Bryce Harper and Mike Trout. Not only did they make a big impact, other rookies such as Yoneis Cespedies and Wade Miley also made names for themselves. This year, there are many impressive prospects, including the aforementioned Jurickson Profar, OF Oscar Taveras, P Dylan Bundy, P Gerrit Cole, and OF Wil Myers. These players, among many others, can make a big impact this year, whether they are on the Opening Day roster or come in June.

NCAA Tournament, NIT, and CBI Teams to Look Out For

NCAA Tournament

New Mexico

Tony Snell and Kendall Williams
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New Mexico was a surprise number three seed to many. However, that doesn't mean anything, they earned and deserve that ranking. I believe the Lobos will make the final four. They are second in the RPI (Ratings Performance Index) and ninth in the BPI (Basketball Power Index). There out of conference schedule was tough, which is always good for preparation of the the tournament. The team is led by C Alex Kirk, G Tony Snell, and G Kendall Williams. The seven-footer Kirk averages 11.9 points per game and 7.9 rebounds per game. Snell is averages 12.6 ppg and when he is hot, he is hard to stop. Williams averages 13.5 ppg and 5 assists per game. They have a great team this year and will make a name for themselves in the tournament. 

Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State have fallen under the radar, even as a five seed. The team is led by Big 12 Player of the Year, G Marcus Smart. Smart is the team leader in points (15.4 ppg), assists (4.2 apg), and steals (2.3 steals per game). He is also in the top three in rebounds with 5.7 per game. His sidekicks are Markel Brown with 15.3 ppg and 4.5 rpg and Le'Bryan Nash with 14.3 ppg and 4.1 rpg. Oklahoma State will surprise many people. I believe they will upset Louisville and make an appearance in the elite eight.

Bucknell

Mike Muscala
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Bucknell, the regular season and postseason champions of the Patriot League, is a good team. They are tied for the third least amount of losses with five of teams in the tournament. The Bison got an excellent draw for the tournament. They face a very beatable Butler team in the second round. Then, they will face either Marquette or Davidson. Marquette is the worst of the four three seeds. Davidson is a good team but will have a tough time with the Bison. Their team is centered around their big man, 6'11" senior Mike Muscala. He averages a double-double with 19.0 ppg and 11.2 rpg. He definitely is going to a breakout player of the tournament. Every year, there is a lower ranked seed that makes a run during the tournament. Bucknell has the skill and the schedule to be that team this year.


National Invitational Tournament

Baylor

The Bears are a really good team. They underperformed this season, going 9-9 in conference play and 17-14 overall. What really killed them was their record against teams in the top 50 of the RPI, which was 2-11. Given them a few of those wins and they are in the NCAA Tournament. Baylor is led by their three stars, F/C Isaiah Austin, G Pierre Jackson, and F Cory Jefferson. The 7'1" Austin averages 13.2 ppg and 8.6 rpg. Jefferson shoots a very high percentage from the field, .586%, and can rebound (8.3 rpg). Jackson, a senior, is the team leader in points and assists with 19.8 and 6.5 respectively. For the team to go, they need Jackson to play his best. What really gives me even more confidence the I did before is their dominating win over Long Beach State in the first round of the NIT yesterday. They won 112-66 with seven of their players scoring double digits.

College Basketball Invitational 

TaShawn Thomas
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Houston

The Houston Cougars upset the Texas Longhorns yesterday, 73-72. After the win, I have gained a lot of confidence in the team from Conference USA. Even though they are not highly ranked in the RPI or BPI, they have a good chance to make a run in the tournament. The are led by two very good scorers in Joseph Young and TaShawn Thomas. They have 17.9 and 16.7 ppg respectively. Thomas is also a great rebounder, averaging 9.5 rpg. What they will need to improve on is passing the ball. No one has more then 2.9 apt on the team. Houston may not be the best team in the CBI, but I really like the way they are playing now. 

European Champions League of Soccer, Volleyball, and More

UEFA Champions League (Soccer)

Cristiano Ronaldo
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The Round of 16 for the UEFA Champs League has ended with three teams from La Liga (Spain), two from the Bundesliga (Germany), and one team from Serie A (Italy), Ligue 1 (France), and Super Lig (Turkey) making the quarters. No teams from England have made the quarterfinals, a first since the 1995-96 Champs League. The premier teams in the final eight are Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Real Madrid. Borussia Dortmond, Juventes, and Paris Saint-Germain. Galatasaray is a good team that will be undervalued. Malaga is a few steps below the other seven. They have the smallest chance of making it to the semi-finals. The quarterfinals games will be played on in early April, with the first leg on the second and third and the second leg on the ninth and tenth.

The draw for the quarterfinals were on Friday. The match-ups are Barcelona-PSG, Bayern Munich-Juventus, Borussia Dortmond-Malaga, and Galatasaray-Real Madrid. Of all the games, Boruissa Dortmond has the easiest road against Malaga. Every other game will be close. Barcelona vs. PSG will be closer then you would think at first glance. Bayern Munich is better then Juventes, but after being blown out by Arsenal in the second leg of their Round of 16 series, Munich may be vulnerable. The German club will need to put that behind them to win. The final match-up is between Real Madrid and Galatasaray. The winner of this match-up will be the team does performs it's best on the road. This, and Barca-PSG, are my favorite games. 

Euroleague (Basketball)

Jordan Farmer
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The Euroleague is also in it's Round of 16. Unlike other sports, the basketball league's round of 16 has two groups of eight teams.  Each team will play fourteen games against the the other seven teams in their group. All the teams have just finished eleven games. Group E features Alba Berlin, 
Anadolu Efes Istanbul, Brose Baskets, CSKA Moscow, Panathinaikos Athens, Real Madrid, Unicaja Malaga, and Zalgiris Kaunas. In the first Group E game of week eleven, Anadolu Efes won a close game against Brose Baskets. Anadolu Efes, led by former NBA player Jordan Farmer, enhanced their record to 9-2, while Brose dropped to 0-11. Next up was Zalgiris Kaunas at CSKA Moscow. CSKA Moscow improved to 8-3 with the 70-61. Zalgiris record is now 4-7. After that, Liga ACB members Unicaja Malaga and Real Madrid went at it in Madrid. Malaga pulled off the upset away from home, winning 77-74. Real Madrid, who with the loss slid to 9-2, were without 3 time MVP of Week Rudy Fernandez. Malaga enhanced their record to 6-5. The last game of the week for Group E teams was a blowout. Panathinaikos beat Alba Berlin 82-58. With the win, Panathinakos record became 7-4, while Alba Berlin dropped to 1-10.

BC Khimki MR, Besiktas JK, Caja Laboral Vitoria, FC Barcelona Regal, Fenerbahce Ulker, Maccabi Electra, Montepaschi Siena, and Olympiacos Piraeus are the teams of Group F. The first game of the week for Group F was between BC Khimki MR and Maccabi Electra. In a game that went down to the wire, Maccabi Electra won 80-79. The win boosted Maccabi Electra's record to 6-5 and BC Khimki MR slid to 6-5. The next game was also a nail-bitter between Olympiacos and Montepaschi. With Olympiacos up by one, Montepaschi's star player Bobby Brown drove and then kicked it out. However, they could not get a shot off in time, and Olympiacos got the win away from home, 68-67. After the game, both teams had a record of 7-4. Caja Laboral then went up against Fenerbahce. At home, Caja Laboral destroyed Fenerbahce by a score of 87-67. Caja Laboral, who improved to 6-5, had five players who scored in double figures. Fenerbahce dropped to 2-9. The final game was also a blowout. FC Barcelona, in front of their home crowd, defeated Besiktas by 25, 88-61.

CEV Champions League (Volleyball)- 16th-17th

This weekend was the Final Four weekend for the CEV Champions League. The four teams that reached the semi's were Bre Baanc Lannutti of Italy, Lokomotiv Novosibrsk and Zenit Kazan of Russia, and Zaksa Kedzierzyn-Kozle of Poland. The first game of the semi's was between the two Russian teams, Lokomotiv Novosibrsk and Zenit Kazan. Novosibrsk, playing in front of the home crowd, lost the first set 25-19. Novosibrsk then rebounded in the second set, winning 25-20. The next set was close, but Zenit Kazan pulled it out with a score of 25-22. The fourth set was all Novosibrsk, winning 25-16. In the fifth and deciding set, the home team won 15-12 to advance to the final. In the other semi, Bre Baanc and Kedzierzyn-Kozle also went to the fifth set. Kedzierzyn-Kozle took the first and fourth set, while Bre Baanc won the second and third set. In the fifth set, Bre Baanc got out to the the early led and never looked back. They won the final set 15-10 and won the game, setting up a Lokomotiv Novosibrsk vs. Bre Baanc Lannutti.

Lokomotiv Novosibrsk celebrating their championship
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Before the championship game, they had a third place game between Zenit Kazan and Zaksa Kedzierzyn-Kozle. The two teams split the first two sets with Kazan taking the first one and Kedzierztn-Kozle taking the second. The next two sets went to Kazan as they took the match 3-1. The championship game went all the way to the wire. Bre Baanc Lannutti took the first set 25-22 against Lokomotiv Novosibrsk. Novosibrsk, playing at home, then took a really close set 26-24. They then took the next set too, 25-23. The fourth set went to Bre Baanc 25-20, setting up a winner-take-all fifth set. Novosibrsk took the early lead, but by the third partial they were only up by one. In the end, Novosibrsk won the match 16-14, and the match, three games to two. This is Novosibrsk's first ever CEV Champions League championship.

EHF Champions League (Handball)- 14th-17th and 21st-24th

The EHF Champions League finished up their first leg of the Round of 16. In the first game of the week, HC Dinamo Minsk and HC Metalerg faced off in Dinamo, Belarus. HC Metalerg won the match 26-23. Chekhovskie Medvedi upset the defending champions THW Kiel in a shootout, 36-34. Celje Pivovarna Lasko went up against HSV Hamburg. Even though Celje's Borut Mackovesk had thirteen goals, Hamburg still won easily 29-38. Pick Szeged and KS Vivie Targi Kielce went down to the wire. Pick Szeged had the one point led at half. They kept the lead and won 26-25. 

MKB Veszprem KC beat Reale Ademar Leon away from home, 23-20. FC Barcelona Intersport beat Bjerringbro-Silkeborg 32-26. FC Barcelona had four players, Enterrios Rodriguez, Gurbindo Martinez, Jesper Brian Noddesbo, and Siarhei Rutenka, who scored five goals and two players who scored four goals. Athletico Madrid and Fuchse Berlin played to a 29-29 tie. The last game of the first leg of the Round of 16 featured Gorenge Velenje and SG Flensburg-Handewitt. SG Flensburg-Handewitt won 28-25.

LEN Champions League (Water Polo)

The LEN Champions League is currently in it's round of 16, called the Eight Finals. The first leg of this round was played on the ninth and tenth of March, with the second and final leg being played on the twentieth. In the first leg, there were nail-bitters and blowouts. The blowouts included Jug CO Dubrovnik 19-1 demolition of Schuurmanea BZC and CN Atletic Barceloneta annihilation of CSM DiGi Oradea 15-5. These two matches have almost, but guaranteed the two winners will make the next round. Crvena Zvevda also helped their chances tremendously with their 13-6 defeat of ZF Eger.

The other five games are still up for grabs. The closest of these match-ups is Olympiakos and Spartak Volograd. Their first leg ended in a 9-8 victory for Olympiakos. This grouping could go either way. Another good match-up is between Galatasaray and Sintez Kazan. Galatasaray won the first game 9-6. The second game looks to be a nail-bitter. In a high-scoring affair, Vouliagmeni NC beat CN Marseille 16-12, setting up an interesting second leg. The last game of Final Eight is between Partizan Raiffeissen Belgrade and AN Brescia. After winning the first game, Partizan is looking to win the second game to confirm their advancing. 

CERH European League (Roller Hockey)

Group Play for the CERH European League just finished up. There were four groups of four teams that play each other twice over six weeks. The top two teams in each group make the quarterfinals. Group A was set before the sixth game. FC Barcelona and Igualada clinched were the top two teams, while HC Dinan Quevert and Candelria SC were the bottom two. These games were just for placement. Barcelona's 4-1 victory over Quevert made them the group winner, while Candelria beat Igualada. In Group B, Porto had clinched their spot in the next round. However, the second spot was still up for grabs between Noia and Amatori Lodi. Noia won their match, 4-2 against Porto. Amatori Lodi also won, 10-3 over SCRA St. Omar. Noia sealed their spot in the quarters due to having more points then Amatori Lodi.

Group C had their top two teams set with Benfica and Reus Deportiu. Benfica defeat the winless Cronenberg, 12-3. Reus Deportiu lost to CGC Viareggio, 8-3. That was their only loss in Group Play. In Group D, Lieco, the defending champ and Valdagno went head-to-head to see who would be the group winner. To win the group, Lieco needed to win and have a better goal differential. Valdagno beat Lieco 7-3 to win the group. In the other game, UD Oliverense beat Geneve RHC, 11-2. The loss dropped Geneve to 0-6 in group play. The quarterfinals start on April 6th with the first leg and the April 20th is the second leg. The four match-ups are FC Barcelona vs. Lieco, Benfica vs. CE Noia, Igualada vs. Valdagno, and Porto vs. Reus Deportiu.

The End of the Big East

The Big East Conference is splitting up
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Today was the last day of the Big East's regular season. This is significant because it was the last time that Big East will have regular season games. For years, the Big East was known as the best basketball conference and the worst football conference. Now, the conference is on it's last ride. After the spring sports season, the conference will be splitting up, with  members going in all different directions. Some will not be leaving for a few years, but by 2014, all but three members of current members will be playing somewhere else (and who knows if those three will stay). They already lost West Virginia before this season. The Big East is going to be missed. Here are some final thoughts on the conference. 

The Big Impact of the Big East

When the Big East began play for the 1979-80 season, there were seven teams (Boston College, UCONN, Georgetown, Providence, Seton Hall, St. Johns, and Syracuse), a six-game conference season, and only three teams made the NCAA tournament. Now, there are fifteen teams, with  last season's eighteen-game conference schedule.  In 2012, nine teams made the NCAA tournament. In the 34 year history of the conference, the Big East has become the best basketball conference in the nation.

Since the founding of the Big East, conference members have won six national championships. Members have also had eighteen final four appearances. During the last 34 seasons, the Big East teams have had more then 7750 wins, compared to less then 7200 wins for the ACC, Big Ten, and SEC teams. They have also have 114 teams in the final AP Poll. Their members have always play well in the tournament. Since 1980, UCONN, Syracuse, and Georgetown all have 44+ victories in the tournament. 

What We'll Miss

Scoreboard of the 6 OT Game between 'Cuse and UCONN
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There will be a lot to miss.  Every year, more the half of the teams had a chance to win the conference and/or make a NCAA tournament run. The annual Big East Men's Basketball Tournament will be remembered as one of the better conference tournament/title games in all sports. Since 1983, Madison Square Garden, arguably the most famous arena in the world, hosted the tournament. There was no better setting. Many tournaments held multiple remarkable games that are remembered for years. One of the most memorable of games was the 6 Overtime Game between Syracuse and UCONN in the 2009 tourney. Whenever a college game heads into overtime and especially double overtime, the game will be referenced. This game has become the new "standard" of overtime games. Match ups like this will be missed.

The Big East has had many notable rivalries that have made the conference great. None are bigger then the Georgetown-Syracuse rivalry. These Big East founding members have two of three best winning percentages of teams during their Big East history. When this rivalry is remembered, Syracuse coach Jim Boehiem and Georgetown's former head John Thompson Jr and the current head coach, his son, John Thompson III will always be mentioned. These teams will definitely play again, but it will not be the same.

What will happen to UCONN, Cincinnati, and USF?

UCONN celebrating their 2011 NCAA championship,
possibly the last win by a Big East team
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There are the three teams that are currently staying in the current Big East Conference. If I am UCONN and Cincinnati, I am looking for a way to  quickly get out of the  conference.  The best fit may be leaving with the "Catholic Seven" for the new Big East. Both teams have more National Championships by themselves then any of the "Catholic Seven".  UCONN and Cincy have nine and seven NCAA appearances since 2000-01 respectively. Only three of the other seven teams are in that range of appearances since 2000-01 (Georgetown, Marquette, Villanova). They are all high profile programs that will draw fans and attention to the new conference. The problem with joining the "Big East" is that the new conference will not sponsor a football program. That may be a deal breaker. If they want a place to play where they can do both, the ACC will have an odd amount of teams (fifteen) when Maryland leaves (this includes Notre Dame, who will join the ACC in all sports except football). The conference may want to even out the number of teams to sixteen.

There is never going to be a conference like the Big East again. It changed college basketball multiple times with the performance of the teams, the innovations, the competition and the consistency of high caliber of play. The Big East will be missed by many and remembered forever.