MLB Awards Preview

AL MVP

Winner: Jacoby Ellsbury, Outfielder, Boston Red Sox

Jacoby Ellsbury
http://www.iayork.com/Images/2009/12-17-09/EllsburyDive.png

After a year lost to injuries, the Red Sox wanted Jacoby Ellsbury to be healthy and to play well. Boston got much more then that. Not only did Ellsbury play in 158 games, he is my prediction for MVP. Ellsbury is batting .321, 32 homers, 105 RBIs, 39 steals, 46 doubles, 212 hits, 134.2 runs created and .552 Slugging percentage. He is in the top 10 in all those categories. His defense was outstanding, too. He had a perfect fielding percentage of 1.000, which means he had no errors, and 6 assists. Ellsbury has a lot of competition for the award, however. There is his teammate 1B Adrian Gonzalez, Yankees OF Curtis Granderson, Blue Jays OF Jose Bautista, and his main competitor, Tigers P Justin Verlander. The reason I believe Ellsbury beats Verlander is because the voters won't believe a pitcher can't beat out an every day player.


Close 2nds: Curtis Granderson, Outfielder, New York Yankees; Adrian Gonzalez, 1st Base, Boston Red Sox; Justin Verlander, Pitcher, Detroit Tigers; Jose Bautista, Outfielder, Toronto Blue Jays.


NL MVP

Ryan Braun
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Winner: Ryan Braun, Outfielder, Milwaukee Brewers


While the Brewers were rolling this year, no one payed much attention to Ryan Braun. Well, he has been having one of the best seasons in a while. He has a .332 average, 33 HRs, 111 RBIs, 33 SBs, .397 OBP, .597 Slugging, .994 OPS, 187 hits, 109 runs, and 38 doubles. He is in the top 10 in all of those categories. Braun also has a 8.92 Runs Created per 27 outs. Hitting isn't Braun's only case. He has a fielding percentage of .996. Braun's only compition is Dodgers Matt Kemp who is having a similar type season. However, the Los Angeles Dodgers are 82-79 and were never in playoff contention. Braun, however, led the Brewers to the playoffs with 96 wins.


Close 2nds: Matt Kemp, Outfielder, Los Angeles Dodgers

AL Cy Young


Winner: Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers


When you win 24 games and only 5 losses, it is hard not to win the Cy Young Award, but stats aren't every thing for Verlander. He has not pitched less then 6 innings all year, the highest amount of runs he has given up is 6, and the highest batting average for one of the games is .200. His stats just back up his record. A 2.40 ERA (1st in AL), 250 strikeouts (1st in AL), and 0.92 WHIP (1st in AL). Sabermetrics back Verlander up too. He has a 8.96 Strikeouts per 9 innings, 7.0 Wins Above Replacement Player, 62.6 Value Over Replacement Players, and 3.03 Fielding Independent Pitching. 


NL Cy Young


Winner: Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers


There are 5 viable options for the NL Cy Young. The player who I think will win is the only one of the five who isn't in the playoffs. Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers has played like his team was in the playoffs every game. He led the NL with 21 wins, 2.28 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and 248 strikeouts. Sabermetrics also helps Kershaw's case. He has a 2.01 component ERA, 9.57 Strikeouts per 9 innings, and a .260 batting average on balls in play. His 2.63 defensive independent ERA proves he has the defense factor on his side. 


AL Rookie of the Year


Winner: Jeremy Hellickson, Pitcher, Tampa Bay Rays


This is one of the toughest choices of the award season. There are two players I believe can win the award, Tampa Bay Rays Pitcher Jeremy Hellickson and New York Yankees Pitcher Ivan Nova. After looking more in depth at both players stats and performances, I picked Hellickson to win it. He is 13-10 with a 2.95 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 2 complete games and 117 strikeouts. Hellickson also has a .217 ERA on balls in play, 5.57 strikeouts per 9 innings, and a 2.95 component ERA.

Craig Kimbrel
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NL Rookie of the Year



Winner: Craig Kimbrel, Pitcher, Atlanta Braves


After losing Billy Wagner to retirement, the Atlanta Braves needed to find their next closer. Craig Kimbrel was chosen to take the 9th inning role. Then, from day 1, Kinbrel showed he was the man for the job. He set records as a rookie in saves with 46, breaking Neftali Feliz's record set last year. The 46 saves is also tied for the league lead.  He also has 126 strikeouts in 79 games. Even though he floundered in the last game of the season, there is no one else who comes close to him.

Joe Maddon
http://angels.ocregister.com/files/2008/11/joemaddon.jpg

AL Manager of the Year


Winner: Joe Maddon, 6th Full Season as Tampa Bay Rays Manager


Only one manager today could convince a team in September they can make the playoffs after being down by 9 games in the Wild Card. Only one manager today can convince his team that even though they are down by 7 in the 8th inning of the last game where they need to win to make the playoffs there is hope. That man, Joe Maddon, did all that this year. I can't think off anyone else who can win this award.


NL Manager of the Year


Winner: Kirk Gibson, 1st Full Season as Arizona Diamondbacks Manager


The Arizona Diamondbacks were expected to win less then 70 games this year. Flash-forward to August, they are in the playoff hunt. Now look at them today. NL West Champions with a 94-68 and 8 games ahead of defending NL west and World Series champs, the Giants. There is no other team that had the turn around the Arizona Diamondbacks this year.

Vogelsong in Japan
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MLB Comeback Player of the Year


Winner: Ryan Volgelsong, Pitcher, San Francisco


After not playing in the majors for 4 years, no one thought Ryan Vogelsong at age 34 would amount to any thing this year. However, he shined in one of the best rotations in baseball. It all started on April 28th when Barry Zito was scratched from his start. San Fransisco manager Bruce Bochy decided to give Vogelsong the start. He pitched 5 and 2/3s and gave up only 2 runs. After that he never looked back. He finished the year 13-7 with a 2.71 ERA and was an NL All-Star. He never had more the 6 wins a season before this. There is no one else who comes close to Vogelsong in this category.

MiLB Championships from Triple A to Class A

Logo
http://www.triple-abaseball.com/PostSeason.jsp

CLASS AAA: Triple A Baseball National Championship


Columbus Clippers (International League) def Omaha Storm Chatters (Pacific Coast League) 
Recap: After winning 88 games in the regular season, the International League's Columbus Clippers started their postseason against the Durham Bulls. Columbus had no trouble with Durham, winning all 3 games. In the IL finals, their opponent was the Leigh Valley IronPigs. The IronPigs defeated the Pawtucket Red Sox 3 games to 1. After losing in Game 1, Columbus won the next 3 games to win their 2nd consecutive IL championship.

The Omaha Storm Chasers won 79 games in the regular season to win the Pacific Coast League's American Northern Division. Their 1st Round opponent in the playoffs was the Round Rock Express. They won the series 3 games to 1. Their opponent for the PCL championship was the Sacramento River Cats. The River Cats went down 2 to 0 against the Reno Aces. In the finals, the Storm Chasers swept Sacramento to win their first ever PCL title.


The Triple A National Championship had Omaha as the away team and Columbus as home. Omaha started the game off well, scoring 3 runs in the first. But, that was all they could manage to score. Columbus had back to back 3 run innings in the 2nd and 3rd, scored another run in the 4th to make it 7-3, and then scoring one last run in the 8th to make it 8-3. Columbus had the championship in their hands. The Clippers were led by the game's MVP, pitcher Joe Martinez. Martinez pitched 6 spotless innings after the 3 run first.


CLASS AA


Eastern League: New Hampshire Fisher Cats def Richmond Flying Squirrels 3 games to 1

New Hampshire starts the celebration
http://eastern.league.milb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110917&content
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Recap: New Hampshire was the ultimate nail-bitter team in the postseason. Every game they won in the playoffs, the difference in runs was no more than 2. The Fisher Cats started the postseason against the Reading Phillies. They lost the first game but won the next 3 to make the championship. In the finals, they were set to face the Richmond Flying Squirrels. Richmond beat the Harrisburg Senators 3 games to 0 in their semi. In the finals, New Hampshire lost the first game by 1. The Fisher Cats were, however, not fazed. They won the next 3 to become the champs. This is the Fisher Cats first championship since 2004. 2004 was their first season in New Hampshire after moving from Connecticut.


Southern League: Mobile BayBears def Tennessee Smokies 3 games to 1
Recap: Mobile had a tough time getting to the championship but when in it , cursed to the title. In the semi's, they had defeated the Birmingham Barons 3 games to 2. What gave Mobile problems was when they lost, they lost by a lot. In the championship series they rolled, only losing one game to Tennessee. Tennessee swept their semi-final against the Chattanogga Lookouts. This is the BayBears first championship since they were co-champs with the Smokies in 2004.


Texas League: San Antonio Missions def Arkansas Travelers 3 games to 0
Recap: San Antonio Missions won their 100th game of the year and a championship on the same day. For San Antonio their playoffs started against the Frisco RoughRiders. They beat them 3 games to 1. The Missions opponent in the finals was the Arkansas Travelers, who beat state rivals Northwest Arkansas Naturals 3 games to 0 in the semi-finals. In Game 1 of the finals they won 5-4 by scoring 4 runs in the bottom of the 9th. Game 2 went 20 innings but San Antonio won by the same score as Game 1. In the 3rd game, San Antonio won 10-6 to clinch the championship. This is the Missions 12th Texas Championship and first since 2007. 


CLASS Advanced A


California League: Lake Elsinorm Storm def Stockton Ports 3 games to 1
Recap: The California League is one of the few minor leagues that has 3 round of playoffs. In the 1st round the Lake Elsinorm Storm beat the Inland Empire 66ers 2 games to 1 and the Stockton Ports defeated the Modesto Nuts 2 games to 1. In the 2nd Round, the Storm defeated the Rancho Cucamongo Quakes 3 games to 1 while the Ports beat the San Jose Giants 3 games to 1. In the finals, Lake Elsinorm won the first to game. Then, in Game 3 Stockton blew the Storm out. But it didn't affect Lake Elsinorm as they won the next game which game them the championship. This is the Storms first championship since 2001 when they were co-champs with San Jose. 


Carolina League: Kendrick Keys def Kinston Indians 3 games to 1
Recap: The Kendrick Keys had the keys to success this year, winning 80 games in the regular season and then winning 6 more to become Carolina league champions. They started off against the Potomac Nationals in the 1st Round. It was a close series but prevailed in Game 5 to win the series 3 games to 2. The Kinston Indians beat the Myrtle Beach Pelicans  3 games to 1. In the championship series, Fredrick beat Kinston 3 games to 1 to win the championship. This is the Keys first championship since 2007.


Florida State League: Daytona Cubs def St. Lucie Mets 3 games to 0

The Daytona Cubs, 2011 FSL Champs
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110912&
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Recap: When teams lose their first game in the playoffs it usually is a sign of what is to come. For Daytona it was the complete opposite. In the semi-finals they lost their first game to Dunedin Blue Jays. The Cubs then won their next to game to make the championship. They were set to face the St. Lucie Mets. The Mets beat the Bradenton Marauders 2 games to 1 in the semi. In the finals, Daytona continued the winning streak by winning all 3 games. In doing that they won the championship. This is the Cubs first championship since 2008.

Quad City After the Game
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CLASS A


Midwest League: Quad Cities River Bandits def Lansing Lugnuts 3 games to 0
Recap: Quad Cities played one of the best postseasons in minor league history. They went undefeated in the quarter-finals (beat Clinton LumberKings 2 games-0), the semi-finals (beat Kane County Cougers 2 games-0), and in the finals. The star of the team was INF Jonathan Rodriguez, who batted .381 and drove in 11 RBI's in the playoffs. This is the River Bandits first championship since 1990.


South Atlantic League: Greensboro Grasshoppers def Savannah Sand Gnats 3 games to 2
Recap: The South American League had it self a great championship series. To make the championship game Greensboro beat Hickory Crawdads 2-0 and Savannah beat the Augusta GreenJackets 2 games-1. In the the last game of the championship, the Grasshoppers finally took an advantage in the series and won. This was the Grasshoppers first championship since 1982. In 1982 they won their 3rd straight championship. 

Top Storylines of EuroBasket 2011

EuroBasket 2011 Logo
Wikipedia

EuroBasket 2011 ended yesterday in Luthuania, the 37th ever tournament. The UEFA Euro Tournament of basketball places the top european nations against each other. Many people I bet didn't even know there was such a thing, let alone happening right now. Why, because it was not broadcasted on any major network, just ESPN3. You would think that NBA TV would broadcast it. Some of the NBA's best players were competing for gold. Anyway, EuroBasket 2011 was a great tournament. Here are the top storylines looking back at the tournament.


Spain Wins Second Championship in a Row

MVP Juan Carlos Navarro
FIBA Europe/Castoria/Matthaois

Spain came in to the tournament as a favorite to win. They had recent success in tournaments, such as the being the runner-up in the 2008 Olympics and 2010 FIBA World Championship (both times to USA) and winning the last EuroBasket in 2009. This year they had a team that looked like a champion. NBA players on the team included Pau and Marc Gasol, Rudy Fernadez, Jose Calderon, and Serge Ibaka. Jose Carlos Navarro is a former NBA player and Ricky Rubio is going to play for the T-Wolves if we have a NBA season. Spain rolled to the championship game with only one loss, a first round loss to Turkey. In the final Spain beat France convincingly 95-83. Navarro won the EuroBasket MVP with an average of 18.7 ppg, 3.0 apg, and a 46.2 shooting percentage. 


Macedonia's Surprise Run

Bo McCalebb
FIBA Europe/Castoria/Matthaoi

When you think of european basketball you think of Spain, Russia, France, Yugoslavia, Turkey, Greece, and Serbia. Who would ever think that Macedonia, a small Eastern European country with about 2 million people living in, could have a chance to win a medal? G Bo McCalebb and F/C Pero Antic led Macedonia's squad which featured no NBA players. They breezed through the first round going 4-1, only losing to Montenegro (Montenegro's only win). In the second round they only lost to Russia, coming in second in the group. That meant they had made the knockout round. In the first knockout round game they beat Lithuania by 2. Then they faced Spain in the Semi-Finals and lost by 12. However, they still had the Bronze Medal game vs. Russia. Sadly, they lost by 4. Their performance showed how well they can play and that they are ready for the future.

+NBA Players in the Tournaments

Many NBA players participated in EuroBasket 2011. Tony Parker (San Antonio) played for France and led the tournament in scoring with 22.1. Joakim Noah, Nichalos Batum, Boris Diaw, and Kevin Seraphin also played on France. Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas) represented his home country of Germany and had 19.5 ppg and 6.6 rpg. Chris Kamen also played on Germany. Hedo Turkoglu (Orlando), Enes Kanter (Utah), and Omar Asik (Chicago) played on Turkey. NBA players on Italy were Danilo Gallinari (Denver), Andrea Bargnani (Toronto), and Marco Belinelli (New Orleans). Luol Dang (Chicago) played on Great Britain. Andrei Kirilenko (Utah) played for Russia.  ZaZa Pachulia (Atlanta) played on Georgia. Goran Drajic (Houston) played on Slovenia. DJ Mbenga (New Orleans) played with Belgium. Kosta Koufos (Denver) played on Greece. Kyrylo Feresno (Utah) played on Ukraine. Also, check the Spain storyline for NBA players on Spain.


Other Notes


5th Place: Lithuania 
6th Place: Greece
7th Place: Slovenia 
8th Place: Serbia

UFL Week 1: Still Hope To Succeed

That start-up football league that would supply homes for football players is still around. The UFL just started it's third season with 4 teams located in Las Vegas, Omaha, Sacramento, and Virginia. The UFL is behind it's planned schedule. They wanted to have 6 teams this season and have a major network deal. They have neither. (One team, the Hartford Colonials, suspended operations) The League may not be where they want to be, but to me Week 1 is a sign of hope that success could happen.


The first reason is the attendance of the 2 games of Week 1. The first game was the Omaha Nighthawks at the Virginia Destroyers where 15,836 fans showed up to watch a Virginia win. The 2nd game, Las Vegas Locomotives at Sacramento Mountain Lions, had 19,938 fans in Hornet Stadium's seats. The overall attendance, 35,774, is a new record  for Week 1, topping the previous record by more then 10 thousand.


The second reason is the teams have great players on every team. The Las Vegas Locos, the 2009 and 2010 Champs, are an example of that. Their quarterback is Rice alum Chase Clement, 2010 UFL Championship Game MVP. DeDe Dorsey is an explosive running back who is used to winning (Won Super Bowl XLI w/ Colts and won 2 UFL Championships w/ Locos) Also on the team is 2-Time NCAA All-American LB Teddy Lehman. WR Eddie Drummond, 2004 NFL All-Pro KR.


The Omaha Nighthawks have more stars. At QB they have Heisman Winners Eric Crouch (2001) and Troy Smith (2006). Jeremiah Masoli (known for getting kicked out of Oregon) is another QB on the roster. Maurice Clarett is a running back on the team and is staying out of trouble. DE Jay Moore is a fan favorite. 

Sacramento Mountain Lion are built around Cory Ross. Ross has been on Sacramento since the 1st season in 2009. He is the UFL's all-time leading rusher and receiver and was last year's Offensive Player of the Year. QB Ryan Colburn is a rookie out of Fresno State. SS Jermaine Phillips has won a Super Bowl. LB Maurice Crum is a top tackler.


The new team in the league is the Virginia Destroyers. Chris Greisen is the starting QB. RB Dominic Rhodes is a Super Bowl winner and has the experience to lead this team. RB/KR Clifton Smith is a former 2nd Team NFL All-Pro. Keiwan Ratliff, who is also on the team, is a former All-American corner.


All in all, the UFL still has hope even with its financial issues.

16 Team Conferences: A Propostition on How To Make The Super Conferences Right

There have been many rumors about 16 Team Super Conferences. I am not a big fan of them. I like how most of the conferences are now. However, I don't agree with the idea of moving out of a college's geographical area. For example, TCU moving to the Big East for football where the closest college is 754 miles (Louisville) and the farthest college is 1509 miles (UCONN). Here is my proposition for how they should split it up (for football only) by success and geographical area.

SEC
Teams from FL: Florida, Florida State, Miami, South Florida
Teams from GA: Georgia, Georgia State
Teams from AL: Alabama, Auburn
Teams from MS: Ole Miss, Mississippi State
Teams from SC: South Carolina, Clemson
Teams from TN: Tennessee, Vanderbilt
Teams from KY: Kentucky, Louisville 


Why?: The SEC has to have top programs. Yes, they lose LSU and Arkansas but they gain Florida State, Miami, Clemson, and South Florida. The SEC is still the top conference.

PAC-16
Teams from CA: USC, UCLA, Stanford, Cal, Fresno State
Teams from OR: Oregon, Oregon State
Teams from WA: Washington, Washington State
Teams from AZ: Arizona, Arizona State
Teams from UT: Utah, BYU
Teams from CO: Colorado
Teams from ID: Boise State
Teams from NV: Nevada


Why?: The top teams from the West should make their way into the Pacific Athletic Conference. Even if teams now in non-BCS schools, like Nevada, Boise State, and Fresno State, might not have the history, they have played like BCS schools.


Big 16 (Now the Big 12)
Teams from TX: Texas, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Baylor, TCU, SMU, Rice, Houston
Teams from OK: Oklahoma, Oklahoma State
Teams from KS: Kansas, Kansas State
Teams from NE: Nebraska
Teams from AR: Arkansas
Teams from MO: Missouri
Teams from LA: LSU


Why?: To be in this Big 16 you need be located in the Great Plains or a little right of it. I felt the need to keep the rivalries of the Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Missouri teams have against each other.


"Other" Big 16 (Now the Big 10)
Teams from OH: Ohio State, Cincinnati
Teams from MI: Michigan, Michigan State
Teams from IN: Indiana, Purdue, Notre Dame
Teams from IL: Illinois, Northwestern
Teams from WI: Wisconsin
Teams from MN: Minnesota
Teams from IA: Iowa, Iowa State
Teams from NY: Army
Teams from MD: Navy
Teams from WV: Marshall 


Why?: Every team in the "Other" Big 16 has had a lot of history. Fittingly, the division's names are called Leaders and Legends. 


Big East
Teams from MA: Boston College
Teams from CT: UCONN
Teams from NY: Syracuse
Teams from NJ: Rutgers
Teams from PA: Penn State, Pittsburgh, Temple
Teams from MD: Maryland
Teams from WV: West Virginia
Teams from VA: Virginia, Virginia Tech
Teams from NC: North Carolina, Duke, NC State, Wake Forest


Why?: The Big East is not known as a football school. If my proposition becomes true that reputation many change. They will gain Penn State, Virginia, Virginia Tech, UNC, Duke, NC State, Wake Forest, and Boston College. Even though Duke and Wake Forest are not the best, the league gets much more competitive.


Other Info: In my proposition there is no ACC. There is no ACC because it is too spread out.This would mean there would be 5 automatic births to the 5 BCS Bowl Games and 5 invites. Army and Navy join the Other Big 16 because it did not fit in the Big East. Marshall made the "Other" Big 16 to fit 16.

NFL Preview

AFC East
1. New England Patriots 12-4: Strong Offense will lead an average defense
2. New York Jets 11-5: A great defense will star again, while Mark Sanchez struggles in the clutch
3. Miami Dolphins 5-11: Chad Henne will play better then last year but...
4. Buffalo Bills 3-13: With Ryan Fitzpatrick as starting QB they aren't going anywhere


AFC Central
1. Pittsburgh Steelers 11-5: All-around good team will play well as usual
2. Baltimore Ravens 10-6: Won't skip a beat from last year
3. Cleveland Browns 8-8: I like Colt McCoy at QB and their defense
4. Cincinnati Bengals 2-14: The only bright spot is they have two good rookie players


AFC South
1. Houston Texans 9-7: Better defense will leap frog them into 1st place
2. Indianapolis Colts 7-9: No Manning, huge problems
3. Tennessee Titans 6-10: A rebuilding team with an old QB, just hand it off to Chris Johnson
4. Jacksonville Jaguars 4-12: Not enough skill players to contend


AFC West
1. Kansas City Chiefs 10-6: The Matt Cassel-Jamaal Charles combo is one I really like
2. San Diego Chargers 9-7: Phillip Rivers will play great, but the D will not
3. Oakland Raiders 5-11: Darren McFadden will run for at least 1000 yards but everyone else will play poorly
4. Denver Broncos 4-12: New coach John Fox will have a difficult job


NFC East
1. Philadelphia Eagles 13-3: The "Dream Team" will play well
2. New York Giants 8-8: Injuries in the secondary will keep the G-Men from the playoffs
3. Dallas Cowboys 8-8: Felix Jones will have a breakout year, but I don't have confidence in Tony Romo
4. Washington Redskins 3-13: Rex Grossman is not going to play well, actually no one will


NFC Central 
1. Green Bay Packers 12-4: With players returning from injury, they are even better then last year
2. Detroit Lions 8-8: Matt Stafford will be healthy but it won't be enough
3. Chicago Bears 8-8: Jay Cutler will not play well and it will show as the Bears struggle
4. Minnesota VIkings 4-12: Donavan McNabb will try to do well, but Adrian Peterson will be the only one who will move the offense


NFC South
1. New Orleans Saints 11-5: Pierre Thomas, Mark Ingram, and Darren Sproles will run the ball well
2. Atlanta Falcons 10-6: Matt Ryan has a good WR core and HB's, expect a good year
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-7: I believe that Josh Freeman will be even better then last year
4. Carolina Panthers 3-13: They have a good running game and thats about it


NFC West
1. St. Louis Rams 9-7: Sam Bradford almost brought the team to the playoffs last year, this year he will
2. Arizona Cardinals 7-9: I don't believe Kein Kolb will make a big impact in his first year
3. San Francisco 49ers 5-11: Alex Smith is holding back the franchise and he will again this year
4. Seattle Seahawks 3-13: A weak defense and unstable QB, it isn't looking good in Seattle


Awards
MVP: Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers, QB
Offensive Player of the Year: Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles, QB
Defensive Player of the Year: Ndamukong Suh, Detroit Lions, DT
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Mark Ingram, New Orleans Saints, RB
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Von Miller, Denver Broncos, LB
Coach of the Year: Jim Schwartz, Detroit Lions


Playoffs
AFC: 1. New England, 2. Pittsburgh, 3. Kansas City, 4. Houston, WC1 NY Jets, WC2 Baltimore
NFC: 1. Philadelphia, 2. Green Bay, 3. New Orleans, 4. St. Louis, WC1 Atlanta, WC2 Tampa Bay


Wild Card Round
AFC: Kansas City def Baltimore 21-17 and NY Jets def Houston 27-17
NFC: New Orleans def Tampa Bay 21-20 and St. Louis def Atlanta 14-13


Conference Semi-Finals
AFC: New England def NY Jets 14-10 and Pittsburgh def Kansas City 31-20
NFC: Philadelphia def St. Louis 31-27 and Green Bay def New Orleans 24-21


Conference Finals
AFC: New England def Pittsburgh 27-24
NFC: Green Bay def Philadelphia 30-27 in OT


Super Bowl XLVI
Green Bay def New England 35-31

College Football Preview: Heisman Predictions

Andrew Luck

One of the most distinguished trophy's in sports is the Heisman Trophy. Any player who holds it up becomes a house hold name. This year there is a large amount of talent to choose from, including former runner-ups, BCS Champs, and BCS Championship runner-ups. The last two Heisman winners have won the BCS Championship. The last three winners have participated in the Championship. If this continues the player who holds up trophy in New York looks to have a good chance to be champ. Here are my top picks.




Pre Season Fav: Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford, JR,  #12
Expected to be the #1 pick in the NFL Draft, Andrew Luck decided to stay in Palo Alto for at least one more season. After being the runner up to Can Newton in the Heisman voting, Luck is looking to be Newton's successor as the winner. I would expect a great year from Luck. 

Kellen Moore

Been There Before: Kellen Moore, QB, Boise State, SR, #11
Moore, the only senior of the group, has never had a horrible game in his career. He is the most accurate passer and best pocket passer in the college game. The southpaw is coming off a fourth place finish in the voting. Expected to break the most wins by a QB, the only thing keeping him away from the trophy is the division he is in. Last year he was in the WAC, this year he is in the MWC. Both are not BCS conferences. 




Quarterback: Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma, JR,  #12
Landry Jones has a really good shot to win the Heisman. Not only is his team ranked number 1 in many polls but he also has 2010 All-American wideout Ryan Broyles. If Oklahoma stays undefeated, Jones will be a favorite when the day of award ceremony in New York comes.






Running Back: LaMichael James, RB, Oregon, JR, #21

LaMichael James

After losing in the BCS Championship and coming in 3rd in the voting, James is out to win. Oregon's high tempo offensive is like Paul Westhead's LMU basketball teams (Westhead is now the coach of Oregon's women b-ball team), up-tempo. They run up the field and that fits James so well. He never fatigues which means he is always at top speed. When other players are a little slower, the fastest player on the field is still at top speed. That is James in every game.




Wide Receiver: Justin Blackman, Wide Receiver, Oklahoma State, JR, #81
Blackman was dynamic player in a passing oriented offense. Catching so many balls, gaining so many yards, and scoring many touchdowns. However, no player who has just played wideout has every one the Heisman.


SEC Player: Trent Richardson, Running Back, Alabama, JR, #3
Trent Richardson is now the every down back in Tuscaloosa. After shining in the shadow of '09 Heisman winner Mark Ingram, Richardson is ready to be the next Heisman winner from 'Bama. He has the experience and the skill set to win it. What especially helps is a uncertain QB situation which means a lot of carries, especially in the red zone.

Marcus Lattimore

Sophomore: Marcus Lattimore, Running Back, SO South Carolina, #21
The Gamecocks are being valued very high after a surprise season last year. Their star was and still is Marcus Lattimore. He is an explosive back who can break tackles and juke out defenders. Expected even more from the South Carolina star, who is still just a sophomore.




Under the Radar: Denard Robinson, Quarterback, JR, Michigan, #16
At the beginning and middle of last season, Denard Robinson was a leader in the Heisman Trophy race. He was rushing and throwing for 200 yards every game. Then he struggle a little as Michigan faltered. He dropped out of contention. If Robinson can adapt to the new offense where he will pass more then run, he could surprise many people and be a finalist.


Sleeper: Taylor Martinez, Quarterback, SO, Nebraska, #3
Martinez was pretty good as a freshman last year. However, he was not the best passer. If he can keep running like he has and he is more accurate and makes smarter decisions watch out for Martinez.