As if March Madness wasn't enough for a sports fanatic like myself, there were plenty of other things going on in the wide world of sports that I just had to comment on.
Jay Cutler goes from the Mile High City to the Windy City
I could do an entire separate and LENGTHY blog on the soap opera that was the Broncos and Jay Cutler, but why bother since we all know how this ends (for now anyway). Cutler got his wish (or did he?) and gets traded to Da Bears. As a Bears fan, I am ecstatic. Did Cutler act like a spoiled brat during the he said-he said merry-go-round? Absolutely. Does that change the fact that he's a Pro Bowl quarterback that goes to a team who hasn't had a bona fide QB since the days of Sid Luckman? No. And might I add that he's only 26 years old!
Did the Bears give up too much (first-round picks in 2009 and 2010, third-round pick in 2009 and last year's starting QB Kyle Orton) for him? Perhaps, but it's too soon to truly determine a winner in this trade. Honestly, I'm more concerned about who Cutler has to throw the ball too (RB Matt Forte, WR Devin Hester, TEs Greg Olsen and Desmond Clark and ???), but the bottom line is this - if Cutler leads the Bears to the NFC North division title and manages a win or two in the playoffs, it won't matter what the Broncos end up with when all is said and done. Who knows? One day Cutler may even have die-hard Bears fans saying "Sid who?"
Kentucky's new $31.65 million man
So Kentucky basketball supposedly gets their man in John Calipari. I sure hope so since he'll cost nearly $32 million plus incentives (do you really need any incentives when you make that much money?) over eight years, and that's only if he wins (and quickly). Because everyone saw what happened with Billy Gillespie. He didn't win, at least not enough for Wildcat Nation, and he was out after two years.
Admittedly, I have read that Gillespie was not the right fit at UK for many reasons other than his results on the court, and as much as it pains me to say it, I do think that Calipari and Kentucky are a good fit. But when he was introduced as the newest head coach for one of the most tradition-rich programs in college basketball, Calipari made it a point to tell UK fans, university officials, his bosses in the athletics department, boosters and anyone else who was listening, that it may take some time to get the basketball team back among the nation's elite on a yearly basis, where everyone who bleeds Kentucky blue believes they should be. Nice speech Coach Cal, makes sense and all, but do you really think that's what everyone will be saying next year if you aren't winning right away? After all, you are the highest paid basketball coach in the nation. Face it, you ain't in Memphis anymore.
Play Ball!
The baseball season opens on Monday (Sunday's one game doesn't count in my opinion) and like every other die-hard Cubs fan, I am forever optimistic that this could be THE year. All kidding aside, on paper the Cubs should be the best team in the National League once again. Yes, the losses of Mark DeRosa, Kerry Wood and Henry Blanco (and even Jason Marquis to a degree) will hurt from a fan stand point and probably have their impact at some point on the field (especially DeRo - toughness, versatility, dependability and a clubhouse leader to boot), but I like the moves that GM Jim Hendry made in the off-season. If Milton Bradley stays healthy and even-tempered, I think he will put up big numbers and help balance the line up. Alfonso Soriano also needs to stay healthy and bounce-back years from Kosuke Fukudome (got progressively worse as the season wore on) and power-wise from Derrek Lee would go a long ways in terms of having the most feared line up in the NL. On the pitching side, the Cubs need Rich Harden to stay healthy, Carlos Zambrano to stay level-headed and the bullpen to develop (another left-hander would be nice) so the onus is not always on the offense, which is a difficult proposition given the winds and weather at Wrigley (especially early in the season).
The Cubs should win their division fairly easily as the Brewers' pitching isn't anywhere near the same with the defections of CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets. The Cardinals have lots of question on offense once you get past Albert Pujols, lots of unknowns when it comes to the pitching (health of Chris Carpenter, young bullpen) and their defense could be atrocious (converted OF at 2B, new starting SS, 3B). The Reds could surprise with their young and developing talent, but they are still raw. The Astros and the Pirates are headed in opposite directions (Astros getting older, Pirates getting younger), but most likely will produce the same results on the field.
As far as the rest of the NL goes, the defending World Series champion Phillies are anything but a lock to win the NL East again, let alone make the playoffs. That's because the Mets overhauled their bullpen to prevent another late-season collapse, although there are still some questions with their starting pitching. The Braves did a nice job of reloading in the offseason, but are counting on some young players to make significant contributions. The Marlins could have the best starting staff in the entire National League once the season ends, but the offense and infield defense could hold them back. Even the lowly Washington Nationals should be better this season, although not much.
In the West, the Dodgers should be the favorites, but you never know what will happen with Manny around for a full season. The Diamondbacks are loaded with young talent in the line up and the Giants could have the best pitching in the division led by last year's Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum. The Rockies are rebuilding and have lots of issue on the pitching side and the Padres are in for a long season as the team is transitioning ownership, which means a reduced payroll and lots of personnel changes. Jake Peavy in a Cubs uni before before summer? Don't rule it out.
In the American League, all attention is on the AL East as you have the defending division and league champion Tampa Bay Rays looking to prove to everyone that last year wasn't a fluke. The Yankees didn't let a recession keep them from spending a mint on Sabathia, AJ Burnett and Mark Teixieira, although it remains to be seen how the starting pitching will fare in the new stadium and how the line up will be affected by the early absence and then eventual return of A-Rod. The Red Sox added more pitching to their staff, but must keep their big bats healthy to keep pace. Don't sleep on the Blue Jays or the Orioles as both could surprise with their young talent, especially pitching for Toronto and position players for the Orioles.
The AL Central should be a dogfight all season as all five teams are somewhat evenly balanced. I think Cleveland will end up the cream of the crop, but it will come down to the Indians' pitching. The White Sox won't go away quietly nor will the Twins, but Minnesota is already being impacted by injuries. The Royals should continue to improve and could be a pleasant surprise late, while the Tigers could be really good because of their offense or really bad because of their pitching.
In the AL West, the Angels were the clear-cut favorites until 1) Free agents Teixieira and Francisco Rodriguez left for greener pastures and 2) injuries struck the pitching staff in spring training. The Angels are still the team to beat, but the gap is shrinking between them and the A's. Oakland has some questions of their own when it comes to pitching and it remains to be seen how former Rockie Matt Holliday will do in the AL. For Texas it's the same old song - lots of offense, not nearly enough pitching, while Seattle continues its rebuilding process and has already amassed some nice talent for its foundation.
So for what it's forth, here's one man's opinion on April 3 for how things will shake out when the baseball season ends in October/November.
AL East champion: Boston Red Sox
AL Central champion: Cleveland Indians
AL West champion: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
AL Wild card: Tampa Bay Rays
(That's right, NO YANKEES! I say you can't buy your way to a division title. Injuries end up killing them.)
NL East champion: New York Mets
NL Central champion: Chicago Cubs
NL West champion: Los Angeles Dodgers
NL Wild card: Philadelphia Phillies
World Series: Cubs over Indians in 6
What did you expect? I am a Cubs fan after all!
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