MLB predictions

It's that time of the year. Thursday is Opening Day for Major League Baseball, one of the best days of the entire year if you ask me. There's something about baseball that just makes it seem like it's going to be a good summer. Check out ESPN for three games tomorrow and of course MLB Extra Innings and mlb.tv all season long. The World Champion San Francisco Giants open up at the hated Los Angeles Dodgers at 6 p.m. MT on ESPN, should be exciting. Okay, so now it's time to give you my picks for the upcoming season, starting with the American League:

AL East:
1. Boston Red Sox
2. New York Yankees
3. Tampa Bay Rays
4. Toronto Blue Jays
5. Baltimore Orioles

AL Central:
1. Minnesota Twins
2. Chicago White Sox
3. Detroit Tigers
4. Kansas City Royals
5. Cleveland Indians

AL West:
1. Oakland Athletics
2. Texas Rangers
3. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
4. Seattle Mariners

AL Wild Card:
1. New York Yankees
2. Texas Rangers
3. Tampa Bay Rays
4. Chicago White Sox
5. Detroit Tigers

And now for the National League:

NL East:
1. Philadelphia Phillies
2. Atlanta Braves
3. Florida Marlins
4. New York Mets
5. Washington Nationals

NL Central:
1. Milwaukee Brewers
2. Cincinnati Reds
3. St. Louis Cardinals
4. Chicago Cubs
5. Houston Astros
6. Pittsburgh Pirates

NL West:
1. San Francisco Giants
2. Colorado Rockies
3. San Diego Padres
4. Los Angeles Dodgers
5. Arizona Diamondbacks

NL Wild Card:
1. Colorado Rockies
2. Cincinnati Reds
3. Atlanta Braves
4. St. Louis Cardinals
5. Florida Marlins

In the AL seeding, I predict 1. Red Sox 2. Twins 3. Athletics 4. Yankees and in the NL 1. Phillies 2. Giants 3. Brewers 4. Rockies

And now for the round-by-round playoff predictions (NL winning the All-Star Game to give them home field advantage for World Series):

Division Series:
Red Sox over Athletics
Yankees over Twins
Philies over Rockies
Giants over Brewers

League Championship Series:
Red Sox over Yankees
Giants over Phillies

World Series:
Giants over Red Sox

There you have it, I'm picking my World Champion San Francisco Giants to repeat. How could I not? They do have pretty much the whole team back and the chemistry with this group is unlike just about anything I've ever seen in professional baseball, and there is something to be said about that.

The Phillies are going to miss Chase Utley I think, but they do have that pitching staff. But the Giants have the pitching, too, plus they have all the intangibles. The Red Sox I think are the team to beat in the American League. Carl Crawford is a big addition for them. I think the Athletics are going to make a run in the West this year with their young, talented pitching staff. In another pick that might surprise, I've picked the Brewers to win the NL Central. They've acquired some pitching to go along with that offense, notably Zack Greinke from the Kansas City Royals. Alright, that's all for now. It's time for baseball. All hail the World Champion San Francisco Giants!

Final Four on Saturday

The Final Four gets under way on Saturday at 4 p.m. MT on CBS with (8) Butler vs. (11) VCU in one of the more improbable match-ups ever. It's the one I'm the most excited to see of the two. VCU is playing lights out and I don't know that I see them losing. It should be a good one, though. In the other match-up, it's (3) Connecticut vs. (4) Kentucky. I'll take Kentucky in that one as they have the deeper roster. And then I'll take VCU over Kentucky in the title game on Monday as the Rams have all the momentum in the world right now. I'm excited to check it all out.

Unprofessional media; Sweet 16 gets under way tonight

Some really ridiculous questions were asked at Wednesday's press conference in New Orleans, regarding BYU's honor code, etc. Gary Parrish has some nice thoughts on it. It really is rather ridiculous that the journalists asking these questions are considered professionals. Again, even though I'm not a BYU fan, it makes me very happy to be LDS when I know the school that my church sponsors is willing to stick by its values. And major props to Florida star Chandler Parsons for not taking the bait from the media when asked about the situation.

The Sweet Sixteen gets under way tonight on CBS and TBS. In Anaheim we have (2) San Diego State vs. (3) Connecticut in the early game and (1) Duke vs. (5) Arizona in the night cap. In New Orleans it's (2) Florida vs. (3) BYU in the early game and (4) Wisconsin vs. (8) Butler in the night cap. I anticipate all being good games and I'm excited to see how they turn out. The two early games in particular I anticipate being very close and very exciting all the way down to the closing minutes. In the Florida-BYU game I really don't have a good feel on who will win, so I'll just have to watch and find out.

Opening weekend of Madness

What a weekend of madness it was. I enjoyed it and I guess I enjoyed it so much that I didn't have much time for blogging. Here are some quick hits from the weekend that was in college hoops:

- BYU looked very impressive Saturday and will be tough to beat if they keep shooting like that.
- Butler is at it again, pulling another improbable upset and looking like they could do some more damage. The finish to that game has to be one of the most bizarre I have ever seen; I feel really bad for Pittsburgh, but I'm still happy Butler won.
- Kansas State senior Jacob Pullen was unconscious in the Wildcats' loss to Wisconsin on Saturday, pouring in 38 points and shooting an outstanding percentage. It truly was difficult to see him get very emotional as the game wound down and again during the post-game press conference. I'm a big fan of Pullen's and love watching him play. Him showing so much emotion just says to me that he has a big heart and really does care. I liked that he said he didn't care that he got the K-State scoring record but just wishes they had won. He has nothing to hang his head about and had a great career.
- Ohio State looked very impressive in their blow out of George Mason yesterday. The Buckeyes look to me like the most complete team in the country and if they play like that, I don't think anybody will be able to beat them.
-VCU has looked dominant in their three wins so far and is going to be a tough out. I couldn't believe how easily they handled Purdue yesterday and how many points they were able to put up.
- San Diego State has its first two Tournament wins under its belt and is on to its first Sweet Sixteen. They topped Temple in double overtime on Saturday; I thought the Owls did a really good job of controlling the pace of the game and nearly pulled the upset. The Aztecs should be be playing in front of supportive crowds as their next two games would potentially be in Anaheim.
- Arizona's Derrick Williams is having a huge Tournament so far, getting a game-saving block in the first round against Memphis and following that with a three-point play in the closing seconds against Texas to give the Wildcats a one-point win. Williams is displaying on a national stage that he is one of the best players in the country -- an athletic big man with great low-post moves who is also a tremendous shot-blocker on the defensive end.

NCAA Tournament under way, thoughts on Utah coaching

The NCAA Tournament gets under way in full force starting tomorrow morning at around 10 a.m. MT. It will be televised on CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV and is available to watch online at ncaa.com. I've filled out my bracket and starting at 10 a.m. MT tomorrow you can check it out. Let's just call it the winning bracket. You're welcome. My Final Four is Ohio State, Texas, Kansas and Pittsburgh, with Ohio State topping Kansas in the title game.

There is no other time of year quite like the NCAA Tournament, and the best part if you ask me is the first two full days with upsets, exciting finishes and the like. I like how everyone has a chance to win and to prove it on the floor which is not always the case with college football. It's a great time of year. I'll be tweeting updates throughout the day tomorrow and throughout the Tournament as well. I will attempt to do better with the blogging than I have the last week, especially since it is Spring Break for me at the University of Utah this coming week.

Speaking of the U., basketball coach Jim Boylen was dismissed last Saturday. It wasn't too big of a surprise. I feel bad for the guy, he was classy, passionate and poured his heart into the job. I would have liked to see what he would do with another year at the helm. However, I am anxious to see who Utah will hire as their next basketball coach. I was hoping for Billy Gillespie, but reports have surfaced that he has interviewed at Texas Tech. I think Utah is a better job than Tech, but it looks quite possible that Gillespie will take the job as head coach of the Red Raiders this week. I'm a big fan of Colorado State's Tim Miles who built the Rams into an MWC contender from nothing. However, I think it wouldn't hurt to try and go after some bigger names first.

espn.com's Andy Katz had this to say about the Utah job: "Utah is still a very good basketball job. Rick Majerus wasn't the first to prove this point and he won't be the last. The fan base is extremely passionate about the team, and as the football program has proved, it can compete at a high level for a sustained period." It made me happy to read that and see that someone from the national media recognizes what we are all about at Utah, in particular with our basketball program. It's been a rough week and a rough season, especially with the success of our biggest rival, so it was just something nice to read.

Too tired

I'm too tired to give a full breakdown of the day's action in the MWC Tournament. Far and away the best game was New Mexico-CSU. The whole thing just reminded me why I love college basketball and why I love the month of March. Both teams played well and played their hearts out with their NCAA Tournament hopes on the line. The Lobos pulled it out and will face BYU Friday night at 7 p.m. MT on CBS College Sports. BYU edged TCU in the day's first game. UNLV topped Air Force and my Runnin' Utes lost to San Diego State. The Aztecs and Rebels play at 9:30 p.m. MT on CBS College Sports.

I'm disappointed Utah lost, but, hey, SDSU is a great team. I'm not one calling for coach Jim Boylen's head; I wouldn't think it was the end of the world if he was brought back for another year. I'm anxious to see how this group of players develops with a full year of playing together now behind them. Anyway, that's all for now.

MWC Quarters tomorrow

(9) TCU (11-21, 2-15 MWC) topped (8) Wyoming (11-21, 3-14 MWC) in the play-in game today, so the quarterfinals for the Mountain West Tournament are now all set. It will be (1) BYU vs. (9) TCU at 1 p.m. MT, (4) Colorado State vs. (5) New Mexico at 3:30 p.m. MT, (2) San Diego State vs. (7) Utah at 7 p.m. MT and (3) UNLV vs. (6) Air Force at 9:30 p.m. MT. All the games will be televised on The Mtn, with the second and fourth games being simulcast on CBS College Sports. I'll be on the scene in Las Vegas and you can follow me on Twitter throughout the day tomorrow as well as throughout the MWC Tournament. I'll be back on the blog tomorrow night with recap and analysis of the first full day as well as to preview the second day of the proceedings.

Runnin' Utes blown out by UNLV in home finale

Utah (13-17, 6-10 MWC) dropped their final regular season Mountain West Conference game on Saturday at home to UNLV (23-7, 11-5 MWC) by a score of 78-58. The Rebels jumped out to a huge lead early and never looked back. Utah trailed 47-22 at halftime in what was probably the worst half the Runnin' Utes have played all season. Tre'Von Willis, Oscar Bellfield and Quintrell Thomas all had 12 points for UNLV. Jiggy Watkins of Utah led all scorers with 18 points while Jason Washburn had 12 and Chris Hines 10.

It was a disappointing home finale and I don't exactly have a reason for it. Utah just looked bad in all phases of the game for the opening 20 minutes. At least in the first meeting in Las Vegas, both teams seemed to struggle in an ugly game. UNLV came out sharp in this one, shooting well, playing strong defense and doing a good job on the defensive glass. They looked like a team very ready for the NCAA Tournament.

For whatever reason, the Utes just haven't been able to play many complete games this year. I will say they kept playing hard and didn't appear to quit, but UNLV is just too good of a team to give a 27 point lead (they were able to cut it to as low as 16) and expect to win against. I do think it says something about the character of the guys for continuing to play hard, it's just frustrating that they didn't play better to start the game. Again, I think Utah could have given them a competitive game, but the first half doomed the Utes. Utah just didn't come out with the right energy and attitude. It was very frustrating. Utah's loss ensures them the 7-seed in the MWC Tournament in Las Vegas starting Thursday, meaning they get a first round match-up with #9 San Diego State.

Jay Watkins dressed for the game and was able to play one possession toward the end of the game. I went into detail in my post last night about how great J-Wat has been for the program, so I was glad that he was able to get into the game despite his lingering back injury. He was a guy who really got it and was in touch with the fan base. I was among the students he gave a high-five to after the game -- a really classy move after such a tough loss. He also took a sign that said "The MUSS loves Jay Watkins" with him and seemed genuinely touched by it. Really cool stuff.

In other MWC games on Saturday, #3 BYU (28-3, 14-2 MWC) and #9 San Diego State (29-2, 14-2 MWC) both won at home to earn a share of the conference title. The conference tournament field is all set now, with tie-breakers being taken into account. Here's how it sets up for the first round on Thursday, with seedings noted (BYU gets the winner of the play-in game Wednesday):

(1) BYU (28-3, 14-2 MWC) vs. (8) Wyoming (10-20, 3-13 MWC)/(9) TCU (10-21, 1-15 MWC), 1 p.m. MT
(4) Colorado State (19-11, 9-7 MWC) vs. (5) New Mexico (20-11, 8-8 MWC), 3:30 p.m. MT
(2) San Diego State (29-2, 14-2 MWC) vs. (7) Utah (13-17, 6-10 MWC), 7 p.m. MT
(3) UNLV (23-7, 11-5 MWC) vs. (6) Air Force (15-14, 6-10 MWC), 9:30 p.m. MT

The semis are at 7 and 9:30 p.m. MT on Friday and the title game is at 5 p.m. MT on Saturday. Should be an entertaining tournament. Hopefully my Runnin' Utes can at least show decently down there.

Runnin' Utes close out regular season vs. UNLV

Utah (13-16, 6-9 MWC) hosts UNLV (22-7, 10-5 MWC) Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. MT at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City. The game will be televised on Versus. It will be Senior Day for the Runnin' Utes' only senior, forward Jay Watkins. J-Wat has been sidelined with a back injury and is unlikely to play in this contest. However, from my experience, he is a really cool guy and seems to be really good for team chemistry. Not to mention being a good rebounder and low-post presence on both ends of the floor. And on top of all that, he came over to the MUSS and gave me a fist bump before a game once this season. So his coolness is off the charts for that. Hopefully people will show up to support J-Wat and the Utes in the last home game of the season.

Utah lost a tough one Wednesday at Colorado State (19-10, 9-6 MWC) to snap the Utes' three-game winning streak. I was hopeful the Runnin' Utes could win that one and finish out the regular season at .500, but it was not to be, as CSU significantly outplayed them in the 2nd half. However, Utah needs to put that behind them and come out ready to go against the Runnin' Rebels. UNLV is a good team, but, if you ask me, not a great team. If Utah plays well, they should have a chance to win the game.

Utah needs to put it together now with focus and effort for a full 40 minutes, the season is running out. If the Utes win and New Mexico (19-11, 7-8 MWC) defeats Air Force (15-13, 6-9 MWC) in Albuquerque (likely) then Utah would get the six-seed in next week's Mountain West Conference Tournament. Any other combination from the two games and it's the seven-seed and a likely first-round match-up with ninth-ranked San Diego State. Of course, the six most likely means a first round match-up with UNLV on their home court. So, it won't be easy. But if Utah is to salvage what has been a rough season, it has to be done. I'll be on the scene tweeting from the UNLV game and back on the blog afterward for recap and analysis.

Jazz struggles continue

The Utah Jazz (32-30) continue to struggle, losing a rough one Thursday night to the Denver Nuggets (37-26) by a score of 103-101. The Jazz have gone 1-7 since Jerry Sloan stepped down as head coach on February 10th including 1-4 since superstar point guard Deron Williams was traded to the New Jersey Nets (18-43) just after the All-Star Game.

I'm encouraged that the Jazz are being competitive and staying in games, but at the same time I'm tired of losing those games. A win is a win and a loss is a loss. Remarkably, the Jazz are still only 1.5 games back of the final playoff spot -- definitely still within striking distance. However, I just don't see it happening. The team has been slumping big time and seems to find ways to lose games at the end, instead of the other way around. I don't think it will be this bad the rest of the season as the new guys will get accustomed to the team and the play-calling system as well as the rest of the guys getting used to playing without D-Will. However, I still don't think they'll win enough games to make it to the postseason, which of course saddens me. The Jazz take on the Sacramento Kings (15-44) Saturday night at 7 p.m. MT on FSN-Utah.

Arch Madness

I enjoyed checking out some of Arch Madness today -- that is to say the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament from St. Louis. The Valley is one of the most entertaining conferences in America, with longstanding rivalries, exciting finishes, and teams that play the game hard and the right way. Today's quarterfinals lived up to my expectations, with 3 of the 4 games going down to the final possession -- not bad at all in terms of excitement.

Top seed and regular season champion Missouri State overcame a 9-point deficit in the last 3 minutes to beat (8) Southern Illinois. (5) Creighton held off (4) Northern Iowa 60-57. (2) Wichita State easily handled (10) Bradley in the only match-up that didn't come right down to the finish. And in the night cap, (3) Indiana State got a last-second jumper to top (6) Evansville by two. It's a shame this conference is likely to only get one NCAA Tournament bid this year because they play an exciting brand of basketball.

The semi-finals are tomorrow, starting at 12:30 p.m. MT with (1) Missouri State vs. (5) Creighton and continue at 3 p.m. MT with (2) Wichita State vs. (3) Indiana State. Having lived in Wichita for a brief time, I have to say I am cheering for Wichita State to win this thing. The semis aren't available nationally (on Fox Sports Midwest and Comcast SportsNet Chicago), but the final is on Sunday at noon MT on CBS, so you should check that out.

New Mexico upsets #3 BYU

New Mexico (19-11, 7-8 MWC) got a big upset road victory against #3 BYU (27-3, 13-2 MWC) by a score of 82-64. The Lobos jumped on the Cougars early and never really let the game get that close. It was BYU's first game without big man Brandon Davies, who was suspended for an honor code violation (more on that in a moment). BYU just didn't look like they knew what hit them and New Mexico played better and with more energy from start to finish.

Even without Davies, this game is a complete shocker. BYU rarely loses at home and I don't remember the last time they got blown out at home. It's definitely a big win for the Lobos, who are looking to ride this momentum into their home finale against Air Force (15-13, 6-9 MWC) on Saturday and then to the conference tournament next week. I think the win is a huge testament to New Mexico coach Steve Alford, who clearly knows how to get his team up for big games. The Lobos are the only MWC team to beat BYU this year as they swept the Cougars.

This a really tough loss for BYU as it basically ends all conversations about them being a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. BYU still will likely get a share of the conference title and the top seed in the conference tournament next week, they only have to beat Wyoming (10-19, 3-12 MWC) to ensure this. However, the loss really has to sting. Jimmer Fredette looked completely disconsolate after the game, like he was going to throw up; so I know he is taking the loss hard. This means the Cougars will have a tougher draw in the NCAA Tournament, but they are still a talented team that can do some damage. I found it interesting that BYU coach Dave Rose had Fredette and Jackson Emery on the bench to the end of the game, maybe he figured it was out of reach? Or was he unhappy with the two? I don't think there is a rift between Coach Rose and his players by any means, it was just an interesting thing to see. If anything, this shows that the Mountain West Tournament in Las Vegas next week could be very entertaining and unpredictable.

I'm not a BYU fan, but definitely identify myself as LDS. I think the whole Brandon Davies situation is rather sad for the team and that Davies didn't act wisely at all. But I am also glad that a school that is owned by the church I belong to has enough moral strength to uphold its self-imposed code of ethics. Pat Forde of espn.com wrote an article on this that I think highlights what an admirable stand BYU is taking. Again, I'm not rejoicing in the whole thing, it's too bad that the whole situation happened, I'm just glad that BYU and the church I belong to are taking a stand on morals even though a lot of schools around the country don't tend to do so.

Runnin' Utes fall to CSU

Utah (13-16, 6-9 MWC) lost at Colorado State (19-10, 9-6 MWC) tonight by a score of 78-65. Utah played well in spurts but just did not have the consistency and mental toughness that are necessary to win on the road. Utah next hosts UNLV (22-7, 10-5 MWC) at the Huntsman Center. A loss there and there would be a good chance that the Utes would have to face #9 San Diego State in the first round of the MWC Tournament next week. A win and there is the possibility that Utah will have to face the Runnin' Rebels again on their home floor in the first round of the MWC Tournament. These scenarios are more likely if New Mexico holds on to their 20 point lead at #3 BYU tonight with under 9 minutes to go in the game. Again, a lot can happen and we'll have to see how things shake out. But it would be really nice to finish out this tough regular season with a home win.

I thought Utah could give CSU a better game than they did tonight; I'm disappointed in a lot of ways. I thought the Runnin' Utes would play with more poise and at least make it a close game. It was disappointing in a lot of ways. Utah just needs to try and right the ship in the last game and then look at how the match-ups shake out for the MWC Tournament and try to make the most of it. Utah needs to figure out how to play with poise all the time and play complete games -- they are running out of time to do this. The modest 3-game win streak was nice, but if they don't win again this season it will still be a disappointment. There is work still left to do.

I don't care for a lot about The Mtn., but I do have to admit I have become rather fond of announcer Dave Bolwinkel, who is currently calling the BYU-New Mexico game. Bolwinkel gives some really great insights and his passion for the game makes him fun to listen to. I can't believe the lead New Mexico has right now, we'll see if this holds up.

Runnin' Utes visit CSU tonight

Utah (13-15, 6-8 MWC) visits Colorado State (18-10, 8-6 MWC) tonight at 7:15 p.m. MT on the CBS College Sports Network. The Runnin' Utes have won three in a row, but a win in this one would help to legitimize the recent turnaround. The game is also crucial in terms of conference positioning as the Utes need to try and avoid falling to the #7 position which would almost certainly mean a match-up with 9th-ranked San Diego State in the first round. I'll be tweeting updates during the game and be back on the blog afterward for recap and analysis. I'm pretty pumped up for this one and rather optimistic that Utah can play well. Go Utes!

Leafs host Pens tonight

My Toronto Maple Leafs (27-27-9, 63 points) host the Pittsburgh Penguins (37-21-6) tonight at 5 p.m. MT on Versus. I had thought that the Leafs were about out of the playoff chase, but a strong February has restored some of my hope and brought the Leafs within 6 points of the 8th place Carolina Hurricanes. Goaltender James Reimer has been particularly solid of late. I'm excited about the possibility of the Maple Leafs making the playoffs and hope they are able to continue their strong play. I'll be checking out the Leafs tonight and you should too.

Davies dismissed for remainder of the season

#3 BYU (27-2, 13-1 MWC) announced yesterday that starting center Brandon Davies has been dismissed from the team for the remainder due to an unspecified honor code violation. Davies was pretty much the only low post threat that the Cougars had and was also a big asset on the defensive end of the floor. His size and athleticism were very valuable for BYU in defending similar types of big men, such as San Diego State's Kawhi Leonard.

Davies will undoubtedly be missed and his loss does put a damper on the Cougars' chances to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. However, BYU is still a threat and still has a number of good players, starting with the dynamic Jimmer Fredette. They are still capable of making a strong run, but it will just be more difficult now. BYU has two home games left in the regular season, starting tonight at 8 p.m. MT on The Mtn. against New Mexico (18-11, 6-8 MWC) and then on Saturday against Wyoming (10-19, 3-12 MWC). I don't see any way that the Cougars will lose either of those games, but the real toll could come in the NCAA Tournament.