I’m Miles Miller!

Phase 2
Here are everybody’s picks for the Elite 8/Final Four rounds.

–
Miles
1. All #1 get to Elite 8.
2. Memphis, Louisville, Xavier, Davidson
3. Davidson
4. Texas, UNC, UCLA, Kansas.
5. North Carolina

–
Amber Blair
1. Memphis loses
2. Memphis, West Virginia, Tennessee, Wisconsin
3. West Virginia
4. UNC, Kansas, UCLA, Stanford.
5. North Carolina

–
Natalie Rackham
1. All #1 go to Elite 8.
2. Memphis, Xavier, Louisville, Davidson
3. Louisville
4. Texas, Xavier, UNC, Kansas
5. North Carolina

–
Ian McConnaughey
1. Memphis
2. Michigan St, Xavier, Louisville, Wisconsin
3. Michigan St
4. Stanford, UNC, Xavier, Kansas.
5. North Carolina

Looks like everybody went with the most impressive team so far, UNC, as champions.

So last week I wrote down my prognostications for each team’s win/loss record for this season. Here are some deeper explanations finishing with the National League, division by division.

NL
East
News flash: The Mets now have arguably the best 1-5 pitching rotation in baseball. Wagner is a great closer. Yes, Alou and Delgado are old, but the rest of their lineup is pretty strong. They have two potential MVP picks. And did I mention they picked up Johan Santana, the best pitcher in baseball?
On the other hand, the Phillies have 3 potential MVPs (Rollins, Howard, last two; and Utley). The bullpen has question marks and the starting pitching hasn’t proven itself yet, though if Hamels gets over his early season injury he could put up a fight for the Cy Young.
The Braves have a lot of potential with their team and if they were in either of the other divisions in the National League I would pencil them in at the top without a second thought. Smoltz and Mike Hampton are 2/5 of their rotation = major injury risk. The lineup is right up there with the Phillies, but without the star power. Most people pick them to beat out the Phillies and I give them a chance. The Nationals are in a new park that will definitely yield a lot of more offensive production. Their opening day starting pitcher is Livan Hernandez. That spells a long season. Hanley Ramirez will be fun to watch, the rest of the Marlins team looks like it should be in Triple A somewhere.
Wins: Mets 92, Phillies 90, Braves 86, Nationals 73, Marlins 68.

Central
The Cubs are clearly the most complete team in this division of mediocrity. The closer spot is a concern and Zambrano has a lot of mileage on his arm. The starting rotation looked very promising last year, and I expect a big rebound year from Soriano. Maybe 100 years is a charm…
After them there are lots of question marks. I don’t see Braun throwing in an MVP-like year (but it could happen). There lots of injuries in the Brewers rotation, and 2003 or whatever when Gagne won the Cy Young was a long time ago. Astros have a lineup with a lot of familiar names, but who’s pitching the four games after Roy Oswalt starts? I’m waiting for the Reds to prove that they can put up a fight in the division and I’m not convinced this is the year for that. Cardinals have nobody but an injured Pujols who will walk 8,000 times and a potentially decent Rick Ankiel. And the Pirates are the Pirates.
Wins: Cubs 86, Brewers 84, Astros 80, Reds 74, Cardinals 71, Pirates 71.

West
The NL West will be the most competitve race this year with four teams that all have potential to win out. After winning out last year, acquiring a great pitcher in Dan Haren, and getting all those young guys some experience, I see the DBacks as returning division champs. The closer situation can cause problems. Webb and Haren, Peavy and Chris Young, Penny and Lowe: each of those teams have a solid duo in the rotation, and that can push a team through the playoffs if they make it that far. One of the others has Jeff Francis and the best lineup in the division. Joe Torre inherits a lot of talent and potential, old and young, that could end up in the World Series if they do make the playoffs. San Francisco has no offense and only a couple bright spots in the rotation; they will lose a lot this year.
Wins: Diamondbacks 88, Padres 87, Rockies 87, Dodgers 85, Giants 66.

Playoffs
Mets/Cubs: Health of the Mets will be the major factor heading into this series, especially concerning Pedro, Delgado, and Alou. The Mets are perennial chokers. It has been 100 years since the Cubs won the Series. Still, I have a lot more confidence in Santana, Pedro, Maine, El Duque, and Perez than Zambrano, Lilly, Rich Hill, and Marquis. Pitching is what wins in the playoffs. At this point in the year, John Maine could be a top pitcher in the National League. I change my previous pick. Mets 3-1.

Diamondbacks/Phillies: Cole Hamels and Brett Myers aren’t too bad themselves. I just love this lineup, with Rollins, Victorino, Utley, and Howard. Byrnes is an exciting player, but I just don’t see Arizona scoring much in this series. I like the Phillies in five: Dbacks win a couple low scoring contests and the Phillies explode in the others. Haren faded in the second half last year and I expect a little of the same this year. Philadephia 3-2.

Mets/Phillies: I love this matchup, and I expect it to go 7 exciting games with good pitching and good hitting. New York will get an extra day rest, the Mets will have a slight advantage because of home field in the finale. Can the Mets tip the scales and win out? They usually don’t. Rollins, Utley, and Howard vs. Reyes, Beltran and Wright? That’s kind of a push. I don’t like the Phillies bullpen; Lidge and Gordon have a tendency to blow it; that will happen in one of the games. The only thing I can see is pitching wins and the Mets pitching will win. New York 4-3.

World Series
This brings up another Subway Series. Sorry, I’m a New York fan. Why not NY/NY? Maybe I pick this every year…
Yankees 4, Mets 2.

So last week I wrote down my prognostications for each team’s win/loss record for this season. Here are some deeper explanations, division by division, starting with the American League.

AL
East
I like the Yankees here. For all the hype about Cleveland and Boston, the Bombers aren’t any worse off. With Schilling out and Beckett ailing, the Sox rotation will need to hold up with rookie Buchholz, aging Wakefield, recently returned Jon Lester, and the possibility of using over-the-hill Bartolo Colon. Dice-K won’t be unhittable. Their bullpen is pretty solid. The offense will score a lot, but not as much as New York. This is a transition year for the Yankees, but it’s not a lost one. Wang is great, Phil Hughes is the real deal, Pettitte and Mussina will be adequate, and Ian Kennedy ain’t too bad either. I love Joba Chamberlain in the bullpen. And while Detroit’s lineup leapfrogged the Yankees, New York will be #2 in runs scored. Another MVP year for ARod.
Baltimore will be the worst team in the league this year, losing 100+ games. Tampa Bay will be better, approaching .500. Only thing holding them back is one of history’s worst bullpen’s from last year. Toronto will stay where they usually are, in the mid-80 wins.
Wins: Yankees 94, Red Sox 93, Toronto 86, Tampa Bay 77, Orioles 59.

Central
Tigers are the class of the division. They have the best lineup in baseball (Granderson, Ordonez, Cabrera, Sheffield, and Guillen in the middle). Verlander has a good chance at Cy Young. But after him, the rest of the pitching staff is somewhat suspect, though the rotation isn’t any worse than last year. They will have a better record in the 2nd half than first half, once their bullpen guys Rodney and Zumaya return.
CC Sabathia and Carmona threw a million innings last year (and CC had a million the year before) so I can’t see either of them winning 19 again. The lineup has the same faces, but Hafner (Pronk) and Sizemore should have a better year, along with Garko. They will compete, but I think Detroit will pull away down the stretch.
Kansas City crawls out of the basement this year, with a chance to leapfrog both the White Sox and the Twins. They could have a very exciting lineup full of young talent and the pitching staff is slowly coming together. Losing Johan, Silva and Torii Hunter, I don’t see the Twins making much noise this year.
Wins: Tigers 97, Indians 90, Royals 76, White Sox 74, Twins 73.

West
The Mariners had some great runs last year (especially surprising since they changed managers halfway through) and could have won out until they lost like 9 in a row in September. Bedard is the best pitcher in the American League. His addition will reduce pressure on Felix Hernandez and he will have a better year, too. If Sexson hits above his weight then the offense should be no worse than last year, so I like this team to improve 5 games from last year’s 88 wins.
The Angel’s pitching staff is a little banged up to start. Hunter will improve the defense. This is a pretty solid team, but there are several that are better in the American League.
The A’s don’t have much going for them this year. For like the 4th year in a row it seems, they lost one of their best hitters without getting a real replacement. They also lost their ace, Dan Haren. This team will lose around 100 games. Texas will be Texas.
Wins: Mariners 93, Angels 90, Rangers 74, A’s 61.

Playoffs
Yankees/Mariners: I see this series going the full 5 games. Bedard and Felix are great but have zero playoff experience, so Hughes and Chamberlain aren’t any worse. The Yankees just have too much offense for the Mariners.
ARod may have gotten the monkey off his back last playoffs, and I think the pressure won’t be as big this year because expectations aren’t as high (nobody even expects the Yankees to make the playoffs this year). The offense has been silent the last 2 playoffs, but Seattle never beats the Yankees. NYY 3-2.

Tigers/Red Sox: this should be a very competitive series. Game 1 Beckett vs. Verlander will be as good a matchup as there can be. I think homefield advantage will be big for Detroit; if they can get by Beckett in game 1, I like Dontrelle Willis and Kenny Rogers probably pitching in Boston game 3-4. I see the Tigers winning this in 4. Tigers 3-1.

Tigers/Yankees: there could be a lot of runs scored this series. I don’t know who will be the closer for Detroit at this point and I see the Yankees stealing a 9th inning win somewhere. I think the Yankees can lose game 1 and still win this series. Pettitte and Mussina should each get a quality start and win in this series. NYY 4-2.

Phase 2

The current scores are listed in a previous post. If anyone else wants to join in late then go for it.
Here are the parameters (remember, they don’t all have to be consistent. You can say Kansas loses (#1) and then pick them in the final four (#4):

1. What #1 seed falls in their next game?
Kansas, North Carolina, UCLA, Memphis, or they all win. 4 pts
2. Pick the winner for THESE games: 4 pts each
Memphis/Michigan St
Xavier/West Virginia
Louisville/Tennessee
Wisconsin/Davidson
3. Pick one upset (lower seed to win their game). 4 pts
4. Pick the Final Four. 9 pts each
5. Pick your tournament champion. 10 pts

Total possible points for phase 2: = 70 pts

Email me miles18__@yahoo.com or post your picks on the blog.

Score Update

After Phase 1, the scores are:

Amber Blair = 40
Miles Miller = 37
Ian McConnaughey = 33
Natalie Rackham = 33

Phase 2 will be announced tomorrow and due by Thursday morning.

Feel free to comment or post your thoughts.

Preseason Predictions

AL East
New York 94-68
Boston 93-67 *wc
Toronto 87-75
Tampa Bay 76-86
Baltimore 59-103

AL Central
Detroit 97-65
Cleveland 90-72
Chicago 75-87
Kansas City 75-87
Minnesota 73-89

AL West
Seattle 93-67
LA Angels 90-72
Texas 74-88
Oakland 61-101

NL East
New York 92-70
Philadelphia 91-71 *wc
Atlanta 85-77
Washington 73-89
Florida 68-94

NL Central
Chicago 86-76
Milwaukee 85-77
Houston 79-83
St Louis 75-87
Cincinatti 72-90 276 340
Pittsburgh 71-91

NL West
Arizona 88-74
San Diego 87-75
Colorado 87-75
Los Angeles 85-77
San Francisco 67-95

Playoffs
Tigers over Red Sox
Yankees over Mariners
Yankees over Tigers

Cubs over Mets
Phillies over Dbacks
Phillies over Cubs

World Series 2008
Yankees over Phillies

AL
MVP: Alex Rodriguez
Cy Young: Eric Bedard
Manager: John McLaren

NL
MVP: Alfonso Soriano
Cy Young: Johan Santana
Manager: Lou Piniella

March Madness is upon us. It seems everybody has a bracket pool, including myself. But this one is a little twist, going round by round (so if you picked UConn to win it all, all is not lost!), and with some bonus point questions. Thus, Uber Angst 2K8.

First Round (which is actually the first two bracket rounds):

Guidelines
1. Pick the first-round winners for each region, except #1/16 matchup. 1 pt each
2. Pick the Sweet 16 teams. 2 pts each
Also…
3. Pick one #9 to beat a #8 seed. 2 pts
4. Pick one #3-5 seed to lose in the first round. 3 pts
5. Pick two #9-15 teams to win their first two games. 4 pts each
Total possible: 73 points
–
Miles Miller
1..Arkansas, Notre Dame, Winthrop, St Josephs, Louisville, Butler, Tennessee
Kent St, Clemson, Siena, USC, Wisconsin, Davidson, Georgetown
Mississippi St, Temple, Pittsburgh, Marquette, Stanford, Miami, Texas
BYU, Drake, UConn, Purdue, Xavier, West Virginia, Duke.
2. UNC, ND, St Josephs, Tennessee, Kansas, Clemson, USC, Georgetown, Memphis, Pitt, Stanford, Texas, UCLA, Drake, Xavier, WVU.
3. Kent St
4. Michigan State
5. St Josephs, Georgia

–
Natalie Rackham
1. Indiana, George Mason, Washington St, St Josephs, Louiville, Butler, Tennessee
Kent St, Clemson, Vanderbilt, Kansas St, Wisconsin, Gonzaga, Georgetown
Oregon, Michigan St, Pitt, Marquette, Stanford, St Mary’s, Texas.
BYU, Drake, UConn, Purdue, Xavier, West Virginia, Duke.
2. UNC, George Mason, Louisville, Tennessee, Kansas, Vandy, Wisconsin, Stanford, St Mary’s, UCLA, UConn, Xavier, Duke
3. Oregon
4. Notre Dame
5. George Mason, St Mary’s

–
Amber Blair
1. Arkansas, Notre Dame, Winthrop, St Joseph’s, Louisville, Butler, Tennessee
UNLV, Clemson, Vandy, USC, Wisconsin, Davidson, Georgetown
Oregon, Michigan St, Pitt, Marquette, Stanford, St Mary’s, Texas
BYU, WKU, UConn, Purdue, Xavier, Duke
2. UNC, ND, St Joe’s, Tennessee, Kansas, Vandy, USC, Georgetown, Memphis, Pitt, Marquette, Texas, UCLA, UConn, Xavier, WVU.
3. Oregon
4. Drake
5. St Josephs, George Mason.

–
Ian McConnaughey
1. Indiana, G.M., Washington St, St Joe’s, Louisville, Butler, Tennessee
Kent St, Clemson, Vandy, USC, Gonzaga, Georgetown
Mississippi St, Michigan St, Pitt, Marquette, Stanford, St Mary’s, Texas
BYU, Drake, UConn, Purdue, Xavier, Arizona, Duke.
2. UNC, Wash St, Louisville, Tenn, Kent St, Clemson, USC, Georgetown, Memphis, Pitt, Stanford, Texas, UCLA, Drake, Xavier, Duke.
3. Kent St
4. Notre Dame
5. Arizona