Baseball Preveiw #2 AL & NL Central!

Yes it's round two of the 2012 MLB season preview and today we take a look at the Central division in the American and National Leagues. We start things off today with the AL Central and the two big hitters in that division the Indians and Twins who have won a combined 13 division titles. They may have the most titles total but right now they are staring up at last years winners the Detroit Tigers who have a really strong chance of winning the title for the 2nd year in a row, but that's getting a bit ahead of ourselves at the moment. We will start it off with last years cellar dweller the Minnesota Twins.

The Twins are coming off a very tough year last year when they finished 63-99 during the season. They were without their top hitter in Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau who both missed time with injuries. Both guys are healthy and back in the Twins lineup with Maure back as the starting catcher and Morneau slated as the DH and backup first baseman to Chris Parmelee. Jamey Carroll, Alexi Casilla, and Danny Valencia round out the starting infield for the team. Valencia led the team in RBI's last year with 72 but somebody is going to have top step up to replace the 70 lost wioh Cuddyer moving to the Rockies. Josh Willingham is leading the charge from the Outfield for Minnesota. Willingham adds pop to the lineup after driving in 98 runs for the A's last season, which as mentioned earlier was a big loss for Oakland. Francisco Liriano and Carl Pavano are the two big arms in the Twins rotation, as none of the Twins pitchers last year were able to win 10 games. Matt Capps has been pegged as closer. Looking at the Twins on paper there isn't very much there for them to offer up. It looks like it could be a bit of a long season for Minnesota and it might be tough to stick around 500.

Next up is the Kansas City Royals, who have been struggling over the past few years (which is putting it nicely). The Royals haven't made the playoffs since 1985, haven't placed higher than 3rd in the division since 1995, the year they finished 2nd to the Indians, and they haven't had a winning season since 2003 when they finished 83-79. Melky Cabrera was the big bat in the Royals lineup a year ago but he has since been traded to the Giants for Jonathan Sanchez, who is pegged right now as the #2 starter in the Royals rotation right behind Bruce Chen and Luke Hochevar with Jonathan Broxton sitting in the role of closer at the moment. Jeff Francoeur, Yuniesky Betancourt and Bobby Butler are going to be counted on to provide the offense. Buttler led the team in RBI's with 95 and was 5th in Home Runs. Francoeur will try and add to the 20+ Homers he hit last year. On paper the Royals have a decent roster, but the bullpen is a question for the Royals so that could cost them games this season and it could be another long season in KC this year.

Next up are the Chicago White Sox who have won 3 division titles and a world series since the turn of the century the world title coming in 2005. The Sox last won the division in 2008 and have been average since, finishing 2010 over 500 and going under 500 last season in a 3rd place finish. Paul Konerko did the most damage on the offense for the Sox last season and is expected to do the same again this year at 1st base, while Adam Dunn will be his backup and serve as the DH. Alexei Ramírez, Gordon Beckham, Brent Morel, and A. J. Pierzynski round out the infield for Chicago heading into opening day this year. Alex Ríos Alejandro De Aza and Kosuke Fukudome are handling the outfield load. Jake Peavy, John Danks, and Gavin Floyd hold down the pitching staff. The bullpen is a bit of a question for the Sox but looking at things as is this could be a good season for the White Sox.

The Cleveland Indians are up next. They finished two games under 500 last year and finished in 2nd place behind Detroit. 2007 was the last trip to the playoffs for the Indians, and the tribe hoping to return there this year, but it's going to be an uphill climb. Asdrubal Cabrera was called upon to lead the offensive charge for the Tribe last year and he didn't disappoint. He will be asked to do the same thing again this season. He has some support on offense from Carlos Santana, Casey Kotchman, Shin-Soo Choo, and Shelly Duncan. And of course they have Travis Hafner as the DH. Aside from the middle of the lineup for the tribe there just isn't enough depth on the roster of the 8 field positions to be able to REALLY put up a fight in the central. Derek Lowe, Justin Masterson, and Ubaldo Jimenez anchor down the starting rotation and Chris Perez holds down the pen from the closer role. This on paper seems to be a decent team but there is only one true way to find out how good the team is, they have to hit the field first.

Finally its the defending division champs the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers won the Central last year and since 2006 have had one season of under 500 play and that was back in 2008. Miguel Cabrera and Víctor Martínez led the offensive charge for the Tigers last year each driving in over 100 runs. Martinez has since departed the team but his production has been replaced by the other huge offseason signing this year that of Prince Fielder. Fielder adds offense depth to the team. With Fielder at first it rounds out a solid Tigers infield which also includes Ramon Santiago, Miguel Cabrera, and Jhonny Peralta, plus throw in Brandon Inge coming off the bench as well. José Valverde and Justin Verlander are the aces of the entire Tigers pitching staff, which is a slight concern to me because there seems to be no other dominate pitcher on this Tigers roster. I think thought the Tigers offensive firepower should more than make up for it.

Here now is how I see the American League Central finishing by the end of this season:

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

























Now that the AL Central has been covered its time to look at the NL Central. The Brew Crew is the defending champs in the Central but it looks like they might have trouble defending the crown. The Pirates seem well like the Pirates, as do the Astros, so it may be a three team race here between the Cubs Cards and Reds. But we are going to kick it off with taking a look at the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Pirates haven't made the playoffs since they played in the NL East in 1992. The highest the team has finished in the Central is 2nd place in 1997. Last year they finished 4th at 72-90 ahead of the Cubs and Astros. Andrew McCutchen and Nate McLouth will be looked upon to lead this young Pirates team who are again appeared to be in a rebuilding mode. McCutchen lead the team last season with 23 Home Runs and 89 RBI's so he will be looking to build on those numbers while playing good D out in Center Field. Neil Walker will aslo be returning to the team after posting mroe than 80 RBI last year. Both guys are expected to lead the offense charge this season. Kevin Correia and Charlie Morton were the only two Pirate pitchers to reach double digits in wins last season, Correia had 12 and Morton 10, so they are looking to improve on those numbers this year. AJ Burnette is the Ace of the staff but is currently hurt after bunting a ball off his face early in spring traning this year. Burnett joins teh team after going 11-11 with the Yankees last season. Burnett spent the first 7 years of his career pitching in the National League with Florida. Aside from the players listed here, the Pirates don't really have much proven talent on this team and that is making it hard for them to compete in the Central on paper. Sad to say it Pireates fans but this will be a LONG season for your club.

Next up in the division is the Huston Astros. The Astros last made the playoffs in 2005 and haven't finished a season above 500 since 2008. This will be the last season for the Astros in the NL Central as they will be moving to the NL West starting next season. Wandy Rodriguez is the ace of this Houston starting rotation after going 11-11 last season with the club and being the only Astros pitcher witha 500 record on the mound. Brett Meyers was moved from his spot in the starting rotation to the closer role this season, as he is trying to replace the 20 saves from last season turned in by Mark Melancon who is now in Boston with the Red Sox. The Astros pitching staff is the worst one in the NL Central. Hunter Pence and Carlos Lee were the two big boppers in the Astros lineup last season. Pence left in a trade with the Phillies and Lee is returning to the team. Last season Lee led the club with 18 Home Runs and 94 RBI's. Outside of Lee on paper the Astros have no real proven talent at the Major League Leve on the roster as of this moment. That's about all the Astros have going for them and it will be another long year in the the City of Houston.

Next up is the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds got into the playoffs inmn 2010 as the wild card but were bounced in the first round and that was the first playoff appearanace for the Reds since 1995. Last year they seemed to fall back to earth just a bit. Mike Leake was the ace of the Reds staff last year being the only pitcher on the team to hit double digits in wins for the club after going 12-9 last year. Right now he is pegged as the #4 starter in the rotation behind Johnny Cueto Mat Latos and Bronson Arroyo. Francisco Cordero was the teams closer last year and was able to shut the door for 37 saves. However he is now expected to be doing that in Toronto for the Jays. So this year it looks like Sean Marshall is peeged as the closer. Marshall came over from the Cubs. This doesn't seem to really make sense to have him close when you have a guy like Aroldis Chapman in the pen too. With how hard Champman can throw he should, and probably will eb before season's end, be the Reds Closer. Jay Bruce and Joey Votto led the charge on offense for the big red machine last year and are both looking to do the same again this season. Votto clubbed 29 Homers and drove in 103 runs while Bruce hammered 32 long balls and drove in 97 runs himself. And lets not forget about Brandon Phillips at 2nd base who has a decent pop to his bat driving in 82 runs a year ago. No major changes took place in Reds camp between the end of last season and the start of this year. The only real changes was that Dontrelle Willis is no longer eon the roster, although he didn't have much of an impact on the team to begin with. The question I have here is can the bullpen be able to reallty hold games for the Reds to contened in the division? If so then the Reds are an easy top three finish.

The Chicago Cubs are up next in the Central. The Cubs have made the playoffs three times since 200 and went in back to back years in 07 and 08 both times after winning the division. but the last two seasons haven't been so kind to the team as they have finished in 5th place both times. The Cubs pitching staff was lead last season by Ryan Dempster and Matt Garza both of whom hit double digits last year in wins both hitting 10 on the season. Carlos Marmol will be relied on as the closer again this year after back to back 30+ save seasons. So those three guys are key to the Cubs trying to have any kind of pitching success this year. Aramis Ramirez and Alfonso Soriano where the leading hitters on the Cubs last year and are going to be called apon to provide that again this year along with Catcher Geovany Soto. rameriez paced the club with 93 RBI's and was 2nd on the team in homers with 26. He will not be returning to teh team as he signed a massive contract with the Brewers. Soriano also blased 26 long balls but it was only two behind team leader Carlos Pena who had 28. Pena is now also gone as he is back in the American League playing for Tampa Bay. Those three guys where the only Cubs to drive in more than 80 runs last season. The biggest question mark for the Cubs this year is the starting rotation which on paper really leaves something to be desired.They lost two of their three best hitters and have a number of holes to fill. Cubs fans will still flock to Wrigley Field but its not going to get them to the playoffs. Cubs hover around average this year.

Now for the two big guns from last season, the Cards and Brew Crew. We start with teh Cardnials. The Cards are the defending world champions winning the title last year and they have missed the playoffs a total of 4 times since the turn of the century. But the cards are hurting a little bit right now. All five starters in teh Cards rotation last year hit double digits in wins during the year. Kyle Lohse (14-8), Jaime Garcia (13-7), Kyle McClellan (12-7), Jake Westbrook (12-9), and Chris Carpenter (11-9) are all back in Cardnial uniforms and back in the rotation except for Mclellan who was moved to the bullpen in favor of Lance Lynn. Jason Motte will be taking over the role of closer from Fernando Salas as they switch roles in the pen. The Cards have one of the beswt pitching staffs in not only the division but in all of baseball as do the Reds. The Cards are going to have to try and find a way to replace Pujols. They lost Alber Pujols to free agency over the winter and are going to be without Skip Schumaker and Chris Carpenter who are both out injured. Wehn Pujols left he took 37 Homers and 99 RBI's out of the lineup from last season. The team signed Carlos Beltran in the offseason to try and help provide an offensive boost with the loss of Pujols. Beltran has been playing with the Mets since 2005 and brings in 22 Homers and 87 RBi to try and replace some of the producion lost with the departure of Pujols. Besides that the team reamains in tact and the Cards will once again be back in the playoffs.

Finally we look at the defending division champs the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers were the division winners last year and made the playoffs as the wild card in 2008 but have struggled since coming to the National League. The roster is pretty much exactly the same EXCEPT for the fact that slugging first baseman Prince Fielder signed with the Detroit Tigers over the winter leaving a big hole at first for the Brewers. So the only question I have is how can the Crew replace Prince? They did give a good plug at it by signing slugger Aramis Ramírez to a three year deal worth about 36 million bucks. The team is keeping its entire starting rotation in tact which like the Cardnials had every guy hit double digits in victories last season. The big loss for the Brewers was obviously losing Prince Fielder to Detroit which takes out 38 Home Runs and 120 RBI's from the Brewer lineup. They tryed to recoup the lost of those numbers by signing Aramis Ramirez. He put up healthy numbers with the Cubs, not quite as good as the one's Prince had been putting up, but still very respectable numbers none the less. Also they were able to keep League MVP Ryan Braun and get him out of a suspension. Braun had 33 Homers and 111 RBI last year en route to the NL MVP. The other big question is can Braun keep posting the numbers he did last year? The Brew Crew will once again be a playoff team but how far they go will be a question.

Here are my predictions for the NL Central:

1. St. Louis Cardnials
2. Milawukee Brewers
3. Cincinnati Reds
4. Chicago Cubs
5. Pittsburgh Pirates
6. Houston Astros

So there you haev it the AL and NL Central. Tomorrow we wrap it up with the Eastern divisions!

It's Baseball Season: AL & NL West Preview!

It's that time of the year. Yes its the start of Baseball season and we are here to get you fired up for the 2012 season. We start off the preveiws with the Western Division of the AL and NL. First up is a look at the American League West. And we start with the defending AL West champions the Texas Rangers.

The Rangers have won the division the last 2 years and are looking to repeat as such this season. The big move for the Rangers was signing Joe Nathan to close and moving Neftali Feliz up to the starting rotation. Felize is added to sure up the rotation with the loss of 2 of the 5 guys who helped win over 10 games from last year for the team. Moving Feliz up was to make room for Nathan who had been the studd closer with Minnesota. As for offense, the Rangers still have Beltre Kiinsler and Hamilton leading the way on offense. The top 5 RBI guys on the team are returning to their lineup so as of now it does not look like offensive production is going to be a problem. There were 3 players who hit over 300 last year for the Rangers and one of them is gone in Endy Chavez who signed with Baltimore. The only slight question mark I got with Texas is the pitching rotation and if it can hold up. Rangers to me on paper still have enough to get into the playoffs.

Next up is the Seattle Mariners. They have some hills to clime if they want to be a contender again. The past two seasons have been very unkind to the M's as they have finished well under 500 in both years. The Mariners haven't made the playoffs since 2001 and haven't placed higher than 3rd since 2007. They solidified the catcher position a little with having Miguel Olivo and Jesús Montero behind the plate so that should be of benifit to the team. Olivo blasted a team leadfing 19 home runs and 62 RBI's so the M's are hoping for the same kind of numbers. Chone Figgins will be looking to have a bounce back season this year as he has only played a total of 83 games the last 2 season. This after putting up BIG numbers in his final season with the Angles in his last year in Anaheim. On paper though there seems to be too many holes in the field and at the bat for the M's. Outside of Félix Hernández and Kevin Millwood the Mariners don't have a pitching staff really, and they kinda need one to be able to compete espically in the AL West. King Felix is one of only two pitchers to hit double digits in victories with Seatlle last year when he ad 14. The other was Jason Vargas who had 10 but he also lost 13 games. Feliex was the only one over 500 on the pitching staff. But outside of those guys the Mariners don't have enough to really be a threat in this division. Sorry to say it Mariners fans but once again the team will finish below 500 and be in the Basement of the AL West.

Now for the Oakland Athletics. The A's have struggled in the past few seasons and are hoping to turn things around this year. The A's last appearance in the playoffs was in 2006 and that was also the last year they won more than 81 games in a season. Last year they saw a 3rd place finish and I think that is where Oakland will end up again. Oakland will be going along without Hideki Matsui who didn't resign after last season when he drove in 72 runs for the A's, which was 2nd on the team behind Josh Willingham. Willingham will take his 29 home runs and 96 RBI's on the move to the Minnesota Twins. Cliff Pennington and Coco Crisp are going to be expected to try and carry the offense with Willingham and Matsui out of the equasion. Also we can now throw Manny Ramirez into the mix. he was signed for $500,000 by Oakland and still has to serve his 50 game susopension for steroids so he will be eligable to play as of May 30th. The A's starting rotation is lead by Bartolo Colón and looks average on paper as far as I'm concerend as does the bullpen. The starting rotation lost it's two leaders in wins from last year in Gio Gonzalez who is now pitching for Washington, and Tervor Cahill, who is now pitching in Arizona. Colon is looking to bounce back after going 8-10 last season with the Yankeesand is beyond a shadow of a doubt the ace of the A's staff. As for the bullpen, Grant Balfour haws apparently taken the closer job from Brian Fuentes who lead the team in savesd, which to me is a stupid move because Balfour seemed semmi quite in his stint with tampa Bay the past few seasons. Its going to be tough espically with the Rangers and Angels in the division. Oakland will end the year in 3rd.

Finally for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, who I have pegged as the HEAVY favorite in the West. Anaheim hasn't amde the playoffs since 2009 and last year finished 2nd in the West to Texas. The two biggest pick ups for the Angels in the offseason were CJ Wilson and of course Albert Pujols. Wilson adds stability and more credability to that pitching staff and makes them more dangerous. The team already has the likes of Jered Weaver Ervin Santana Dan Haren, who have double digits in victories from last season. and Jason Isringhausen so pitching isn't a weak spot with this team. Now as for the offense and the rest of the club they got a big boost with the addition of Pujols. They already have quality bats in the lineup in the form of Vernon Wells Bobby Abreau Tori Hunter and Howard Kendrick. Hunter and Mark Trumbo lead the Angels last year in RBI's with 80+, while Trumber Wells and Hunter swatted over 20 Home Runs each. Throw in Albert to the mix and that makes the Angeles that much better, because Albert will be adding in another 40+ home runs and easily 95+ RBI's to the mix which will jump the numbers up and make this offense dangerous. This is going to be THE year in Anaheim.

So here is the predictions for the American League West:
1. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
2. Texas Rangers
3 Oakland Athletics
4. Seattle Mariners.



















Now we take a loook at the Western Division of the National League. The Arizona Diamondbacks are going to be looking to defent and keep theirIan Kennedy western division title from last year. In the last 4 years this division has had 3 different winners, last year was the Diamondbacks, 2010 was the Giants when they won the world series and in 2008 and 2009 it was the Dodgers. So to kick things off in the west we might as well look at the division champs the Diamondbacks.

Ian Kennedy is the leader on the starting rotation, with 21 wins and will be back. He will be joined by feloow double digit game winners Josh Collmenter (10 W), Joe Saunders (12 W)and Daniel Hudson (16 W). So you got 4 very solid starters in the West in Arizona. JJ Putz is set to close the door from the pen, who had 45 saves for the team last season after pitching a year for the Mets. while Miguel Montero is set to handle catching duties. The outfield seems to be set for the D-Backs with Jason Kubel Chris Young and Justin Upton set to handle things in the outfield. As for the infield first base seems to be a question mark. I'm sorry but Paul Goldschmidt is getting the start over Geoff Blum and Lyle Overbay espically with the pop those two guys have in their bats, the D-Backs will probably float around 500 this season.

Next up we have the Colorado Rockies. The rockies haven't made the playoffs in the last two seasons and they finished 4th in the division last season. Jeremy Guthrie and Jamie Moyer are looking to carry the load on the mound in the start of the rotation which seems decent enough. Jhoulys Chacin and Matt Belisle led the Rockies in wins last season with Belisle the only one with a winning record. Jeremy Guthrie comes in from Baltiomre after going 9-17 last year with the O's. And Jamie Moyer last pitched in th Majors with the Phillies in 2010 where he went 9-9. So the Rockies trying to add some depth to the rotation.Colorado seems to have plenty of depth at each and every position which seems to put them in a great position. The biggest plus returning for the Rockies is their shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, who wacked 30 Home Runs and 105 RBI's alst year. And there is also Carlos Gonzalez who swatted 26 Home Runs and 92 RBI's to complement Tulowitzki. Now you can add into the mix Michael Cuddyer, who will throw in on average 20+ Home Runs and 70+ RBI's which will be a nicne bonus to the Rockies espically in the thin air of Denver which will help Cuddyer's numbers. All in all the Rockies are sure going to be competative and fight it out for the division. More tha n likely won't fall lower than 3rd at the lowest.

Next up is the Los Angeles Dodgers, who may have the most balanced team in the division, at least of the starters. The Dodgers on paper have the best starting 5 pitching rotation in the west with Chad Billingsley Clayton Kershaw Ted Lilly Aaron Harang and Chris Capuano, so as you can see the starting rotation is front loaded in LA. Kershaw led the way going 21-5 last year in LA. Hiroki Kuroda won 13 games in LA last year but now takes that talent to the Yankees. Lilly won 12 last year, and 11 wins came from Chad Billingsley. Capuano comes in from the Mets with an 11-12 mark, while Harrang brings 14 wins from San Diego. So yeah the Dodgers may ahe best starting rotation in the west. Matt Kemp Andre Ethier and James Looney are going to be leading the offensive charge. Kep hit 39 long balls and drove in 162 runs.James Lonney will try and up his offensive production as well. Looking at the depth charts the Dodgers have a decent chance at the division.

Next up is the San Deigo Padres. Arron Harang was the teams only winning pitcher adn we now know he pitching in LA. So now it will be Edison Volquez leading the way on the mound for the starting rotation and Huston Street will be set to close the door. Volquez comes in from the Reds after struggeling the past few years and will be llooking to bounce back. Husto Street will take over the Closer roll from Heath Bell who saved 45 games last year, while Bell went to sign weith the Marlins. Chase Headley, Orlando Hudson and Carlos Quentin are expected to really carry the offense for the Padres. This is after losing their leading home run and RBI man in Ryan Ludwick to the Reds. The team hasn't made the playoffs since winning the west in 2005 and 2006 and their best finish since then was in 2009 when they came in 2nd place. Sorry but this isn't the Padres year either.

Finally we look at the San Francisco Giants. The Giants have Matt Cain Tim Lincecum and Barry Zito leading the way in the rotation and the greatest beard in all of sports Brian Wilson ready to shut the door from the bullpen. Buster Posey is looking to have a strong comeback this year with the Giants after missing all of last season with an ankle injury. The Giants are the best team in the west on paper with a balanced pitching staff and solid offense provided by Aubrey Huff Pablo Sandoval Ángel Pagán, in the trade with the Mets, and Melky Cabrera.

Here are my predictions for the NL West:

1 San Francisco Giants
2. Los Angeles Dodgers
3. Colorado Rockies
4. Arizona Diamondbacks
5. San Deigo Padres.

So there you have it this is the previews of both western divsions. Tomorrow it's the Central Divisions.

New York Jets Aquire Tim Tebow!

The news has just come down, the New York Jets have picked up QB Tim Tebow from Denver in exchange for a 4th Round Pick. Here is the story from ESPN.com:

Unusually quiet in recent weeks, the New York Jets shattered the calm Wednesday by completing a trade for polarizing quarterback Tim Tebow, the team confirmed.

The Jets will send a fourth-round pick to the Denver Broncos, a source said.

Tebow, a former first-round pick, went on the trading block Monday when the Broncos secured free agent Peyton Manning, who signed a five-year, $96 million contract.

Several teams expressed interest, including Tebow's hometown Jacksonville Jaguars, but the Jets -- perceived as a sleeper at the outset -- pulled off the splashiest trade of the offseason.

Tebow -- he has three years remaining on his contract, with a base salary in 2012 of $1.1 million -- will join a cast of backups behind incumbent Mark Sanchez, but his presence could ignite a quarterback controversy. Cornerback Antonio Cromartie tweeted before the trade that "we don't need Tebow," expressing his confidence in Sanchez and the current roster.

The timing of the trade is curious.

Two weeks ago, the Jets gave Sanchez a three-year, $40.5 million contract extension, professing their faith in him even though he regressed in certain areas last season. They signed former Detroit Lion backup Drew Stanton last week to be their No. 2 quarterback, handing him a $500,000 signing bonus. They also have former Alabama star Greg McElroy.

The Jets see Tebow as a change-of-pace player with the ability to run the wildcat offense. They've used the wildcat in recent years, but cut back last season with the departure of Brad Smith. The new offensive coordinator is Tony Sparano, who introduced the wildcat to the NFL as coach of the Miami Dolphins.

Coach Rex Ryan also wants the Jets to get back to being a power-running team, but they have only one proven back, Shonn Greene. The 6-foot-3, 238-pound Tebow rushed for 660 yards last season, including a 20-yard touchdown in the final minute to beat the Jets, 17-14, in a November game at Denver.

A few weeks earlier, Tebow beat Sparano and the Dolphins with one of his trademark comebacks, overcoming a 15-0 deficit to win in overtime, 18-15.

There's also some thought that Tebow and his clean-cut image could help polish the negative perception of the locker room, torn by discord last season. But others close to the team said that was no factor whatsoever in the decision.

But there could be potential backlash for the Jets. Tebow's enormous popularity could turn into a distraction, especially for Sanchez. If Sanchez struggles, the fan base ostensibly could turn on him and start clamoring for Tebow.

This also will be an adjustment for Tebow as he returns to a backup role. He became one of the most popular athletes in the nation last season, replacing Kyle Orton and leading the Broncos -- seemingly dead after a 1-4 start -- to an 8-8 record and the AFC West title. He did it with a run of miraculous finishes, one more improbable than the next.

Tebow won his first playoff game, beating the Pittsburgh Steelers with an 80-yard touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas on the first play of overtime. The following week, Tebow crashed hard in a 45-10 loss to the New England Patriots.

Broncos executive John Elway anointed Tebow as the starting quarterback going into training camp, but that didn't prevent him from entering the Manning sweepstakes.

Clearly, the Broncos were troubled by his flawed mechanics as a passer. Tebow completed only 46.5 percent of his throws last season.

It should be interesting to see how Tebow is welcomed in the locker room. During the run-up to last November's game, the Jets' defensive players weren't complimentary when discussing his passing skills. Cornerback Darelle Revis said Tebow's unorthodox style as an option quarterback couldn't sustain long-term success in the NFL.

As it turned out, Tebow made the playoffs and Sanchez didn't. Sanchez struggled down the stretch, fueling speculation about his future. Publicly, team officials backed him, but also promised the quarterback depth chart would have a different look in 2012.

They weren't kidding.


Yes the Jets weren't kidding about shaking things up but as far as I'm concerend, they shook things up in a bad way. Yes I understand wanting to run the wildcat offense mroe often and Tebow is the right guy to run it. There are more holes in the Jets then just that.

There are a few things with this I need answered. Why would the Jets really go out and pick him up after just signing Mark Sanchez for 3 years and $40.5 Million? Everybody knew what kinda struggles Sanchez had at the end of last season. This deal is going to either bring up Sanchez game or totally destroy it. Now there is absoutly no way possible that Tebow is the answer for the Jets.

What is bugging me about all this is that the Jets really haven't done much to answer their biggest problems. The run defense, and defense as a whole last season wasn't as good as it has been in the past and it showed bigtime down the stretch. For the Jets to do ANYTHING in the AFC they need to get that figured out. Granted the injury bug had hit the team on defense, they still need to get the ship righted by the time the season kicks off in september.

The other big holse the Jets need to figure out is the running game and recievers. They need to make sure that Shonn Greene can carry the load of the running game and if he is the right guy to be having there. Also the team nneds to check on what to do with LaDainian Tomlinson. I know he isnt on the Jets roster at the moment but the team might want to consider getting him back as he still may have something left in the tank. If not then damn sure get something as a safty net for Greene as a backup insurance policy.

Finally the wide recievers need improvement for the jets to have any success. I don't care if you're Tim Tebow, Mark Sanchez, John Elway or Joe Montana, if you don't have decent wied outs to throw to then you are gonna have problems. Santonio Holmes is the only big time reciever on the Jets and most football fans know the problems he had with the team and Sanchez at the end of last season. Plus its kinda sad when your leading reciever is a tight end in Dustin Keller. No disrespect to Keller by any means but you can't win in the NFL with a tight end as the leading pass catcher on the team.

So in summary, yes it might have been nice getting Tim Tebow but if the Jets are gonna go back to being a force in the AFC they need to fix more holes in the team to have any chance.

Cinderalla Season Comes to an End as St Norbert Defeats Oswego State for the National Title!

With visions of the 2007 season dancing in the heads of most Oswego State fans, the stage was set as the Lakers took on the Green Knights of St. Norbert college with teh NCAA Division III National Championship on the line. After Paul Rodrigues heroics the night before still fresh on everybody's minds, fans were hoping for something of a repeat performance, however it was not to be as the Green Knights took down the Lakers 4-1 and skated away with their 2nd straight national championship. The recap of the action from saturday is provided by the Oswego State Athletic Department.

The third-ranked Oswego State men's ice hockey team (24-4-2) fell short of capturing its second NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Championship when it fell to defending national champion and fifth-ranked St. Norbert (21-5-5) by the score of 4-1 on Saturday night at Herb Brooks Arena. The Lakers earned the program's third NCAA runner-up trophy after finishing second in 1987 and 2003. It marked the third national title in five seasons for the St. Norbert Green Knights.

In stark contrast to Friday's game, the scoring started seventeen seconds into the first period when St. Norbert's Cody Keefer wristed a shot from the high slot past Andrew Hare stick side after he took the puck away from an Oswego State defender just inside the blue line.

The Green Knights remained on the offensive early in the game when they went on the power play following a boarding penalty at 1:55, but the Lakers did not allow any good looks at the net. The effort seemed to help Oswego State settle into the game as it went on its first power play at 4:29, but came up empty.

Ian Boots nearly tied the game at 7:33 when Chris Muise hit him with a cross-ice pass, as Boots got behind the defense. However, St. Norbert goalie David Jacobson got behind the shot to preserve the one-goal advantage.

It became a tie game at 10:47 when Chris Brown intercepted a Green Knight clearing attempt at the left face-off circle. Brown found David Titanic sitting open in the slot before rifling a wrist shot into the top right corner over Jacobson's glove.

Keefer nearly tacked on his second goal of the game at 13:51 when he was on the doorstep alone, but Hare flashed some fancy leather for the save. Minutes later though, St. Norbert regained the lead at 17:29 when Reid Campbell found Brandon Hoogenboom sitting at the back door for the open-net goal with a second assist going to Mason Baptista as the Lakers struggled to clear the defensive zone.

Oswego State ended the period with an extra attacker when the Green Knights were called for hitting after the whistle at 18:05. The Lakers had a few quality looks at the net, but shots from the point went wide of the net.

Oswego State started the second period with a renewed energy controlling puck possession in the early going until the Lakers were called for interference at 6:21, which the penalty-kill unit killed off. Midway through the frame, Oswego State came up short on its third power play after a boarding penalty. However, seconds after St. Norbert returned to full strength it was assessed an interference penalty only for the Lakers to come up empty again.

Andrew Mather had a breakaway opportunity at 14:18 using his speed up the near side, but he was unable to get the shot above Jacobson, who went to the ice to try to make the save.

The Green Knights went on their fourth power play at 16:42 after a Laker interference penalty in the defensive zone, and St. Norbert made them pay. Kyle Stroh passed the puck from behind the net to Keefer for the one-timer past Hare to make it a 3-1 game with 1:37 left in the second. Johan Ryd was also credited with an assist.

By the end of the second, Oswego State trailed 3-1, despite out-shooting its opponent, 14-5, in the frame.

At 7:15 in the third, the Lakers were given their fifth power-play chance of the game after a St. Norbert hooking penalty. Jon Whitelaw one-timed a blast from the center of the blue line 45 seconds into the extra attacker, but it was Jacobson's turn to flash the leather.

The Green Knights took another penalty at the 8:30 mark with Oswego State getting a few shots on goal without any finding the back of the net.

Keefer completed the hat trick at 17:07 when he beat a Laker defenseman in a foot race for the puck from the Oswego State offensive zone. Keefer then found the back of the net by going five-hole on Hare to seal the win.

The Laker power-play unit struggled all evening, as it finished the game 0-for-6. St. Norbert ended 1-for-5 with the extra attacker. Hare ended the contest with 21 saves, while Jacobson posted 29 stops.

Despite the four goals allowed, Oswego State finished the season with a program-low 54 goals allowed bettering the previous record of 56 goals allowed by the 2006-07 squad. Hare also set a single-season record with a 1.75 goals against average, which bested Ryan Scott's record of 1.99 in the 2006-07 season as well.

Members of the 2012 NCAA All-Tournament Team included Oswego State's Ian Boots, St. Norbert's Johan Ryd, Cody Keefer, Zach MacDonald, and Amherst's Mike Baran. The Most Outstanding Player was St. Norbert goaltender David Jacobson.

Here are the video highlights of the game thanks to WNYO and Mike Keeley:


This is now the 2nd time in his career that Cody keefer has caused heartbreak for Oswego State hockey fans. If you remember it was Keefer who scored the goal with 239 seconds left against Oswego in the 2010 Semifianl game between these two teams that sent St Norbert to play Norwich for the national title that year.

On a serious note I would like to take the time to say something about the seniors on this season team. Ian Boots, Paul Beckwith, Hank Van Boxmeer, Jared Anderson, and Andrew Mather, guys it has been a real pleasure watching you play hockey over the last four years. You're leaving this school with some great memories and great moments that will live on foever on the shores of lake onterio. I can probably speak for most peeople who have watched you play hockey, wheather it be here at Oswego or at any point during you're careers when i say this: THANK YOU THANK THANK YOU!

Paul Rodrigues OT Hero Aagain as Oswego beats Amherst 2-1!!

For the 3rd time in the last two seasons, Paul Rodrigues has proven to be a hero in overtime for the Oswego State Lakers. He was able to net two winners in overtime last season, January 22nd against Fredonia and February 4th against Cortland. Those goals turned out to be big, but they both pale in comparison to the one he scored against the Amherst Lord Jeffs in the final four last friday night. The following game recap is provided by the Oswego State Sports Information Department.

Paul Rodrigues scored 7:20 into overtime to move the third-ranked Oswego State men's ice hockey team (24-3-2) into the championship game with a 2-1 win over second-ranked Amherst College (24-4-1) on Friday night at Herb Brooks Arena. Oswego State will face St. Norbert, the defending national champions, (20-5-5) in the national championship game Saturday at 7 p.m. after the Green Knights disposed of Norwich, 4-1, in the other semifinal contest.

David Titanic had a one-on-one chance against the Lord Jeffs in the sixth minute of the first period after a quick pass from Hank Van Boxmeer, but the defenseman closed quickly not allowing Titanic to put much behind the shot.

In the latter portion of the first, Chris Brown and Andrew Mather had a 2-on-1 breakaway on a Lord Jeff line change. Brown slid the puck from the near side of the rink to Mather, who lifted a shot on Amherst goalie Jonathan LaRose. However, La Rose was there for the save.

The Lord Jeffs had a scoring chance of their own inside the last two minutes during a 3-on-2 rush. Laker goalie Andrew Hare (Jr., Burlington, Ont.) made the initial save, but lost track of the rebound as he fell on his back with the puck loose in front the net. However, Oswego State cleared the puck before Amherst could take another shot, as the period ended with the score tied at 0-0.

The Lord Jeffs applied sustained offensive pressure early in the second period, including Mike Baran's blast from the point that clanged off the pipe. Amherst went on the first power play of the game at 9:24 in the second period when Oswego State was whistled for tripping.

The Laker penalty-kill unit came up strong, as Hare made three saves. Oswego State created an odd-skater rush when the penalized Laker came out of the box, but LaRose made the stop. The play gave the Lakers a renewed energy as they went on their first power play at 13:14 following a holding call due to the forechecking efforts of Matt Singleton, but were unable to get on the board.

At 15:39 in the second, Hare made a sprawling pad on a backhand by Nick Brunnette at the near post to keep the contest tied going into the final 20 minutes.

Oswego State gained an extra attacker when Amherst was called for cross checking at 8:06 after Chris Ayotte was taken down along the boards. Zack Josepher's shot from the center of the blue line was deflected inches wide of the far post.

Ian Boots, a 2011 Second Team All-American, finally put the Lakers on the board at 10:26 after Tyler Leimbrock checked a Lord Jeff defender off the puck at neutral ice near the Amherst blue line. Boots corralled the loose puck, skated in towards the faceoff circle, and took a wrister that beat La Rose glove side low by the near post.

The goal energized the entire rink, including the Lord Jeff offense, which began to pepper Hare with shots. Amherst called timeout with 37.8 seconds to play leading to a faceoff in the neutral zone. The Lord Jeffs won the draw before Eddie Effinger tied the game after a mad scramble in front of the goal with 22.1 seconds to play. Aaron Deutsch and Mark Colp were credited with assists on the play that sent the game into overtime.

Amherst came out quickly in the extra frame, but Hare registered three saves to keep the game going. Luke Moodie carried the puck into the offensive zone drawing two defenders, leaving Rodrigues, who was trailing the play, open. Moodie hit Rodrigues with the pass to skate in on LaRose. Rodrigues held the puck long enough to force LaRose to commit before eventually sliding the puck under the goalie for his 14th goal of the season.

Hare finished the game with 43 saves to move to 21-3-2 on the season, while LaRose, who was named the national player of the year Thursday night, posted 25 saves with an overall record of 19-2-1.

Here are the video highlights from the victory courtesy of Mike Keeley and WNYO:


So paul rodrigues was the hero again on firday night. That heroics was shades of what Ryan Woodward did for Oswego during the 2007 playoff run, when Woodward scored the OT winner against St Norbert College to put the Lakers into the national title game that year.

Woudl the storybook run continues the next night? We shall see......

Oswego Advances to 3rd Straight Final Four with 5-0 Win Over Elmira

For the 3rd straight year, the Oswego State Lakers Men's Hockey team will be playing in the final four. This time it comes courtesy of the Elmira Soaring Eagles and a 5-0 victory. The following game recap provided by the Oswego State Athletics Department.

The third-ranked Oswego State men's ice hockey team (23-3-2) punched its third straight ticket to the NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Championships behind the strength of four third-period goals in a 5-0 quarterfinal win over 11th-ranked Elmira (15-9-3) Saturday at the Campus Center Arena. The victory marks the first time in program history that the Lakers have reached the Frozen Four in three consecutive seasons.

The Lakers held a tenuous one-goal lead heading into the final stanza before tallying four goals in a ten-minute span. Oswego State also received a solid effort from junior goaltender Andrew Hare, who posted his fourth shutout of the season after stopping 23 shots, to register the 33rd shutout in Division III Men's Ice Hockey Tournament history.

Both squads played a tight defensive game in the first period. It was not until 11:31 in the frame, though, when Ian Boots put the Lakers on the board. He got the puck behind the net and tried a wraparound near the far post, but was stopped by Soaring Eagle goalie Darren McDonald. However, McDonald was unable to contain the rebound, as Boots took several stabs at puck while on his knees before it crossed the goal line. Tyler Leimbrock and Chris Muise got assists on the goal, as Oswego State took a 1-0 lead into intermission.

The Lakers came out with increased intensity in the second period, but were unable to get shots through the Elmira defense. Play evened out as the stanza wore on before the Soaring Eagles were called for a slashing penalty in the waning moments. Oswego State did not get any quality looks at the net before the horn sounded, as it still owned a one-goal advantage heading into the final 20 minutes.

Just over three minutes into the third, Matt Singleton capitalized on an Elmira turnover at its blue line during a long Soaring Eagle shift. Singleton picked up the loose puck as a defender lost his footing, allowing Singleton to skate in unabated to the goalie. He ripped a shot that went just under the crossbar over McDonald's left shoulder for his fifth goal of the season, giving the Lakers a 2-0 lead.

Less than a minute after the goal, Oswego State was whistled for back-to-back penalties resulting in a 5-on-3 advantage for the visitors for 21 seconds. The Lakers effectively killed off the first infraction before Taylor Farris blocked an Elmira shot near the right point less than 20 seconds later. Farris tapped the puck up to Boots, who was open on the far side for a breakaway opportunity on McDonald. Boots got his shot past the Elmira netminder's glove side for his 12th marker of the season and the team's sixth shorthanded goal of the year at 6:19.

Oswego State made it a 4-0 game at 11:53, while on a 4-on-3 power play courtesy of Zack Josepher. Josepher laced a shot from the slot into the back of the net after a series of passes from Jon Whitelaw and Luke Moodie closed in on the Elmira penalty-kill unit.

The Lakers' final goal came when Kyle Badham hit Singleton with a cross-ice pass that created a rare odd-man rush for Singleton and Chris Ayotte. Singleton slid a pass under a Soaring Eagle defenseman to Ayotte, who made no mistake on the quick shot, for his eighth goal of the season at 13:55.

In a contest with few penalties, Oswego State capitalized on the chances it was given, as it went 1-for-2 on the power play and scored a shorthanded goal. Elmira finished 0-for-3 with the extra skater.

Hare improved to 20-3-2 with the decision, while Darren McDonald finished with 17 saves in the losing effort.

Oswego State will face second-ranked Amherst (24-3-1) on Friday, March 16 at 7:30 p.m. in Lake Placid, N.Y. The Lord Jeffs defeated Plattsburgh, 3-1, to advance to the semifinal round. Tickets can be purchased at ncaa.com/tickets or by calling the Olympic Center Box Office at 518-523-3330 from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Here now are the video highlights from the victory:


This time Oswego got to the Final Four thanks to Elmira. In the past two seasons it had been Bowdin who had been the first round opponent for Oswego in the NCAA Tournment. Each year in the quarter-finals there comes a player who knows how to score two goals from almost out of nowhere. There was a two goal performance tonight but it wasn't out of nowhere it was Ian Boots. Van Boxmeer did it two years ago and David Titanic did it last year. So it goes to show you can find a hero almost out of anywhere.

This is the third time Oswego has gone to three straight NCAA Tournment, the last time it was done was 1987-1989. So now the final four is set as it is St. Norbert and Norwich at 4PM and Amherst against Oswego at 7PM!

(video provided by Mike Keeley and photo provided the Oswego State Athletic Department)

2011-2012 Oswego State Women's Hockey Season Recap

So the 2011-2012 season has come to a close for the Oswego State Women's Hockey team, and a very successful season it was. coming off last season's success, head coach Diane Dillon was looking for a repeat performance from her club, and she got it, but it didn't start off that great. The opening weekend saw the Adrain Bulldogs come to town and skate away with two victories 3-0 and 5-3. Despite getting shut out in the first game the team showed more heart in game two. Mackenzie Lee scored the first goal of the season, and Carly Henderson and Kelly Collins also chipped in with goals but it wasn't enough to earn a victory. In the 2 games in October the Lakers went winless.

November started off on a much better note against the Cortland Red Dragons at home with a 1-1 tie and a 2-1 win for oswego. Lauren Gilpin got the lone gaol in the tie in game one and Cathrine Cote played great between the pipes. Game Two saw the first career victory for freshman Bridget Smith, as Mackenzie Lee and Melissa Seamont provided the scoring. Seamont had a goal and assist in this one, earning the firtst multi-point game of the season. Smith made 16 saves in the victory. Next up was an exciting home and home weekend set with Utica. The first game was in Utica and required an extra period to decide this one. Seamont got the scoring started for Oswego but they needed a last second goal from Kelly Collins to force overtime. Then halfway through overtime Carly Henderson became the hero winning the game for the lakers, their first win in overtime since Kelly Collins beat Utica at the Campus Center on Febryary 7th 2011. So after the heroics in Utica the two teams met at the Campus Center the next night, and the Pioneers took the game 3-1, with Jillian Bergeron scoring the lone Oswego goal.

Next up for the Lakers was a north country trip for a weekend series with Potsdam, in a high scoring series. The first game ended in a 5-5 tie, with goals coming from Megan Howe, Kelly Collins, Jocelyn St Clair, Emma Smetaniuk, and Kathryn Sbrocchi. Two Lakers had multi point games in this one as Leslie Jarvis and Melissa Seamont both had 2 assist games. The next night the Bears took over and walked away with the 3-2 win. Oswego got goals from Carly Marchment and Kathryn Sbrocchi. So through the first two months of the season Oswego had a 2-3-2 record and 2-1-2 in ECAC West Play.

The Lakers came back from thanksgiving break with guns blazing against the Neumann Knights at home, a weekend series which lead to two victories. Oswego took the first game 4-1 thanks to two gaols from Mackenzie Lee, along with goals from Megan Howe anad Olivia Boersen. melissa Saemont had another 2 assist game her 3rd of the season. The enxt night was another Laker victory this time 3-1 thanks to goals from Mackenzie Lee, Jocelyn St Clair and Carly Marchment. Oswego was on a bit of a roll heading into a tuesday night game at Hamilton college which also required extra time. Chelsey Draker had the opening goal and Megan Howe tied the game late in the 3rd. Once the overtime started it took 43 seconds for Carly Henderson to pot her 2nd OT winner on the season and Oswego walked away with the 3-2 win. The last game of the 1st half of the season was a tough one for Osweog a 6-0 loss at Amherst. So the Lakers ended the first half of the year at 5-5-2 overall and 5-2-2 in ECAC West play.

When things kicked off again on January 13th and 14th against Chatham, it was a big coming out party for the lakers offense. Oswego won both game by a combined score of 19-3, and it staerted with a 10-0 shutout of the teh Cougars. Cathrine Cote got the shutout in game one and Oswego got scoring from Mady Paul, Kelly Collins, Megan Howe (2 Goals 2 assissts), Emma Smetaniuk (2 Goals 1 Assist), Carly Henderson (2 Goals), and Mackenzie Lee (2 Goals). Chelsa Hunt, Melissa Seamont, Brea Reith and Olivia Boerson were the only Laker skaters who DIDN'T get a point in this game. The next night wa a 9-3 Lakers victory, with goals coming from Lauren Gilpin, Megan Howe (1 Goal 1 Assist) Jocelyn St. Clair (Goal Assist) Chelsey Draker (2 Goals), Jillian Bergeron (Goal 2 assists), Mackenzie Lee, and Kelly Collins (2 Goals assist).

Oswego would struggle over the next three games losing all three, first a 3-2 loss to Hamilton and then two shutout losses to Plattsburgh 5-0 and 6-0. All three losses coming at home. Oswego would bounce back and end January on a high with two victories at Buffalo State, 7-0 and 3-1. In the 7-0 win, Bridget Smith would get the shutout and the offense was provided by Mackenzie Lee (2 goals) Lauren Gilpin (2 Goals) Chelsea Hunt, Kathryn Sbrocchi and Megan Howe. In the 3-1 win Oswego got scoring from Chelsey Draker, Kelly Collins and Carly Henderson. Oswego would slip up and drop both games to the RIT Tigers on Senior Weekend, by scores of 4-0 and 2-1. Thena gainst Sacred Heart they stumblede again with a 3-2 loss but bounced back in the 2nd game with a 2-0 win. In th8at victory, Bridget Smith got the shutout and Melissa Seamont and Olivia Boersen. The regular season ended for Oswego with back to back 4-3 losses to the Elmira Soaring Eagles. The Lakers ended the regular season with a record of 10-13-2 overall and 8-8-2 in ECAC West, but that was good enough to get the girls a home playoff game in the ECAC West tournment.

The game was at home against Neumann and a 3-0 victory for Oswego. Both the game itself and the win were first in the history of the program. Bridget Smith got the shutout and the scoring was provided by Kelly Collins Melissa Seamont and Megan Howe. But the offense was unable to carry over into the next round as the Lakers season came to an end with a 1-0 loss to Plattsburgh in the semifinal of the tournment. Oswego ended this season with a 11-13-2 record.

There were a lot of positives to take out of this season. Oswego hosted a playoff game for the first time ever and won a playoff agme for the first time ever. Mackenzie Lee lead the team in scoring with 18 points. Lee and Kelly Collins tied for the team lead in gaols with 10, while Jillian Bergeron lead the team in assists with 11. Bridget Smith's 3 shutouts ties Emi Williams for the single season records for shutouts, which Williams did in 2 seperate seasons during her career. Carly Henderson's 2 Overtime victories proved how much of a clutch gaol scorer she can be. Melissa Seamont and Carly Henderson both doubled their offensive numbers from a year ago.

As for the seniors Kelly Collins leavs Oswego State with two program records safe in her back pocket: Career Goals with 36 and Career Points with 50. The previous records had been 28 goals and 47 points both held by Jenna Kirkwood. Jillian Bergeron also passed Kirkwood for most points in Program History withi 49.

Now for the senior class as a whole. The graduating seniors this year are; Megan Amlinger, Kathryn Sbrocchi, Kelly Collins, Mackenzie Lee, Leah McNaughten, Jillian Bergeron, and Lauren Gilpin. Ladies I can probabily speak for most when I say THANK YOU TAHNK YOU THANK YOU! It has truly been an honor and pleasure to watch yo play hockey over the past 4 seasons. You ladies have left a mark on everybody who has gotten the chance to watch you play and gotten to know you as people. It has been a true joy! Thanks for the memories!