The Blue Devils Rule College Hoops

For the fifth time in the history of the program the Duke Blue Devils were able to cut down the nets as National Champions. This title comes after a 68-63 win over the Wisconsin Badgers at Lucas Oil Stadium. This national title game had a little bit of everything. There were 13 lead changes in the first half alone, there were freshman leading the offensive charge. Oh and Duke overcame a nine-point second-half deficit and foul trouble to its two biggest stars to pull away with the crown. Of course, what would a title game be without a controversial call thrown in there too.

Duke freshmen guards Tyus Jones and Grayson Allen led the Blue Devils with 23 and 16 points, respectively. Duke held the largest lead of the opening half at six points. Wisconsin did not shoot well early, but managed 11 second chance points as they erased the deficit. At the half, the game was tied 31–31, marking the such tie since 1988. Wisconsin, which lead the nation in fewest committed fouls per game, recorded just two first half fouls. Duke meanwhile committed seven fouls. Jones and Allen really stepped up their game, mostly because Jahill Okafor sat the final 4:47 of the first half after picking up two fouls. Okafor had 10 points despite spending most of the second half on the bench, with foul issues. Okafor was outplayed by Badgers senior center Frank Kaminsky. Kaminsky finished with a double double, with 21 points and 12 rebounds. He played quite well, helping keep this Badgers team in this basketball game all night.

When the 2nd half started, Wisconsin came out hotter than Duke. Wisconsin scored first in the second half and held the lead for most of the half. Both Okafor and Justise Winslow spent extended periods on the bench due to foul trouble, which put Duke at their disadvantage, allowing the Badgers to grow their lead. By the time the game hit the 13:25 mark, Wisconsin had grown the lead to its largest of the day at nine points. Duke woke up at that point and began to narrow the gap. Even as Wisconsin was building a lead, the foul situation was reversing itself – by the 11:43, game fouls were even at 9 for each team. However, Okafor picked up his fourth foul at the 9:18 mark, sending him back to the bench. Duke looked to be in trouble with their best player sitting on the bench. This is where Tyrus Jones really started to pick up the slack and take the game over. Jones had 19 points in the second half as the Blue Devil guards got more aggressive in driving to the basket. This hard charging offense by Duke started to throw Wisconsin off their game, as the Badgers started getting called for more fouls. Jones wasn't the only Blue Devil who asserted his will in the 2nd half, Grayson Allen did the same thing. Hell at one point Allen had outscored the Badgers 8-3 in the 2nd half.

Then we got hit with a little controversy. With 1:53 left, a loose ball went out of bounds and the officials initially ruled that Wisconsin’s Bronson Koenig touched it last, awarding the ball to Duke. After a length replay review, the officials announced that the call would stand even though it appeared that the ball may have been last touched by Duke's Justise Winslow instead. Here's the picture proof (Courtesy of USA Today Sports). You can clearly see in the picture hitting the ball going off Winslow's finger. The vine and videos that have shown this same shot online have backed up the opinion that the call was wrong. According to reports from Yahoo! Sports, many were perplexed (and rightfully so) by the officials explanation of the call that "they just couldn't see anything." How could you not see anything. the video shows the ball going off his finger? Human fingers don't bend that way on their own. I understand that the officials are humans and that they are going to make mistakes, its human nature. But come on this was obvious that the ball hit off Winslow and the ball should have gone back to the Badgers. The ball went back to Duke and on the ensuing possession, freshman Tyus Jones drilled a three-pointer to extend Duke’s lead to eight and all but put an end to the Badgers’ title dreams.

This championship win is the fifth in nine trips to the title game for Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski and his third championship won in the city of Indianapolis. Duke had done it twice before, beating the Kansas Jayhawks in 1991 and then beating the Butler Bulldogs in 2010. Mike Krzyzewski just broke a tie with legendary Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp, who won four NCA titles at Kentucky and is now second only to John Wooden, who won the tournament 10 times at UCLA. The Blue Devils are now tied with Indiana and archrival North Carolina with five championships, trailing only Kentucky (eight) and UCLA (11) in college basketball history. Wisconsin was playing in its first championship game since winning the title in 1941, the third year of the NCAA tournament's existence.

When the tournament was over, the all tournament team was named. Sam Dekker of Wisconsin, Frank Kaminsky of Wisconsin, Andrew Harrison of Kentucky, Justise Winslow of Duke and the Most Outstanding Player of the entire tournament in Tyus Jones of Duke were named to the all tournament team.

Congratulations to the Duke Blue Devils for winning their 5th National Title in the sport of basketball in school history!

2015 MLB Season Preview

The time has arrived, Major League Baseball is set to go with the 2015 season. This marks the first full season with Rob Manfred as Commissioner of Baseball. We're coming off a season last year in which the Giants knocked off the surprising Kansas City Royals in the World Series. Kansas City beat a surprise Baltimore team in the ALCS. Going into this season, we have some new faces managing teams in Houston (A.J. Hinch), Texas (Jeff Banister), Arizona (Chip Hale), Minnesota (Paul Molitor), Tampa Bay (Kevin Cash) and the Chicago Cubs (Joe Madden). Baltimore, Detroit and the Angels are all trying to reclaim their division crowns, while Kansas City and Oakland are looking to get back into the playoffs as well. same can be said for Washington, St. Louis and the Dodgers winning their divisions. Pittsburgh and San Francisco want to get back in as well. Some teams, like Seattle, Boston and San Diego got a lot better. Then you have teams like Philadelphia, Texas and Arizona who either didn't improve at all or got worse. So there's a lot that has changed around the game heading into the new season.

Spring training is done. Rosters are now set. Teams are ready to rock and roll. With all that being said, here's our predictions for the 2015 Major League Baseball Season.

AL West
1. Seattle Mariners *
Here's a team who just last year missed the playoffs by one game. Just one game. This year will be a much different story. Kyle Seager, Robinson Canó and Dustin Ackley had powered the offense a season ago. Now you can add in the home run champion from a season ago in the form of Nelson Cruz, who by the way is coming off a 40 home run 108 RBI season last year. I know Oriole Park at Camden Yards is a little more of a hitter friendly park than Safeco Field, but he still adds more of a pop to that batting order. And throw in a solid starting rotation that has guys like Felix Hernandez, Hisashi Iwakuma, James Paxton, Taijuan Walker, and J.A. Happ, it makes for a tough rotation to go against. Seattle will look to make the playoffs for the first time since 2001 when they won 116 games.

2. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim* (WC)
The Defending AL West champs are going to be right in the thick of things again in 2015. Things may look a little different for the Angels this year, because Howie Kendrick isn't on the club anymore, Josh Rutledge will now be playing 2nd base. Throw in the fact also that Josh Hamilton isn't available at the moment because he has some off the field issues he has to take care of and it makes for some interesting dynamics for this Anaheim team. This team can still hit despite those guys not being there, they do have the AL MVP in the lineup in Mike trout, who may be the best player in the game right now.Even though he is nearing the end of his career, Albert Pujols can still be very productive, he had 28 homers and 105 RBI last year. They have a solid pitiching staff with Jered Weaver, Garrett Richards, C.J. Wilson, Matt Shoemaker, and Andrew Heaney. They are a good team but it won't be enough to overtake Seattle.

3. Oakland Athletics
GM Billy Beane did quite a job rebuilding his baseball club from a season ago. there are only 12 guys left from last years opening day roster that are on the team right now. The teams heavy hitters of Brandon Moss and Josh Donaldson are both no longer in Oakland. So Beane tried to replace that production by bringing in guys like Ike Davis, Brett Lawrie and Billy Butler will need to play to their potential if the offense is going to bounce back. Pitching is going to play a factor for the A's as well. Sonny Gray and Scott Kazmir, the teams two aces from last year, are back at the top of the rotation, which is great news for the A's. Its the back end of the rotation, with Jesse Hahn, Drew Pomeranz and Kendall Graveman that have me worried about Oakland. The offense still has some pop to it but not enough to stay alive in this division.

4. Houston Astros
It's been a bit of a rough go for the Astros, who haven't had a winning season since 2008. last year looks like a step in the right direction for the Astros who won 19 more games than they did the year before. This year's club looks a little better than last years did. Chris Carter lead the team in the power department with 37 homers and Jose Altuve was the best hitter in the AL, winning the batting crown. Add in Evan Gattis and Jed Lowrie to this offense and it could lead to a few more wins. Dallas Keuchel, Collin McHugh and Brett Oberholtzer are going to lead a decent pitching staff that will help Houston Improve.

5. Texas Rangers
Last year was a rough one for the Rangers, as they finished dead last in the AL West. In fact, last year was the worst finish for the Rangers in the West since they finished 4th in 2007. Prince Fielder was hurt last year with the neck injury, limiting him to just 42 games. So having him back and healthy this year will be a big boost to that Rangers lineup. Throw in his pop plus the offensive punch of Adrian Beltre, Shin-Soo Choo and Mitch Moreland, you might have some offensive punch to work with. The problem here is going to be the pitching. Yu Darvish will miss the year because he has Tommy John Surgery. Bringing in Yovani Gallardo and Ross Detwiler may provide some stability but it doesn't look like much else for Texas, which is why the Rangers are going to have a rough year again this season.

AL Central
1. Detroit Tigers*
This will be the 5th straight year that the Tigers win the division. Offensive production won't be a problem with this Tigers baseball team. Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez and J.D. Martinez will once again be powering the team. Throw in a good hitter, and very solid defensive outfielder in Yoenis Cespedes, it will make for a good Tigers ballclub. The question marks with Detroit is going to be the pitching staff. Losing Max Scherzer and Rick Porcello will hurt the Tigers, but the trio of David Price, Anibal Sanchez and Justin Verlander still has a chance to be formidable. The big problem here is again going to be the bullpen. Yes they have a full season of Joakim Soria, but Joe Nathan looked shakey at times last year and don't even get me started with Joba Chamberlain. Still even though this team is getting older, and with so many other teams in the division on the rise heading into this year, it'll be the toughest division to play in but I think Detroit has enough to squeak out another division title.

2. Chicago White Sox* (WC)
One team that really made a splash, and a big one at that, in the offseason was the Chicago White Sox. Here's a club who finished 2nd to last in the Central a year ago, and they're looking to rebuild and try to win now. Jose Abreu and Alexei Ramirez lead the power department for the White Sox last season, both of whom will be counted on to come up big again this year. Now you can add into the mix the pop in the bats from Adam LaRoche and Melky Cabrera and it gives Chicago something to build off from an offensive perspective. The front end of the pitching rotation is rock solid, being lead by Chris Sale, Jeff Samardzija and John Danks. After that though, its a bit of a toss up. That back of the rotation is the big question mark, the eventual arrival of Carlos Rodon could possibly help sure that up. Till then who knows. They have a decent closer in Dave Robertson and it could give the Sox something to build off of.

3. Cleveland Indians
Last year, the tribe had a sparkling month of August and managed to climb their way back into the playoff race, coming up just short of their goals. The starting rotation in Cleveland of Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Trevor Bauer, Gavin Floyd and Danny Salazar is going to be a tough one to go up against. What Cleveland really needs to happen this year is have the offense step up. They did get solid production last year from Carlos Santana and Michael Brantley, but Nick Swisher had a down year a season ago. Swisher played in just 97 games last year, well below what he normally plays in a given season. So this year he has to be able to come back healthy and be productive. Same thing goes for Jason Kipnis too. But adding a decent bat like Brandon Moss will make an impact on this baseball team.

4. Kansas City Royals
Talk about a team really coming out of nowhere. Last year, Kansas City came within a game of beating Detroit for the Division and rode that all the way to an American League Pennant. Despite the fact that they hit thew fewest home runs in the American League, it was speed and overall hitting that got them all the way to the fall classic. What got the Royals to the big dance was defense, base-stealing and a dominant bullpen. What still going to end up hurting the Royals is the lack of offensive punch, which some thought would hurt them last year too. The starting rotation of Yordano Ventura, Jason Vargas, Edinson Volquez, Danny Duffy and Jeremy Guthrie, which makes up a fine rotation. I think, even though he didn't pitch very well late in the season last year, James Shields not being there is going to be felt a bit. Don't get me wrong the Royals are a good team but its just the other teams around them have gotten just that much better.

5. Minnesota Twins
Once again the Twins will be bringing up the rear in this division. Sure Joe Mauer and Brian Dozier will again pack some offensive punch. Sure bringing back Tori Hunter to play right field will be a lift for this Twins franchise. What's going to kill them is their starting rotation. That rotation was the weakest in the entire division. I know Ervin Santana was brought in to help out but it won't do much, the Twins still finish in dead last.

AL East
1. Boston Red Sox*
A rough go of it last year in beantown. Coming off their 2013 World Series title, the Red Sox had a major dropoff, going 72-90. David Ortiz was the only one powering the Boston offense last year, with 34 homers and 104 RBI's. Nobody else hit more than 20 homers or drove in more than 70 runs. This year will be a different year. I know the starting rotation doesn't have a true ace, but their five starters of Rick Porcello, Clay Buchholz, Wade Miley, Justin Masterson and Joe Kelly are more than capable of being able to shut other teams down. Not having a true ace isn't going to kill this Red Sox pitching staff. On Offense, Boston can hang with anybody in the AL this year. Sure they still have Big Papi, even though Orttiz is 39 years old, he can still be productive, we saw that last year. This years club has retooled and has talent around him in the lineup. The additions of Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval, as well as a full season from Mookie Betts, could give them the highest-scoring offense in the league.

2. Baltimore Orioles
Last years AL East Champions didn't do much this offseason. In fact, the Orioles didn't do ANYTHING this offseason. Hell they lost players. Yes they did bring in Travis Snider and Everth Cabrera, but it wasn;t enough to offset the losses of talented players like Nelson Cruz, Nick Markakis and Andrew Miller. They will get Manny Machado and Matt Wieters back, same thing with Chris Davis. The solid starting rotation of Chris Tillman, Wei-Yin Chen, Bud Norris, Miguel Gonzalez and Kevin Gausman is going to be pretty good. Wqhat may cost the Orioles this season is the fact that they stayed pat over the winter by comparison to other teams in their division. They still have enough talent to squeak out ahead of the Jays in this division

3. Toronto Blue Jays
I can see this team being really on the rise this season, so much so they may even possibly move past the Orioles in the division this season. Toronto has talent on this team that's for sure. From an offensive perspective, the Jays have a solid lineup headed up by ose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Reyes. Now they added more pop to their bats by bringing in Josh Donaldson and Russell Martin. Putting Devon Travis at 2nd base will be an upgrade over last year, that I have no doubt. The starting rotation of Drew Hutchison, R.A. Dickey, Mark Buehrle, Aaron Sanchez and Daniel Norris has some promise to it. If Norris and Sanchez can pitch up to expectations then it should be alright. The big weakness for the Jays is still there bullpen and from all indications they haven't done much of anything to address the issues, so that could still hold them back this season.

4. Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays stumbled badly a season ago, this coming after making the playoffs in 2013 and having a fine year. Leading the charge for the Rays was Evan Longoria, who had 20 homers and 93 RBI, by far the most productive hitter in the Tampa lineup. Rene Rivera is replacing Jose Molina behind the plate. Logan Forsythe was added at second and so was John Jaso as the DH. The biggest problem for Rays is that they don’t have the backup plans to deal with worst-case scenarios effectively. They have an OK rotation that consists of Alex Cobb, Drew Smyly, Chris Archer, Jake Odorizzi, and Nathan Karns. By comparison to the rest of the teams ahead of them in the division, Tampa has real long odds. They'll be luck to finish around 500 this season.

5. New York Yankees
It's surprising to see the Yankees down this far in the division but that's the way it is. They could pass the Rays in the standings depending on how well they. The problem is this division is so weak that any team has an outside chance to walk away with the crown. From an offensive perspective, the Yankees don't have the firepower anywhere close to what they used to have. The top power hitters were McCann and Texiara who each had over 20 homers. But the problem here with the Yankees offense is that they are all a year older and are getting slower. Sure Alex Rodriguez is back in the lineup and they have added Chase Headley to the mix, but even Chase isn’t enough to save an offense that was comfortably below-average last year. The Yankees pitching rotation is nothing to be feared either. Masahiro Tanaka, CC Sabathia, Michael Pineda, Nathan Eovaldi and Adam Warren do leave a lot to be desired in the Bronx this year. Lets face facts there are too many question marks surrounding a team that doesn't appear to be getting any younger. Sorry but its another year of missing the playoffs in the Bronx.

Cy Young: Chris Sale, White Sox

MVP: Mike Trout, Angels

ALCS: Mariners over Red Sox

NL West
1. Los Angeles Dodgers*
This will mark the 3rd year in a row that the Dodgers will claim the NL West crown. The last two years, they have been ousted by the Cardinals in the playoffs. This year may be a different story. Adrian Gonzalez will once again be counted on to power the offense in LA. Gone are Matt Kemp, Hanley Ramirez, Dee Gordon, Dan Haren and a number of relievers. But they added new pieces to keep on plugging away. Carl Crawford will have a bigger role. Jimmy Rollins is now the new shortstop and Howie Kendrick was brought in to play 2nd base. Throw Yasmani Grandal behind the plate to catch, while Joc Pederson is going to be counted on to hold it down in Center field. Oh and did we mention the fact that they have a hell of a starting rotation. Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, Hyun-Jin Ryu (hurt), Brandon McCarthy and Brett Anderson make up a pretty good rotation. Sure there are still a few questions that surround the bullpen, but this team is still good enough to take the division.

2. San Diego Padres* (WC)
This is a club, who much like the Chicago White Sox, made a lot of noise in the offseason adding players. San Diego had only one player a year ago drive in more than 50 runs, that being Jedd Gyorko. Now the outfield has totally be retooled, adding in the likes of Justin Upton, Will Myers and Matt Kemp. You can also add in new faces like Derek Norris behind the plate and Will Middlebrooks over at 3rd base. Lets also not forget about the pitching staff that consists of James Shields, Andrew Cashner, Tyson Ross, Ian Kennedy, Brandon Morrow/Odrisamer Despaigne. Adding a guy like Shields bolsters that staff tremdously, but Shields may not show up in a big game situation when you may really need him to come through, we saw that in the playoffs last season. This team will be vastly improved to the point where they could see postseason baseball for the first time since 2006.

3. San Francisco Giants
It really is hard to go against the defending World Champions, but if history has shown in their last two reigns as world champs, they have missed the playoffs the following years. The infield is basically the same as it was a season ago, with one change in that Casey McGehee is now at 3rd, with Pablo Sandoval now in Boston. Norichika Aoki was brought in to split left field duties with Michael Morse. The offense doesn't scare anybody like some of the other teams so it will be interesting to see what happens in this regards. San Francisco's pitching staff has been one of its strengths, but this year, it looks like a serious enough question to doubt them. Madison Bumgarner is a stud, but Jake Peavy and Tim Hudson are another year older, Matt Cain is a wild card coming back from a pair of surgeries, and Tim Lincecum is a shell of what he once was.

4. Colorado Rockies
Health has been an issue for this baseball team for quite a while. Colorado can just never seem to stay healthy at all. Troy Tulowitzki, Justin Morneau, Carlos Gonzalez and Nolan Arenado make a fearsome middle of the order, and they have worthwhile hitters at the top of the order, too. Health again stands to be the issue with this baseball team. One thing that worries me is this pitching staff in Denver. Jorge De La Rosa, Jhoulys Chacin, Jordan Lyles, Tyler Matzek and Eddie Butler make up a poultry pitching staff out in Colorado. Here's the big problem with the Rockies, they're all offense and a team that is all offense, no-pitching won't be a contender. It's as simple as that.

5. Arizona Dimaondbacks
Much like the Rockies, the Diamondbacks have a lack of offense. Paul Goldschmidt and Mark Trumbo are the big offensive threats in this lineup, but that's about it. Their offense has a chance to be a plus, but they don't have the pitching to contend. While Josh Collmenter had a nice year last year, he's not an ace. Jeremy Hellickson, Josh Collmenter, Rubby De La Rosa, Chase Anderson and Archie Bradley head up a staff that leave a lot to be desired.

NL Central
1. St. Louis Cardinals *
I don't know how they manage to do it but year in and year out the Cardinals always find a way to be tops in the division. They had enough talent on offense to stay the course and be in the fight for the title all season long. Then the Cards go out and add Jason Heyward to the mix and the guy can hit. Their batting order is one of the more balanced in all of basebally, which explains why the Cards have missed the playoffs only four times since 2000. They have the offense and they have the pitching. Adam Wainwright, Lance Lynn, John Lackey, Michael Wacha and Carlos Martinez make up an intimidating pitching staff. There are two question marks with the pitching staff. One is the health of Adam Wainwright. He started to faulter a little bit towards the end of last season. St. Louis kept an eye on him during spring training, so he could be good to go. The other question is the stability of Carlos Martinez as the 5th starter, as he hasn't really proven himself yet. Still this team is deep enough to be able to rock and roll over the Central.

2. Pittsburgh Pirates* (WC)
Pittsburgh is coming off back to back playoff years, hoping to make it for the 3rd straight season. What makes the Pirates dangerous is their core players, guys like Josh Harrison, Pedro Alvarez and Andrew McCutchen. Not only do they have that solid core in place, the influx of young talent like Gerrit Cole, Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco should help offset the loss of Russell Martin will be a big help. To complement that solid batting order, the pitching staff is just as good looking. Its comprised of Francisco Liriano, A.J. Burnett, ace in waiting Gerrit Cole, Jeff Locke, and Charlie Morton, Pittsburgh is going to have a tough lineup to go against for anybody else in the league.

3. Chicago Cubs
This team is right on the doorstep of finally breaking out of a playoff drought and making it to the next level. The core is in place on the North Side of Chicago. Anthony Rizzo is the anchor of the offense, as he hit 20 homers in 2013 and 32 last year, so he is hands down the big bat in the lineup. So to is star shortstop Starlin Castro, who is a three time all star. Both guys are just 25 years old. Dexter Fowler is a fine leadoff hitter, Jorge Soler is getting set to become a star, and they have depth with the likes of Tommy La Stella and Miguel Montero. That's just the offense, there's pitching to go along with it. The biggest name in that staff is the newly added John Lester, who they forked over #155 million for. He joins a solid staff that includes Jake Arrieta, Travis Wood, Jason Hammel and Kyle Hendricks. This team is going to have blips, that's expected for a very young club. But they are heading in the right direction and are going to be a bigtime threat very, very soon.

4. Milwaukee Brewers
This is a team who seems to be on a slight decline, but have talent on this baseball club. What happened to this Brewers team a year ago is a bit surprising, as they lead the Central from opening day right till August 31st, when they were overtaken by the Cards. Milwaukee has a good offensive lineup, powered by Jonathan Lucroy, Carlos Gomez and Ryan Braun. They have an OK pitching staff, comprised of Kyle Lohse, Matt Garza, Wily Peralta, Mike Fiers and Jimmy Nelson, with Francisco Rodriguez closing games. But K-Rod gave up 14 homers in 68 innings last season, so hopes aren't very high. Then the Brewers traded away mainstay starters Marco Estrada (for Lind) and Yovani Gallardo (for prospects), and they lost key lefty reliever Zach Duke to free agency. There's not too much depth on this team, and the three teams ahead of them in the Division race got better while the Brew Crew didin't do too much.

5. Cincinnati Reds
It was a tough 2014 season for the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds offense was hit hard by injuries and overall ineffectiveness from star players like Joey Votto, Jay Bruce and Brandon Phillips. Sure Todd Fraser had a good year with 20 homers and 89 RBI, but having him be the only hitter on the team won't cut it this year, not in this division. Cincinnati does have a quality pitching staff that consists of Johnny Cueto, Mike Leake, Anthony DeSclafani, Jason Marquis and Raisel Iglesias. They still have some guy named Aroldis Chapman closing games for this team, and the guy is very very good when healthy. This Reds team is very capable of winning around 90 games and contending in the division, but based on what happened last year, there isn't much hope for the Reds this season.

NL East
1. Washington Nationals*
Here we have probably the most balanced team in all of the National League, outside of maybe the Dodgers. What is going to carry this baseball has that nobody else can bolster is a dominate starting rotation. This rotation consists of Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, Gio Gonzalez and Doug Fister. How often do you get a strikeout king ion Strasberg and a pair of twenty game winners in Max Scherzer and Gio Gonzalez? Yes Washington has the best ipitching staff, on paper at least, in the league. Offensively, a healthy season from Ryan Zimmerman would provide a shot in the arm, and it still seems like only a matter of time before Bryce Harper turns in a monster year. They're an easy pick to win the division here.

2. Miami Marlins
Here's a surprise team this year in the East. Miami had a good run last year in the 2nd half before falling just short.   is still THE threat in this lineup, finishing last year with 37 homers, most of them moon shots, and 105 RBI before he got hurt when he was hit by a pitch. Stanton, when healthy, is worth every penny of the 14-year, $325-million contract he got over the winter. But with Miami, there is more to really like about this baseball team. They added depth in the outfield, with Marcell Ozuna in center and Gold Glove winner Christian Yelich in left. Michael Morse, Dee Gordon, Martin Prado and Ichiro Suzuki were added to the mix offensively. Throw in the fact that they have a decent pitching staff with the likes of Henderson Alvarez, Jarred Cosart, Mat Latos, Dan Haren and Tom Koehler, this could be a good team. And the pitching staff doesn't even have their best pitcher in Jose Fernandez. Imagine how much better they will be with him back.

3. New York Mets
This team drives me crazy but it will be an improved baseball team with a little bit of hope. This pitching staff in Queens gives Mets fans a lot of hope. Bartolo Colon, a returning Matt Harvey, Rookie of the Year Jacob deGrom, Jonathon Niese and Dillon Gee make up a pretty damn good pitching staff. Not having Zach Wheeler around could be a bit of a problem, as Wheeler is done for the year with the same Tommy John Surgery that cost the Mets Harvey last year. Still I think this pitching staff may be the only one in the division that can stay on par with that of Washington, or come close to it anyway. What has me worried with the Mets is the offense. yes they added Michael Cuddyer but I don't know if its going to be enough. There are quite a few question marks with this team. Will David Wright return to form? Can Michael Cuddyer stay healthy? Is Wilmer Flores the answer at shortstop? They still look to be a year away at this point, but they could surprise.

4. Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves had the second-worst offense in baseball last season, and after trading off the likes of Justin Upton, Jason Heyward and Evan Gattis, things figure to get worse before they get better. The trio of Julio Teheran, Alex Wood and Shelby Miller should anchor the rotation for years to come, and their wheelings and dealings this winter brought in a ton of young talent, but 2015 could be a long year.

5. Philadelphia Phillies
At one point in the not-too-distant past, having Ryan Howard at first base and Chase Utley at second was a decided advantage. But oh how the landscape has changed in Philadelphia. The Phillies went from 2003-12 without a losing season. Now, with an aging and injured core, they are coming off back-to-back 89-loss seasons – with the very realistic possibility that this year will be worse.

Cy Young: CVlayton Kershaw, Dodgers

MVP: Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins

NLCS:  Dodgers over Nationals

Finally World Series: Dodgers over Mariners

There you have it our predictions for the 2015 Major League Baseball Season!

Final Four Preview

It has arrived. After 68 teams started this dance at the beginning of the month, we are down to four teams left. The Final Four has arrived, as Saturday April 4th, the last four teams standing will face off  for a right to play for a National Championship in Men's Basketball. Last year's final four did have a bit of intrigue to it, when we saw #7 Connecticut Huskies beat #1 Florida Gators, and then the #8 Kentucky Wildcats knock off the #2 Wisconsin Badgers. Not a bad matchup by any stretch of the imagination. This year's final four, however, is set up to be one that fans will remember for quite some time now.

The four teams left standing, Duke, Kentucky, Wisconsin and Michigan State, are no strangers to being in the final four. This marks the 5th time in history that at least 3 teams in the final four are number one seeds. Its happened in 1993 (North Carolina, Kentucky, Michigan, #2 Kansas), 1997 (Kentucky, Minnesota, North Carolina, #4 Arizona), and the only time we have had all four #1 seeds in the tournament in 2008 (Kansas, Memphis, North Carolina, UCLA). This is the third straight year one conference has had two teams in the Final Four, with Wisconsin and Michigan State coming from the Big Ten.

So there is some interesting storylines heading into this final four. We have a surprise team here in the seven seed Michigan State. Then there is Kentucky looking to cap off the perfect season. Then you have the matchup of coaching royalty in the Men's College Basketball as Tom Izzo leads the Spartans against Mike Krzyzewski and the Blue Devils. So enough with the fluff already lets get right into the matchups in the final four.

#7 Michigan State Spartans vs. #1 Duke Blue Devils, Saturday, 6:09 p.m. ET
Head coach Tom Izzo leads the 27-11 Spartans to the final four as a seven seed, coming out of the East Region. Michigan got here after victories over Georgia, Virginia, Oklahoma and Louisville. With a talented starting five that boasts Travis Trice, Tum Tum Nairn, Denzel Valentine, Branden Dawson and Gavin Schilling, its a tough group to go up against. Trice was perfect from the free throw line against Oklahoma, which was something that has been a struggle for the Spartans this season. Hell one of the biggest question marks for this team, coming into the tournament, was scoring. Last year, they went to the Elite Eight before losing to UCONN. Three of their top four scorers from last year are gone. Now they had to find role players to step up, and they have. Branden Dawson, Denzel Valentine and Travis Trice have come up big so far in this tournament, Trice being the big star of the three, and the most consistent scorer on this team. His 23 points led an upset of No. 2 Virginia in the Round of 32 followed by team highs of 24 versus Oklahoma and 17 against Louisville. That's stepping up in a big way and making a name for yourself.

But as good as the Spartans have been they are going up against a talented Duke team. Mike Krzyzewski leads the 33-4 Blue Devils out of the East Region as the top seed. Duke comes in after victories over Robert Morris, San Diego State, Utah and Gonzaga. Duke has a pretty good starting lineup of their own, that boasts talent the likes of Quinn Cook, Tyus Jones, Justise Winslow, Amile Jefferson and Jahlil Okafor. Leading the charge has been the freshman trio of Tyus Jones, Justise Winslow and headliner Jahlil Okafor. Those three guys have combined for 40 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists in their win over Gonzaga. Pretty impressive, especially considering Okafor had only 9 points. He had been hitting double digits in points for most of the year. Okafor has been especially dominant in this tournament, as he has posted team-high totals of 21, 26 and 28 points against Robert Morris, San Diego State and Notre Dame in the Blue Devils' run. He is proving to be one of the dominant big men in all of college basketball.

The big matchup for me in this basketball game is going to be Trice against Okafor, as they have been two of the top players in this years tournament. Its going to be a very entertaining basketball game, there no doubt about that. Michigan State is going to make it a VERY close basketball game, but they are going to hit the wall in this one.

Winner: DUKE

#1 Kentucky Wildcats vs. #1 Wisconsin Badgers, Saturday, 8:49 p.m. ET
Bo Ryan leads his Badgers, the top seed from the West Region, at 35-3 into the big dance for the four time in school history, and second year in a row. Ironically enough, the team that beat them last year is the team they face this year in Kentucky. In order to face the Wildcats again, Wisconsin had to take down Coastal Carolina, Oregon, North Carolina and Arizona. The impressive starting lineup of Bronson Koenig, Josh Gasser, Sam Dekker, Nigel Hayes and Frank Kaminsky, the Badgers are back in the dance again. Wisconsin is trying to win its first national title since 1941, if they can somehow do it then they earned it in a very big way with wins over powers like North Carolina and Arizona. Frank Kaminsky has been the driving force behind this team, he makes the Badgers go. Kaminsky has hit double figures in scoring in all but one game this season. He has lead the team in scoring, rebounds and assists. After scoring 28 points and pulling down 11 rebounds against Arizona last year, he put up 29 points and six boards in last weekend's victory. He has a supporting cast around him, there no doubt about it, but lets face it Frank is powering this club.

They are facing a rematch from last year with kentucky. It's just the third time in NCAA Tournament history there has been a national semifinal rematch in consecutive seasons. The Wildcats, lead by John Calipari, come out of the Midwest region with a perfect 38-0. Aaron Harrison, Andrew Harrison, Trey Lyles, Karl-Anthony Towns and Willie Cauley-Stein are powering this wildcat boat to where they are right now. In order to get to this point, the Wildcats went through Hampton, Cincinnati, blew out West Virginia and got by the skin of their teeth against Notre Dame. If the Wildcats can get the win in their final two games, they will be the first team since Indiana in 1976 to run the table and the first school to ever win a National Title with a record of 40-0. It'll be a battle of wills between Frank Kaminsky and Willie Cauley-Stein in the battle of the big men.

With as good as the Badgers have been this year, they are going to push the Wildcats to the limit, much like the Fighting Irish did in the last round. Much like the last year, the result will be the same. The Badgers have had a great year but this is where it comes to an end.

Winner: KENTUCKY

So there we have the preview of the Final Four, which tips off this Saturday from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis!

March Madness Living Up To Billing

Much like the playoffs in other sports, anything can happen in the NCAA Basketball tournament. They call it march madness for a reason. This time of year it seems, more so than any other during college basketball seasons, upsets have a strong tendency to take place. This year was no exception. Some big schools went down in upsets in the opening weekend of the tournament. Some teams did what they expected to do, while others just couldn't hang. Lets stop wasting time and get right into the action.

Midwest Bracket
During the opening round of the tournament, the Midwest stayed the course. Kentucky (over Hampton), Cincinnati (over Purdue), West Virginia (over Buffalo), Maryland (over Valparaiso), Butler (over Texas), Notre Dame (over Northeastern), Wichita State (over Indiana) and Kansas (over New Mexico State) all did what they had to do to move on in the big dance. The closest game in this opening round was Cincinnati beating Purdue, 66-65 in overtime. A.J. Hammons and Vince Edwards both hit double digits in scoring, powering the Boilermakers. But it wasn't enough as the Bearcats pulled out the win. They did it despite the fact that Octavius Ellis, the team leading scorer, was ejected and could play. So Troy Caupain stepped his game up, despite the fact he missed the layup with 61 seconds left in regulation. Caupain came up clutch in OT helping Cincinnati pull out the victory.

It took a nailbitter but the opening round went as planned. It was the round of 32 that saw two upsets in this region. First was West Virginia beating Maryland 69-59. It's viewed as a bit of an upset because it was a five seed in West Virginia beating a four seed in Maryland. Not only did they beat them, but they won by ten to boot. Devin Williams had the big game for the Mountainiers with 16 points and 10 rebounds. The Mountaineers scored 16 second-chance points and forced 23 turnovers, which had the Terps on their heals the entire 2nd half. The other upset was #7 Wichita State beating #2 Kansas 78-65. All five starters for the Shockers, Darius Carter (10pts), Tekele Cotton (19pts), Evan Wessel (12pts), Ron Baker (12pts) and Fred VanVleet (17pts), finished. in double digits in points. It was a bit of a physical basketball game, one which saw the Shockers dominate from start to finish. Wichita State is the third team to beat Kansas in the NCAA Tournament with a quintet of 10-point scorers. The previous two both reached the title game (ESPN).

Matchups in Midwest Bracket (Sweet 16):
#1 Kentucky vs. #5 West Virginia
#3 Notre Dame vs. #7 Wichita State

West Regional
To the West region we go and in the opening round we saw not one but two upsets to kick things off here. Wisconsin, Arizona, North Carolina, Xavier, Oregon and Arkansas all won their opening round games. The two upsets came in the form of #10 Ohio State beating #7 VCU 75-72 in Overtime and #14 Georgia State beating #3 Baylor 57-56. Georgia State pulled off the biggest upset of the start of the tournament. R.J. Hunter became the hero of the night, hitting the game winning 3 with 2.7 seconds remaining on the clock. Baylor wasted the efforts of Taurean Prince, who finished with 18 points and 15 rebounds. After hitting two free throws to take a 56-44 lead, Baylor was held off the scoreboard for the final 2:58 in the basketball game. Baylor had the lead and just couldn't finish the job, allowing Georgia State to come away with the victory.

The other opening round upset saw Ohio State shock VCU in overtime to advance in the tournament, for one more round at least. D'Angelo Russell carried the Buckeyes on this night, dropping 28 points on the VCU Rams. Russell was all over the court, having a solid game at both ends of the floor, and helped the Buckeyes erase a 10 point deficit to come back and move on in the tournament. The 28 points by Russell was the 3rd most by a Big Ten Freshman in the history of the tournament.  Once we hit the 2nd round of the tournament, it seemed as if everything sort of fell into place. The upsets in this region died off in the first round.

Matchups in the West Bracket (Sweet 16):
#1 Wisconsin vs. #4 North Carolina
#2 Arizona vs. #6 Xavier

East Region
In the East region there were three upsets in the first two rounds of the tournament. Villanova, NC State, Northern Iowa, Louisville, Oklahoma, Michigan State, and Virginia all moved on after the first round. The upset was #11 Dayton beating #6 Providence 66-53. Dyshawn Pierre scored 20 points to lead the Flyers in scoring. The big story from this game was Providence, who was seedewd 6th, not really being able to overcome early foul trouble for Big East player of the year Kris Dunn. Dayton came in on a roll and Providence just didn't know how to stop them.

The two big upsets from this region came in the round of 32. First we saw #7 Michigan State take down #2 Virginia 60-54. Travis Trice always finds a way to step his game up in the big moments, and for the 2nd year in a row the Spartans beat the Cavaliers. Trice dropped 23 points on Virginia, including scoring 13 of his team's first 15 points on 5-of-5 shooting, including three 3-pointers. That's to go along with Branden Dawson adding in 15 points and nine rebounds. London Perrantes and Justin Anderson were a combined 4-of-17 from the field for Virginia, which couldn't have had a worse time for its two best players not to be able to hit shots in a big game. The other SHOCKER from the round of 32 was #8 NC State beating #1 Villanova 72-68. Anthony Barber, dropped 13 points to complement the 17 points dropped in by Trevor Lacey, which helped power the Wolfpack to the upset victory. It was however the two clutch free throws made by Ralston Turner with one second left on the clock in regulation. Turner went to the line after being fouled by Darrun Hilliard. Hillard had scored 27 points and gamely rallied the Wildcats in the final minutes, but made the foul that cost them the basketball game. This is a bit tough for the Wildcats, as they have not won more than one game in the NCAA tournament since 2009.

Matchups in the East Bracket (Sweet 16):
#4 Louisville vs. #8 NC State
#3 Oklahoma vs. #7 Michigan State

South Region
South region saw it played mostly to the script. Duke, San Diego State, Utah, Georgetown, Iowa and Gonzaga all moved on. The upset was #14 UAB beating #3 Iowa State 60-59. William Lee hit two clutch free throws near the end of regulation to push UAB just ahead of Iowa state, as he finished the game with 23 points to lead all scoresrs. The Blazers had a 19-9 edge on the offensive glass, which is one of the big keys as to why UAB pulled off this upset. This isn't the first time that Iowa State has lost as a two seed, it happened in 2001 when they Lost to Hampton.

The other was #14 UCLA beating #11 SMU 60-59. This is a call that's going to be talked about for quite some time now. Bryce Alford's final jumper appeared offline when he let it fly from behind the 3-point arc. SMU center Yanick Moreira was in position and seemed to time his leap as he went up to touch it. He blocked the shot. The officials, however, thought he was a bit too quick and called goaltending and awarded Alford the winning basket with 13 seconds left. The refs seemed to blow the call and UCLA should have lost the game, but that's not the case and they made that goaltedning call on Moreira. Under Rule 9.3a 1 and 2, "Goaltending occurs when a defensive player touches the ball during a field-goal try and each of the following conditions is met: the ball is on the downward flight; and the ball is above the level of the ring and has a possibility of entering the basket." (ESPN) Moreira later took to social media to apologize to his teammates and fans for making the play he did.

Matchups in the South Region (Sweet 16):
#1 Duke vs. #5 Utah
#2 Gonzaga vs. #11 UCLA

So there's just some of the highlights from the opening weekend in the tournament

Tournament Time Has Arrived

The time has arrived. The NCAA Men's Basketball tournament is here, march madness is ready to rock and roll. Connecticut, the defending national champions, weren't invited to the big dance this year, which came as a bit of a shocker. There are plenty of questions that can be involved with a big single elimination tournament such as this one. Who can pull off the biggest upset? Can Kentucky run the table and go 40-0 to claim the national title? Can Duke overcome last years upset? Can the ACC return to dominance in the tournament?

So lets get right into it and take a look at what we got going into this years tournament.

Kentucky is going into the tournament 34-0, becoming the 19th school in tournament history to head into the NCAA Tournament unbeaten. Last year the Shockers of Wichita State, who came in with the same record as Kentucky at 34-0. Last year the Shockers came up short, falling to Kentucky in the 2nd round. There have been seven teams to run the table, going unbeaten to win a national title, the last team to do it being the Indiana Hoosiers from 1976. The Hoosiers went 27-0 that year to claim the crown. For the Wildcats to that this year, the would have to run the table in the big dance and finish the year at 40-0. A bit of a surprise this year is that the defending national champions, Connecticut, weren't even invited to the big dance. This marks the 4th time since the turn of the century that the champion has failed to make the tournament to defend their crown.

One has to wonder, just how important is seeding in the tournament? In this setup of the win or go home tournament, no seed is safe really. There is one thing we do know for sure, the #16 seeds have had no luck whatsoever in the big dance. The #1 seed is perfect in the opening round, going 120-0 against the #16 seeds. So its a pretty safe bet that Kentucky, Duke, Villanova and Wisconsin will all be moving on after round one. There have been some upsets in the opening round, as there have been seven instances where a #15 has beaten a #2 seed. It's happened in 2013 (Florida Gulf Coast over Georgetown), 2012 (Lehigh over Duke), 2012 (Norfolk State over Missouri), 2001 (Hampton over Iowa State), 1997 (Coppin State over South Carolina), 1993 (Santa Clara over Arizona) and in 1991 (Richmond over Syracuse).  For this years dance, however, I have the gut feeling that the #2 seeds in this dance really don't have much to worry about. As it sits right now Gonzaga, Virginia, Arizona and Kansas should be able to hold off

The highest number of upsets in the opening round? That would be the 44 times that the 12 seeds knock off the 5 seeds. So in this years tournament, it's Arkansas, Northern Iowa, Utah and West Virgina have to deal with that unlikely number and bit of luck. In fact, there are five teams in this years tournament that rank in the top twenty of the longest consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament. You have Kansas  at 25 straight years (T-2nd), Duke  at 19 straight years (4th) Michigan State  at 17 straight years (T-6th), and Gonzaga and Wisconsin with 16 straight years each.

As mentioned before, there some big stories going into the tournament. One being, as mentioned before, Kentucky running the table and winning the title at 40-0 if they can do it. There also the possibility each and every year of a major upset. In the opening round I don't really see any upsets, except one. I got #10 Ohio State pulling off an upset and beating #7 VCU. The feeling won't last long for the Buckeyes though, as I have them falling to Arizona in the round of 32. I also have #9 Purdue beating #8 Cincinnati. Then Purdue has to run into the best team in the nation in Kentucky, thus wending the dream season.

It would take way too long and be too boring to read my entire bracket for the tournament. So here's what we gonna do I'll share with you who I got going to the final four and why.

All the #1 seeds will make the final four. Villanova will take on Duke and Wisconsin will take on Kentuky in my final four. Villanova gets to the final four by beating NC State, Lousiville and Oklahoma to reach the Final Four. Darrun Hilliard II, Josh Hart, Ryan Arcidiacono and Dylan Ennis are the guys who have been carrying the offense for Nova this season, and are big reasons why they captured a #1 seed.

They will face Duke in the final four. For Duke to get there, they have to go through St. Johns Georgetown and Gonzaga to get to the final four. Duke has had good performances most of the year from talented players like Tyus Jones, Justise Winslow and their big men in Quinn Cook and Jahlil Okafor. Sure Duke is coming off the loss to the Fighting Irish. But there really isn't really anybody in the south bracket who scares me against Duke. The only one in that bracket who I could see possibly knocking off Dukle would be Gonzaga, which is going to be a very close game. I still think Duke is the best team in the bracket.

In this one I have Duke squeaking it out my a hair over Villanova to move on to the title game. I just think that Duke has a slightly better talent pool than that of Villanova. So Duke will wait the winner

The other final four matchup for me is Kentucky playing Wisconsin. The Badgers will reach the final four by getting through Oregon, North Carolina and Arizona. Frank Kaminsky, Sam Dekker and Nigel Hayes are the reason the Badger are where are they are in the tournament. During the course of the season, the Badgers have been a team that usually had a ten point margin of victory. They are a strong team which is why they are going to the final four.

Then there is the unbeaten Kentucky. The Wildcats get to the finals beating Cincinnati, Maryland and Kansas in the march to the title. Aaron Harrison and Devin Booker are the guys leading the Wildcats attack, while Kentuck has been putting beatings on opponents most of the year this season. They can hit shots from all over the place and are just a well balanced good basketball team. In this matchup I got Kentucky taking the game and moving on to the national title game to play Duke.

In the Title game, I got the Wildcats taking down the Blue Devils 77-70. Its going to be a entrtaining basketball game for sure but I just have the gut feeling that Kentucky's offense is going to be too much for Duke. I know the Wildecats weren't truly tested most of the year,the toughest test Kentucky has all year was an eight point win over Louisville back in December. Still I think they are the best team in the land and they will run the table to claim the National Championship.

Chris Borland Retirement Makes A Statement

Retirement. When a pro athletes make that announcement, its usually because they have nothing left in the tank on the field of play. In the case of former San Francisco 49ers middle linebacker Chris Borland, his cause for retirement has a different meaning altogether. Borland has informed the team, and the league, that he is calling it a career at the tender age of just 24 years old. He told the team this past Friday of his plans, siting the concerns about the long-term effects of repetitive head trauma.

"I just honestly want to do what's best for my health," Borland told "Outside the Lines." "From what I've researched and what I've experienced, I don't think it's worth the risk." (ESPN). He had 107 tackles and a sack in 14 games, eight of them starts. He was slated to make $540,000 this season (ESPN).

The announcement of his retirement has brought about mixed reactions.

On the one hand it does leave some questions unanswered. This did come as a bit of a surprise because of how much of an impact he had with San Francisco. The 49ers didn't have Patrick Willis last year, due to injury. So Borland stepped in and filled a big role. When Willis got hurt last year, Borland took over around week seven. From then until week fifteen, Borland lead the entire NFL in tackles with 98. The guy could play, and play well. He put up the same kind of numbers in college. During his career at Wisconsin, Borland was named the Big Ten's defensive player of the year and linebacker of the year as a senior. He was a first-team All-American selection and recipient of multiple All-Big Ten honors. So he was one of the best up and coming linebackers in the game. Now with Borland retiring, it leaves the 49ers with a bit of a hole at the linebacker position. The guy had his whole career ahead of him, which does leave some scratching their heads. He walked away from what could have possibly been a big payday.

Now here's the other side of the argument. Look at what Borland told Outside The Lines when he was asked about why he retired. He said that playing the game wasn't worth the risk of the long term health issues. He said he feels as sharp as ever, and doesn't want to wait till its too late before symptoms start creeping up on him. It's been pretty well documented how many former players have had mental health issues after their playing careers because of concussions. You have guys like Mike Webster, Dave Duerson, Ray Easterling and Junior Seau are among those who have lost their lives when chronic traumatic encephalopathy was involved. That happens to be one of the symptoms that are associated with concussions and post concussion syndrome.

Those players have sadly lost their lives. There are a few notable names who are now living with neurological problems thanks to playing football. You have guys like Jim McMahon, Harry Carsons, Brett Farve, Dorsey Levens, Jamal Lewis and so on. Plus there are more than a few former players that have sued the NFL due to the injuries occurred from the game. This is an issue, concussions in the NFL, that won't be going away anytime soon. What the Borland retirement has done is, in all likelihood, getting more people to really start thinking about the game.

If you look at the way the game is played now, a lot of the players are bigger, stronger and faster than they were twenty years ago. Because of the speed in the game, the hits are getting a lot harder. It makes it tougher for the players to stay healthy and possibly avoid head injuries. I know that the NFL is really looking into possible equipment to make the players safer, especially when it comes to trying to protect a players head. I give the league props for what they are trying to do, but I'm not sure if there is really a way to fully protect a players head from injuries.

Chris Borland had concerns about these types of injuries, which is why he chose to step away from the game now. Sure there is probably going to be somebody who can step in and fill the role that Borland left with the 49ers. What Borland did was set a standard for the players and the league by saying that my health is more important and it's ok to be able to step away from the game because of health concerns. A few years ago, a players "manhood" would have come into question. Now it's viewed as acceptable to walk away like this.

Borland becomes the most prominent NFL player to leave the game in his prime because of concerns about brain injuries.

These Guys Are Scary Good

I don't know exactly what it is but these guys are good. Really, really good. After the win over the Washington Capitals at home on Wednesday night, the New York Rangers managed to claw their way back to the top of the Metropolitan Division by a point over the New York Islanders. And they still have three games at hand on their rivals. The win made a few statements for the Rangers, but none bigger in my mind than the statement that this team could be primed for another deep playoff run.

The Rangers, at the time of this writing, have 91 points. That puts them tied with the Canadiens, Predators and Ducks for the most in the league. Because the Rangers have played fewer games than all three others, they own the NHL’s highest points percentage (.689) (WFAN). To put this into perspective as to just how good the Rangers have played, since the calender switched to 2015, the Rangers have lost just four times in regulation. No that isn't a typo, they have lost four games in regulation in a little over two months. THAT'S impressive. To make this more impressive, they have done it all without the services of star goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who has been out with injury since January 31st. Don't get me wrong, I even felt nervous for the Rangers when Hank went down, because lets face it he's the best goalie on the planet in my mind. I felt the Rangers might be in a little bit of trouble. So Hank goes down, enter Cam Talbot. Talbot has been playing outstanding hockey in replace of Lundqvist. He has been so good as of late that he's helped the Rangers earn points in 15 of 17 games. I'd say that's pretty impressive.

But wait there's more. Lets not forget that you also need to score goals in the NHL to be successful. Most know of the scoring exploits as of late of one Rick Nash, who currently ranks 2nd in the NHL in goals with 39 (as of this writing). There's more to it than just Rich Nash. They still have a productive Martin St. Louis, who is 3rd on the team in scoring. There also Derick Brassard, who 2nd in total scoring and leads the club in assists. You also have Chris Kreider playing a big role and rookie Kevin Hayes has stepped up and produced when needed.

They have been playing outstanding hockey, turning hotter than a wildfire over the past few weeks. They are heating up at the right time, leaving one to wonder is this really THE year for another parade down the Canyon of Heros.