Stanley Cup Play-In Predictions

A little delayed to the start this year and it looks different then what we are used to seeing, but the time has finally arrived. The 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs are here. We have a different format to kick off the playoffs this season. Because of the health issue that has struck the world, we are seeing playoff games being played in two hub cities. The Western Conference teams will play in Edmonton, while the Eastern Conference teams will play in Toronto. Top four seeds in each conference will get a bye and will play a round robin to determine seeds, while 5-12 will play best of five series to see who advances to the first round of the playoffs. So lets get right into it. Here's what the play in round looks like.

We start it off with the 5th seeded Pittsburgh Penguins taking on the 12th seeded Montreal Canadiens. Pittsburgh grabbed the 5th seed with 86 points, while Montreal finished with 71 points good for 12 place. This will be the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with Montreal winning both previous series. They last met in the 2010 Eastern Conference Semifinals, which Montreal won in seven games. Pittsburgh won two of the three games in this year's regular season series.

Here's the date and times for every game in this series:
August 1 Montreal Canadiens 8:00 p.m. Pittsburgh Penguins Scotiabank Arena
August 3 Montreal Canadiens 8:00 p.m. Pittsburgh Penguins Scotiabank Arena
August 5 Pittsburgh Penguins 8:00 p.m. Montreal Canadiens Scotiabank Arena
August 7 Pittsburgh Penguins TBD Montreal Canadiens Scotiabank Arena
August 8 Montreal Canadiens TBD Pittsburgh Penguins Scotiabank Arena

We start this off with the a team that wasn't supposed to be here going against a team that had a strong case for playoff contention despite injuries. Facts are the Habs were ten points out of a playoff spot and were possibly looking at a high draft pick by the time we shut everything down. With a goalie like Carey Price in net, Montreal could be able to make a surprise or two in this shortened series. Look what happened with Jaroslav Halak in 2010 when he got hot and took Montreal all the way to the East finals. Price has proven that he can live up to that and he can carry a team when he's in a groove.

The thing is, they're playing a Pens team that's kinda good, despite having players miss time with injuries. They were a decent team without Jake Gentzel in the lineup, cause he missed time with serious knee injury. But now he's back and healthy. And oh yeah, they still have guys named Crosby, Malkin and Letang. The Pens have the depth and scoring touch advantage to go on to the next round.

Pick: Penguins in 4

Next up, we have the 6th seeded Carolina Hurricanes taking on the 11th seeded New York Rangers. Carolina got here by grabbing 81 points good for 65th. Meanwhile New York landed in 11th by finishing with 79 points. This will be the first playoff meeting between these two teams. New York won all four games in this year's regular season series.

Here's the date and times for every game in this series:
August 1 New York Rangers 12:00 p.m. Carolina Hurricanes Scotiabank Arena
August 3 New York Rangers 12:00 p.m. Carolina Hurricanes Scotiabank Arena
August 4 Carolina Hurricanes 8:00 p.m. New York Rangers Scotiabank Arena
August 6 Carolina Hurricanes TBD New York Rangers Scotiabank Arena
August 8 New York Rangers TBD Carolina Hurricanes Scotiabank Arena

I started saying this at the end of February, the Rangers started to heat up a little at the right time. And this was a team that was predicted by most, me included, to miss out on the playoffs this year. But here we are. And the two biggest reasons, Igor Shesterkin and Artemi Panarin. Shesterkin has played pretty well in his brief stint here in the NHL and could play a big factor. Same thing for the Bread Man, who finished 3rd in the NHL in scoring this year with 95 points. He's been the leader on this team and worth every penny that he got paid at the start of the year.

They're going up against a Hurricanes team that went all the way to the Conference Finals a year ago, and are hoping to make the trip back there again this year. There is a little trouble in the Carolina nets but they have more than enough talent on this club to make up for it. Carolina gets Doug Hamilton back and is being carried by Sebastian Aho up front. He isn't quite as pungent as Panarin has been for the Rangers. Carolina has the experience that MIGHT be able to get them over the hump, but they going up against a hot Ranger team.

Pick: Hurricanes in 5

Next, its the 7th seeded New York Islanders taking on the 11th seeded Florida Panthers. The Islanders finished 7th with a total of 80 points on the year. Meanwhile, the Panthers finished 11th on the year with 78 points. This will be the second playoff meeting between these two teams. Their only previous meeting was in the 2016 Eastern Conference First Round, which New York won in six games. New York won all three games in this year's regular season series.

Here's the dates and times for every game in this series:
August 1 Florida Panthers 4:00 p.m. New York Islanders Scotiabank Arena
August 4 Florida Panthers 12:00 p.m. New York Islanders Scotiabank Arena
August 5 New York Islanders 12:00 p.m. Florida Panthers Scotiabank Arena
August 7 New York Islanders TBD Florida Panthers Scotiabank Arena
August 9 Florida Panthers TBD New York Islanders Scotiabank Arena

This is going to be an interesting series. Florida got Sergei Bobrovski in the offseason and he's been really good in the nets for Florida. Getting four players for Vinny Trocheck was a great trade. They can score,m but it really only seems to come in spurts.

The Islanders I think can almost match in net with Semyon Varlamov, who seems to have taken the starting job in goal. The defense is now getting healthy, with Adam Pelach back at full strength. Here's the only thing that worries me. The Isles limped badly into the pause, having lost 11 of their last 13 games. Won't lie that I'm a little scared going into this series. That being said, I think the Isles have enough experience to be able to win out here.

Pick: Islanders in 5

Finally, its the 8th seeded Toronto Maple Leafs taking on the 9th seeded Columbus Blue Jackets. Both teams finished with the exact same number of points, 81. Toronto got the 8th seed because they have more regulation wins then Columbus. This will be the first playoff meeting between these two teams. These teams split their two-game regular season series.

Here's the dates and times for every game in this series:
August 2 Columbus Blue Jackets 8:00 p.m. Toronto Maple Leafs Scotiabank Arena
August 4 Columbus Blue Jackets 4:00 p.m. Toronto Maple Leafs Scotiabank Arena
August 6 Toronto Maple Leafs TBD Columbus Blue Jackets Scotiabank Arena
August 7 Toronto Maple Leafs TBD Columbus Blue Jackets Scotiabank Arena
August 9 Columbus Blue Jackets TBD Toronto Maple Leafs Scotiabank Arena

Probably the most even matchup, at least based on seeding in this round. But both teams have their weaknesses. Toronto has a great top six in scoring, but the defense does leave a little something to be desired. Tavares, Marner and Matthews will have no problem leading Toronto to put the puck in the back of the net. And Freddy Andersen has started to settle down a bit in net. Toronto has some leaks on defense, which can make you wonder.

As for the Jackets, Elvis Merzlikins has come in hotter than a firecracker in the Jackets nets and they been riding him and then some down the stretch. And with John Tortorella's coaching style, this will be a tough, tight checking series. Only thing is I don't see the Jackets having the staying power to try and match punch for punch on offense with the Leafs.

Pick: Leafs in 4

Now we move to the Western Conference. Starting it off its the 5th seeded Edmonton Oilers taking on the 12 seeded Chicago Blackhawks. Edmonton grabbed the 5th seeded by finishing with 83 points. As for Chicago, they finished with 72 points to finish 12th. This will be the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with Edmonton winning three of the four previous series. They last met in the 1992 Clarence Campbell Conference Finals, which Chicago won in a four-game sweep. Chicago won two of the three games in this year's regular season series.

Here's the date and times for every game in this series:
August 1 Chicago Blackhawks 3:00 p.m. Edmonton Oilers Rogers Place
August 3 Chicago Blackhawks 10:30 p.m. Edmonton Oilers Rogers
August 5 Edmonton Oilers 10:30 p.m. Chicago Blackhawks Rogers Place
August 7 Edmonton Oilers TBD Chicago Blackhawks Rogers Place
August 8 Chicago Blackhawks TBD Edmonton Oilers Rogers Place

With the year that they've had this year, its a little surprising to see the Hawks made it to this point, but here we are. Kane, Toews and Keith are still the driving force behind this Hawks club, but there's a lack of scoring depth behind the big two up front that has me worried going into this series. Chicago had two 30 goal scorers and only one other player finish with more than twenty on the season. Domink Kahun gives the Hawks hope for the future, but its not really much to build off of right now.

Meanwhile the Oilers are carrying two of the best players in the game right now in Conor McDavid and league scoring champion Leon Draisaitl. Both guys have been more than doing their part in Edmonton this year, but its not just a two man show for the Oilers. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has been pretty productive this year as well. Mike Smith and Miko Koskinen have been doing a fairly good job splitting time between the pipes this year. While the Hawks have the experience, Edmonton's Dynamic Duo has been better this year, by far, then what the Hawks have been boasting.

Pick: Oilers in 4

Next up, we have the 6th seeded Nashville Predators taking on the 11th seeded Arizona Coyotes. Nashville had 78 points to finish 5th, having more regulation wins then Vancouver to earn that spot. Arizona finished 11th with 78 points. This will be the second playoff meeting between these two teams. Their only previous meeting was in the 2012 Western Conference Semifinals, which Arizona won in five games. These teams split their two-game regular season series.

Here's the date and times for every game in this series:
August 2 Arizona Coyotes 2:00 p.m. Nashville Predators Rogers Place
August 4 Arizona Coyotes 2:30 p.m. Nashville Predators Rogers Place
August 5 Nashville Predators 2:30 p.m. Arizona Coyotes Rogers Place
August 7 Nashville Predators TBD Arizona Coyotes Rogers Place
August 9 Arizona Coyotes TBD Neshville Predators Rogers Place

This marks the second ever matchup between the two clubs come spring/summertime. This is the first time Arizona has made the playoffs in three years. They made a big splash by adding Taylor Hall into the mix. I think once he gets back and going again, the combination of Hall and Phil Kessel is going to be tough to go against. Throw in the teams only 20 goal scorer in Conor Garland, and the Coyotes could have something going.

Nashville, much like Arizona, has had an almost even split in net, but I'd like to think Pekka Rinne is going to get the bulk of the playing time right now. And the Preds can score no doubt, but they haven't had much success come this time of year since losing to the Penguins in the finals in 2017. Roman Josi and Filip Forsberg have been providing the fire power for Nashville this year, and both guys usually play better at this time of the year. I just have this sinking feeling like it might not be enough for the Preds to get over the hump this time.

Pick: Coyotes in 4

Next up, we have the 7th seeded Vancouver Canucks taking on the 10th seeded Minnesota Wild. Vancouver had 78 points, but because they finished with fewer regulation wins than Nashville, they ended up 7th. Minnesota finished with 77 points to finish 10th. This will be the second playoff meeting between these two teams. Their only previous meeting was in the 2003 Western Conference Semifinals, which Minnesota came back from a 3–1 series deficit to win in seven games. Minnesota won two of the three games in this year's regular season series.

Here's the dates and times for every game in this series:
August 2 Minnesota Wild 10:30 p.m. Vancouver Canucks Rogers Place
August 4 Minnesota Wild 10:45 p.m. Vancouver Canucks Rogers Place
August 6 Vancouver Canucks TBD Minnesota Wild Rogers Place
August 7 Vancouver Canucks TBD Minnesota Wild Rogers Place
August 9 Minnesota Wild TBD Vancouver Canucks Rogers Place

Minnesota had this series in hand during the regular season this year, taking two of the three games. Alex Stalock has seemingly taken over as the go to guy in the nets for the Wild, leading the way with 4 shutouts during the regular season. Kevin Fiala is leading the team in scoring, with veterans like Ryan Suter, Eric Staal, Zach Parise, and Mats Zuccarello right behind him. In fact, Fiala and Parise are the only Wild players to score 20 or more goals this season. Its a veteran cast leading this club.

They're going up against a team loaded with young talent that's making a hard charge in Vancouver. JT Miller lead the team in points, with young guns Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser and Calder Trophy candidate Quinn Hughes providing offensive punch as well. Jacob Markstrom got plenty of work in the Canucks net this year and has more than rewarded the club with his play between the pipes this year. Minnesota can make some noise in this series, but the youth movement will win out at the end of the day.

Pick: Canucks in 4

Finally, we have the 8th seeded Calgary Flames taking on the 9th seeded Winnipeg Jets. Calgary finished with 79 points, good for 8th place. Winnipeg finished 9th with 80 points, but are the lower seed based on win percentage. This will be the first playoff meeting between these two teams. This will also be the first Stanley Cup playoff meeting between these two cities since 1987. Winnipeg won the only game in this year's regular season series, which was played outdoors.

Here's the dates and times of every game in this series:
August 1 Winnipeg Jets 10:30 p.m. Calgary Flames Rogers Place
August 3 Winnipeg Jets 2:30 p.m. Calgary Flames Rogers Place
August 4 Calgary Flames 6:45 p.m. Winnipeg Jets Rogers Place
August 6 Calgary Flames TBD Winnipeg Jets Rogers Place
August 8 Winnipeg Jets TBD Calgary Flames Rogers Place

Its a battle of flaws in this series, holes in the Flames offense against holes in the Jets defense. Calgary has gotten solid production from Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk, and there is some decent balance in Calgary. Problem is it hasn't been steady enough, in my mind at least, to compensate for average play from David Rittich.

What has me intruiged is going to be the play of the Jets. This is a team who's defense looks like it was totally wiped off the face of the earth. Yet Connor Hellebuyck has played at times out of his mind this year. He's not only up for the Vezina Trophy for the leagues top goalie, I feel he should have been in the running for the Hart as MVP, he's been that good. And whatever mistakes are made on defense, the scoring punch in Winnipeg can more than make up for it. Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler, Patrik Laine, and Nikolaj Ehlers all finished with 20 or more goals this season. Calgary may get a game out of it, but the Jets are going to be too much to handle in this one.

Pick: Jets in 4

COVID Rocks Baseball

Well there was a possibility that something like this might happen. With the spread of COVID-19 hitting all over the country, there was some fear as to when/if it would hit the sports world, now that events are starting play again. But with everything happening with Miami, Major League Baseball could be in trouble.

Over the last two days, 14 players and two coaches from the Miami Marlins have come down with COVID-19, this after playing a three game series in Philadelphia against the Phillies. Now the Marlins first two home games of the year against Baltimore have been cancelled, as well as the postponement of the two games that were slated to be held in Philadelphia between the Phillies and Yankees. So far these are the only two games/series that have been postponed or cancelled because of the virus.

So now this leads to two questions in my mind. Can this be prevented going forward to finish the season? Was there a way to stop the spread in the first place so that this doesn't happen?

Going forward its a little tough to be able to know if they can catch the virus or not. I really feel that baseball went into this season with the idea of, lets just play baseball already and see what happens. Baseball took way to long to try and get this 2020 season figured out and now we have what we have. They were so busy arguing over money and what not, they had no real perfect, or close to perfect, system to be able to keep the players safe and healthy. Or at least as best they possibly can. Currently, it is unknown how the outbreak occurred with the Marlins, who played exhibition games in Atlanta before traveling to Philadelphia. And as of this writing, outside of the Marlins-O's game in Miami and Phillies-Yankees in Philadelphia, the remaining games scheduled for the day were to be played as scheduled. I think it makes no sense really now to try and stop the season at this point, unless, god forbid, something really bad happens to one of the players.

Its too tough to predict how this is going to play out over the final 56 games of the season. But I think it could have been handled better. I said this in a previous article written back in May about how this was being handled and how it was driving fans crazy. The biggest thing was money and it put a huge monkey wrench into the system. If baseball had been smart, and not argued over petty things, they could have not only focused better on player safety, but could have actually gotten more games in I feel. They could have followed the leads of the other sports, basketball and hockey, and put their teams in a bubble. It seemed to have been working so far for both the other sports, at least better then what's going on with Baseball right now. Basketball has had a few positive tests but nothing major, and Hockey's had zero positive tests since camps have started again.

If baseball had been smart, they should have gone ahead with one of their original ideas. One rumor that had been tossed around was have every team play games in their spring training cities and they would have re-aligned the divisions for the season. have everybody play in a Florida and Arizona bubble until the fall classic, then play in a neutral site city to battle for a championship. And they could have had all this set by the beginning of June, so that way they could have started at the beginning of July., That would have made the most sense, but then again this is baseball, they don't always make the most sense.

Now that the season has started, like I said before, unless something, god forbid, really bad happens, they are going to keep playing. They can put players on the IL, fill in with the Taxi squad and keep going.

Maybe that's too simple way of  looking at it but that's the way it could happen, and work, if the season is to finish out.

Release The Kracken

Well, we have ourselves a new franchise to join the National Hockey League. Starting with the 2021-22 NHL Season, hockey will be played in the great Northwest. Seattle has a franchise and now we have a name for it. The Seattle KRACKEN have been released on the NHL. A lot of work went into making sure they had the right name that fits in with the market and team concept.

General Manager Ron Francis is all on board with the name and color scheme of the franchise. It looks a little something like this:

At least that's the general concept. The idea seems cool and things look to be taking shape for the team to start playing games at Climate Pledge Arena. That building hasn't seen a major professional sporting event in it, at least not with regularity, since the Super Sonics lefts for Oklahoma City. Climate Pledge Arena is trying to become the first arena in the world to earn net zero carbon certification by the International Living Future Institute. They will also play host to the WNBA Seattle Storm.

As far as the hockey team goes, its an interesting name choice, but one that could work. its a name that, according to some, "That mystique, that intensity, and that power that people have long talked about with the Kraken is what we expect our NHL team to play with." (per ESPN).

It does have a unique look to it, something not really seen anywhere in the sport of hockey. or in any of the big four sports for that matter. Its an outside the box thinking that has taken on a cool and different vibe to it. And now that they have the name and colors picked out, next up is the product on the ice. Hockey could work in the Seattle market. There's plenty of support from the community for it in the area. And we saw what happened with the embracing of the game in Vegas when the Golden Knights. There's strong hope that the same will take place in Seattle. Only difference is, they might not catch lighting in a bottle as fast as the Golden Knights did, making the finals in their first year in the league. Still should be a lot of fun to watch this franchise develop.

2020 MLB Season Preview

it has begun! That's right, the 2020 Major League Baseball season has arrived. We got 30 Major League teams all with the same goal in mind, holding the Commissioners Trophy over their heads as the champions of the baseball world. Ten of the thirty will still be standing by the time the summer ends. Its going to be a little different this season. Because of the global pandemic, we're looking at a much shorter 60 game season. It's going to have a very different vibe and feel to it this summer, but boy is it going to be a lot of fun to watch.

Before we get into making our predictions, we got some other things we are going to need to look at. First thing's first, there's some new rule changes that are going into effect this year. Most of the rule changes are being put into effect as a way to speed the game up. Here's some of the rule changes for the 2020 season:
-The size of the active roster expands from 25 players to 26 players, through August 31.
-The size of the expanded roster in September is reduced from 40 players to 28 players.
-Teams must designate players as either "position players" or "pitchers" before the start of the season. -A pitcher must face at least three batters, unless the inning ends or the pitcher is injured.
-Managers now have up to 20 seconds to challenge a play (reduced from 30 seconds).

-Designated Hitter will now be in both National and American League parks. Teams will play each other over a 60 game schedule based on region.
-In regular season extra-inning games, starting with the 10th inning, teams automatically start with a runner on second base. The runner is the player in the batting order position immediately before the leadoff batter for the inning (or a substitute called in to pinch-run for this player, although this substitution is permanent like any other baseball substitution). Should this runner score, it will be considered an unearned run. This rule will not apply to postseason games.

Now, while everybody is getting used to some of the new rules, a lot of teams are facing getting used to new managers. San Diego (Jayce Tingler), Kansas City (Mike Matheny), San Francisco (Gabe Kapler), Chicago Cubs (David Ross), Pittsburgh (Derek Shelton), Los Angeles Dodgers (Joe Maddon), New York Mets (Luis Rojas), Philadelphia (Joe Girardi), Houston (Dusty Baker) and Boston (Ron Roenicke) all have new bench bosses for the start of this season.

Now lets get right into it, here's how we see the 2020 Major League Baseball season going down!

American League:
AL East:

1. New York Yankees*
Yes the Yankees got better this offseason, but it doesn't look like the health of the club has managed to improve much this winter. It's largely the same roster that was put on the field last year and won 103 games. There is one big addition to this lineup, Garrett Cole. And that signing is going to be huge considering how injury riddled the starting staff is. No Louis Sevirino for the season. With Cole at the Top, it gives the starting staff in the Bronx a little more respectability. Sure Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton might not be healthy by opening day, but look at what they did last year dealing with injuries. They'll still be just fine. Yankees shouldn't have a problem winning the East for the 2nd year in a row.
2. Tampa Bay Rays (WC)*

Last year, the Rays won 96 games and made it all the way to game five of the ALDS. This year, the managed to add the bats to join what was an outstanding pitching staff from a season ago. Charlie Morton is coming off winning 16 games last year, and was the ace of that staff. He's expected to do close to the same again this year. Combine him with Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow at the top of the rotation, and the Rays may have something to go with. Tommy Pham got shipped out for Hunter Renfroe, which is a big added weapon for this team. Also, toss in Jose Martinez coming over from the Cards, and you got two solid bats right in the middle of the lineup. They have depth and quality bats in Tampa. Might not be as big as those in the Bronx, but the rays can hang and will be in the mix most of the year.

3. Toronto Blue Jays

This is a young Jays team who's starting to build around its core, young lineup. With Bo Bichette, Cavean Biggio and Vlad Jr holding down the heart of that order, this could be a team that can possibly contend for quite some time. This team is deep and has the young talent to make some noise in this tough and top heavy AL East. Hyun-Jin Ryu was added at the top of this pitching rotation. Add in Tanner Roark at the top and the Jays may have something brewing

4. Boston Red Sox

This is still a good baseball team, but the Sox have taken a step back this season. They lost a big piece to their puzzle in Mookie Betts. They weren't able to sign him to an extension, so they sent him to the Dodgers, along with David Price, for Alex Verdugo and two prospects. Losing Price hurts a little bit of a weak staff. Eduardo Rodriguez is going to try and pick up the slack of losing Price. Put him near the top of the rotation with Nathan Eovaldi and, if he can get back to form, Chris Sale, they might have something in Boston. On offense, there still a fair amount of talent here. With guys like Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers, Andrew Benintendi and J.D. Martinez, you got something that can still go. Here's the difference between Boston and the likes of Tampa and the Yankees. Those two teams have depth, whereas Boston doesn't have much and that's going to hurt them.

5. Baltimore Orioles

Come on lets be real here. How much talent really is there in this Baltimore lineup that scares you?Chris Davis isn't the same player he was when he picked up the Crush Davis moniker. He got no real support in that lineup. On the hill, the only person on the starting staff that could bring any sort of noise is Alex Cobb. Don't get me wrong John Means looked alright in his first year and is the projected ace of this staff. That alone should tell you something right there.

AL Central

1. Minnesota Twins*

They won the division last year and look like the popular pick to take the division again this season. Josh Donaldson was added into the middle of that lineup to help support Nelson Cruz. With the likes of Eddie Rosario, Byron Buxton and Max Kepler, this team has plenty of depth and balance to be right at the top of the Central all year long. Throw in that solid starting five in Minnesota, which could be one of the most balanced in all of the American League, it'll be hard to knock them off the mountain top.

2. Cleveland Indians

Lets face facts the Tribe are almost always in the mix in this division. With Lindor and Carlos Santana still leading the charge on offense, this is going to be a tough team to really be able to contend with. They have depth on this team, but part of it comes down to the health of Tyler Naquin and his right knee. He should be good to go by the start of the season, but who knows. One of the things that might hold the Indians back could be starting pitching. Looks balanced on paper, but outside of maybe Carrasco, there isn't anybody really scaring me in that rotation. Cleveland will be in the mix all year, but might not have enough to get over it.

3. Chicago White Sox

You talk about a team on the rise. Chicago has the key pieces in place to really make a lot of noise in the Central and can be able to do it for a long time. Tim Anderson is the anchor at the top of what could be a deep and balanced lineup. You got pop in the middle with Abreu, Jimenez, and Grandal, which is something that can bridge to more depth coming down the line out of the system. Pitching looks like it could be really good in Chicago as well. Lucas Giolito and Dallas Keuchel anchor down that staff that has some depth it hopes to build off in seasons going forward. There's hope on the South Side.

4. Detroit Tigers

You still have Miguel Cabrera in your lineup, you might be able to win a few games.Now Miggy isn't as good as he once was, but he's still a presence in that Detroit Lineup. You do have CJ Cron and Jonathan Schoop hitting behind him, which might give him a little more protection. Other then that, there's nothing much really going on in Detroit to make you worried. Pitching is average at best in the rotation, so it looks like the Tigers are going to be close to hovering around the .500 mark this year, if that.

5. Kansas City Royals

Still a somewhat decent offense on paper. Solid middle of the lineup with Dozier, Solar and Perez. Few good pieces behind them with Mikhal Franco and Alex Gordon. Pitching staff is decent, nothing to really write home about. Still got some growing to do in Kansas City but they may not be too far out from being able to climb out of the basement in the Central.

AL West:

1. Houston Astros*

This isn't going to be a very popular opinion considering what has happened since last year's fall classic with this club. But let's face the facts here, Houston is still the best team in the American League West. Still have a very deep and balanced offensive lineup with Bregman and Altuve leading the charge. Oh and lets not forget about the pitching staff. You still have Justin Verlander, Zack Grenkie and Lance McCullers Jr topping it off. Sure its a little different with Gerritt Cole now in the Bronx, but this Astros staff is still very good. it's going to take a really good team to take the West crown away from Houston.

2. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (WC)*

This is going to be a different year for the Angels. Still no word yet (as of writing) whether or not they will get Mike Trout all year, because he may opt out of the season for personal reasons. If he does play, throw him in the middle of that lineup with Anthony Rendon, Shohei Ohtani, Justin Upton and Albert Pujols (who I know isn't as good as he once was but can still produce), and you got a very dangerous lineup to contend against. And now with Joe Madden taking over as manager, this could turn into a very dangerous ballclub. Pitching is pretty good too. Ohtani is back on the mound this year, after recovering from Tommy John. Throw him in the rotation with Heaney, Bundy and Teheran, you got a solid start to your staff. This team will push Huston most of the year.

3. Oakland Athletics

The top four hitters in this Oakland lineup are pretty good. When you have Marcus Semien, Matt Chapman, Matt Olson, and Khris Davis leading your offensive charge, you got a good chance to win a few games. Problem is, the depth after that, while good, leaves a little something to be desired. Mike Fiers and Sean Manaea will have no problem leading that starting staff in Oakland. Hey, this team was a wild card team last season, and they could be right there in the mix again this season. Only thing is I just feel they're a step or two behind the Angels this season. Given a little time, they can be right there fighting it out with Anaheim and Houston again.

4. Texas Rangers

Looks like things are starting to develop a little down in Texas. The Rangers have a fairly balanced lineup, anchored by Gallo, Santana and Fraizer. They have the potential to put some runs on the board, pending everybody can stay healthy and produce. Adding Corey Kluber could be a plus to the top of the rotation that already has Lance Lynn and Mike Minor. Its the back half of the rotation and part of the pen down in Texas that has me a little worried. They can possibly make a little noise if everything holds right and falls into place. Just too many questions for me with the pitching staff.

5. Seattle Mariners

There's quite a few holes in this Seattle lineup for me to really put them any higher in this division. Mitch Haniger is dealing with the injury bug, so who knows what his status is going to be at the start of the year. I mean, there's no problem having Kyle Seagur in the middle in the lineup, he's got no problem producing. But this does leave one wondering how much possible protection he could have in this lineup. Pitching doesn't look all that intimidating in Seattle either. Could be a bit of a rough go of it for the Mariners this year.

National League

NL East:

1. Atlanta Braves*

Things are going to look a little different without Freddy Freeman in the lineup. So Adam Duvall is going to have to step it up in the field and at the plate to be able to try and replace, for at least this season, the production of Freddy Freeman. This team is still loaded. Ronald Acuna Jr, Dansby Swanson, Ozzie Albies and Ender Incarte are going to carry this team, and be able to do it for a long time. And you got a starting staff that's being lead by Mike Soroka, Cole Hamels and Mike Foltynewicz, its a staff that's going to be pretty good for quite some time. The depth behind the three starters have me worried, but the Braves I think can make up for it and be able to take this tough division.

2. New York Mets (WC)*

This has the possibility to be a lethal team. The depth on offense is pretty good, but also depends on health. Alonso could be able to either maintain or build off his amazing rookie year last year. Then there's Yoenis Céspedes, who will most likely be the Designated Hitter for this lineup. He might play left field on occasion if his legs can hold up and are healthy enough to play the field. The offense could be there to challenge the Braves, but I wonder if the pitching staff can hold up to it. Thor missing the year because of Tommy John Surgery won't help. But they still have Jacob deGrom at the top of the staff and a decently deep rotation. Once again with this Mets team, its the bullpen that scares the hell out of me.

3. Philadelphia Phillies

Starting to see signs in Philadelphia that this team has something on offense. They are built around Bryce Harper, that's a given. Hoskins is developing in quite nicely and Jay Bruce is hitting behind him for the time being, which is adding more depth and protection for Harper. Pitching is decent too, they just added Zach Wheeler to the rotation. Don't get me wrong, Wheeler is a good pitcher, but the Phillies I think overpaid for him. Adding him with Aaron Nola and Jake Arrietta makes a pretty good top of the rotation. Its after that which worries me. Phillies have a good team, but might not be able to quite yet overtake New York

4. Washington Nationals

I know they are the defending World Champions, but there's been some changes made in DC. Still a solid top of the order with Turner, Eaton, Castro and Soto. But they took a big blow when Anthony Rendon left town to go to the West Coast. There's no denying that the Nats have one of the best staffs in all of baseball, being lead by Strausberg and Scherzer. There's not much hope in DC past Patrick Corbin but they could still play a role in keeping this a tight race among the top four clubs in this Eastern Division. 

5. Miami Marlins
Hate to be the one to say this, but it could be a rough go for the Marlins down in Miami this summer. Sure, there is hope with budding young star Brian Anderson playing 3rd. They added a little talent with Jonathan Vilar and Jesus Aguilar. There's a little bit of offensive push in Miami, but not enough to be able to keep pace with the teams ahead of them. As far as the pitching goes, Sandy Alcantra is the best arm on that staff, which really hurst the Marlins chances in this tough division.

NL Central:
1. St Louis Cardinals *
Balanced and laded baseball team in St Louois. Paul Goldschmit who's coming off a solid first year in St Louis. He got plenty of protection in that lineup with Kolten Wong, Matt Carpenter and Paul DeJong in the middle of that lineup. This team is deep and very, very good. Pitching on the other hand could make it tough on the Cards. Sure Adam Wainwright is still there, with Dakota Hudson and Jack Flarity. They got some issues after that. Still I think this will be a team that could surprise a few people

2. Milwaukee Brewers (WC)*
Still feel that this Brewers team has enough talent to make another strong push at a playoff spot. Christian Yelich is quickly becoming one of not only the best hitters but one of the best overall players in the National League. He got some solid protection in this lineup to with Cain, Smoak and Braun as the DH. This team could be really good. The bullpen is great with Josh Hader shutting the door. They actually have a decent top of the rotation with Brandon Woodruff, Adrian Houser, and Brett Anderson. They may not set the world on fire, but it'll be enough with that pen to keep them in the thick of things with the Cards most of the summer.

3. Chicago Cubs
This is one of those teams that could possibly unseat the Brew Crew for that Wild Card spot. Loaded lineup powered by Rizzo and Bryant, Chicago could be able to keep pace in the Central. Throw in the likes of Javier Baez and Kyle Schwarber, Chicago has a tough middle of their order to deal with. Add to the mix a pretty solid starting rotation that the Cubs have, lead by Jon Lester, Yu Darvish and Kyle Hendricks. Oh and the Cubs do have a decent bridge to get the ball from the starters to Craig Kimbrel closing games out. The only thing that's going to keep the Cubs slightly back of the Brewers is the depth. There's a little more offensive depth in Milwaukee, but knowing the Cubs they will have no trouble being able to hang around in the mix of things this year.

4. Cincinnati Reds
May not quite be there yet to really be able to challenge the top of the heap clubs just yet, but don't sleep on the Reds. There's something starting to develop in Cincinnati. The Reds have a solid starting staff of Sonny Gray, Luis Castillo, Trevor Bauer, Wade Miley, and Anthony DeSclafani, which could be good for quite some time if kept together and stay healthy. On offense, they have a pretty solid middle of the lineup with Joey Votto, Eugenio Suárez, Mike Moustakas and Nick Castellanos. Throw in Shogo Akiyama coming in to play center, and the AReds have something developing. Could take another year or so for the Reds to really be in the heat of the mix, but this team has the look of one who could be on the rise, and quick, in the Central.

5. Pittsburgh Pirates
A small part of me almost feels bad for the Pirates. This was a team who, just a few years ago, broke a long playoff drought. now it looks like they maybe falling back into that slump again. Sure Derek Holland and Joe Musgrove are the bright spots on this pitching staff, but lets be real here, there's not much else in the Steele City to get behind. Same thing with at the plate. Josh bell and Jarrod Dyson are your two best and most dynamic hitters. Still got some building to be done in Pittsburgh that's for sure.

NL Weest
1. Los Angeles Dodgers*
This one is a given for most baseball people. The Dodgers are the best team in the NL West. Clayton Kershaw and Alex Wood lead a solid pitching staff. Oh and there is still Kenley Jansen shutting the door at the end of games. The big story here is how much better this offense got. Bellinger, Muncy, Turner, Peterson and Seager were already going to be tough enough to handle. Now throw in newest weapon Mookie Betts and its even harder to try and combat the Dodgers. Question here isn't whether or not the Dodgers will win the division, but by how much.

2. Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona quickly became a threat in the West by adding one of the best arms in the game. I know Madison Bumgarner hasn't been quite the same over the last few seasons, but there is no denying the fact that, when he's on his game, he is one of the very best in this sport. With him and Robbie Ray at the top of this rotation could mean big things for the boys in the desert. Oh and lets not forget that this offense got a little deeper as well. Signing Ketel Marte during the offseason was a great signing. Place him right near the top of a solid D-Backs lineup is going to cause problems for other teams in the league. I mean your adding him into the mix with guys like Jake Lamb, Starling Marte, Eduardo Escobar, and David Peralta. They could make noise for a while now in the West.

3. Colorado Rockies
The boys in Denver are still going to be in the mix in the middle of the West. Pitching leaves a little to be desired for me, with German Marquez and Jon Gray holding down the top. They have a decent closer in Wade Davis, but being able to get the ball to Wade leaves one wondering a bit. Hitting wont be a problem in Colorado. Nolan Aranado, Charlie Blackman, Trevor Story and Daniel Murphy will have no problem powering this lineup. It might be tough getting past Arizona and LA but Colorado is starting to make little steps in the right direction

4. San Diego Padres
They got a young, budding team in San Diego. Manny Machado is the leading man there, but with the young talent around him, they got something to work with. Wil Meyers and Fernando Tatis Jr. are the ones leading the youth charge,with Eric Hosmer providing more veteran leadership for this team. The only thing that could be holding San Diego back a little bit is pitching. Chris Paddack is the ace of this staff, and they have some good arms out of the pen like Drew Pomeranz and Kirby Yates. They have the room to improve and go up from here.

5. San Francisco Giants
There is a decent mix of speed and power in the Giants lineup. Mike Yastrzemski, leads the youth and along with billy Hamilton provide the speed for this club. Hunter Pence, Brandon Crawford, brandon belt and Evan Longoria provide the power and experience. But that's also a bit of a problem is that those guys are getting up there in years. Pitching seems OK in San Francisco, with Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija at the top of the rotation. But that leads to possible depth issues. Could be a rough go of it for the Giants in the West.

ALCS: Yankees over Twins
NLCS: Dodgers over Braves
World Series: Dodgers over Yankees

Worst Sports Contracts

Ah the contracts. Every walk of life has a contract of some kind to get stuff done. In sports, a contract means how much your going to get paid for playing a specific sport. Why are we talking about this? Well it has tied in with Patrick Mahomes new, very large contract that he just signed in Kansas City. As noted in the earlier article, he could be worth it, pending he stays healthy. Some guys have worked out with their big contracts, while others have totally flopped under the weight of big contracts.

Now I should point out that yes there have been bad contracts handed out in other sports like soccer, both in the United States and on the International stage. But for the purposes of this article, I'm leaving these contracts as those in the big four sports leagues of the NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL. With that in mind, here's the top five worst contracts in the history of pro sports.

5. Alexei Yashin- New York Islanders

This won't be the last time that this team name pops up here on this list. When the Islanders first got Yashin in the trade, they gave up Zedeno Chara and the 2nd overall pick (which turned into Jason Spezza) in 2001. It was a move that was made because Yashin wasn't happy in Ottawa and the Islanders were looking to greatly improve their team. When the deal first went down, it looked good for both sides, but turned into a lopsided one for Ottawa. Why is Yashin on this list? Because right after getting him in the trade, the Isles signed Yashin to a ten year deal worth $87.5 Million. He had a good year his first year on Long Island, leading the team with 75 points, and made a little noise that year against Toronto in the first round. But he never reached or surpassed that level at all in his time after that New York ended up buying Yashin out after the 2008 season. It looked good in theory at the start, but ended in disaster all the way around for the Isles.

4. Nick Batum- Charlotte Hornets

He had himself a solid run during the first seven years in the NBA while playing in Portland. Batum was a good defender and a solid three point shooter. Yet the Hornets thought it would be a good idea, signing him to a max contract at five years worth $120 million. I'm sorry but a guy who's never made the all star game and who's best year was averaging 15.1 a game in the 2nd year in Charlotte isn't worth $24 million a year. Oh yeah and you have guys like Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard, and Jimmy Butler who are making a little less then that on average on contacts. Lets be real here, Batum, while a solid player, never played in an all star game. he's never lead the league in any offensive category during his career. He got and is getting paid a lot of money for a guy who should be in the upper levels of talent in this league, yet isn't anywhere close to it.

3. Bobby Bonilla- New York Mets

OK think about this. When the Mets first brought him in in 1991, he was given the highest contract at that time at $23 million over 5 years. At the time it was a lot of money. He was somewhat productive during his first go around with the Mets, hitting .278, while cracking 91 home runs and driving in 277 runs. All this was done during in three and a half years in New York. He even ended up playing in the 1993 and 1995 all star games as a Met. New York brought him back for another go around in 1999. His production that year was so bad, he didn't even last 60 games with the team, so they cut ties with him. Only thing is the Mets still owed him $5.9 million. So they agreed to pay him $1.1 million till 2035! That's why July 1st is known as Bobby Bonilla day! Ugh that was a bad signing.

2. Jay Cutler- Chicago Bears

I still can't fully wrap my head around this one.Cutler had put up decent numbers at the start of his career in Denver. Finished three games under .500 and threw for just over 9,000 yards. The Bears saw that as good enough and gave Cutler a massive payday. Chicago signed him to a seven-year, $126 million contract. By the time all was said and done, he finished 51-51 as starter in Chicago, throwing for 23,443 yards, 154 touchdowns and 109 picks. Hell he threw 26 picks in his first year in the Windy City. The only stats that Cutler lead the NFL in during his time in Chicago were leading the league in are interceptions twice, and sacks (52 in 2010). Talk about a deal backfiring.

1. Rick DiPietro- New York Islanders

Facts are the Islanders became know for doing stupid stuff like this after the dynasty years ended. Trading away young prospect talent because they were cheap. Or giving away gigantic contracts like this one. After the 2007 season, the Islanders signed Rickey to a 15 year deal worth $67.8 Million. I'll be the first to admit, and I've said it on more than one occasion, I hated that contract the day it was signed. Why? Because yes Rickey was a good netminder, but not an elite one. At least not worth that long a deal. Yes he had won 30 or more games in a season twice before landing this contract and he would crack the 100 win mark in an Islanders sweater. But never once during his career did I really think he was the next face of the franchise in net. He was close sure, but he never got over the hump. And his body started to fail him shortly after signing this contract. I think, if his body had allowed him, he would have kept up the consistency he had started to show during his better years. But it just wasn't there and the Islanders looked even worse for this signing as time went on

Mahomes Major Payday

Ah the payday. Getting a raise in your chosen profession is a big deal, and a great feeling. Patrick Mahomes got paid and then some. He's coming off a year in which he not only wins the Super Bowl, but he also wins the MVP of said game. In doing so, Kansas City felt it was the right time to lock up their star Quarterback to a long term deal. They locked up their franchise QB to a ten year contract extension worth $477 million ( with a $141.48 million injury guarantee). By the time all is said and done, with all the incentives and what's on the deal now, the grand total can reach $503 million.

Let that sink in for a second

$503 MILLION

Patrick Mahomes is now the richest athletes in all of sports. Question is, can Mahomes live up to the deal?

Well if you base it off what Mahomes has done over the two years since he became the Chiefs starter, the hopes are looking good out in Arrowhead. In his two years under center he threw 76 touchdowns against just 18 picks during regular season play. And last year in the playoffs, he threw ten touchdowns against just two picks. He got the numbers through the first two years to back it up.

Now the question is can he keep it up going forward? I'd like to think he can, and do so without a problem. This is all dependent on his health. If he can stay in one piece and remain without any major injuries during the remainder of this contract, Mahomes has the skills and talent to be able to make every penny of this contract worthwhile.  The numbers back it up. 24-7 lifetime as a starter, 66% completion percentage, 9,412 yards thrown to go along with the touchdown and turnover numbers we already discussed. And that's just two full seasons worth of work for Mahomes. Imagine what he can do in the rest of his career.

This also does lead one to wonder what some future contracts in the sports world are going to look like. lets face facts the NFL has placed such a high price on the position of QB in today's game, and with good reason. They can control the game better than any other single player right now in the pass happy NFL. But with Mahomes making this much money in his deal, its going to lead one to wonder, come contract time, what kind of deals and money other players at that position are going to start looking/asking for. Looking at Dak Prescot, because he's coming up for a big payday in Dallas. We'll cross that bridge when we come down to it.

2020 MLB Schedules

It's four moths overdue, but it will happen. We will have Major League Baseball in 2020. We know this isn't the ideal circumstances for having baseball, but its better then nothing. We will break it all down on the show over the next couple of weeks. But right now we have the dates, as well as who's playing where. So lets not waste anymore time. Start marking down the dates, because here's the 2002 Baseball schedule

July:

23-26 @ Washington

27-28 @ Philadelphia

29-30 vs. Philadelphia

31 vs Boston

August:

1-2 vs Boston

3-5 @ Baltimore

6-9 @ Tampa Bay

11-12 vs Atlanta

14-17 vs Boston

18-20 vs Tampa Bay

21-23 @ NY Mets

25-26 @ Atlanta

27-30 vs NY Mets

31 vs Tampa Bay

September:

1-2 vs Tampa Bay

4-6 @ Baltimore

7-9 @ Toronto

10-13 vs Baltimore

15-17 vs Toronto

18-20 @ Boston

21-24 @ Toronto

25-27 vs. Miami

July:

24-26 vs Atlanta

27-28 @ Boston

29-30 vs Boston

31 @ Atlanta

August:

1-3 @ Atlanta

4-5 @ Washington

7-9 vs Miami

10-13 vs Washington

14-16 @ Philadelphia

17-20 @ Miami

21-23 vs NY Yankees

25-27 vs Miami

28-30@ NY Yankees

September:

1-2 @ Baltimore

4-7 vs Philadelphia

8-9 vs Baltimore

11-13 @ Toronto

15-17 @ Philadelphia

18-20 vs Atlanta

21-23 vs Tampa Bay

24-27 @ Washington

There you have it. What stands out on schedule to you the most?