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MLB Powerless Rankings: Rockies rocking the basement...

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Labels: MLB, Power rankings, Powerless rankings

MLB Powerless Rankings: Memorial Day Edition

First off, happy Memorial Day to everyone and a special thanks to everyone in our military. God bless America.

Moving on, this weeks Powerless Rankings see little mix up in regards to who made the cut (that applies to the Power Rankings as well). However there was a shakeup in the actual ranking of the teams. We’re beginning to see the same faces (or logos if you will) on either side of the rankings, so it appears we’ve finally moved past the ‘season is still early’ defense. We're almost a third of the way through the season for goodness sake!

Powerless Rankings

26. Colorado Rockies (20-30, LW: MM)

The Colorado Rockies have been struggling to stay afloat but they keep on being hit by the injury bug. The biggest of which, Troy Tulowitzki, is out until at least the All Star break. Other key injuries to their roster include (but are not limited to) Clint Barmes, Luis Vizcaino, Brad Hawpe and Matt Holliday. Considering all their injuries, it’s actually a testament to the overall skill level of the team that they have the record that they do.

Prognosis: Once they have everyone healthy, they should be back on track. The only problem is, when will that be?

Team LVP: Manny Corpas, who has a 6.20 ERA and a mere 4 saves, an extreme turnaround from last year.

27. Kansas City Royals (21-29, LW: NR )

The Royals finally did what they’ve been threatening to do all year: go on a ridiculously long losing streak. At the moment, K.C. is sitting on 7 losses in a row. If they keep it up, they will surely be a perfect example of why April and early May performances don’t mean much in regards to how a team will do for the whole season.

Prognosis: The team has talent, they’re just a few years away from being a contender.

Team LVP: Tony Pena Jr. who is hitting .165 with 7 ribbies (in 139 at bats). Yes, that’s it.

28. San Francisco Giants (20-31, LW: 30)

Just when the Giants go on a losing streak (3 games), their next game gets postponed and they drop both games in a double header. This team just can’t catch a break. The team’s pitching (save for Tim Lincecum and a couple of players in the bullpen) is starting to play like the offense. A la, horrible.

Prognosis: Now that pitching is starting to play on par with the offense -- barring an unlikely turnaround, this team is done.

Team LVP: Barry Zito, who finally got his first win on Friday night. Even so, he’s 1-8 and it’s going to take a lot more wins to pardon him from this award.

29. San Diego Padres (19-33, LW: 29)

The Padres have the second worst team in the MLB in runs scored. There pitching is a bit worse than middle of the road, ranking 18th in the league in ERA. I know I don’t have to tell you this, but if you have one of the two worst offenses in the league and a mediocre at best pitching staff, your not going to be good. At all. All season. Like the Giants, barring something crazy happening, the Padres season doesn’t look too good.

Prognosis: To make matters worse, their best pitcher, Jake Peavy, who was almost single handedly keeping the Padres alive is on the disabled list. Not good, not good at all.

Team LVP: Khalil Greene, whose .221 average, 5 home runs and 3 stolen bases would be good if it were April. Unfortunately for him (and us, especially if he’s on your fantasy team like me) it’s not.

And the loser is…

30. Seattle Mariners (18-33, LW: 27)

Both sides of Seattle’s team are ranked in the bottom third of the league, with their pitching staff the second worst in the entire league. The offense isn’t much better, ranking an unimpressive 23rd. The Mariners are on a 6 game losing streak and have Boston coming into town for a 3 game set.

Prognosis: The Mariners will be lucky to win one of their upcoming 3 games against the Red Sox. If they don’t take today’s game against a rehabbing Bartolo Colon (with their ace Felix Hernandez going up against him), don’t expect them to win any at all.

Team LVP: Jarrod Washburn, whose 6.54 ERA and 32 strikeouts help explain why he only has 2 wins in 10 starts.

Mediocre mentions (MM): Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals, Cleveland Indians

Power Rankings

5. Chicago Cubs (29-21, LW: 1)

Just when the Cubs looked at the top of their game, ranking number one in the power rankings, they go 1-4 over their next 5. All of those losses came against two gritty teams in Pittsburgh and Houston, so we’ll chalk the slump up to a bad week.

Team MVP: It’s still Derrek Lee who is playing out of his mind. A .301 average with 11 HR’s, 34 RBI’s and a .364 OBP? Forget being the Cubs MVP, Lee is making a strong case for the league MVP.

4. Boston Red Sox (31-22, LW: 2)

The Red Sox have dropped three straight and given up sole possession of first place to the Rays. With a three game set up ahead against the Mariners however, expect them to right the ship.

Team MVP: Kevin Youkilis who is batting .306 with 9 HR’s and 35 RBI’s.

3. Arizona Diamondbacks (30-20, LW: 3)

Even though they’ve taken two of three from the Braves and are tied for the best record in the league, the Diamondbacks were swept by the Marlins in a three game set this past week. Luckily for them, the previous two teams had similar (albeit a bit worse) slumps.

Team MVP: Brandon Webb who is 9-1 with a 2.69 ERA and 56 strikeouts. He is the front runner in the NL Cy Young race and was the major piece of an early season fantasy trade that has had me lamenting even thinking of trading him. If your wondering I got Michael Bourn, Takashi Saito and Dana Eveland in return. And yes, I know I’m a dumb ass.

2. Florida Marlins (29-20, LW: HM)

The Marlins have been knocking at the Power Ranking door for the past couple of weeks, consistently getting at least an honorable mention. They’ve finally fought their way in. A sweep of the skilled Diamondbacks was the kicker.

Team MVP: Dan Uggla who in my mind is the front runner in the NL MVP race. Out of his 16 home runs, 12 were in May which is tied for fourth best all time.

And the winner is...

1. Tampa Bay Rays (30-20, LW: 5)

Okay, it’s finally happened. We can all officially stop being surprised as the Rays continue to win. They are a good, nay -- great team. They have all the makings of a contender and could be the Cinderella story of the season. So seriously everyone, let’s just come to grips with the fact that they’re a winner. It’s almost June.

Team MVP: Uber-prospect Evan Longoria already has two walk off hits in what is his first full season in the majors. Add to that 7 home runs, 27 ribbies, 3 stolen bases and a .319 OBP and what you’ve got is the makings of a super-duper star.

Honorable mentions (HM): St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Angels, Oakland Athletics

Again, Happy Memorial Day and please do take a moment to remember all that have died for our rights including the free speech that we so enjoy.

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Labels: MLB, Power rankings, Powerless rankings

Sport Crack’s UFC 84: Ill Will Recap

Even though some of UFC 84’s most hyped matches didn’t quite play out how we may have wanted, it was still a great ticket. Besides, any UFC even is a good event, that much is common knowledge. UFC 84 saw knockouts, submissions, ground technicians and a main event that lived up to all that preceded it.

Warning: Spoilers follow. If you’ve taped it and still haven’t seen it, and somehow got this far -- well, I warned you.

Christian ‘The Hungarian Nightmare’ Wellisch (8-3-0) vs. Shane Carwin (8-0-0)

This fight would finish second for quickest fights to end for the evening. Up and comer Shane Carwin clocked The Hungarian Nightmare, sending him reeling -- without missing a step, Carwin would go on to pound Wellisch until the referee stopped the fight at 0:44 in the 1st round.

Victor: Carwin by 1st round KO

John ‘War Machine’ Copenhaver (5-1-0) vs. Yoshiyuki ‘Zenko’ Yoshida (9-2-0)

In yet another match that failed to get past the minute mark, Yoshiyuki Yoshida maneuvered his way into locking in a lethal anaconda choke on Copenhaver. The referee would stop the fight at 0:56 after it was discovered that Copenhaver had actually been put to sleep. Score one for Zenko.

Victor: Yoshida by 1st round submission (anaconda choke)

Ivan Salaverry (12-6-0) vs. Rousimar ‘Toquinho’ Palhares (7-1-0)

This fight went to the ground in a hurry and Palhares had Salaverry in a potential rear naked choke for what seemed like forever. After appearing to finally escape, Palhares dragged Salaverry back down and as smooth as silk, maneuvered his way around to Salaverry’s arm and locked in the arm bar. It was the submission specialist at his finest. Seriously, if you haven’t seen it -- you need to go and find video of it. It was a beautiful thing to watch.

Victor: Palhares by 1st round submission (arm bar)

Tito ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’ Ortiz (15-5-1) vs. Ryoto ‘Lyoto’ Machida (12-0-0)

I hadn’t seen much of Machida up until this fight, but after watching him it’s easy to see why he’s undefeated. He has a unique style all his own, quickly and skillfully dodging incoming attacks.

He had Ortiz exasperated at multiple points in the match, but showed at the end of the first round that although he flees for much of his fights, he is lethal when he sees an opening to attack. It was basically cat and mouse the entire time, with Ortiz stalking Machida the entire fight and failing to land any meaningful strikes on him. He had opportunities in the second and third round, but failed to capitalize on them and Machida would stylistically dominate his way into his 13th victory.

Victor: Machida wins by unanimous decision

Wanderlei ‘The Axe Murderer’ Silva (31-8-1) vs. Keith ‘The Dean of Mean’ Jardine (13-3-1)

Even though this would turn out to be the quickest fight of the evening, it was the one I was most looking forward to and it did not fail to live up to my expectations. Although I thought they would go toe to toe for a bit longer, it was common knowledge that this fight was going to be strictly striking.

Unfortunately for Jardine, Silva got the early advantage with a stunning right and in typical Axe Murderer fashion, he finished it off in a hurry. Although many of Silva’s knockouts have been brutal and bloody, it was great to see him attempt to go over multiple times to make sure Jardine was okay. The guy is a class act and shot up my list of favorite fighters by his actions last night.

Victor: Silva by 1st round KO

BJ ‘The Prodigy’ Penn (12-4-1) vs. Sean ‘The Muscle Shark’ Sherk (32-2-1)

The much awaited main event did not fail to live up expectations, surprisingly remaining upright for the entire fight. Penn and Sherk would trade jabs, hooks and strikes for three straight rounds, leading many to wonder why Sherk wasn’t trying to take it to the ground where he had a better chance of winning. After the fight, Sherk would say he thought he was doing fine on his feet and so no reason to change his strategy. While Sherk did land many blows, Penn seemed just a step ahead of him, keeping him at bay with a stiff jab.

In a controversial ending, a flying knee by Penn followed by multiple strikes led Penn to just stand up and claim Sherk “was done”. After much confusion, and a continuing Penn celebration, it was announced that Penn had won by TKO. The referee had stopped the fight. It was also interesting to note that Sherk stopped using his right hand for much of the end of the fight and may have injured it, although he said nothing of it during his post fight interview. After all the bad blood that had brewed, Penn and Sherk hugged and Penn told Sherk he could come and train with him anytime.

Fifteen straight minutes of kicking the shit out of each other and they both showed class and respect at the end, hugging multiple times. One of the many reasons I love the MMA.

Other fight results:

Dong Hyun Kim defeated Jason Tan by KO in the 3rd round

Rich Clementi defeated Terry Etim by unanimous decision

Rameau Sokoudjou defeated Kazuhiro Nakamura by TKO in the 1st round

Thiago Silva defeated Antonio Mendes by submission in the 1st round

Goran Reljic defeated Wilson Gouveia by KO in the 2nd round

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Labels: MMA, recaps, UFC, UFC 84

Sport Crack's College Football Preseason Top 10

10. LSU Tigers

While some may look quizzically at this ranking due to LSU’s current quarterback situation, I would respond by suggesting they take a look at the rest of the team. They won the national title last year with Matt Flynn at quarterback and not taking anything away from him, but he was no Joe Montana. Much of the championship team of last year is returning and if the current front runner at QB, Jarrett Lee, can learn to not lose ball games and play conservatively enough, the team will be a BCS contender once more.

9. Clemson Tigers

With many new faces looking to shore up the offensive line, Clemson’s potentially potent offense could all depend on their play. Luckily for them, they play in a relatively weak ACC and although there’s some tough games on their schedule, the offensive line has a much better chance to get some in game experience against some cupcake teams than say, an SEC or Big 12 team would in a similar situation.

8. Texas Longhorns

With Colt McCoy with two full seasons leading the Longhorn offense under his belt, the promising young QB looks to lead Texas to the glory land that Vince Young led them to once upon a time. Depending on how the new running back performs will have a lot to do with how much McCoy will have to carry the offense and thus, the Longhorns record this season.

7. Missouri Tigers

After surprising many with last seasons impressive BCS run, the Tigers of Missouri look to have just a successful 2008 with Heisman hopeful Chase Daniel back under center. Guess who else is back? Daniel’s favorite target and yet another Heisman hopeful (although a bit less so than Daniel) Jeremy Maclin.

6. West Virginia Mountaineers

Speaking of Heisman hopefuls, Mountaineer quarterback Pat White doesn’t have Steve Slaton in the backfield anymore, but with his skills, he doesn’t need him. With the offense likely to be completely focused around the dual threat QB, all that the team will need in 2008 is a respectable showing from their defense and they should have the Big East on lockdown.

5. Oklahoma Sooners

It seems that Oklahoma has a title contending team year in and year out… and with good reason, they had one of the top football programs of the last century. It appears there will be nothing new in 2008 with the Sooners, who despite being in a tough Big 12, should yet again be in the conversation for title teams at the end of the season.

4. USC Trojans

Even though NFL U wasn’t in the BCS title game last year doesn’t mean their not going to be a potential contender this year. The Trojans had somewhat of an off year last year (if you could call it that) going 11-2 with both of their losses coming at the hands of conference rivals. Some have the Trojans ranked higher, but I at least want to wait and see which QB they choose and how he’ll handle the immediate pressure that will be thrust upon him.

3. Florida Gators

Speaking of off seasons, the Gators had 4 losses in 2008 and were out of title contention by mid October. Tim Tebow didn’t let that slow him down though, winning the 2007 Heisman trophy and choosing to return this year to hopefully lead the Gators to their second title in three years. With a cream puff schedule, that very well could be the case.

2. Ohio State Buckeyes

With the Buckeyes being the unanimous number one in this season’s preseason rankings, I just couldn’t bring myself to rank them ahead of the Bulldogs. With one of the easiest schedules of any team in the country next year, the Buckeyes could very well cruise to an undefeated season and yet another championship title appearance.

1. Georgia Bulldogs

Despite playing in the toughest conference in the country, I just couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t put the Bulldogs at number one. I am so extremely high on this team that I’m very close to putting a large sum of money on them to win the entire thing. Then again, this is college football we’re talking about -- where just one loss can effectively end your entire quest for playing the most important game of the year. Tough schedule aside, the Bulldogs have many familiar faces returning and look to do something they’ve threatened to do in each of the past few season: Win the BCS national title.

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Labels: NCAA football, Powerless rankings, preseason top 10, Top 10

Sport Crack's UFC 84: Ill Will Preview

Keith “The Dean of Mean” Jardine (13-3-1) vs. Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva (31-8-1)

Wanderlei Silva’s last fight was his UFC debut at UFC 79: Nemesis versus Chuck Liddell. Liddell won by unanimous decision in what was a very exciting stand up striking match. On the other side of the Octagon is Keith Jardine, whose last fight was also against The Iceman. Unlike Silva, Jardine won the fight by split decision with the help from his superb kicking ability.

This fight is almost certain to be a standup brawl, similar to the Silva/Liddell fight. I also think that the fight most certainly will not go the full three rounds. As much respect as I have for Jardine as a striker, I think Silva will have something to prove after losing his UFC debut. Not to mention, he needs a win to even be considered for an eventual title shot.

Prediction: Silva wins by KO in the 1st round.

Tito “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Ortiz (15-5-1) vs. Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida (12-0-0)

Machida, who has won all four of his UFC fights thus far (not to mention all of his fights for his career) will be going against a highly motivated Tito Ortiz in what could be his final fight in the UFC. Ortiz, who hasn’t fought in nearly a year, fought to a draw with Rashad Evens at UFC 73: Stacked. While many people are predicting a Machida victory, I think the fact that Ortiz hasn’t fought in so long has numbed us to just how good he used to be.

While Machida may technically be the better pound for pound fighter, you should never underestimate a man’s pride. Ortiz doesn’t want his last fight in the UFC to be a loss and I’m sure he would love to stick it to Dana White with a victory to end his UFC career.

Prediction: Ortiz wins by split decision.

Sean “The Muscle Shark” Sherk (32-2-1) vs. BJ “The Prodigy” Penn (12-4-1)

These two cannot wait to get into the Octagon against each other in hopes of destroying the other. This is Sherk’s first fight since he was suspended for violating the UFC’s steroid policy. Sherk’s last loss was to Georges St. Pierre 3 years ago at UFC 56: Full Force. Meanwhile, the UFC Lightweight champion BJ Penn, is coming off two straight victories by rear naked choke, one of which won him the belt against Joe Stevenson at UFC 80: Rapid Fire at the beginning of this year.

Like the Ortiz/Machida match, the majority of people making predictions are going with Penn to defend his belt. However, this is a rivalry of sorts and anything can happen -- not too mention, I love taking the underdog. If Sherk can avoid being submitted and utilize his ground and pound skills, he should have an excellent shot at winning the match. The only problem is, Penn is going to make that very hard for him. If Sherk can take it into the later rounds, his superior conditioning will give him a better shot as well. As much as I’d like to take the underdog in Sherk, though, logical thinking prevails…

Prediction: Penn wins by submission in the 3rd round.

If you plan on watching, then enjoy! If not, I'll be posting a recap later on tonight or early tomorrow, so stay tuned.

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Labels: MMA, predictions, UFC 84