Just like the NHL, I wasn’t around for the first few games to be able to talk about my picks. I’m going to have to make this short and sweet as i’m at work, just like the NHL one.

Just like the NHL picks, I will redo these every round.

Cavs over Pistons in 4

Pistons have shown nothing. They could have avoided this matchup with a late season win, but faltered and now they’ll pay the price. The years of the Spurs and Pistons are done.

 

Celts over Bulls in 7

The way the Bulls have been playing they remind me of the Hawks in the first round last year. Gordon and Rose should be able to carry them to 1 or 2 more victories each, but in the end the Celtics are just better, with or without Kevin Garnett.

 

Magic over 76ers in 7

Magic are hurting and have high expectations in the playoffs for the first time since Shaq left for the Lakers in the 90s. They will win the series, but the other AI (Andre Igoudala) and company will make it tougher than everyone thinks.

 

Hawks over Heat in 7

Dwayne Wade has a lot of youngsters around him. I know i’m picking 3 serieses to go 7, but I feel like the East is up and coming and the teams are a lot closer than people think. Wade will carry his team for 3 wins, but the Hawks were growing last year and have only gotten better. They’re good enough to push into the 2nd round, and this should be the best series to watch come games 5, 6, and 7.

 

Lakers over Jazz in 5

The Jazz can’t play on the road. They got their 1 win at home. They may keep game 4 close, but will probably lose in the same fashion they lost game 2. Game 5 is going to be all LA.

 

Nuggets over Hornets in 6

Chris Paul is too good to get swept. The Billups trade has obviously made the Nuggets contenders. Billups should get the job done 4 out of 6 times against Paul as he has the better team around him right now. West and Chandeler need to show up.

 

Spurs over Mavs in 7

I would have said 6, so i’m cheating a bit as the Mavs have already won 2 games. Tim Duncan is a champion, Dirk Nowitzki is not. That should be the difference. Not to mention Jason Kidd has slowed down and Tony Parker is on a tear. With or without Manu Ginobili, the Spurs are a better team. Roger Mason (the new Robert Horry) with a game 7 game winning 3 pointer.

 

Blazers over Rockets in 7

This should be just as good as the Hawks and Heat series. The young Blazers have the 2nd best shooting gaurd in the game in Brandon Roy and a bunch of young talent that I think can get the job done against Yao. This series could go either way, but the Blazers have the better star and are just a bit more exciting to watch. They’ll also pose great problems for the Lakers in round 2, I think they pull it off.

 

Eastern Conference Semis:

 

Magic over Celtics in 7 (Magic get a bit healthier and without KG no one is going to stop Dwight Superman Howard. We’d all love to see the Celtics and Cavs go at it, but without KG its just not the same, and the Celts may just not get there.)

 

Cavs over Hawks in 5 (I feel like the Cavs will dominate the young Hawks and the Hawks are a year away. Moving up 1 round every year!)

 

Western Conference Semis:

 

Lakers over Blazers in 6 (Blazers will pose problems. The best 2 sg’s in the league will go at it in Kobe and Roy. Kobe is just too good, especially on defense. Blazers should be able to sneak a win or 2, maybe even 3, but they’re not winning this series.)

 

Nuggets over Spurs in 6 (this should look much like the Nuggets/Hornets 1st round series, Billups should get the job done 4 out of 6 times against Parker as well, especially with the team clicking at the right time.)

 

Eastern Conference Finals:

 

Cavs over Magic in 6 (2 superstars go at it. Reminds me of Shaq and Kobe. 2 future hall of famers. The Cavs are just too good though, they’ll probably take 1 road game and they’re not going to lose at home.)

 

Western Conference Finals:

 

Lakers over Nuggets in 5 (Nugs might steal a game, but they got dominated by the Lakers recently.)

 

Finals:

 

This is a toughy. Cavs vs. Lakers is everyones consensus picks. I will have to go with the Lakers though in 7. This may be tough as the Cavs don’t lose at home, but Lebron doesn’t face Kobe everyday. Kobe has the championship experience and two 7 footers that can dominate. No Z can’t dominate and I don’t care who thinks otherwise, he will get beat in this series. And it may just be the difference as long as the Lakers point gaurds don’t get beat by Mo Williams.

I was out of town in Montreal and I saw many hockey fans walking around in their jerseys. Great seen, great hockey town. I came back and had missed the first 2 days of the playoffs, but have caught up these past 2 days and man oh man am I glad. What great games! I don’t think the NBA is keeping up right now in the first round.

 

Here are my late picks, I will redo the picks every round, obviously these are a little late as I wasn’t able to make these earlier.

 

Boston over Montreal in 5 (Currently Boston leads 3-0)

Boston is unstoppable right now, especially with Thomas in goal, but after being in Montreal I feel like I owe them a pick of at least pulling off 1 victory.

 

Capitals over Rangers in 7 (Rangers currently lead 2-1)

I can’t pick against Ovechkin, but Lundqvist has been amazing and will push this series.

 

Carolina over New Jersey in 7 (series currently tied at 2)

The stars are alligned for the Canes, but Brodeur is pissed after last nights game and will give it all he’s got.

 

Pens over Flyers in 6 (Pens lead 3-1)

Crosby and Malkin haven’t been great, but Fleury has shown up as of late. When all things click, this team may be unstoppable, but Philly has 1 more home game and those fans are straight nasty.

 

Sharks over Ducks in 7 (Ducks lead 2-1)

Best team in the NHL, even after the slow start, can’t pick against them.

 

Wings over Jackets in 4 (Wings lead 3-0)

Detroit is clicking on all cylinders, the state of Ohio is just happy they made the NHL playoffs for the first time.

 

Canucks over Blues in 4 (ok, so I cheated on this one haha)

 

Flames over Blackhawks in 7 (Hawks up 2-1)

This is going to be a great series. It’s a toss up, but i’m going with Iginla to lead his team.

 

Conference Semis:

Penguins upset Capitals (both have played in a physical 1st round, 2 future hall of famers vs. 1, the goaltenders will make the difference, should be the best series of the East playoffs).

Hurricanes upset Bruins (just a shot in the dark, they ride the wave, have the experience).

Red Wings over Canucks (neither met a challenge in the 1st round, this round will be different, but the Wings want to defend their title against the dangerous ‘Nucks)

Sharks over Flames (Flames will not have enough to beat the Sharks)

 

Conference Finals:

Penguins over Hurricanes (Cinderella’s run ends)

Sharks over Red Wings (No rematch from last year)

 

Finals:

Sharks over Penguins (Too much firepower on the Sharks, Fleury is too inconsistent)

http://www.sportsofboston.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/mannydodgers.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unlike the NL East and NL Central, the West looks weak. This is going to be a pitchers division with many stud aces taking the mound and very weak lineups following. The Giants and Padres should have the NL’s worst 2 lineups, while the Diamondbacks are young and inexperienced, and the Rockies have lost their best player and the Dodgers had lost their until midway through spring training.. Which lineup will take this division? 

 

Arizona Diamondbacks

 

This team is young, but only missed the playoffs by 2 games last year. They bring back a great starting rotation and a decent lineup, but lack power. They lost Adam Dunn in the offseason and it’s going to take a bite out of their power but they bring back a lot of youngsters in their prime who could make up for that loss.

The lineup will include Felipe Lopez, Chris Snyder, Stephen Drew, Mark Reynolds, Conor Jackson, Chris Young, and Justin Upton. All have the potential to be great players down the line, especially Young, Reynolds, and Upton, but I feel as though they are still a year or 2 away from really putting it together. The pitching staff will have to carry them, the question is, can they?

 

The staff includes All Stars Brandon Webb and Dan Haren. They are followed by Doug Davis, Jon Garland, and Max Scherzer. This is a solid rotation, but the whole division is full of solid rotations. In fact, i’d bet the under for every division matchup in the NL West this year. 

 

The bullpen pretty much consists of Qualls, Rauch and Tony Pena. This should hold over and be a decent bullpen, especially since the starters are good enough to get into the 7th inning consistently.

 

Webb and Haren will be Webb and Haren, even though Webb has struggled since last August, he is still an Ace. Davis, Garland, and Scherzer will be the question marks, and solid performances or a breakout season for Max could mean the D’Backs are playoff bound. They will also have to find some power in the lineup if they are to make a run.

 

Colorado Rockies

 

This team finished 3rd last year and have lost All Star Matt Holliday to the Oakland A’s. Their pitching staff should be a bit better than last year, but will it be enough to boost them into making a playoff run? Remember, they play in a hitter’s ballpark and probably have the weakest rotation in the West.

 

The pitching staff consists of Cook, Jimenez, Marquis, De La Rosa and Franklin Morales. They have lost their clubhouse leader Jeff Francis to injury. Cook is a very overrated pitcher, but the rest of this staff could surprise, especially Ubaldo Jimenez. He has some nasty stuff, and a break out season in this offense starved division isn’t very far fetched.

 

The bullpen consists of newly acquired Huston Street in the Holliday trade, Manny Corpas, and Taylor Buchholz who is on the DL. This is a serviceable bullpen and shouldn’t cause a problem with blowing games as long as the starters give them opportunities.

 

The lineup isn’t that bad, but they will definetely miss Matt Holliday. Iannetta, an aging Helton, Barmes, Tulowitzki, Atkins, Spilborghs, and Hawpe are the main hitters in the lineup, with Ian Stewart coming off the bench. Dexter Fowler is also a very interesting rookie, and should put up some solid numbers, double digit homerun and steal totals are very possible.

 

The Rockies should contend as long as their lineup can contend with the strong pitching staffs of this division. They have the weakest pitching staff, which means they can’t just match their opponents in run support for their pitchers, but will have to surpass them because their staff will not be able to match up with the rest of the West. 

 

Los Angeles Dodgers 

 

The winners of West last year return most of their players. They have a decent lineup with the addition of Orlando Hudson and the resigning of Manny Ramirez. They have a decent yet very young pitching staff, so the hitting, like in the case of many of this division’s teams, will have to carry them.

 

The rotation is led by ace, and yes he’s an ace, Chad Billingsley. It will be followed by Kuroda, Wolf, and youngsters Clayton Kershaw and James McDonald. Besides Billingsley, the rotation has some question marks. I feel as though Kershaw is a year away from being dominant and McDonald 2 or 3 years away. Of course Jason ‘waste of money’ Schmidt is on the DL yet again.

 

The bullpen consists of Broxton, Kuo, Mota, and newly acquired Will Ohman. Claudio Vargas is also on the DL. This bullpen should be able to hold up and compete with the rest of the division. 

 

The lineup is great. Russell Martin, Loney, Hudson, Furcal, Casey Blake, Manny, Kemp, and Ethier are dangerous from 1-8. They are also a lot better than the other lineups in this division, especially if Manny goes off again, like he’s know to do. They also have some depth at all positions with Ausmus, Mientkiewicz, DeWitt, Delwyn Young, and Juan Pierre coming off the bench.

 

The Dodgers can repeat, but they will need Manny to be Manny, and they will need the young pitchers to come through. 

 

 

 

The aces I am referring to are Jake Peavy and Chris Young. They both had healthy issues last year and will need to be workhorses in order to help the Padres compete this year. Walter Silva is also a nice prospect, only time will tell if he pans out.

 

They have lost their all time saves leader in Trevor Hoffman to the Milwaukee Brewers. This leaves Heath Bell to closing duties, and he’s a beast. The rest of the bullpen isn’t up to par and contains Cla Meredith and Duaner Sanchez.

 

The lineup consists of Nick Hundley, Eckstein, Kouzmanoff, Headley, Gerut, Brian Giles, and Adrian ‘Gonzo’ Gonzalez. Gonzo seems like he could be on his way down, while Headley has much upside but hasn’t reached his potential yet. Cliff Floyd of course is on the DL.

 

For the Padres to compete, Peavy and Young will need to pitch all year. The run support is going to be slim, but that should be the case for all these teams. Walter Silva will need to be decent as well.

 

San Francisco Giants 

 

This team had 72 wins last year, 12 behind the leading Dodgers. I feel like they may close the gap this year with a dominant pitching staff. However, they do have the worst lineup in the NL according to many experts. Will there be enough run support?

 

This lineup lacks power from top to bottom. Their cleanup hitter is 16 hr hitting Bengie Molina. No one understands why Ishikawa has gotten the start at 1b over Nate Schierholtz. The rest of the lineup consists of Renteria, Sandoval, Fred Lewis, Rowand, and Randy Winn.

 

The pitching staff is full of guys that can just make people miss. They will contend to be the top strikeout staff in the majors with Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum leading the way for Matt Cain, Randy Johnson, Jonathan Sanchez, and Barry Zito (yuck!).

 

The bullpen consists of Bow Howry and Jeremy Affeldt. The closer will be a very underrated Brian Wilson who recently hit 100 mph with a fastball, in the first game of the season for the Giants.

 

The Giants will compete, and should improve on the pitching end. The worst lineup in the NL will hurt though. I can see them sneaking in to be the division winners, and wouldn’t consider it a longshot, but would consider it unlikely.

 

Projected Finish

Dodgers

Giants

Diamondbacks

Rockies

Padres

 

The Dodgers are the only team that has a potent offense in this pitching dominated division. Their pitchers are good enough to compete and their lineup will propel them to another division title. I think the Giants and Diamondbacks have very dominant pitching staffs, but will fall short due to a lack of run support.

 

Running up the rear will be the Rockies who have lost thier best player and have some aging players. Their pitching staff is also not up to par with the rest of the division. Their youngsters though will propel them over the Padres who have nothing going for them except for Peavy, Young, and Gonzo. 3 players that, in my mind, won’t be able to avoid a last place finish.

http://www3.allaroundphilly.com/blogs/delcotimes/ryanl/uploaded_images/ryan_howard333-729953.jpg

Let’s take a look at the NL East, where anyone, well almost anyone can emerge as the winner. I’ll take a look at the teams in alphabetical order, saving the Nats for last, where they belong. The Marlins, Mets, Phillies, and Braves will all be contending this year, with question marks on every team. Who will emerge the NL East champion?

 

Atlanta Braves

Last year the Braves finished in 4th place leap years behind the 3rd place Marlins. They are now younger, stronger, faster. They have also padded their pitching rotation with savvy vets Derek Lowe and Javier Vasquez. They will anchor a rotation that includes Kenshin Kawakami and Jair Jurrjens. The lineup will include McCann a power hitting catcher. Besides that, there are a lot of questions marks. Kotchman, Kelly Johnson, Garret Anderson and Escobar are all great role players, but there are too many of those on this team. Schafer is a steoroid using question mark, and Jeff Francouer has to prove himself once again. The rotation is decent, especially once they call up phenom Tommy Hanson from AAA. They also have a decent bullpen with Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez. The depth on offense isn’t legit though.

 

Florida Marlins

This team contended with the Mets and Phillies down to the wire last year. I think they’ll be right behind those 2 teams once again. They boast a young beastly pitching staff, which many consider the best in the NL East. Nolasco, Josh Johnson, Volstad,  Anibal Sanchez, and Andrew Miller have a lot to learn though. They can all strike out the best of them, but we all saw what happened to Dontrelle Willis. Is that the fate of the Marlins pitching staff? Or will they be the best indeed? The lineup is also young, and there aren’t many studs besides Hanley Ramirez. Uggla can hit for power, but hits around .240, while Maybin, Hermida, Baker, and Cantu can turn into studs, but haven’t yet. The bullpen is weak with Matt Lindstrom as the closer.

 

New York Mets

The Mets failed to make the playoffs with their 2nd collapse in a row last year. It won’t happen again this year. Their biggest question mark is their pitching staff, and suprisingly its not the bullpen. They had the worst bullpen of all the major contenders last year, but shored it up with the acquisitions of JJ Putz and FRod. Long relief may still be an issue though. But if the starters can get to the 7th, you can pretty much wrap up the game. The question is, can the starters get to the 7th? Santana is a stud, but there have been talks about cutting down his workload. The rest of the staff is full of question marks. Maine, Oliver Perez, and Mike Pelfrey have to step up and get it done in order for this team to make the playoffs. Having an offense like the one the Mets do, does help the staff a bit. This lineup boasts power and speed with Carlos Delgado, David Wright, Jose Reyes, and Carlos Beltran. Daniel Murphy may be a nice surprise in left field.

 

Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies astonishingly came back to win the division last year. Can they do it again? They have the studs to get it done. Cole Hamels leads a staff that is a bit better than the Mets staff, but has the same amount of questions marks. If Oliver Perez breaks out, why can’t Brett Myers round back into form? What if John Maine and Joe Blanton are just good #4 pitchers, but can’t get it done higher up in the rotation come September? The Phillies, just like the Mets have a robust lineup that doesn’t lack power or speed, trust me, they won’t miss Pat Burrell much. Howard, Utley, Rollins, Ibanez, Victorino, and Werth have the Phillies thinking repeat. The rotation along with Hamels, includes, Myers, Jamie Moyer, and Blanton. There aren’t many concerns with the bullpen that includes Lidge, Madson, JC Romero, Durbin, and Eyre. They don’t matchup with the Mets here, but they have more depth in the pen and the lineup.

 

Washington Nationals

The reason why baseball doesn’t have much parity is because of teams like this. If anyone thinks that this team will contend, they need to lay off the Melatonin. The lineup has some power with Nick Johnson, Adam Dunn, and Ryan Zimmerman, but has more questions than answers. Milledge and Dukes have potential to be all stars, personally, I don’t think either ever gets there. There is some good depth with Willingham, Dmitry Young, Bard, Belliard, Kearns and Patterson being added. Their pitching staff is also full of question marks. I’ll admit it looks better than recent years with Lanna, Scott Olsen, Daniel Cabrera and rookie sensation Jordan Zimmerman, but it won’t matchup well with any of the other East teams. Joel Hanrahan is a decent closer but won’t be getting many save chances in this loaded division.

 

Projected Finish

Phillies

Mets

Marlins

Braves

Nationals

 

I know, it looks a lot like last year. But the top 4 teams will be closer than last, and the Nats may add a few wins to last year’s total. I still think due to the Mets and Phillies being powerhouses, and the Marlins with a great pitching staff, the Braves will once again find themselves in 4th place. Only this time it won’t be 13 games behind Florida. This will be a good race for 3rd, I think the Marlins will edge them by only a few games, with both teams only being no more than 10 back of the Mets and Phillies. The Nationals will once again be in last, and contend for worst record in the NL, if not the majors, but they have made some strides in the right direction. They just play in a very competetive division. I don’t think that Maine, Perez, and Pelfrey get it done for the Mets, but their offense will carry them to a wild card. Phillies have the pieces to get it done again, matching the Mets stride for stride. The only reason i’ll take the Phillies to take the division, is because I don’t want to be wrong when the Mets blow another late September lead.