Ray of Hope in Cleveland

With the NBA Free Agency season officially starting today, and one of the deepest list of available superstars, all eyes will focus on Cleveland and their pitch to trap their hometown hero. All signs point to big names being pitched around, but one not being mentioned is Ray Allen. Allen has quietly shot the Boston Celtics into deep playoff runs for continuous years now, and he may be just the right medicine for Lebron to stick around town.

Playoff Hockey :: Western Conference Matchups

The second installment of our NHL Playoff preview continues with a look into the somewhat surprising Western Conference matchups. With the majority of the attention focusing on the superstars of the east, look for a few of the scrappy, hard-working teams in the west to make some noise in the coming weeks.

(8) Colorado at (1) San Jose
Colorado may have stumbled into the playoffs, but much like their hometown baseball counterparts, they possess a scrappy, dedicated roster. The bottom line here is that San Jose is a superior team from top to bottom. They’ve been able to breeze through their recent first round opponents, and all signs point to much of the same here. Look for Colorado to steal one game, but only one.
Spotrac Picks: San Jose in 5

(7) Nashville at (2) Chicago
This matchup brings two young, unproven Finnish goaltenders to the forefront. Pekka Rinne and the Predators will have a fighting chance in this series if they can control the mid-ice game of Chicago. The youth, speed, and ripeness of this Blackhawks squad can score at will with open ice. With a year of playoff experience under their belts, they should be able to adjust to and withstand any Nashville strategy.
Spotrac Picks: Chicago in 6

(6) Los Angeles at (3) Vancouver
The Kings may be the Chicago Blackhawks of last year. They’ve built a speedy, strong foundation of youth in L.A., and have a solid regular season to show for it. If Jonathan Quick can regain early season form, he may steal a game from the wily Cancuks, but no more than that. Vancouver boasts one of the most underrated offenses in the NHL. Combined with a proven world-class netminder in Luongo, this series looks lopsided on paper. The Kings have shown enough durability through this season to string along a few must-have wins though.
Spotrac Picks: Los Angeles in 7

(5) Detroit at (4) Phoenix
Many experts have Detroit as the hottest team entering the playoffs. They’ve certainly held up to expectations in postseasons past, and there’s no reason to believe that a veteran defense, a top-tier goalie, and the ambiance of Hockeytown shouldn’t come through yet again. Phoenix has had a miraculous season considering their patched together roster, and coaching/administrative changes just weeks before the drop of the first puck.
Spotrac Picks: Detroit in 7

Prince Cashing In?

The recent long term deals for Joe Mauer, and teammate Yovani Gallardo have sparked rumors that the Brewers are deep into negotiation with Prince Fielder. Sources say the Mauer deal (8 years / $184 million ) is a starting point with Fielder, 25, who’s become a fantasy fixture with his 40 HR / 140 RBI seasons.

Playoff Hockey :: Eastern Conference Matchups

The 09-10 regular season has concluded in the NHL, which means for 16 teams, a new begins. As limited and unwatched as the long regular season of hockey may be, very little entertainment can match that of NHL Playoff Hockey. We’ll take a few days to break down each first round matchup, starting here with the Eastern Conference.

(8) Montreal at (1) Washington
The Caps have been resilient this year despite shaky goaltending and sporadic injuries/suspensions to their superstar players. The President’s Trophy winners will have all they can swallow though with a Montreal team that underachieved all year long. Playoff hockey in the Bell Centre is chaotic and advantageous to the home Canadians. But in the end, speed still kills.
Spotrac Picks: Washington in 7

(7) Philadelphia at (2) New Jersey
New Jersey has been a fixture in the playoffs for the past decade. Their slow, strategic style of play has been transformed into a wide-open offense in 2010. The mid-season addition of Kovalchuk, and the veteran backing of Brodeur make the Devils a serious cup contender. Man-for-man this series is no contest.
Spotrac Picks: New Jersey in 4

(6) Boston at (3) Buffalo
After a two year hiatus, the Sabres creep back into the playoffs with relative ease. They won a Northeast division that underachieved greatly, with only Ottawa, shockingly, contending. Boston’s series chances lie heavily on netminder Tuuka Rask, a potential top-tier goalie. But injuries to Savard and Seidenberg leave the Bruins well under-matched against a slightly banged up Sabres squad. Buffalo packs a tight core of young talent, and oh by the way, the best goaltender in the world.
Spotrac Picks: Buffalo in 4

(5) Ottawa at (4) Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh found a way to fall from grace in the past few months of regular play. It’s safe to say they suffered from post-Olympic fatigue, and never put together a good stretch of games. The Senators, a surprise contender in the East, have shown time and time again that their superstars are the backbone of their core. And with a 7-game series at stake, and a more physical presence than Pittsburgh can offer, this matchup is Ottawas to lose.
Spotrac Picks: Ottawa in 5

Raiders of the Lost Campbell

It’s inevitable that Jason Campbell has been factored out of the Mike Shanahan system in Washington, so what’s next for the underachiever? While there are plenty of teams looking to address their quarterback needs in the upcoming draft, it might make perfect sense for Oakland to swap a mid-round pick for Campbell, and give him a legitimate chance to win the job in camp.

Players on the WAR path

In the world of modern baseball, stats and numbers have seemingly as much interest as wins and losses. One of the more intriguing statistical readings that has gained interest recently is the WAR or Wins Above Replacement stat. In short, the stat determines the number of wins a player adds to a team beyond what the average joe would provide, based on total contribution of offense, defense, baserunning, and pitching. In other words, this is the perfect stat for both the all-around superstars, and the scrappy, athletic, but not necessarily stat heavy player.

A quick rundown of the rankings from 2009 should be a better indication of how this statistic bears relevance:

Batters

Ben Zobrist: 8.6

Albert Pujols: 8.5

Joe Mauer: 8.1

Chase Utley: 7.6

Derek Jeter: 7.4

As an all-around player, Zobrist is an absolute steal for the Tampa Bay Rays. His $438k contract this season puts him in a perfect spot to beef up his numbers, maintain his WAR supremacy, and cash in on a lengthy sophomore contract. Pujols should be of no surprise to anyone. His incomparable consistency at the plate has been matched annually with strong defensive first base skills, and the most valuable of clutch hitting. Joe Mauer’s recent long term signature to stay in his hometown state ensures the Minnesota Twins not only the best catcher in the game, but one of the most overall important players as well. Utley and Jeter have been mainstay leaders of their respective teams, though both are finding age creeping up quickly.

Pitchers

Zack Greinke: 9.4

Justin Verlander: 8.2

Tim Lincecum: 8.2

Roy Halladay: 7.3

Felix Hernandez: 6.9

None of these names should come as a surprise to the moderate baseball fan. These five pitchers are young, proven aces for their respective clubs. They all have two things in common, Wins, and Strikeouts. Grienke, Verlander, Halladay, and King Felix manned rotations on teams that fell out of relevance by July in the 2009 season. For them to have All-Star numbers, and remain as valuable and stat-consistent as they did shows their resilience. Verlander, Grienke, and Hernandez have been rewarded this offseason by organizations putting forth the effort and dollars to build around them. Halladay was granted his long-awaited trade to a National League power Philadelphia, and Lincecum headlines a young rotation that has already learned to win, and may very well grow into a top contender this season.

WAR statistics courtesy of fangraphs.com

Shanahan House Cleaning?

Reports have been rumored since the finalization of Donovan Mcnabb that high profile players on the Redskins were officially on the trade block. The most intriguing may be Albert Haynesworth and his $100 million contract. Sources believe Shanahan is low on the lineman, and has been pressing teams in need to peak interest. Is a reunion with Tennessee in the mix?

NFL Draft Preview :: The No-Brainers.

With the first pick in the draft, the St. Louis Rams select…
Does it really matter? Did it really matter last year with Detroit? The top few picks in the upcoming NFL draft hold an eerily close relation to those of the 2009 lottery. It’s no secret the St. Louis Rams need immediate answers on both sides of the ball, and for all intensive purposes, Ndamukong Suh and Sam Bradford are probably the best two eligible prospects on Defense and Offense respectively.

The Detroit Lions selected quarterback Matthew Stafford with their first overall in 2009. Were they better off for it? Yes. Did they improve drastically? They currently hold the #2 pick in the 2010 draft. With defense on their mind, one can only imagine that the Lions are coaxing the embattled Rams to following in their footsteps: Take the quarterback this year, and come back for the defense next year.

If the Rams do quench the rumors and draft Sam Bradford, and the Lions undoubtedly take Suh, the NFL really wins out. You’ll have two bare-boned organizations taking a major step forward. Bradford proved in his Monday pro-day that his early fall from the projected top picks was a false accusation. He showed no signs of weakness from his major season-ending shoulder injury, and his accuracy and decision-making were next level. He’s far and away the best player at the most important position in this draft, and that makes him a no-brain decision for the ailing Rams.

Suh is a highlight tape superstar. His quickness, strength, and elusiveness have been visually compared to the Reggie Whites, Bruce Smiths, etc…He’s shown impressive maturity through an offseason in which he was much of the focus, and his combine numbers back up his on the field performances. Suh is the best defensive player on the board, and a game changer. If the stars align properly, he’ll be a no-brainer for Detroit with the second pick.