More Quick Hits

MLB

I guess I was wrong about the Red Sox. Part of this is because of my disdain for Boston sports now. I’ve always hated the Patriots, as a Dolphins fan, but I respect them. The Celts have never really bothered me, as they’ve been irrelevant for most of my life, although I’ve grown to love Paul Pierce as a Jayhawk, but now I hate him.

The Sox have gone from lovable losers to loathsome winners. As a freshman, I rooted for them in the dorm room as me and the guys watched the Aaron Boone game. Now, I’ve virtually become a Yankees fan, thanks to the insufferable Sox fan.

Yet, the primary reason I didn’t pick them to win the series is because I’m an idiot. Ironically, they are the first predictable (by this I mean a team that most would pick as a contender at the beginning of the season) team to win the World Series since the 2000 Yankees in the Subway Series vs. the Mets.

NCAA

As stated earlier, the NCAA rule of thumb is overrated teams will get exposed soon enough. This would’ve happened to Boston College if VA Tech didn’t choke that game away. Overrated Cal continues to lose, and overrated South Florida took an L this week too, along with overrated (but exciting) Kentucky and Florida.

Look for overrated Arizona State to lose to Oregon this weekend, and also be on the lookout for overrated teams like LSU and Oklahoma to lose in coming weeks. In fact, we could be headed for an Oregon/West Virginia championship. How fun would that be.

I’m glad that Dennis Dixon is finally getting Heisman props. Can I say “You heard it here first?” This week, he becomes the clear cut favorite.

NFL

The match-up of the season is upon us. (8-0) New England versus (7-0) Indianapolis. Sorry folks, this one won’t be a game. Look for the Patriots to win by double-digits. The fact is they have one of the greatest lineups of my lifetime. Speaking in Madden terms, their entire starting lineups should have ratings of 88 and above. Many of their key backups would/should be 85 or better.

While this game won’t be close, the pending AFC championship game between the two, barring injury, should be a little closer.

NBA

Due to the immense amount of work on my shoulders, I can’t do the NBA Preview I want to. But here goes what I can do.

Expected Team Finishes

Eastern Conference
1. Chicago
2. Detroit
3. New Jersey
4. Washington
5. Boston
6. Toronto
7. Atlanta
8. Cleveland
9. Miami
10. Philadelphia
11. Charlotte
12. Orlando
13. New York
14. Indiana
15. Milwaukee

Western Conference
1. Phoenix
2. San Antonio
3. Dallas
4. Denver
5. Utah
6. Golden State
7. Houston
8. New Orleans
9. Seattle
10. Portland
11. Memphis
12. LA Lakers
13. LA Clippers
14. Sacramento
15. Minnesota

MVP
Kobe Bryant – Chicago Bulls - Yup, I’m a believer in this trade. If not, Gilbert Arenas. Once again, Steve Nash will be the most important and valuable player in the league, but his race will prevent him from winning the award. A reverse bias/overcompensation for racism situation.

Coach of the Year
Mike Woodson – Atlanta Hawks – They will “come out of nowhere,” and he’ll win the award, although he’s not a good coach, because the voting for this award is stupid.

Rookie of the Year
Kevin Durant – Seattle SuperSonics – It’s his to lose.

6th Man of the Year
Kenyon Martin – Denver – Welcome back K-Mart. I think people forgot about him.

Finals
Suns over Bulls. I know what Simmons wrote, but I can’t help myself. Spurs will probably win again next year though.


Random thoughts

It’s a wrap for Shaq.
Watch out for the Bobcats….. next year.
LeBron is in for a bad year, due to exhaustion.
Boston won’t be as good as people think.
The east will still suck this year, which is why I have Detroit at #2.
Detroit should’ve been broken up this off-season, they’ll have an up and down year for a successful team.
Joe Johnson for the All-Star game in New Orleans!
I’m inherently biased towards the Suns, and my favorite athlete Steve Nash, but I think Boris Diaw bounces back this year and they finally put it together…… then Nash retires, Marion is finally traded and things get interesting from there.