Elite 8

After a much improved Sweet 16 ( 6 of 8) 75% Correct, It's now time for the Elite as teams try to punch their ticket to the Final Four. Entire Tournament - 34 of 56 , 61% Correct

East Region

4. Kentucky vs 2. North Carolina - North Carolina has bombarded their opponents with huge numbers of points the entire tournament and could very well win this game, I just like the heart of Kentucky and Harrleson just a little bit more to push the youthful Wildcats to the final four. Prediction - Kentucky

West Region

5. Arizona vs 3. Uconn - In a matchup that's basically Kemba Walker vs Derrick Williams, Kemba has proven to us throughout the tournament that he is the best player in College Basketball, not to mention the Huskies are in one of the best late season grooves ever. Prediction - Uconn

Southwest Region

1. Kansas vs 11. Vcu - Believe me, I'd love to pick Vcu , but Kansas is the final one seed remaining and they just appear to have the desire this year, as well as the talent unlike the Rams have faced all tournament long. The clock strikes midnight on VCU's Cinderella story. Prediction - Kansas

Southeast Region

8. Butler vs 2. Florida - Brains would tell you that Florida is the bigger stronger team with more talent, Heart would tell you though that Butler has been here before, been the underdog, and proved the nation wrong time and time again. Butler will reach the final four for the second straight year. Prediction - Butler

Knicks Struggles, Buck Showalter, and the Sweet 16

The Knicks are 7-10 since trading for Carmelo Anthony, to say that's a disappointing result is an extreme understatement. Theirs no cohesion, no trust, no passion or effort. Everyone seems to be standing around waiting for one another to make a play. It's no secret that Mike D'antoni is an offensive minded coach, that's no excuse however to play ZERO defense on a nightly basis! We've heard Carmelo hasn't bought into Mike's system yet and that may very well be the case as the Knicks have no ball movement what so ever and remain stagnant due to his preference of playing a 1-1 style of basketball. Meanwhile halfway across the country the Nuggets are soaring. If they don't get it together by the playoffs Mike D'antoni will be feeling all the pressure in the world to produce come next year.

In other news, Orioles Manager Buck Showalter is already generating some noise out of Baltimore camp. The former Yankee manager took shots at both perennial favorites of the AL East, the Yankees and Red Sox. Buck slammed Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein about trading for Carl Crawford this offseason, echoing the voices of many around the MLB with the old "Just because you pay more for a guy doesn't make you smarter" line. It's really gotten to be a tired and played out argument, just because your owner prefers to put the money in his pocket rather than his baseball team doesn't give you the right to start whining. Buck didn't stop their as he brought up Derek Jeter's innate habit of backing off the plate when a ball comes inside, referring to the Yankees getting more calls than they should. Dear Buck, please stick to managing your cellar dwelling baseball team.


The Sweet 16 is finally here! I didn't do so well in my round of the 32 predictions ( 7 out of 16). 44% Correct. Entire tournament (28 out of 48) 58% Correct

East Region

1. Ohio State vs 4. Kentucky - Ohio State has dominated so far in it's first two games but that's expected of a number one seed. Kentucky on the other hand has narrowly defeated Princeton and West Virginia and easily could have went home in both games. In the end Ohio State is more talented and John Calipari has never been a good postseason coach. Prediction - Ohio State

11. Marquette vs 2. North Carolina - Marquette did a tremendous job in knocking off number 3 Syracuse, mostly because they controlled the pace of the game. The problem is they play the Tar Heels, an absolute scoring machine. North Carolina scores way too many points for the Golden Eagles who will be undoubtedly outgunned. Prediction - North Carolina

West Region

1.Duke vs 5. Arizona -  The Wildcats have snuck by a by a combined 3 points in their first two games, I'll take my chances with Coach K, the defending champions, and Kyrie Irving who will see some serious minutes according to Coach K. The Blue Devils will march onward. Prediction - Duke

2. San Diego State vs 3. Connecticut - The Aztecs are absolutely a feel good story, but overall their inexperience the tournament will be their downfall. Kemba Walker will take over as usual and promote the Huskies to the Elite 8. Prediction - Uconn

Southwest Region

1.Kansas vs 12. Richmond - Ultimately the Richmond Spiders upset an overated Vanderbilt team and beat the 13th seeded Morehead State. Kansas may be the best team in the country so I can't see them falling to a small time school like Richmond. Prediction - Kansas

11. Vcu vs 10. Florida State - Florida State has been dominating defensive team all tournament long, this game is surely going to be a test of wills and im looking to for the hungrier team to win. Virgina Commenwealth certainly fits the bill of that description and I expect them to edge the Seminoles. Prediction - Vcu

Southeast Region

8. Butler vs 4 Wisconsin - Butler is reclaiming the very same magic that propelled them to the finals last year. For some reason it's extrememly difficult for me to go against Shelvin Mack and Matt Howard in the month of March. I'll take the Bulldogs. Prediction - Butler

2. Florida vs 3. Byu - Probably the hardest game for me to pick in the round. Jimmer seems scores 35 a nightly basis making it hard to pick against BYU, Florida is a more complete team though and should be able to squeek out a revenge win after losing to them year. Prediction - Florida

March Madness 2nd Round Predictions/First Round Recap

A wild first round of the NCAA Tournament, some notable upsets including the fall of St. Johns, Louisville, Georgetown  and Xavier. 32 teams now remain , with my Cinderella Utah St disappointingly already out my southeast region took a major hit. However my other upset surprise Richmond came to the rescue.

1st Round Predictions: 21 of 32 Correct : 66% Right

2nd Round

East Region

1. Ohio State vs 8. George Mason - Last minute heroics propelled George Mason past Villanova in the final seconds and it has them believing that they can return to the form of Giant Killer just like a few years ago, Ohio State is still too strong to fall this early though. Prediction: Ohio State

5. West Virginia vs 4. Kentucky - Kentucky barely squeezed by Princeton in their last game, Brandon Knight scored one basket from the field, possibly showing some of the inexperience the Wildcats have. West Virginia still has some battle tested players from last year's final four run as well as the advantage of playing in the Big East. Prediction: West Virginia

11. Marquette vs 3. Syracuse - The Golden Eagles dynamic offensive may be stymied by the 2-3 zone the Orangemen employ every single game, overall talent also sides with Syracuse, look for them to advance to the sweet 16. Prediction: Syracuse

7. Washington vs 10. North Carolina - The Tar Heels erupted for 102 points and shot 57% from the field in the first round while Washington squeaked by the Bulldogs of Georgia . The explosive offensive of both teams will be on display, but Carolina's is hotter right now. Prediction: North Carolina

West Region

1. Duke vs 8. Michigan - Both teams blew their opponents out of the water in their respective games. Duke however has regained Kyrie Irving which makes this a win for the Blue Devils. Prediction : Duke

5. Arizona vs 4. Texas - Both squads narrowly avoided an upset in their first round match ups. Texas has quite an advantage over Arizona in terms of depth, that's why im picking the Longhorns. Prediction: Texas

6. Cincinnati vs 3. Uconn - Kemba Walker looks like the scariest player on the court right now, hotter than any other player in the entire tournament, it's hard to go against such positive momentum, especially when Uconn is a better team. Prediction: Uconn

7. Temple vs 2. San Diego State - San Diego State absolutely has the players to dominate the paint against temple, Leonard and White will get involved and push the Aztecs to their second tournament victory. Prediction: San Diego State

Southwest Region

1. Kansas vs 9. Illinois - Despite beating UNLV, Illinois almost leads the entire nation in turnovers, not something you want to do when your playing possibly the best team in the country, take the Jayhawks. Prediction: Kansas

12. Richmond vs 13. Morehead State - The matchup of the two upsets, Morehead State had the bigger one though, that's what could have them believing they can take down anyone, they also have more star power than the spiders. Close game but take Morehead State. Prediction: Morehead State


11. Vcu vs 3. Purdue - VCU won't be as fortunate as they played a very depleted Georgetown squad who seemed to lack heart. Purdue is ready to advance. Prediction: Purdue

10. Florida State vs 2. Notre Dame - This will be a battle of defenses, especially when Chris Singleton is on the floor. That means the better offense will win this one. Prediction: Notre Dame


Southeast Region

1. Pittsburgh vs 8. Butler - Butler looks to continue their upset minded play against top seeded Pitt. The one thing they lack however, is a Gordon Hayward to keep them in games. Prediction: Pittsburgh


5. Kansas State vs 4. Wisconsin - Kansas State played tougher competition in Utah State then the Badgers did against Belmont. I also respect the ability Jacob Pullen has to win games. Prediction: Kansas State

11.Gonzaga vs 3. Byu - Gonzaga looked pretty good against a scary St. Johns team, Jimmer is the only hope for BYU, but you can't rely on one man, especially at this stage against a complete team like the Zags. Prediction: Gonzaga

7. Ucla vs 2. Florida - Even though they played the Gauchos, the Gators still looked impressive while the Bruins barely fended off Michigan State, not to mention it's basically a home game for the Gators in St. Petersburgh. Prediction: Florida

March Madness 2011 First Round Overview

East Region


1. Ohio State vs 16. TX San Antonio - No. 16 has never beaten a No.1,  Pick: Ohio State

8. George Mason vs 9. Villanova - George Mason comes in winning 16 of their last 17 games while Villanova has dropped it's last 5, including a first round loss in the Big East Tournament to South Florida, take the hotter team, especially in an 8-9 matchup. Pick: George Mason


5. West Virginia vs 12. Clemson - West Virginia might have been primed to be upset in the first round, if it wasn't for Clemson beating UAB in such close proximity to this game, while WVU on the other hand has had time to rest. Overall talent rests with WVU. Pick: West Virginia


4. Kentucky vs 13. Princeton -  Kentucky should run these Ivy league boys up and down the court all game. They come off winning their second straight SEC championship, led by sensational freshman Brandon Knight, the Wildcats are hitting their stride at the right time. Pick: Kentucky


6. Xavier vs 11. Marquette - Marquette is one of the worst defensive teams in college basketball, look for them to be dominated in the paint by the Bigs Jamel McLean and Kenny Frease. Pick: Xaiver


3. Syracuse vs 14. Indiana State - Indiana State won their Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, they'll be no match however for the intense 2-3 zone that the Orange Men play, look for them to get eaten alive early on.  Pick: Syracuse


7. Washington vs 10. Georgia - This will be a great game full of plenty offensive explosions, don't be surprised if Georgia wins this game, however I think the strength of schedule gives Washington the advantage. Pick: Washington

2. North Carolina vs 15. LIU-Brooklyn - Very simple just like 1-16 matchups, the Tar Heels are just way too talented to fall to the upstart Blackbirds. Pick: North Carolina


Best Game: Washington vs Georgia, by far the most two evenly matched teams in this region with plenty of offensive fire power.


Most likely to upset:  Clemson could very will knock off no.5 WVU, the Mountaineers aren't the same team who reached the final four last year and could slip up early on.

West Region

1. Duke vs 16. Hampton - Again, 16's don't beat 1's. Pick: Duke

8. Michigan vs 9. Tennessee - Both teams have played inconsistent ball all year long, looking strong and weak at different times during the season. The Vols winning record against RPI top 50 is why i'll take them over the Wolverines. Pick: Tennessee

5. Arizona vs 12. Memphis - Memphis won their Conference USA Tournament, but Sophomore Derrick Williams will be extremely too much to handle for the Tigers who have just about zero big wins this year. Pick: Arizona

4. Texas vs 13. Oakland - The Longhorns looked dominating at times this year and could quite possibly reach the final four, while the Golden Grizzlies have one dominating player in Keith Benson whose averaging a double-double this season, Texas will be too much for the one dimensional Grizzlies. Pick: Texas

6. Cincinnati vs 11. Missouri - I love the Bearcats ability to frustarte opponents shooting the basket, they allow 58 points per game, defense wins in March. Pick: Cincinnati

3. Uconn vs 14. Bucknell - Bucknell seems to always land a major upset when they make their appearence in the tourny. Not this time however, Kemba Walker is a man on fire for the Huskies right now, they advance. Pick: Uconn

7. Temple vs 10. Penn State - The Nittany Lions stormed through the Big 10 Tournament, only to lose in the finals. They face a tough Temple team who is strong defensively, the Lions however are hot at the right moment. Pick: Penn State

2. San Diego State vs 15. North Colorado - It's the first ever trip to the Tournament for North Colorado, that and the fact they're a 15 playing a 2 is why they'll lose this game. Pick : San Diego State

Best Game: Michigan vs Tennessee, both teams mirror each other on both ends of the floor, this one is a 50-50 toss up.

Most likely to upset: Missouri is extremely battle tested and could break the Bearcats will with their constant pushing of the ball.

Southwest Region

1. Kansas vs 16. Boston - See previous 1-16 matchups. Pick: Kansas

8. Unlv vs 9. Illinois - The Rebels have a great backcourt led by two dynamic seniors in Oscar Bellfied and Trevon Willis, flying under the radar from the Mountain West Conference will help as well. Pick: Unlv

5. Vanderbilt vs 12 Richmond - You MUST always have one or two 12-5 Upsets, and this sure is one of them. Vanderbilt has been cold lately coming into the tourny while Richmond is a team who can rain 3's on an opponent in seconds notice, sign me up for this upset. Pick: Richmond

4. Louisville vs 13. Morehead St. - Louisville played a pretty hard schedule this year but navigated through it successfully thanks to Rick Pitino, the Cardinals are too smart to slip up early on. Pick: Louisville

6. Georgetown vs 11. VCU - Even with the injury of Chris Wright, the Hoyas have enough depth to sneak past Virginia Commenwealth who don't have much time to prepare after beating USC on wednesday. Pick: Georgetown
3. Purdue vs 14. St. Peters - St. Peters played very little superior competition this year, that will be their downfall as Purdue is 5-3 agaisnt RPI top 50.  Pick: Purdue

7. Texas A&M vs 10. Florida State - Florida State is the best defensive team in the entire nation, due to the monster who is Chris Singleton, he's not healthy though since his injury in late February, thats why the Aggies will win this one. Pick: Texas A&M

2. Notre Dame vs 15. Akron - Notre Dame has had many impressive wins against tough competition this year, Akron won't defeat the fighting Irish. Pick: Notre Dame

Best Game: Louisville and Morehead State are More even than you think(get it). Kenneth Faried and Demonte Harper should make this game very fun to watch.

Most likely to upset: See Richmond vs Vanderbilt

Southeast Region

1. Pittsburgh vs 16. Unc-Asheville - Pitt is the weakest 1 seed in the tournament but no upset here. Pick: Pittsburgh

8. Butler vs 9. Old Dominion - Butler is nowhere near the team that lost to Duke in the finals last year, Old Dominion who could be Cinderella this year will take this one. Pick: Old Dominion

5. Kansas State vs 12. Utah State - My second huge upset this tournament, Jacob pullen of Kansas State will be sent home early thanks to the Vastly underated Utah State Aggies, finishing 30-3 with all 3 losses to top 25 teams on the road. Utah State is my cinderella pick for this year. Pick: Utah State

4. Wisconsin vs 13. Belmont - Belmont played one of the softest, if not the sofest schedule in the country. Close but no cigar. Pick: Wisconsin

6. St. Johns vs 11. Gonzaga - The Red Storm have surpised everyone in the country this year with explosive wins against top teams in the nation, especially Duke. They cruise past Gonzaga. Pick: St. Johns

3. Byu vs 14. Wofford - If Jimmer can score 52 points every single night, BYU will win the whole tournament. Pick: Byu

7. Ucla vs 10. Michigan State - Tom Izzo doesn't have his annual final four team, but he's too good of a coach to not make it out of the first round. Pick: Michigan State

2. Florida vs 15. Uscb - The Gators are perhaps the most over seeded team in the whole tourny, that won't stop them from blowing by the inferior Gauchos. Pick: Florida

Best Game: Utah State will shock the nation in an absolute thriller over Kansas State, Mark it Down!

Most Likely to Upset: Belmont could take advantage of a Badger squad with it's suffocating defense.

2011 National League Preview/Predictions

NL EAST

Philadelphia Phillies - Going into this season the Phillies once again look scary good, they may even have the best rotation in history with Cliff Lee, Cole Hammels, Roy Halladay, and Roy Oswalt. The gap in their lineup left by Jayson Werth may be the only issue facing the Phils this year. Barring injury the Phillies should win over 100 games this year. Prediction - 1st place

Florida Marlins - Even though the Fish lost their signature player in the off season in Dan Uggla, they may have still improved the team. The Bullpen is many levels better than last year with Edward Mujica and Ryan Webb while John Buck will look to shoulder the heavy load that Uggla has left. This team will surprise some people this year. Prediction - 2nd place

Atlanta Braves - Dan Uggla, the man we were just talking about should strengthen this lineup. Bobby Cox leaving the managers office might have been the biggest blow to the Braves this off season. Along with the departure of Billy Wagner and Taskashi Saito, the Bullpen has been extremely weakened, maybe causing Atlanta to lose the close games they may have otherwise won last year. That's the main reason I see them falling behind Florida. Prediction - 3rd place

New York Mets - The Mets should end up about right where they were last year, around .500. New manager Terry Collins has some fire in his belly and should ignite this lackluster squad. Losing Pedro Feliciano hurts , but that's about it. New management did nothing to improve this squad from last year, banking on young talents to make an impact. I see them barely finishing above the Nationals. Prediction - 4th place

Washington Nationals - Jayson Werth and Adam LaRoche were brought in to replace the production of Adam Dunn and Josh Willingham, other than that I don't see the Nationals being considerably better or worse than last year, much like the Mets. Expect a dogfight between the two teams to stay out of the basement in the NL East. Prediction - 5th place

NL Central -  *expect a 4 team race*

St. Louis Cardinals - At least Albert will be in a Cardinal uniform this year, Ryan Theriot and Lance Berkamn could fit very well in this lineup.  St.Louis can't be happy with the way last year turned out. They have the pieces in place, look for them to come back as the NL Central Champs. Prediction - 1st place

Milwaukee Brewers - Zach Greinke and Shaun Marcum highlighted the off season for the brew crew, stabilizing a decent rotation enough to contend this year. Takashi Saito aids the bullpen, and with no major losses the Brewers could very will break out in 2011. Prediction - 2nd place *wildcard*

Cincinnati Reds -  The defending NL Central Champs did nothing more than lockup the core of the team this off season and grab the World Series MVP Edgar Renteria. Not bad, the Reds can definitely win the division again but I don't see it this year. A very TIGHTLY contested NL Central should have them in 3rd. Prediction - 3rd place

Chicago Cubs -   The Cubbies grabbed two very good Rays this winter. Starting Pitcher Matt Garza and slugger Carlos Pena. They also reunited with old friend Kerry Wood, The Cubs will be pretty improved over their 75 win season last year. Look for them to stay in the race , however they're still a year or two away from serious contention. Prediction - 4th place

Houston Astros - The Astros pretty much stood pat this winter, not something you want to hear when you have a sub par season in the largest division in baseball. Nothing special here, especially without Roy Oswalt leading the starting staff. Prediction - 5th place

Pittsburgh Pirates - The Pirates took a step in the right direction some might say, former Rockies manager Clint Hurdle who led the team to the World Series in 2007 is now at the helm. Lyle Overbay is the only major piece brought in by the Buccos. They look to be at least better than last year. Prediction - 6th place

NL West

San Francisco Giants - I love the pitching staff of the Giants, more so than any other team besides Philly. They brought back the entire team besides Renteria, whom they've replaced the sturdy Miguel Tejeda. The World Series Champs will win the division. Prediction - 1st place

Los Angeles Dodgers -  LA mixed and matched alot this off season, bringing in Jon Garland and stealing Juan Uribe from the rival Giants. Russell Martin and Scott Posednik made their way out the door as well. It will be interesting to see how Don Mattingly fares in his first season as manager, this team gets better. Prediction - 2nd place

Colorado Rockies - Ty Wiggington headlines the offseason by the Rox, Matt Lindstrom should provide another able arm in their nice bullpen. The Rockies seem to be in it every year down to the wire. They'll contend like always. Prediction - 3rd place

San Diego Padres - I have never been in love with the Padres, call it East Coast bias. Despite their 90 win season, they lost Adrian Gonzalez grabbed a bunch of decent defensive players like Orlando Hudson and Jason Bartlett. They'll have a steep drop off. Predicton - 4th place

Arizona Diamondbacks -  Probably had the worst bullpen ever last year. that's why the got J.J. Putz, other than that , Zach Duke and Armando Galarraga will have to sure up the starting rotation. the lineup looks weak as ever, nothing special here. Prediction - 5th place 

2011 American League Preview/Predictions

AL EAST

Boston Red Sox - Finishing 7 games out of first place in 2010, the Sox upgraded more than maybe any other team in the MLB, Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez bolster what already was a scary lineup. Starting rotation stays the same, and the bullpen received a very underrated piece in Bobby Jenks. Catcher may be the only weakness with Victor Martinez's departure, Adrian Beltre who had a nice year is also on his way out. Overall, as dysfunctional as the Red Sox were last year, they still won 89 games, couple that with massive upgrades and you have your AL East Champs. Prediction - 1st place


New York Yankees - The starting rotation is the only question for the Yankees heading into this year, only two justified starting pitchers in CC and Phil Hughes. The potent lineup remains the same, just one year older. The bullpen was massively upgraded with Pedro Feliciano and Rafael Soriano. The Yankees should drop off just a couple games from their 95 win season last year and grab the Wild Card. Prediction - 2nd place *wildcard*

Tampa Bay Rays - The defending AL East Champs lost a great deal of talent this offseason, including Carl Crawford, Rafael Soriano, and Matt Garza. They tried to compensate by signing aging stars like Manny Ramirez and Johnny Damon, the only help the Rays will get this season will be from their studs like David Price and Evan Longoria, expect them to finish in the mid to high 80's in win total. Prediction - 3rd place


Baltimore Orioles - The Orioles are still stocked with plenty young talent. Kevin Millwood leaves and Justin Duchscherer replaces him. J.J. Hardy and Derek Lee replace Ty Wiggington and Corey Paterson. Buck Showalter also had the Orioles playing better than anyone else once he took over for the club mid year.The O's play in the toughest division in baseball making their record alot worse than it should be. Their 66 win season from last year increases to an upper 70's. Prediction - 4th place

Toronto Blue Jays - Toronto's pitching took somewhat of a hit in the off season. Shaun Marcum and Scott Downs are now gone, making the starting rotation and bullpen both a little weaker, and Octavio Dotel won't be able to fix that. Vernon Wells and Lyle Overbay departed , leaving the replacements of Rajai Davis and Juan Rivera to pick up the slack, something tells me they won't be able to. Cito Gaston retiring should also bring this club down to the cellar in 2011. Prediction - 5th place

AL CENTRAL

Minnesota Twins - The Twinkies basically stayed put this winter, losing Orlando Hudson and J.J. Hardy in their middle infield. However, Justin Morneau and Joe Nathan being back healthy will be a huge help for the the club 2011. If they won 94 games without those two big pieces expect them to win the division once more. Prediction - 1st place

Detroit Tigers - A productive offseason for the Tigers, landing star catcher Victor Martinez, as well as helping the bullpen with the outstanding Joaquin Benoit. Brad Penny should help the starting rotation as well. Detroit will be drastically improved from last year but barely fall short to the Twins for the division crown. Prediction - 2nd place

Chicago White Sox - They boosted they're lineup with the arrival of slugger Adam Dunn, other than that the Sox lost a huge part of their back bullpen with the departure of J.J. Putz and Bobby Jenks. paul Konerko is now another year older and the White Sox will be on the outside looking in come playoff time. Prediction - 3rd place

Kansas City Royals - KC gutted most of their starting rotation and continue to prepare for the future which has seemed liked a long time for fans of the Royal Blue. Adding Jeff Francoeur and Melky Cabrera are the only exciting moves for the Royals. Look for them to beat out the Indians though to stay out of the AL Central Cellar. Prediction - 4th place

Cleveland Indians - The organization did absolutely nothing to help this woeful ball club that was a game away from the World Series just a few years ago. If their young talents don't develop quickly , they'll be here for the next few years. Prediction - 5th place

AL West

Oakland Athletics -  The A's were already a team on the rise last year, with Josh Willingham, Hideki Matsui, and David DeJesus, the A's could actually have a quite formidable lineup. Add Grant Balfour and Brian Fuentes to the bullpen and you have your AL West Champions. Prediction - 1st place

Los Angeles Angels - The Angels have a very solid starting rotation, a big advantage for them over other AL West teams. They upgraded the lineup with Vernon Wells, a solid hitter at the least. Kendry Morales will also be back healthy. It's hard not to say they could win the division but they won't. Prediction - 2nd place

Texas Rangers - With Cliff Lee gone the Rangers can't hide anymore. Vlad and the heart and soul of the clubhouse, Michael Young, are both gone. Adrian Beltre and Brandon Webb should help soften the blow, but overall the Rangers missed their chance at a title last year, now the window has closed. Prediction - 3rd place

Seattle Mariners - This 61 win team did very little to help their cause. They added Miguel Olivio big whoop, they also lost Russel Branyan and Jose Lopez. The Mariners were supposed to be scary last year and they flopped, now we know how horrible they actually are. From a 61 win team in 2010, to a 55 win team in 2011. Prediction - 4th Place

Jets Cutting Dead Weight

A little over a month ago the Jets season ended abruptly in Pittsburgh, all was quiet on the Green and White front until yesterday. The front office began the process of removing the fat from the hopefully lean product that is the New York Jets in September.

Kris Jenkins, Jason Taylor, Damien Woody, and the dreadful Vernon Gholston all were stripped of their duties as Jets players.

It's understandable as to why Jenkins, Taylor, and Woody were all let go. They're all physical liabilities with their ability to be injury prone as well as their age. Jenkins hasn't been healthy for a full year as a tenured Jet, Taylor had a mediocre single season with the Jets, and Woody is coming off surgery. All unnecessary pieces to hold on to.

Now Vernon Gholston, possibly the most disgusting draft pick the Jets might have ever wasted. He was supposed to be the next Michael Strahan, yet in his three years as a Jet he never amassed one single sack. Pitiful, and good riddance Mr. Gholston, good luck being a High School linebacker coach.

With the releasing of these players, the Jets are moving in the right direction, freeing up cap space to sign the important pieces like Braylon Edwards, Santonio Holmes, and Antonio Cromartie. The 2011-2012 Campaign has already gotten off on the right foot. All we need is Rex to guarantee another Super Bowl...whoops too late.

Knicks Upset Heat, Renew Rivalry

Sunday night the Knicks defeated the Heat 91-86 in a thrilling comeback that sparked memories of the late 90's conflicts which both fan bases remember vividly.

However instead of Alonzo Mourning and Patrick Ewing going head to head, It's Carmelo and Lebron taking center stage.

Cutting to the chase, simply, the Knicks had no business winning this game. Miami dominated for 40 of the 48 minutes due to the the horrendously poor shooting of the Knicks. Two surges coming at the end of each half made the difference. The first surge came with the Knicks trailing 51-36 with 3 minutes left till halftime. Miami went scoreless the rest of the way while NY went on a 16-0 run that included a buzzer beater 3 pointer by Bill Walker banked off the glass.

If you went to the bathroom and came back you probably choked on your burger to see the Knicks were actually leading 52-51at halftime.

Miami controlled the 2nd half just like the first one, the Knicks hung in though giving them a punchers chance which indeed would help. Trailing 84-78 the Knicks closed out the game with a 13-2 run, including a monster block by Amare leaving Lebron dumbfounded at his rejected attempt as well as the clutch heroics of Chauncey Billups. Concluding a 91-86 Knick victory over the Heat that will land them in the discussion of NBA's elite teams.

Knicks AT Magic Tonight at 7