2009 NFL Predictions

NFC North
Green Bay 11-5
Minnesota 10-6
Chicago 9-7
Detroit 3-13

NFC East
New York 12-4
Philadelphia 11-5*
Dallas 10-6
Washington 6-10

NFC South
New Orleans 11-5
Atlanta 11-5*
Carolina 8-8
Tampa Bay 4-12

NFC West
Arizona 10-6
Seattle 6-10
San Francisco 5-11
St. Louis 4-12

AFC North
1. Pittsburgh 13-3
2. Baltimore 9-7*
3. Cincinnati 7-9
4. Cleveland 4-12

AFC East
1. New England 12-4
2. Miami 8-8
3. New York 7-9
4. Buffalo 4-12

AFC South
1. Indianapolis 13-3
2. Tennessee 10-6*
3. Houston 9-7
4. Jacksonville 5-11

AFC West
1. San Diego 11-5
2. Kansas City 5-11
3. Denver 5-11
4. Oakland 3-13

NFL Playoffs:
NFC Wildcard: Philadelphia over New Orleans, Atlanta over Arizona
NFC Divisionals Philadelphia over Green Bay, New York over Atlanta
NFC Championship: Philadelphia over New York

AFC Wildcard: New England over Baltimore, San Diego over Tennessee
AFC Divisionals: New England over Indianapolis, San Diego over Pittsburgh
AFC Championship: New England over San Diego

Super Bowl XLIV: New England over Philadelphia

Awards:
MVP: Tom Brady/ QB New England
Offensive Player of the Year: Drew Brees/ QB New Orleans
Defesnive Player of the Year: Mario Williams/ DE Houston
Comeback Player of the Year: Tom Brady/ QB New England
Coach of the Year: Jim Caldwell/ Indianapolis
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Mark Sanchez/ QB New York
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Aaron Curry/ LB Seattle

My 53 Man Predictions- Green Bay Packers

QB (3)- Rodgers, Flynn, Brohm
RB (4)- Grant, Jackson, Sutton, Wynn
FB (2)- Hall, Johnson
WR (5)- Jennings, Driver, Jones, Nelson, Martin
TE (3)- Lee, Finley, Havner
OL (9)-Clifton, Barbre, Sitton, Spitz, Colledge, Lang, Wells, Merideth, Giacomini
DL(6) - Raji, Pickett, Jenkins, Jolly, Wynn, Montgomery
LB (8)- Barnett, Hawk, Chillar, Matthews, Kampman, Poppinga, Bishop, Thompson
CB (6)- Woodson, Harris, Williams, Blackmon, Lee, Underwood
S (4)-Bigby, Collins, Smith, Bush
Specialists (3)- Crosby, Kapinos, Goode

IR- Harrell

Practice Squad- Brett Swaine, Brad Jones, Joe Porter, Evan Dietrich-Smith

Notable cuts- Kregg Lumpkins, John Kuhn, Jake Allen, Evan Moore, Tony Moll. Aaron Rouse, Charlie Peprah, Durant Brooks

Wide Receivers

Wide Receivers
1. Larry Fitzgerald- Arizona 4
2. Andre Johnson- Houston 10
3. Randy Moss- New England 8
4. Calvin Johnson- Detroit 7
5. Steve Smith- Carolina 4
6. Reggie Wayne- Indianapolis 6
7. Greg Jennings- Green Bay 5
8. Marques Colston- New Orleans 5
9. Roddy White- Atlanta 4
10. Anquan Boldin- Arizona 4
11. Dwayne Bowe- Kansas City 8
12. Roy Williams- Dallas 6
13. T.J. Houshmandzadeh- Seattle 7
14. Terrell Owens- Buffalo 9
15. Anthony Gonzalez- Indianapolis 6
16. Braylon Edwards- Cleveland 9
17. Vincent Jackson- San Diego 5
18. Wes Welker- New England 8
19. DeSean Jackson- Philadelphia 4
20. Brandon Marshall- Denver 7
21. Chad Ochocinco- Cincinnati 8
22. Santonio Holmes- Pittsburgh 8
23. Lee Evans- Buffalo 9
24. Hines Ward- Pittsburgh 8
25. Donnie Avery- St. Louis 9
26. Eddie Royal- Denver 7
27. Santana Moss- Washington 8
28. Antonio Bryant- Tampa Bay 8
29. Torry Holt- Jacksonville 7
30. Lance Moore- New Orleans 5
31. Jerricho Cotchery- New York J 9
32. Donald Driver- Green Bay 5
33. Laveranues Coles- Cincinnati 8
34. Ted Ginn Jr.- Miami 6
35. Michael Crabtree- San Francisco 6
36. Bernard Berrian- Minnesota 9
37. Kevin Walter- Houston 10
38. Steve Breaston- Arizona 4
39. Domenik Hixon- New York G 10
40. Devin Hester-Chicago 5
41. Chris Chambers- San Diego 5
42. Derrick Mason- Baltimore 7
43. Patrick Crayton- Dallas 6
44. Mushin Muahammed- Carolina 4
45. Justin Gage- Tennessee 7
46. Kevin Curtis- Philadelphia 4
47. Miles Austin- Dallas 6
48. Michael Jenkins- Atlanta 4
49. Josh Morgan- San Francisco 6
50. Joey Galloway- New England 8
51. Percy Harvin- Minnesota 9
52. Deion Branch- Seattle 7
53. Mark Clayton- Baltimore 7
54. Greg Camarillo- Miami 6
55. Hakeem Nicks- New York G 10
56. Earl Bennett- Chicago 5
57. Jeremy Maclin Philadelphia 4
58. Steve Smith- New York G 10
59. Devery Henderson- New Orleans 5
60. Chris Henry- Cincinnati 8

Sleepers: Steve Breaston, Donnie Avery, Torry Holt
Busts: Antonio Bryant, Bernard Berrian, Lee Evans
Deep Sleepers: Chris Henry, Earl Bennett

Running Backs

Running Backs
1. Adrian Peterson- Minnesota 9
2. Maurice Jones-Drew- Jacksonville 7
3. Matt Forte- Chicago 5
4. Michael Turner- Atlanta 4
5. Steven Jackson- St. Louis 9
6. DeAngelo Williams- Carolina 4
7. LaDanian Tomlinson- San Diego 5
8. Chris Johnson- Tennessee 7
9. Frank Gore- San Francisco 6
10. Brian Westbrook- Philadelphia 8
11. Clinton Portis- Washington 8
12. Brandon Jacobs- NewYork G 10
13. Steve Slaton- Houston 10
14. Marion Barber- Dallas 6
15. Ryan Grant- Green Bay 5
16. Ronnie Brown- Miami 6
17. Kevin Smith- Detroit 7
18. Pierre Thomas- New Orleans 5
19. Derrick Ward- Tampa Bay 8
20. Knowshon Moreno- Denver 7
21. Joseph Addai- Indianapolis 6
22. Reggie Bush- New Orleans 5
23. Darren McFadden- Oakland 9
24. Jonathan Stewart- Carolina 4
25. Marshawn Lynch- Buffalo 9
26. Ray Rice- Baltimore 7
27. Thomas Jones- New York J 9
28. Larry Johnson- Kansas City 8
29. LenDale White- Tennessee 7
30. Willie Parker- Pittsburgh 8
31. Cedric Benson- Cincinnati 8
32. Chris Wells- Arizona 4
33. Fred Taylor- New England 8
34. Darren Sproles- San Diego 5
35. Donald Brown- Indianapolis 6
36. Fred Jackson- Buffalo 9
37. Willis McGahee- Baltimore 7
38. Julius Jones- Seattle 7
39. Jamal Lewis- Cleveland 9
40. Rashard Mendenhall- Pittsburgh 8
41. Felix Jones- Dallas 6
42. Earnest Graham- Tampa Bay 8
43. Ricky Williams- Miami 6
44. LeSean McCoy- Philadelphia 4
45. Chester Taylor- Minnesota 9
46. Laurence Maroney- New England 8
47. Ahmad Bradshaw- New York 10
48. Jerious Norwood- Atlanta 4
49. Leon Washington- New York J 9
50. Shonn Greene- New York J 9
51. Tim Hightower- Arizona 4
52. Justin Fargas- Oakland 9
53. Brandon Jackson- Green Bay 5
54. Ladell Betts- Washington 8
55. Michael Bush- Oakland 9
56. Chauncey Washington- Jacksonville 7
57. T.J. Duckett- Seattle 7
58. Jamaal Charles- Kansas City 8
59. Correll Buckhalter- Denver 7
60. Sammy Morris- New England 8

Sleepers: Pierre Thomas, Knowshon Moreno, Ray Rice
Busts: Ronnie Brown, Thomas Jones, Steve Slaton
Deep Sleepers: Shonn Greene, Chauncey Washington

Fantasy Quarterback Rankings 2009

Since I am a huge fantasy football fan, I thought I would post my fantasy player rankings for thr 2009 season. I will start with quarterbacks and will continue by position each day. Enjoy!

1. Drew Brees- New Orleans 5
2. Tom Brady- New England 8
3. Peyton Manning- Indianapolis 6
4. Kurt Warner- Arizona 4
5. Aaron Rodgers- Green Bay 5
6. Phillip Rivers- San Diego 5
7. Tony Romo- Dallas 6
8. Matt Ryan- Atlanta 4
9. Donovan McNabb- Philadelphia 4
10. Matt Schuab- Houston 10
11. Matt Cassel- Kansas City 8
12. Carson Palmer- Cincinnati 8
13. Jay Cutler- Chicago 5
14. Ben Roethlisberger- Pittsburgh 8
15. Eli Manning- New York G 10
16. Trent Edwards- Buffalo 9
17. Kyle Orton- Denver 7
18. David Garrard- Jacksonville 7
19. Matt Hasselbeck- Seattle 7
20. Joe Flacco- Baltimore 7
21. Jason Campbell- Washington 8
22. Chad Pennington- Miami 6
23. Brady Quinn- Cleveland 9
24. JaMarcus Russell- Oakland 9
25. Jake Delhomme- Carolina 4
26. Marc Bulger- St. Louis 9
27. Shaun Hill- San Francisco 6
28. Tarvaris Jackson- Minnesota 9
29. Mark Sanchez- New York J 9
30. Kerry Collins- Tennessee 7
31. Sage Rosenfels- Minnesota 9
32. Matthew Stafford- Detroit 7
33. Luke McCown- Tampa Bay 8
34. Kellen Clemens- New York J 9
35. Byron Leftwich- Tampa Bay 8
36. Daunte Culpepper- Detroit 7
37. Derek Anderson- Cleveland 9
38. Chad Henne- Miami 6
39. Vince Young- Tennessee 7
40. Matt Leinart Arizona 4

Sleepers: Kyle Orton, Trent Edwards, Brady Quinn
Busts: Philip Rivers, Ben Roethlisberger, Chad Pennington
Deep Sleeper: Chad Henne

The Reality

The Milwaukee Brewers lost again today, losing the 3-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Do I need to say that again? Yes, the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pittsburgh Pirates that have a roster of Triple A caliber. I mean, Delwyn Young? Garrett Jones? Ramon Vazquez? The Brewers had won 17 games in a row and had not lost a series to the Bucs since early 2007. Well this Bucs team completely hammered Brewers starting pitcher Jeff Suppan today, at one point hitting three home runs in one inning. Catcher Ryan Doumit slugged one in the first inning and then hit the first of three in the third. Suppan was completely shelled, but its not like it was anything new to the Brewers starting pitching; it has been downright dismal as of late. The Brewers have no business being only 2 games back in the NL Central with the starting pitching that they have had as of late. Mike Burns should be nowhere near a major league roster with his 85 mph fastball that travels right down the plate. With Suppan out there, you never know what you are going to get. He has a 3.8 ERA on the road and a 6.12 ERA at home. But after getting rocked in a road game today by the Pirates, it is impossible what to expect. Looper has been solid and has grown into the second best pitcher on the team. Parra is looking to get one track, but he needs to find out how to do it consistently. And suddenly, the Brewers ace Yovani Gallardo has had some trouble with his command and walking batters. The addition of Dave Bush from the DL may help a little, but he was probably worse than Parra was back in mid-June when both were at their lows.



On the other side, the offense is too downright inconsistent. Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun can't be relied on to carry the load themselvels day in and day out. While Casey McGehee has been a surprise, he looks like he is coming back to earth a little since the All-Star Break. Craig Counsell has been good, but he would provide more value being the first option off of the bench. Jason Kendall is old now and his .244 batting average should be nowhere near the top of the order. Corey Hart is just not a good baseball player. He has so many holes in his swing and has no plate discipline whatsoever. To think that he was an All-Star last year completely baffles me. JJ Hardy may be a fan favorite to the ladies, but he is the slowest shortstop in the league, he has been streaky all year, and all he is doing is blocking Brewers top prospect Alcides Escobar. Mike Cameron is another streaky hitter whose only value to this club is his defense. Just face it Brewers fans: This is not a playoff caliber team. Winning 23 of 28 games was great in late April/early May, but the truth is that was then and this is now. Back then the starting pitching was exceeding expectations, the hitting was clutch, and Rickie Weeks was in the everyday lineup. Now the starting pitching is pitching well below expectations, the hitting is inconsistent, and Rickie Weeks is out for the year. Another loss to the Braves tonight put the Brewers at .500 and back to fourth place in the NL Central. As much as it hates me to say it, this team is done. Trading for Roy Halladay would be stupid because one starter who pitches every five days will not help the Brewers out. On those other 4 (maybe three if you count Gallardo), the Brewers cannot expect what they are going to get out of their starting pitching. Selling the farm (Alcides Escobar and Mat Gamel) would be stupid because one guy will not put this team over the hump. This is not a World Series team, Milwaukee; there are way too many other weaknesses on this team and adding one guy will not solve any of the other problems this team is having. And the offense will continue to just flaunder and underperform as they have done since the beginning of June. Doug Melvin, please sell Corey Hart, J.J. Hardy, and Bill Hall and get anything you can in return. The reality is that this team should be selling, not buying.

NL Central Top Prospects By Team

So I thought I would break down the midseason top prospects for each team here in the 2009 season. I will start with my Milwaukee Brewers and the rest of the NL Central. If the player has been up in the big leagues, I am already taking him off of prospect level to make it easier for myself.



Milwaukee Brewers: Mat Gamel would be the top prospect, but he has the major league experience now, despite being sent down to the minors by the Brewers recently. The Brewers have a lot of good hitters, but they don't have a type flight arm, especially after the suspension of Jeremy Jeffress. The organization hopes that this years' first round pick Eric Arnett will prove he can be that guy.

1. Alcides Escobar (SS)- We know he has the glove, and now the offense is coming around.

2. Brett Lawrie (2B)- Lawrie has been playing with the Canadian national team, so at 19 the experience is there.

3. Jonathan Lucroy (C)- Right now Lucroy has the advantage over Salome because of the defense.

4. Angel Salome (C)- You have to wonder where his future lies in this organization becasue the defense still is not there; potential AL destination?

5. Eric Arnett (P)- This years first round pick has a lot of people in the organization excited.



St. Louis Cardinals: Shelby Miller, the teams first round pick this year would probably be the number 2 prospect behind Wallace, but he has not signed. Colby Rasmus, the top prospect in the organization heading into the season is up and doing quite well in his rookie season. This leaves the door open for Brett Wallace who should be up at this time next year as the Cards every day third baseman.

1. Brett Wallace (3B)- His monster stick will put him in the lineup as soon as next year.

2. Daryl Jones (OF)- Upside is there and his skills are still developing

3. Jess Todd (P)- Hard throwing righty has been effective out of the bullpen this year in AAA

4. Clayton Mortensen (P)- His mighty sinker allows him to get a lot of ground balls and be effective.

5. Pete Kozma (SS)- The 1st round pick from 2007 has had trouble in AA so far this season, but scouts are saying that he has relatively been a slow developer.

Chicago Cubs: The Cubs have an interesting farm system as of right now. They have the top prospect in Vitters and a good arm with Cashner. They have had some surprises (Jackson, Castro) but also have had a few disappointments (Colvin, Flaherty) from high draft picks in the last few years.

1. Josh Vitters (3B)-Vitters is special especially after raking in low A ball; however, he still has ways to go and has struggled since being advanced.

2. Andrew Cashner (P)- One scout I heard called him the best closer in the minors. Yeah, he can be that good.

3. Jay Jackson (P)- Has made an enormous leap this year to turn into the teams top starting pitching prospect

4. Tyler Colvin (OF)- Colvin has a lot of tools, but the development hasn't been what the Cubs have anticipated- needs to work on his plate discipline

5. Starlin Castro (SS)- He is 19, three and a half years younger, and in a higher level than other shortstop prospect Ryan Flaherty. Did i mention hes batting 60 points higher than him too?


Houston Astros: The Astros probably had the worst farm system in the majors last year prior to the 2008 MLB Draft after trading the farm for Migeul Tejada. In that draft, the Astros found two studs that instantly became the top two prospects in the system- Jason Castro in the first round and Jordan Lyles in the supplementary round. With some other decent prospects, the Astros have gone from completely terrible to an average farm system, which is great considering the situation they were in last year.

1. Jason Castro (C)- Castro showed he can swing the bat with a home run in the Futures Game last week.

2. Jordan Lyles (P)- Lyles is only 18, but at class A he has struck out 121 batters in 99.2 innings. Stud!

3. Bud Norris (P)- Don't let Norris' 8 losses fool you. He has a 2.61 ERA in Triple-AAA this year and should get a September callup to at least work out of the pen.

4. Collin DeLome (OF)- He is learning to hit for move average now, and the power is still there.

5. Brian Bogusevic (OF)- Power numbers may never be there, but he is still learning with the stick after being converted from a pitcher; hasn't had the kind of year he had last year though.

Cincinnati Reds: The Reds have re-stocked their farm system after the losses of Jay Bruce, Johnny Cueto, Edinson Volquez, and Homer Bailey. With three of these players being pitchers, the Reds have gone in a different direction and have focused on developing some good hitters. Alonso looks like he is going to be great and Heisey has been a surprise this season.

1. Yonder Alonso (1B)- Alonso has very good power and he also walks a lot which is a plus

2. Chris Heisey (OF)- Maybe its just a fluke, but the numbers for this season do not lie- .340 with 16 home runs

3. Todd Frazier (INF)- Good hitter who should be up by next year; third base is the likely position for him

4. Drew Stubbs (OF)- Athletic outfielder who only lacks power

5. Chris Valaika (SS)- So Valaika hasn't had a great year but he is relatively a good hitter who has too much talent to not rank him in the top 5

Pittsburgh Pirates: With Andrew McCutchen graduating, the system takes a small step back, but the addition of the top catcher in the draft, Tony Sanchez helps give the Bucs a long-term solution at catcher. Tabata and Lincoln are both question marks right now, but they both have the talent to do something.

1. Pedro Alvarez (3B)- Alvarez has been up and down this year but he has the potential to be a superstar

2. Jose Tabata (OF)- Aquired in the Xavier Nady trade from the Yankees, it is hard to predict Tabata's ceiling. He could be go either way- very good or very bad. I don't see anything really in between for him.

3. Brad Lincoln (P)- Good command pitcher but still questions after Tommy John in 2007

4. Neil Walker (3B)- Hes struggled at that plate this year, but still could be the temporary replacement at third before Alvarez is ready

5. Tony Sanchez (C)- So they maybe could've gotten a better player at number 4 in the 2009 Draft, but the Bucs got the best in a weak draft class for catchers. I didn't mind the pick.

NL Fails Again

The Cubs have the billy goat curse. The Red Sox had one for the Great Bambino. Well, I am starting to think that the National League All-Star teams are cursed whenever they play in the Midsummer Classic. 1996. That was the last time a National League team was able to pull off what is now deemed almost unthinkable: win the All-Star Game. It was no different tonight when the American League was able to come back from a 3-2 deficit, and win 4-3. After the AL scored 2 runs in the first inning off NL Starter Tim Lincecum, every fan whose team belonged in the National League thought, "Here we go again." However, in the bottom half of the second inning, the NL was able to muster 4 hits in a row (with the help of an error also) off of AL Starter Roy Halladay. Yet the AL always seems to find a way to come back, and tonight was no different. Joe Mauer doubled in Derek Jeter to tie the game in the top of the 5th. Curtis Granderson (who I thought should have been MVP) tripled with one out in the top of the eighth to put the leading run in scoring position. After Victor Martinez was intentionally walked, Adam Jones was able to fight off some pitches from Padres closer Heath Bell before finding a pitch that he was able to drive to right field for a sacrafice fly to score Granderson.

The bottom of the eighth inning looked to be a cruise for the AL as they were quickly able to get two outs. However, Adrian Gonzalez was able to draw a walk and Orlando Hudson hit a single off of Jason Bartletts glove, advancing Gonzalez to third. Ok, so NL manager Charlie Manuel calls on his boy Ryan Howard with two guys on base. Here is the part that I don't really understand. Ryan Howard is a home run hitter. If he is not hitting home runs, he is most likely to strike out, which happens a lot more than hitting the longball. Yes, Howard has been hitting better this year, but would you still put all the eggs in his basket. He was the best power hitter left on the National League bench, but I don't think he was the best singles hitter left. But you may say that Howard was already in the on deck circle before Hudson was able to get on? Well, Hudson hits a single and with his speed was easily able to steal second with an uncontested throw putting two runners in scoring position. With Hudson on first and Gonzalez on third, Manuel has to get over the fact of playing his home kid and do what is best for the future of the National League: Getting home field advantage in the World Series. Freddy Sanchez or Hunter Pence, both who hit around .300, would have been the better play considering the situation. Charlie Manuel should have been pretty sure that Hudson's speed would easily take second base. With two runners in scoring position, why do you need Ryan Howard's power at the plate? Howard should be in the game if the NL is down 3, not one. Pence and Sanchez also have decent enough speed to get to first safely on a weakly hit ball for an infield single, something Howard would not have been able too. Sure enough, Howard strikes out and the NL spoils what was their last good chance to end the AL's run of thirteen games without a loss. Manuel has to get over playing his own guy and do what Herman Edwards once said: Play to win the game.

Yet, Manuel's decision was only big because it was late in the game. Another contributing factor was the NL's inefficiency to hit the ball against opposing American League pitchers. The NL was hitless in 18 at bats at one point in the game. I don't care who was pitching for the American League. These guys are All-Stars. If you can't hit, then you don't deserve to win. The performance by the American League pitching was one of the greatest in All-Star histroy, while the peformance by the NL hitting was maybe one of the most inexcusable moments ever. 4 of the 5 hits by the National League all came right in a row in one inning! The National League is trying to close the gap between themselves and the American League and this showing may have in fact separated them farther.

Another thought. Bad luck seems to follow the National League in the All-Star Game, mostly pertaining to the last three games. Two years ago, with Trevor Hoffman, the all time saves leader on the mound, the AL was able to get to Hoffman after a huge Michael Young triple in which they were able to take a one run lead. Hoffman blew the save, something that he does not have a tendency of doing too much in his career. Last year in the fiteenth inning with bases loaded, a sac fly that was caught by Corey Hart was throw only a few inches to the right allowing Justin Morneau to slide under the tag and give the AL the victory. This year, the AL got lucky again when Brad Hawpe hit a shot to left-center field. Carl Crawford ranged back and took a go- ahead home run away from Hawpe. A few inches longer, and that ball is out and the whole complexion of the game may change. Who knows? It just seems to me that the National League has a hard time catching some breaks in this game every year.

My last thought: I am sick of Albert Pujols. Yes he is the hometown hero. Yes he had one of the best first halfs in major league history. But come on, really? It seems all the media's focus was on Pujols this whole weekend and what does he do? He lays an egg like he seems to usually do in the All-Star Game. With the spotlight on him, Pujols had a fan's catch help him advance to the second round of the Home Run Derby the night before. And Chris Berman, just shut up. A few minutes before, Prince Fielder was hitting moonshots, and all Berman is doing is having a pleasent interview with Albert Pujols. Then when Pujols comes up, Berman sounds like Pujols is hitting the ball 500 feet plus, yet all of Pujols' "bombs" were five rows deep AT MOST. Can we get an announcer who can actually judge where the ball is going to end up please instead of hearing how great the shot is, only to see it land a few rows deep in the stands. Then Pujols has an error in the first inning tonight that led to the American League's first run of the game. And how many runs did the American League win by? Remember ESPN and FOX, Albert Pujols is human too. He may be the best player in the game, but that does not make him a god by any means. Even Ken Rosethal addressed Pujols in an interview during the game as the "best player in the league." Ok, Ken, we know that. The fans are not stupid. Pujols responded with class that he was by no means the best in the game. One thing I like about Pujols is that he is modest, but I just couldn't stand the attention that he had this week in St. Louis. After Wednesday, baseball can thankfully go back to the normal life of not hearing the name "Albert Pujols" every minute.

Revisiting the 1999 NFL Draft

Ten years later, and we see which teams looked liked geniuses and which teams didn't know what they were doing:

1. Cleveland Browns- Tim Couch/QB Kentucky-You can't blame the Browns for making this pick in their first ever NFL Draft since their franchise was revitalized. And you can't really put all the blame on Couch for his epic failure. The Browns never supplied Couch with the necessary offensive line to succeed. Yet being a number one pick, the least one can say is that Couch failed miserably. Overall Grade: F
2. Philadelphia Eagles-Donovan McNabb/QB Syracuse-McNabb may have been booed when he was selected by the Eagles 2nd overall instead of Ricky Williams, but the Eagles made the right choice. McNabb has taken the team to five NFC Championship games to go along with a Super Bowl appearance. McNabb may have had his ups and downs with the Philly media and fans, but there is no denying the amount of success he has had. The only thing preventing this grade from an A+ is the fact that McNabb has never won a Super Bowl in Philadelphia. Overall Grade: A
3. Cincinnati Bengals-Akili Smith/QB Oregon- Smith looked like a dual threat quarterback, but to be honest, I don't know what scouts saw in him. He had an arm, but the accuracy needed a lot of work. Smith only started 17 games in 4 seasons with the Bengals and his numbers were attrocious. In the 2000 season alone, Smith started 11 games and had only three touchdown passes versus nine interceptions and fourteen fumbles! He amassed only 5 touchdown passes and thirteen interceptions throughout his whole career. Overall Grade: F
4. Indianapolis Colts-Edgerrin James/RB Miami- James may currently be looking for a team, but as a young running back for the Indianapolis Colts, he was a great complement to Peyton Manning's air game. James had some injury plagued seasons with the Colts, but he left the team as the franchise's all-time leading rusher. Overall Grade: A-
5. New Orleans- Ricky Williams/ RB Texas- The Saints moved up and traded their entire draft in order to draft the 1998 Heisman Trophy Award winner. However, although Williams was solid in his years with the Saints, he was less than what head coach Mike Ditka and the Saints management envisioned. After just three seasons, Williams was traded to the Dolphins, where he broke out as one of the top backs in the NFL with 1853 yards and 16 touchdowns. Williams decided it was best to retire following the 2003 season after a failed drugged test. He has since been reinstated and continues to play for the Dolphins. Without the off-field controversy, who knows what kind of player Williams could have been. Overall Grade: C+
6. St. Louis- Torry Holt/ WR NC State- This was as close to a hit as a team can get and in my mind, the best pick in the draft. The top wide receiver in the 1999 draft, Holt did not disappoint lining up on the other side of Issac Bruce. Forming with Bruce, running back Marshall Faulk, and MVP quarterback Kurt Warner, the potent Rams offense became known as "The Greatest Show on Turf." Holt went to 7 Pro Bowls in his ten seasons and became the fastest player in NFL history to reach 10,000 receiving yards. His career for the Rams may be over, but there was no denying the success that could eventually carry him to the Hall of Fame. Overall Grade: A+
7. Washington Redskins-Champ Bailey/ DB Georgia- Another great pick right here. Bailey has been considered the top corner in this decade and is still going strong with the Denver Broncos. Going back to his Reskin days, Bailey has been selected for eight consecutive Pro Bowls and been named to four All-Pro teams. The Redskins got their man when they traded Bailey for Clinton Portis in 2004, but it is easier to find a running back in this league than a shutdown corner. Besides Holt, Bailey is the only other player from this draft class that has a realistic possibility at the Hall of Fame. Overall Grade: A+
8. Arizona Cardinals- David Boston/ WR Ohio State- Boston is one of those guys who emerges at a young age, looks to be a bonified superstar looking for a big free agent deal, and then flops with his new team and is never the same player after that. Boston had four great season with the Cardinals, his best coming in 2001 when he had 98 receptions for 1598 yards and eight touchdowns on his way to being a Pro Bowl Starter. The Ohio State star signed a huge free agent deal with the San Diego Chargers and never really seemed to fit into the offense. Boston bounced around a couple of times before finding himself out of the league. Overall Grade: D+
9. Detroit Lions-Chris Claiborn/LB USC- Not much to say about Claiborn. He didn't do a lot for the Lions in his four seasons there. After a change of scenery, he went to division rival the Minnesota Vikings and became an above average pro in his two seasons there. Claiborn has been bounced from other teams since then; his last two years have been free agent years. Claiborn was obviously a miss, but it may be a stretch to call him a total bust. Overall Grade: D+
10. Baltimore Ravens-Chris McAlister/DB Arizona- The Ravens made a great call in selecting McAlister with the tenth pick int he draft. Ravens fans knew McAlister was going to special after intercepting five passes his rookie season. The next year, McAlister took another step forward, which included a key interception to help the Ravens caputre Super Bowl XXXV. McAlister helped solidify that stingy Ravens defense this last decade, on his way to three Pro Bowl births and 26 career interceptions. Overall Grade: A
11. Minnesota Vikings-Daunte Culpepper/QB Central Florida- So the last few seasons haven't been rather glorious for Culpepper, but we must not forget how good he actually was when he was throwing touchdowns as a Viking. Ok, so maybe having Randy Moss on your team helps, but there is no denying what Culpepper did in that historic 2004 season where he passed for 4,717, 39 touchdowns, and only eleven intercpetions. Ever since that season, Culpepper's career has gone downhill due to a knee injury the next year. However, he had a lot of success that made him one of the better players in the NFL at the time. Overall Grade: A-
12. Chicago Bears-Cade McNown/QB UCLA- Another Bears quarterback that failed. McNown was plagued by injuries, but the fact that he couldn't hit the broad side of a barn didn't help either. McNown only started 15 games in his two seasons with the Bears before being shipped off to Miami for two late round picks. McNown failed to resurrect his career in Miami, and is now out of the league. Overall Grade: F
13. Pittsburgh Steelers- Troy Edwards/WR Louisiana Tech- Edwards was far from the stud he was in college as a professional. Edwards' best season came his rookie year when he caught 61 passes for 714 yards and five touchdowns. However, Edwards was never able to take that next step forward, and his numbers kept declining year after year as he kept getting buried on the depth chart. Edwards became an NFL cast-off who never again came relatively close to his rookie numbers. Overall Grade: F
14. Kansas City- John Tait/T BYU- The Chiefs took the first lineman in the draft and were rewarded for their doing. Tait became a cornerstone on that dominating Chiefs offensive line that made up of Willie Roaf, Will Shields, Brian Waters, and Casey Wiegmann. He helped pave the way for Priest Holmes in his record setting year for most touchdowns in a season. Tait later had five productive years in Chicago before finally retiring this offseason. Overall Grade: B+
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Anthony McFarland/DT LSU- McFarland played big in the middle alongside Warren Sapp to make up the most devastating interior defensive line in all of football. McFarland was never really a star (never selected to the Pro Bowl), but he was a very productive pro player who helped Tampa Bay win Super Bowl XXXVII, and the Colts with their own in XLI. Overall Grade: B
16. Tennessee Titans- Jevon Kearse/DE Florida- Kearse, arguably the top defensive end in the draft, was obviously a steal to be grabbed this late, and showed for it after winning 1999 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. It was one of the best rookie seasons ever put on as Kearse recorded 14.5 sacks to become the AFC leader. "The Freak" had two sesons cut short due to injury, but when healthy, he was up there near the top with the other elite pass rushers. After four years with the Eagles, Kearse is back with the Titans and looking to end his career with the team that drafted him. Overall Grade: A-
17. New England Patriots- Damien Woody/C Boston College- Woody was probably the top young center in the league back in his glory days with the New England Patriots franchise. The anchor of that offensive line, Woody had three stellar seasons in New England following his rookie season. In 2001, he helped the Pats upset the Rams in a Super Bowl victory; in 2002 he was named to his only Pro Bowl; and in 2003, although he did not play due to injury, Woody helped lead the team back to the Super Bowl that they would eventually win against the Panthers. Going to Detroit for the money may have been a mistake, but there is no mistake in seeing how dominant of a player Woody was when he was younger. Overall Grade: B-
18. Oakland Raiders- Matt Stinchcomb/T Georgia- Since I'm only 17, I don't know much about Stinchcomb. He was a starter for the Raiders offensive line in the early years of the decade when the Raiders were actually pretty good. However, he was only an avarage lineman who never stood out. After five years with the Raiders, Stinchcomb went to Tampa and played three seasons before retiring. His younger brother Jon is currently a starting tackle for New Orleans Saints. Overall Grade: D
19. New York Giants- Luke Petitgout/T Notre Dame-Petitgout was a solid starter for the Giants at left tackle, but never really emerged as one of the elites in the game. That is becasue injuries dogged Petitgout, his back in the 2003 and 2004 season, and his leg in 2006. Hoping to get a fresh start, Petitgout moved to Tampa Bay but tore his ACL early in the season and was lost for the year. Overall Grade: C
20. Dallas Cowboys- Ebenezer Ekuban/DE North Carolina- Ekuban was another average starter that played effectively in the NFL. Ekuban's best year came in 2006 as a member of the Denver Broncos, where he recorded seven sacks and accounted for 48 tackles. Ekuban was good, but was never great. His years in Dallas were close to terrible, and it was obvious a change of scenery was needed for him at the time. Overall Grade: C-
21. Arizona Cardinals- L.J. Shelton/T Eastern Michigan- Not much to say about this one. Shelton has been an average starter at the tackle position in his career, which is never bad. However, being picked as high as this will probably label him as a bust. Overall Grade: D+
22. Seattle Seahawks- Lamar King/DE Saginaw Valley State- Who? King also had the injury bug as a professional and never was able to play a full slate of games. His only productive year came in his second season, when he started fourteen games and recorded six sacks and 48 tackles. King tried to catch on with Tampa Bay (it seems like everyone in this draft class tries to with the Bucs), but he never played a single snap with the team and has been out of the league since 2003. Overall Grade: F
23. Buffalo Bills- Antoine Winfield/CB Ohio State- Winfield finally deserved his first trip to the Pro Bowl last year. He has been the most underrated cornerback of this decade and is probably the best tackling corner in the NFL. His career high for interceptions in a season has been four, but that may be in partly because no one likes to throw his way. He was a solid starter for the Bills, but is playing at an All-Pro level with the Vikings. Overall Grade: A-
24. San Francisco 49ers- Reggie McGrew/DT Florida- McGrew may have been the worst pick in the first round who didn't play the quarterback position. He played only three seasons in the league without starting a single game. And his career stats? 9 career tackles and one sack. Ouch! Overall Grade: F
25. Green Bay Packers- Antuan Edwards/ DB Clemson- As a Packers fan, it is saying a lot if the only thing I remember from Edwards' days at safety was that he wore the number 24. Edwards had a solid rookie season, starting all games in the Packers secondary. However, he was greatly inconsistent and lost playing time as the years passed. In 2002, he was replaced by rookie Marques Anderson, and had a hard time getting off the bench. Edwards tried catching on with a few other teams but never remained in a single locker room for more than one season. Overall Grade: F
26. Jacksonville Jaguars- Fernando Bryant/DB Alabama- As a Jaguar, Bryant was a servicable starter, but the knock on him was that he didn't make many plays. His career high in interceptions came in his rookie year, and that was only 2. (He also had two in 2007 as a member of the Detroit Lions). Truth be told, Bryant will always better be known for his tackling skills rather than his coverage. Overall Grade: D+
27. Detroit Lions- Aaron Gibson/T Wisconsin- Well, we know they groom them big in the Big Ten. We just didn't know that they groomed them THAT big. Gibson holds the record for the heaviest player to ever play in the NFL at 410 pounds. Gibson's great weight was never on par with his performance however. He struggled to do much in Detroit, lasting only three seasons there before being cut. Only once in his career was he able to play in all 16 games and that was in the latter-half of his career with the Chicago Bears. Overall Grade: D-
28. New England Patriots- Andy Katzenmoyer/LB Ohio State- Katzenmoyer is a pretty sad story because anyone who saw him in college as the Butkus Award Winner easily saw his game as translating to the next level. However, Katzenmoyer suffered a neck injury that kept him out of for his rookie year, and half of his second season. In 2001, just when he thought he was healthy, Katzenmoyer felt the same pain and was shut down for the season again. In 2002, the Patriots cut Katezenmoyer and the Ohio State alum never returned to football. Overall Grade: Incomplete
29. Minnesota Vikings- Dimitrius Underwood/DE Michigan State- Apologies to Reggie McGrew. This was the worst pick in the first round, and that is including the quarterbacks drafted. I mean, at least the quarterbacks played for their respective teams that drafted them. Underwood walked out of training camp before the season started after he signed with the Vikings and said he would rather serve his Christian faith. Underwood was later released by the Vikings but changed his mind about playing football, deciding to play for the Miami Dolphins. That didn't go too well either after he tried committing suicide. After being diagnosed with a bipolar disorder, Underwood stayed in rehab for a few years and attempted to make a comeback with the Dallas Cowboys. However, another suicide attempt caused the release of Underwood and the end of his NFL career.
Overall Grade: F
30. Atlanta Falcons- Patrick Kerney/DE Virginia- Kerney has had double digit sack totals in four of his ten seasons in the league, and his 14.5 sack effort in his 9th season as a member of the Seattle Seahawks earned him 2007 NFC Defensive Player of the Year. Kereny was also effective as a Falcon too, earning a trip to the Pro Bowl in the 2004 season. His efforts have arguably made him the most effective pass rusher coming out of this draft class- Kerney has 77.5 career sacks opposed to Jevon Kearse's 73 career sacks. Overall Grade: A-
31. Denver Broncos- Al Wilson/LB Tennessee- A 5 time Pro Bowler in only eight seasons, Wilson becme a very effective linebacker in the middle. Known mostly for his speed and going sideline to sideline, Wilson recorded 100 plus tackles in each of his last five seasons. His career ws cut short after eight seasons beacuse of injury, but making the Pro Bowl in more than half of those is impressive in itself. Overall Grade: A-

R.I.P Steve McNair

A usual Fourth of July day for me is going to a family friend's house to watch the Brewers, enjoy the hot dog eating contest, and playing softball among other things. Shortly after Manny Ramirez grounded into a fielder's choice on a close play at second to end the inning in the Dodgers-Padres game, I clicked the GUIDE button to see what else was going on. After going through the channels, I decided to tune into ESPNNEWS to see some of the baseball scores scrolling on the bottom line. However, it wasn't the baseball scores that caught my eye when the channel flipped. Instead I was gazing at eight gigantic words with a familiar face above them: Steve McNair Shot and Killed In Downtown Nashville. At first as I was so stunned that I thought I had read it wrong. I blinked and re-read it slowly to find that the reality was true. McNair was found dead in a Nashville condominium with multiple gunshot wounds including one to the head, along with girlfriend Sahel Kazemi, who had a single bullet in her head and a gun nearby. It was later pronounced by the police that the death was a homicide, although authorities wouldn't say if the case was a murder-suicide. Quite simply, what a terrible fate for a player that was loved so much on and off the football field. McNair, 36, spent eleven years with the Oilers/Titans franchise, and played his final two in Baltimore for the Ravens. There was no doubt that McNair was one of the more accomplished quarterbacks in NFL history. He was the face of the Tennessee Titans franchise after leading the team in 2000 from the Music City Miracle in the Wild Card round to a Super Bowl XXXIV appearance. In that Super Bowl, McNair was the centerpiece in one of the greatest offensive plays in Super Bowl history. With the Titans down 23-16 at the Rams 26 and only 22 seconds left, McNair took the snap as the pocket collapsed around him. He somehow was able to use his athleticism to scramble out of the pocket to his right and avoid defensive end Kevin Carter and defensive tackle Jay Williams from tripping him up. Mainting his balance, McNair fired the ball down the field and hit Kevin Dyson at the ten yard line with only six seconds left remaining on the clock. Unfortunately on the next play, McNair was also part of one of the greatest defensive plays in Super Bowl history when he completed a slant route to Dyson, only to be tackled in the open field by Rams linebacker Mike Jones one yard shy of the endzone. It was McNair's only trip to the Super Bowl in his career, but the accomplishments did not stop there. In his career with the Tennessee Titans, McNair led the team to the playoffs four times including the 2003 season, when he shared MVP honors with Indianapolis Quarterback Peyton Manning. The third overall pick in the 1995 Draft, McNair went to the Pro Bowl three times in his career and became only the third quarterback in NFL history to throw for more than 30,000 passing yards and rush for 3,500 (Fran Tarkenton, Steve Young). However, McNair was also a great leader off the field as well. He formed the Steve McNair Foundation to help those in need by devoting much of his time and money. McNair also held many football camps in Nashville for younger kids hoping to learn more about the game. The father of four, "Air McNair" will always be remembered as one of the most exciting quarterbacks in the history of the game. Thanks for the memories, Steve.

Brandon Jennings, please shut up

As a Bucks fan, I was just ok with the Brandon Jennings pick. I loved his athleticism, upside, and talent. However, I was not intrigued with his jump shot, but more importantly his attitude. Jennings has all the talent in the world, but controversy has surrounded the 19 year-old since he bypassed college last year beacuse he could not qualify academically at Arizona, the school he commited to. The first and only time I have seen Jennings play was at the 2008 McDonalds All-American game held at ironically, the same arena that he will be playing at next fall in his rookie season: The Bradley Center. Jennings had a good showing, scoring twelve points and handing out nine dimes, barely losing MVP honors to the number 4 overall pick in this year's draft, Tyreke Evans of the Sacramento Kings. The number one player in the class of 2008 according to scout.com, Jennings decided it was best to take his game overseas and play professionally in Italy's top division for Lottomotica Roma. With the club, Jennings saw limited playing time and averaged 5.5 points and 2.2 assists per game, less than spectacular numbers. After the season, Jennings decided to head back to the States and fulfill his dream by playing in the NBA. However, a week before the draft, it was reported by SI.com that Jennings shot his mouth off at 18 year-old Spanish sensation Ricky Rubio by calling him overrated. Jennings was not in the green room when the draft was held, instead opting to stay in a nearby hotel with his mom and agent because he was not guarenteed a lottery spot. However, when the Bucks made their selection at number ten, Jennings headed over to Madison Square Garden to meet with the ESPN crew. When the Phoenix Suns drafted Earl Clark with the 14th overall pick, it wasn't Clark who appeared to shake commisioner David Stern's hand; it was Jennings who appeared with his hands up waving to the crowd. Ok, so I might be making this out worse than it has to be, but it does show that Jennings wants the spotlight and all the attention. The next day, Jennings appeared on rapper Joe Budden's radio show and again shouted his mouth off. Unaware that the telecast was being recorded online, Jennings again bashed Rubio, used profane commentary about the New York Knicks passing on him at the number 8 spot, and proudly boasted that he would beat out Bucks point guard Luke Ridnour for the starting spot. The clip hit Youtube and had many views before Jennings became aware and asked to have the clip taken down. In Jennings' interview with ESPN the night of the draft, Jennings explained that a year in Italy helped him mature and he encouraged other prep players to do the same. Well, Brandon Jennings, we know you can talk; now we want to see you do what the Bucks drafted you for: to play. Do the rest of Milwaukee a favor and please shut up before ever having played a single minute in the NBA. Then, maybe you can talk.

Umpiring not all to blame for this one

Ball 4. That was the decisive call made my home plate umpire Bill Welke on a Mark DiFelice fastball over the plate about letter-high. Clearly, the ball looked to have been a strike. In the official Major League strike zone per mlb.com, the strike zone is clearly stated as, "The Strike Zone is that area over home plate the upper limit of which is a horizontal line at the midpoint between the top of the shoulders and the top of the uniform pants, and the lower level is a line at the top of the knees. The Strike Zone shall be determined from the batter's stance as the batter is prepared to swing at a pitched ball." That sounds like a strike to me. There always seems to be a game like this one every year between the Cubs and Brewers that seems to go in the Cubbies favor. In 2007, the Brewers led 5-0 after the first inning, only to allow the Cubs to come back and win on a walk-off home run by Aramis Ramirez in the bottom of the ninth inning. Last year, it was in the four game opener at Miller Park, with Brewers ace CC Sabathia pitching. Sabathia was pitching great, until a Rickie Weeks error changed the face of the game, and eventually the series, to put the Cubs up in front. The Cubs eventually swept the four game series at Miller, and the Brewers never came close to first place again. Maybe they just have the Brewers' number. I don't know; what I do know is that not all the blame can be put on Welke and his call. The Brewers had many chances in this game that they let slip away from them. Both the players and the manager are responsible for this loss. Leaving 11 runners on base, while scoring one run will never win you a baseball game, bar none. With the way the offense was performing, I agree it was the right decision to send Jeff Suppan around third for the go ahead run after a Prince Fielder's line-drive single in the top of the seventh inning. It just so happened that Cubs' centerfielder Kosuke Fukudome made a perfect throw to the plate to get Suppan. It was just bad luck for the Brewers. If it were any runner in that situation other than Suppan, the Brewers take the lead in the 7th. If Fukodome's throw is a foot to the left or right, Suppan scores and the Brewers are able to take the lead that way. However, what the Brewers need to focus on doing is not trying to crush home runs, especially in the rough Chicago wind that was blowing in today. In the top of ther fourth, the bases were loaded with no one out following Carlos Zambrano hitting Prince Fielder with a pitch in the shoulder. Casey McGehee came up for the Brewers, swinging at the first pitch, and popping up for the Brewers. Not the kind of at bat you want in that situation. With Counsell on third, there is good speed in order to get the run home on a sac fly. However, in the next at bat, Mike Cameron also pops out to the infield. Thanks to Corey Hart's patience, the Brewers were able to get their only run of the game via a walk, but then J.J. Hardy came up and, you guessed it, he popped out to end the inning. Earlier in the bottom of the second, thanks to Ryan Theriot misjudging of the ball, and Jake Fox's error, the Brewers had two on with no one out. Craig Counsell came up to the plate and tried bunting on two balls that were both high, fouling both of them off. It has to be simple enough to just pull the bat back, but it is clear that the Brewers do not have the greatest plate discipline. Two pitches later, Counsell strikes out swinging on curveball in the dirt, a very frustrating at bat. If Counsell is able to get Suppan to third and Kendall to second, two runs will probably score from Prince's single. Macha also has to take some of the blame for this loss. First, why is Jody Gerut even considered to be put in the game? The guy has done nothing in his stint with the Crew thusfar this season and is batting below .100 for the club. (On the other hand, Tony Gwynn Jr. is hitting .308 for the Padres in the leadoff spot. Wait, don't the Brewers need a lead off hitter?) Ok, so Corey Hart hasn't had the greatest year, batting .248. But put in Catalanotto who is a much more reliable player than Gerut. All that I have seen from Gerut with the Brewers is the speed he covers in the outfield. So maybe that was what Macha's move was for. But Hart is also one of the fastest Brewers too, is he not? Of course in Gerut's only at bat in the ninth, he hits a lazy fly ball to center for the second out of the inning. So now we fast forward to the tenth. The Cubs have Theriot on second with two outs after Derek Lee advances him from second on a flyout. Then Macha decides to walk Milton Bradley, why? I don't understand the reasoning behind it because well, it is Milton Bradley. Sure, you get the force at second, but Bradley hasn't been exactly lighting it up from behind the plate. He is hitting .239 with five home runs and 17 RBI's and most of that has been while in the fourth spot in the batting order. Oh yeah, and he is hitting .192 against right handed pitching this season to go along with and 0-2 in his career lifetime versus Brewers' righty Mark Difelice. But the Brewers decide to walk him and later DiFelice falls behind Soto allowing the bases to be loaded and nowhere to put Fox. It just seemed inevitable that DiFelice would walk in Fox to end the game and put the Cubs above .500 and within two games of the division lead. Even though the call was bad at the end, the Brewers as a whole are the ones to blame for this loss.

2009 MLB All-Star Reserves

Here are the rest of the All-Star Game Rosters based on my opinion. This will be expanded off my previous post of which eight position players I would like to see start the All-Star game. The roster breakdown is as followed: eight fan-elected starting position players, eight reserve position players selected by player ballot, eight pitchers (five starters, three relievers) selected by player ballot, and eight players selected by the manager. There is also the additional fan vote after the All-Star rosters are announced. So basically, 17 reserve batters, eight pitchers, and eight starters. Remember that every team must have one representative. Asterisk indicates who I believe will be the starting pitcher for their respective teams.

American League- Pitchers:

1. Zach Greinke-Kansas City (Starter)*
2. Roy Halladay- Toronto (Starter)
3. Justin Verlander- Detroit (Starter)
4. Felix Hernandez- Seattle (Starter)
5. Jared Weaver- Los Angeles (Starter)
6. Brian Fuentes- Los Angeles (Reliever)
7. Joe Nathan- Minnesota (Reliever)
8. Mariano Rivera- New York (Reliever)

Hitters:
1. Joe Mauer- Minnesota (Catcher)
2. Miguel Cabrera- Detroit (First Baseman)
3. Kevin Youkilis- Boston (First Baseman)
4. Mark Teixiera- New York (First Baseman)
5. Carlos Pena- Tampa Bay (First Baseman)
6. Ian Kinsler- Texas (Second Baseman)
7. Robinson Cano- New York (Second Baseman)
8. Alexei Ramirez- Chicago (Shortstop)
9. Brandon Inge- Detroit (Third Baseman)
10. Ichiro Suzuki- Seattle (Outfielder)
11. Ben Zobrist- Tampa Bay (Utility)
12. Jermaine Dye- Chicago (Outfielder)
13. Adam Jones- Baltimore (Outfielder)
14. Nelson Cruz- Texas (Outfielder)
15. Matt Holliday- Oakland (Outfielder)
16. Johnny Damon- New York (Outfielder)
17. Adam Lind- Toronto (Outfielder)

National League-Pitchers:

1. Tim Lincecum- San Francisco (Starter)*
2. Dan Haren- Arizona (Starter)
3. Johan Santana- New York (Starter)
4. Chad Billingsley- Los Angeles (Starter)
5. Matt Cain- San Francisco (Starter)
6. Heath Bell- San Diego (Reliever)
7. Francisco Rodriguez (Reliever)
8. Jonathan Broxton- Los Angeles (Reliever)

Hitters:
1, Yadier Molina- St. Louis (Catcher)
2. Ryan Howard- Philadelphia (First Baseman)
3. Prince Fielder- Milwaukee (First Baseman)
4. Adrian Gonzalez- San Diego (First Baseman)
5. Derek Lee- Chicago (First Baseman)
6. Freddy Sanchez- Pittsburgh (Second Baseman)
7. Brandon Phillips- Cincinnati (Second Baseman)
8. Miguel Tejada- Houston (Shortstop)
9. Ryan Zimmerman- Washington (Third Baseman)
10. David Wright-New York (Third Baseman)
11. Pablo Sandoval- San Francisco (Third Baseman)
12. Brad Hawpe- Colorado (Outfielder)
13. Nate McLouth- Atlanta (Outfielder)
14. Adam Dunn- Washington- (Outfielder)
15. Matt Kemp- Los Angeles (Outfielder)
16. Justin Upton- Arizona (Outfielder)
17. Carlos Lee- Houston (Outfielder)

My 2009 MLB All-Star Team

Here are my 2009 MLB All-Star Starters. Bench players soon to follow. Remember, this is not who I think will start the game, but who I think deserves to start. Obviously this will not happen due to the fan voting process. Anyway, here it is:





American League:





First Baseman: Justin Morneau- Minnesota Twins: The race for first base in the AL is tough with a variety of players who are well-deserving such as Russell Branyan, Miguel Cabrera, Mark Teixiera, Carlos Pena, and Kevin Youkilis. In the end, however, I decided to give the nod to Morneau. The Twins first baseman leads all American League first basemen in RBI's and is tied for third in home runs behind Pena and Teixiera. Morneau has been one of the most consistent players in the AL in the last five years and deserves the opportunity to start in his first All-Star game.





Second Baseman: Aaron Hill- Toronto Blue Jays: Most fans have Ian Kinsler in this spot because he is one of the few second baseman they are familiar with. However, Hill has had a great start to the season, while helping the surprising Toronto Blue Jays. Hill has the same amount of home runs as Kinsler, but also has a batting average about forty points higher with five more RBI's.



Shortstop: Derek Jeter-New York Yankees: The power number may be better for White Sox shortstop Alexei Ramirez, but Jeter has been producing consistently for the Yankees all season with a .300 plus batting average and 17 stolen bases. Jason Bartlett for the Rays also makes a strong argument with a .362 batting average, but he was hurt for part of the year and does not have a enough at bats to qualify in the league leaders category.



Third Baseman: Evan Longoria-Tampa Bay Rays: With 16 home runs and 63 RBI's, Longoria should make his second trip to the All-Star Game in as many years as he has been in the Majors. Brandon Inge, Mike Lowell, and Michael Young are also having respective years for their clubs, but Longoria is the obvious choice here based on production.



Catcher: Victor Martinez- Cleveland Indians: Let the criticism come! I almost plugged in Joe Mauer here, but I don't think it is fair to Martinez who has compiled a fine year himself and has also been healthy the whole year so far. Sure Mauer's average is hovering around .400, but Martinez has been consistently well above .300 throughout the whole year and has 100 more at bats than Mauer. Mauer will obviously be the second catcher selected to the All-Star team; I just don't think he should start after missing the first month of the season.



Outfield (1): Jason Bay- Boston Red Sox: It was a tough call for the three starting outfielders because many in the AL have had great years thusfar. The first nod has to go to Jason Bay who leads all outfielders in home runs with 19, and leading all of the AL in RBI's. Bay obviously could get his average a little higher since it is around .260, but the power he has displayed thusfar does not lie.



Oufield (2): Carl Crawford- Tampa Bay Rays: Crawford is having one of the greatest seasons in the history of baseball on the basepaths since Ricky Henderson. Crawford already has 40 steals, six of those coming in one game earlier this year against the Boston Red Sox. Crawford is also fourth in the American League with a .320 batting average to go along with 8 home runs.



Outfield (3): Torii Hunter-Los Angeles Angels: Vlad may have had a disappointing first half of the year for Angels, but Hunter certainly did not disappoint. Hunter has carried the Angels offense back into the hunt for the American League West title. His stat line is certainly impressive all around with a .305 average, 17 home runs, 59 RBI's and 13 steals.





National League:



First Baseman: Albert Pujols- St. Louis Cardinals: This is as close to a lock as it gets. If there was a first half MVP, Pujold would win the National Leagu side, leading the league in home runs and RBI's as of July 2nd. Prince Fielder and Adrian Gonzalez are both very much deserving, but with the kind of year Pujols is having, it is just bad luck and timing for them. Oh yeah, and don't forget about a guy named Ryan Howard too.

Second Baseman: Chase Utley- Philadelphia Phillies: This is another one that the fans will have gotten right. Utley leads all NL second basemen with 17 home runs and 52 RBI's. The second base crop isn't relatively strong as Utley beats out Orlando Hudson and Brandon Phillips.

Shortstop: Hanley Ramirez- Florida Marlins: The National League seems so much easier than the AL. Ramirez is another lock to start in St. Louis in two weeks. He leads all shortstops in every major statistical category (.348, 13HR, 58 RBI's, 12 SB)

Third Baseman: Mark Reynolds- Arizona D'Backs: And this is where it begins to get tricky. There are many third basemen who are dserving to head to St. Louis, but no one really stands out in front of the others. Let's look. Ryan Zimmerman had the hit streak going for him and is having a solid year with a batting average hovering around .300 with 13 home runs. David Wright is hitting .340, but his power has been lost this year, only belting 5 home runs. Casey Blake has been good in LA, but his overall numbers are weaker than Zimmerman's. That leaves me to select Mark Reynolds of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Ok, so the D-Back's have not had a great year so you may not know a lot about this slugger. But truth be told, even though Reynolds is batting .270 (the lowest average of the previously mentioned players), he does lead all NL third basemen in home runs (21) and RBI's (56). Not bad for a player whose team is eighteen and a half games back of first in the NL West.

Catcher: Bengie Molina- San Francisco Giants: So the catchers in the NL haven't been so great this year. Brian McCann has been hurt, Russell Martin isn't hitting well, and Geovany Soto has had his struggles too. Who would have thought, but Bengie Molina has quietly put together a nice season with 10 home runs and 46 RBI's, leading all catchers in those two categories.

Outfield (1): Raul Ibanez-Philadelphia Phillies: Ibanez may be hurt now, but he is still well-deserving of starting in the All-Star game. His 22 home runs still tops all NL outfielders and the 59 RBI's are not too bad either. Ibanez has been a great hitter for the last five years . Now that he is finally on a good team, fans are starting to notice what kind of player he is now and has been in the past.

Outfield (2): Ryan Braun- Milwaukee Brewers: Braun should be well on his way to starting his second consecutive All-Star game. One of the yey cogs in the Brewer lineup, Braun's average has topped out at .330 and he has 16 home runs to complement that. Although Prince Fielder may be more deserving to be an All-Star starter than his teammate, Braun gets the benefit from a weaker outfielder class than first base.

Outfield (3): Andre Ethier- Los Angeles Dodgers: Ethier is the main reason why the Dodgers are 7 games above .500 without Manny Ramirez in the lineup. His offense has been huge, with 15 home runs and 52 RBI's. Although he is struggling to keep his batting average above .250, you can not deny how valuable and huge he has been to the Dodger lineup. His teammate Matt Kemp, the Rockies Brad Hawpe, and Nationals Adam Dunn are all also well-dserving, but Ethier gets the slight edge of having good numbers on a good team.

About Me

Hi,

My name is Daniel Ricci and I am an inspiring 17 year old sports fan. My favorite teams are the Milwaukee Brewers, Bucks, and Green Bay Packers. My dream job is to be a sports announcer or beat writer for a professional sports team. Right now, I will be entering my senior year in high school and am using this blog to practice my writing and arguing. Feel free to disagree with my posts...I encourage it!