2014 MLB Team Preview: Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers couldn’t make it out of Spring Training unscathed. Geovany Soto and super prospect Jurickson Profar are expected to be out at least three months with injuries. They aren’t a deep team, so these injuries will be felt early.

Texas made some big moves by acquiring Prince Fielder and Shin-Soo Choo to compete with the Joneses in the AL West. Oakland and Los Angeles will be pests and stay in the race all season.

Ian Kinsler was a big piece in Texas’s resurgence. Prince Fielder will be a nice source of offense, but will his weight become an issue late in the season?

Will the Rangers starting rotation be good enough to make the postseason?

Here is the 2014 MLB season preview for the Texas Rangers.

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2014 MLB Team Preview: Tampa Bay Rays

All offseason we talk about the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, but the Tampa Bay Rays always end up in the discussion at the end of the season. They build through the draft and develop their own, so they stay quiet while the Sox and Yanks throw around big money.

The Rays were second in the AL East, just behind the World Series champs. Matt Moore had a career year with 17 wins and they called up their gem prospect, Wil Myers. With all the young arms in the rotation, it’s hard to predict a win total this season. They could all have double-digit wins and lead the team to a 100-win season or a few could implode. I think it’s fair to say the Rays will land somewhere in the middle

Here is the 2014 MLB season preview for the Tampa Bay Rays.

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2014 MLB Team Preview: St. Louis Cardinals

As a Cubs fan, I really hate seeing the St. Louis Cardinals do well. They’re so stacked and seem to have a bottomless pool of elite pitchers they can call up from the minors.

Shelby Miller and Michael Wacha could both be at the top of the rotation for the next decade. Also, Matt Adams, Kolten Wong & Oscar Tavares could all be future All-Stars. They pick at the bottom of first-round in every MLB Draft. How do they always have one of the best farm systems?

The NL Central will be one of the most competitive divisions in the Majors. The Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates both have playoff-caliber teams. Can either team knock off St. Louis?

Here is the 2014 MLB season preview for the St. Louis Cardinals

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2014 MLB Team Preview: Seattle Mariners

The Mariners went on a spending spree this offseason. The started the offseason by giving Robinson Cano the ‘godfather offer’ and couldn’t refuse. They then added Corey Hart, Logan Morrison and Fernando Rodney.

The AL West is loaded this season (if you omit the Houston Astros). The Rangers, A’s and Angels are all expected to battle for the division crown and AL Wild Card spots. Is there room for Seattle in that race?

Players often have a down year immediately after they sign a huge long-term deal. Will Robinson Cano be an exception?

Here is the 2014 MLB season preview for the Seattle Mariners.

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2014 MLB Team Preview: San Francisco Giants

Going into last season, the San Francisco Giants were the defending World Series champions. Well, things didn’t line up perfectly and they fell flat on their faces. Buster Posey missed some time with an injury and pitchers Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum pitched poorly.

They come into this season healthy (sort of) and with a chip on their shoulder. Every baseball talking head has already given their rival Los Angeles Dodgers the NL West crown. They will do everything possible to keep that from happening. The Dodgers will have to fight for the division.

Can Pablo Sandoval keep his weight under control during the season?

Here is the 2014 MLB season preview for the San Francisco Giants.

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2014 NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen: Betting Picks Against The Spread

There have been some shocking upsets so far in the 2014 NCAA Tournament. A few are still alive and want the fairytale to not fade away. Dayton, Stanford, UConn and Tennessee hope to go even deeper in the tournament.

Tournament favorites Louisville, Michigan State and Florida are still alive. Many of the pundits have these three teams winning it all or meeting in the Final Four. I think they all have a shot at winning in the Sweet Sixteen.

One of the most intriguing match-ups is in Indianapolis. Kentucky faces in-state rival Louisville. The Wildcats beat them in December, but the teams have changed over the course of the season. Will the outcome be the same?

I pick all the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen games against the spread.

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2014 NBA Draft: Top 20 NBA Prospects

The 2014 NBA Draft is stacked. NBA teams have been tanking all season to get the most ping-pong balls in hopes of landing the #1 pick. Two players in particular have NBA teams drooling, Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker.

Not only does this draft have two potential All-Stars, but it’s deep. You could get a player late in the Lottery that could start right away. You don’t see that in most drafts. Actually, the top five players in this draft would have been #1 overall picks in last year’s draft.

Players will begin to announce their intentions to either declare for the draft or stay in school. You have the usual suspects, but there are always a few wild cards that declare, but end up going back to school after the NBA Draft Combine

We list the top 20 prospects in the 2014 NBA Draft.

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Gwar frontman Oderus Urungus Found Dead

The Grammy-nominated metal band Gwar has been around for 30 years. They are known for their elaborate costumes and crazy concert antics. I first heard of them in the 90’s during a few episodes of MTV’s ‘Beavis and Butthead’.

Original member and lead singer Dave Brockie, known on stage as Oderus Urungus, was found dead at the age of 50 by his roommate last night. Gwar’s former bass guitarist confirmed the news.

In a recent interview, he described the band as punk rock. He was referring to his band’s style as a DIY group from the beginning. They did their own thing and had an extensive touring schedule. They played every hole in the wall and major venue all over the world.

Lamb of God frontman Randall Blythe said it best. “Dave TRULY WAS ONE OF A KIND – I can’t think of ANYONE even remotely like him. That’s VERY HARD TO SAY.”

I leave you with a few of my favorite videos of Oderus Urungus.

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Can Pacers Still Win NBA Championship?

It has been a tale of two seasons for the Indiana Pacers. They began the season playing like the best team in the NBA, but they’ve hit a wall since the trade deadline.

Thanks to the Miami Heat’s recent struggles, the Pacers find themselves with the best record in the Eastern Conference. They have been an average team since early February.

Indiana was the best defensive team in the NBA, but have allowed multiple 100+ point games in the past few weeks. Paul George and Roy Hibbert haven’t played like All-Stars and the addition of Andrew Bynum, Evan Turner and Lavoy Allen haven’t made the team better.

Can the Pacers hold off the Miami Heat and keep the #1 seed in the East?

Do they match up well with the top five teams in the NBA?

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Dayton Newspaper Trolls Ohio State Fans

The Dayton Flyers upset in-state powerhouse THE Ohio State Buckeyes in the NCAA Tournament. The Dayton Daily News knew exactly how to rub salt on the wound.

The person who thought of the ‘THE University of Dayton’ headline should be given a promotion.

2014 NCAA Tournament: Betting Picks Against The Spread

I love the NCAA Tournament. It’s my favorite time of year. The underdog victories in early rounds and the yearly tradition of coming up with a creative excuse to call in sick to work on Thursday and Friday. It should be a national holiday.

Since Sunday, I’ve been filling out NCAA Tournament brackets, writing game previews and scouring sites for College Basketball odds. I had to wait a few hours for them since they weren’t immediately available after the Selection Show.

I have a ritual the first day of the tournament. I spend the first few hours at home watching the first two sets of games (probably still in my pajamas). I then make it to a Buffalo Wild Wings or BBQ rib joint and watch the next set. I then close out the night back at home drinking a six-pack of good IPAs.

I pick all the NCAA Tournament first (second?) round games against the spread. Can Harvard pull off the upset against Cincinnati?

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2014 March Madness: #7 Texas vs #10 Arizona State

We are picking every NCAA Tournament game in an effort to help you fill out your bracket and win your office pool.

Texas doesn’t have a good track record in the NCAA Tournament. The blame is often placed on head coach Rick Barnes…and it should be. If you can’t win a few games with Kevin Durant on your team, something is wrong.

Arizona State’s backcourt is one of the best in the Pac-12. They run their offense through them and take good shots. It helps that they have more than one player who can shoot the lights out from deep.

Who do you think will win? We help you fill out your bracket.

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