Blog Archives
The Premature Baseball Power Rankings
Here’s my list from 1-30: Notice there are a lot of AL teams at the top of the list.
Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees (Sodahead)
Improved rotation has the Yankees much improved after last years early playoff exit
After two straight World Series defeats, is this team becoming baseball’s version of the Buffalo Bills?
Rotation depth and the return of Carlos Pena have the Rays as a legitimate contender.
After two straight years of their bats failing in the playoffs, has their time finally run out?
5. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
With the acquisitions of Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson, do the Angels have enough to reclaim the top spot in the AL West?
Not much change in personnel here. Will the new manager have a positive effect on this team in a stacked AL East.
New Angels Signing, Albert Pujols (Davis Sports)
How long will it take for the Tigers to realize Miguel Cabrera can’t play third base?
I still don’t know how they won the World Series. How big of a loss will Albert Pujols and Tony La Russa be to this storied franchise?
Team added pieces in the off-season. How will they fare after last season’s surprise post season appearance?
10. Miami Marlins
This team is going to be a reality show. Either it’s going to go quite well or horribly wrong.
11. Atlanta Braves
Team didn’t do much in the off-season after a staggering collapse. How will it fare in the improved NL East?
12. Cincinnati Reds
Is this the year the Reds finally return to the playoffs?
Tulo of the Colorado Rockies (PicturesDepot)
13. Colorado Rockies
After a disappointing 2011, will their acquisitions of multiple 30+ year olds lead them to success?
There hasn’t been this much excitement for the Nationals, well ever. Too bad they’re in the NL East.
They be around .500 again and finish in fourth place in the gruesome AL East.
If this team could hit, they’d be a playoff team. However, they can’t.
Minus Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun suspended 50 games, these Brewers aren’t going anywhere.
Young and up coming team. They won’t contend this year, but have a bright future.
Will Matt Kemp have a 40-40 season (WordPress)
Matt Kemp is one heck of a player.
Health, health, health and Fausto Carmona–I mean Roberto Hernandez Heredia.
21. San Diego Padres
Lost their ace and best hitter the past two off seasons. However, they do have a lot of young talent, so the cupboard isn’t bare.
22. Minnesota Twins
If Joe Mauer and Justin Mourneau stay healthy, they could be a lot better than people expect.
23. Chicago Cubs
How long will it take for new GM Theo Epstein to turn this cursed franchise around?
I really don’t now what the make of this team. How will Robin Ventura fare in his first managerial job?
25. Seattle Mariners
Thankfully for them, the Oakland A’s are in their division. Poor Mariners.
26. New York Mets
It’s hard to believe that a team could be so bad that their GM is laughing his team. It’s tough being #2 to the Yankees in New York I guess.
There are three guarantees in life: death, taxes, the Pirates will finish under .500 this year.
In a way you should pity this team, but the AL East teams need someone to beat up on. Why not the Orioles?
29. Oakland A’s
Move to San José already!
30. Houston Astros
It’s hard to understand how a team in such a large market can be this bad. 100 losses is again on the horizon.
Related articles
- 5 MLB Teams Doomed to Disappoint in 2012 (bleacherreport.com)
- Ranking AL East Bullpens and Benches (yankeesfansunite.wordpress.com)
- From Pujols’ contract to Braun’s ban, spring training questions abound (cbssports.com)
- The Highest Paid Baseball Players (celebritynetworth.com)
The Top Rivalries in Sports…
After watching the Duke vs. North Carolina men’s basketball game, I came up with the idea of listing my favorite professional sports rivalries.
I am going to name one rivalry for each of the following professional sports: NBA, MLB, NFL, Football/Soccer.
Basketball
Image via Sports of Boston
Los Angeles Lakers/Boston Celtics
This was a pretty easy one to pick. The Lakers and the Celtics have 16 and 17 titles respectively which represents 33 of the 65 NBA championships. The Lakers and the Celtics rivalry started with the 1959 NBA Finals with the Celtics winning the NBA title in a four game sweep. In the postseason the Lakers and Celtics has faced off in 12 series (all in the finals) which the Celtics winning 9 out of the 12; however the Lakers have won three of the past four.
These two franchises are the two most storied in the NBA having more hall of famers than any other franchise. Great Celtics who have had their number retired include: Robert Parish, Dennis Johnson, Bill Russell, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, John Havlicek, Tommy Heinson. K.C. Jones, Sam Jones, and many others; a total of 33 people who have ties with the Celtics are in the Basketball Hall of Fame, more than any other team. Great Lakers who have had their number retied include: Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, Gail Goodrich, Jerry West, and James Worth; a total of 23 people who have ties with the Lakers are in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Baseball
New York Yankees/Boston Red Sox
via FanSnap
I have to admit I am very biased here. I am a die hard Yankee fan. The Yankees are the most successful baseball team in terms of World Series titles BY FAR. The Yankees and the Red Sox have had a rivalry ever since Babe Ruth was sold by the Red Sox to the Yankees which started the legendary “Curse of the Bambino.” The Red Sox between 1918 to 2004, a total of 86 years, the Sox did not win a single World Series title while the Yankees won 26. However, it all changed in 2004 when the Red Sox became the baseball only team to overcome a 3-0 series deficit and win the series. This lead the Red Sox to winning the 2o04 title and the 2007 title. Over the past 15 years the Red Sox/Yankees rivalry has become the center of baseball with both team being penennial World Series contenders.
In the regular season the Yankees have won 1,132 games to the Red Sox 954. In the postseason they’ve only faced off in three series (all the ALCS) with the Yankees winning two of the three series. Both teams have had many players who are currently in the Baseball Hall of Fame. The Yankees have 16 people who have their number retired including: Billy Martin, Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Bill Dickey, Yogi Berra, Phil Rizzuto, Roger Maris, Thurman Munson, Whitey Ford, Don Mattingly, Elston Howard, Reggie Jackson, Ron Guidry, Casey Stengel, and Jackie Robinson. The Red Sox have ten numbers retired including: Bobby Doerr, Joe Cronin, Johnny Pesky, Carl Yastrzemski, Ted Williams, Jim Rice, Carlton Fisk, and Jackie Robinson.
Football
This one I am not going to go two far into depth, I am just going to list matchups which were important during a period.
2000-2010: New England Patriots/Indianapolis Colts
1990-1999: Dallas Cowboys/San Francisco 49ers
1980-1989: San Francisco 49ers/New York Giants
1970-1979: Oakland Raiders/Pittsburgh Steelers, Dallas Cowboys/Pittsburgh Steelers
I don’t feel like going any further…
Football/Soccer
This was an easy pick. These are currently the two best club teams in the world. Both are based in Spain. There are the #1 and #2 earning clubs in the world. There players and fans have an intense dislike/hatred towards one another which stems from regional ties. The rivalry intensified following the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s. El Clasico’ is the game which all football fans clamor are eager to see because of the immense talent of the players on the pitch, the intensity of the game, and the bragging rights.
I am not going to list all of the great players for these squads because that’d take way too long.
| Head to Head Matches | |||
| Barcelona | Real Madrid | Draws | |
| League | 64 | 68 | 31 |
| Copa del Rey | 14 | 10 | 6 |
| Spanish Super Cup | 3 | 5 | 2 |
| League Cup | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| UEFA Champions Leagues | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Total | 85 | 86 | 46 |
| Titles | ||
| Barcelona | Real Madrid | |
| La Liga | 21 | 31 |
| Copa del Rey | 25 | 18 |
| Supercopa De Espana | 10 | 8 |
| Other Domestic Titles | 5 | 2 |
| Domestic Total | 61 | 59 |
| European Cup/UEFA Champions League | 4 | 9 |
| UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League | 0 | 2 |
| UEFA Cup Winners Cup | 4 | 0 |
| UEFA Super Cup | 4 | 1 |
| FIFA Club World Cup | 2 | 0 |
| Intercontinental Cup | 0 | 3 |
| International Total | 14 | 15 |
| Total | 75 | 74 |
