Playoff Pandemonium

With a week of MLB post-season action in the books, we only have one series decided and plenty of drama still surrounding the three other divisional series match ups. Following an insane finish to the regular season with the Rays and Cardinals edging into the playoffs, the intensity hasn't even come close to letting up. Let's take a look at what's happened so far, and predict what each series has in store.

Yankees vs. Tigers (series tied at 2-2)
Just when it looked like the pinstripes were dead and buried down 2-1 in the series, they came up with a huge 10-1 road victory in game 4 to set up a showdown in the Bronx for all the marbles. Nobody figured that the much maligned AJ Burnett would be the savior for the bombers, but he shocked the world with one of his best pitching performances when it mattered most. The momentum has clearly shifted in the Yankees favor and it will take a very impressive effort from the Tigers to avoid elimination. Doug Fister will take the hill tomorrow against Yank's rookie Ivan Nova. Fister fell to Nova in game 1 of the series, but there's reason to believe he could redeem himself in game 5. Since getting traded from Seattle to Detroit in July, Fister only allowed more than two runs twice (including the game 1 loss against the Yankees). I'm going to go against the odds and pick Detroit to surprise the baseball universe on Thursday. Prediction: Tigers in 5 games.

Three Up, Three Down

With two weeks of NFL action in the books, it's safe to make some early predictions about the movers and shakers around the league. The reason this sport is so exciting is because each season you never know what's going to happen. Unlike baseball, where the best teams are almost always at the top, football features a ton of shifting of gears from year to year. Especially this season with the insanity of the short free agent period following the lockout. Of course some stalwarts are almost always going to be in the mix, but it's never a guarantee. Heading into Week 3, let's take a look at the top three and bottom three teams in the NFL so far.

Joker Continues to Rule the Court

Nobody can seem to stop Novak Djokovic. Not Rafael Nadal. Not Roger Federer. The World's #1 player proved once again that he is in a league of his own in 2011 topping both Rafa and Fed en route to the U.S. Open Championship.  With his third major title of the year, it's clear that Djokovic is having one of the greatest tennis seasons of all-time.

2011 NFL Season Predictions

It's "Christmas Day" for NFL fans with the first kickoff of the year set for tonight in Green Bay, Wisconsin. A prime time match up between the past two Super Bowl Champions definitely has America salivating. Could one of these teams create a dynasty before our eyes, or will a new winner rise to the top? Before the opening coin toss, I'm going to put on my "Jimmy The Greek" hat and go out on a limb with some predictions for the upcoming season.

Tight End Breakouts and Busts

It's time for the final segment of a four part series on breakouts and busts for the 2011 fantasy football season. Last, but not least, it's Tight Ends.

Breakout: Jimmy Graham- When you hear the term "freak athlete", chances are Jimmy Graham fits the bill. At 6'6" and 260 lbs, he is match up nightmare. The Saints TE has an outstanding opportunity to join the top tier at his position this year. Obviously, the fact that he's a member of the top-ranked New Orleans passing attack doesn't hurt. Drew Brees has a knack for finding his tight ends in the end zone, and he's never had a physical specimen like Graham before (sorry Jeremy Shockey, that doesn't apply to you). Like his predecessor at the position, Graham comes from "The U", a school that's knowing for pumping out star TE's. In his rookie year in 2010, the ex-Hurricane stormed onto the scene with 4 TD's in his final three games. Pace that out to a whole season, and you're looking at broken records.
Prediction: 900 Receiving Yards, 10 TD's

Wide Receiver Breakouts and Busts

We're moving on to part three of a four part series on fantasy football breakouts and busts. Today, I'm breaking down the most under and overhyped wide receivers for the 2011 seasons. Coincidentally, both are connected to Manning brothers. Check out my breakdowns of RB's and QB's while you're at it.

Breakout: Mario Manningham- Last year, Hakeem Nicks was the big breakout candidate for the Giants, but this season it could be his team mate Mario Manningham who steals the show.  Manningham didn't get a ton of pub early in 2010, but down the stretch he was dynamite. In his final three games, the Giants wideout tallied an astonishing 346 yards and 4 TD's. The former Michigan man is about to earn his stripes for Big Blue. Look, we know the Giants offense is going to score plenty of points with Eli Manning tossing the rock on regular basis. With Nicks garnering the top attention from opposing defenses, look for Manningham to exploit a number cornerbacks for monster games. I wouldn't be surprised if both Giants WR's put up top 10 totals at their position this season.
Prediction: 1200 Receiving Yards, 12 TD's

Running Back Breakouts and Busts

Part two of the breakouts and busts feature spotlights the most overrated and underrated running backs heading into the 2011 season. This will focus on the statistical perspective as it relates to fantasy football.

Breakout: Felix Jones- No one has ever denied Jones' talent, but despite occasional flashes of brilliance over his first three years in the league, he has yet to put it together for a full season. That will all change this year. A combination of system, maturation, and opportunity will create a perfect storm for the Cowboys lightning bug. In previous years, Felix the cat has had to share a crowded backfield in Big D with the likes of over-the-hill vets Julius Jones, Marion Barber, and more. With those guys gone, the feature role is now all on the Arkansas alum and he'll have plenty of opportunities to shine in the high-octane Tony Romo-led offense. I foresee a rise to elite level, in the vein of LeSean "Shady" McCoy.
Prediction: 1100 Rushing Yards, 500 Receiving Yards, 8 total TD's.

Quarterback Breakouts and Busts

The summer of chaos is over and in just four days NFL fans will be brought back to stability. This Thursday, all will be forgiven when the first kick off of the season takes place. What better place to start it up than the home of the team that took the last Lombardi Trophy, the Green Bay Packers. It will be a fantasy lover's dream as two of the game's most potent offenses square off. The high flying Pack vs. the 2009 Super Bowl winning New Orleans Saints. Tough to top any matchup that features elite QB's Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees. As excited as I am to see the juggernauts butt heads, I'm here today to talk about the guys that are severely overrated at their position and those that don't get the credit they deserve. Welcome to Breakouts and Busts: Quarterback Edition.

Golf's Identity Crisis

Raise your hand if you knew the name Keegan Bradley before this weekend. Don't worry, you're not alone if couldn't pick the PGA's most recent major winner out of a lineup. With one total tour victory coming in, the rookie became the latest in a long line of obscure players to take home trophys over the past couple years. In fact, Bradley became the seventh straight first-time major winner when he edged fellow unknown Jason Dufner at the PGA Championship on Sunday. The question everyone is now wondering: Is this anonymity the new norm in golf?

The Hall Comes Calling

There's simply no place on earth like Cooperstown. The upstate New York town may be tiny, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in history. It's claim to fame is the Baseball Hall of Fame. If you're a fan of "America's Pastime" it's gotta be on your bucket list. The location is kind of off the beaten path (there are no cities of note within an hour), but those that make the trek, like I did in February, are truly rewarded. This weekend, thousands flocked to Cooperstown to help usher in a new trio to the ranks of the Baseball Hall of Fame. The Class of 2011 includes players Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven as well as GM Pat Gillick. It's tough to describe in words what the three did for the game, but after the jump, I'll try to do them justice.

Flipping Fields

It's a marathon, not a sprint. The Major League Baseball season is not for the faint of heart. From March to November, encompassing nearly three-quarters of the calendar year, baseball is all about the long run. So, you can't blame fans if they fall into mid-summer lulls while waiting for the playoffs to heat up. The All-Star game is a nice temporary pick-me-up, but the biggest way to add spice to the season is the trade deadline. At this point, it's clear which teams are going to be buyers and sellers. With the deal D-day just a week away on July 31, it's time to speculate where some of the big names in the game will be moving. Let's countdown the top candidates who could be switching jerseys come August.

1.) Ubaldo Jimenez, Colorado Rockies, SP- One position that every team can never have enough of down the stretch is a starting pitcher. No SP has GM's salivating like Ubaldo Jimenez. With the Rockies looking like playoff long shots, Jimenez has a great shot of swapping cities. Colorado has said that they will definitely be looking at offers for their ace. Although it will likely be extremely costly to acquire last year's breakout pitching star, that won't stop big market teams from offering up the farm for him.

MLB Power Poll

We're in the dog days of summer and the main focus in the world of sports is on baseball. After a huge turnover in the last edition of the MLB Power Poll, week three is much more stable. At the top, it's the same first five lineup. As we roll down the list though, we see some newcomers join the party. Injuries also play a major part this week. Let's see where the shakeups affect the latest Top 10.

Top 10

1.) Boston Red Sox [1] (43-28)- The heat hasn't cooled in Boston. Fresh off a Stanley Cup Championship for the Bruins, the Red Sox have given the "nation" more to cheer for. After taking 2 of 3 from the 4th ranked Brewers, the BoSox have now won five straight series dating all the way back to May. One dark mark is young flamethrower Clay Buchholtz landing on the DL with a back strain.
2.) Philadelphia Phillies [2] (45-28)- Smoothing sailing for the Phillies this month. It's almost become expected for the Phils to go streaking and sure enough Philadelphia has won eight of 10. What makes their consistent winning even more impressive is that they haven't even really started to hit. Philly's ranked 20th in the league in batting average (.247).

Future's So Bright...

Rory McIlroy didn't need shades to show the world that he has the potential to be the next superstar of the PGA.  Rory roared out to a huge early lead in the second major of the year and never looked back. When all was said and done on Sunday at The Congressional Golf Course in our nation's capital, McIlroy had turned in the best score ever posted at the US Open. A brilliant -16 performance gave McIlroy the first major championship of his young career. It also helped erase some of the ugly memories of the 22-year-old's meltdown at the Masters earlier this year.

No Doubting Thomas in Cup Clincher

There's no way the NHL's championship round could live up to the hype of the NBA's title, but it didn't have to. The Stanley Cup Finals were excellent in their own right. In the end, the Boston Bruins went the distance to top the Vancouver Canucks on the road in game 7 to capture their first championship since 1972. The hero of the series, and for the entire playoffs for that matter, was Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas. More so than in any other sport, a hot goalie can almost singlehandedly carry his team to a title, and that's exactly what Thomas did en route to the Conn Smythe trophy.

MLB Power Poll

Welcome to week two of the MLB Power Poll. We've got some major shakeups throughout the top 10 with the emergence of some red hot teams. The previous week's rankings are in brackets followed by the team's ranking in parentheses.

Top 10
1.) Boston Red Sox [6] (39-26)- Is this the same team that started the season with six straight losses and went 2-10 out of the gate. The Sawx can't be stopped now. A season long nine game win streak has them atop the AL East and just a 1/2 game behind the Phils for the best record in the bigs. Adrian Gonzalez has hit an RBI nine games in a row.

Mavs Become Made Men

NBA fans certainly got a treat in this year's finals. The Dallas Mavericks capped off an incredible playoff run by beating the Miami Heat 105-95 in game six to win their first ever championship 4-2. This was definitely one of the more memorable NBA Titles in my lifetime. It's easy to see why this showdown riveted basketball fans for the past two weeks.

Triple Crown Not Fit For Any Kings

It hasn't happened since I was born. It's now been 32 years since the last Triple Crown winner in horse racing. Not since Affirmed accomplished the feat in 1978 has a horse triumphed in the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes in the same year. The streak continued for another year and this time it wasn't even close. All three races had different winners. 24-1 Long shot Ruler on Ice captured today's Belmont, Shackleford won the Preakness at Pimlico, and Animal Kingdom took the Kentucky Derby. So, after more than three decades with no horse racing domination, what's the deal? Maybe the better question is, 'why is it so hard   to win the Triple Crown?'

Big Game in Big D

What a game. What a championship round. It's been a very entertaining see-saw of a series in the NBA finals so far, capped off by a brilliant showing in a pivotal Game 5 contest in Dallas. The Mavericks won a thriller 112-103 to take a crucial 3-2 advantage in the series. If you were to tell me last week that the Mavs would be a win away from taking home the title, I would have called you crazy. Looks like I was the crazy one.

Sen-sational

Never before had the Binghamton Senators won a championship of any kind...that is until tonight. The B-Sens beat the Houston Aeros on the road in game 6 of the American Hockey League Finals to capture their first ever title.  The Sens' story is an incredible one. I covered this team for three seasons from 2007-10 while working at the Fox affiliate in Binghamton, New York. I was able to follow the team like no one else while producing and hosting a 30-minute weekly show called appropriately enough "B-Sens Weekly." With some extra free time last week, I even got to serve as a Media Relations assistant during the Sens' homestand in the finals. Never in the depths of my wildest imagination did I think that this moment would come for a team that had to overcome so many hurdles. There's definitely no squad more deserving.

MLB Power Poll

Here's a new weekly feature that I'm going to try out every week. With the summer heating up, it's finally time to weed out the best and the worst in the MLB. My goal is to rank the current Top 10 teams in baseball with a short description as well as list the Bottom 5 each and every Monday. Let's play ball.




Top 10
1.) NY Yankees (33-24)- Top to bottom, this is the best team in baseball right now. The Yanks have only a one game lead over the Boston Red Sox in the AL East standings heading into a big rivalry series with the BoSox. They'll need to bring their "A" game to keep that lead.  Teammates Mark Teixeira and Curtis Granderson ranks 2nd and 3rd in HR. Props to the pinstripes pitchers for holding opponents to three runs or less over their last seven games.