Orioles Magic

Tuesday, April 28 - Wednesday, April 29

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (7-11) at Baltimore Orioles (9-11)

Pitching Matchups

Tuesday: LAA - Joe Saunders (2-1, 3.51)
BAL - Adam Eaton (1-2, 7.04)

Wednesday: LAA - Matt Palmer (1-0, 6.00)
BAL - Koji Uehara (2-1, 4.56)

The Orioles are looking to rebound against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim after dropping 3 of 4 against the Texas Rangers. The O's pitched decently against the Rangers but dropped three close games.

The Angels have been beset by tragedy and injuries to start the season. There was the tragic death of picther Nick Adenhart a few weeks ago, plus injuries to Vladimir Guerrero and pitcher John Lackey have caused the Angels to stumble out of the gate. The Angels rotation is led by Jered Weaver, and tonight's starter Joe Saunders. Their offense has been carried by free agent pickup, RF Bobby Abreu, who leads the team with a .375 average. CF Tori Hunter is also hitting well, he leads the team in home runs (7) and RBIs (14).

Not much has changed for the Orioles when it comes to offense. The top of the order is still hitting the ball well, while the bottom half of the order continues to struggle. For the Orioles to have any chance to compete they have to get consistent hitting from top to bottom. The call up of C Matt Weiters can't happen soon enough, as C Gregg Zaun is hitting atrociously (.120, 0 HR, 1 RBI).

Tonight's Orioles starter Adam Eaton had an encouraging outing against the White Sox in his last start, and tomorrow' starter Koji Uehara has shown flashes of what he could be. It would be nice if the O's could rattle off a couple of wins here, before they head on the road to Toronto and Tampa Bay.

The Week That Was

Trying to find time for the blog over the past week has been difficult to say the least. However, I owe it to my loyal readers to give my best effort. It is one of the best times of year to be a sports fan. The NBA and NHL Playoffs are in full swing, and the NFL continues to dominate headlines, even in its off season, with the NFL Draft.

The Washington Capitals have come back from the brink of elimination to even their series with the New York Rangers, 3-3. Tuesday night the Caps will host the Rangers and try to complete the come back from a 3-1 deficit. If it seems like deja vu from last year that is because it is. The Caps got behind the Philadelphia Flyers last year 3-1, before making a frantic comeback to even the series at 3. They had the deciding seventh game at the Verizon Center but fell in overtime. Hopefully, they can re write a new chapter tomorrow night.

The NBA Playoffs have been very entertaining, with many games coming right down to the final buzzer. The Chicago Bulls and Boston Celtics are engaged in a tremendous series, that is now 2 apiece after the Bulls overtime win yesterday. I wish I could be watching more of this series as it has been tremendous. Derrick Rose and Rajon Rondo continue to play a game of can you top this.

The Los Angeles Lakers got a key victory over the Jazz on Saturday in Utah to take a 3-1 series lead. After a miserable game three, Kobe Bryant went off in game four. It is only a matter of time before the Lakers close out the Jazz.

The NFL Draft was this past Saturday and some of the major picks by the San Franciso 49ers, Washington Redskins, Minnesota Vikings, and Philadelphia Eagles were tremendous. The Niners had Texas Tech WR Michael Crabtree fall into their laps after the Oakland Raiders passed on him for Maryland WR Darius Heyward-Bey. Crabtree gives the Niners a young, bonafide receiver and should help take some of the pressure off RB Frank Gore. The Niners could still use some help at the QB position but you can't argue with them taking Crabtree. The Redskins avoided being stupid and trading up for incredibly overrated QB Mark Sanchez out of USC, and instead stuck at #13 and took Texas Defensive End Brian Orakpo. The Redskins are mostly very old on the defensive line but with the additions of Orakpo and Haynesworth in the off-season should be much more improved up front. That could be scary for the rest of the league as the Skins were already the 4th best defense in the NFL last year without those two. The Vikings took WR Percy Harvin of Florida, who had slipped because of character questions. It reminded me of when the Vikings had Randy Moss fall into their laps. I don't think Harvin will have the career of Moss but he is ridiculously talented, and his speed will be in full effect on the Metrodome turf. The Vikings, like the Niners, still need to upgrade the QB position but based on where they were drafting this was the best pick they could have made. The Eagles confused me a bit by taking Missouri WR Jeremy Maclin in the first round, but then made a great pick when they got Pittsburgh RB LeSean McCoy. McCoy will take some pressure off of Brian Westbrook and gives the Eagles another versatile option in their backfield. Adding Maclin to their receiving corps gives the Eagles two young, talented receivers, as Maclin will join last year's rookie sensation DeSean Jackson.

Orioles Magic

Tuesday, April 21 - Thursday, April 23

Chicago White Sox (7-5) at Baltimore Orioles (6-7)

Pitching Matchups

Tuesday: CWS - Jose Contreras (0-2, 6.97)
BAL - Brad Bergesen

Wednesday: CWS - John Danks (1-0, 0.75)
BAL - Jeremy Guthrie (2-0, 4.32)

Thursday: CWS - Bartolo Colon (1-0, 3.86)
BAL - Adam Eaton (0-2, 11.25)

The Orioles return home after a dreadful weekend series against the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox swept the Orioles in convincing fashion and further highlighted the pitching woes that permeate throughout the Orioles rotation. The Orioles bats cooled considerably against the Red Sox, mix that with the horrible pitching and the result was four straight losses in Boston. The Orioles played well at home in the first week of the season and hopefully can get back on track against the Chicago White Sox.

The White Sox are doing alright to start the season, currently 7-5 on the year. They played very well in their weekend series at Tampa Bay, taking three of four. Offensively, they are led by RF Jermaine Dye (.370, 4 HR, 9 RBI) and LF Carlos Quentin (.02, 7 HR, 13 RBI). Mark Buehrle is the White Sox best pitcher, thankfully the Orioles will avoid him in this series.

The Orioles continue to have the top of their order hit well but they need more guys to step up. Aubrey Huff is off to a bit of a slow start, hitting just .265 and only managing 1 HR. The Orioles leading home run hitter has two, which is not good, some of these guys need to start hitting for power.

Brad Bergesen makes his debut for the Orioles tonight as they continue to try to search for a consistent starting five. Adam Eaton gets the start Thursday and he will likely need to perform well to avoid being dropped from the rotation. Losers of five straight, the Orioles are desperate for a victory.

The Week That Was

The second seasons for both the NBA and NHL began this past week, and each had their fair share of surprises. In the NBA, four of the eight road teams won Game 1 of their series. The Chicago Bulls put in an inspired effort, led by stud Derrick Rose's 36 points and knocked off the Celtics in overtime, 105-103. Hopefully, the Bulls can take another game in Boston but even if they don't they at least assured themselves a split. It will be imperative for them to sweep at home if they want to pull off the upset, because the chances of them winning another game in Boston are slim. The biggest upset of the weekend was the Philadelphia 76ers defeating the Orlando Magic. The Sixers were down by as many as 18 in the third quarter but staged a furious rally in the fourth. Andre Iguodala hit a shot at the buzzer to give the Sixers the win, and atone for missing two free throws a minute earlier that could have put the Sixers ahead. Other road teams that won were the Houston Rockets over the Portland Trail Blazers in a rout, and the Dallas Mavericks storming from behind to beat the San Antonio Spurts. The heavy favorites to reach the NBA Finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Los Angeles Lakers had no trouble in their Game 1's.

The Washington Capitals had one of their best seasons in franchise history but it appears one thing hasn't changed, they still choke in the playoffs. The Caps dropped the first two games at home against the New York Rangers and now face a must win at Madison Square Garden tonight. The Capitals switched goalies after starting goalie Jose Theodore performed poorly in a 4-3, Game 1 loss. They inserted rookie goaltender, Simeon Varlamov, for Game 2. Varlamov only gave up a goal, but was outplayed by Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. Caps star Alexander Ovechkin hasn't scored a goal yet and it is imperative for the Caps that he get off the schneid tonight.

News broke last week that the Washington Wizards are poised to name Flip Saunders their new head coach. Saunders has previously been the head coach of the Minnesota Timeberwolves and Detroit Pistons. Saunders teams have consistently done well in the regular season but faltered and fell short of expectations in the playoffs. Saunders is known as an offensive mastermind, and it is believed he can make the Wizards even more potent on offense than they already are. I think Avery Johnson would have been the better hire. The Wizards haven't lacked scoring punch all of these years, they have lacked defense. I think Johnson could have instilled that toughness. I don't think Saunders is a bad hire, and I think he can get the Wizards into the playoffs, but if the goal is to win championships I think Johnson would have been the better choice.

My flag football team, Ron Burgundy, dropped their first game of the season yesterday, 24-2. The game was closer than the score indicates as we had many scoring opportunities but couldn't punch the ball into the end zone. The team we played, The Show, were very good, especially this one girl they had who burned us for multiple touchdowns. We play again on Sunday, thankfully at 3 PM, as yesterday's 9 AM start time was not fun.

Orioles Magic

Friday, April 17 - Monday, April 20

Baltimore Orioles (6-3) at Boston Red Sox (3-6)

Pitching Matchups

Friday: BAL - Jeremy Guthrie (2-0, 2.25)
BOS - Brad Penny (1-0, 4.50)

Saturday: BAL - Adam Eaton (0-1, 9.00)
BOS - Josh Beckett (1-1, 3.46)

Sunday: BAL - Koji Uehara (2-0, 7.20)
BOS - John Lester (0-2, 9.00)

Monday: BAL - Mark Hendrickson (1-1, 3.00)
BOS - Justin Masterson (1-1, 4.50)

The Orioles won their third consecutive series to open the season, improving to 6-3. Through the first nine games the Orioles have followed the same pattern. Win the first two games of a series, get shellacked in the third. Despite their 6-3 start, the O's are -13 in run differential, showing that the pitching is still not what the Orioles need it to be.

They head to Boston to take on the Red Sox, who have also gotten off to a surprising start, except in a negative way. The Red Sox come into the series 3-6 and in last place in the AL East. The Red Sox offense is performing poorly, they are currently 12th in the American League with a .242 batting average. 1B Kevin Youkilis and LF Jason Bay are the only two that are really hitting the ball well for them. Reigning AL MVP 2B Dustin Pedroia is hitting just .179, and DH David "Big Papi" Ortiz is hitting .176, with 0 HRs and 3 RBIs.

The O's continue to hit the ball well to open the season, Brian Roberts, Nick Markakis, and Adam Jones are all on a tear. It hurt the O's to put Melvin More on the 15-day DL as he had also gotten off to a hot start. The pitching is pretty much atrocious right now, with only Jeremy Guthrie being a truly reliable starter.

Unfortunately, the O's probably won't be able to avoid Red Sox P Josh Beckett, who has appealed his suspension and is scheduled to pitch Saturday. This series could be a great confidence booster for Baltimore if they can play well. I hope they can at least get a split of this 4 game set.

2009 NBA Playoffs

The NBA season kicks into high gear for the next two months as 16 teams battle to become NBA Champion. People have their complaints about the NBA and the NBA Playoffs. They say the players don't try hard enough and that the playoffs take too long. Some of that may be true but the best basketball is played in the NBA. The intensity of the playoffs is great to watch and will make for an interesting two months. Most people seem to think the NBA Finals will match the Cleveland Cavaliers against the Los Angeles Lakers, especially with the news that came yesterday that the defending champion Boston Celtics will likely be without Kevin Garnett for the playoffs. LeBron James vs. Kobe Bryant would be the ideal NBA Finals matchup but anything can happen.

Eastern Conference First Round

Best Series: #4 Atlanta Hawks (47-35) vs. #5 Miami Heat (43-39)

Honestly, the Bulls/Celtics series will be better than this one but I already previewed that series. This one will be the second most entertaining as the under the radar Hawks take on Dwayne Wade and the Heat. Wade would be reason enough to watch this series, in any other season he would be the MVP. He put up 30.2 points per game, 7.5 assists per game, and 1.5 blocks per game. He is the sole reason this team is even in the playoffs. Rookie PF Michael Beasley has picked up his play as of late and provided some help to Wade. The Hawks haven't been talked about much but they have an exciting team, one that is looking to take the next step after last season taking the Celtics to the limit. The Hawks are a very balanced team offensively, receiving contributions from SG Joe Johnson (21.4 points per game), PF Josh Smith (15.6 points per game, PG Mike Bibby (14.9 points per game), and SF Marvin Williams (13.9 points per game). Both teams are pretty good defensively and this should be a series that goes the full seven.

Any Upsets?: I don't think there will be any upsets in the First Round. I think the series will be competitively played for the most part but I like the matchups for all of the favorites in this round. I expect the Celtics and the Hawks to get the most trouble.

Individual Matchup to Watch: Cleveland's LeBron James vs. Detroit's Tayshaun Prince

It will be Prince's assignment to try to at least somewhat contain James. Prince is very skilled defensively and the Pistons held LeBron to 25.8 points a game in their 4 meetings this season. That is a ton of points but being kept relative that is a good night defensively against James. Some of that number has to do with the Cavs blowing the Pistons out and LeBron leaving the game early but not all of it. The Pistons have very little chance in this series, their only chance is try to somehow limit LeBron and force other Cavs to step up.

Predictions:
#1 Cleveland Cavaliers over #8 Detroit Pistons, 4-2
#4 Atlanta Hawks over #5 Miami Heat, 4-3
#2 Boston Celtics over #7 Chicago Bulls, 4-3
#3 Orlando Magic over #6 Philadelphia 76ers, 4-1


Western Conference First Round

Best Series: #4 Portland Trail Blazers (54-28) vs. #5 Houston Rockets (53-29)

The Trail Blazers began their ascension somewhat quicker than most might have suspected and now have earned home court advantage in the First Round. The Blazers are a highly entertaining team. SG Brandon Roy (22.6 points per game) is their star, who the Rockets know all too well. Early in the season these two played in a classic game, with Roy hitting an unbelievable shot at the buzzer to give the Blazers a victory. PF LaMarcus Aldridge also puts up huge numbers scoring and rebounding, 18.1 points per game and 7.5 rebounds. Centers Greg Oden and Joel Pryzbilla will have their work cut out for them with the Rockets C Yao Ming. Ming led the Rockets in scoring (19.7 per game), rebounding (9.9 per game), and blocks (1.95 per game). Yao was out with an injury in the Rockets First Round series last year. This year the Rockets will be missing Tracy McGrady, although honestly the team has played most of the year without him and been fine. A large reason for that was the addition of SF Ron Artest. Artest provided another scoring option to pick up McGrady's lost scoring and also has performed well on the defensive end, for which he has always been known. I think most of the games in this series will come down to the finish, ending with a classic game seven.

Any Upsets?: I like the #7 New Orleans Hornets (49-33) to knock off the #2 Denver Nuggets (54-28). The point guard battle between the Hornets Chris Paul and the Nuggets Chauncey Billups will be great to see. The effect that Billups has had on the Nuggets can't be denied but this team has been famous over the years for First Round flame outs. The Hornets have slightly underachieved this year but they have had some distractions and injuries to deal with. I know they come into the playoffs stumbling but I like how they matchup with the Nuggets. I think the Hornets can slow the Nuggets offense and Paul can carry them to the Second Round.

Individual Matchup to Watch: San Antonio's Tony Parker vs. Dallas' Jason Kidd

Kidd is going to have to try to go back to his defensive abilities of five years ago for the Mavericks to have any chance against the Spurs. Kidd was abused by Parker this season, as Parker averaged 31.3 points per game against the Mavericks, 9 points above his season average. Kidd is still an assist machine and can create on the offensive end but he is a definite defensive liability. The Spurs will be hurt with the loss of Manu Ginobli but I think they have such an advantage in point guard matchup that they will be fine against the Mavericks.

Predictions:
#1 Los Angeles Lakers over #8 Utah Jazz, 4-0
#4 Portland Trail Blazers over #5 Houston Rockets, 4-3
#7 New Orleans Hornets over #2 Denver Nuggets, 4-3
#3 San Antonio Spurs over #6 Dallas Mavericks, 4-2

2009 NBA Playoffs - Chicago Bulls (41-41)

Eastern Conference First Round

#2 Boston Celtics (62-20) vs. #7 Chicago Bulls (41-41)

The Chicago Bulls enter the playoffs playing their best basketball of the season. Since bringing in SF John Salmons and C Brad Miller from the Sacramento Kings in a deadline trade, the Bulls have gone 18-11 to finish the season at .500. In a matchup that brings back memories of the 80's they take on the defending NBA champions, the Boston Celtics.

Offensively, the Bulls are carried by rookie sensation PG Derrick Rose, SG Ben Gordon, and Salmons. Gordon led the team in scoring with 20.7 points per game, Salmons averaged 18.8 per game, and Rose was the one who brought it all together with 16.8 points per game, and 6.3 assists per game. On the defensive end the Bulls rely on PF Tyrus Thomas, who led the team in blocks with 1.9 per game and get contributions on the glass from Miller (7.3 rebounds per game) and C Joakim "Dog Face" Noah (7.6 rebounds per game).

The Celtics are known for their Big Three, SG Ray Allen (18.2 points per game), SF Paul Pierce (20.5 points per game), and PF Kevin Garnett (15.8 points per game, 8.5 rebounds per game). Breaking news this morning is that Garnett is likely out for the playoffs. This deals a big blow to the Celtics and greatly enhances the Bulls chances in this series. Oftentimes overlooked but just as important to the Celtics success is PG Rajon Rondo. Rondo put up 8.3 assists per game and was on fire when the season began. He cooled considerably as the season wore on and the Celtics will need him to catch fire again for the playoffs. C Kendrick Perkins quietly had a nice season, leading the team in blocks and rebounds per game. The Celtics also possess considerable depth, PG Eddie House, PF Leon Powe, PF Glen "Big Baby" Davis, and PG Stephon Marbury, can all provide a spark.

The battle between Rose and Rondo will be fun to watch, as will watching Allen on Gordon. The bigs should also be entertaining to watch as the Celtics throw Powe and Davis against Noah, Miller, and Thomas. The Bulls are a better scoring team than the Celtics but are much worse defensively, giving up 9 more points per game. Another factor to consider will be the home courts. The Celtics struggled mightily on the road in the playoffs last year, and playing in Chicago will prove to be a challenge as the Bulls were a very good home team. Conversely, the Cetlics were almost unbeatable at home in the playoffs last year, bad news for the Bulls, who were an awful road team this season.

I like the Bulls chances a lot better now that Garnett won't be playing, however, the Celtics have shown throughout this season that they can win without him. I think the Bulls will take the Celtics to the limit but the home court will prove to be the difference in game 7.

Prediction: Celtics over Bulls, 4-3