NHL Free Agency

The NHL free agency period is nearly upon us.  Starting July 1st, teams and players alike will be free to choose from a huge pool of talent.  Many of the decisions made on this day will affect who will win or lose in 2012-2013.  Currently the Avalanche boast the second most cap space in the league with just over $32 million space to sign players.  The Avs NEED to use a good part of this to re-sign some key players: Ryan O'Reilly, Eric Johnson, Steve Downie, & Jamie McGinn are all key pieces of the team's future.  I think Jay McClement is another player they need to re-sign, because he adds a veteran and defensive presence we need, really rounding out the centers.

After all these guys are dealt with, the Avs should definitely still have more than enough money to make a serious run at some of the biggest names in Free Agency.  The Avs have two major needs: A big, strong, two-way defenseman, and a top-six forward to play with Matt Duchene.  With the recent announcement that we will not re-sign Peter Mueller, one has to think they will make a push for a big-time forward, but also a D-man who can replace his big shot on the Powerplay.  Using CapGeek.com I made a Free Agency "dream team" for the Avs.  The link is here: Avs Dream Team.  As you can see this is a major stretch, however it shows that we most certainly have the cap space.  Both Suter and Parise would be making more money annually than Sidney Crosby, and that would be a tough offer for any player to refuse.

The name I'm most intrigued by is definitely Zach Parise.  We could not only offer him a MASSIVE contract, but he has spent his career playing for the super defensive-minded Devils team.  If the Avs can make the pitch of him playing in our high-paced offensive system alongside the likes of Matt Duchene & Milan Hejduk, then the Avalanche could start to look like one of the better fits for Parise.  If he can scratch the Top-10 scorers annually playing with the Devils, he could easily jump right into the running for the NHL scoring title with the Avs.

Even if NOBODY on NHL.com is talking about the Avs as being front runners for any of the big names, they should still make a run.  Here's a list of some other big names the Avs definitely need to consider.

Forwards: Shane Doan, Ray Whitney, Alexander Semin, PA Parentau, Andrei Kostitsyn, Jiri Hudler, Dustin Penner.

Defense: Matt Carle, Pavel Kubina, Jason Garrison, Sheldon Souray.

The priority of GM Greg Sherman without a doubt is, and should be, getting our young talent under contract.  But if he truly wants the Avs to be a contender, he must make use of his cap space to sign some older but seriously proven NHL talent to fill the gaps, and set the right example for our young players to follow.  The Avs have a great young core, but with a good Free Agency this summer, they have a good chance of being contenders this season.

Tough Times at Blake Street

It’s never easy to watch your team lose.  But, as a fan, you deal with the losses because you know; your team will always eventually win. Every team has its ups and downs, but right now, it’s absolutely painful watching the Rockies play.  Even when it seems like things are going right, everything goes wrong.  Take the last two losses to the A’s for example:  After a short stint of cold bats, the Rockies offense heats up again.  Last night Helton hits his second grand slam of the year, and Cuddyer hits TWO home runs.  We have an 8-7 lead going into the 9^th and of course, Betancourt uncharacteristically blows the save and the Rockies lose, 10-8.  The Rockies brought in Jeff Francis to try and give a boost to the rotation, but unfortunately for him, he had to get re-acclimated to the Majors by facing a RED-HOT Angels team.  He got smoked.

In the 9^th inning of the final game against the Angles it seemed like some Coors Field magic was about to be re-kindled with Scutaro on, Cargo at the plate and no outs, down by 2.  Cargo hits it a scorcher up the middle to the pitcher who amazingly catches it, and in the motion of throwing to first to pick off Scutaro drops it.  The Ump then calls it a no catch, and the Angels pitcher calmly gets up, tosses it to second and then to first for the easy double play.  Nobody on, 2 outs, rally over.  With the advantage of slow motion replay, it’s obvious it was the wrong call, but what are you going to do? And that’s just the way things have been going for the Rox as of late.

What can you even say as a fan, writer or analyst?  The Rockies offense is still one of the most potent in the entire NL: top five in Runs scored and Slugging.  But starting pitching is absolutely horrid.  Because of how bad it’s been our bullpen is already overworked and now they too are beginning to see struggles.  Changes need to be made in the rotation, and it seems like Tracy and O’Dowd are content with watching the same pitchers have the same struggles night in and night out.  They gave Outman another start last night (why?) and again he had another poor outing.  Francis was a decent pick up…. 4 years ago.  I don’t want to draw conclusions on one game alone, but Francis is not going to be the savior of the rotation, no matter how well he plays from here on out.  Guthrie is looking like the biggest mistake ever of the offseason, and all those analysts who said a fly-ball pitcher at Coors was a recipe for disaster were dead on.  I hate to say it though, but we need Guthrie to somehow get his act together.  If Guthrie can just start eating up innings and set a better example for the rest of the rotation (main reason he was brought in) that’s a start.  He’s a seasoned vet, and I think if he can get a couple good solid starts under his belt, he’ll return to form.

With the way the rotation is playing, getting spot starts from players like Outman, one just has to scratch their head when we have a guy like Pomeranz dominating down in AAA.  Sure he’s got some mechanical and control issues right now, but this is the guy we got for UBALDO! Last night is perfect example of why he should be brought up.  Why try to convert a guy mid-season to a starter when he’s clearly just a struggling pitcher, when you could call up the kid who should dominate and just allow him to experience some growing pains like they are with White and Friedrich.  Out of all our young pitchers Pomeranz is the easily best and he’s the one not playing.  Whether it’s simply biting the bullet and calling up Pomeranz or making a trade for a legitimate innings eater, (not a sleeper, a proven, seasoned starter), the Rockies need to shake things up.

5-on-5: Freddy's Take

There's a periodical blog on ESPN called 5-on-5 where 5 ESPN writers discuss five questions about various sports topics.  Recently they had one on their predictions for the NBA finals.  Here's a link: ESPN's 5-on-5.  I've already answered the last question in my previous post, predicting the Heat in 7, and since I can't really answer the 4th one now that the series has started here's my take on the other 3 questions.  Enjoy!

1. The most important player in the Finals is______

I have to agree with every other writer on this one, how can it be anyone but LeBron?  Despite the ridiculous amount of star power in this series, all eyes will be on the 3-time MVP.  No matter who wins the championship this year, people will be talking about how LeBron performs in this series.  He cannot afford to have a repeat of last years finals.  Miami needs everyone on the team to show up big time if they want to win, but LeBron needs to play like an MVP if they want a chance against OKC.  He says he will have no regrets after this series, only time will tell.

2. The most important matchup in the Finals is_______

I have to disagree with every single writer this time.  While there are so many great match-ups in this series (KD-LeBron, Westbrook-Wade, Bosh-Ibaka) the matchup that will determine who wins this finals is the matchup between role players.  The stars will come out for this series, and there's no question there.  The way I see it, the team that gets the greater contributions from its role players will win the series.  If guys like Battier and Haslem and Chalmers can come up big the Heat have a real good chance.  At the other end, the OKC bench just has way more depth than the Heat, and if they can continue what they've been able to do all year, the Heat will have their hands full.  We will remember how the stars performed when all is said and done, but the unsung heroes will be the key to the series.

3. The most important x-factor in the Finals is_______

James Harden.  I was thinking about putting him in the previous question, but therein lies the problem: who will matchup with Harden? I think Wade will be forced to cover Westbrook more often than not because Chalmers is too outmatched there.  Harden is the new-age Manu Ginobli, sixth-man extraordinaire, and if he can continue his outstanding play he will cause a LOT of problems for the Heat.

The Finals

The time has finally come.  After weeks of hard fought battles, great drama, and fantastic team performances, there are only two teams remaining.  The #2 seed of the West vs the #2 seed of the East are going to battle it out to prove who is truly #1 in the NBA.

Heat.  Thunder.  Lebron.  Durant.  This is the matchup that I've been waiting for since the season started.  Despite their #2 seeds, the two teams I predicted to be the best are in the finals.  Here's a look at each teams path to their shot at NBA finals glory.

The Thunder have showed everyone just how grown up their young team really is.  For the past decade their have been three teams from the west in the Finals.  The Mavericks, the Lakers, and the Spurs.  It seems only fitting that on their quest for the Larry O'Brien trophy, the Thunder have beat all three of those teams in succession.  They made quick work of both the Mavs and Lakers, but when they were truly challenged by the Spurs they had an answer to every challenge.  This Thunder team is fast paced, agressive, and boy can they score.

On the other end there's the Heat.  Back to the finals for the second year in a row, but this time with a chip on their shoulder.  Though they dodged a major bullet in not having to face the Bulls due to the D-Rose injury, the Heat's path to the finals was no easy task.  After easily dispensing of the Knicks, the Heat faced real adversity first against the surprising and young Indiana Pacers.  The series made it clear of the Heat's shortcomings in depth and in the front-court, and to make matters worse, they lost Bosh to injury.  It seemed like the Big Three's season would end in inevitable disappointment when they went down 2-1 in the series with game 4 in Indiana.  Then we witnessed one of the greatest individual playoff performances in recent memory: 40pts 18reb 9ast 2blk 2stl.  Tack on 30pts 8reb and 6ast by Wade and it was clear that two players on the Heat weren't quite ready for their offseason to start.  As a team comprised of superstar talent, it's moments like these where the stars find their super.  After getting bailed out by their stars in Game 4, the momentum of the series had completely swung to the Heat.  Despite continued dominance by both Wade and Lebron in games 5 and 6, it was clear that after game 4 something had changed within the Heat team.  The Heat, much like the Thunder, grew up.  After getting pushed around and absolutely dominated in the low post and on the boards, the Heat stepped up their physicality. They took the style of the Pacers and emphatically shoved it in their face.  Though it won't show in the stat lines, it was the defense and outright hard work of the Heat team as a whole that was able to shut down the Pacers.  The team played gritty, hard working, blue collar basketball on defense, and when the time came to answer on offense, Lebron and Wade were unstoppable.  The series with the Celtics would put the new look Heat to the test, but again the Heat answered.  It was again clear how vital  Bosh is to this team, and his return, though limited, provided a major boost to the team.

This series will be fast paced, over the top, with the superstars coming to play.  I know I wasn't able to post this before Game 1, but my final prediction for the series remains the same:

Heat in 7!

Baseball is Here!

The weather starts to get warmer, the sun stays out a little longer. The flowers start to bloom, the birds start to chirp. The lawns gets mowed, we fire up the grills, slap on some dogs and burgers. Baby, it's Spring and that means it's time for baseball!! Not everyone gets as excited at I do about the beginning of baseball, but then again, there are many more who await this day far more eagerly than I. And while the spring marks the end that is nearing for basketball and hockey, I can't help but get excited for those nice sunny days at Coors, a four dollar rock-pile ticket in one hand, a Helton burger in the other. It means the beginning of box-scores, the oh so wonderful box-scores that I find myself scouring through after games, noticing those little tendencies players have; one players' struggles against lefties, his dominance against righties, & his crazy road/home splits. Baseball comes at the perfect time of the year to remind us to slow things down a little. It allows us to sit and enjoy the wonderful sun and warm weather heading our way. Lets get ready for hotdogs, lets get ready for lemonade. Lets get ready for Tulo-Scutaro double plays, lets get ready for diving grabs. Lets get ready for home-runs, triples and strikeouts. Let's get ready for some Baseball!!

NFC & AFC Championship Predictions

NFC

Giants: 17

49er's: 23

AFC

Patriots: 21

Ravens: 24

NFL Divisional Predictions

Going 3-1 last week for the wildcard, I've got some big shoes to fill for my divisional round predictions this week. I wanna talk real quick about the 1 loss. I thought this would be Matt Ryan's year to have a big playoff game. I was wrong about that, and I was wrong about the Giants: Eli is playing great football right now, and their defense is finally playing at the level everyone expected it to be at. They remind me a whole lot of that 2008 team that upset the Patriots. This team, could probably still pull that off, trouble is, they're not playing the Patriots...they have to play the Packers...
Which brings me to the predictions!

NFC

Giants at Packers Sunday - 4:30

If there's any team that might have a shot at beating the Packers this year, it's these Giants. Eli is playing at an elite level, and if the New York pass rush duo of Tuck, Umenyiora, & Pierre-Paul just might be able to get to Rodgers enough to....'Rodgers escapes the rush, he fakes the pass, he's gonna run it himself! Touchdown Packers!!!' Sorry New York, it's just not gonna happen. A few more reasons: Jordy Nelson, Greg Jennings, Jermichael Finley, Donald Driver, Ryan Grant. But at the end of the day, the biggest reason is Aaron Rodgers. Last time the Packers lost a home playoff game at Lambeu Field, it was to that 2008 Giants team. The game was essentially ended by a Brett Favre interception a few minutes into overtime. A-Rod is a whole other story right now, and he's winning this football game.

Final Score

Packers: 41

Giants: 34

Saints at 49er's

I'm sorry San Francisco, I love your power run and I and love your ridiculous defense, but I love Drew Brees just a little bit more. How about that new NFL passing record? The 49er's are going to try to control the game with the run, and if Aldon Smith and the rest of the defense can get Drew Brees and the run game out of their groove early, they have a chance. At a certain point though, the offense has so many weapons, and the Saint's defense will make just enough stops to win the game.

Final Score

Saints: 24

49er's: 17

NFL Playoff Predictions

The time has finally come. It's playoffs baby! This Wild Card weekend we're in for some very exciting match-ups, and I'm for all your playoff prediction needs. I'll go through each matchup one-by-one, talk about certain key factors for each team to succeed followed by my prediction for the winner, and I'll throw in a score just for fun.

NFC:

Falcons at Giants:

This is interesting matchup. The Falcons clearly had the better regular season, but since they won the division, Giants have home-field advantage in this one. If it was in the Georgia Superdome, there's no way Matt Ryan is losing. But it's not, so we got ourselves a ballgame. We've seen it before where the Giants barely get into the playoffs but then go on a tear with stellar play from Manning and their pass rush, and when that happens, they beat the (almost) perfect Patriots and win a superbowl. However, this isn't that team. Eli Manning WILL have an awesome game. He brings it. The pass rush WILL put Matt Ryan under some serious pressure. BUT, Michael Turner and Julio Jones are both going to make some big plays, and at the end of the day, I see Atlanta winning a gritty, but high scoring affair in the Meadowlands.

Final Score:

Atlanta: 31

New York: 28

Lions at Saints:

I'm excited to watch this game. What we have here is two mediocre defenses and two of the most exciting offenses in the league. Matt Stafford is playing like a beast right now, and Megatron is well...Megatron. But, ahem, Drew Brees and the Saints set about 100 NFL records this season (not really, but last week it seemed like they were setting a record with every play), so get ready for a serious shootout folks. The Saints are used to shootouts, in fact the Saints prefer shootouts, because at the end of the day, the Saints have too many offensive weapons with Mr. Gunslinger Brees throwing to them to really be stopped. Don't get me wrong, the Lions are going to keep up in this shootout, but like last week against the Packers, I just don't see them pulling out on top. I expect Stafford and Brees to combine for nearly 700+ yards in this game, and don't be surprised if Megatron gets 200 of those. The Lions are hungry, but this weekend, that cajun food is gonna be too spicy to swallow. Who Dat nation will prevail.

Final Score:

Saints: 52

Lions: 45

AFC:

Bengals at Texans:

The rookie QB showdown. Last time these two teams met up, T.J. Yates led the Texans back from a 19-3 deficit in the fourth quarter to win the game 20-19 on the final play. But he's really only played 5 games. He had to leave the game after only 4 passes last week because of a shoulder injury, which could still be effecting how he plays this weekend. On the other side you have Andy Dalton coming off a pretty darn good rookie season. If him and fellow rookie receiver A.J. Green can have big games, the Texans are going to have their hands full. The only problem I have with Cincinnati is that every one of their wins this season were against non-playoff teams. The Texans are playing their franchises first ever playoff game, and it's at home. The atmosphere will be electric. Arian Foster is going to rush for 150+ yards and the Texans defense is going to get fired up for this one, and play the way they did the first half of the season. Cincinnati is a great story for turning around a franchise, but this game is going to the Texans

Final Score:

Texans: 24

Bengals: 20

Steelers at Broncos:

This is the game everybody wants to talk about...and it's NOT just because of Tim Tebow. There are more than a few intriguing storyline going into this game. NOBODY, let me repeat that, ABSOLUTELY NOBODY believed the Broncos had a single chance of making the playoffs this year, let alone win the AFC West. Willis McGahee had a career year, the defense led by Dawkins, Dumervil, and Miller has been leaps and bounds better than last year's and Tim Tebow has proven many naysayers wrong by winning NFL games without passing the ball particularly well. The Steelers are a mean, tough, great defensive team each and every year and they DO stop the run. EVERYBODY expected the Steelers to be here, and just about everybody expects them to win If the Broncos want to win this Sunday, they're going to have to let Tim Tebow throw the ball, and John Fox HAS to be more creative with his play-calling. Running up the middle on almost 70% of first down plays WILL NOT work against the steelers. The last time these two teams met in the Playoffs, was in the AFC championship game. The Broncos were 13-3 that year, and the Steelers marched into Denver and embarrassed Denver, and the Broncos haven't been back to the playoffs since. John Elway's first playoff game was against the Steelers, but he lost as well. Tim Tebow has a chance to get some good old fashioned revenge against a team everyone in Denver despises. Steelers are going to be without defensive captain and safety Ryan Clark, and top rusher Rashard Mendenhall. Ben Roethlisberger has a bad ankle injury, but he has played through injury before, and I have no doubt that in the playoff atmosphere, he will still make some big plays. If the Broncos 'D' can keep it a close game, and if John Fox lets Tim Tebow let it fly, I think Tebow and the Broncos bring back their clutch mode and upset the Steelers in Denver.

Final Score:

Broncos: 20

Steelers: 17