NL West Season Preview

The 2010 NL West Division looks promising yet again. After a surprising, yet competitive 2009 in which the Giants, Rockies, and Dodgers all fought it out for the division crown, as well as a Wildcard birth. This year may be more intriguing than ever. 4 of the 5 teams have legitimate chances of coming away with the division.

5. San Diego Padres
This would be the only team with no chance at the division. Aside from Adrian Gonzalez, the Padres don't have much talent on the offensive side of the ball. Really, who knows how long Gonzalez will be a Padre until some big-pocket team like the Yankees or Red Sox comes by and scoops him up for a playoff run. Do not expect to see him in that Padre line-up for too long.

Their pitching is definitely the worst in the division. Jon Garland is their opening day starter and Chris Young seems to be the #2, then the drop-off.

The key for the team is their young guys. Chase Headley has shown promise, but has not had significant success. Now with Kevin Kouzmanoff escaping to Oakland, the future is now for Headley who must produce in order for this team to have success.

New Faces: Jon Garland, Yorvit Torrealba, Hairston Brothers.
Departures: Kevin Kouzmanoff
Predictions: 5th in the West, 70-92

4. Arizona Diamondbacks
This seems to be the up-and-coming team in the division, and some have even picked them to win the division. They are led by Justin Upton, the young talent who struck it rich this offseason with a promising contract. But the key to a D-Back turnaround from last season is the offseason acquisitions. They let go of some stud players, but may have got back a lot more.

Their rotation is up there in a division that oozes talent. Anytime Dan Haren and Brandon Webb make-up the top of your rotation, that's a plus. In fact, some can argue that they have the best 1-2 pitchers in the game. It is the offense that is the problem, and hopefully Upton's raw ability, along with break-out years from Adam LaRoche, Mark Reynolds, and Chris Young can help out that issue.

The key for this team is health. They cannot afford for someone to go down with an injury in a division like this one. If they are to have any success this year, it will be because they stayed healthy.

New Faces: Adam LaRoche and Edwin Jackson
Key Departures: Eric Byrnes, Doug Davis, Maz Sherzer
Predictions: 4th in the West, 79-83

3. Los Angeles Dodgers
Here is where it gets good, and why this may be the most competitive division in the League. The Dodgers finished last year by winning the NL West and holding off the surging Colorado Rockies. But the recent comments from Manny Ramirez have thrown stones at how this team will perform this season.

We know they can hit, they've established that. Kemp, Loney, Ethier, Ramirez, Furcal, that's all you need to know. The key for them is the pitching. Vicente Padilla is their opening day starter, that does not seem to reflect their great young hitting that well. Their young pitching is what needs to come alive for this team. Chad Billingsley and Clayton Kershaw are the guys that I'm talking about. If they improve, the Dodgers will win the West yet again. If they don't, there are plenty of teams in this division who will take advantage.

The key for this team- keep Manny Ramirez happy. It is a contract year for Man-Ram, and history would show he likes to quit on teams mid-season. In this division, that's the last thing this team needs.

New Faces: Reed Johnson and Brian Giles
Key Departures: Juan Pierre, Randy Wolf, Orlando Hudson
Predictions: 3rd in the West, 88-74

2. San Francisco Giants
I'm going to start this one the same way I started the Dodgers, the Giants have the pitching, they've established that. Lincecum, Cain, and sometimes Zito are straight filthy. The offense is where the team lacks. And the team addressed that this offseason, for the most part. They acquired Aubrey Huff and Mark DeRosa. Although these aren't big power hitters, it is better than what the Giants were putting in their line-up last year, and look how far that got them. They surprised many last year, but don't expect many teams to be surprised this year.

There are two keys to this team: Health and back of the rotation pitching. Freddy Sanchez will start the year on the DL, and that already is not a good start. As for the pitching, I feel that with the departure of Brad Penny, this team is still one good pitcher away from making a run for this division.

New Faces: Aubrey Huff and Mark DeRosa
Key Departures: Brad Penny, Randy Winn
Predictions: 2nd in the West, 89-73 (Wildcard)

1. Colorado Rockies
The Rockies late-season surge throughout the division last season is one that should scare the rest of the division this season. There is a great mix of young talent with skilled veterans. Add that to a descent pitching staff and you might have something here.

Carlos Gonzalez is a stud in the making, and Dexter Fowler is the next big thing in Colorado. Those two go 1-2 in that line-up that can go 6 or 7 deep with guys who can put the bat on the ball at every at-bat.

The thing they were missing last season was depth in pitching. Ubaldo Jimenez is the ace of this team and will be for some time. Hopefully, a healthy Jeff Francis will return better than ever this season and contribute highly to this rotation. And don't forget about Aaron Cook and Jorge De La Rosa.

The key for this team is getting off to a good start. Last season, it took a 2nd-half run for the ages to get by San Francisco and take the Wildcard. In a competitive division like this, it will take a full season of committment to take this division.

New Faces: Melvin Mora
Key Departures: Garrett Atkins, Jason Marquis, Yorvit Torrealba
Predictions: 1st in the West, 92-70

So those are my predictions, it should be an entertaining season in the ultra-competitive NL West.

The McCloughan Mystery

The mystery that is Scot McCloughan's departure from the San Francisco 49ers is one that has baffled the Bay Area sports community.

How can an accomplished General Manager leave a team with a month left before the NFL Draft, the one thing that a GM has prepared for since last season ended, and probably before?

It all seems pretty fishy to me. Was he fired? Is this a leave of absense? One thing is for sure, his office in Santa Clara is cleared out with no sign of him returning.

But what happened? We don't know, and we may never know. The way the story was just sprung upon the public so abrupty, I doubt if we ever hear the real reason for the 49ers and him parting ways.

The ordeal must have been huge in order to cause the split of someone as accomplished in the 49ers organization as McCloughan was. He was trusted by the 49ers and had come on several radio programs the previous week talking about his mindset going into the NFL Draft. It seemed like this one blind-sided everyone.

A speculation broke yesterday that could possibly give us insight into why the two sides split. There was the rumor of McCloughan having a drinking problem. Word is, he showed up drunk to several team meetings and organized events, which caused embarrassment to the organization. And the two sides decided to mutually split ways.

Again, this is just speculation, but it seems reasonable. McCloughan has an extremely tough job, as do all General Managers of sports teams. He must bring good players to the 49ers, and draft good players in the NFL Draft. And if he doesn't, he is criticized. Extremely stressful, I would say.

But whatever the issue is, it is personal. Personal to McCloughan, and personal to the 49ers, and probably something that will not be a topic of conversation at any time forward.

For now, meet your new man in charge of the 2010 NFL Draft for the 49ers. His name is Trent Baalke and he has been friends with McCloughan for 15 years. Some are calling him a McClone, and for 49er fans that's as good of news as you can get. McCloughan had a pretty good track record for drafting players, and if that carries over to Baalke, who has worked hand-in-hand with McCloughan over the years, we should see no difference.

But people will still want to know about McCloughan and what happened. The 49ers are going to keep this one close to the vest. And if it is something as serious as a drinking problem, the 49ers and McCloughan should be given that space.

Sharks' Losing Streak a Sign?

The San Jose Sharks finally snapped their 6-game losing streak the other night against the Minnesota Wild, a streak spanning 10 days and resulting in the Sharks being out-scored 27-12.

It has since sparked speculation of what to make of the Sharks breakdown with the upcoming playoffs just around the corner.

So what do we make of the losing streak? There were several things that clearly stood out. The first being the defense. The word to describe it was 'slow.' They were slow to react, slow on the penalty kill, and extremely laxidasical throughout the whole losing streak. There was no flow to the defense and they seemed plain awkward on the ice.

The other thing that stood out, and this isn't a secret, was Evgeni Nabokov not seeing the puck. I've said this before, and many others before me, the Sharks go as far as Nabby takes them. During the losing streak, Nabby could stop nothing. He went 0-5 on the losing streak that ended in 6 games, with Thomas Greiss losing one of the games. From what I saw, most of the goals scored against the Sharks were shots that should have been stopped by Nabby. But the Nabby we have seen since the Olympic break is not the same one we saw before. Specifically, ever since his his meltdown against Canada.

But is the losing streak just a post-Olympic hangover for the Sharks? Or is this a sign of things to come in the playoffs? I think it's got to be a mix of all the above. The veterans are tired, or they are playing tired, and the younger guys feed off of that. And Nabby seems to be affected by his Olympic play and it has carried over into the NHL season where they are coming down the stretch and need him more than ever.

Honestly, I hope this losing streak is not a sign of things to come, and the true Sharks team was not revealed over this losing streak. They were just going through the motions, and I think this losing streak is a wake-up call for this team. They have been on top of the Western Conference for so long that they were just, like I said, going through the motions. Now they have Marc-Edouard Vlasic back, and the defensive lines are now complete. Hopefully, they can build from being fully healthy, because there is no other excuse now.

As of today, the Sharks are 1 point back of the Chicago Blackhawks for 1st place in the Western Conference, which is shocking considering the Sharks have tallied 3 points in the last 7 games. But taking the 2nd seed or even 3rd seed in the playoffs would not be the worst thing, it might be the best thing for this team.

Now is where it begins. There are 9 games left in the regular season, with big games coming against playoff-bound teams that the Sharks could possibly face in the first round of the playoffs (Canucks and Avalanche). Down the stretch is where they will earn the fans' trust going into the playoffs, and prove this is not just another fluke year of crawling into the playoffs and making an early exit. And for the fans' sake, I hope that is not the case.

FOR SALE: Golden State Warriors

Anyone want to buy an NBA team? It's a little bit of a fixer-upper, but it should pay out in the end.

The Golden State Warriors announced Monday that their disappointing franchise is up for sale. Larry Ellison, who has shown extreme interest in buying the suffering franchise, is in the clubhouse as the favorite to succeed Chris Cohan as owner. And why shouldn't it be Ellison? He would be the owner of the team whose arena bears his company's name. Oracle Arena. It sounds just about right.

For the Warriors fans who have waited forever for a contending team, you can start paying attention now. Many thought that the "WE BELIEVE" year was the turnaround for this franchise and that they would never go back to being a bad franchise ever again. Hang on. This was because they had a core group of players with Baron Davis, Stephen Jackson, and Al Harrington. But they forgot one thing, Chris Cohan was still the owner, and his track record would suggest that the success they were having would not last long.

Of course, a few years later they let Davis go, then traded a disgruntled Harrington, and then recently an even more disgruntled Jackson, and there they were again, back at square one.

A couple years ago, they tried the rebuilding process after all hopes of winning with the team they had was out the window. But it was never going to work. This franchise was never going to work. That is until there was new ownership. The Warriors were never committed to rebuilding because the main issue that needed to be rebuilded was the ownership.

It needed to start at the top, and finally Cohan has succumbed to the jeers wanting him out of Oakland and has let this franchise at least have a chance at succeeding, which was never going to happen with him at the helm.

So here we stand, the Warriors finally agreeing to sell the team, and Warriors fans could not be happier. Will this be enough to turn this historically disappointing franchise around? Not sure quite yet, there is a long way to go. But naming Larry Ellison as the owner should be the first move. And maybe we look back and say that this was the start of something great, or maybe we don't. But this franchise, and most of all its fans, need a different path entirely, because the path Chris Cohan was leading the Warriors down has been one that has gone in circles for the last 15 years with no results. Change will come. Here's to the next 15 years.

How SWEET It Is!

The little school from the little town of Moraga, CA defeated the 2nd seed Villanova Wildcats on Saturday, booking their ticket to the Sweet 16 next week.

The game was neck-and-neck just about the whole way, but Omar Samhan continued to wear down the under-sized Villanova team and then exploded in the 2nd half, including big shots down the stretch that were needed to put the Wildcats away.

Samhan continues to impress in the Tournament and has grown into maybe the player of March Madness so far. He scores, plays defense, blocks shots. There is not much this kid cannot do and Villanova was unable to stop him as he went for 32 points and 7 rebounds.

What surprised many was how clutch this St. Mary's team was in this game. Whether it was a clutch block from Samhan, free throws from Clint Steindl, or a bank-in 3-pointer from Mickey McConnell to seal it.

This team is for real. They match up well with every team in this tournament, have fantastic guard-play from McConnell and others, and the big man Samhan down low doing everything.

Who knows how far this team can go, but they are peaking at just the right time. Their next game will be on Thursday against #3 seed Baylor University, who is no joke. It will be yet another test that the Gaels will have to overcome if they want to continue their impressive run through this Tournament.

This week, look for Omar Samhan all over TV, as I predict he and the Gaels will be quite a comodity for ESPN.

The Madness Contines...Bay Area Included

Please, set down your bracket and walk away. Your bracket is busted! Now, you can sit and enjoy the absolute Madness that has occured through these first 32 games with much more to come. And for those who were in the HP Pavilion on Thursday, as I was, you were front and center for it. Pandemonium!

Just a few notes, for those who said the Pac-10 was a weak conference this year, it looks like Cal and Washington have proved them wrong. Both looked extremely good in their 1st round games, Cal pouncing early and never looking back, and Washington with a last second lay-in to upset Marquette.

To maybe some surprises, the Bay Area has represented. St. Mary's had a convincing win against a Richmond team who some thought could go to the Sweet 16. But the big story was the introduction of Omar Samhan to the nation. Samhan had 29 points and 12 rebounds and was dominant in the paint, but kicked it up in high gear in the 2nd half to put away Richmond.

St. Mary's next opponent is Villanova, who struggled in their 1st round game beating Robert Morris in overtime. Villanova is a guard-heavy team led by Scotty Reynolds. This is an advantage for St. Mary's because they can match up with Villanova's guards, while having the big man Samhan in the middle fighting with a Villanova player (probably Antonion Pena) who will not compare to Samhan's size and bulk. This could prove to be a big upset if St. Mary's can pull it off, as they are riding a high and Villanova is a little low right now coming off a 1st round overtime win that shouldn't have been even close. Tune in for that one on Saturday.

For the Cal Bears from Berkeley, they were impressive against Louisville on Friday night. They jumped out to a 12-0 lead, then increased it to 18 before winning by 15 points. It was convincing and Jerome Randle continued to show that he is a star and can run that team to it's full extent. Next up for them is top-seeded Duke. It will be tough for the Bears to play like they did against Louisville, as Duke is fundamentally sound with the ball and capitalizes on every mistake you make. I see a far better chance of St. Mary's upsetting Villanova than Cal upsetting Duke, but you never know with the Madness that we have seen so far.

One team that I like is Washington. After seeing them first-hand on Thursday, I have no idea how they did not win the Pac-10 or how they got an 11 seed in the Tournament. They are an extremely talented team with Isiah Thomas running the point and the tall and lanky "Q-Pon" Quincy Pondexter down low. They are quick up and down the floor and rise well above the rim. I see no reason why they cannot beat New Mexico on Saturday and maybe even West Virginia down the road.

My Bracket Revealed

First of all, I dont guarantee anything, but here is my thought process on the 2010 March Madness bracket breakdown.

This year's bracket is tricky and it can go several ways, if u ask me. There are so many upset opportunities that it is almost a trap to pick all of them to happen. The way I see it, there are many upset opportunities, but I dont feel many will happen.

I have chalk in the Final Four. This is because Kansas is that good that they can put up with encountering a stacked region; Syracuse matches up well with everyone they play in their region, including Kansas State; Duke has the easiest road to the Final Four, even though I thought they should be a #2 seed; and Kentucky just needs to get past West Virginia to get to Indianapolis, and their freshman play like upper classmen.

Again, I dont guarantee anything, but I have picked the Final Four the last 2 years. But that means nothing, this is the hardest bracket to figure out in a long while and we could easily have 0 #1 seeds in the Final Four when it's all said and done. That is how crazy these next 3 weeks are going to be. Enjoy.

http://freebracketchallenge.1.mayhem.cbssports.com/brackets?do_fb_create=1