Baseball season winding down...

How would you like this guy in your starting rotation?

2nd in the league in starts made
17th in innings pitched
18th in strikeouts
18th in ERA
In 24 of his 33 starts, he gave up 2 runs or less

What would you say about this guy? Borderline #1 starter and a strong #2 on a playoff team? I agree.

The pitcher with these stats for 2010 is Tommy Hanson, yet for some reason, he has not won over the majority of Braves fans as a front-line starter.

I know he gave up 8 in Cincinnati in May, and 9 against the White Sox in June, but look at the big picture. He has had an outstanding season on the hill for the Bravos.

Check out this comparison: Hanson vs Tim Lincecum

Starts – 33 to 33
Starts giving up 2 runs or less – 24 of 33 to 24 of 33
Starts giving up 5 runs or more – 5 of 33 to 5 of 33
Innings pitched – 212 for Lincecum to 192 for Hanson
Strikeouts – 231 for Lincecum to 187 for Hanson
ERA – Lincecum 3.43 and Hanson 3.41

Pretty close numbers for Hanson when compared to a 2-time Cy Young award winner. The Padres just lost and it looks like the Braves will be in San Fran next Thursday. Hopefully Hanson, Lowe, and Hudson can carry this team to the NLCS, because the injury depleted offense will not likely carry this team very far...

CFB Thoughts...

I was shocked at the Texas-UCLA result yesterday. I figured that one would be somewhat close with Texas having a bit of a letdown after the TT game, but did not see them losing like that. Oklahoma squeaked by another average team and doesn't look like a top 10 team either. Florida finally looked like they began to click and Auburn held on once again at home. I thought South Carolina would beat them up after their physical game against Clemson the week before, but they were able to find a way to win.

The top Pac-10 teams all won, but Stanford has the most convincing win at Notre Dame. Oregon struggled and needed help from ASU in their win and Arizona had zero offense and barely got by Cal.

Here is how I see 'em this week:

1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Oregon
4. Boise St
5. TCU
6. Nebraska
7. Stanford
8. Florida
9. Oklahoma
10. Auburn
11. Wisconsin
12. LSU
13. Arkansas
14. Arizona
15. Michigan
16. USC
17. South Carolina
18. Utah
19. Miami
20. Texas
21. Iowa
22. NC State
23. Oklahoma St
24. Michigan St
25. Nevada

Top 25 and BCS predictions...

After yesterday's games, I am becoming more convinced that Ohio State is going to run the table. The road tests at Wisconsin and Iowa look much more winnable after both teams were exposed yesterday. So, if Boise beats Oregon State next week, we are either looking at an OSU-BSU national title game or bedlam.

Other candidates for an unbeaten season? Alabama, Texas/OU/Neb, and Oregon...

I don't think Alabama will go unbeaten. Penn State was an OK test, but they are not a top 25 team this year. Road tests at Arkansas, USC, and LSU along with games vs Florida and Auburn will be tough to get through. A 12-1 Alabama team will be tough to leave out, but if there is a Big 12 or Pac-10 unbeaten team I think they will get in.

Oregon is very under-sized on defense and will have problems stopping Stanford, USC, and a few others in the Pac-10. If Nebraska can beat Texas at home on October 16th, they will have a shot to get in with a Big 12 Championship. TCU will have the loss to Boise last year going against them with the voters, so Boise will have to lose for them to get a shot.

For now, here is how I see them...

1) Alabama

2) Ohio State

3) Oregon

4) Boise St

5) TCU

6) Nebraska

7) Oklahoma

8) South Carolina

9) Texas

10) Florida

11) Stanford

12) Wisconsin

13) Arkansas

14) LSU

15) Arizona

16) Auburn

17) Michigan

18) Utah

19) USC

20) Iowa

21) Miami

22) Clemson

23) NC State

24) Oklahoma St

25) Michigan St

College Football in full swing...

Now that the college football season is moving along, we can look back at what we have seen so far and what teams look the best. After watching several games the last 2 weeks, here are some things I have seen so far.

1) Ohio State is well on their way to 12-0 and a spot in the title game

2) Rich-Rod looks like he wants to keep his job after all

3) Alabama has not fallen off much on defense and they get their top defensive player back next week

4) Having a veteran quarterback playing at home is a huge advantage

5) The ACC is in for another long season

6) Boise will run the table, but the VT loss today will not help them get to #2

7) Oregon and Stanford are the class of the Pac-10

8) Texas is way down from the past 5 years and will lose by double digits to OU

9) As you will see below, I think the Big 10 is pretty good this year

The poll for this week if I had a vote (and I should considering how much CFB I watch)

1) Alabama

2) Ohio State

3) Oregon

4) Boise State

5) TCU

6) Nebraska

7) Oklahoma

8) South Carolina

9) Iowa

10) Wisconsin

11) Michigan

12) Florida

13) Texas

14) Auburn

15) LSU

16) Stanford

17) Utah

18) Arkansas

19) USC

20) Miami

21) Arizona

22) Notre Dame

23) Air Force

24) California

25) Houston

NFL Predictions...

It's tough to predict how this league will shape up, but here is my take on the 2010 season.

NFC East - 1) Philly 2) Washington 3) Dallas 4) NYG

NFC South - 1) NO 2) Atlanta 3) Tampa Bay 4) Carolina

NFC North - 1) GB 2) Minnesota 3) Detroit 4) Chicago

NFC West - 1) SF 2) STL 3) Arizona 4) Seattle

AFC East - 1) Jets 2) Miami 3) NE 4) Buffalo

AFC North - 1) B-more 2) Cincy 3) Pitt 4) Cleveland

AFC South - 1) Indy 2) Houston 3) Tennessee 4) Jax

AFC West - 1) SD 2) Denver 3) Oakland 4) KC

WC Round - Atlanta over SF, Philly over Washington, Indy over Cincy, Jets over Houston

2nd Round - Green Bay over Philly, Atlanta over NO, B-more over Jets, SD over Indy

NFC Championship - GB over Atlanta

AFC Championship - B-more over SD

Super Bowl - B-more over Green Bay

Top Braves prospects...

With Mike Minor now in the big leagues, it is time for the 3rd annual ranking of the top 10 Braves prospects currently in the minor leagues. Here is a quick link to the last 2 rankings, where Jason Heyward came in at #1 in 2009 and Jordan Schafer took the top spot in 2008.

1) Freddie Freeman - It's become very apparent that Freddie is ready to step in next season and hit somewhere in the 5-7 range and play every day at first base. Through Sunday, Freddie is .306-15-71 and should have instant success in Atlanta.

2) Julio Teheran - Julio still needs another year and change before he is ready, but he looks every bit the part of a front-line starter. He is 7-7 with a 2.76 ERA in 2010 with 138 K's in 119 innings.

3) Craig Kimbrel - Craig has spent some time in the big leagues this year and looked pretty good. He projects as a closer with his mid-to-upper 90's fastball. Should compete for the 8th or 9th inning guy in 2011.

4) Arodys Vizcaino - Out with an injury since late June, Arodys was dominant the 1st half of the season. Before the injury, he was 9-3 with a 2.34 ERA in Rome.

5) Randall Delgado - Another top-notch pitching prospect, Randall has a 2.95 ERA and 136 K's so far this year in 23 starts for Myrtle Beach and Mississippi. There is a good chance Randall is used as trade bait in the off-season as he is about ready but the big league club doesn't have room for him.

6) Christian Bethancourt - The big catcher from Rome looks like a future big leaguer. He has shown power and is excellent behind the plate. At only 19 years of age, he could be the heir to Brian McCann.

7) Brett DeVall - Brett was a high pick out of high school and has established himself as a strong prospect while pitching in Rome this year. He is 7-8 with a 4.28 ERA in 18 starts so far in 2010.

8) Adam Milligan - After a huge finish to 2009 (.344-13-49), Adam has struggled a bit, but has only played 21 games so far. Once he gets back in a groove, he should move up the ladder rather quickly.

9) Zeke Spruill - Zeke looked real good his last start in Myrtle Beach and still possesses a live arm and excellent stuff.

10) Matt Lipka - I put Matt, the Braves 2010 top pick from Texas, on here due to his strong performance in the Gulf Coast League. When drafted, Frank Wren talked about how the organization needed more athleticism and speed. Matt has given the Braves this and has hit .310 with 15 stolen bases in his first 35 minor league games.

You may notice that last years #3 prospect, Cody Johnson is no longer on this list. Cody has seen his average and power slip and struggled to get to .200 in Myrtle Beach. C0le Rohrbough is also off the list after posting a 12+ ERA in his 4 appearances so far in 2010.

Just like last year, there is still a lack of hitters in the system. Fortunately, arguably the Braves do have one of the best groups of starting pitching prospects. After having a long line of shortstops, the system doesn't have much between Alex Gonzalez and the 19 year old Lipka. Look for 2011 to be a draft where more hitters are taken early once again with just as much emphasis on speed and athleticism at 2010.

More predictions..

Four weeks from today, the college football season will be in full swing. Back in June, I did a RSM pre-season top 25 poll. I wish I had some sort of jaw-dropping prediction for Georgia or Georgia Tech, but I think both teams are what most people predict, 7-9 win teams.

Lets go through the schedule and get a little more in depth...

GT

Their offense should be similar to next year, they just need to stay healthy on defense and improve in certain areas. The d-line is a big concern, switching to the 3-4 with 6 freshman in the mix at these spots. The linebackers are experienced but not overly talented, and the secondary has some good pieces.

SC St - W (41-10)
@ Kansas W (27-21)
@ UNC L (14-20)
NCSU W (29-262
@ Wake W (35-24)
UVA W (40-17)
MTSU W (38-17)
@ Clemson L (27-30)
@ VT L (21-33)
Miami W (34-27)
Duke W (47-27)
@ UGA L (28-38)

This would be three straight solid seasons under PJ and another decent bowl game.


UGA

L-Laf W (31-14)
@ USC L (17-20)
Arkansas W (28-24)
@ Miss St W (27-20)
@ Colorado W (21-12)
Tennessee W (24-14)
Vanderbilt W (27-10)
@ Kentucky W (30-24)
Florida L (24-31)
Idaho St W (44-7)
@ Auburn L (20-28)
Georgia Tech W (38-28)

That's 9-3 for UGA and a solid stepping stone for 2011 where they will have an experienced quarterback and a full season in their new defense.

These results, believe it or not, could result in UGA winning the SEC East. Georgia finishing 6-2 in conference could be enough, even with losses to USC and UF. Unlikely, but both those teams play Alabama and UF also has LSU. USC could lose 3 with Florida, Arkansas, and Bama and UF could have losses to LSU, Bama, and USC.

Just sayin...