MLB Wild Card Preview And Predictions: American League

I am throwing a couple other people on this site, for various reasons. Zack Waltz is an avid Chicago fan, and follows sports as much in general as I do. I am personally very weak in the field of the MLB, and there is where Zack Waltz will find an early niche here at Last Second Points. So I am proud to introduce the first piece here not done by yours truly. - CP

Baltimore Orioles @ Texas Rangers (8:37 p.m. on TBS)

     Did anyone see this matchup coming?  The Rangers led the A.L. West for what seemed like an eternity, yet here they are, stuck in a one game playoff with a relatively hot Baltimore team.  This game is going to be very interesting, especially from the perspective of the Texas Rangers, as this could very well be the last game that Josh Hamilton puts on a Rangers uniform.  Not only that, but the Rangers have lost the last two World Series'.  If there was a team in the playoffs that really thought they had something to prove, it would be this team.  The pressure for the Rangers to perform is unbelievably high.

     Then there's the Baltimore Orioles, the young team that almost stole away the A.L. East from the incredibly stacked New York Yankees.  This team isn't messing around, as they finished with an unbelievable record of 93-69, while going above .500 in the last 10 games with a record of 6-4.  For those of you who have no faith in this team making noise in the postseason, start believing.  The only problem possibly hindering Baltimore is they have no ace pitcher.  Wei-Yin Chen will most likely start, and he had a solid 12 wins with a 4.02 ERA.  But it seems like there is usually a pitcher or two in the postseason who makes a name for themselves with huge starts, maybe Chen will end up being that pitcher.  Anything can happen in baseball.  Also this team hasn't been to the playoffs since Cal Ripken Jr. played in 1997, so they are just excited to be in the postseason, which means less pressure.  The pressure for Baltimore will be a fraction of what the Rangers are dealing with.

Prediction:  Orioles: 6 Rangers: 4 The Rangers are getting cold at the worst possible time, going 3-7 in their last 10 before this game.  Oakland had their number at the end of this season, which is going to damage their confidence in this game, even though the Rangers owned the Orioles this season with e 5-2 record. Baltimore is going to want to bounce back from that performance, and that added fuel to their fire will be a boost. It is also easy to see Yu Darvish will crack under the pressure of his first taste of the playoff atmosphere. Hamilton is more than likely to hit one more homer as a Ranger, as it feels like he is going to be singing somewhere else this winter. Adam Jones is also a great candidate for going to go off, not only in this game, but the postseason in general, as he hit .287 with 32 home runs this season. Jones will lead his team to victory, maybe with a little help from Mark Reynolds or even Nate McClouth. To summarize quickly, Baltimore is hot, Texas is not, and it is going to show in this game.

Disagree? Think I'm insane for not picking the reigning A.L. champs? There's a comment section right here.  C'mon, you know you want to.

(Stat Sources: mlb.com, ESPN)

The Return of a Cult Icon: Rasheed Wallace

As the Jay-Z song in NBA 2K13 perfectly puts it: "Allow me to reintroduce myself."

   
        It's been two years, twoooo looooonnggg Sheedless years. The wait however is over, Rasheed Wallace has officially signed a contract with the Knicks for $1.7 million dollars (insert fist pump). One of the main icons of the early 2000's NBA bad boy, hip-hop era is back. Out of all of them, he was definitely the most quotable. Just look at this:

And feel free to look at this:

Not only was Ball Don't Lie quotable, it has quite frankly become a figure of speech many people watching any sport now uses. There are definitely people out there who didn't know who Rasheed Wallace was that quoted this. Rasheed was also really good at getting ejected, so good he didn't even have to say a word:

But when Rasheed opens his mouth it is just as fun:

Including opening his mouth to spit some hot-fire freestyle raps:

So a very exciting welcome back to the NBA for Rasheed Wallace, can't wait to see what you get into this year.

Stern's New Rule May Be A Flop (Puns!)

     David Stern today instituted the flopping penalty in the NBA, after a season where flopping was definitely gaining more and more criticism by the day. It's intentions are definitely not something to be questioned, getting rid of a popular play in the NBA that is based on fooling a referee. Player's have used flopping as one of their main skills to stop the opponent from scoring, which in no way anyone can say is the way the game should be played. The way the penalties are set up, a player will get a warning the first offense. Then will have a fines of $5,000, $10,000, $15,000, and $30,000 in order on the next 4 offenses. On the 6th offense going forward, a player can be up for suspension (which no where I have seen is specific on if it carries over to the playoff or not). Now there is no doubt that this rule institution has the right mind set, but in order for this to have the positive impact on the game it will be need to govern correctly.
      The issue is going to be what the interpretation of what is a flop, and the consistency of what makes a flop. The rule is going to have to be consistently governed, because if not things could get messy really fast. Can you imagine if LeBron James gets suspended from a flop on a prime time game in May that is very similar to one Kent Bazemore gets away with on a random Wednesday in January. The fans won't react to the gray area of the calls very well, and I can see SportsCenter running a "plays that weren't called flops" segment if a star finds himself punished unfairly. The issue isn't the intentions of this rule, because as already said the intentions are golden. There just may be more problems created from the rule being implemented than problems removed by the rule.
      The next issue, is that quite frankly that the NBA world may of been better off by keeping flopping involved in the game. NBA player's are hyper competitive people that will use any means necessary to win basketball games. Tricking referees into calls has been something that is been a part of the game for years, and flopping was just a newer means to do so. Reggie Miller is someone every Pacers fan loves and greatly respects, and yet Reggie would always use methods to trick the refs and get fouls called on his opponent that aren't fair. Watching Reggie antagonize John Starks in 1994 is a clear example of this. It was in a way fun to see Reggie get Starks all riled up by pushing him around, to finally get Starks to push back leading to a foul on Starks. This is just another way to mislead refs into the wrong call, and Reggie would never get fined. Sure, last season we saw flopping probably reach an all time high in the NBA. This is something that during a game to watch can be disappointing, and something that really couldn't be ignored. The only thing is if the NBA's office doesn't take care of this in the right manner, however, it really can be more detrimental to the league than helpful.

Gearing Up for Week 5 Fantasy Football

Week 5 is approaching this week and which means fantasy football is shaping up a little more from it's usually unpredictable beginning. The good news about that is you are more ready for knowing what to expect, the bad news is if you feel helpless because you are expecting defeat. So what are the keys going into this week that can win you a possibly key game. Let's get into it:

(All percentages are based on ESPN and this of course is all speculation, you have been warned)

If he is a free agent do yourself a favor and pick him up: Rashard Mendenhall is only owned in 63.7% of leagues, which is a high amount for someone who will typically be found is this column. The thing is that in every league he is not owned, you are going to want to be the smart guy in the room that picks him up. He is going to play this week, and he is going to be the lead back. The Steelers don't run nearly as much as they use to, but he is still a good call for at least 60 yards and a good shot at getting a TD. That's 12 points, and I am sure you have room on you roster for someone who has a good shot of getting 12.

Also another favor you can do yourself: The guy who would lead this column in normal circumstances is definitely Brian Hartline. Had I been doing this two weeks ago I would of told you to pick up Hartline, but I wasn't there, so I am telling you now. He is available in 73.3 percent of the leagues, and I bet that is cut into at least one fourth of that after this waiver period. Hartline will be the hot pickup if available, so if you are at the bottom of the priority list you may want to go in a different direction. If he's there though and you have a real shot of grabbing him, get him you are not going to regret it.
     Another receiver that may be a good pick up is Andre Roberts, who has put up a couple solid weeks to start up the year. He is owned in 1.9 percent of leagues, and is also the number 8 receiver fantasy-wise on the season. He won't be ranked that high all year, but it is guaranteed everyone in your league has someone on their bench that is much worse than 8th best player at their position.

Buyer Beware: Look, this is not about to say don't pick him up, because if you can get him then go ahead. That being said, it is hard to see Brandon Bolden being a consistent fantasy producing player, even though he really looked like a stud on Sunday with 20 points. He is owned in only 0.3 percent, and there is sure to be one of the running back deprived players in the league who will pick Bolden up (and I am guaranteeing there is someone who will start him this week). Beware though as New England can get murky, Shane Vereen believers haven't seen any return on their investment, and there is as good of chance Bolden's name is barely brought up the rest of the year.

Because running backs are always in demand in 2012: The running back position use to be one of the most revered in fantasy football, and now it seems like there are players in every league throwing out someone who gets a score of 5 or less. There are some options that are safer than Bolden that can be picked up this week. Jackie Battle is owned in 9 percent of leagues and has averaged 14 points the last 3 weeks. There is a 5 point game in there, and that is most likely his production this week, but he is a pretty good guy to put on your bench if Matthews struggles. I personally am a big believer in Battle, he has played well every opportunity he has had. I personally think he is consistently better than some backs that start in this league. (Quick Edit: Battle has been named the starter this week over Ryan Matthews on Wednesday, hopefully you took the advice.)
       Another solid pickup at running back is Shaun Draughn, right now Jamaal Charles fairly has a vice grip on the carries in Kansas City. Draughn though has been rising up Kansas City's depth chart, and may be the back up even if Hillis returns. So right now Draughn has some value as a back up (averaging 5.5 points a game), and he has a long term value if Charles gets hurt too. Bilal Powell will start one day for the Jets and is owned in only 5.4 percent of leagues, so even if he hasn't shown a whole lot of explosion he is still a solid pickup. Kendall Hunter, Ronnie Hillman, and Jacquizz Rodgers are backups that also should not be ignored.

Sell High, Buy Low: Most fantasy columns don't have a list of who to trade for and who to trade, so here it is going to be attempted to incorporate a list of these players. It has gotten to that point where you are better off making your team better through trading. So here is the list of people you might want to buy low if you believe in them (think Wes Welker 2 weeks ago) or might want to sell high before you feel their value will go down (Michael Bush before Forte returned), always try to get a fair deal though.
Buy Lows:
Phillip Rivers, Tony Romo, Chris Johnson (if you believe), Ryan Matthews, Ryan Williams, Beanie Wells, Greg Jennings, Sidney Rice, Kenny Britt, and Antonio Gates
Sell Highs:
Ryan Fitzpatrick, Andy Dalton, Joe Flacco, Alfred Morris, Stevan Ridley, Chris Johnson (if you think that was his last hurrah), Miles Austin, Danny Amendola, Andrew Hawkins, Dennis Pitta, and Kyle Rudolph

One Last Note: Pro tip, if you have a bench player who collects dust every week and need some help not only now but in the future. Jahvid Best is only owned in 1.4 percent of leagues, and has better case to be a  better option than any of the aforementioned running backs. He comes back in Week 7, that is only 2 weeks from now. Do it now and avoid the rush for Best.

NFL Week 4 Sunday Quick Points

Week 4 in the NFL wasn't quite the spectacle that week 3 was in the NFL, but many fans probably enjoyed it more. What the NFL lost in unpredictable officiating, key injuries, and crazy finishes everywhere; they got back in just some really good football. Here are some quick points you should take from Sunday:

If You Root For An Expected Contender You Will Be Okay: Some of the things that were said last week around this time were "Oh no, the Patriots have a losing record for the first time since 2003" and "The 49ers just lost to the Vikings, maybe they aren't as good as we thought (we will talk about the Vikings later)." Look, this is a league that you don't have teams go undefeated over 99% of the time. On top of that these teams normally lose to one or two teams that they shouldn't lose to. So this whole worrying about some of these teams after the first three weeks was a little premature. In this league you can lose 6 games and still make the playoffs, so this week proved you should be fine if you're the Packers or Patriots. Also, a loss to the Vikings doesn't make the 49ers go from a popular best team in the NFL to maybe just a borderline contender.

Well Unless You Root For These Two: Well, maybe you should actually hit the panic button on the Saints. The aren't the same team after bounty gate, which came so surprising to some especially with an 0-4. Especially me, I was sitting there saying "They have DREW BREES, they will be okay", "So what about bounty gate, they still have a solid team without Sean Payton", and "Man, DREW BREES has done so much for New Orleans, he can get this done." As you can see, I believed in the Saints team (and that Drew Brees guy) overcoming this and making the playoffs. Four weeks in and anyone with that opinion couldn't feel more wrong, and all of the games have lacked key late game execution. Sean Payton is pretty much this years Peyton Manning, the more he is staying away from the Saints the more this guy looks like a genius. New Orleans could easily be 4-0, had they just put a drive together in the 4th quarter in each of the games. Which just makes it seem Drew Brees isn't so much a great coach on the field, as much as he seems to be a great quarterback who misses his great coach on the sidelines.
       Now for the 1-3 Lions, who aren't in nearly as bad of shape, but still there are some real issues here. They squeaked out a game against St. Louis, and then lost 3 straight to the 49ers, (expected) Titans, (really not expected) and Vikings (not as shocking). There are two fixable issues here that can turn the Lions ship around. First of all, they need to finish their drives off right. The Domininc Raiola play is such a symbol for this as the Lions seem to be able to gain the yards needed to put up points. Other than the Titans game, which they still lost, they have averaged 19.6 points a game. That isn't awful but it definitely doesn't meet the standards that such a highly respected offense requires. As for the second issue, its the return touchdowns, which can be pointed to bad preparation. The Lions are the only team that has let up a kick return touchdown up this year, and they have let up two. Add to that two punt return touchdowns the last two weeks, and that is 28 points the last two weeks that special teams gave up. This should be easily fixable, lets see if Jim Schwartz tries to fix the issue.

Is It Time To Hop On The Viking Ship?: Yes, it can be conceded the first two weeks were a little more ugly, but these last two were really solid for Minnesota. It is hard to be attributed to it really being a fluke either, since they beat two teams in the 49ers and Lions that are suppose to be pretty solid squads. The Vikings were not a trendy pick to win the NFC North by any means, especially when looking at the competition, but when you look at the roster it isn't all that crazy. The Vikings still had some real offensive talent, especially now that Kyle Rudolph seems to be emerging as another good young Tight End in the NFL. Really their only big differences last year to the 12-4 team was the fact that Donovan McNabb's ghost, and a Christian Ponder more unaware of the world than Bambi were the quarterbacks instead of Brett Farve. Christian Ponder has come out in the last two games and is improved greatly from the rookie who was vastly unprepared after the lockout. Ponder is in a great fit in Minnesota with the talent around him in Peterson, Rudolph, and Harvin. Game managing can be looked at as his best skill, and Ponder is on a team that just needs him to manage the game. Add that defensive line, and a secondary that is revamped by adding Chris Cook and Harrison Smith to the established Antoine Winfield. This seems like a great recipe to make Minnesota this years version of the team that goes from last in their division to first, something we have gotten every year.

Do We Believe In Chris Johnson Now?: Ehhhhhhh, no. As much as most of the NFL's fans want to see the electric Chris Johnson that we use to know, and as seductive as believing in this guy can be (you just want to believe!). One impressive performance isn't enough to remove the stink that was around the artist formerly known as CJ2K. Even if he can come out once every four weeks and have a game like this, he still is on pace for 744 yards on the year. There are articles everywhere after that game saying there is more of this to come, all of which are completely fair to say. It just seems to overlook how awful he was through 3 weeks of the year, 44 yards isn't something to just throw out. He was on pace until this game to have 6 more yards the whole year than Jamaal Charles had against the Saints. In my opinion he won't be that bad the rest of the year, but he isn't going to lead the NFL in rushing every week like he has so far this week. I feel like 70 yards is a good expectation going into the next couple weeks, with no surprise if he gets 60 less or 60 more.

The Mark Sanchez Question: Oh what do the Jets do? They brought in Tim Tebow to be the league's most notorious back up, and now Sanchez is playing like well... Sanchez. The issue that is circling around Sanchez is the fact that everyone is waiting for some kind of improvement that might never come. If you take a look at Mark Sanchez's last 32 starts and split them up into two groups of 16 you don't see much of a difference. Bill Barnwell of Grantland did so:

Split	Completions	Attempts	Comp %	Yards	Yards/Attempt	Touchdowns	Interceptions
Last 16 starts	290	519	55.9%	3,282	6.3	25	17
Previous 16 starts	313	575	54.4%	3,746	6.5	17	18

As you can see, Sanchez's improvement is minimal at best. These stats work for a guy who is a quarterback of a run oriented team that just needs the quarterback to make some plays, like Sanchez was at the beginning of his career. Now with a run game that is just deteriorating, and no improvement being made by Sanchez, this is just screaming trouble. As my good friend texted to me while watching the Jets game "if you are going to have a quarterback who can't throw, might as well be the one who can run." I don't know if it's time to bury Sanchez yet, but he really needs to get something going if the Jets are about to do anything.

Brian Hartline playing so good he surprised Brian Hartline: We have heard about Ryan Tannehill's chemistry with Brian Hartline through Hard Knocks. I don't think anyone expected 12 catches 253 yards and a TD though. Even Brian Hartline: https://twitter.com/BenVolinPBP/status/252557833374138369
Hartline hadn't gotten a 100 yard game even at Ohio State, and 4 games into 2012 he has already had a 111 yard game and now this 253 yard game. Expect a vastly improved year for the 4th year receiver from Canton.

The Impact of John Wall's Injury

       It was learned today that John Wall is going to be out for 8 weeks with a stress injury to his right knee, injecting a little bit of disappointment in the beginning of the Wizards' season. The 2012-13 Wizards were coming into the season with a little bit more hope than the previous year. With as revamped of a roster you can say you have by adding some players who may have had their best years behind them in Emeka Okafor, Trevor Ariza, and more time with Nene (don't forget Martell Webster!). This year however, has more about what Washington has gotten rid of their very poor team chemistry around Wall. 

       In essence this planned to be a key season in both the career of John Wall and the Wizards organization, as both were looking to make the leap to the next level. Not insinuating that the Wizards were on the brink of being a successful playoff team, but being on the 11-14 end of the lottery wasn't that crazy of an idea. As for Wall, there was talk of him regressing in his second year or that he didn't improve enough. Yes, the numbers don't lie, Wall did not do the things like work on his jump shot (down from 29.6% to a 7.1% where he completely aborted it) and yes Wall did turn the ball over more instead of showing more experience. How can you blame him though when he had to deal with JaVale McGee making Not Top 10 every night, Andray Blatche who's name is synonymous with wasted potential, and Nick "Swaggy P" Young who is known for his ridiculous clothes and being unwilling to pass. Really you stare at Wall's stats per 40 minutes and really, other than the 3 point shooting, it is sort of hard to distinguish his two years. With the lineups the Wizards were putting out there, staying the same isn't a glaring red flag in my opinion.

       Wall's third year, which may deem to be crucial, now though will be delayed. The good news is that the first 31 days of this injury will be before the season start. The bad news is getting off on the right step, plus putting in some work on the jumper, may have been exactly what Wall and Washington would have needed.With all the moves on the roster (didn't mention that Bradley Beal is now in the backcourt), the team chemistry is much needed. Especially with the man who leads the offense, getting off to a good start as the new look team could be the difference in squeaking in the playoffs, and watching the ping pong balls like the last two years. Wall's talent is there, and the roster is now much more tooled so this number one pick is closer to the same level as other number one picks Derrick Rose and Blake Griffin. The only question now is will a loss of momentum lead to both the player and team being stuck in the same rut. The talent is there though, and I am definitely rooting for Wall to elevate himself from a great talent to the class of elite point guards. If the Wizards futility leaves you confused on what kind of ability he has there is always this:

John Wall Top 10 2011-2012 Video