My 2016 MLB Awards

The regular season has ended, with my Astros missing the playoffs =(. The playoffs begin Tuesday night with the AL Wildcard between the Orioles and Blue Jays (I'm picking the Jays), but before then, here are my picks for the regular season awards.

AL MVP: Mookie Betts, Boston Red Sox (.318 AVG, 31 HR, 113 RBI, 26 SB)
Mike Trout had another unbelievable season, but can't give the award to a team that finished 14 games under .500. And Betts has been the catalyst at the top of the explosive Red Sox lineup which won the AL East.
NL MVP: Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs (.292 AVG, 39 HR, 102 RBI) 
Easy pick here, Bryant has been the most complete offensive player on the best team in the major leagues. 
AL Cy Young: Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers (16-9, 3.04 ERA, 254 K)
Close one between Verlander and Boston's Rick Porcello but I give Verlander his 2nd Cy Young award for leading the league in strikeouts and WHIP. 
NL Cy Young: Max Scherzer (20-7, 2.96 ERA, 284 K)
Clayton Kershaw's back injury lost him this award. Scherzer gets it based on his 20 wins and league leading 284 strikeouts.
AL Rookie of Year:  Michael Fulmer, Detroit Tigers (11-7, 3.06 ERA, 132 K)
Fulmer was a consistent force at the top of the Tigers rotation, cumulating 10 straight starts allowing 2 or less earned runs and a stretch of 15 of 21 straight of 6 or more innings.
NL Rookie of Year:  Corey Seager, Los Angeles Dodgers (.308 AVG, 26 HR, 72 RBI) 
The 22-year old Seager might already be the face of the Dodgers in their lineup, leading them in average and slugging percentage.

NFL Picks: Week 4

Season record: 26-22

Henrik Stenson Wins Open Championship

In a weekend of sensational golf between Sweden's Henrik Stenson and USA's Phil Mickelson, it was Stenson that came out on top, winning his first major championship, at Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland. Stenson was sensational with his shot making, shooting an 8-under final round 63 to win by three strokes over Mickelson, who finished 2nd in a major for the 11th time.

MLB All-Star Voting

MLB All-Star voting ends Thursday. If you haven't voted yet, be sure to get in your votes in here before then! The players I voted for are below.

2016 NBA Finals Preview: Cavaliers vs Warriors

It's an NBA Finals rematch between MVP Stephen Curry and the league best Warriors and LeBron James and championship-starved Cleveland! Here's a match-up by match-up breakdown.

Point Guards: Kyrie Irving vs. Stephen Curry

Irving has returned to his explosive self this postseason (after hurting his knee in Game 1 of the Finals last year), averaging 24.2 ppg against the Raptors in the Eastern Conference Finals. At his best, he is one of the most dynamic players in the NBA, with his devastating handles, quickness, and lights out shooting. He also takes a lot of the burden off LeBron James since he consistently beats his man one-on-one, which draws help defenders and opens up shots for teammates. Meanwhile, Curry won his second straight MVP for good reason. Although he battled injuries in the first two rounds of the playoffs against Houston and Portland and has struggled with his shooting rhythm since coming back, the league's most explosive scorer still averaged 27 ppg, 7 rpg, and 6 apg against Russell Westbrook and OKC in helping the Warriors come back from a 3-1 deficit. I expect each team to cross-match, with Curry being guarded by JR Smith and Irving being guarded by Klay Thompson, so they won't be matched up directly on each other, but NBA fans will be treated to a point guard matchup that was cut short in last year's Finals.
Edge: Warriors

Shooting Guards: JR Smith vs. Klay Thompson

JR Smith is the ultimate heat-check, streaky shooter, who has been lights out this postseason (40% for 3 against the Raptors in the ECF). Meanwhile, Klay Thompson is coming off a Western Conference Final in which he shot lights out in Games 6 and 7 to help the Warriors comeback agaimst OKC. He will be critical to the Warriors' success with not only his sharp-shooting but also his perimeter defense on Kyrie and potentially LeBron. 
Edge: Warriors

Small Forwards: LeBron James vs. Harrison Barnes

LeBron has carried Cleveland back to the NBA Finals for the second straight year, his seventh straight overall. He has increased his point total each round, and will need to be the best player on the court this series, scoring efficiently and getting his teammates going in order for Cleveland to lift the trophy. A year ago in the finals, James struggled against the physical Andre Iguodala in Games 4-6, as Iguodala won the MVP of the series. He can't do the same this year. Barnes is a streaky shooter who can provide timely shots for Golden State. If Curry or Thompson are struggling, Barnes needs to step up and be ready to shoot.
Significant Edge: Cavaliers

Power Forwards: Kevin Love vs. Draymond Green

Love missed the Finals last year and needs to have an impact this year for the Cavaliers. HE can stretch the floor and shoot three's, but more importantly, he has to grab rebounds and provide some low-post presence for the perimeter heavy Cavaliers. Meanwhile, Green, when not kicking people, is the heart and soul of the Warriors as he rebounds, runs the floor, passes, and shoots threes. Most importantly, however, he anchors a great defensive team. He should match-up with LeBron for a good chunk of the games and he needs to keep LeBron in front of him and force him into long jumpers.
Edge: Warriors

Centers: Tristan Thompson vs. Andrew Bogut

Both teams employ a lot of small-ball, so there are times this series when neither of these two will be in the game.Thompson signed a big contract last offseason and needs to make an impact on this series by grabbing rebounds and playing good interior defense against the cutters of the Warriors. When he gets switched out on the Golden State guards, he has to stay in front and contest jumpers under control. Meanwhile, Bogut's interior defense around the basket area, rebounding, and (illegal) screen setting is key to a lot of the Warriors success. He needs to stay out of foul trouble and stay available for Steve Kerr in this series.
Edge: Warriors

Bench: Iman Shumpert/Channing Frye/Richard Jefferson/Matthew Dellavedova vs. Andre Iguodala/Shaun Livingston/Leandro Barbosa/Marreese Speights
Shumpert's minutes have dropped this year, but he still provides good perimeter defense and decent three-point shooting. Dellavedova is a pest but helps the Cavs get into their sets and set up shots from LeBron and Love. Channing Frye, a midseason acquisition, has been a revelation shooting threes in the playoffs, but he needs to contribute on the defensive end as well. Finally, old man Richard Jefferson has gotten playoff minutes because of his ability to stretch the floor and play decent defense.

Golden State's bench is deep again this year. Andre Iguodala, the MVP of last year's Finals, will no doubt play heavy minutes this series against LeBron. Livingston and Barbosa are instant offense  and energy when they get in the game and are good shooters. Mo Buckets Speights adds toughness and has extended his range beyond the three-point line this season.

Edge: Warriors

My prediction:

The Cavaliers are deeper with Irving and Love, but their bench is not, and I think their defense is not athletic or good enough to hang with the Warriors. Heroball, as the Cavaliers often tend to play, only benefits the Warriors' athletic defense.

In 7.

2016 NBA Playoffs: My Conference Finals Preview

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Golden State Warriors

The Thunder surprised much of the basketball world by upsetting the Spurs in 6 games to set up this doozy of a series between these two Western Conference powers. The point guard matchup will be fun to watch, with MVP Stephen Curry, who returned after dealing with knee and ankle injuries in the first two rounds, to help Golden State finish off the Blazers in Games 4 and 5, against Russell Westbrook, who is coming off a series in which he averaged 25.2 ppg and 10.5 apg. Westbrook needs to continue to play smart in this series and not try to match Curry shot for shot, because he will lose if that happens. I think Kevin Durant will have his hands full this series as well, as the Warriors will likely throw Draymond Green, Harrison Barnes, as well as Andre Iguodala (all good defenders) at him. So to win, OKC has to get the ball inside and dominate the boards with Steven Adams, Enes Kanter, and Serge Ibaka like they did against the Spurs. In the end, I think the Thunder have a real shot, but Warriors advance to the Finals.

Warriors in 6

Toronto Raptors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

LeBron and the Cavs three’d the Hawks to death in a sweep, while the Raptors won their second straight 7 game series in beating the injury-riddled Heat. I foresee another short series for Cleveland here, especially if Toronto can’t get center Jonas Valanciunas back 100%. Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan both had strong series against the Heat and will have to continue scoring efficiently for the Raptors to keep up with all the three-point shooters the Cavaliers have (JR Smith, Channing Frye, Matthew Dellavedova, Richard Jefferson) around LeBron, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love. Inside, the Raptors’ Bismack Biyombo has been playing well, but the Cavs just have too many bigs in Tristan Thompson, Timofey Mozgov, and Love, that I think Toronto will struggle on the glass as well.

Cavaliers in 5

Bracket Released

It's the most wonderful time of the year, as the NCAA tournament bracket was released early tonight on CBS.

Only real shock was including Tulsa getting in the field over St Bonaventure or Monmouth, each mid-majors that had outstanding seasons. Tulsa, which had a RPI of 61 and had three bad losses to Memphis (twice) and Oral Roberts, wasn't even on Joe Lunardi's radar, yet they will play in the First Four, matching up against Michigan in Dayton, Ohio. Meanwhile, the Bonnies had an RPI of 30 and Monmouth won 27 games and beat both USC and Notre Dame, who are in the tournament field.

Anyway, all debate aside, the tourney begins Tuesday in Dayton, Ohio with the First Four, and remember to stick here throughout the month as we cover the Madness!