That being said, I learned a lot from last year. That's not to say I didn't see the Cubs demise coming, I did. I didn't expect it so quickly, but expected it nonetheless. What I learned was to look at the teams over the last several years and see how those World Series participants got there. And in almost every season I found a very simple formula.
The teams that got hot at the end of the season were the ones that were most difficult to beat.
Sounds ridiculously dumb, but people rarely talk about it. The year St. Louis beat Detroit, they almost missed the playoffs. They were swan-diving towards second in the Central and had to get hot at the very end just to make the field of 8. And speaking of St. Louis, ask them about the buzzsaw they ran into after the Red Sox came back from down 3-0 to beat the Yankees. Look at the Marlins, the Rockies, the White Sox or whoever played in the fall classic and you will see a matchable regular season record with a team that got flicked out of the playoffs early like a gnat; i.e. Cubs, Braves, Yankees, Mets (when they actually made it)
So I choose not to freak on the television like a 14 year-old with turrets. At least not until September.
The NL Central is wide open. Mostly because it's not very good, but partly because the good teams in it have battled injuries much like the northsiders have. With Aramis Ramirez coming back they will get a run producer they need in the middle of their lineup and a gold glove-caliber 3rd baseman to match up with his counter-part on the opposite side of the diamond, Derrek Lee. Speaking of the two, Ramie couldn't have come back at a better time. That's because he does not need to be "the man" every time he steps in the box right out of the gate. Derrek Lee, that man they rode every summer for 3 years, seems to be back to his old form. Along with Prince Fielder, God (Pujols) and Andre Ethier, D Lee has been among the National League's scorching hot hitters over the last month. That takes some pressure of Aramis to ease his way back, which he has so far, and keep the heat off of Soriano for the time being. They have won 5 of 7, but desperately need Fonsie to get into a groove and to get healthier. Dempster has just hit the DL and last year's ROY Geovany Soto may be next.
I feel like I'm starting to sound to much like Lou.
However I do hold a level of expertise on a few Scott County recruits, so here ya go.
- Ge-Lawn Guyn committed not long ago to Charlotte. It came as a surprise to me because I didn't see the reasoning in committing now. I see him as a guy who could really stand out in his senior year at Scott County. He is a ferocious competitor with great skills. He is a slasher that can play the point and shoot from the outside and a suffocating defender. Demling reported recently that Guyn's commit was a "soft" one, and I believe it is because he could have a monster SR year at SC and could go somewhere bigger. He has been killing it with his Indiana AAU team.
- My boy Chad Jackson. Got another look from the Italian Stallion on Tuesday and is a guy I can see play for Pitino. This kid will be the best point guard in the state, if he already isn't. He possesses incredible athleticism and his outside shot is getting better and better. He's explosive off the dribble and gets to the rim with unbelievable ease. Expect both of these boys to have a tremendous impact in their senior seasons and beyond with whichever school they choose.
I was born in 1979, right when Michael Jackson started to become big-which he would eventually turn into what Queen Latifah said yesterday "the biggest star on Earth." After his death VH-1 as well as radio stations across the country became MJ tribute airways. Through I realized for the umpteenth time how amazing an artist he was. And in so many different ways. He was also a great humanitarian who gave millions upon millions upon millions of dollars to countries and people in need all over the world. A Guinness Book of World Records amount. There was another side to Michael as well that seemed strange to the rest of the world. The only thing I can take away from his "strangeness" is to say I did not know this man personally. And I have no idea if he was really strange or not. He was never convicted of child molestation (but did settle out of court once) and although his kids wore masks when they left the house, probably not one person reading this knew what his kids looked like until yesterday. Thus making them anonymous, which is something Michael sought his entire life. Rest in peace Michael, your impact on the world will be missed.
The only rant this week is to the level of hotness Megan Fox exudes. I did not like Transformers but went to see the sequel for Fox, and Fox alone. Despite it's predecessor's cheesiness, the movie I thought was actually great. Good for me! I hope she's happy with the Korean Justin Timberlake or whatever she called him. I personally would love finding a Korean Megan Fox if that makes any difference.
Chad Ochocinco has not attended the Bengals OTA's (organized team activities), and for some reason this is news. What's even more surprising is that people actually care. The same people in the Ohio Valley that are disgusted with Chad's antics, do nothing but talk about Chad's antics. Not that I'm going to start trying to understand Bengal fans, because I never will. I've lived in this area all my life and I can't seem to get a grip on their rationale. There are many in the Bengal Nation that believe they should trade Carson Palmer, if you listen to local talk radio. The fact of the matter is players have chosen to skip OTA's because they are not mandatory and have their own workout regimen, and it's been going on for decades. Chad knows he did not live up to his own high expectations last year, and it's highly likely he will show up in-shape and motivated to be the same receiver he was when he was among the NFL's elite. Yeah, he tried to get out of town but come on Cincinnati, if you were in the NFL would you wanna play there?
