Overreaction April All-Star Voting

It's late April and if you frequent any baseball message boards or websites, you know that all-star balloting was released today. All-Star ballots are out there for fans to vote for the players who've had the best seasons so far or their favorite ballplayers even though practically nothing has happened yet.
Vote right here
The only headlines so far are the waiting list of Tommy John surgeries reaching abnormally inflated levels, Michael Pineda and baseball's confusing pine tar rules, and Albert Pujols hitting career home run #500.
Even though it's completely ridiculous to waste any time voting for all-stars based off of one month, I do it every year just to keep up on who might end up in Minneapolis for the mid-July game.
With all that said, here's my April all-star ballot based off of me overreacting to one month of baseball games. (CHARLIE BLACKMON IS THE NEW TED WILLIAMS!!!)

 AL Roster (Minus Pitchers, fans are not permitted to vote on the pitching staff)

Catcher: Matt Wieters (Baltimore Orioles) - Really sad that I traded this guy in a keeper fantasy league last year for Ryan Braun. It'll all work out since he can't bat .348 all year but the Wilson Ramos injury didn't help me. Honorable Mention: Dioner Navarro (Toronto Blue Jays) - The depth among American League catchers is awful right now and Dioner Navarro has been surprisingly not-awful. I don't expect him to be back on my list next month as surely somebody else will break out (Mike Zunino?) but Toronto needs him to continue hitting if they want to finish above .500.

Photo: AP
Albert Pujols is enjoying a redemption season alongside fellow all-star Mike Trout.

First Baseman: Albert Pujols (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) - "Finally!" exclaimed every Angels fan when they realized this season's Albert Pujols would play much like the healthy, St. Louis version of the 34-year-old slugger. It's a shame that Josh Hamilton got injured as soon as he did or else this Angels team could be very dangerous and there would be nothing but good vibes coming from the two redemption stories. Honorable Mention: Chris Colabello (Minnesota Twins) - He isn't even on the ballot but thanks to the one write-in option, Colabello could be your all-star first baseman (or right fielder) out of the AL. Colabello's breakout has been shocking to most baseball fans as he was figured to be an average role-player who would ride the bench for a wide span of his career. Alas, the man is batting .325 and somehow keeping this mediocre-at-best Twins team above .500 as of April 25th.

Second Baseman: Ian Kinsler (Detroit Tigers) - The Kinsler-for-Fielder trade that flew under the radar for whatever reason this off-season has turned into an absolute steal for Detroit. Kinsler is batting .296 (pretty good for a guy who usually disappoints in batting average) with 2 homers (it's early) and 13 RBI's for the AL Central-leading Detroit Tigers. Prince Fielder is only batting .200 with the same amount of home runs in a great park for power hitters that was very nice to Kinsler's home run totals over the past decade. Honorable Mention: Howie Kendrick (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) - Basically has the same stats as Kinsler on a less successful team. 

Third Baseman: Josh Donaldson (Oakland Athletics) - Every third basemen in the American League is struggling to hit for power besides Donaldson and Brett Lawrie. I can't pick Lawrie though since he's struggling to even bat above .175.  Donaldson is clearly the best offensive third baseman in the AL right now and there's nobody else worth mentioning. 

Shortstop: Alexei Ramirez (Chicago White Sox) - Remember how the consensus was that the American League was like a death-trap for pitchers and all the batters were amazing? Welcome to 2014, where the AL is lackluster and we live in a world where Alexei Ramirez can bat .352 with 4 homers, 17 RBI's, and 4 stolen bases, dominating most of the American League's finest competition. Honorable Mention: Derek Jeter (Yankees) - Let's face it, he's getting to the all-star game since it's his final season and there's nothing stopping him. Also, Elvis Andrus of the Texas Rangers was doing great until he got ejected for arguing balls and strikes mid-April.

Outfielders: Jacoby Ellsbury (New York Yankees), Mike Trout (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim), and Melky Cabrera (Toronto Blue Jays). 

Ellsbury hasn't had the 30 home run power that he used in 2011 with Boston but, a .337 batting average and 8 stolen bases (second only to Elvis Andrus in the AL) have once again proved that the Yankees are better than we thought that they would be. 

Mike Trout is still Mike Trout.

Melky Cabrera is enjoying himself a redemption season as well. The "Melkman" is batting .350 with solid batting numbers otherwise. A surprising revelation after making headlines for so many of the wrong reasons (PED suspensions, Injuries). I'm happy for the Melkman, we all should be.

Honorable Mentions: Carlos Beltran (New York Yankees), Michael Brantley (Cleveland Indians), and Jose Bautista (Toronto Blue Jays).

Designated Hitter (AL-Only position): Nelson Cruz (Baltimore Orioles) - Cruz has been the only DH with any shade of power so far (6 home runs) and has taken the crown from David Ortiz momentarily as the best Designated Hitter. Honorable Mention: David Ortiz (Boston Red Sox) - Playing solidly, plus the Derek Jeter effect of "He's been the best at his position for years, so why not vote for him again?"

NL Roster 

Catcher: Yadier Molina (St. Louis Cardinals) - Yadier continues to be miles better than any other catcher in the National League, batting .367 with gold glove-caliber defense and an on-base percentage just under .400. Honorable Mention: Devin Mesoraco (Cincinnati Reds) - Mesoraco needs a bigger sampling size but so far, 21 hits in 44 at-bats stands as pretty impressive.

First Baseman: Paul Goldschmidt (Arizona Diamondbacks) - Goldschmidt started out cold for the first week or two and now, he's back to being the Paul Goldschmidt that everyone knew and was impressed by last season. Honorable Mention: Freddie Freeman (Atlanta Braves) - The way that Freeman made it to the all-star game over Yasiel Puig last season was brilliant marketing on the part of Freeman, but a complete travesty that anyone was more deserving of getting that final vote over Puig. This year, there won't be any question if Freeman keeps up these numbers. Although, I will say that National League first baseman are playing very well so far.

Photo: Chuck Solomon/SI

Don't call it a comeback... because this isn't one.

Second Baseman: Chase Utley (Philadelphia Phillies) - Fantasy zombie Chase Utley is batting in the high .300's; something I was not aware of until today. I thought I was doing pretty well at keeping track of who's hot and who's not until I looked at the stats sheets this morning and BAM! Chase Utley is playing like a young Chase Utley with the batting eye of Miguel Cabrera. He shouldn't keep this pace up but it's plausible that we could witness him playing in the 2014 all-star game. Honorable Mention: Anthony Rendon (Washington Nationals) - This rookie is playing way ahead of his years. Personally, I wasn't expecting Rendon to become much more than a Mark Ellis clone at best but, Rendon is swinging carefully (.275 average), powerfully (3 homers, pretty good for one month for a second baseman), and most importantly has kept Washington above .500 while Ryan Zimmerman is out. 

Third Baseman: Aramis Ramirez (Milwaukee Brewers) - Watching a Brewers game, it becomes apparent early on why Milwaukee stumbled last season. Aramis Ramirez was hurt for a majority of the season. Thanks to this past off-season of rest and rehab, Ramirez has stepped through as quietly, the most important player on the Brewers' roster. Honorable Mention: Juan Uribe (Los Angeles Dodgers) - No, seriously. The 35-year-old former White Sock is en fuego this month. The easy bet for least likely to get his name anywhere near the all-star game in time for the game goes to Uribe as after many years of mediocrity and sitting on the bench has led to him somehow batting .330 with 4 homers in the month of April. Soak in the moment, Juan.

Shortstop: Troy Tulowitzki (Colorado Rockies) - Tulo is healthy... for now. As long as he stays in one piece, he's an all-star. The minute he starts breaking down (which is a question of when, not if) will be a tragedy for Colorado as it is every year. Honorable Mention: Right now, Tulowitzki is the only shortstop playing at an all-star level in the NL.

Outfielders: Charlie Blackmon (Colorado Rockies), Giancarlo Stanton (Miami Marlins), Andrew McCutchen (Pittsburgh Pirates)

Charlie Blackmon is the best player in baseball behind one man after one month. He's batting .400 with good power numbers and speed. He is an unstoppable force and it'll be interesting to see when he finally does slow down.

Giancarlo Stanton is the one man ahead of Blackmon. Stanton is playing like the NL MVP; knocking runs in nightly. 

Andrew McCutchen is one of the top 10 overall players in baseball. As long as his stats are still above average, he's an all-star with the slight advantage of not getting involved with Miami clinics like Ryan Braun.

Honorable Mentions: Ryan Braun (Milwaukee Brewers), Carlos Gomez (Milwaukee Brewers), and Justin Upton (Atlanta Braves).

The 2014 NBA Playoffs: Round 1

A couple of other Sports-y comments before we get to the main topic at hand
1.) The following picture was Sports Illustrated's cover 15 years ago this week.

Photographed by: Peter Read Miller

Tim Couch AND Akili Smith? Double Whammy.

2.) NCAA president Mark Emmert was on Mike & Mike In the Morning Friday and caused quite a stir with his commentary on student-athletes and unions. Overall, my big take-away (while on a 50% medicated for flu-like symptoms mindset) was that Emmert is a complete fraud and crook. Yet, it is understandable that it's taken awhile for some things to change as any changes do need to go through all 300+ universities. I just seriously doubt that Emmert cares about the athletes 20% as much as he preaches.

3.) Giancarlo Stanton for NL MVP? So far, yes.

4.) With White Sox outfielder Avisail Garcia out for the year, Is my long-running keeper team done getting injured? No.

and 5.) On the latest episode of The Finish Line (Steve Nash's fantastic collaboration with Grantland on a documentary series covering the end of the former MVP's career), Nash sits at a roundtable with former Maverick teammate Dirk Nowitzki and Dallas's equipment manager Al Whitley and discusses what could've happened had Nash decided to re-sign with the Mavericks in 2004 when he left for the Phoenix Suns. This got me to ask the same question to myself: What would have happened had Steve Nash stayed with Dallas after all these years? Whitley brought up an interesting comparison of John Stockton and Karl Malone who were the greatest point guard-power forward combination in the 90's that made multiple finals. Alas, Stockton & Malone never won a ring together (nor throughout their careers) and I believe that although Nash and Nowitzki would have snuck into the finals one extra time over the Spurs (2007), they would've ultimately lost to the decrepit Cavaliers plus Lebron. Lebron would then stay in Cleveland and the Mayan calendar would have been right all along.

Now, I will proceed to talk strictly basketball.

Mavericks Forward Dirk Nowitzki guarding the Spurs' Tim Duncan

#1 San Antonio Spurs v. #8 Dallas Mavericks
This should be the most predictable match-up along with Heat-Bobcats. The Mavs will put up a valiant effort but, Dirk and Monta Ellis will only do enough to contend for one or two games in this series as San Antonio is pissed off about last season's Finals and are willing to let everyone in their path know this.

Key Match-up To Watch: Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich vs. sideline reporter.

There won't be any other reason to watch this series unless you're a Spurs fan.

My Pick: Spurs in 4.

Durant - "We have to face you guys in the first round?" Z-Bo - "Heheh, yup"

#2 Oklahoma City Thunder v. #7 Memphis Grizzlies
Kevin Durant is going to be the NBA's Most Valuable Player this season, no doubt about it. The only question that remains about his talent is whether he can survive an entire post-season without James Harden and get Oklahoma City it's first championship in major professional sports. This series will match him against a great defensive challenge in the Grizzlies' Zach "Z-Bo" Randolph. He can't just rely on Serge Ibaka to sneak in a couple of wide-open jumpers either as former Defensive Player of the Year Marc Gasol will likely be in his vicinity for parts of the game.

Key Match-up To Watch: Point Guards Russell Westbrook vs. Mike Conley Jr.

Conley is not an outstanding defensive mind and we'll likely see multiple exhilarating fast-breaks from Westbrook. Westbrook isn't an all-defensive first team player either and that could lead to some open jumpers for Conley. Westbrook has the advantage but Conley could still out-smart him on the court.

My Pick: I picked Memphis to win the West in the pre-season so they damn-well better win! GRINDHOUSE!!! MEMPHIS SWEEPS!!!

Seriously though, Thunder in 6 probably.

BONUS NOTE: Grizzlies back-up guard Nick Calathes was suspended last night for 20 games for violating the leagues substance-abuse policy. Thunder guard Reggie Jackson rejoices.

(Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea, USA TODAY Sports)
Warriors' Stephen Curry attempts to guard fellow point guard Chris Paul

#3 Los Angeles Clippers v. #6 Golden State Warriors
If you want to see a series with a ton of bonafide superstars, this is your series. Blake Griffin (The Kia guy), Chris Paul (The Statefarm guy), Stephen Curry (Degree Deodorant), Andre Iguodala, David Lee. It's going to be fantastic entertainment value.

Key Match-up To Watch: David Lee vs. Blake Griffin

Griffin gets too much flack for being "soft" when in reality, he's just picking up fouls that ultimately benefit his team. David Lee is not 100% and hasn't been since he was New York Knick, but an 80% Lee could still take on most of the league's power forward's defensively. The winner of this positional match-up likely wins the series.

My Pick: Clippers in 5. Mark Jackson should probably be fired if this comes true.

Portland's LaMarcus Aldridge makes Houston's Dwight Howard uncomfortable

#4 Houston Rockets v. #5 Portland Trailblazers 
Portland is kind of new to this whole "staying healthy, making the playoffs" thing. After years of Sam Bowie, Greg Oden, Brandon Roy, and even some smaller, time-consuming injuries to LaMarcus Aldridge, everyone is ready to go in time for Portland to try and win themselves a second championship (the first coming in 1977).

Key Match-up To Watch: Nicolas Batum vs. Chandler Parsons.

The 15 PPG wild-card small forwards. Batum is the much better player on defense, but Parsons has the advantage on offense plus the better set of teammates (athletically speaking), which could distract Batum into guarding all-star guard James Harden. This would leave Parsons open. I expect many three-point attempts from Parsons this series.

My Pick: Rockets in 5.

"Happy birthday to the GROUND!" shouted Pero Antic before he rode away on a majestic purple unicorn.

#1 Indiana Pacers v. #8 Atlanta Hawks
The Pacers are struggling and the Atlanta Hawks are the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks have not been exciting as a whole team since the days of Dominique Wilkins and Spud Webb. I don't want to waste too much time on this series as I know that once it finishes, I'll regret it immediately.

Key Match-up To Watch: Roy Hibbert vs. His declining rebounding abilities.

My Pick: Pacers in 5.

Lebron James weaves through the Bobcats' defense.

#2 Miami Heat v. #7 Charlotte Bobcats
The two time defending champions versus Michael Jordan's team. When you phrase it that way, it doesn't sound too bad. Unfortunately, the Bobcats are in their tenth year (and final, as they will become the Hornets next season) and this is only their second trip to the playoffs as they've played terribly while making awful choices (Adam Morrison, Sean May). Fortunately, they made one really good choice this past off-season when they signed center Al Jefferson. He's been an automatic double-double every night and has built a stability within the Bobcats line-up that took pressure off of kids like Kemba Walker and made them perform better at their own personal games.

Key Match-up To Watch: Dwyane Wade vs. The media's perception that he's always hurt and won't be able to make it through a playoff series.

He'll prove them wrong as he's done so many times before. Hasn't anybody learned anything from the lazy narratives they stuck with on Dwyane Wade his entire career?

My Pick: Heat in 4. Al Jefferson versus a team with no Centers outside of Birdman Andersen might seem like an advantage that would give a team a game but the Heat still have Lebron, Wade, and Bosh. Charlotte? Kemba, Big Al, Henderson? Nope, not enough.

Jonas Valanciunas plays keep-away with Kevin Garnett

#3 Toronto Raptors v. #6 Brooklyn Nets
It's hard not to get excited about Canada's only team, that has received no national-attention in America, making the playoffs as a three-seed. The Nets may be old and decrepit, but their also old, decrepit, rested, and experienced. The winner of this series has to look forward to facing Miami in the second round, the Raptors would be better off winning this series and losing next round to get the motivation necessary for a potential re-match next year. Brooklyn won't have anyone back next year if they lose in the first round. At least, not Kirilenko, Garnett, Pierce, and possibly Shaun Livingston.

Key Match-up To Watch: Tyler Hansbrough (Psycho T) vs. Kevin Garnett.

The amount of technical fouls and elbows thrown between these two will be awesome.

My Pick: Nets in 7.

I still give it to Brooklyn due to experience.

All-star Joakim Noah guards Wizards' Nene' Hilario

#4 Chicago Bulls v. #5 Washington Wizards
Without Derrick Rose, this series could be god-awful boring. Thankfully, the Wizards chose John Wall with the #1 overall pick two years after Rose was taken first overall. There will still be fast-breaks and at least one 30-point game for a player in this series. Both teams are one piece away from truly contending and that's what should keep this series exciting to true NBA fans.

Key Match-up To Watch: Joakim Noah vs. Marcin Gortat.

Marcin Gortat was traded to the Wizards at the last possible second before the season began and has contributed quite well for Washington. This is the real test series that determines whether or not Gortat is here to stay as Joakim Noah has been playing like the center in the NBA with the most tools at his disposal, getting a string of triple-doubles.

My Pick: Bulls in 6.

I hope you enjoy the first round and all series' go to game sevens!

My 2014 MLB Preview Division-by-Division

Quick Pre-Prediction Note: Everyone's picking the Dodgers to win the World Series. Yeah, because Mark McGwire and Don Mattingly need MORE world series victories.

AL East
Baltimore Orioles 93-69
Boston Red Sox 90-72
Tampa Bay Rays 83-79
New York Yankees 78-84
Toronto Blue Jays 75-87

This may be an optimistic projection for both Baltimore and Toronto but these Yankees are not the Yankees we know and somewhat tolerate from the George Steinbrenner era. This Yankee team has a line-up filled completely with 30+ year old starters and perennial injury risks like Carlos Beltran, Brett Gardner, and the soon-retiring Derek Jeter. The Sox are the defending champions but there's no reason that their roster last year should have ever won a championship outside of David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, and Koji Uehara's miracle season.

Fake Andy Todd Awards!!!
Division MVP: Orioles Outfielder Adam Jones
Division Rookie Of The Year: Either the obvious choice of Red Sox Shortstop Xander Bogaerts or Some Yankee who gets thrown into the dumpster fire that will be their line-up by August. (Yangervis Solarte? Who?)
Division Cy Young Winner: Red Sox' Jake Peavy 
The Sudden Collapse Award: Rays Starting Pitcher Matt Moore & Yankee Closer David Robertson

Hello, my name is Yangervis Solarte. You diss my Yankees. Prepare to die.

AL Central
Detroit Tigers 99-63
Cleveland Indians 86-76
Kansas City Royals 81-81
Chicago White Sox 69-93
Minnesota Twins 64-98

The worst division in baseball had some fluke seasons last year from the White Sox (who aren't that bad) and the Indians (who aren't that good). Ubaldo has left the building and Danny Salazar is the new breakthrough ace of the staff for Cleveland but might the pressure be too much for him? Kansas City is hoping that Mike Moustakas (MOOSE TACOS!) will carry over his superb Spring Training totals into the regular season (Yes, I realize we are a week into the season and the answer is; he won't but, it's possible his bat returns at any moment). Detroit dropped Prince Fielder and Jhonny Peralta, replacing them with Ian Kinsler and Nick Castellanos. These moves were fantastic as they were simply "rather be a year early than a year late" moves.

Fake Andy Todd Awards
Division MVP: Tigers First Baseman Miguel Cabrera (I mean, who else could I choose over him?)
Division ROTY: Indians Starting Pitcher Danny Salazar
Division Cy Young: Tigers' Max Scherzer
Sudden Collapse Award: Indians First Baseman Carlos Santana 

I fully support Max Scherzer's attempt at back-to-back Cy Young Awards, but I will not support this frightening life-sized bobblehead of him.

AL West
Oakland Athletics 94-68
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 85-77
Texas Rangers 84-78
Seattle Mariners 79-83
Houston Astros 66-96

Houston went 51-111 in 2013, becoming immortalized as one of the worst teams in baseball history. I see them improving as elite prospects like George Springer and Jonathan Singleton will make their debuts at some point this season (My prediction: June for Springer, September for Singleton). The Mariners added Robinson Cano, Corey Hart, Logan Morrison, and some young pitching which was nice but not division-altering. The Angels are hoping for comeback seasons from the now-injured Josh Hamilton and Albert Pujols. All the Angels need is for one to stay healthy and bat .280 to become relevant again as long as they have Mike Trout in the outfield. Texas added Prince Fielder and Shin-Soo Choo but has a messy pitching rotation and an injured batter in young Jurickson Profar. With all these teams being unpredictable, Oakland won the division last year and I don't see any big losses other than the injury to Starting Pitcher Jarrod Parker so expect the A's to run away with it.

Fake Andy Todd Awards
Division MVP: Angels Outfielder Mike Trout
Division ROTY: Mariners Starting Pitcher Taijuan Walker
Division Cy Young: Mariners' Felix Hernandez
Sudden Collapse Award: Angels Starting Pitcher Jered Weaver

How could I have forgotten to mention the loss for the Athletics of 40-year old ace Big Fat Bartolo Colon?

NL East
Washington Nationals 97-65
Atlanta Braves 90-72
Philadelphia Phillies 87-75
New York Mets 74-88
Miami Marlins 71-91

I've heard many bad things about the Phillies, some reasonable (Howard, Utley, Rollins trio are not what they used to be), some not quite as proven (Papelbon is terrible, Domonic Brown will crumble, Revere is too injury prone). Overall, I like Philly more than most with my 87-75 prediction. The Nationals majorly disappointed last season and we're all still waiting for Bryce Harper's MVP candidate season. This might not be the year that we see that side of Harper yet but as long as this team has Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmerman, and Gio Gonzalez in the rotation, they're contenders. Atlanta has had five major league pitchers (in addition to the still-recovering Jonny Venters) have Tommy John Surgery and thus are out for the season. That's too many good arms going down for me to have complete confidence in choosing Atlanta to win the NL East. Meanwhile, the Mets and Marlins are interchangeable as long as Mets Pitcher Matt Harvey is out. 

 Fake Andy Todd Awards
Division MVP: Nationals Starting Pitcher Stephen Strasburg 
Division ROTY: Marlins Outfielder Christian Yelich
Division Cy Young: Nationals' Stephen Strasburg
Sudden Collapse Award: Braves Shortstop Andrelton Simmons

Just think of it as growing pains for Atlanta's young, defensive-minded Shortstop

NL Central
Milwaukee Brewers (You heard it here first) 93-69
Cincinnati Reds 92-70
Pittsburgh Pirates 88-74
St. Louis Cardinals 84-78
Chicago Cubs 62-100

My blodest call involves my home state's team winning their division. Homer pick? Never. I have no more emotions toward the Brewers than I do any other team, I just truly believe that they are a tough task to take down this season as long as Ryan Braun is done getting suspended. The Reds are consistent all around and I expect them to take one of the National League's wildcard spots. Pittsburgh has been through some tough times this year, watching the Steelers become mediocre and all, but they aren't done suffering just yet as the Pirates will be good enough to get their hopes up once again until the last week of the season, when they lose the second wildcard slot to the Atlanta Braves. Too many things went right for the Cardinals last season and while they'll still be relatively good, they won't be in the playoffs as I have them finishing fourth one season after making the World Series. The Cubs are the Cubs.

Fake Andy Todd Awards
Division MVP: Brewers Outfielder Ryan Braun
Division ROTY: Cubs Third Baseman Mike Olt
Division Cy Young: Reds' Homer Bailey
Sudden Collapse Award: Brewers Shortstop Jean Segura

Reds Outfielder Billy Hamilton will add tons of stolen bases but I don't imagine him batting higher than .230 and will not be an everyday lead-off hitter the way that Cincinnati is praying for.

NL West
Los Angeles Dodgers 97-65
Arizona Diamondbacks 87-75
San Francisco Giants 87-75
San Diego Padres 76-86
Colorado Rockies 68-94

There's no reason for the Dodgers to NOT win this division. Unless Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, and Ryan Vogelsong all have comeback years for the Giants, the Dodgers should run away with it. Arizona did some nice things this off-season by adding Starting Pitcher Bronson Arroyo, Closer Addison Reed, and extending the contract of First Baseman Paul Goldschmidt but does not "wow" me overall as a team. The Padres continue to look bad this year but their pitching acquisitions since the start of last season will help play a role in a slight revival that keeps them within grasp of a .500 win-loss record. The Rockies pitching is awful and their batters are only okay and that's never an ideal combination.

Fake Andy Todd Awards
Division MVP: Dodgers First Baseman Adrian Gonzalez
Division ROTY: Diamondbacks Shortstop Chris Owings
Division Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw Patrick Corbin Giants' Madison Bumgarner 
Sudden Collapse Award: Padres Outfielder Will Venable or Rockies Outfielder Michael Cuddyer if you like your players to have actually reached an all-star game before collapsing. 

NO CLAYTON! That's not going to help your back!

I might actually call back to these predictions at the end of the year. If I do, it will be embarrassing as my baseball predictions are usually my weakest of all the sports.

PLAYOFFS?!
Wildcard Games
Red Sox over Indians
Braves over Reds
1st Rd.
Tigers over Red Sox
Orioles over Athletics
Dodgers over Braves
Brewers over Nationals
2nd Rd.
Tigers over Orioles
Dodgers over Brewers
World Series
Tigers over Dodgers in 6.

First: A triple crown. Second: The MVP trophy. Next: World Series MVP for Miguel Cabrera.

Post-Preview Note: Don't fail me, Yasiel Puig! (I'm a disgruntled fantasy keeper league owner who took Puig first overall this March).

A Legitimate Post That Has Nothing to do with April Fool's Day

Hi there! Long time, no see! How have you been this past month? Have you been partying it up in Florida with topless people over Spring Break? Have you discovered a new relationship with someone special? or did you just shovel a lot because the only seasons in the Midwest are winter and construction?

I enjoyed my March more than any month since last Summer. Why? Because for one glorious week, I had no more concerns about assignments, winter storms, or (worst of all from a guilt standpoint) sleep getting in the way of actually conversing face-to-face and catching up with people I care about. The internet is a terrific place, don't get me wrong, but I, personally, only really want to use it as a platform for news and entertainment. As you could probably tell from self-created projects like The Bracket of Awesome (which is temporarily The Bracket of Weezy for April Fool's Day) and my mock-singing career on youtube, I'm all about entertaining people.

"Why are you telling me this?" you may be asking yourself. I'm telling you this because I don't use sites like Facebook to air public grievances at people who may be "following" me. I don't share your average run-of-the-mill statuses anymore, only jokes, news, and quirky observations. See, I try to actually contribute something new instead of your typical "Can't get to sleep O_O" 2 A.M. posts, the run-of-the-mill "Why is everyone of the opposite gender confusing?" status, or the bland "Deleting my account" only to not get the balls to actually do it in some sort of hoarding-layered last-second change of mind. Life is much more enjoyable when everyone tries contributing something new and original instead of relaying the same "Go -insert team here-!" message that ultimately leads to a negative response from one of the thousands of followers you likely have. You see, negativity always leads to some negative feeling from others and ultimately, wouldn't  the world be a better place if everyone were just optimistic? It wouldn't hurt.

Anyway, in case my readers have not fallen asleep yet, here's what I've been up to:

1.) My English class LITERALLY (In my best Rob Lowe voice) has an essay due every class period, so I would not have had time to blog even if I wanted to. I've considered dropping the class multiple times but at a certain point, I've done enough work with a not-awful grade that I will just end up toughing it out through my last required English credit before I move on to new adventures.

2.) Watching sports, duh. The NBA keeps on chugging along with only a handful of games remaining to their regular season. College Hoops is in the final four, and my bracket is busted of course (PITINO!).

3.) Started watching a certain television show that took me too long to get started on. I won't mention it until I'm finished with the series for spoiler alert paranoia.

4.) Catching up with family members and some high school friends. I got a few texts from people I genuinely miss seeing every weekday and those messages sort of made my day, so if you're reading this, thank you. As far as family goes, it was my grandmother and her twin brother's 85th birthday and the party took over all of Perkins in Marshfield, practically torturing the staff. It was ridiculous, obnoxious, everything a Todd birthday should be, and I wouldn't have changed it for anything.

"The Todd's LITERALLY took over Perkins."

5.) Did I mention I've been binge-watching Parks and Recreation as well? I love that show.

So no, I didn't go on any cruises or travel anywhere special. But I also didn't sit around, waiting in terror for school to return. I stayed in Wisconsin and still managed to have my best Spring break ever. Sometimes life's finest moments come completely unexpected.