The Mayans were right 2013 it's the end of the world, Why you ask.... because the Patriots actually traded up in the draft, pretty sure the mayans said that would be the determining factor a kabillion years ago. The Patriots traded up from the 27th to the 21st spot with the Bengals and gave up a 3rd round pick. DE Chandler Jones is out of Syracuse to make this deal even more sweeter for the orange heads. Chandler Jones also has the reputation of being a tremendous trash talker and physical player, if he is anything like his brother (UFC Champion Jon Bones Jones) he will destroy people on the field.

Then to confirm the end of the world is close, the Patriots traded up again to move up to the 25th pick in the 1st round from the 31st and gave up a 4th round pick to the Broncos and they took Inside Line Backer Donta Hightower out of Alabama. Hightower is extremely athletic, can run a 40 in 4.62 seconds and was filthy with the Crimson.

On Day 2 of the draft the Patriots had 2 2nd round picks and used 1 of them to pick up Free Safety Tavon Wilson out of Illinois. He is 6 feet tall 205 pounds and has a ton of versatility.

Since the Patriots traded up for their 2 first round picks, they traded down on their second, 2nd round pick and picked up a 3rd and 5th round draft pick.... This is fine at least they finally traded up for once, I could never criticize this draft.

Oh wait Pats night did not stop there with the 90th overall pick in the draft the Patriots took Arkansas defensive End Jake Bequette who is a 6'5 271 pounder and has major versatility and can play end in the 4-3.

Belichick likes his versatility, he got his versatility! Utilizing his top picks this year I will be shocked if this draft does not pay off big time.

Patriots are 6 for 8 with successful 1st and 2nd round draft picks and only 4 for 23 with successful later round picks in the past 4 years.

NEW ENGLAND INTENSITY WOMEN'S TACKLE FOOTBALL IS LIVE SATURDAY APRIL 28th at 4:00PM ON MA SPORTS WEB.COM


Other draft News Boston College Inside Line-Backer Luke Kuechly went to the Carolina Panthers with the 9th overall pick.


Last night on WMRC you heard The Boston Red Sox took on the Chicago White Sox in game 2 of the Series. The Red Sox rolling on a 4 game winning streak heading into last night send Daniel Bard to the Hill to face John Danks. Well the result was just super for the Sox as they get the 10-3 victory, their 5th win in a row. Daniel Bard went 7 innings pitched, gave up 2 earned runs. Ortiz belted his 4th homer of the year and Darnell Mcdonald had 4 RBI's. The Sox scored 6 runs on the top of the 6th last night.

The Red Sox take on the Chicago White Sox in game 3 of the series in Chicago tonight, Jon lester to the Hill for the Red Sox, Jake Peavy for the White Sox game time is 7pm, coverage starts at 6 pm right here on wmrc first class radio.


Yankees last night won the game against the Tigers in the bottom of the 9th on a passed ball. Derek Jeter came around to score in the bottom of 9th after a skipped pitch. Mariano Rivera got the win for the Yanks. The Yankees play at 4:05pm today against the Detroit Tigers, Tigers Rookie Drew Smyly matches up against Freddy Garcia for the Yankees.


The Bruins may be done for the season but the Celtics will get started up Sunday against the Atlanta Hawks right here on WMRC, 1490 am, Coverage starts at 6pm for Celtics playoff basketball as they battle the Hawks in game 1 in Atlanta.


Thursday Night Milford High Baseball Branched out as J.J. Branch took the mound and took down Algonquin 10-6. 4 of the runs were earned. Jarrod and Chriss Casey as well as Matt Ferelli all contributed hits in the Milford victory. The Scarlet Hawks after Thursday are 6 and 1 on the season.

On Friday a different story Milford Gets shut out against Shrewsbury 3-0 but the Milford Softball team shut out Shrewsbury 8-0, Caroline Fairbanks ripped a 3 run homer in the Milford victory.

Other Baseball scores from around the Area, Franklin Panthers shut out division rivals Mansfield 8-0, In Tri-Valley Play Hopkinton took down Medway 6-2, Millis wiped out Ashland 9-6, Medfield beat up on Bellingham 14-1 and in Non-League Play Hopedale took down Worcester North 16-0.

Other Local Softball Scores, Mansfield shut out Franklin 3-0, Bellingham shut out Medfield 4-0, Ashland took down Millis 13-2, Hopkington over Medway 4-2.


This has been Tom Nappi With your Sports Sting keep it locked WMRC 1490am Milford and Wmrc Daily News.com every saturday 10am-noon to hear more extremely exceptional sports talk.

2012 PATRIOTS PRESEASON SCHEDULE

Date.........................Opponent..............................Time....................TV Coverage    
Thurs., Aug. 9.........New Orleans Saints..............7:30 p.m. ET.......Patriots Preseason Network
Mon., Aug. 20..........Philadelphia Eagles..............8:00 p.m. ET.......ESPN (Nationally Televised)
Fri., Aug. 24............at Tampa Bay Buccaneers.....7:30 p.m. ET.......Patriots Preseason Network
Wed., Aug. 29..........at New York Giants...............7:30 p.m. ET.......Patriots Preseason Network

2012 PATRIOTS REGULAR SEASON

Date............................Opponent....................Time.........................Affiliate
.........Network    
Sunday, Sept. 9..........at Tennessee.................1:00 p.m. ET........WBZ...............CBS
Sunday, Sept. 16........Arizona...........................1:00 p.m. ET........WFXT..............FOX
Sunday, Sept. 23........at Baltimore...................8:20 p.m. ET........WHDH............NBC
Sunday, Sept. 30........at Buffalo........................1:00 p.m. ET........WBZ...............CBS
Sunday, Oct. 7............Denver.............................4:15 p.m. ET.......WBZ...............CBS
Sunday, Oct. 14.........at Seattle........................4:05 p.m. ET........WBZ...............CBS
Sunday, Oct. 21..........New York Jets................4:15 p.m. ET........WBZ...............CBS
Sunday, Oct. 28.........at St. Louis (London)......1:00 p.m. ET........WBZ...............CBS
Sunday, Nov. 4............BYE WEEK
Sunday, Nov. 11..........Buffalo.............................1:00 p.m. ET........WBZ..............CBS
Sunday, Nov. 18..........Indianapolis....................1:00 p.m. ET........WBZ..............CBS*
Thursday, Nov. 22.......at New York Jets.............8:20 p.m. ET.......WHDH...........NBC
Sunday, Dec. 2.............at Miami..........................1:00 p.m. ET........WBZ.............CBS*
Monday, Dec. 10..........Houston..........................8:30 p.m. ET........WCVB...........ESPN
Sunday, Dec. 16...........San Francisco................8:20 p.m. ET........WHDH...........NBC*
Sunday, Dec. 23...........at Jacksonville...............1:00 p.m. ET........WBZ..............CBS*
Sunday, Dec. 30...........Miami..............................1:00 p.m. ET........WBZ..............CBS*

Patriots meet up with the Jets on Thanksgiving this year!

New England Wins Big Versus Connecticut!
 

The New England Intensity returned to their winning ways last Saturday, soundly defeating the visiting Connecticut Wreckers 36-0 at Hanlon Field in Medway, Massachusetts. The win evens up the Intensity 2012 record at 1-1 and puts them back on track for their season goals. 
 
Behind a solid effort by the Offensive Line, New England rushed for over 250 yards and 4 TDs (by 4 different players, with Lisa Vincent leading the way tallying 167 rushing yards on 9 carries, one of which a 59 yard TD scamper on the Intensity’s first play).  Over 100 yards were gained in the air as QB Rebecca Lopez went 7 for 9, including a 55 yard TD bomb to Donna Bruce.  No NE QB suffered a sack in this game as well—kudos to the O Line, again!
 
The Defense was characteristically stingy, surrendering only 63 total yards (6 yards on just one completion, 57 yards on the ground) and two total first downs in the shut-out effort.  Vincent had two sacks and Charlene Casey led the team in tackles with 4 solo and 3 assists.
 
On Special Teams, Rookie Michelle Torres had two solo tackles, Brenna Leveille had a 55 yard kickoff, Tricia Donovan averaged 16.0 yards per punt return (she had three in the game), and Lola Kantak hit her second FG of the season and went 2 for 2 on extra point attempts.
 
Head Coach Johnny Johnson and the rest of the staff liked what they had seen from some of the rookies, notably Christine Sampson (who ran for one of the team four rushing TDs and returned an interception 43 yards) and Heather Eagleson (who churned out several tough runs late in the game when the whole world knew that New England would be running the ball). 
 
That said, New England will have it’s work cut out for itself over the next two weeks (this Saturday upcoming is a bye week for the Intensity) as they prepare to host archrival New Hampshire Freedom on 4/28/12 at Medway High School—another 4pm kickoff.  Back to basics is the theme the coaching staff will be driving home to the players in the upcoming practices, we will see how well it is received come the 28th!

ERIC’S MLB POWER RANKINGS
(Power Rankings are based on the Current MLB Standings)

1. Detroit Tigers

2. St. Louis Cardinals

3. Philadelphia Phillies

4. Tampa Bay Rays

5. Texas Rangers

6. New York Mets

7. Arizona Diamondbacks

8. New York Yankees

9. Chicago White Sox

10. LA Dodgers

11. Baltimore Orioles

12. Milwaukee Brewers

13. Toronto Blue Jays

14. Kansas City Royals

15. Seattle Mariners

16. Houston Astros

17. San Diego Padres

18. Washington Nationals

19. Boston Red Sox

20. Oakland Athletics

21. Miami Marlins

22. Colorado Rockies

23. Chicago Cubs

24. San Francisco Giants

25. Pittsburg Pirates

26. Cincinnati Reds

27. Atlanta Braves

28. Cleveland Indians

29. LA Angels

30. Minnesota Twins

Eric's Playoff Prediction

DIVISION WINNERS:

AL
Tampa Bay Rays
Detroit Tigers
Texas Rangers

NL
Philadelphia Phillies
St. Louis Cardinals
Colorado Rockies

WILDCARD:

New York Yankees
Milwaukee Brewers

WORLD SERIES:

Tampa Bay Rays vs. Philadelphia Phillies

Tampa Bay wins.

The 2011 Independent Women's Football League (IWFL) Eastern Conference Champion New England Intensity opened their 2012 season this past Saturday, 4/7/12, at Hanlon Field (Medway, Massachusetts), where they have played home games for 7 consecutive years.
 
The Intensity hosted the Montreal Blitz (2008 and 2010 Champions and 2009 runners-up), who has had New England's number of late (defeating the Intensity 53-14 in 2010 in the first round of the playoffs and 30-0 in Medway last season). 
 
New England, having made numerous roster and staff upgrades and coming off of the most productive and ambitious off-season they have ever conducted, was not about to get drummed again!  Despite several miscues that included surrendering a kickoff returned for a touchdown and 7 turnovers on offense, the Intensity, due largely to stalwart defense, was very much in this game.  In fact, the score was 14-11 for the better part of the 4th quarter before an untimely "pick six" by the visiting squad with less than a minute remaining closed the door on this match.
 
Head Coach John Johnson was very upbeat, even in defeat, citing how the mistakes are easily fixable and the fact that only one offensive touchdown was given up by the New England (especially given the 7 turnovers) is cause for optimism. 
 
He and the rest of his staff will be hard at work this week preparing the Intensity for their next game--a 4pm tilt at Medway High versus the Connecticut Wreckers, a team new to the league that New England does not have a lot of information on.  As such, the Blue needs to be ready for anything and this promises to be a great game! 

Tags: IWFL

30.  Houston Astros
It’s really hard to believe that just seven years ago, this team was playing for the World Series, all is it, that team was stacked from top to bottom.  But Ohh, how the times have changed, and this Astros team, is almost a glorified AAA team, they never got the production they wanted out of Carlos Lee, who will now be their everyday 1st baseman, Jed Lowrie will not be ready to begin the season (any Red Sox fan could tell you that) and they only have 2 solid starting pictures….who the organization want to deal as soon as humanely possible. 
THIS Astros team will not see the playoffs this year, and with a move to the stacked AL West in the next few years, I’m not sure they ever will again.

29.  Baltimore Orioles
Ohh, the problems with the Baltimore Orioles….how bad do they stink? Let me count the ways, a god awful Rotation: Check.  A terrible Bullpen: Ohh yeah.  Their lineup does have potential, I am a huge fan of Adam Jones, Nick Markakis, JJ Hardy and Matt Weiters, but the rest of that line up is so up in the air, Mark Reynolds will either hit a homerun or strike out, and have a average of about .200, and who knows if Brian Roberts will ever come back from his concussion.  
Buck Showalter is one of the best managers in the game…but even he will take a long time to turn this team around.

28.  Oakland Athletics
The A’s could have themselves a bona-fide super star if Yoenis Cespedes turns out to be the hitter people think he is going to be, and from what we have seen so far, he is, but that’s a big if.  
The rest of this Athletics team leaves a lot to be desired, for the love of god, they were so desperate to put butts in the seats of that massive stadium that they signed someone (Manny Ramirez) who will need to serve a 50 game suspension before he can “try” and help this time.

27.  Minnesota Twins
I’ll speak for myself when I say that baseball will really be right again now that Joe Mauer is primed for a comeback season.  He was never really healthy or in shape last season, and we all saw it.  Mauer to me is the face of MLB, and whenever he is having a good season, baseball is having a good season.  
Aside from Mauer however, I just don’t know how to feel about this team…their starting pitching is at best mediocre, their bullpen has “meh” written all over it and their entire lineup revolves around two often injured players in former MVP’s Mauer and Justin Morneau.  The Twins were AWFUL last season, and I just don’t see them getting much better, even if everyone is healthy.

26.  Chicago Cubs
I’m going to be as nice as I can to Cubs fans here: your team is going to stink this year, but just sit back and enjoy as Matt Garza and Starlin Castro turn into super stars, and hope that Anthony Rizzo gets called up and contribute as well.
Beyond those things, this Cubs team really doesn't have much rooting interest. New boss Theo Epstein will need time to transform the Cubs into winners.

25.  New York Mets
Johan Santana is finally healthy and looked great (and healthy) throughout all of spring training.  This fact alone makes me feel better about the Mets then I did when spring training started.  
But even with their ace back, I still don’t have much hope for this team, they have very weak starting pitching, a weak bullpen and a very weak lineup, hitting in a very large ballpark.  In the talented NL-East, they are a lock for last place.

24.  Seattle Mariners
There are things to like about the Mariners. Felix Hernandez should be considered the top CY Young contender in the American League, Jesus Montero is a hitting prodigy, Dustin Ackley is a great young player and moving Chone Figgins back to the leadoff spot should get him going again. 
But overall, the best word to describe this team is "meh."  The rotation behind Hernandez is weak, as is their bullpen, and no power at all sends the Mariners all the way to last place in the AL West.

23.  Pittsburgh Pirates
It wasn’t very long ago that the Buc’s would be all the way down in these rankings.  But things are starting to come around.  The Pirates have some good young talent on the way, but it'll be another couple years before it all comes together and the Pirates can use it to make a run at a division title.
This season, the best the Pirates can hope for is that their rotation will be as good as it was early in the 2011 season and that their lineup will be carried by Andrew McCutchen. Even then, the Pirates will tread water in an NL Central that is very heavy at the top.

22.  Colorado Rockies
I don’t think anyone is going to question the Rockies' ability to score runs this season. They have a lineup that is deeper than it was in 2011, and it's strong in the middle with Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez holding down the fort, and Todd Helton still being able to put up solid numbers even at his age, this team will be up there with the top “run scored“ teams in the league.
Pitching is a much bigger concern. The Rockies do not have a good rotation, they have Jeremy Guthrie then…..49 YEAR OLD JAMIE MOYER as their number 2 starter and their bullpen has some serious question marks hanging over it. That's an ill omen for a team that will play half its games at Coors Field.
The Rockies were pretty terrible beyond April last season. Don't expect them to be much better.
21.  San Diego Padres
The Padres don’t look very strong on paper, they have a rotation that doesn’t have any sexy names in it, and a bullpen that doesn’t look as good as it did when they had Mike Adams and Heath Bell.  But I’ll say this; the Padres are my sleepers this year.
Pitching and defense will be this team's M.O., and they could make a run at the NL West title if Yonder Alonso develops into a star and Carlos Quentin returns and starts hitting right away.

20.  Chicago White Sox
The White Sox aren’t a terrible team, but their not great either, just good enough to avoid being horrible, but no team in the majors defines mediocrity quite like they do.
The White Sox could surprise people this season, but only if Alex Rios, Adam Dunn and Jake Peavy all enjoy healthy and productive seasons.
I’ll pause for a minute to let you all recover from the laugh attack you’re having.

19.  Cleveland Indians
The Indians overachieved out of the gate last season, and they ultimately ended up using their fast start as an excuse to make an awful trade to acquire Ubaldo Jimenez.
The Indians are just as mediocre now months after that trade as they were when they made it. They resigned Grady Sizemore, hoping he would get back to the player he once was…he’s already on the DL, Astrubal Cabrera is a solid short stop, and Carlos Santana will be one of the top catchers in the game.  They'll be able to avoid a last-place finish in the AL Central, but they have absolutely no shot at stealing the division from the Tigers.

18.  Kansas City Royals
The Royals have been one of the most inept franchises in baseball for decades at this point, but they're headed in the right direction. There's some great young talent in the organization, and it should be fun to see what Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas can do over a full season.
The trouble is that the Royals don't have a strong rotation, and their bullpen is much weaker now that Joakim Soria is out of the picture. The Royals will be a middle-of-the-road club this year, and nothing more, but this team future is starting to look brighter.

17.  Los Angeles Dodgers
The big story in Dodger land this year will be the club's transition out of Frank McCourt's hands and into, well, whoever's hands. Dodgers’ fans will be happy as long as it's someone other than McCourt. 
The Dodgers have some good individual pieces in Clayton Kershaw, Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier, and Dee Gordon will lead the National League in steals if he stays healthy and consistent. But compared to the top teams in the NL West, the Dodgers just don't quite stack up.  But under new ownership, this team will be able to spend money this off-season for the first time in a LONG time, a very good story.


16.  Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays are getting there. They're not there yet, but they're close.
So it goes with the Blue Jays. They have some good individual pieces here and there, most notably Jose Bautista and breakout candidate Brett Lawrie, but they don't have nearly enough firepower to compete with the powers that be in the AL East.
Maybe next year.

15.  Cincinnati Reds
They don’t really have much of a rotation besides Matt Latos; they moved Aroldis Chapman, who was having a fantastic spring as a starter, back to the bullpen to set up now closer Sean Marshall, who must now close with Ryan Madson going down for the year with Tommy John surgery.
Sure their offence looks nice, but they don’t really offer much after Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips and Jay Bruce.  
In short, this team falls well south of elite.

14.  Atlanta Braves
 A lot of people are down on the Braves right now, and for good reason. The news coming out of Braves camp this spring has been largely bad.
But look beyond the bad news and at the good stuff. You'll see that the Braves still have one of the deepest pitching staffs in baseball, which will most certainly come in handy. Plus, there's no way this lineup will be as bad in 2012 as it was in 2011. The Braves will likely get off to a slow start, but they'll come around.

13.  Arizona Diamondbacks
The Diamondbacks overachieved last season. We all know it's true.
But not by much. The D-Backs have two outstanding pitchers at the top of their rotation in Ian Kennedy and Daniel Hudson, they have a deep bullpen and they have a lineup that will hit a ton of home runs.
I shudder to think how good this team could be if the top arms in the system get called up and start contributing immediately.

12.  St. Louis Cardinals
Just like the Brewers, don't assume the Cardinals are helpless just because they lost their big slugger over the off-season.
Pujols' offense will be replaced at a reasonable margin if Carlos Beltran hits like he did last year, and David Freese and Allen Craig can both stay healthy and productive. In addition, improved health will make Matt Holliday an MVP candidate.
The bigger concern with the Cardinals is Chris Carpenter's health. The Cards have the depth to account for his absence in the short term, but not the long term.  They won the World Series without Wainwright, but they can’t without their ace…or can they?

11.  Miami Marlins
On paper, the Marlins are as strong as any team in baseball and they were clearly the winners of the off-season. They have a talented rotation, a solid bullpen and a lineup that is full of both power and speed.
The one big "if" is health. Several of the Marlins' key players are injury-prone (Reyes, Ramirez, Morrison, and Johnson) and that's a big concern. If the injury bug bites this team in 2012, disaster will ensue. If the injury bug doesn't bite, the Marlins will shoot up these rankings in no time at all.

10.  Boston Red Sox
The back end of Boston's rotation is very iffy, I like the addition of Doubront, I’ve liked him for years, not sure how I felt about Bard when the decision was made to make him the 5th starter, but with the move that Andrew Bailey will be out till the All Star Break, the move makes a lot more sense, Alfredo Aceves was solid in the bullpen all year last year, and Bard collapsed in September…I know, I know, so did everybody, but if Aceves and be solid and Bard can develop his change up, things will look up for them. 
The top three pitchers in Boston's rotation are all rock-solid, and its lineup will score a ton of runs this season. The Red Sox are not as horrible as many people think they are.

9.  Milwaukee Brewers
Prince Fielder is out of the picture, but don't think his departure has crippled the Brewers, they still have Ryan Braun, and I love the Brewers offence. They still have one of the deepest rotations in the National League, not to mention one of the deepest bullpens. If their pitching holds up, they'll have more than enough offense to pile up wins.

8.  Washington Nationals
I'll be the first to admit it. I'm higher on the Nationals than most.
The thing I love most about the Nats is their starting rotation, which is young, deep and talented, but it’s not without its red flags. We're finally going to see what Stephen Strasburg can do over a full season, but you still have to worry about that elbow.  Gio Gonzalez is a strikeout artist with a high ceiling, but too many walks and the long ball will kill him. Jordan Zimmerman was sneaky-good last season and Edwin Jackson is a fireballer who can be unhittable on a good day, but on a bad day, he can‘t get anyone out. The Nats lineup is far from perfect, but it has some thunder in it, Bryce Harper will be a star when he is up full time. Once Drew Storen comes back healthy, their bullpen will be elite.

7.  San Francisco Giants
Buster Posey is back, and the Giants made some under-the-radar moves (i.e. trading for Melky Cabrera) over the off-season that will help them score more runs. Their pitching staff is led by three co-aces in Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner, and their bullpen is the best in the National League. If they stay healthy this season, the Giants will win the NL West by 10 games.

6.  Philadelphia Phillies
At the end of the 2011 season, the Phillies were the best team in baseball by a wide margin. They've gotten worse ever since, as injuries have robbed them of key members of their lineup, losing Chase Utley and Ryan Howard at the start of the season hurts bad and their bullpen lost some depth over the off-season, Madson would have been smart to retain, but smart on the Phil’s to not. 
Even still, the trio of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels is so good it borders on being unfair.

5.  Tampa Bay Rays
I maintain that the Angels have a deep and talented rotation, but the Rays are right there with them. The Rays have easily the best rotation in the AL East, and it will be one of the best in the majors when all is said and done. A lot of people have doubts about this offense, and I'm one of them. Carlos Pena and Luke Scott were nice additions but age is sure to affect them and they will both hit between .200 and .240, but Evan Longoria is still the best third baseman in baseball and Desmond Jennings has the potential to be even better than Carl Crawford.

4.  Los Angeles Angels
OMG! Albert Pujols is an Angel!
Yes he is, and while he is a major addition to an already great team, what makes the Angels great is their starting rotation. The Angels have more talent one through four in their rotation than any team in the majors. Their bullpen has its issues, but the Angels starting pitching and improved lineup will make them slump-proof this season.

3.  Texas Rangers
The Los Angeles Angels made all the big moves this off-season, but the Rangers are still king out in the AL West. Their lineup is still ridiculously strong with bats like Hamilton, Cruz Beltre and Napoli, and their starting pitching staff is still pretty deep despite the loss of C.J. Wilson.  I have personally been following Yu Darvis’s career since 2006, he will win a CY Young award.  But I have my doubts about Joe Nathan, he never seemed like the elite closer he used to be before Tommy John Surgery last season, but I love the rest of Texas' bullpen. Another trip to the World Series is not out of the question.

2.  New York Yankees
There are some question marks hanging over the back end of the Yankees starting rotation, but they're strong as can be everywhere else. Their lineup is one of the deepest and most powerful in baseball, and their bullpen is the best bullpen in baseball, substantially. Despite their rotation concerns with Pineda having a bum shoulder, Pettitte not being ready for a while and Kuroda never pitching in the AL before, they can rest easy knowing CC Sabathia is going to win close to or more than 20 games.

1.  Detroit Tigers
On paper, this Tigers team is absolutely stacked. The Tigers have a top-heavy rotation led by Justin Verlander and Doug Fister, and the middle of their lineup features two MVP candidates in Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder. Their bullpen is anchored by a guy in Jose Valverde who didn't blow a single save last season. This team will be competing for AL pennants for years to come.


AL East Winner: New York Yankees
The AL East to me is going to be once again the toughest Divison in baseball, and the proving ground for any team that wants to win the World Series, but out of the Contenders in the East, I really like the Yankees the most.  Their pitching may not be the best, but their offence sure as heck is, The Yankees take the East.

AL Central: Detroit Tigers
There really is explanation needed here, the difference between first and second in the AL Central will be about 15 games.  Detroit just has too much power, both on the mound and in the box; Detroit takes this division by the All Star Break.

AL West: Los Angeles Angles
Both Contending teams in the West are going to make the playoffs this season, and seasons to come, but I game the Angles a slight lead in terms of the division just because I really like that rotation 1-4, Albert Pujols doesn’t hurt much either

AL Wild Card 1: Texas Rangers
See above, replace “Angels” with “Rangers” and Albert Pujols with “Josh Hamilton”

AL Wild Card 2: Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox are going to fight all season, and by the break they should have Andrew Bailey, Carl Crawford, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Rich Hill back, those additions will be just as good as making trades, and put them just over the hump, that will be their competition, the Tampa Bay Rays.  

Wild Card: Texas Rangers
In the battle of the two wild cards, I give the nod to the Texas Rangers, I just love their offence 1-9 and their rotation has the potential to be one of the best in baseball 1-5, better then the Red Sox 1-3.


NL East: Miami Marlins
At this stage of the rankings, I don’t know how I can’t give the East to Miami, 1-25 on their roster it looks like the best in baseball, time will tell, this team has the potential to have a worse collapse the last years Red Sox.

NL Central: Milwaukee Brewers
Too much offence, best bullpen in the Divison, should be able to take this Divison even with tough competition from the other teams.

NL West: San Francisco Giants
The NL West will cetin ally get a lot stronger in the coming years, with the Padres looking better and the Dodgers finally able to spend money, but for now easy pick: San Francisco runs away with this Divison.

Wild Card 1: Philadelphia Phillies.
Philly is going to do very good this year, their rotation should be solid as always, but missing Chase Utley and Ryan Howard to start off the season will just be to much for them to take the division from the Marlins, Phillies get into the postseason easy.

Wild Card 2: Washington Nationals
I am a BIG believe in the Nationals this year, their rotation has the potential to be the best in the National league and their offence isn’t shabby either, especially if Worth can turn it around and Bryce Harper is the phenom I hope he is.

Wild Card: Washington Nationals
Yup. That just happened
While I believe that the Phillies are one of the best teams in the NL…I think the Nationals can beat them, I love their offence, their bullpen blows Phillies away, and much like the Phillies, they have pitchers that could be #1’s on a lot of other teams…but they’re younger and can throw harder, I think that and their bullpen give them the edge.

AL Champion
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
To me, this team is the closest thing to a perfect baseball team that I’ve seen, Power, Speed, Average, Amazing pitching, great defense.  If they or the Rangers don’t make the Series, I’ll be very disappointed.

NL Champion
Miami Marlins
They spent so much money trying to make this team the best it could possibly be, and I think it has the potential to be that team, new ballpark, new manager, new closer, new feel, new attitude?…health?…stamina? Let’s hope, because if this team has that, they should make it to the end…but if they don’t, they might not even make the playoffs.

World Series Champion:
Los Angeles Angles of Anaheim

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RONDO's KENTUCKY WILDCATS TAKE IT ALL OVER PIERCE"S KANSAS JAYHAWKS 67-59

Baylor becomes first NCAAW team to go 40-0 as they take down Notre Dame 80-61 in championship game!



Bobby Valentine has decided Alfredo Aceves will be closer with Andrew Bailey out 4-5 months due to injury.

Bobby Valentine has also reached an agreement with a New York Radio station to make a weekly appearance all season long.



Ray Allen returned to action Wednesday in the Celtics 87-86 loss to the Spurs. Rondo dropped 17 points in a game which the Celtics got outscored 59-48 in the first half but would come back in the 2nd half and outscore the Spurs 38-28, but Pierce would not be able to hit the buzzer beater for the victory. Celtics have 13 games left in the regular season and are currently 11 games back of first place Chicago and holding onto the 4th playoff seed.



The Independent Women's Football Conference Champions New England Intensity kick off their season on Saturday April 7th against the Montreal Blitz. 4:00pm Kickoff at Medway High School on 88 Summer Street in Medway. Tickets are cheap so attend some games and enjoy some great spring football. Also stay tuned to "The Sports Blast' for game highlights of the New England Intensity as well as interviews with players and coaches throughout the season



Kyle Lohse had a no hitter going into the 7th inning for the defending World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals but it would be broken up by Catcher John Buck however the Cardinals would spoil the Miami Marlins home opener taking them down 4-1 in game 1 of the 2012 MLB season in North America.

Tags: Bobby Valentine, Kentucky Wildcats

Tom's MLB Power Rankings
30) Baltimore Orioles
29) Kansas City Royals
28) Houston Astros
27) Pittsburgh Pirates
26) Seattle Mariners
25) Washington Nationals
24) Oakland Athletics
23) Toronto Blue Jays
22) San Diego Padres
21) Cincinnati Reds
20) Colorado Rockies
19) LA Dodgers
18) Milwaukee Brewers
17) Cleveland Indians
16) Chicago Cubs
15) New York Mets
14) Minnesota Twins
13) Tampa Bay Rays
12) Arizona Diamondbacks
11) Chicago White Sox
10) St. Louis Cardinals
9) Atlanta Braves
8) Miami Marlins
7) LA Angels
6) Boston Red Sox
5) Detroit Tigers
4) San Francisco Giants
3) New York Yankees
2) Texas Rangers
1) Philadelphia Phillies

AL East - N.Y. Yankees
AL Central - Detroit Tigers
AL West - Texas Rangers
WC 1- L.A Angels
WC 2- Boston Red Sox

NL East - Philadelphia Phillies
NL Central - St. Louis Cardinals
NL West - S.F. Giants
WC 1- Miami Marlins
WC 2 - Atlanta Braves

AL Winner - N.Y. Yankees
NL Winner - Philadelphia Phillies

WS Winner - Philadelphia Phillies in 6

Tags: MLB 2012 Power Rankings

Celtics beat Heat 91-72, Rondo Triple double 11 rebounds, 14 assists, 16 points.
Doc Rivers said in a quote we are going to start telling Rondo we are on national t.v. every night.
Why is he so good in the spot light, much more so than other games, 16 points last night 6 points, 17 assists @ minnesota Friday, 6 points, 14 assists vs UTAH wednesday.
I will give him credit for the assists but 12.4 points per game in the last non big profile games in the month of March these are Rondo's point totals, 9 Vs Houston, 5 VS Philly, 8 VS Portland, 12 vs clippers, 8 vs golden state, 4 vs sacramento, 12 vs denver, 10 vs atlanta, 10 vs milwaukee, 6 vs philly, 4 vs washington, 7 vs bobcats, 6 vs utah, 6 vs minnesota In february however he did drop 35 vs detroit and 15 vs milwaukee ill give Rondo credit for those 2 games
Rondo in big profile games and I will include February in this statistic, 14 vs lakers, 32 vs bulls, 17 vs chicago, 14 vs nets, 18 vs knicks, 24 vs lakers, 16 vs miami.
Is Rondo only a prime time point scorer or what?

So to sum up Sox spring training Andrew Bailey and Josh Becket have injured thumbs possibly because of video games, maybe thumb wrestling, i would be surprised if both pitchers had thumb injuries a day within each other for pitching purposes especially after last season and the guy who broke the news about Beckett The New Red Sox PR guy Pitcher Alfredo Aceves.
How disapointed would you be if after all the Sox went through with Becket he doesnt start the opening game because of a thumb injury, is it just me or is that a highly questionable injury?



MIAA IS PATHETIC BECAUSE THESE ARE THEIR NEW RULES
In addition to banning banners and balloons, the MIAA also forbids:

• Cheering when an opposing player makes a mistake.

• Cheering when the other team’s band is playing.

• Cheering when your opponents get a penalty.