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Spring is upon us. Sunlight is longer. What does this mean? Baseball. Yes, the smell of the freshly cut grass, the sound of the pop of the ball off a bat, the crackle of the ball hitting a mitt. My favorite time of year. We’re going to do a division-by-division preview, with award predictions as well.

AL East: Yankees

I feel bad for the Yankees. I do. Because even though they spent $450 million this offseason, they are still in the toughest division in baseball. That said, I still think they will win. CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett and Mark Texieria will contribute to a potential championship team. Even though A-Rod will be missed, ‘Tex’ makes up for that production, and when he comes back, they will be better than ever.

AL Central: Twins

Every year, the Twins are discounted. And every year, they exceed expectations. So this year, I’m picking them to win the Central. Maybe now they’ll finish in last place.

AL West: Angels

Bobby Abreu was, quietly, the best free agent pick up of the offseason. They are also in the mix as a championship contender

AL Wild Card: Rays

I was debating back and forth between the Rays and the Red Sox. In the end, youth wins out. A year removed from their surprise World Series run, the Rays have experience, talent, and David Price for a full year. That sounds like success to me.

NL East: Mets

The bullpen was their downfall a year ago. Now, it’s their strength with K-Rod, and JJ Putz.

NL Central: Cubs

They are really too talented.

NL West: Dodgers

Manny’s back. Need I say more?

NL Wild Card: Reds

This is my surprise pick. With Edison Volquez and Jonny Cueto, their pitching staff has two young aces. Add in Joey Votto and Jay Bruce hitting homers left and right, and this team could make a run.

AL MVP: Alex Rodriguez, Yankees

I really feel that the month or so off will have everyone forgetting about steroids. And that will allow A-Rod to flourish

NL MVP: Albert Pujols, Cardinals

Although the Cards won’t make the playoffs, Pujols will be the reason they hang around.

AL CY Young: Roy Halladay, Blue Jays

He’s the best pitcher that you don’t hear enough about.

NL CY Young: Johan Santana, Mets

Could’ve won it last year, if not for the awful bullpen. Now that that’s improved, he should win it.

ALDS: Yankees over Twins, Rays over Angels

ALCS: Yankees over Rays

NLDS: Mets over Reds, Dodgers over Cubs

NLCS: Dodgers over Mets

World Series: Yankees over Dodgers.

Enjoy the season.

About the Author

Your favorite writer from The Blog of Champions, is also writing for Tastefully Driven. He brings his sports expertise and knowledge to Tastefully Driven, and will continue to provide the insight and opinions you’ve grown to know and love. Any questions, comments, suggestions? You can contact him here.

I tried to sit down and reflect on the year that was. I tried to scour the depths of my mind, and recall all the great moments in sports for 2008. And the more I thought, the more I realized what an amazing year it was. But, soon panic set in. How would I fit all the amazing events into one post? How would I narrow it down? Believe me, it is not an enviable task.

So I sat down, pen in hand, tapping on the side of my desk, searching for ideas. Surely I should start with the Olympics, no? Michael Phelps winning eight gold medals, Usain Bolt jogging and setting a new world record. The Redeem Team redeeming, and men’s volleyball fighting. I could start with the terrific opening ceremony, that inspired awe, and made the world jealous. Or I could start with Michael Phelps’s mom, who, I think, won over all of our hearts. Too many moments, in a spectacular Olympics.

But wait, there is more. My pen moving faster than I’ve ever seen it, I remembered a night in February. The Super Bowl. The New York Giants beating all odds to beat the unbeaten, invincible, Patriots. Of course, being that I am a die hard Giants fan, this is one of the better moments of my life. But then visions of David Tyree catching with his head, and Eli Manning going to Disney World enter my mind. The Giants shocked us. So I immediately went on to YouTube to see the highlights. I can recall the chills going down my spine when the final whistle blew.

Not a bad start, if I do say so myself. What else? I proceeded to write, yet nothing would come out. But, I heard a clink. Was it the clink of Memphis missing free throws left and right? And Mario Chalmers hitting a three to send it into overtime? I think it was. The scene of the Final Four. The scene of me ripping my bracket up, as I had picked Memphis to win. I’m not sure who felt worse: myself, or Memphis. But was that the best March Madness moment? What about Davidson, and Stephen Curry, slaying giants? I guess the name Davidson is apropos after all.

My mind had stagnated through April and May, finding nothing of significance. With this writers block, I tried take the time to enjoy the holidays. But when I turned on the TV, all I saw was a Celtics-Lakers Christmas. And memories of basketball greatness came flowing in. Memories of KG, Pierce, and Ray Allen, bringing the glory back to Boston, and back to basketball.

A dog outside barked. I could’ve sworn we had talked about underdogs… oh, well we forgot one. The Rays. From worst to first. From worst to World Series. Surely, we won’t forget that it was the Phillies who actually won. Rain and all.

My mind, tired of going back in time, tried to eke out one more memory. I wanted it to be special. Then it hit me. Baseball offseason. CC, AJ, Teixeira. All to the Yankees. Tons of Bostonites screaming. A dream come true for the Yankee fan.

In my quest to recount the year in sports, I know I’ve left out key moments. Like the Brett Favre saga. Or the Detroit Red Wings winning the Cup. Or the Detroit Lions winning nothing. Josh Hamilton hitting the moon at Yankee Stadium. Yankee Stadium saying good bye.

In 365 days, we’ve seen sport moments like no other. And personally, I’m happy I could relieve it all. Happy New Year. We can only hope 2009 will be half as good as 2008.

Plaxico Burress, wide receiver for the New York Giants, was charged with two felony weapon counts, for possession of a weapon that he did not have a permit for. Idiotic move, to the say the least. Here’s my issue though: why are you at a club on a Friday night before a game? Don’t you have a two year old son, don’t you have a wife? Weren’t you injured? Shouldn’t you have been getting rest? Why won’t you learn? I just don’t get it.

As a NFL player, you have certain responsibilities: Show up to meetings( something he doesn’t take to kindly to), show up to practices (another thing he doesn’t like doing), and play in the games( something he does very well). When you fail on two out of three, you have a problem. When you exacerbate the issue, by going out to a club, you’ve lost control. Get help. Go to rehab, do something. Playing football is the least of your concerns.

I like Plax, I do. As a die hard Giant fan, nothing beats him catching the game winning pass in the Super Bowl. This is just asinine, though. I’m trying to express my thoughts, but all that comes out is anger, so, trust me, the backspace button is very valuable in this case. In all seriousness, Plaxico, stay out of the public eye, stay out of the clubs, put the guns away, and get help. We’ll all be better for it.

About the Author

Your favorite writer from The Blog of Champions, is also writing for Tastefully Driven. He brings his sports expertise and knowledge to Tastefully Driven, and will continue to provide the insight and opinions you’ve grown to know and love. Any questions, comments, suggestions? You can contact him here.

Sports are getting into full gear. NFL is in midseason form. Hockey is starting to get interesting, and the NBA just began. That’s where we focus on, the NBA.

STUDS:
Brandon Roy, PG/SG, Portland
Best player on an upcoming team, that will only get better with the addition of Greg Oden.

Kevin Garnett, PF, Boston
The Defending Champs look to their leader to help repeat. A double-double from him doesn’t hurt.

DUDS:

Eddy Curry, C, New York Knicks
You could say that the entire Knicks team could be duds, but Curry takes the title. He has all the potential in the world, yet, for some reason, he doesn’t want to use it.

Richard Jefferson, SF, Milwaukee
He’s getting older, and doesn’t have Jason Kidd to facilitate.

Breakout Player:
Julian Wright, PF, New Orleans
Playing with Chris Paul doesn’t hurt. His amazing athleticism doesn’t either.

Breakdown Player:
Hedo Turkogulu, SF, Orlando
He had an amazing year last year, but there is no way he can keep it up.

MVP:
LeBron James, SF, Cleveland
Chris Paul is a close second, but LeBron is the best player since MJ.

EASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPS:
Boston Celtics
Too good. Best team in the league.

WESTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPS:
New Orleans Hornets
Chris Paul leads them here.

NBA FINALS:
Boston over New Orleans.

Enjoy the NBA season folks.

Summer might be over, but it doesn’t mean the heat isn’t. Yes, October baseball is upon us. The magic. The mystique. The aura. The moments. It’s all here. But, in some ways, I don’t want the regular season to end. It’s been such a crazy year. And part of me wants to keep living the craziness:

• I want to relieve CC Sabathia’s magical performance since being traded from the Indians.
• I want to relive the All-Star Game.
•  I want to relive Yankee Stadium.
•  I want to relive the Astros’ second half run.
•  I want to relive the Mets’ second half collapse.
•  I want to relieve Josh Hamilton’s rise to greatness.
•  I want to relive Andruw Jones’s fall from grace.
•  I want to relive the Rays ascent.
•  I want to relieve the Tiger’s descent.
•  I want to relieve Jon Lester’s no-hitter.
•  I want to relive Tim Lincecum.
•  I want to relive Cliff Lee.
•  I want to relive Joe Torre’s success.
•  I want to relive Willie Randolph’s struggle.

I was a doubter. I doubted how the league could recover from Steroid-gate. From Roger Clemens, being, well, an idiot. But it recovered. It provided memories that will last a lifetime. I want to be telling my grandkids about Josh Hamilton, about the Rays. I want to tell them about Yankee Stadium, about the All-Star Game. Because these are the moments, these are the things we will always hold on. Times are tough. But now, we can turn on the TV, watch baseball, and know, it’s going to be fine. Baseball is back. It’s better than it ever was. I don’t want it to end. I want to kiss the Billy Goat goodbye. I want to go back to 1982. I want to watch Manny being Manny. I want to watch the Angels dominate. I want to watch Ryan Howard hit one to the moon. I want to watch Josh Beckett’s playoff mastery. I want to see Tampa in October. I want to feel the Dome shake. I want to hear the buzz in Chicago. I want to see a new hero, a new goat. I don’t want baseball to end. You know why? I can’t live without it. Enjoy the playoffs.About the Author

Your favorite writer from The Blog of Champions, is also writing for Tastefully Driven. He brings his sports expertise and knowledge to Tastefully Driven, and will continue to provide the insight and opinions you’ve grown to know and love. Any questions, comments, suggestions? You can contact him here.