Saturday, March 29, 2014

2014 Major League Baseball Season Preview

After a long, cold and snowy winter in most of the country, it's time for Spring and warmer climates as Major League Baseball returns for another season.
There is no doubt this season could be wide open once again after witnessing the season the Boston Red Sox had last year, going from worst to first as they won the World Series after finishing in last place in the rugged American League East division two years ago.
The following offers a look at both the American League and National League divisional races for the upcoming season, along with a forecast for the post-season and World Series.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

East Division 

1. Tampa Bay Rays - This team has pitching, pitching, pitching ... and a pretty good lineup too.
2. Baltimore Orioles -  A potent lineup added more to the arsenal and they should show improvement on the mound.
3. Boston Red Sox - Last year was a dream season for this team, which lost some key players from the championship year.
4. New York Yankees - Money doesn't always buy titles, and the Yankees may be in for a long season in Derek Jeter's final call.
5. Toronto Blue Jays - Great lineup, but questions about pitching holding them back in baseball's toughest division.

Central Division 

1. Detroit Tigers - Barring any major injuries, this team is loaded and could very well win it all this season.
2. Kansas City Royals - Will this be the year the Royals finally make the post-season? It's been 29 years since they did.
3. Cleveland Indians - This team caught many by surprise last year, but it won't be so easy this time.
4. Chicago White Sox - A team on the rebound after a disastrous 2013 season.
5. Minnesota Twins - The Twins are a mess.

West Division

1. Oakland A's - They have some injuries to the pitching staff, but this is a good, young team.
2. Texas Rangers - Will this be manager Ron Washington's last season with the club? They must produce in 2014.
3. Los Angeles Angels -They made some off-season moves, now it's time to see if they pay off.
4. Seattle Mariners - This team could be a dark horse and surprise the American League this year.
5. Houston Astros - Looking to avoid 100 losses for the first time in four years.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

East Division

1. Washington Nationals - Once again, a team that could very well win it all this year.
2. Atlanta Braves - They have some injury issues with their pitching, but still should contend for the division crown.
3. Philadelphia Phillies - Aging ball club that has question marks and a rookie manager.
4. New York Mets - A lot of off-season moves, but in too deep in this division.
5. Miami Marlins - They should improve this season and could finish as high as third place.

Central Division 

1. St. Louis Cardinals - They are coming off a tough World Series set back, but should get back to post-season again.
2. Pittsburgh Pirates - A good, young team that could get to the Fall Classic this season.
3. Cincinnati Reds - A new manager and new attitude in 2014 could put them back into the playoffs.
4. Milwaukee Brewers - Decent pitching but questions regarding inconsistency with lineup means the lower tier in a strong division.
5. Chicago Cubs - They are building for the future at Wrigley Field ... Patience!

West Division 

1. Los Angeles Dodgers - Pitching staff ace Clayton Kershaw on the DL to start the season, but the Dodgers are loaded and looking for a World Series title.
2. San Francisco Giants - Every other year (2010, 2012), the Giants win the World Series ... not this time.
3. Colorado Rockies - Solid lineup, so-so pitching in the Rocky Mountains means no higher than third place.
4. Arizona Diamondbacks - Could be a long, hot summer in the desert.
5. San Diego Padres - They could finish anywhere from third to fifth place in this division.


2014 POST-SEASON PREDICTIONS

American League Wild Card Game - Baltimore over Texas

National League Wild Card Game - Pittsburgh over Atlanta

AMERICAN LEAGUE PLAYOFFS 

Detroit over Baltimore ...  Oakland over Tampa Bay

NATIONAL LEAGUE PLAYOFFS

St. Louis over Pittsburgh ... Washington over Los Angeles Dodgers

AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

Detroit over Oakland

NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

St. Louis over Washington







      





                                                                WORLD SERIES

                                                      St. Louis Cardinals over Detroit Tigers     












Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Right To Work? Sorry Pal, Not In Illinois

This guy (Bruce Rauner) wants to attempt to make Illinois a "right to work" state if he is elected governor in November.
Fat chance buddy, what with a VETO PROOF majority for the Democratic party here in the Land of Lincoln.
This vulture capitalist is nothing but a Mitt Romney wannabe ... and we all saw how well Romney did in the 2012 election. Rauner is trying to buy the election for governor in Illinois, thanks to the nit wits in Washington, DC known as the United States Supreme Court and the insane "Citizens United" decision.
Sorry Mr. Rauner, but money cannot buy you character or respect.
Get Lost!

Monday, March 17, 2014

NCAA Basketball Tournament Predictions

The Heftyinfo Final Four picks for the 2014 Tournament...  Let the (March) Madness begin!













Monday, March 10, 2014

They're Always Watching

It seems as though Blogger or Google or whoever else (though I doubt it's whoever else) has been doing some automatic "editing" to some past blog posts here on Heftyinfo.
Never really paid too much attention to it before, but recently noticed the "hits" to this blog were declining and then realized the sources were being taken down from those past posts in the archives from years' past.
Apparently,  photos accompanying the blog posts were GONE ... go figure that one out.
As far as I am concerned, that is total bullshit and if it continues, there is going to be some serious probems to deal with... perhaps a lawsuit against said intruders above would help to knock that shit off!
HANDS OFF!