March Madness Predictions From My Resident NCAA Hoops Expert…
March 13, 2012 by danny · 2 Comments
I’m going to make this one short and sweet. My good friend, Jeff Rinaldi, who has contributed to many roundtables (MLB, college basketball multiple times, NFL, NBA) on DannyMcLarty.com over the years, is back for more today. So let’s get right to the questions…
The best tournament of them all!
Danny: Give us two teams that you think have the best chance of being this years Cinderella Story.
Jeff: As always the bracket is brutal again. After over studying it like I always do, two teams stick out to me as potential Cinderellas at the price of two Big-10 teams. I actually like New Mexico St. to knock out Indiana in the 1st round and also like Ohio to sting Michigan as well as either or Temple or the winner of the 12/12 game in that region. I think Ohio may get to the sweet 16.
Danny: Which #2 seed will be the first to lose?
Jeff: I definitely think Duke is the weakest #2 seed. They will get by Lehigh but could struggle against Xavier or Notre Dame. Even if they get to the sweet 16 I think they lose to Baylor. They are going down early this year.
Danny: Jeff, since you are Kentucky graduate, of course you are going to pick UK (and it doesn’t hurt that they are loaded). So, if you couldn’t pick Kentucky, who would you go with to cut down the nets this year?
Jeff: Of course I am picking my Kentucky Wildcats to win it all. However, I think Mizzou is very dangerous and would pick them to cut the nets down if it wasn’t for the Cats. Mizzou scares me and should scare everyone else in the field except Kentucky of course.
Danny: Man Jeff, we are on the same page there – I love Mizzou’s guard play and also think they are a dangerous team. I’m hoping my Tarheels step up and take it all!
Thanks again Jeff! I’m sure I’ll be getting a hold of you for your great insight down the line…
So, what do you think of Jeff’s predictions? Who do you think will win it all this year? Do you have any upset specials in mind? Let us hear them in the comments section below.
Go Tarheels!!!
My Favorites of 2010
December 23, 2010 by danny · Leave a Comment
The year is almost over and it has been a tough one for many. But I’m hoping we can all stay positive, work really hard, and do all we can to help one another out. I’m feeling pretty good going into 2011. Below, I’m going to randomly put down some of my favorites from this past year. Now, I’m sure I ate some of these foods in 2009, but for whatever reason, they became my favorites in ‘10. I have not put much thought into this list, so these are the first things that pop into my head…
Favorite Carbohydate Of The Year (OTY) – Sweet Potatoes. I never really disliked sweet potatoes, but until this year, I never realized how much I like them. I especially like them with a good meat source…
Favorite Protein OTY – I’ve been all over grass-fed beef this year! I love it and it goes great with sweet potatoes and some veggies. I usually pick up mine from Trader Joe’s.
Favorite Cooking Oil OTY – Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil. This stuff handles high heat well and adds a nice flavor to many foods. 
My Favorite “Type” of Cardio OTY – “Inverted Ladder” – I learned this from Tony Gentilcore and me and my clients have been “loving” it! An example of this can be found here. You can find a description of how to set up the sets and reps of an inverted ladder in this article.
My Favorite NBA Player To Watch In 2010 (and beyond I’m sure) – Derrick Rose. We all knew he’d be good, but I don’t think many thought that he would progress this fast! If he doesn’t win the MVP this year, he will definitely be in the top 5.
Favorite Sports Roundtable OTY – Though I loved the MLB Roundtable, the NFL Roundtable just beat it out as #1 for 2010.
Favorite Danny McLarty Basketball Youtube Video OTY – Even know the Youtubers seemed to like this video the most, as it has nearly 26,000 hits, I like this video more because it takes the move and then has me finishing with a basket – which is the end goal anyway!
Favorite Fitness Article That I Published This Year - ”The War on Fat Loss“ An assist goes to Marci Nevin on this one!
Favorite Basketball Article That I Published This Year – I’m taking the easy way out… tie. Tie between “Take Your Ball Handling Skills To The Next Level” and “Get OUT of Your High-Top Shoes“
Favorite Country Performer OTY – Eric Church. I really didn’t know who he was until my good friends Ryan and Sarah Hoffman told my wife and I that we have to go see him when he comes to town. So we did. We went down to San Jose and I was floored! You can tell that he loves what he does… and he is very good at it. If you don’t know him yet, check him out!
Favorite Blog OTY – Bret Contreras’ Blog.
Favorite New Place To Post Training Info – Sears Fit Club
Favorite Movie OTY – I guess this will go to, “The Town” – at least I can’t think of anything better off the top of my head. Am I forgetting an obvious one?
Favorite TV Show OTY – No doubt, “The Office” – Sometimes when I’m watching it I think to myself, “this can’t get any more funny!!!”
Favorite Game OTY – Da Bears beating the Packers a couple months back. Face, burn, ‘n all that schtuff Packer’s fans! You know I love you GB fans – just not when we step between the internet lines! 
And My Absolute Favorite Thing OTY- After 3 in vitro attempts my wife and I are finally pregnant … with twins! It has been a difficult couple of years on this front (especially on her, with all the needles, and weight gain, and sickness, etc.), but it seems to have paid off. Even know we have a long way to go, we are cautiously excited. Today we are exactly 16 weeks in. Let’s hope everything continues to go well!!! Here’s a picture of her baby(s) bump starting to make its appearance…
Everyone finish the year strong and lets make 2011 a great one!
NFL Roundtable – 2010
September 9, 2010 by danny · Leave a Comment
Tonight it all begins. The NFL is back. There aren’t many things in America that make us more crazy than the NFL! With that said, I had to reach out to a few of my buddies to get their thoughts on all things NFL. In today’s roundtable we have Matt McKenna, Matt Brewer, and Jeff Rinaldi. McKenna and Brewer were playing football at the same time I was playing basketball at the University of Nebraska @ Omaha. We met there at UNO and we’ve all been good friends ever since. Jeff and I attended Hononegah High School together back in Rockton, Illinois. Over the years we have shared many, many laughs and have had countless conversations regarding all things sports. Jeff previously did an interview with me before the NCAA basketball tourney last March, and McKenna was part of the pre-season MLB Roundtable. They both did such a great job, that I decided to invite them back for some more. Brewer is the new kid on the block, so we’ll see if he can hold his own with this crew. Knowing him, I’m sure he’ll do just fine. Alright, with that out of the way, lets see what this panel of experts has to say about the upcoming season in the National-Football-League (as Chris Berman would say).
Bias Alert! Bias Alert!
Danny McLarty: I’m going to start this whole thing off with each of the guys giving me their Cliff’s Notes version of what we can expect out of the teams that they love so much…
Matt McKenna on his Patriots- The Patriots are going to be one of the most exciting teams in the league. Offensively 
they are just loaded and have a chance to be the best in the league. The usual suspects are still around but some new additions and guys ready for the “leap” will make this team a nightmare for D-coordinators. Julian Edelman is going to cause huge match up problems and hopefully keep Wes Welker healthier because the ball will be spread around more. The rookie to watch is going to be Rob Gronkowski, he is a beast and will finally give Tom Brady a TE to look for over the middle. Something that Belichick has been trying to acquire for years. If gambling were legal I would look to bang the over the first couple of weeks of the season. Defensively this team has a lot of holes and already have lost two key starters for the season, but with Belichick at the helm they will get a stop or two every game and with the Patriots offense it should be enough to win ten plus games.
Matt Brewer on his Steelers- The Steelers, despite being the greatest franchise in the history of football, have been a team known to face adversity. The years that ended with them hoisting the Lombardi Trophy have been the years they 
were able to overcome that adversity. This year is no different. Prior to week 1, they have already been faced with losing their top wide receiver (Holmes to the Jets), their top lineman (Colon to injury), and their top two QBs (Leftwich to injury, and Big Ben to a college chick in Georgia). On the other side of the ball, it is a different story. The D-line gets Aaron Smith back from injury (the most underrated end in football) and Ziggy Hood will show much improvement from his rookie campaign. The linebacking corps is the best in the league, and the secondary gets a huge boost with the return of Bryant McFadden (back to Pittsburgh from Arizona) and Troy Polamalu (back from injury). With Dick Lebeau as d-coordinator, look for the Black and Gold to field the toughest D in the league this year. If the defense can produce shutouts and a short field for the offense, I like the Curtain’s chances of getting back to the playoffs where they belong.
Jeff Rinaldi on Da Bears- I must say it is hard to rave about a team that decided they didn’t want to win a game in the pre-season. However, 2010 will be a win/win situation. Either Da Bears make the playoffs or dirty Lovie and Jerry Angelo get canned. I almost prefer that to be honest. 
On the offensive side it comes down to that jello offensive line we have. If they continue to block like Pee Wee players, Cutler/Forte/Chester/Johhny won’t be able to shine like they are capable of and that is a shame.
Defensively, it’s all about staying healthy. Talent is there no question. Look for Peppers to dominate and Major Wright (rookie) to explode onto the scene.
Bottom line is I don’t see much hope with Lovie in charge. 8 wins would be the ceiling I think.
Danny’s Note: What do you know, a Bears fan is the only one that is being realistic here. Once again, an Illinois boy shows that he has a good head on his shoulders. Just kidding McKenna & Brewer (but not really).
DM: Anyone have anything to say about the other’s predictions? McKenna, you and Brewer are usually up for a few good jabs at one another. What do you think McKenna?
MM: If you are a NFL QB with two Super Bowl rings who is single you should be doing what in the off season? a. In Vegas enjoying all the glamour and glitz while staying in shape for the season. b. Hanging out in Miami bringing your own personal talents to South Beach, or wait for it………. c. In some dump allegedly harassing women who haven’t heard of e-mail let alone tweeting in the back woods of Georgia. Well the Steelers QB went with c, thus leading me to this conclusion; The Steelers play-caller is not confident and even worse, lame! Therefore my expert analysis predicts no playoffs for the Steelers this season.
DM: Whoa, them’s fightin’ words! Brewer, I know you have something in your back pocket for McKenna in regards to his Pats prediction.
MB: McKenna , like usual we disagree. The Pats organization should have focused less on getting a decent tight end and more on drafting a camera man who can keep a secret. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt that the Pats will put up some points; any team with Brady and Bellacheat can score quickly and often. But if the Chowdah Heads wanted to quit being sponsored by AARP they didn’t do themselves any favors by picking up Tory Holt. Unless they can average 50 pts per game, they might struggle this year getting to 10 wins. Who is playing D this year for New England? I don’t think anybody knows. You have a starting linebacker with a name that sounds like a cure for cold sores – seriously, Tully BantaCain? Where do you find these people? The Pats will be lucky to beat out Miami for 2nd in the AFC East and they will struggle to make the playoffs.
DM: No he didn’t! This is getting good, BUT… before this gets out of hand, I must switch gears. I’ll throw a few “quickies” at you, and you let the readers know your thoughts.
Tebow’s Rookie Year; Will he be starting by week 6? If so, how does he fare?
JR: I don’t have a lot of faith in the Broncos winning this season so I don’t expect to see Tebow and his new haircut out there by this time period. He is quite popular with the fans/media/players already from what I understand so it would be the best move to keep Denver interested in the season. I’m pretty sure Brady Quinn isn’t gonna put butts in the seats. I expect Tebow to up and down when he does play. However, his leadership ability will keep winning people over.
DM: Will guys from “Hard Knocks” live up to the arrogance, err confidence that they displayed in the popular HBO show?
MM: I know everyone has been screaming about how good the Jets are all pre-season but I think they are the third best team in the AFC East. I think Sanchez is garbage and in the NFL, QB play is the number one key to success. I mean he walks around trying to be Joe Namath but he is barely a league average QB. I think this team is going to be its own worse enemy. They should run the ball and play good D, but in pre-season they look as if they think they are the Colts. I predict a mediocre season for J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS. Also I hate the Jets just like I hate all New York teams and that is enough reason for me.
DM: Brett Farve; does he play anywhere near the level that he played last year?
MB: I don’t think it is a stretch to say Favre will have success this year; however, no where near the level of success he had a year ago. That’s not a knock on the future HOFer, its simply the fact that at 40 he had one of the best years of his career. He still gets Adrian Peterson to help shoulder the load, but loses Sidney Rice. He’ll be throwing to 4 receivers that average 5′2 and 137 pounds each. Seriously, you’d think the Vikings drafted their receivers from the Mahtomedi Pop Warner league. Favre is also 41 and is always a question on whether he’ll hold up for the entire season. Ok, he hasn’t missed a game since 1992, but with the ankle problems he had in the off-season, the fairly tough schedule, and another potential threat of retirement by October – I just don’t see him coming close to what he did last year.
DM: About a month ago I made a few bold predictions on Facebook. I had a few people COMPLETELY disagree with me. But hey, I’m not gonna make obvious predictions. You know, like – Peyton Manning will throw for over 2000 yards. Or, T.O. and Ochocinco will score a TD and act like they’ve been there before. Anyway, here’s what my predictions were;
-Jay Cutler will throw for over 4000 yards and put up BIG numbers (don’t know if it’ll translate to a lot of wins however???).
-Vince Young has a breakout year
-Aaron Rodgers has a HYOOGE year (HATE to say it!)
-Devon Hester once again goes off in the return game, and is more than solid as a receiver
With that said, how ’bout each of your hit us with a few not-so-obvious predictions:
MM:
-The Lions will be a good team this year.
-Jahvid Best will be the Offensive Rookie of the Year.
-Ndamukong Suh will be the Defensive Rookie of the Year.
-Peyton Manning will audible out of a play a the line of scrimmage.
-Tom Brady will dance after his 40th TD pass leading people to think he is Justin Bieber with that haircut.
JR:
-Julius Peppers will lead the league in sacks with 18.5.
-Ochocinco and T.O. brawl on the sidelines by week 7.
-Rex Ryan eats a brat and drinks a cold one on the sidelines during a throttling of the Dolphins.
-Ref Ed Hochuli beats up a kicker before the season ends and flexes his guns in the CBS camera.
-Tony Siragusa eats a goal post.
MB:
-Dennis Dixon will be compared to Vince Young 27 times on national tv before week 2.
-Rashard Mendenhall rushes for over 1500 yards if he avoids injury.
-Sam Bradford wins Offensive Rookie of the Year.
-Tom Brady and Petyon Manning each throw for 4,000+ yards 35 TDs, but neither wins MVP.
-Aaron Rodgers will win MVP and Favre will retire in the same year (poetic justice?).
DM: You dudes are some funny S.O.Bs. And Brewer, good stuff in regards to that poetic justice thought! No wonder I love hanging out with you all! Alright, it’s time to move on to the BIG stuff. Who plays in the NFC Championship game?
MB: It is hard to bet against the Saints on paper – but it is even harder to repeat as SB champs. I think the Saints fall early and the Packers will face the Giants.
MM: The Giants?? Brewer you are hilarious, they are going to be home with the Steelers come playoff time. (Danny’s side note – McKenna is a Red Sox fan and Brewer is a Yankee fan – I think that hatred is spilling over to this roundtable) It will be Green Bay and Minnesota. Pepsi and Coke will trip all over each other for commercial time. Joe Buck will be boring as always.
JR: I see the Cowboys vs the Packers this year. I think the Cowboys finally put it together and win this game in a shootout.
DM: The AFC Championship game?
MM: Go ahead and book this one, it will be Baltimore and New England.
JR: Ravens and Colts with the Ravens “D” prevailing.
MB: The obvious prediction here is the Steelers. But my bold prediction for the AFC is the Ravens and Colts.
DM: Finally, what two teams make it to the Superbowl, and who comes out on top?
JR: Cowboys win in their home stadium against a touch Ravens D.
MB: As much as I hate to say it, I think the Ravens youth and tenacity on offense and viciousness on D will overcome Rodger’s MVP year – Ravens 24, Packers 17. (Danny’s note: if you said the Packers here you would have been permanently banned from this website! Good choice, my friend. Good choice) 
MM: I may be bias but New England will beat Minnesota in the most watched sporting event ever. Brett Favre will not only play in the game but he will perform at halftime with Ringo and Paul for the highly anticipated Beatles reunion. It’s going to be awesome!
DM: With the surprise pick of the year, McKenna goes with the Patriots to win it all! (can you hear the sarcasm oozing out of me?!)
Great job guys. You gave the readers your smarts, brought the passion, and once again, made us laugh.
Thanks again for being a part of this year’s NFL Roundtable!
I’d love to hear your thoughts. Agree or disagree with this panel? Have your own bold predictions? Who is your pick to hoist the Lombardi Trophy? Let us know if the comments section below.
MLB Roundtable, 2010
March 30, 2010 by danny · 2 Comments
First pitch of opening day is just about here. Every fan of every team can lie to themselves and say they have a chance. Yes, even the Washington National. But really, who am I to make fun of the Nationals? My team hasn’t won the World Series since 1908. But before I start to cry, let me tell you what I have in store for you today; three people that are going to give you their expert opinion on all things MLB, 2010.
On the panel, we have Brad McLarty. You know he’s an expert, because us McLarty boys haven’t been wrong in over 5 years…just ask our wives. We also have McKenna. This is a guy that is so famous that he only needs one name. You know, kind of like Cher (yeah, I just put him in the same category as Cher), Gandi, and Jordan (there you go McKenna, I worked you in there with MJ, so you can feel better again). And finally, we have Eric Cressey. Eric and his crew at “Cressey Performance” are literally changing the way that strength coaches train baseball players. You can read more about Eric at ericcessey.com. If you work with baseball players, do yourself a favor and check out his website – a GREAT baseball resource! Now, lets get to it…
Play Ball!
Danny McLarty: Before we get to the entire league, lets start off with what is truly important to us. For Brad and I, that is the Cubs. For Eric and McKenna, that is the Red Sox. Starting it off with Brad, briefly tell me why we are not going to be saying, “there’s always next year,” by the time July rolls around.
Brad McLarty: We are not going to be saying that because hopefully the Cubs will stay healthy this year. Last year the Cubs had key players injured time after time. Theses are the same key players that led them to 97 wins the year before. If they can stay healthy they are very capable of a 90+ win season again. Carlos Zambrano spent the off-season working out in Chicago for the first time in his career. He has lost a lot of weight and it’s time to stop saying he could be great if…. He’s got a lot to prove and this has to be the year he gets it done. Geovany Soto has also lost 40lbs in the off-season and is hungry to prove his abilities after a bad sophomore season.
DM: Back in college McKenna lived a life with as much heartbreak as us Cubs fans. But that all changed in the summer of 2004 when Boston got their first World Series ring since 1918. Don’t worry, we’ll get to your stupid Red Sox in a moment. Before doing that, tell me McKenna, do the 2010 Cubs have a chance?
McKenna: I hate to say it but I would bet on Piniella dropping dead arguing a bang-bang play at first before I take the Cubs to win it. They need a real number one starter and I’m not sure they have enough offense to make up for a questionable bullpen. I keep hoping we can get our dream World Series and watch the Red Sox versus the Cubs at Fenway and Wrigley but I don’t see it happening this year.
DM: We are no longer friends McKenna.
Eric, care to add anything in regards to this year’s Cubs team? Or dont you care about us?
Eric Cressey: Cubs? Who are they?
Just kidding, of course…at least sort of.
DM: Switching gears to a less important topic – the Red Sox. Tell me Eric, how do you like the Red Sox chances against the “Evil Empire” in the AL East this year?
EC: I like them. Everybody knocks the “defense approach” the Sox have taken this year, but to be honest, I don’t think offensive production will drop off at all. And, guys like Adrian Beltre, Mike Cameron, and Marco Scutaro make the pitching staff better – particularly when you take a great defensive center fielder like Ellsbury and put him in left. You’ve upgraded at four positions defensively, and that makes an already good pitching staff better. Pitching wins games (and, more specifically, healthy starting pitching), and I’d take Beckett-Lester-Lackey against any three pitchers in baseball in a playoff series. The Sox crunch the numbers more than any other team in MLB; they know what they’re doing with these moves.
Oh, and some guy named Youkilis had a great new strength coach this off-season…so he’ll be just fine at first base (especially since he’s already won a Gold Glove there)
DM: And McKenna, your thoughts?
McKenna: I agree with Eric completely but I will add that the Sox also still have Wakefield, Matsuzaka and Buchholz which gives the Red Sox depth and flexibility that the Yankees don’t have with their starting rotation. I could argue that potentially Lackey is the Red Sox number four starter because Buchholz stuff is that good. The kid has already thrown a no hitter and has filthy stuff. I do have some concerns with the Red Sox offensive fire power but if they need a bat the Red Sox have the ability to go get someone in July once some of the fire sales begin. The proverbial nail in the coffin for the Yankees is that it’s a contract year for Josh Beckett, case closed.
DM: Lets move around the league a bit. We haven’t won since 1908, so the odds are stacked in our favor to get it done. This is most likely, “our year,” but injuries could take over, another goat could cross our path, or something else crazy, you really never know. If something like that takes place, and the Cubs don’t win it, what other teams out there do you like to be playing deep into the post-season?
BM: Its easy to pick the two teams that were in the World Series last year, but that’s exactly what I’m going to do. I think the Phillies offensive line-up is the scariest line-up in the National league and their pitching isn’t too shabby either. You add Roy Halladay into the mix and they are my preseason pick to make it back to the World Series. My sleeper is the San Fransico Giants. Love their #1 and #2 starters Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain. They’ve also added some nice pieces with Mark DeRosa and Freddy Sanchez. Yankees of course are tough to pick against with the cast of All-Stars they have. Not a surprise when your team salary is pushing 210 million while the Tampa Bay Rays are around 68 million. I think they will be battling the same teams as always with the Red Sox and Angels. The Mariners and White Sox added some nice players but the Twins losing their closer Nathan and moving outdoors is going to hurt them.
DM: Brad, please don’t ever say anything nice about the White Sox again. McKenna, what say you?
McKenna: Obviously the Red Sox will win the AL East. The AL Central will be the Twins, I don’t care if Nathan is out or not. In the AL West I like Seattle to finally break through and keep the Angels home this fall. The AL wild card will be the Rays coming out of the brutal AL East. I know, I know, I didn’t pick the Yankees to even make the playoffs but here are my reasons; 1. I hate them! 2. I think they will have issues with injuries this year and it will derail them. 3. How long can Rivera still be a lights-out closer? I mean the dude is what, fifty? He still plays Enter Sandman when he enters the game. Lame! In the NL East it has to be the Phillies as they added Halladay and that is plenty. In the NL Central I have the Cardinals. La Russa is a genius, he has the best player in the game, and a decent pitching staff barring any injuries. In the NL West I like the Rockies. I am going to the inter-league series when they play the Red Sox and look forward to watching two possible playoff teams. My NL wild card pick is the Braves. Watch out for Jason Heyward, if they keep him in the bigs he is going to be a beast!
DM: Eric, with all of the professional baseball players that you work with on a weekly basis, I’m sure the readers would love to get your thoughts. Which teams do you think have the best chance to be playing in October?
EC: Hard to argue with the Yankees and Red Sox coming out of the AL East. I like Detroit in the AL Central and Seattle in the AL West (gotta love Lee and Hernandez as a 1-2). Philadelphia and St. Louis will go from the NL East and Central, and LA from the NL West. Wild card to SF…sorry, Cubs fans.
DM: Obviously guys like Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols, and Ryan Theriot are easy choices for pre-season MVP talk. Eric, anyone else that you put on your short list that might surprise us?
EC: Pujols is practically a given in the NL. I think that the AL is more wide open, and I certainly have some biases who will remain nameless.
That said, as a baseball fan, I think it will be interesting to see what Evan Longoria does this year. The guy hit 33HR and knocked in 113 runs in his first full MLB season. Traditionally, if you hit .300 with 30+HR and 100+RBI, you are a top three guy in MVP voting, guaranteed. He’s seen all those AL pitchers for 1.5 years now and is more mature.
Oh, that Joe Mauer guy is pretty good, too.
DM: Brad, do you have any surprises?
BM: My pick every year if he is healthy is Jose (his real name so I always call him that) Pujols. But a surprise and I hate to say it, is Ryan Braun of the Brewers. Love his bat and he is improving in left field. Another Brewer to watch is Prince Fielder. In the American league I am going to say Joe Mauer. A number of players after signing a huge contract would coast but I think that is going to drive him even more.
DM: McKenna?
McKenna: It is hard to argue against Theriot who hit a whopping seven bombs last year, but in the NL I’m going with Hanley Ramirez. He has all the tools and was once a Red Sox, which is good enough for me. My dark horse is David Wright. If the Mets have a decent year he will get a strong look. In the AL, Youkilis has to be the pick. Working out with Eric has to make him good for forty bombs and a huge year! I also love Longoria, he just kills the Red Sox and is a super talent. I think the Tigers will stink but Cabrera also has a solid shot at winning the MVP.
DM: Eric works with a ton of pitchers - working his magic to help keep their arms/shoulders healthy, getting them stronger to throw harder, and to help them with recovery between outings. With that said, I can’t have him on this roundtable without talking Cy Young. Eric, who do you like in each league?
EC: Even though he has struggled in spring training, it’s hard to go with anyone but Sabathia in the AL after how dominant he was last year. Greinke deserved it completely, though – especially considering what he did on a team that didn’t score a lot of runs. Still, I’d say Sabathia and Hernandez as 1-2.
I think Jon Lester is ready to be a top of the line starter and it wouldn’t surprise me if he won 20 games this year. I’m not saying Cy Young, but I think he’ll surprise a lot of people. Then again, it wouldn’t surprise me if Lester, Beckett, and Lackey all won 20 games.
In the NL, I like Halladay without a doubt. I’ll put Lincecum as runner-up.
DM: Brad, do you have a Cy Young front-runner or two?
BM: I’m going with Tim Lincecum of the Giants, or Roy Halladay of the Phillies. Halladay not pitching in that division anymore will give him a chance to dominate. In the American League I am going with Justin Verlander. I’m going to give Cliff Lee an outside chance. After dominating in the playoffs, then being traded, he will want to show people they made a mistake.
DM: McKenna, anything to add?
McKenna: In the NL Halladay is almost a certain lock. Going from the AL East with the DH rule and better hitters, to the NL East facing pitchers and weaker competition is a recipe for 25 wins. I also like Wainwright and Lincecum but they are looking up at Halladay. In the AL it’s two of my beloved Red Sox battling for the pitching honors. Lester and Beckett are both going to have huge years and have the defense behind them to post huge numbers. I know you are all rolling your eyes saying, here we go with more Red Sox bias, but I am giving my most professional and honest opinion so take it for what it’s worth. GO SOX!
DM: Man, it sounds like this Red Sox team does it all! Hey McKenna, do you think your boys can help America find a solution to this health care crisis? Can you get them to use their super powers to pass a law, making it illegal for guys to ever do a curl in the squat rack again? You’re such a homer!
But seriously, thank you very much for taking the time to do this roundtable. Each one of you gave the readers some really good thoughts heading into opening day. If anyone has any surprises that you think these guys left out, post them in the comments section below. I hope you all enjoy the season!
