Top 10 Right Now - Third Basemen (2012)

Part of a series. Previous post is here.



MLB Network List:

10. David Wright

9. Hanley Ramirez

8. Alex Rodriguez

7. Pablo Sandoval

6. Brett Lawrie

5. Ryan Zimmerman

4. Adrian Beltre

3. Kevin Youkilis

2. Evan Longoria

1. Miguel Cabrera

My List:

10. Brett Lawrie

9. Adrian Beltre

8. Alex Rodriguez

7. Kevin Youkilis

6. David Wright

5. Pablo Sandoval

4. Ryan Zimmerman

3. Hanley Ramirez

2. Evan Longoria

1. Miguel Cabrera

Top 10 Right Now - Shortstops (2012)

Part of a series. Previous post is here.



MLB Network List:

10. Derek Jeter

9. Erick Aybar

8. JJ Hardy

7. Jhonny Peralta

6. Stephen Drew

5. Alexei Ramirez

4. Asdrubal Cabrera

3. Yunel Escobar

2. Jose Reyes

1. Troy Tulowitzki

(Jeter's in the top 50 of all of the players in MLB in their other list, showing which was the one done with statistical analysis and which was the one made by Harold Reynolds when he was eating his shredded wheat)

My List:

10. Jimmy Rollins

9. Jhonny Peralta

8. Elvis Andrus

7. Alexei Ramirez

6. JJ Hardy

5. Asdrubal Cabrera

4. Starlin Castro

3. Yunel Escobar

2. Jose Reyes

1. Troy Tulowitzki

Top 10 Right Now - Second Basemen (2012)

Part of a series. Previous post is here.




MLB Network List:
10. Dan Uggla
9. Howie Kendrick

8. Dustin Ackley

7. Brandon Phillips

6. Rickie Weeks

5. Ben Zobrist

4. Ian Kinsler

3. Chase Utley

2. Dustin Pedroia

1. Robinson Cano

My List:

10. Kelly Johnson

9. Chase Utley
8. Howie Kendrick

7. Brandon Phillips

6. Rickie Weeks

5. Dan Uggla

4. Ben Zobrist

3. Dustin Pedroia

2. Ian Kinsler

1. Robinson Cano

2012 March Madness Brackets

I'll have brackets Wednesday, but for right now, the play in predictions.

South: Western Kentucky
West: BYU
Midwest: Lamar
Midwest: Cal

If Berkeley wins, I'll take them over Temple in the 12/5.

It's Wednesday.

Okay, I have two essential brackets I fill out each year; I call them the "smart" bracket and the "fun" bracket.

The smart bracket is largely chalk, I don't mean necessarily higher seeds or Vegas favorites, but the teams that the advanced metrics suggest are most likely to win.  If Belmont and Georgetown play ten times, who wins more often?  Georgetown, so they advance in the smart bracket.

The fun bracket picks upsets, not whimsical upsets, but upsets in places where the metrics suggest upsets are most likely.  Belmont and Georgetown aren't going to play ten times, they're going to play once, and since its reasonable to think Belmont wins that meeting, they advance in the fun bracket.  I may edit through Wednesday, but am unlikely to get to it again Thursday AM.

Smart Bracket First.


South
Rnd One Winners: UK, UConn, Wichita, Indiana, Vegas, Baylor, X, Duke
-I've done more brackets with Iowa St than UConn, and I'll have them in the fun bracket; I've done more brackets with Notre Dame than Xavier, but X is all you'll see in this post.

Rnd Two Winners: UK, Wichita, Baylor, Duke

Sweet Sixteen Winners: UK, Duke
-I've got a bracket with Baylor beating Duke.

Elite 8 Winner: UK

I don't have a single bracket where Kentucky doesn't go to the final four.

West
Rnd One Winners: Mich St, Memphis, NMex, Louisville, Murray, Marquette, UF, Missouri
-All of my high percentage brackets look like that.

Rnd Two Winners: Mich St, NMex, Marquette, Missouri

Sweet 16 winners: Michigan St, Missouri

Elite 8 Winner: Missouri
-About half of my brackets have Michigan St coming out.

East
Rnd One winners: Syracuse, KSt, Vandy, Wisconsin, UC, Florida St, WVA, Ohio St
-Most of my brackets have Texas and Gonzaga winning.

Rnd Two winners: Syracuse, Wisconsin, Florida St, Ohio St

Sweet 16 winners: Syracuse, Ohio St
-I've got a smart bracket with Wisconsin coming out.

Elite 8 winner: Ohio St.
-All of my brackets have Ohio St in the Final Four

Midwest
Rnd one winners: UNC, Alabama, Temple, Michigan, NC St, Georgetown, Purdue, Kansas
-I have Cal beating Temple and then going to the Sweet 16 in every other bracket.  I'm a west coast guy, but I don't have a single bracket with either SD St or St Marys winning a game.

Rnd two winners: UNC, Michigan, Georgetown, Kansas

Sweet 16 winners: UNC, Kansas

Elite 8 winner: North Carolina
-Half of my brackets have Kansas coming out.

Final Four: Kentucky over Missouri
-I have UK in the title game in every bracket.
Final Four: Ohio St over North Carolina
-Half of my brackets have Ohio St, a quarter have Kansas, a quarter have Carolina

Winner: Kentucky
-One of my brackets has Ohio St.

Fun Bracket:
South
Rnd One Winners: UK, Iowa St, Wichita St, Indiana, Vegas, South Dakota St, X, Duke
-The problem knocking out Baylor is I think they might make the elite 8.

Rnd Two Winners: UK, Wichita, South Dakota St, Duke.

Then chalk - Kentucky and Duke, then Kentucky.

West
Rnd One Winners: Mich St, Memphis, LB St, Davidson, Murray St, Marquette, UF, Missouri
Rnd Two Winners: Mich St, Long Beach St, Marq, Missouri

Then its just like my smart bracket - Michigan St and Missouri, then Missouri

East
Rnd One winners: Syracuse, Kansas St, Harvard, Wisconsin, Texas, St Bonaventure, WVA, Ohio St
Rnd Two winners: Syracuse, Wisc, St Bonaventure, Ohio St.

Then Wisconsin and Ohio St, then Ohio St.

Midwest
Rnd One winners: UNC, Bama, Cal, Ohio U, NC St, Belmont, Purdue, KU
Rnd Two winners: UNC, Cal, Belmont, KU

Then just like my smart bracket - UNC, Kansas, then Carolina

The final four plays out the same way.

Enjoy the games

The Weekly Tendown March 4-10 2012

Dear Internet:



It's Selection Sunday.  On Veteran's Day, I picked Kentucky to cut down the nets this year.

The brackets come out in four hours; spoiler alert, I'll keep picking Kentucky.

117 is here. This is Tendown 118.

1. The Crazy Story from the NY Times Magazine You Should Read
Girls in Western New York be twitching.

2. I Don't Care How Popular He Gets, His Follow Up Work is Painfully Unfunny
Honey Badger Randall. I don't hate him for having a voiceover clip bring him a career when I don't have health insurance, but it would be better if he were funny.


3. Moratorium!
At the end of the day.


Go big or go home.


Were I still single, having a date say "go big or go home" would categorically be the end of the evening.


4. Why?
 

5. Super Tuesday
Mitt Romeny continued his inevitable, sexless march to the nomination - and Dennis Kucinich got redistricted right out of office.

6. Who Said It?
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei or Rick Santorum

7. Who Tweeted It?
It's not just Rush Limbaugh who tried to slut-shame a law student who attempted to testify about why birth control should be covered by health insurance programs.

It's also Patricia Heaton.


"If every Tweaton sent Georgetown Gal one condom, her parents wouldn't have to cancel basic cable, & she would never reproduce -- sound good?"


Hey G-Town Gal: turn your underwear inside out! Then u only have to do laundry every 2 weeks—saves on detergent & trips to Laundromat


"If your parents have to pay for your birth control, maybe they should get a say in who u sleep with. Instant birth control.


8. The Kind of Thing That Might Still Happen to a Gay Kid in a Public School in 2012


Your principal might tell you you're going to hell.

9. I Watch 4 Star Wrestling Matches
Okay, I don't - I'm behind, but hopefully by next week's Tendown.

I only reference it as this week was the best WWF match of the year so far, Ziggler/Kingston went 3 3/4 on Superstars.

10. Did You Know This Was Happening?


Magic and Bird on Broadway.  One step closer to my dream: Dwayne Schintzius: The Musical.



That's all for this time.  I'll be back next time, if there is a next time...

Your pal,

Jim