With 47 Games Remaining...

I was going to wait until the 120 or maybe even the 130 game mark to do one last snapshot of the MLB season before heading down the stretch, but I couldn't wait.

We're 115 games in, almost 3/4 of the way through the season, using the combination of B-Ref+Davenport, here are the best players in baseball followed by the most likely playoff scenario.

C
AL: CSantana
NL: BPosey

1B
AL: APujols
NL: JVotto

2B
AL: RCano
NL: NWalker

SS
AL: EAndrus
NL: SCastro

3B
AL: MCabrera
NL: DWright

LF
AL: JHamilton
NL: MCabrera

CF
AL: MTrout MVP
NL: AMcCutcheon MVP

RF
AL: ARios
NL: JHeyward

DH
AL: DOrtiz

SP
AL: J.Verlander Cy
NL: JCueto Cy

RP:
AL: FRodney
NL: AChapman


AL East: NYY (94)
AL Central Detroit (88)
AL West Texas (96)
WC1: CWS (87)
WC2: TB (86)

NL East: Wash (95)
NL Central: Cin (95)
NL West: SFG (88)
WC1: Atl (91)
WC2: StL (89)

The 100 Greatest Professional Wrestlers of All Time

I'm considering two factors when putting this together (1) workrate (2) everything else.

For me, as I've mentioned at greater length on more than one occasion, workrate is by far my most important consideration when evaluating a wrestler - I want to see athleticism or crispness or brutality or some combination thereof.  Famous guys staring at each other regardless of crowd reaction is not as interesting to me as a high angle suplex.  

But the list can't just be workrate, otherwise Katsuhiko Nakajima would rank ahead of Bruno Sammartino.

So the other category is everything else, some combination of titles earned or importance or overall recognition.  My ballot for Meltzer's Wrestler of the Year Award is essentially this idea; my calculation rates workrate as solidly more important than would most, but some combination of actual in ring ability + other stuff is that award.  

In the rankings, I offer some alternatives for each spot, probably through the first 25, maybe 50 - people who are similar, for some reason, but who didn't make this cut.  

Is it a good list?  Eh.  Absent metrics I don't know how useful it is - but I hadn't done it before, so there you go.  With that...

100 - Rob Van Dam - not here are Shane Douglas, the Sheik, 2 Cold Scorpio

99. Red Bastien - neither of the Kangaroos, none of the Grahams made this list

98. Shinsuke Nakamura - Goto isn't here, neither is Kojima, Makabe or Shiozaki

97.     Maurice Vachon - here instead of rival Dick the Bruiser and future brawlers like Mark Lewin and Raven

96. The Destroyer - here for historical importance for launch of Japanese boom, not here is a figure of significance in lucha history - Canek.

95. Don Leo Jonathan - not here are Bad News Allen, Owen Hart and Edge and Christian

94. Riki Choshu - not here is a Japanese pioneer like Atsushi Onita.

93. Carlos Colon - here instead of Miguel Perez or Dusty Rhodes

92. Abdullah the Butcher - here instead of John Tolos or Masato Tanaka

91. Ultimo Dragon - who didn't make the list?  There's no one from Mich Pro or Dragon's Gate.

90. Kensuke Sasaki - no Steiners or Road Warriors, no Chono, no Tenzan

89. Jimmy Snuka - high flyers not here - Jeff Hardy, Prince Devitt

88. John Pesek - Pat Patterson, Ted DiBiase, Minoru Suzuki, none of them are here

87. Dean Malenko - here for the workrate; not here - Osamu Nishimura, Curt Hennig

86. Samoa Joe - not here, Austin Aries, Low Ki, Chris Daniels, Nigel McGuinness

85. Bill Longson - Frank Sexton isn't on this list

84. The Crusher - Larry Hennig didn't make the list

83. Orville Brown - Neither George Hackenschmidt or Bronko Nagurski made the list.

82. Danny McShain - Takayama didn't make this list, neither did Terry Gordy

81. Ray Stevens - Not on the list: Jose Lothario, Angelo Poffo, Bill Miller, Ernie Ladd

80. Freddie Blassie - Dick Murdoch and Adrian Adonis, not on the list

79. Steven Regal - not here, Robbie Brookside, Bill Dundee, Bobby Eaton, Fit Finlay

78. CM Punk - not here, Steve Corino, Chris Hero

77. AJ Styles - no Jeff Jarrett

76. Jun Akiyama - not here, Taue. Dr. Death, Sugiura, Kea

75. Gorgeous George 

74. John Cena


73. Andre the Giant

72. Giant Baba

71. Antonio Inoki

70. Bob Backlund

69. Ricky Morton

68. Sting

67. Triple H

66. Sabu

65. Dory Funk, Jr.

64. Bobo Brazil

63. Antonino Rocca

62. Eduoard Carpentier

61. Yvon Robert

60. Pat O'Connor

59. Yuji Nagata

58. Shinya Hashimoto

57. Genichiro Tenryu

56. Buddy Rogers

55. Killer Kowalski

54. Billy Watson

53. Chris Jericho

52. Hiroshi Tanahashi

51. The Undertaker

And here's the Top 50 Greatest Wrestlers of all Time:

50. Jerry Lawler

49. Verne Gagne

48. Roddy Piper

47. Bruiser Brody

46. Danny Hodge

45. Billy Robinson

44. Naomichi Marufuji

43. Tiger Mask

42. Tatsumi Fujinami

41. El Hijo del Santo

40. Mick Foley

39. Johnny Valentine

38. Blue Demon

37. The Great Muta

36. Bryan Danielson

35. The Dynamite Kid

34. Kenta

33. Mil Mascaras

32. Jack Brisco

31. Nick Bockwinkel

30. Stan Hansen

29. Vader

28. The Rock

27. Frank Gotch

26. Joe Stecher

25. Gene Kiniski

24. Harley Race

23. Strangler Lewis

22. Hulk Hogan

21. Rikidozan

20. El Santo

19. Eddy Guerrero

18. Ricky Steamboat

17. Randy Savage

16. Terry Funk

15. Steve Austin

14. Jim Londos

13. Shawn Michaels

12. Kurt Angle

11. Toshiaki Kawada

And now - the Ten Greatest Wrestlers of all Time....

10. Jumbo Tsuruta

9. Bruno Sammartino

8. Rey Mysterio

7. Bret Hart

6. Jushin Thunder Liger

5. Chris Benoit

4. Lou Thesz

3. Ric Flair

2. Mitsuharu Misawa

1. Kenta Kobashi

2012-13 College Football Pre Season Top 25

 Tomorrow's headlines today.

 1. LSU

2.       Alabama

3.       Oklahoma

4.       Oklahoma St (consider a small over the 8.5 win total)

5.       Oregon 

6.       USC

7.       South Carolina

8.       Florida St.

9.       Stanford (play over the 8)

10.   Georgia 

11.   Wisconsin

12.   Michigan

13.   Notre Dame

14.   Arkansas

15.   TCU (a small play over 7.5)

16.   Texas

17.   Michigan St.

18.   West Virginia

19.   Boise St.

20.   Texas A&M

21.   Virginia Tech

22.   Florida

23.   Ohio St. (a tick over the 8.5)

24.   Missouri

25.   Clemson

2012 NFL Fantasy Draft Board

I play in CBS Fantasy $ leagues, so I calibrate my rankings accordingly.  This board is prior to the first full slate of pre season games, personally, I don't like to draft until after preseason week 3, so take that into consideration.  I'm unlikely to change this post, but my personal board will change as the preseason moves on.

Tier One: RRice RB, AFoster RB

T2: LMcCoy RB, TBrady QB

T3: DBrees QB, ARodgers QB

T4: MJD RB CJohnson WR

T5: RMathews RB LFitzgerald WR

T6: CJohnson RB CNewton QB

T7: RGronkowski TE RWhite WR WWelker WR DMcFadden RB

T8: GJennings WR JGraham TE

T9: MLynch RB, TRichardson RB, VCruz WR

T10: DMurray RB FJackson RB SJackson RB MRyan QB (can wait on Ryan)

T11: MWallace WR AJ Green WR APeterson RB MColston WR (can wait) DBowe WR (can wait)

T12: MForte RB AJohnson WR (he’s gone) SSmith WR JCharles RB BMarshall WR SGreene (can wait)

(That’s 36 picks, Rnds 1-3)

T13: MVick QB MTurner RB JJones WR

T14: HNicks WR RBush RB JMaclin WR AHernandez TE (can wait)

T15: MStafford QB (cant get) EManning QB JNelson WR DJackson WR (can wait) ABrown WR (can wait)

T16: DMartin RB (can wait) JStewart RB DThomas RB SRidley RB RHelu RB  PHarvin WR SJohnson WR MAustin WR

T17: FGore RB (wont get) AGates TE VJackson WR JWitten TE DMoore WR (can wait) JStarks RB (can wait)

 T18: BLloyd WR (wont get) DSproles RB (wont get) PManning QB EDecker WR BRoethlisburger QB DWilliams RB ABradshaw RB DWilson RB (can wait) DBrown RB (can wait) SVereen RB (can wait)

(That’s 72 picks, Rnds 4-6)

T19: KBritt WR VDavis TE JFinley TE RFitzpatrick QB TSmith WR

T20: TRomo QB (wont get) DBryant WR (wont get) MIngram RB PThomas RB PGarcon WR SRice WR RG3 QB BPettigrew TE (can wait) DHeyward Bay WR (can wait) DThomas RB (can wait)

T21: PRivers QB (wont get) WMcGahee RB (wont get) BGreen Ellis (wont get) MSchaub QB JBest RB PHillis RB RWilliams RB (can wait) Jets D (can wait)

T22 TGonzalez TE RWayne WR IRedman RB (won’t get) CJ Spiller RB (wont get) SHolmes WR (wont get) A Dalton QB JCutler QB JFreeman QB MCassel QB FDavis TE KRudolph TE MWilliams WR GLittleWR

(That’s 108 picks, Rnds 7-9)

T23  Bears D Bills D Steelers D MaFloyd WR ABoldin WR LMoore WR MBush RB BCelek TE JFlacco QB MCrabtree WR JRodgers RB RMeachem WR

T24  RGould K MCrosby K SGostkowski K JHanson K Packers D JBaldwin WR MLeshore RB CPalmer QB DKeller CFleener TE Patriots D JGresham TE

T25 ODaniels TE Ravens D Falcons D Giants D TYoung WR CPonder QB LKendricks TE MBryant K SJanikowski K JCook TE DBess WR JBlackmonWR

(That’s 144 picks, Rnds 10-12)

T26: BHartlineWR BTate RB Seahawks D DJones WR MLewis TE GOlson TE BWells RB TGerhart RB RBironas K HMiller TE RSuccup K KKolb QB LBlount RB DBaldwin WR RLindell K LTynes K JTamme TE Lions D DAkers K Niners D SSuisham K BQuick WR ACaldwell WR KWalter WR

That’s 168 picks.  14 rounds of a 12 team draft. 

2012 - 50 Best WR/TE in NFL

Part of a Series. Part 2 is here. This is not a fantasy ranking.

1.       Calvin Johnson

2.       Andre Johnson

3.       Rob Gronkowski

4.       Larry Fitzgerald

5.       Wes Welker

6.       Jimmy Graham

7.       Greg Jennings

8.       Jermichael Finley

9.       Kenny Britt

10.   AJ Green

11.   Jordy Nelson

12.   Vernon Davis

13.   Victor Cruz

14.   Stevie Johnson

15.   Steve Smith

16.   Dez Bryant

17.   Brandon Lloyd

18.   Roddy White

19.   Marques Colston

20.   Antonio Gates

21.   Vincent Jackson

22.   Antonio Brown

23.   Mike Wallace

24.   Julio Jones

25.   Jacob Tamme

26.   Aaron Hernandez

27.   Dwayne Bowe

28.   Hakeem Nicks

29.   Jeremy Maclin

30.   DeSean Jackson

31.   Brandon Marshall

32.   Malcolm Floyd

33.   Mike Williams

34.   Devery Henderson

35.   Torrey Smith

36.   Alshon Jeffrey

37.   Percy Harvin

38.   Santonio Holmes

39.   James Jones

40.   Randall Cobb

41.   Donald Driver

42.   Miles Austin

43.   Lance Moore

44.   Domenik Hixon

45.Doug Baldwin   

46.   Robert Meachem

47.   Tony Gonzalez

48.   Demaryius Thomas

49.   Brent Celek

50.   Denarius Moore