Final Thoughts: World Series

Yeah, I know. It's a little late.

Full credit has to go to the St. Louis Cardinals.

Here was a team that was well-back in the wild card standings at the start of September. Yet their hard work mixed with a little luck (meltdown by wild card leading Atlanta) and it all paid off in the end.

It was fitting, given that it turned out to be Tony La Russa's final season as a manager and possibly Albert Puljos last season as a Cardinal.

I love a good underdog story and the Cards were classic underdogs.

Nobody thought they could make the playoffs as the regular season was entering its final month. But they did it. Nobody thought they could beat the Philadelphia Phillies, picked by many, including yours truly, to win it all this year. But they did it. People also doubted they could beat Milwaukee and Texas. But once more, they did it.

And how can you not love David Freese? Regardless of how his career turns out, Freese has cemented his legacy in St. Louis.

Finally, congratulations to the former Blue Jays on the Cards' roster:

- Chris Carpenter
- Mark Rzepczynski
- Octavio Dotel
- Corey Patterson
- Dave Mckay

- ER

MLB Playoff Predictions - World Series

I was completely wrong about the ALCS and NLCS. To be honest, I'm tired of predicting. It's just guessing. Sure, there are stats to suggest who might win. But once the first pitch is thrown, all the stats go out the window and it comes down to seeing which team is better for that particular match.

Anyway...

2011 World Series

St. Louis over Texas in six

I love a good underdog story.

- ER

MLB Playoff Predictions - LCS

The Brewers, Cards and Rangers - Three teams I didn't pick. At least I was right about the Tigers and that was a perfect prediction.

American League Championship Series

Detroit over Texas in seven

National League Championship Series

Milwaukee over St. Louis in six

- ER

Final Thoughts - Blue Jays 2011

It's fitting the Blue Jays finished with a .500 record this season.

This was a Jekyll and Hyde team. There were times when I loved them and there were times when they made me want to pull my hair out.

There were issues with this team. Specifically, the pitchers.

For the last few years, Toronto's rotation was its biggest asset. This season, most of the starters were underwhelming. Branden Morrow, Brett Cecil and Kyle Drabek did not have good seasons. Morrow simply went through an ugly slump. Cecil and Drabek showed some brilliance, but were usually dominated by the opposition. Drabek's issues don't concern me since he's young and has less than a season worth of MLB experience. Cecil, on the other hand, is a concern.

The lefty was fantastic in 2010. He struggled this year, despite some positive time in Las Vegas. Cecil could be the odd man out in 2012. He needs to work harder and find ways to improve. Otherwise, Cecil and now-reliever Jesse Litsch could switch spots.

There were some bright spots in the rotation: Ricky Romero was fantastic and would've had more wins if his teammates gave him more run support. Henderson Alvaraz certainly made a nice impression. John Farrell has plenty of options for 2012's starting rotation, which is a blessing and a curse.

The bullpen, with the exception of Casey Janssen, was a mess. Jon Rauch and Frank Francisco are not stable enough to hold leads. I'd be very surprised if they return next year, let alone return to their 2011 roles.

So what does this team need to compete in 2012?

- Another starter. Not necessary, given what they already have. But it couldn't hurt. Mark Buehrle would look good in a Toronto uniform.

- A closer. Right now, Litsch, Carlos Villenueva and Janssen are the only players with guaranteed spots in the pen. Everything else is up in the air. Janssen or Litsch could become the closer, but AA should see if he can bring in someone more suited for the position, via trade or free agency.

- A DH. I'm not confident with Edwin Encarnacion. He is just not consistent. Then again, he's cheaper than Prince Fielder.

- A second baseman. I was very happy with Kelly Johnson, but I'm not the GM. If Johnson is the man, then the Jays need to sign him ASAP.

Of course, there are plenty of reasons to be happy with the Blue Jays: Jose Bautista had another phenomenal season (despite a lukewarm second half). J.P. Arencibia and Yunel Escobar made vast improvements. Janssen was excellent. And Brett Lawrie was simply incredible. He lived up to the hype, which is always hard to accomplish.

2012 will be an exciting season. Interest in the team has picked up and fans hope the Jays can keep it up. Making the playoffs won't be easy, although an expanded playoff format would help. Regardless, their chances are better than they were a year ago.

I'm definitely looking forward to it.

- ER

MLB Playoff Predictions - LDS

American League Division Series

Tampa Bay in 5
Detroit in 5

National League Division Series

Philadelphia in 3
Arizona in 5

*Haven't forgotten about the Blue Jays' season. Those thoughts will come soon.

- ER

Blue Jays 2011

Thoughts on the season will come Friday. Meanwhile, here are my season "awards" for the Blue Jays.

Team MVP: Jose Bautista

Great first half. A slightly cooler second half. Regardless, it was another fine year for Joey Bats. As long as he hits 35-40 homers, collects at least 100 RBIs and makes significant contributions over the next few seasons, I'm happy.

Best Hitter: Jose Bautista

See above.

Best Pitcher: Ricky Romero

His best season, by far. Would've picked up some more wins if his teammates scored more runs for him.

Best Reliever: Casey Janssen

Was outstanding almost every time he was summoned from the bullpen. If he keeps it up, he could be Toronto's next set up man or closer. His current role is perfect too.

Best Rookie: Brett Lawrie

The kid adapted the majors in mere seconds. Great production and this is only the beginning.

Honourable mention: J.P Arencibia, Yunel Escobar & Henderson Alvarez

And a special mention to Mike McCoy. The guy went back and forth between Toronto and Las Vegas many times. McCoy never complained once and helped the team when needed.

- ER

Raptors' 2011-12 Schedule

If the season actually happens...

Things get underway Nov.2 vs. the Sixers. It concludes Apr.18 in Washington.

Take a look!

- ER

Canadiens' 2011-12 Schedule

Have at it!

Pre-season

Regular Season

- ER

NBA Playoff Predictions - Championship Round

Round Three: See previous post. In other words, wrong, wrong and wrong.

NBA Final

Dallas over Miami in seven games

Rematch of the 2006 Final. This time, the league title is Miami's to lose.

- ER

NHL Playoff Predictions - Stanley Cup Final

Round Three: Wrong, wrong and wrong.

Stanley Cup Final

Vancouver over Boston in six games

The Canucks must keep their foot on the gas at all times. Far too often, they take their foot off, allowing their opponents to take advantage. Any mistake will hurt Vancouver's chances. They must attack Tim Thomas.

- ER

NBA Playoff Predictions - Round Three

Round two: Three out of four. One perfect prediction (Chi/Atl).

On to the next round:

Eastern Conference Final

Chicago in seven

Western Conference Final

OKC in six

- ER

NHL Playoff Predictions - Round Three

Round two: Two out of four. No perfect predictions.

On to the third round!

Western Conference Final
San Jose in 7

Eastern Conference Final
Tampa Bay in 6

- ER

NBA Playoff Predictions - Round Two

Round One: Six out of eight. No perfect predictions.

On to the second round:

Eastern Conference

Chicago in six
Miami in seven

Western Conference

LA Lakers in six
OKC in five

- ER

NHL Playoff Predictions - Round Two

Round One: 7 out of 8. No perfect predictions

On to the second round.

Eastern Conference

Tampa Bay in 7
Philadelphia in 6

Western Conference

Detroit in 6
Vancouver in 4

- ER

NBA Playoff Predictions - Round one

Hard to have an interest without the Raptors participating. Nevertheless...

Eastern Conference

Chicago in four
Miami in four
Boston in six
Orlando in six

Western Conference

San Antonio in six
LA Lakers in five
Dallas in seven
OKC in seven

- ER

NHL Playoff Predictions - Round One

Here we go!

Western Conference

Vancouver in 6
San Jose in 5
Detroit in 7
Anaheim in 7

Eastern Conference

Washington in 6
Boston in 6 (As a Habs fan, I really hope I'm wrong)
Philadelphia in 4
Tampa Bay in 6

- ER

A New Season

Are you ready for some baseball? Don't know what to expect from the Blue Jays. Objectively, I think they can win 83-88 games, but won't make the playoffs. However, they'll be closer than they've been in a while. Subjectively, I want them to win everything in sight! Some quick points: 1) Snider and Arencibia need to play EVERY DAY. Give them a day off here and there, but they'll get better with more at bats. 2) If Jose Bautista only hits 30-40 HRs, that's still a great figure. Don't expect the 2010 stats. He's no longer a secret. Pitchers know how to pitch around him. 3) Hill and Lind have a lot to prove. They'll do much better than what fans saw in 2010. See you at the Skydome! - ER

Re. Vernon Wells & Mike Napoli

Just as I'm about to express my thoughts on the Vernon Wells trade, Alex Anthopoulos pulls the trigger on another trade. Guess I'll have to go trade-by-trade even if they're related.

Vernon Wells for Mike Napoli and Juan Rivera

I was completely caught off guard by this trade. But I shouldn't feel that way. Wells' massive contract was hurting Toronto's growth. Trading him frees up $86 million, which will come in handy for resigning Jose Bautista (if he continues to perform as well as he did in 2010) and going after free agents.

Napoli and Rivera are good players. But their arrivals create a cluttered lineup. Assuming the outfield will have Travis Snider, Rajai Davis and Bautista, where does Rivera go? You could put Bautista at third and Rivera in right. But Bautista has a great arm that is better suited for the outfield. And if Bautista goes to third, where would that put Edwin Encarnacion?

It was clear there needed to be another trade and sure enough...

Mike Napoli for Frank Francisco

I don't like it and at the same time, I like it.

Napoli - had he stayed - would be a great weapon, especially against lefthanders. He would've mostly been used as a DH and first baseman. He is originally a catcher, but he'd only get behind the plate if JP Arencibia or Jose Molina got hurt. Of course, it wasn't meant to be.

Francisco brings another strong arm to the bullpen. A stronger bullpen will take some pressure off the starting rotation. Francisco's also another candidate to be the Blue Jays' next closer. It's going to be an intense competition in Dunedin for those 7-8 spots in the 'pen this year.

The lineup is still cluttered. I think there will be at least one more trade.

One more thing about Vernon

I will certainly miss him. It's hard to believe he was here for 12 years. Wells was a great player. There were times when he could've been better. You can blame the injuries if you wish. Regardless, he tried his best and was a wonderful ambassador.

- ER

Re. Jon Rauch

Not a bad signing by the Blue Jays. Rauch picked up 21 saves with Minnesota last year.

Based on this signing, here's how the bullpen might look this year:

- Camp
- Purcey
- Jannsen
- Rauch
- Dotel
- Zep
- Villenueva

Don't forget about Chad Cordero, Jessie Carlson and Josh Roenicke either. You can even include Scott Richmond and Dustin McGowan.

The closer spot is still up for grabs. Right now, it's likely to come down to Dotel and Rauch.

- ER

More Good News

Episode 42 of This Is Toronto is now available!

This latest edition revisits Good News Toronto, a not-for-profit newspaper that features inspirational stories and celebrates everyday heroes.

www.thisistorontopodcast.blogspot.com

NEXT EPISODE: Jan. 14, 2010

Happy New Year!

- ER