2011 MLB Predictions

It's been quite awhile since I've had a post. Work and school have both unfortunately kept me very busy these past few weeks. Hopefully I can pick things up a bit. But today, I wanted to do something that I've done every year for awhile now, which is make my predictions for the upcoming MLB season. Considering official opening day is tomorrow, I figured this was the perfect time to do it.

Living in Cleveland, and being a life-long Cleveland fan, I'll start with the Indians. Last year was rough. There's really not much good that came from last year, aside from Shin-Soo Choo's great offensive year. However, the Indians, finishing 4 out of 5 in the Central with a record of 69-93, were plagued by injuries. Grady Sizemore and Carlos Santana being the two major injuries, which plagued the offense the entire year. However, the pitching staff performed really well in the second half, which is hopefully something that they can carry over to this year.

I think that, as long as the Indians stay healthy, they can have a fairly successful season. I'm not saying playoff push, but I think this team is capable of winning 75 to even 80 games. Being in the same division as the Twins, White Sox and Tigers however, means that will be at best a 3rd place finish. But I think the Indians have alot of potential to be a contender in the years to come, if the young players develop like they should, and we don't lose big names like Choo, Sizemore, and Carmona to free agency or trades.

The rest of the Major League is honestly the story of the Phillies. Seriously, this team is stacked. First their starting rotation is just unfair. Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, Roy Oswalt, and Joe Blanton. This is a rotation with three of the top ptichers in the game (Halladay, Lee, Hamels) and Oswalt, who would be an ace on most other teams. Add to that their stellar offense lead by Ryan Howard and Chase Utley, you've got one of the most dominant teams on paper in recent memory. I honestly would not be surpised if they set the season record for wins, surpassing the Mariners total of 116 back in 2001. This team is that good. Barring injuries, they'll be unstoppable.

Here now are my breakdowns by Division, with the starred team representing my Wild Card Team.

AL East
1. Boston Red Sox
2. New York Yankees*
3. Baltimore Orioles
4. Tampa Bay Devil Rays
5. Toronto Blue Jays

AL Central
1. Minnesota Twins
2. Detroit Tigers
3. Chicago White Sox
4. Cleveland Indians 78-84
5. Kansas City Royals

AL West
1. Texas Rangers
2. Oakland Athletics
3. Los Angeles Angels
4. Seattle Mariners

NL East
1. Philadelphia Phillies
2. Atlanta Braves*
3. New York Mets
4. Florida Marlins
5. Washington Nationals

NL Central
1. Cincinnati Reds
2. Milwakee Brewers
3. Chicago Cubs
4. St. Louis Cardinals
5. Houston Astros
6. Pittsburg Pirates

NL West
1. San Fransisco Giants
2. Los Angeles Dodgers
3. Colorado Rockies
4. Arizona Diamondbacks
5. San Diego Padres

ALDS
Red Sox over Rangers 3-1
Twins over Yankees 3-0

NLDS
Phillies over Reds 3-0
Braves over Giants 3-2

ALCS
Twins over Red Sox 4-3
Phillies over Braves 4-2

World Series
Phillies over Twins 4-1

I really like the Twins lineup this year. If Mauer and Morneau can stay healthy, they can be a pretty dominant team in the American League. If they would have had Morneau last year, they could have made some serious noise in the playoffs. I also still believe that baseball needs to extend the playoffs to more teams. While it's very close to becoming a reality that there will be 5 teams per league soon, there needs to be at least 6, maybe even 8. Baseball is the longest season out of the three major sports. It's played every single day, and for several teams to go into a season knowing that they have little to no chance to make one of two playoff spots (1 per Divison, 1 Wild Card at this point), then it's difficult to give everything you have day in day out. The AL East is a perfect example. The Orioles have added a few good pieces this offseason, and could be a nice team to watch, but they'll never be able to surpass the Yankees and the Red Sox in terms of salary and standing. The 5 non-division playoff spots would give smaller teams like the Orioles and Indians a chance to make the playoffs. If you get there, anything can happen. It's so simple as dropping the regular season down to, say 160 games, and the first round of games being a best of 3. It's that simple baseball.

There you have it, my final predictions for the year. I usually not do that great, so knowing me, The world series will be between the Cubs and the White Sox or something. But be sure to watch. Baseball is the best sport out there in my opinion. There'll never be anything better.

Review: The Adjustment Bureau

We've seen the works of Philip K. Dick on the big screen many times before. Sometimes the source material turns into great films (Blade Runner, Minority Report), other times, they're big misses (Next, Paycheck). The Adjustment Bureau, from first time director George Nolfi, falls somewhere in between, but thankfully, closer to the higher tier. After suffering some post-production problems and a delay release from late last year to early this year, the film was worried to be a dud, but it was able to tackle the issues it faced to turn out to be an enjoyable feature.

The film follows New York Senate candidate David Norris (Matt Damon), a man whos political life has not been definied so much by his politics, but by his impulsivness. He's not afraid to live the life he wants, evidienced by the terrific opening montage, where we see that he has been in a bar fight early in his political life, and more recently, the victim of a college reunion prank, which hurts his Senate chances. When he by chance meets a mysterious woman named Elise (Emily Blunt) however, his demenor begins to change. He feels something for this woman, as if they are meant to be. However, the "agents" of fate, the Adjustment Bureau, introduced to Norris by a man named Richardson (Mad Men's John Slattery), have an agenda to keep Norris away from Elise, by any means necessary.

The film's first act is a standout. It does a terrific job of setting up the plot, giving us Norris' backstory in subtle ways without having to make it obvious or blunt, and give us a taste of what the Adjustment Bureau is and what they're capable of. There was a slight concern that the film would have dimished the intelligent source material for more action. However, there is a good amount of information and character development to get us engaged in what's happening on screen. This is the kind of film that understands audiences are looking for not only good action, but a plot they can percieve, and characters they can care for. It also does a good job of explaining the physics of this world without making us feel stupid. Simply put, the film makes you think, but won't give you a headache.
 

Say what you will about these guys,
but when it comes to cars, they drive American.



The chemistry between Damon and Blunt was notably exceptional. Their first several scenes together feel so real, and they do a great job of showing the contrast between their character's personalities, which become a major factor later in the film. The film also tackles alot of heavy themes. The idea of having a destiny to fulfull, questions about humanities free will, the triumph of love above all else, and the idea of a creator or God and what that Being is. The film works with these themes and others on so many different levels and is able to successfully balance them for an enjoyable feature.


Nolfi also does a good job of balancing action with art house. There are several shots here that really impressed me, and his choice to use alot of wide angle lenses to introduce characters really gives the audience a sense of place without being overwhelmed. His action sense are crisp and easy to follow, without much hand-held camera moments; a rare feat in action scenes today.

The film, though, is not perfect. There are several moments that are unintentionally funny, and lines of dialouge that could have been re-written or cut. Also, there is the question of a certain characters disappearance towards the end of the film. There is no explaination, and it is as if the character was simply forgotten when the third act was written. I also question the replay value of the film. While The Adjustment Bureau does a good job with its story and describing its world and plot, there doesn't seem to be much here that one could gain from multiple viewings. It's an enjoyable first watch, but when it's over it is as if there is nothing that needs to be re explored on a second viewing. These minor issues however, do not take away from its good pacing and engaging characters. It's an enjoyable film that does not require full attention, but awards those that do give it that.

Grade: B+