Despite what will be an MVP year for Mike Trout, the Dodgers will upend his Halos in the World Series in 2013. By Keith Allison from Owings Mills, USA (Mike Trout Uploaded by Muboshgu) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Lowest Starting Rotation ERA in the American League:

1. Oakland A’s, 3.25 ERA
2. Tampa Bay Rays, 3.31 ERA
3. Detroit Tigers, 3.65 ERA

Highest Starting Rotation ERA in the American League:  

1. Cleveland Indians, 5.10 ERA
2. Houston Astros, 5.09 ERA
3. Minnesota Twins, 4.53 ERA

Lowest Starting Rotation ERA in the National League:

1. Washington Nationals, 3.34 ERA
2. Los Angeles Dodgers, 3.37 ERA
3. Milwaukee Brewers, 3.49 ERA

 Highest Starting Rotation ERA in the National League:

1. Colorado Rockies, 5.90 ERA
2. San Diego Padres, 4.49 ERA
3. Miami Marlins, 4.34 ERA

Lowest ERA in the MLB:

1. Oakland As, 3.25 ERA
2. Tampa Bay Rays, 3.31 ERA
3. Washington Nationals, 3.34 ERA
4. Los Angeles Dodgers, 3.37 ERA
5. Milwaukee Brewers, 3.49 ERA

Highest ERA in the MLB:

1. Colorado Rockies, 5.90 ERA
2. Cleveland Indians, 5.10 ERA
3. Houston Astros, 5.09 ERA
4. Minnesota Twins, 4.53 ERA
5. San Diego Padres, 4.49 ERA

Teams I picked to have the Best Rotations:

AL East: Toronto Blue Jays

AL Central: Kansas City Royals

AL West: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

NL East: Philadelphia Phillies

NL Central: Pittsburgh Pirates

NL West: Los Angeles Dodgers

Teams I picked to win their divisions:

AL East: New York Yankees

AL Central: Detroit Tigers

AL West: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

NL East: Philadelphia Phillies

NL Central: Cincinnati Reds

NL West: Los Angeles Dodgers

Wild Card Teams:

American League: Baltimore Orioles and Oakland A’s

National League: San Francisco Giants and Washington Nationals

CY Young winners:

American League: Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners

National League: Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers

MVP:

American League: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

National League: Matt Kemp, Los Angeles Dodgers

Best record in each Conference:

American League: Detroit Tigers

National League: Cincinnati Reds

Manager of the Year:

American League: Jim Leyland, Detroit Tigers

National League: Don Mattingly, Los Angeles Dodgers

To some, it might seem that I am a little bias towards the Los Angeles teams, but that is because I believe that this season will be very enjoyable for both the Angels and Dodgers. But it won’t be a cake walk.

The Giants are the defending champions, the Nationals are a great young team, the Tigers will look to avenge being swept out of the World Series, the Reds will try to finally win a playoff series, and well the Yankees, are…. the Yankees.

As of right now, with the current rosters and barring no serious injuries, I project the so-called “Freeway Series” will be the battle royale for champion in 2013. A war waged for the “ownership” over rat packed freeways will be won by the team who owns the famed 101: the Dodgers. And they do it in six.

Freshman Reese Morgan could be a key cog in a Cal Poly matchup against Southern in March. By Owen Main

This is all getting a little weird, and oh so real. Right when I was beginning to think just an upset over UCLA in November was enough for me, Callero and the gritty Mustangs continue to outdo themselves.

Tonight, in ESPN’s second installment of Bracketology (view bracket here), college basketball guru Joe Lunardi listed the Cal Poly men as one of the play-in teams pitted against the Michigan Wolverines.

According to Lunardi, if the madness began today, Callero’s crew would play Southern University, a 10-6 team in the Southern Athletic Conference led by combo guard/forward, Malcolm Miller, who seems a lot like Cal Poly’s Chris Eversley — a slashing, above the rim player.

How much does young coach Roman Banks echo Joe Callero’s consistent praise of his team’s, passion, demeanor, character and poise?

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=-810GKUpG_c

The two seem similar in that regard philosophically, both exalting tough matchups early-on against larger, more formidable schools, as a chance to ready themselves for conference play.

While Lunardi simply slots-in the top team in the standings for single-bid conferences like the Big West, Cal Poly and Southern have a lot in common. Currently Southern is 4-0 in the SAC. Their biggest win came against Texas A&M on December 22nd and they, like the Mustangs, also suffered a hard fought loss early in the season to Texas Christian.

The winner would face the Big Ten’s Michigan Wolverines in the next round as immediate underdog. But, before such an affair, I’m certain from San Luis Obispo to Cambria, all the way to Oceano, the Central Coast would party like its 1999.

The last time they were 3-0 to start conference play (1996-97), they reeled off six straight conference losses en-route to a losing conference season. Cal Poly has never started 4-0 in the Big West. In order to do so, Callero’s bunch must prepare for a road weekend at UC Davis (4-9, 0-2) on Thursday and in Stockton versus a tough Pacific (7-7, 1-1) team on Saturday.

In 1996-97, Cal Poly opened their inaugural season in the Big West with three straight home wins, beating New Mexico State, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Irvine at Mott Gym. Under coach Jeff Schneider, Cal Poly finished that season 3-10 for a 6-10 record in the Big West and a 14-16 overall record.

While there have been other good Cal Poly teams and players, none of them have equaled the 3-0 conference start. Until now. On Saturday night, the Mustangs built an 11-point halftime lead, fell behind by six in the second half, and rallied for the 72-67 victory. Having wrestled the momentum away from the Mustangs and leading by six points with 7:59 to play, the Anteaters seemed to be in control. The crowd was becoming either quiet or agitated at the officials. Then Chris Eversley woke everyone up. Off a miss, the junior forward flushed a one-handed dunk and just as quickly as the ball bounced off the ground, the crowd was again awake and alive and the Mustangs were back in the game.

You can see the dunk at about 1:45 of the video below. The video doesn’t do justice to the surge of energy in the gym, but it was the bolt of lightning Cal Poly needed.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wGxAyzXibo

Chris O’Brien poured in 16 points on Saturday night to help Cal Poly move to 3-0 in Big West Conference play. By Owen Main

Cal Poly is now tied with Hawaii for the top spot in the conference at 3-0 and travels up North to play UC Davis and Pacific next weekend.

What We Learned This Weekend:

This team is a threat: Cal Poly fans may have expected this year to be a rebuilding year after losing six seniors last season, but Joe Callero’s team seems to have finally found a formula that works just in time for conference play to begin.

Lots of guys can have big games: Add Reese Morgan and Chris O’Brien to the list of players who can have big games and take pressure off guys who aren’t playing particularly well on a given night. On Thursday, Morgan played a feisty game, racking up 16 points and 4 rebounds off the bench, while the team’s leading scorer, Chris Eversley, struggled struggled to find a rhythm and scored just 9 points.

On Saturday, Eversley came alive with 24 points. Kyle Odister, who had scored in double-digits in each of Cal Poly’s first two conference games, had earned himself a starting spot. Odister came up empty on Saturday, going 0-3 from the field, and the Mustangs still found a way to eek out a win against a top conference team. 16 Points from O’Brien certainly helped too. Callero has preached guys “playing for one another” and stats like this really indicate that it’s working. Having different guys step up and play well offensively on any given night makes Cal Poly a more difficult team to scout and when you’re playing every team twice the unpredictable nature of who might step up on a given night can be a big advantage.

The Tom Barket prediction machine: The Cal Poly play-by-play man doesn’t make a ton of predictions, but his premonition about Chris Eversley seems to be spot-on so far. The junior from Illinois helped will his team to victory on Saturday with 24 points and six rebounds. Eversley averages 16 points and seven rebounds per game this year and if the rest of his conference games look more like Saturday night than Thursday night, “CE” will be a frontrunner for Big West Conference postseason honors.

The Mustangs are playing at a lot faster pace: After a grinding, ugly victory reminiscent of Cal Poly teams of the past, the Mustangs opened up their offense at home over the weekend. Playing sharpshooters Kyle Odister, Dylan Royer, and Reese Morgan together has been a revelation for Callero’s team. Cal Poly pushed the pace against more athletic teams in Long Beach State and UC Irvine and still came away with a pair of wins, scoring 79 and 72 points in the two games.

Variety on defense: Callero’s trademark matchup defense is still in effect, but with a smaller unit on the floor, a scrambling 1-3-1 defense and even a full-court press gives other teams something else to prepare for. More options defensively have helped Cal Poly stem the tide of opponents’ runs so far in conference play.

The President is a big fan: Taking pictures of the game in a corner of Mott Gym is a really fun angle to watch the game from. Cal Poly president Dr. Jeffrey Armstrong, who attends many (if not most) of the major sporting events on-campus happened to be standing next to me during Cal Poly’s second-half surge. As the Mustangs wrestled the momentum back from UC Irvine, Armstrong stayed put, not moving until the game was over. At a university known for academics, it’s definitely notable how into the action president Armstrong always seems to be at games. A president displaying his fansmanship is something Cal Poly fans should definitely be happy about.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJtk4akaEME

Photos by Owen Main

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A.J. Green and the Bengals went out this weekend in the first round of the NFL Playoffs. By Navin75 (Flickr: WR AJ Green) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

This team has a solid core. Andy Dalton lead this year’s offense with 27 touchdowns, 16 interceptions and passed for 3,669 yards. Second year receiver and pro-bowler A.J. Green had 97 receptions for 1,350 yards and 11 touchdowns. Newly signed running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis led the running attack with 1,094 yards with six touchdowns. The under-rated defense set the sack record for the franchise and was led by Defensive Tackle and pro-bowler Geno Atkins (12.5 sacks).

The season started bleak for the Bengals, embarrassed by division rival Baltimore in the first game of the season on Monday Night Football. After week 9, the team sat at 3-5 with losses to the Browns and Dolphins and the prospects for even making the playoffs were not good.

Surprisingly the Bengals shocked the NFL and beat down the Giants, 31-13 in week 10. After the inspiring win over the Super Bowl champs, the Bengals went on to win six of their next seven games. They even beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh in the playoff-clincher. They were no longer the so-called “Bungles.”

The Bengals were locked into the sixth and final playoff seed in the AFC, despite tying the AFC North champion Ravens with a record of 10-6 and ended up playing the Texans in the first round. The Texans had been struggling and any team was better than the red-hot Broncos or the playoff proven Patriots. Despite the decent matchup, the Bengals lost again in the playoffs. They had a chance with a 3^rd and 11 possession with under three minutes to play but quarterback Andy Dalton over-threw receiver A.J. Green in the end zone, a play that would have given the Bengals a 20-19 lead.

While Cincinnati didn’t advance in the playoffs yet again, the season did show that as the combination of Dalton and Green grow, along with the strong young defense, the Bengals will be a force to reckon with in the future. The Bengals gained tremendous experience and poise by turning their season around when everyone thought they were done and finally beating the Steelers on the road. It would have been nice to cap off this season with a playoff win, but the Bengals should be happy with making the playoffs right now.

That being said, how much longer can that be the standard? Hopefully next season this young up-and-coming team will come back with a hunger for success and if they do, this team is built to win, I believe for a long time.

Matt Knudsen’s Atascadero Greyhounds upended San Luis Obispo on Friday night 68-53. Photos below by Owen Main.

Matt Knudsen won his Pac 7 opener. By Owen Main

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I think it was last year (or the year before?) I watched George Clooney in his quirk-comedic “Up in the Air.” A film about a man who flies so much for work he has joined every elite flying club known to man. Literally he walks into an airport and the baggage clerk knows more about his personal life than his own sister.

The last two months and change have been similar for me. In training for a new career, I’ve trekked 4,907 miles via rubber to the road, to attend weekly trainings away from home. Five days a week in hotels, meals out, cheap wine, late night thinking and hopefully, a bit of fansmanship while I’m at it.

But there is no Goodyear club, which makes me a bit sad. While it is true that paying for a plane ticket is technically a lot more expensive than buying a set of wheels, I recommend the major tire companies take note of the airlines’ prestigious award of ultimate flier, and create there own ultimate roadster.

At least Luke isn’t having to drive to LA and back in one of these things. By David Merrett from Daventry, England (Driving Championship) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

In lieu of my 4,907 mile award club, I’ve been acknowledged by the below: A man with a niche die hard cult following.

Alton Lister — 59 years old, former NBA pine rider for the Milwaukee Bucks, Golden state Warriors, Seattle Sonics, Boston Celtics and Portland Trailblazers.

His award includes each and everyone of his hoops in exchange for each of my miles driven. 4,907 times, Alton Lister put a basket in an NBA hoop. His final season in 1997 with the Blazers, subsisted of a point per game average of 4.9.  But I’m sure his average was something like 4.9[pie]7. Which looks much like 4,907.

This goes to show just how economically blue collar it is to drive your car. Countless hours spent numbingly humming depressing wrist slicing Cold Play songs, and I’m still only equivalent to Alton Lister, a good for nothing forgettable athlete with a name confused for Liston. For most of my life I have used Alton Liston  as a name when playing “text your friend the most random athlete game,” and each and every time I’ve won with that name.

As I ascend the miles list for the next six weeks, I hope to evolve into at least a semi-star pine rider. Pooh Richardson would be nice. My friends could call me Pooh Dick.

But hopefully at some point I can become the ultimate champion of mileage/”text your friend the most random athlete game”: Josh McBob. A name like Josh McBob is indestructible. Josh is a classic American name, Mc implies a name of European heir, and Bob is a universal name: meaning: mustache, go-to, clutch and athletically challenged.

But a Bob overcomes challenges. Bob the Builder for instance. A construction worker made out of plastic and outlines in coloring books who not only can build anything and everything with only three pieces, making him the most efficient engineer in the world, but one who inspires children while doing so.

Name one man in your life who was a real get – down- and -dirty construction worker you would trust with your children. My dad was one of these, which is why my mom started calling him the gardener when I was five.

If Bob was my dad, if only, I would of been a better man.  I could of passed on the three-piece legacy, building entire overpasses in a matter of seconds. If only I were Josh McBob my life would mean something.

*McBob is a more efficient and condensed version of McRoberts. Josh McRoberts currently plays for the Orlando Magic.*