My 2010 Major League Baseball Predictions

For those of you who know anything about me or just a little about me, know that I am a big baseball fan. I enjoy trying to predict how the season standings will finish and who will win the awards. The great thing about baseball is you never really know for sure who will have a breakout year and each game is different. (there are other great things about baseball too)... so here are my predictions for the 2010 Major League Baseball Season... after you read this blog, be sure to check out my friend, Sean's blog, and his predictions at http://mummblesrantings.blogspot.com/ I haven't read his predictions yet myself but I will after I finish mine.

My Predictions (* - wild card)

AL WEST:
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (91-71)
Seattle Mariners (88-74)
Texas Rangers (80-82)
Oakland A's (78-84)
Notes: I hate that I am picking my favorite team, the A's, to finish last. I think they have some good core players, but their offseason moves made little sense. The Mariners got a lot better but I think their rotation is rather weak after Felix Hernandez and Cliff Lee. The thing that makes the Angels stand out the most as the team to beat is Manager Mike Scioscia(pictured).

AL CENTRAL:
Minnesota Twins (93-69)
Chicago White Sox ( 89-73)
Detroit Tigers (88-74)
Cleveland Indians (74- 88)
Kansas City Royals (72-90)

Notes: Minnesota Twins star closer, Joe Nathan has been ruled out for the season which will probably cause the Twins to lose a few more games, but I still see them winning the Central. Let's just hope the 8 year-184 million dollar contract that the other Joe (Joe Mauer, pictured) doesn't go to his head and makes his production go down. The hardest thing for me to decide in the Central was who would finish last between the Indians and Royals.

AL EAST:
New York Yankees (99-63)
Boston Red Sox (94-68)*
Tampa Bay Rays (90-72)
Baltimore Orioles (84-78)
Toronto Blue Jays (62-100)
Notes: By far the toughest division in baseball, I don't see how the Yankees won't repeat as AL EAST Champions.
Don't be surprised by the Baltimore Orioles this
year if they finish with a winning record. Nick Markakis and Adam Jones (pictured) give the Orioles
and promising future. The Jays just suck.

NL WEST:
Colorado Rockies (89-73)
Los Angeles Dodgers (88-74)
San Francisco Giants (86-76)
Arizona Diamondbacks (80-82)
San Diego Padres (72-90)

Notes: The NL West looks to be the closest race in terms of the playoffs. I see the Rockies, Dodgers, and Giants as all have a legitimate shot at winning the West. If Colorado's Jeff Francis (pictured) can come back and do well after missing 2009 with an injury, then the Rockies probably have the edge.

NL CENTRAL:
St. Louis Cardinals (95-67)
Milwaukee Brewers (88-74)
Cincinatti Reds (85-77)
Chicago Cubs (81-81)
Houston Astros (78-84)
Pittsburgh Pirates (74-88)
Notes: St. Louis gets the edge here as they have great starting pitching and some big bats in Albert Pujols and company. I figure the Reds will be a lot like the Orioles will be in the AL East. They can definitely give other teams a problem and have a pretty potent lineup. And even though they will have a tough season again, they will improve slightly and the Pirates' Andrew McCutchen(pictured) will continue to be exciting to watch.

NL EAST:
Philadelphia Phillies (94-68)
Atlanta Braves (90-72)*
Florida Marlins (87-75)
New York Mets(81-81)
Washington Nationals(71-91)

Notes: This is the Mets' year, right?!? No. The Atlanta Braves will find themselves back in the playoffs in 2010. Highly touted rookie, Jason Heyward (pictured), will prove that he belongs on the big stage. The Marlins will stay in the running to contend, but in the end, their pitching will let them down. Everyone will tune in to watch the Washington Nationals play when Stephen Strasburg gets called upon, but they should also keep an eye on prospect, Ian Desmond.


WORLD SERIES
The World Series will see the New York Yankees take on the St. Louis Cardinals and the Yankees will win in 5.

POSTSEASON AWARDS:
AL MVP - Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins
NL MVP - Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Phillies
AL Rookie of the Year - Brian Matusz, Baltimore Orioles
NL Rookie of the Year - Jason Heyward, Atlanta Braves
AL CY YOUNG - Jon Lester, Boston Red Sox
NL CY YOUNG - Roy Halladay, Philadelphia Phillies
AL Manager of the Year - Ron Gardenhire, Minnesota Twins
NL Manager of the Year - Tony LaRussa, St. Louis Cardinals
AL Comeback Player of the Year - Justin Duchscherer, Oakland A's
NL Comeback Player of the Year - Tim Hudson, Atlanta Braves

You put the "psycho" in Psychology...

In my years of dating, I have always seemed to fall for the girls who were currently studying psychology or had finished studying psychology. I am single now so obviously this has not been the answer for me. I have had 3 girlfriends in my life who were psychology majors. I see that as three strikes.

Yes, it was their looks that attracted me to them in the beginning. . . but the beginning can only last so long.

I've often heard that people who study psychology have often had a lot of family problems in their lives. This can be said for two of the three "psycho" girlfriends.... one of them had lost their dad in an accident but was never really close to him anyway, another one had their dad abandon them when she was young. The other one still had a close-knit family, but she has issues of being a slut.

When I worked at Barnes & Noble, I often found it interesting that books like When Someone You Love Is Depressed were categorized in the Psychology section. From my experience, it would make more sense if these books were classified as an Autobiography. "Hey, I know! I'll take the trauma from my miserable life and write a book and make you think it is your problem!"

Would you be comfortable dating a psychologist? No really, would you?


Psychologists are known for analyzing things... that's what they do. I don't enjoy being analyzed and I think that it is what it really comes down to. I hate how past girlfriends got upset at me for not smiling all the time even though I said I was happy. "You don't look happy!" they'd say... If I didn't care about losing my nuts, then I'd reply, "Well, you don't look like a bitch!"

Don't analyze a stand-up comedian.... just don't do it. You can determine if you think we're funny or not, that is okay... but don't try to read into the story behind every single joke we tell. Psychology Today published an article last year titled Is Your Comedian Your Therapist?

A lot of stand-up comedians say that doing comedy is their form of therapy. . . and at times, I feel the same way.

If you're unsure if you're dating a Psychology Major yourself then you can always refer to this list.

So to the ladies that I like. . . please stop being psychology majors.

My Oscar Predictions

I just wanted to do a quick blog about my Oscar Award Predictions for the Academy Awards which will take place tomorrow and be on TV at 8pm EST.

The list of films with nominations that I saw include: Avatar, The Blind Side, District 9, An Education, The Hurt Locker, Inglorious Basterds, Invictus, Nine, A Serious Man, Star Trek, Up.
Some of the major nominated films I did not get to seeing(or didn't want to) include: Crazy Heart, Julie & Julia, The Last Station, Lovely Bones, Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire, A Single Man, Up in The Air.

Some people say that predicting this year's Oscar Award winners is too easy...but there always seem to be some surprises that catch people off guard. That being said, here are my predictions of who will win:

LEADING ACTOR
Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christoph Waltz - Inglorious Basterds

LEADING ACTRESS
Meryl Streep - Julie & Julia

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Mo'Nique - Precious

ANIMATED FEATURE
Up

ART DIRECTION
Avatar

CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Hurt Locker

COSTUME DESIGN
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnasus

DIRECTING
Kathryn Bigelow - The Hurt Locker

DOCUMENTARY
Food, Inc.

DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Music by Prudence

FILM EDITING
District 9

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
The White Ribbon

MAKEUP
Star Trek

ORIGINAL SCORE
Avatar

ORIGINAL SONG
"The Weary Kind" - Crazy Heart

SHORT FILM ANIMATED
The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)

SHORT FILM LIVE ACTION
The Door

SOUND EDITING
Avatar

SOUND MIXING
Avatar

VISUAL EFFECTS
Avatar

SCREENPLAY ADAPTED
An Education - Screenplay adapted by Nick Hornby

SCREENPLAY ORIGINAL
A Serious Man - The Coen Brothers

BEST PICTURE
Avatar