Dingertime

Sure, there's still relevant college basketball to be played, but by the time that's over, there will have been meaningful baseball games played as well. I picked the final four correctly for the first time ever, so I'll try my hand at this year's baseball season:

AL

New York, 95-67
Boston, 94-68
Toronto, 87-75
Baltimore, 74-88
Tampa Bay, 71-91

Cleveland, 96-66
Detroit, 90-72
Minnesota, 88-74
Chicago, 85-77
Kansas City, 58-104

LA of Anaheim, 85-77
Oakland of Fremont, 82-80
Texas, 72-90
Seattle, 68-94

NL

New York, 94-68
Philadelphia, 88-74
Atlanta, 84-78
Florida, 73-89
Washington, 51-111

St. Louis, 84-78
Milwaukee, 83-79
Houston, 81-81
Chicago, 79-83
Cincinnati, 78-84
Pittsburgh, 75-87

Los Angeles, 91-71
San Diego, 85-77
Arizona, 84-78
Colorado, 80-82
San Francisco, 75-87

Boston 3, Cleveland 2
LA of Anaheim 3, New York (evil) 2

New York (NL) 3, St. Louis 2
Los Angeles (NL) 3, Philadelphia 2

Boston 4, LA of Anaheim 2
Los Angeles (NL) 4, New York (NL) 3

Boston 4, Los Angeles (NL) 0

AL MVP- Travis Hafner (.307, 40 HR, 138 RBI)
AL CY- Johan Santana (21-4, 2.26 ERA, 220 K)

NL MVP- Albert Pujols (.342, 47 HR, 146 RBI)
NL CY- Roy Oswalt (17-8, 3.16 ERA, 228 K)

You may notice that my MVP and Cy Young picks are all the same guys I picked last year- one (Santana) successfully, and one (Pujols) correctly, but somehow not successfully. However, I've never picked the Red Sox to win the World Series before this year. I liked this pick more with Papelbon in the starting rotation, but I still don't see anyone beating them in a playoff series.

Let the dingers begin.

Tom Waits' First Nine Album Titles If He Had Used the Same Naming Conventions as Rick(y) Nelson

1. Tommy
2. Teen Time
3. Tommy Waits
4. Tommy Sings Again
5. Songs by Tommy
6. More Songs by Tommy
7. Tom is 21
8. Album Seven by Tom
9. Tom Waits Sings "For You"

...and a few later ones...

Spotlight on Tom
Another Side of Tom
Tom Sings Waits

He majored in Gorgonzology

Over a tower of Newcastle at the Great Lost Bear on Saturday night, I challenge Jill to name 15 Division I schools in Texas (isn't that what most couples do at bars?). She struggles after three or four, so I start giving her clues. For instance:

My cousin-in-law, Dave, went there.
It's in Houston.
It's named after food.

Jill's face lights up as she finishes a sip of beer. "Cheese?"

It's that time of year. Cheese U. faces Indiana University Purdue University at Southeastern Elkhart County in tonight's play-in game, and the real madness begins at noon on Thursday.

If you want to get in my pool and haven't gotten an email from me, send one to my gmail account and I'll get you a bracket and the rules. I'm hoping for 50+ people at $10 an entry, so there's good money to win.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Ah, March. It's Championship Week, which, while exciting in its own right, is most alluring as a harbinger of the NCAA Tournament to come. That's right, it's almost pool time, bitches!

At the same time, baseball teams are in Florida and Arizona, pitching two innings at a time, being pulled after two at-bats, and trying to catch a glimpse of Daisuke Matsuzaka and Alex Gordon. Within a month, they'll be taking their hacks at Fenway and Wrigley and Bank of America Field by KPMG Peat Marwick, home of the San Francisco Razrs with Unlimited Mobile-to-Mobile Minutes.

Perhaps most enticing is the promise of spring in Maine, just a month around the corner. Or is it two months?

Or three?