The basic idea of my computer ratings is to be a better version of the BCS standings, where the focus is on the top teams and having the correct top 2.

For the first few years, my top 2 agreed with the BCS top 2 with the BCS Champion finishing #1 in my final rankings. That changed last year when I had Oklahoma St. #2 going into the bowls and then LSU stayed #1 despite the loss to Alabama.

Once again this season, my top 2 was different from the BCS top 2. I had Notre Dame #1 going in, but Alabama was down at #4, below Florida and Ohio St.

Some might scoff at Florida, which didn’t even win its division, but neither did last year’s pre-bowl #3. Florida also managed to beat both LSU and Texas A&M, which Alabama could not do, and the Tide didn’t even face one of the top 3 teams of the other division until the SEC Championship game.

As for Ohio St., let’s face it: If they weren’t on probation, they would have been in the title game against Notre Dame.

Since I’m about to paste my top 25 below anyway, I’ll give it away. Alabama did finish as #1 in the final rankings this year, the second year in a row my (completely subjective) preseason #1 ended #1. And if we were to look at the top 2 now, what happens? Rematch! Alabama should have to beat them again. It would be even better if they had to beat Georgia again though. In addition, Alabama should also have to travel back in time and beat Texas a second time in 2009.

I’ll be really annoyed if Alabama has a November loss next year and ends up in the title game again anyway, especially being that their SEC East opponents in the regular season will be Tennessee and Kentucky while LSU, for instance, will play Florida and Georgia.

Top 25

rank / team / prior

1 Alabama 4

2 Notre Dame 1

3 Ohio St. 2

4 Oregon 6

5 Stanford 5

6 Florida 3

7 S Carolina 8

8 Georgia 10

9 TX A&M 12

10 Kansas St. 7

11 Clemson 15

12 Florida St. 16

13 SJSU 14

14 LSU 9

15 Oklahoma 11

Continue to full blog.

For five seasons, Homer Bailey has been trying to solve the riddle, "How do I make the jump from phenom prospect to major league contributor?".

For five seasons, Bailey has struggled to answer that question, instead allowing others like Johnny Cueto and Mike Leake to make the jump ahead of him.

But in his sixth season, at the age of 26, Bailey has finally put it all together and taken a giant step forward in his development as a pitcher. Under the weight of a career high 32 starts and 204 innings pitched, Bailey has authored a season that has seen him produce a 13-10 record, a 3.75 ERA, and a 2.7 WAR. His ERA is likely a tick below where it should be, as his FIP (Fielder Independent Pitching) is sitting at 4.06, but it isn't far out of line.

Homer Bailey has finally arrived.

And what better way to blow the trumpet and declare your arrival that to close out your best season by firing  a no-hitter?!

Bailey spun a gem of a game on Friday night against the flailing Pittsburgh Pirates, facing just 29 hitters in the process. Aside from a a third inning error by Scott Rolen, a booted short hopper off the bat of Clint Barmes, and a walk to Andrew McCutchen in the seventh, Bailey was perfect for the night. Bailey would add 10 strike-outs in the game.

The no-hitter was the 15th in club history, but the first since Tom Browning's perfect game against the Dodgers in 1988. It was also the seventh in Major League Baseball in 2012, adding Bailey to a class that includes the following:

4/21/12 - Philip Humber - Perfect Game

5/2/12 - Jered Weaver

6/1/12 - Johan Santana

6/8/12 - Kevin Millwood, Brandon League, Tom Wilhelmsen, Charlie Furbush, Stephen Pryor, Lucas Luetge

6/13/12 - Matt Cain - Perfect Game

8/15/12 - Felix Hernandez - Perfect Game

9/28/12 - Homer Bailey

The Reds needed every bit of Bailey's mastery too, as the his Pirate counterpart, A.J. Burnett, was right on his game as well, throwing 8 innings of 7-hit ball, allowing just the one run and striking out 5. The loss drops the Pirates to 81 losses on the season, two away from their 20th consecutive losing season.

Yesterday, I took to Twitter and asked one simple questions:

Is Joey Votto currently the best hitter in baseball?

Well, I didn't get many responses to the question. Maybe it was due to my meager following on the social media magnate, or maybe it was simply due to most people's inability to argue the point. Of the responses I received, I saw the names Mike Trout, Mark Trumbo, Melky Cabrera, and Billy Butler thrown out there.

Certainly, both Trumbo and Trout have been outstanding for the Angels thus far, with Trout producing a batting line of .344/7 HR/30 RBI/47 Runs/21 Stolen Bases and Trumbo kicking the tires with a line of .313/18 HR/50 RBI/35 Runs. Trout has the inside track on the Rookie of the Year award and many could argue that Trumbo could have won it last year.

Melky has been on fire in San Francisco, making the Royals regret trading him for Jonathan Sanchez by batting .351 and leading all of baseball with 106 (!) hits through 73 games in 2012. He's been close to the sole source of offense for the Giants and a key to their reentry into the NL West race.

Butler is sort of another story. I love the uptick in power from Country Breakfast, and I wish that Royals fans were giving the hometown hero more of a push for the All-Star game in Kansas City this year, but even so his .296/15 HR/46 RBI is more adequate than top of the heap. Hell, he's even surpassed as a DH by David Ortiz in Boston.

So that brings me back to Votto. Here are his stat lines and rankings:

Batting Average - .353 - 3rd in MLB

On-Base Percentage - .478 - 1st in MLB

Slugging Percentage - .643 - 2nd in MLB

Doubles - 32 - 1st in MLB

Home Runs - 14 - 22nd in MLB

RBI - 47 - 18th in MLB

Walks - 60 - 1st in MLB

The only holes in my argument for Votto are the home run and RBI totals, where his numbers seem pedestrian compared with the league leaders, especially the dinger total considering he plays in Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati. However, his doubles are at such a rate that sooner than later, more of those will start flying over the wall than hitting it.

In regards to the meager RBI total, consider these stats. Of his 320 plate appearances in 2012, Votto has come to the plate just 81 times with runners in scoring position and only 145 times did he even have another runner on base. He has 9 home runs and 42 RBI with runners on base. If the Reds could put someone on in front of him, He'd likely be a lot higher in the rankings. Oh, and Votto is hitting .429 with 2 outs and runners in scoring position.

Needless to say, Votto makes the argument for himself. He'll figure prominently in the National League MVP discussion when the season ends and he is more than justifying the large investment the Reds made to keep him there long-term.

Where did this weather come from?? Do you know your friends?? Really?? Two legends retire?? New Jersey Nets?? What, the Nets?? Yep. Even a Military Fly-by. All this in this weeks edition of……..

I got up Monday, went outside and came back into the house wondering who the hell turned up the air-conditioning outside?? It was cold. But, as a transplant New Yorker, I went back outside in my shorts and t-shirt and went about doing my errands for the day.

It was in the 40’s in Jacksonville, Florida, well below the temperatures it has been during the months of February and March. We have had an unusually warm winter, with no threat of hurricanes this season. Wow, remarkable.

If your up North, sorry about the snow storms, especially in Ithaca, New York. They got hit bad.

Do you really know your friends???

He’s not a sports personality, nor is he an athlete. None of you know this individual. His name is Sean, and he is a mail handler where I work at. I have talked to him while on a break or at lunch, from time-to-time. He seemed liked a nice guy until last Monday. On April 16^th Sean robbed the Sun Trust bank on Beach Blvd in Jacksonville, Fl. He walked up to a teller, gave her a note that said “I am armed.” The teller gave him money and he left the bank. Sean, on a tip from an individual who seen his picture in the Florida-Times Union, was arrested on Tuesday. Everyone at work was shocked, as this individual seemed to be a nice person. One of our co-workers lived across the street from him and he seemed okay outside of work. That is a picture of him robbing the bank.

What I am leading to is that regardless of whether a person is a athlete, coach or your own neighbor or friend for a long time, you can possibly never really know the individual as well as you think.

Major League Baseball and the players’ association have informed teams and agents that there will no longer approve personal-service deals and special “milestone” bonus clauses in future contracts with players and teams. A-Rod, Albert Pujols and Ryan Zimmerman have contracts with either milestone clauses and/or personal-service clause.

Congratulations go out to the Cincinnati Reds who won their 10,000 game in franchise history. The Reds join the Cubs, Giants, Dodgers, Braves and Cardinals.

I didn’t do anything!! Yeah right.

Thug Metta World Peace better get a big suspension for his flagrant foul on Hayden. I don’t give a flying pig, what Kobe says or anyone of the so-called NBA analysts say about how Metta World Peace is such a nice guy. The guy is a thug and should be dealt with. Take a look at the clip.

His new name should be Metta Thug You!!

In case we forget, how about Ron Arrest, oops Artest going into the stands.

David Stern issued a 7 game suspension for Metta World Peace. Not a big enough statement. Suspend him for the rest of the season, that would have said something to him and the players in the league.

He is considered one of the greatest to ever play his position. Denver Bronco Safety, Brian Dawkins, announced his retirement after playing 16 years in the NFL. No one played longer at safety than Brian. The “Wolverine” played for the Eagles and Broncos and finished his career with 17 fumble recoveries, 26 sacks, 37 interceptions, 42 forced fumbles (most ever by a defensive back), and 98 pass breakups. Dawkins was named to the NFL’s All-Decade team of the 2000’s and had nine Pro Bowls.

Our hats off to Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez who retires after a 21-year career with the Texas Rangers, Florida Marlins, Detroit Tigers, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Houston Astro and Washington Nationals. He had 2,844 hits, 311 homeruns and 1,332 RBI’s. An MVP winner in 1999, Pudge also won 10 straight Gold Gloves and went to 10 consecutive all-star games.

New Jersey Nets played their last game in New Jersey this past Monday. As a Net fan from their days in the ABA, I am glad they are leaving the State. The Nets should have never left Long Island, but at least they are coming home. Okay, maybe not on Long Island where they played their first season in the NBA, but to Brooklyn New York, which will only be a LIRR away.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie wished the Nets "good riddance" on their way to Brooklyn. To that I say kiss my ass. You and your sorry ass State could have supported the team for all these years. Even though the Nets suck, when they had the two great teams that went to the Finals they didn’t draw until the Finals. So keep inhaling the foul smelling shit that comes out of Elizabeth, New Jersey.

During my time in the military, I have seen many air-shows and fly-bys. But never have I seen anything quite like this. Check out this fly-by..

Til Next Time

Scott

One has a league MVP trophy. The other has a World Series Ring. On Monday, both of them inked big money deals to keep them with their current teams for the foreseeable future.

The Giants inked pitcher Matt Cain, a potential free agent after the 2012 season, to a six-year deal worth $127.5 million. The deal includes a vesting option should Cain pitch 200 innings-pitched in 2017, the last year of the deal, or a combined 400 innings in 2016 and 2017 and doesn't go to the disabled list in 2017 with an elbow or shoulder injury.

Meanwhile, Joey Votto and the Reds decided to top that, when Cincinnati signed the All-Star first baseman to a 10-year pact worth $225 million. The deal will keep Votto in a Reds uniform through the 2013 season, and includes a full no-trade clause. Votto, now the top first baseman in the National League, is formerly being paid like it.

Both deals are huge coups for the home teams, keeping both players with their original teams for what would appear to most meaningful years of their careers. That said, neither can be considered much of a deal. Votto will become the highest paid hitter in the National League, while Cain will be the highest paid right-handed pitcher in baseball and the third highest this side of CC Sabathia and Johan Santana.

While you have to applaud teams making the effort to keep developed talent in house, you have to wonder if the cost to both teams makes the contracts worthwhile overall.

For the mid-market Reds, inking Votto to a deal that averages $22.5 million for the next decade becomes a hurdle to overcome. Cincinnati ranked 19th in MLB in team payroll in 2011, with a total of $76,181,685 committed to players. By committing so much to Votto over the next several seasons, the Reds become handcuffed in what they can do when trying to keep second baseman Brandon Phillips in town or to further address their pitching needs.

For the upper-end Giants, who ranked 8th in all of baseball in player salaries, the splurge doesn't hurt them immediately. However, one has to wonder what impact the Cain signing will have on any future deal with two-time Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum, who ultimately will demand a better deal when his current pact ends after 2014.

One has to applaud the desire of smaller market teams in keeping their players locked up. Teams like Tampa Bay, and more recently Kansas City, have been making an effort to keep their talent developed in some of baseball's best farm systems in house. But those teams made conscious decisions to get their players while they were younger, giving the players the finances they would feel appreciated with while also keeping flexibility for other moves in the future.

And in the end, these deals are all about the future. Hopefully for the Reds and the Giants, who kept their grip on two of baseball's brightest, they didn't lose their handle on fielding a contender 3-4 years from now.